Wynter's Grasp

Chapter 2 – The Great Escape

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Dragon Age or Final Fantasy franchise. I don't even own most of the plot. In fact, let's just say that if you recognize it, I don't own it.

Refer to Warning in first Chapter.

OoOoOoOo

"Wynter!"

Wynter felt heavy, as if she weighed a thousand pounds. Her thoughts were messy-disjointed, and it took her a few minutes to remember what she was doing before she blacked out. The Harrowing… was she still in the Fade?

"Are you alright? Say something, please!" A man's voice pleaded desperately. A man's voice that was suspiciously familiar. Suspiciously familiar and definitely not part of the Fade.

Forcing her eyes open, she spoke in a cracking voice, as if it were rusty from disuse. "Jowan?"

"I'm glad you're alright. They carried you in this morning, though I hadn't even realized you were gone all night. I've heard of apprentices not coming back from their Harrowing, is it really that dangerous? What was it like?" He questioned after handing her a glass of water and assuring himself that she was alright.

His curiosity was valid, after all no one was allowed to speak of what the Harrowing entails and so apprentice mages went in blind. Bastards. Though she'd gladly break the rules and inform Jowan of what transpired during the ritual, if only to defy the Templars, her voice still hurt and she had a pounding headache. Not the condition anyone wants to be in while recounting a story, so she decided to shorten her tale a bit. "It was…harrowing." Okay, a lot.

"Is that why they don't tell us what it's about? I know we're not supposed to know… but we're friends. Just a little hint, and I'll stop asking, I promise!" He was acting like a whiny little kid who was trying to get his way after being told no. Sadly, this whiny little kid was three years her senior. Even sadder was the fact that he was her only friend in the whole gods forsaken tower. They'd been friends since the day she'd been brought to the tower when she was ten. He'd been appointed to show her around and had treated her normally despite her being an elf. In fact, they had bonded over their penchants for finding and evading trouble, him with his skills of persuasion and innocent face and her with her stealth and enhanced senses. Between the two of them, no templar entered the tower without leaving with a lighter pocket.

"I had to enter the Fade." Wynter added, seeing as she knew he would keep bugging until she gave up at least that much. Swirling the water in the cup and watching as the ice clinked together softly, she hoped that it was just plain water and wasn't lace with any medicine. Gods she hated medicine. Downing the glass in one go, Wynter swallowed quickly before she could spit it back out. Damn, it did have medicine in it, most likely some sort of boiled elfroot water or something. Disgusting.

"Really? That's it?" He asked sceptically. Everyone but the dwarves entered the Fade when they slept, and mages could even remember their time spent there and enter it at will, and so it didn't seem all that bad to him.

Nose scrunched up in disgust, Wynter futilely scrubbed her tongue with her sleeve. Damn concoction had an even worse aftertaste, and no matter what she tried over the years, Wynter still couldn't find anything pleasant strong enough to cover the taste. "And if a demon possesses you, they kill you." She mumbled around her sleeve absentmindedly. Ewwwwwww…

"That makes sense. They want to see if you can resist the demon and stop yourself from becoming an abomination." Jowan said contemplatively, before pouting and crossing his arms. "And now you get to move to the nice mages' quarters. I'm stuck here and I don't know when they'll call me for my Harrowing."

Rolling her eyes at his display, Wynter stretched. It felt like she had been lying still for days instead of hours. Her muscles were practically screaming at her, though she had to admit, the disgusting potion had begun to work. "Any day now. Probably." Looking at the ice in the empty glass, she weighed her options; cold and gross, or warm and gross. Shrugging her shoulders, she fished out an ice cube and popped it into her mouth. She hated the taste, but cold treats were her favourite, and her mouth would taste bad regardless of what she did. Therefore, the only sane option in her opinion was to, naturally, suck on the ice cube.

"I've been here longer than you have… sometimes I think they just don't want to test me." He uncrossed his arms and slumped in defeat as he said this.

Everything aside, Jowan had been a good friend to her, her only friend since the first ten years of her life were still slightly fuzzy. She had been brought in at age ten with no memory and a whopping amount of magical power and potential, though as the, though as the years went by her memories had returned in flashes and dreams. After seven years of apprenticeship, she was finally a mage, more importantly she was exempt from attending all the classes and lectures the apprentices were forced to endure. Jowan, however, had been in the circle since he was five, and fifteen years later he was still an apprentice. She felt bad for the guy, and offered words of encouragement, though they rang hollow in her ears. "You're just paranoid." Well, from her it was a form of encouragement.

"No, I'm afraid of what will happen to me. You do the Harrowing, the Rite of Tranquility… or you die. That's what happens." His voice was sombre. We both knew there were really only two options, the Harrowing or death. Being made Tranquil was something we believed worse than death. Better to be dead than attempt to live with only half of your being.

"They're not going to kill you, Jowan." The ice was melting slowly in her mouth. Being stuck in this cage full of Templars was awful. Being stuck inside this cage with Templars and no Jowan would be impossible.

"They might not, but the Rite is just as bad, maybe- probably worse. You lose everything that makes you… you. Like Owain, the Tranquil in charge of the storeroom. He's so cold. No, not even cold. There's just… nothing in him. It's like he's dead, but still walking. His eyes, his voice, they're lifeless." Wynter cringed as he explained what the Tranquil were like. Of course she knew what they were like, that was the reason she avoided them in the first place. But to hear him explain it gave her chills. Though she'd had her fair share of nightmares, ones where she was cut down by Templars, her worst nightmares to date had been the ones where she was forced to become Tranquil herself. It was like taking half of your soul, your essence, and destroying it. The worst part is that afterwards, you wouldn't even care. You'd remember your old life, remember your unwillingness, but you wouldn't have the ability to care. On those nights, after waking she'd spend the rest of the night going through strong memories of the childhood she had nearly completely forgotten just so she could feel and reassure herself.

"I think you're reading too much into it." Wynter said, though her lie was transparent. It was obvious she didn't believe her own words; she just did not want to be talking about this anymore.

"I shouldn't waste your time with this. I was supposed to tell you to see Irving as soon as you woke up." Thankfully Jowan had gotten the hint that she was reluctant to continue the conversation.

Popping the other ice cube into her mouth, and again cringing at the taste, Wynter nodded to Jowan before limping out the door. The quicker I do this, the sooner I can get something to eat. I'm starving. That stopped her in her tracks. Speed. Speed was important, for it wouldn't be too much longer until her stomach started eating her from the inside out. An unpleasant thought but, Wynter shrugged, what can you do? Popping her head back into the door, she sheepishly asked her friend if he knew where exactly in the tower Irving was.

"He said he'd be in his study, upstairs. It's best to not keep him waiting; we can continue talking later." Jowan informed her, a slight smirk shining through his melancholy mood.

Giving a slight wave in thanks, she hurried past two gossiping girls. They had always found some way to criticise her, and she took no small amount of smug joy in the fact that she, with less training, completed her Harrowing before they did. The fact that they were talking about how quick and clean Cullen had mentioned her ritual had been was a plus, though the idiot wasn't that reliable. Honestly, she didn't see why most of the girls continually fawned over him. His face was always red and he could never get out a full sentence without stuttering or tripping over his own words.

Passing through the library, Wynter couldn't help but lift a few coins from the pockets of the apprentices she passed, and even stopped to watch Burt nearly catch his robes on fire while trying to do a simple fire spell. Snickering, she moved on, walking right by a group of children being taught about the Chantry and broke out into light giggles as she heard one apprentice from the back of the library near tears as he tried to make a competent shield. Humming a tune in her head, she strolled up the stairs and kept to the shadows as she skirted around the storeroom, and the Tranquils.

Slipping through the arch, Wynter turned the corner and headed towards Irving's study. Though, honestly, the term corner was kind of misleading. The tower corridors had no real corners, because, well, it was cylindrical in shape. To be perfectly honest, after seven years of residence, Wynter was getting absolutely sick of circles. Circles, also, made her think of the Circle, which was an unpleasant thought in and of itself. Passing by the guest room and her new quarters, Wynter tried to sneak by the Templar on duty, but to her utter misfortune, that Templar was Cullen.

"Oh, um, h-hello. I… uh, am glad to see your Harrowing went smoothly." He stuttered nervously as she walked by, stopping her in her tracks.

Wynter knew she should be polite; after all, he was the one with the pointy sword. She knew this, and yet she still couldn't quite stop herself. Not only did she enjoy mocking them and generally making their lives difficult, but also his stuttering annoyed her, like it always did, and so when she asked, her tone was barely civil. "Why are you stuttering? Again?"

"W-what? Ah, I'm fine, I… ah, I'm just glad you're alright. You know." Eye twitching in annoyance, Wynter listened as he continued stuttering and turned red. She really didn't see why the girls would fawn over him. He was a blubbering idiot, and she herself just could not see the appeal. Sighing, Wynter tried to calm down. She was usually pretty good at pretending to be innocent and polite to those around her while secretly mocking them, but today just wasn't a good day. Still, she figured it was best to end this conversation quickly and on a light note so she could go see what Irving wanted.

"I thought all Templars liked killing mages." Well now, that was definitely not polite. She blamed her stomach.

"Maybe some, but not me. It's my duty to hunt down apostate mages, but… I do so with a heavy heart." Cullen sighed, as if it were a terrible burden.

And I'm actually a dwarf; the pointy ears are from being yanked around as a child. "I need to go." This time she didn't even try to hide the annoyance from her voice.

"Ah-ah yes, maybe we can talk another time." Plastering a fake smile on her face, she nodded condescendingly and finished her trek to the end of the hall. Curiosity peaked at the loud voices she could hear inside, Wynter strode into the office and watched as Greagoir argued with Irving, while an unknown man stood watching the two.

"Many have already gone to Ostagar, Wynne, Uldred, and many other Senior Enchanters. We've committed enough of our men to this war effort." Greagoir thundered.

"Your men? I didn't know you felt so much kinship with the Circle. Or are you just afraid of letting too many mages out of Chantry supervision, where they can actually use their Maker given powers?" Irving mocked, his tone slightly condescending.

"Why you-"

"Gentlemen, please. Irving, someone is here to see you." The strange man interrupted Greagoir, causing all three of them to turn their attention to Wynter.

Blushing slightly under the scrutiny of the three men, Wynter cleared her throat. "You sent for me?"

"Ah, if it isn't our newest sister in the Circle. Come child." Irving said pleasantly as he beckoned her forward.

"This is…?" The strange man asked, curiosity lacing his voice. He was dressed for battle, with a sword and a dagger strapped to his back, and yet Wynter was sure he wasn't a templar. Which begged the question, what exactly was he doing here?

"Yes this is she." Irving replied, sharing a glance with the stranger.

"Well, Irving. You're obviously busy. We'll continue discussing this at a later time." Greagoir interjected, irked at being ignored. Without even waiting for a response, he threw her a glare as he strode out of the study.

"Of course. Well, then… where was i? Oh, yes. This is Duncan, of the Grey Wardens" Irving introduced the man at his side.

A Grey Warden? Truly? Wynter's eyebrows rose in curiosity as she looked him over again with interest. How interesting. "Pleased to meet you."

"You've heard about the war brewing to the South, I expect? Duncan is recruiting mages to join the King's army at Ostagar." Irving explained, watching her closely.

She had heard the rumours. Being cooped up all of the time in a tower turned many of her fellow mages into terrible gossips. What Wynter wanted to know was why Irving was telling her this. She was a newly Harrowed mage, a veritable nobody in the tower. "Why?"

"The Darkspawn threat grows in the South. We need all the help we can get." Duncan replied gravely. It was the duty of the Grey Wardens to eliminate the threat the Darkspawn posed the land. With the way he held himself, it seemed being a Warden was a great burden.

Wynter was about to probe for more information since the men seemed to be unusually forthcoming, but a growl from her stomach reminded her she hadn't eaten since the day before. "That's all you wanted to tell me?" She asked, trying to hurry the conversation along.

"Of course not, I wished to congratulate you on a successful end to last night's ordeal. The Harrowing is behind you. Your phylactery was sent to Denerim. You are officially a mage within the Circle of Magi." Irving replied, smiling kindly at her.

"My leash, you mean." Wynter couldn't help but state bitterly. It was a real dampener on her mood, being reminded that the Templars would always be able to track her no matter where she went. Duncan shot her a look of pity; even he seemed to think it demeaning and unfair.

"Now child, it's not that bad," Irving chuckled. "I present you with your robes, your staff, and a ring bearing the Circle's insignia. Wear them proudly, for you have earned them." Wynter accepted the items with a quiet thank you. She was still thinking about her phylactery.

"It goes without saying that you shall not discuss the Harrowing with those who have not yet undertaken the Rite. Now, then…take your time to rest, or study in the library. The day is yours." Smiling innocently, Wynter thought back to her conversation with Jowan. Ah, well. It was a stupid rule anyways.

"I will do that." After I raid the kitchens, of course.

"I will return to my quarters." Duncan stated tiredly.

"Would you be so kind as to escort Duncan back to his room, child?" Irving requested.

Hunger aside, Grey Wardens were different. Out of the ordinary things were rarely experienced while she was stuck in a structured and mundane ritualistic tower. That made them interesting. "It would be my pleasure."

"The guest quarters are on the East side of this floor, by the library. Now if you'll both excuse me, I have matters to discuss. With Gregoire." Irving explained, voice becoming slightly exasperated towards the end.

Brow quirked, Wynter began to lead Duncan to his room. Of course she knew where it was, she'd snuck into it to snoop around enough times. Although she was itching to question the man about his experiences and duties, the Warden looked exhausted, and so with no little amount of difficulty she delivered him to his room in silence. Waving away his thanks, she shut the door behind her on her way out…

…and promptly ran into Jowan. Regaining her footing and covering her sore nose, Wynter glared up at her friend as he sighed in relief. "I'm glad I caught up to you. Are you done talking to Irving?"

"Going through another personal crisis?" She snarked, gently poking her tender nose and wincing.

"Very funny," He deadpanned. "I need to talk to you. Do you remember what we discussed this morning?" Jowan continued in a whisper, leaning closer so she could hear. Which was completely unnecessary, what with her elven hearing.

"Why are you whispering? It looks very suspicious." Wynter asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Shhhh! I just want to make sure we're not over heard." He looked around the empty halls nervously. "We should go somewhere else. I don't feel safe talking here."

"You seem a little on edge." An understatement, really. He seemed as skittish as a hare, or at least what she imagined a hare would act like. Having only read about them in books, it was hard for her to be sure.

"I've been… troubled. I'll explain. Come with me, please." He pleaded and looked around once again before walking down the corridor, his pace hurried. With a sigh of resignation, Wynter followed behind him, tentatively rubbing her nose again as they ended up in a corner of the chapel. "We should be safe here," He said as he went to stand next to a Chantry initiate.

Wynter looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "Safe? In the chapel? The Templars' favourite haunt? Seriously?"

"We can see the door from here. If anyone comes, we'll change the subject." The initiate said reassuringly.

Which begs the question, what exactly are we going to talk about that requires such privacy? Wynter looked at Jowan suspiciously. "Jowan… what's going on?" She asked slowly.

"A few months ago, I told you that I… met a girl. This is Lily." Jowan said, waving his hand towards her nervously.

Oh. Oh. "Ah," Wynter looked between her friend and his girlfriend, both of whom wore nervous expressions on their face. She had honestly thought he was just using it as an excuse to sneak out at night to practice magic by himself. "I was beginning to doubt her existence."

"I was afraid to tell anyone. Lily was becoming a Chantry priest, she's taken her vows. Lily's been given to the Chantry. She is not allowed to have… relations with men. If anyone finds out… we'll both be in trouble." He seemed sincere, and hurt, like a kicked puppy. It was all very sappy and romantic, secret night time rendezvous between lovers, but she figured he had more to say and wanted to hurry him along.

"Did you bring me here just to talk about your affair?" She asked sceptically.

"I wish that was the only thing I needed to talk about. Remember when I said I didn't think they were going to let me do my Harrowing? I was right. They're… they're going to make me Tranquil. They'll take everything I am from me; my dreams, hopes, fears…" He looked at Lily, heartbroken. "My love for Lily. All gone…"

"That's…" Horrible. Awful. Sick. "That sounds terrible." Wynter settled on, stomach twisting at the thought. What the hell did he do to warrant something like that?

"They'll extinguish my humanity! I'll just be a husk, breathing and existing, but not truly living." Jowan said, his voice heavy with fear.

"Why would they do this to you?"

"There's a rumour about me. People think I'm a blood mage. They think making me a Circle mage will endanger everyone." She had heard the rumours of course, but she had brushed them off as just that; rumours. But now, something in his voice…

"And are they right about that?" Wynter asked curiously, wondering if he'd even tell her the truth if they were. She hoped he would; those years of friendship had to count for something.

"Of course not!" He denied vehemently. "But it's not safe here for me anymore. I need to escape; I need to destroy my phylactery so that they can't track me anymore. Me and Lily need to get out of here, and we need your help." Desperation crept into his voice as Lily held his hand, trying to comfort him.

"Give us your word that you will help and we will tell you what we intend." Lily said, her voice wavering between a demand and a plea.

This was… big. She'd dreamed about escaping many, many times, but to actually do it… Wynter was uncertain. The chances of not getting caught were slim, very slim, but the real question was, would she be able to live with herself if she let Jowan be turned into a Tranquil? He was the only friend she's had for the past seven years, and although she would go so far as to say he was her best friend, his friendship did mean something to her. She knew he was hiding something, but she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, it was the least she could do. Maybe he knew who the blood mage really was and was sworn to secrecy, or maybe he just really needed to pee.

Looking Lily in the eye and frowning slightly, she spoke. "You have my word, Lily."

"Thank you." Lily breathed, her relief evident. "We will never forget this."

Wynter crossed her arms over her chest and sighed in frustration at the mess she was getting herself into. "Yes, well. This had better be a damngood plan."

OoOoOoOo

Screw damn good plan, this was a damn stupid plan. Sure, for the most part, the plan was fool proof. But they were a trio of fools, so that point was moot. Oh, if only she hadn't given her word. She may be a sarcastic, sneaky, thief, but unfortunately she was a sarcastic, sneaky, thief with morals. True, her morals may be somewhat more twisted than the average person, but the fact was that she still had them, and therefore couldn't in good conscience go back on her promise.

Step one; get a rod of fire from Owain. Pretty straightforward. Or it would be, except for two teensy weensy little problems. One, Owain was a Tranquil. She wasn't able to sneak around this time; she had to actually go talk to the guy. Ugh. Second, he wouldn't give her the rod unless she got a permission slip signed. Luckily, she had helped Senior Enchanter Leorah with the spider infestation in the caves, and so the Enchanter owed her one. With permission slip signed, she had to go talk with Owain, again. He bought her lie about needing it to light fireplaces, and so step one was complete.

Step Two; use the rod to break the lock on the two doors in the repository and destroy Jowan's phylactery. Again, an easy enough step, until you count the fact that only one of the doors would open, forcing them to go the long way. The long way filled with guards, sentinels to be exact. And the ugliest giant lizards she had ever seen. So of course we had to fight our way through, though it was quite amusing to watch Lily bitch slap the things.

Which brings us to now. They had been rushing through the underground corridors for almost an hour, and had ended up in the repository. There were various magical items strewn about, each radiating with powerful or old magic, sometimes both. The repository was a dead end, however, and they still hadn't destroyed Jowan's phylactery. Part of Wynter was anxious to be done with step two, but mostly she was dreading step three. Fighting their way out of the tower was basically suicide, and yet, here she was.

"There has to be another way into the phylactery chamber." Lily said while rubbing her red hands.

Looking around the large room, Jowan had an idea. "The repository's pretty big. Why don't we split up so we can cover more ground faster?"

"Whatever." Wynter shrugged as she strolled past the two and made her way to the far wall. Running her hand along the shelf, she walked forward slowly, feeling not only several layers of dust but also the power. Wynter had figured out as a child that if she concentrated on this with magic, she could sort of… experience them in a different way. While most mages would be able to sense the power of a particularly strong mage, Wynter was able to see, to feel. A person's magic was a reflection of their willpower and was tied to their emotions, which was why, in the Rite of Tranquility, a person's links to both were severed. Using this reasoning, Wynter figured out how to not only sense how powerful a mage was, but, with enough concentration, she could also see the outline of their magic surrounding them. Though people could lie, they weren't able to fully supress their true emotions on the subject. That is how she was able to tell that Ratman wasn't what he seemed, and that Jowan was still hiding something from her. From what she could tell, not too many people in the tower could sense things like she could, and even fewer were able to see it.

At the moment though, she was only feeling the power of the objects. Some things she came across, like a sinister looking figurine, were imbued with so much evil that it twisted her stomach. Other items, like a peculiar looking hair clip, radiated strongly with nature magic. Propped up against the wall was a tall, blackened staff, the wood twisted and tapering to a sinister point. Looking closely, she realized that the staff hadn't always been black; there were a few spots where the original mahogany shone through. Picking it up and giving it an experimental twirl, Wynter was able to deduce that, from the feel and weight, it was probably made of Heartwood. The staff radiated with darkness, the evil taint left over from its previous owner, but… biting her lip, Wynter sheathed the staff on her back. It was more powerful than the one Irving gave her, and it'd be useful if they ran into any more guards.

Continuing on her way, Wynter moved to look at a shelf full of jewellery. There were rings of garnet and ruby, diamond earrings, and various necklaces made of the finest crystals and jewels. One particular necklace caught her eye. It was a beautiful teardrop shaped sapphire hanging on a shiny silver chain. The sapphire was large and was a deep blue in color at the base. Though what Wynter found peculiar was that the teardrop faded from deep blue to a bright red at the top. Picking it up, Wynter marvelled at the feel of the piece. It was cool in her hands, and yet she could feel warmth in it, like when she used her ice spells. The power felt old, really, old, yet unlike the Heartwood staff it wasn't tainted. Looking closer at the necklace, she was astonished to see a small blue flame flickering within the gem. Mesmerized, Wynter shook her head quickly and turned to Jowan as he called her, unconsciously stuffing the necklace into her pouch. Following him to a statue of a dog, and looking at the bookcase he had moved, she quickly gathered what they were going to do.

Using the fire rod with the statue, the power behind the fire was magnified, and the weak wall crumbled. Walking forward, Wynter sighed in relief. They finally made it to the chamber.

"We must find Jowan's phylactery quickly." Lily exclaimed as she began searching the shelves.

"It's a pity they've taken mine to Denerim." Wynter pouted. A chance to destroy her leash was not one she would have passed up.

"Would you destroy yours too if it were here?" Jowan asked curiously as he joined Lily.

"Of course. I'd be able to escape too." Wynter sighed wistfully. If only.

"You still can," Lily said reassuringly. "I don't think they'd be able to catch you out there. You're clever. Not like me…"

Running his hand through his hair in frustration, Jowan put another vial back in its place. "Let's just find my phylactery and get out of here."

Walking over to the desk in the corner, Wynter began reading the labels on the vials that sat in a beige case. Gordon, Perry, Lucy, Castor…Aha! "Found it!" Wynter yelled as she plucked the vial off of the desk and handed it to the ecstatic Jowan.

"That's my phylactery! You found it! I can't believe this tiny vial stands between me and freedom. So small… so fragile…" Jowan's voice seemed far away, mesmerized by the tiny vial. Slowly, so as to savour the moment, he opened his fingers one by one and let the vial crash on the floor. "Finally. Freedom."

Lucky bastard. "Let's hurry it up. The sooner we're out of here, the better." Wynter groaned in resignation as she followed them out of the repository. Step three. I've got a very bad feeling about this.

Exiting the basement, Wynter followed Jowan up the stairs, only to run into him a second time when he stopped dead in his tracks. Peering around him she groaned. Waiting for them at the top of the stairs were not only Irving and Greagoir, but also half a dozen Templars. For some reason, Wynter didn't think they were there to see them off. Of all the things that could go wrong…

"So what you said was true, Irving." Greagoir said, his voice like steel.

Wynter bit her cheek and mumbled. "I knew it. I just knew this would end badly. Fool proof my ass."

"Greagoir!" Lily paled.

"An initiate conspiring with a blood mage. You're right. She seems shocked but in her own mind, not under the influence of blood magic. This Chantry initiate betrayed us. This will not go unpunished." Greagoir stated with disdain.

"I'm disappointed in you. If you would have told me what they were planning…" Irving sighed. Wynter winced, not having to see his magical aura to understand just how disappointed he was.

"You don't care for the mages! You just bow to the Chantry's every whim!" Jowan yelled, incensed.

Wynter blinked and took a step away from him. His aura was flickering dangerously, like that of a cornered animal. He was going to do something rash. "The First Enchanter does what he can to protect us." And it was true. Though she hated the Circle and the Templars, Irving had always been fair and had stood up to Greagoir on many different matters. One thing her research had shown her was that, sadly, First Enchanters like Irving were the exceptions, not the rule.

"Enough! As knight commander I sentence this blood mage to death. And this initiate has scorned her vows. Take her away." Greagoir's men started forward at his command.

"No!" Jowan shouted, pulling out a dagger. "I won't let you take her!" He thrust his dagger into the palm of his hand, blood spraying all over him. With a yell, he thrust his hands forward, the blood magic striking all those in front of them.

Ignoring Jowan's pleas for Lily to forgive him, Wynter rushed forward and knelt beside Irving. Hesitantly shaking his shoulder, she let out the breath she hadn't even realized she was holding in when he moaned, struggling to his hands and knees.

"Are you alright?" Irving wheezed. He let out a sigh as she nodded her head. "Greagoir?"

Grunting as he got to his feet, Greagoir stared in disbelief. "I knew it… blood magic. But to overcome so many… I never thought him capable of such power…"

Wynter couldn't believe it. She knew he had been hiding something. She knew he had been acting suspicious… but this… "He lied to me! He looked me in the eyes and told me he wasn't a blood mage!" Wynter muttered to herself, disbelief and anger coloring her voice. It wasn't so much that he was a blood mage that angered her, but that he would lie to her about it while asking her for help.

"None of us expected this," Irving stated, as Wynter helped him to his feet. "Are you alright Greagoir?

"As good as can be expected, given the circumstances. If you would have let me act sooner, none of this would have happened! Now we have a blood mage on the loose and no way to track him down!" Greagoir furiously stated.

Wynter blinked. Well damn. "That's right, Jowan destroyed his phylactery." This does not bode well for me.

"Where is the girl!" Greagoir demanded, looking around.

"I-I am here sir" Lily stepped forward shakily.

"You helped a blood mage! Look at all he's hurt!" Lily flinched at his tone. The other Templars were strewn across the floor, moaning in pain from their various injuries.

She didn't really know Lily; in fact she just met her today. That coupled with the fact that it was partly her fault that she's in this predicament in the first place, and Wynter should have kept quiet. She didn't particularly care, but… she cared for Greagoir "Lily didn't know Jowan was a blood mage either," Wynter's voice lowered to a mutter that only Irving, who stood beside her, could make out. "Still can't believe the bastard lied to me. Seven flipping years of friendship and he lies to my face. Asshole." Irving put calming hand on her arm.

"You've been a friend, but you needn't defend me any longer. Knight-Commander, I was… wrong. I was an accomplice to a blood mage, and I will accept any punishment." Lily said resolutely.

"Take her away." Greagoir commanded. The Templars that had managed to make it to their feet immediately apprehended Lily and lead her away. "And you!" He swirled around and glared at me. "You know what the phylactery chamber is for, what the repository chamber is for. Some magics, some items, need to be locked away." Wynter flushed with embarrassment before scowling. She had felt the power in some of the items, and knew they were safer kept under lock and key. This didn't mean she accepted the way he was speaking to her as if she were a delinquent child.

"Did you take anything important from the repository?" Irving asked calmly, no traces of anger to be found in his voice.

Wynter bit her lip and passed Irving the black staff before looking at her feet, a braid falling to dangle in front of her eyes. "Yes, this staff, and you can have it back if you like." It was making my skin crawl anyways.

"Hmph. Some honesty, at last. But your antics have made a mockery of this Circle! Ah… what are we to do with you?" Greagoir snorted in frustration. He was not having a good day.

Wynter blew the braid out of her face and looked up at him through her lashes defiantly with bright purple eyes. "I had no idea he was a blood mage," Wynter started. Though I probably wouldn't have turned him in had I known…

"And you think this excuses you? You helped a blood mage escape! You broke-" Greagoir interrupted Wynter, only to get interrupted by Duncan himself.

"Knight-Commander, if I may," Duncan spoke as he walked towards them. "I'm not only looking for mages to aid the army, I am also recruiting for the Grey Wardens."

"Duncan, this mage has aided a maleficar and has shown a blatant disregard for the rules." Wynter frowned. Irving was one of the three people in the tower whom she had any sort of respect for at all, but he really wasn't earning himself any brownie points with those comments, true or not.

"It takes a special kind of person to risk everything for a friend," Duncan placed his hands on her shoulders reassuringly. "I would make her a Grey Warden."

Wynter blinked. That would be… interesting. She'd be away from the Circle, no longer under its thumb, and she wouldn't die by the hand of a templar. Fighting Darkspawn was really a small price to pay considering all she stood to gain. She'd actually get to experience things instead of having to read about them in a book. She was absolutely thrilled.

"No!" Greagoir thundered, his face turning red. "I refuse to let this go unpunished!"

Wynter frowned at the Templar and snorted. He was not going to ruin her chances. "If the Grey Wardens will have me, I will gladly go."

"Greagoir, mages are needed. This mage is needed. Worse things plague this world than blood mages, you know that. I will take this young mage under my wing and will be held fully responsible for her actions." Duncan pushed. Though she was slightly uncomfortable with the amount of trust he was putting in her, she was thankful as well.

"A blood mage escapes, and his accomplice is not only unpunished but is rewarded by becoming a Grey Warden? Do rules mean nothing anymore?" Greagoir asked in disbelief.

"Enough." Irving stated firmly. "We have no more say in the matter."

Wynter glanced up at Duncan. "So I am to be a Grey Warden?"

"Yes. Be proud, child. You are luckier than you know." Irving replied. Though she was still a little sore from him trying to dissuade Duncan earlier, she figured it was best to leave on somewhat friendly terms. It would also suck to have Duncan change his mind because I wasn't polite.

"Thank you for everything, First Enchanter." And she was grateful. Maybe not as grateful as she should be, but she did appreciate everything he had done for her. She had been clothed, taught, fed, and treated like any other student by this man. Her unknown past and heritage hadn't affected his opinion of her whatsoever.

"Come. Your new life awaits." Duncan said, steering her out of the room.

OoOoOoOo

An hour later and Wynter had her backpack filled with everything she wanted to bring. Hiking the pack higher onto her back and readjusting the straps, she picked up her staff and raced towards the front door where Duncan was waiting for her. Eyes wide as she stepped outside the tower for the first time since she was brought there, Wynter looked all around her, trying to take everything in.

Duncan gave a small smile at her excitement and childlike curiosity. The boat ride back to the mainland was uneventful, and it didn't really take that long, but Wynter breathed a sigh of relief when she finally stepped back onto solid ground. Having grown up in the tower, the most water she had ever been in was a tub. She was in no hurry to jump into a pool of water to see if she would sink or swim, as her money was on the former.

"We will be travelling south, to Ostagar, a fortress built by the ancient Tevinter bordering the Korcari Wilds." Duncan said as they started down the dirt path away from Lake Calenhad, the Circle of Magi tower fading into the distance.

Wynter stopped him before he could continue his mini lecture. "That's really interesting and all, but I have an important question, if you don't mind."

"Oh? What is it?" Duncan asked, intrigued.

Wynter eyed him seriously, as her stomach grumbled again. She still hadn't eaten. "I was wondering whether or not you were planning on sharing your apple cookies."

Duncan glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"…I can smell them from your pack."

OoOoOoOo

A/N: Gah. This one's even longer, over 6500 words. I figured that most mages wouldn't be allowed outside the tower, even on the island, in case they tried to escape. Coupled with the fact that she doesn't remember much of her past, and you got a brand-spanking-new world for her to explore. Despite the fact that she has read countless books, this fact will make her naïve in some circumstances. Next chapter, Ostagar.