Chapter 1
Mother Leandra Amell and father Arathorn II were in love and married for a few years. but something happened in his homeland of Middle Earth that forced him to leave. To keep mother and I safe, he left us in Kirkwall. I was so heartbroken when dad left to go back to his homeland. Dad told me that I would be safer here in Kirkwall with Mom, my grandfather and Uncle Gamlen.
Dad knew he would not return, and knew also, that it would be too dangerous for us young children to endure the trip from Thedas to Middle Earth, he also knew that whatever was waiting for him there would put our lives in jeopardy, so he told Mom to go head and find her self a loving Man. One that will be nice and caring to her and me. And some one who would love me as if I was his own child.
A day or 2 after dad left mom told me that she's 5 months pregnant and I'll be a big sister in 4 months to a little baby brother or sister. I asked mom why her and Dad didn't tell me sooner. Mom said they were going to tell me soon, but then Dad got the message from Gondor about trouble that's going on there and throughout Middle Earth. That was alot of "big girl" stuff for just a 2 year old to have to understand.
By the fall I had turned 3 and I got word, while "training" with my mom's friend, that the baby was coming. Mom gave birth to a baby girl named Riona Amell. Mom called me into her room so that I could see Riona for the first time I climbed up onto her bed and Mom even let me hold Riona for a few minutes. I nicknamed Riona Ri. She calls me Ari because she had a hard time saying Arianna when we were little.
Mother met Malcolm Hawke a few weeks later and they started seeing each other on a regular basis. They got married soon after and then mother became pregnant with her 3rd child and Malcolm's 1st. Malcolm Hawke is a mage who left the circle just prior to marrying my mom. Kirkwall is a tough place for any mage, much less an apostate, so my parents decided to pack up all of our belongings and we all left for Ferelden. When we got to Ferelden we decided to go to the capital city of Denerim. Dad and Mom found a place for us to live just outside the marketplace. A few days after we arrived Marian was born. Marian was fascinated with Ri and I. I had asked Malcolm just before Marian was born if I could call him Dad and he said it was ok for both Ri and I to do so.
One day, not long after we moved in to Denerim, mom, dad and I went to get us all food and Ri stayed to look after Marian. When we were in the market we got to meet the Royal Family of Ferelden. King Maric, Queen Rowan and Prince Cailan Theirin.
Just two years after Marian was born, Ri snuck up behind me and began to tickle me. Instead of merely kicking, squirming and laughing, I screamed and, suddenly, Ri went flying across the room, but instead of crashing into the wall, she stopped about a foot short and hovered for a second before falling to the floor. Malcolm figured out that we had both manafested our magical abilities. Mom was so worried that she would lose both of us to the Tower of Magi. Dad taught both Ri and I how to control our powers and cast spells. I soon learned how to cast Fire, and Cold which are Elemental Spells and Healing, which is Creation. My specializations are Spirit Healer and Elemental Spells.
About a week or so later, I was out and training with my daggers and King Maric saw me and called me over. I though that I was in big trouble, but it was the opposite. He asked me if I wanted to spar.
"You want me to spar you your Majesty?." I asked, suprised.
"Not me, Arianna, my son Prince Cailan is looking for sparring partners. He has a wooden longsword that he uses for training. Do you have any wooden daggers that you can use? If not, I can ask my Quartermaster to make you 2 daggers." The king answered.
"I have some back inside the house in my bedroom. Your Majesty how do you know if the Prince would want to spar with me? Some boys don't like playing with girls."
"Arianna he asked me to see if you would want to spar and just generally be friends with him. There aren't any other children his age at court, so he gets bored frequently."
"Ok I would like that Sir."
I ran to the house to grab my wooden daggers and quickly returned to see prince Cailan already there, waiting for me. We were having fun sparring when my sister Ri approached me.
"What are you doing Ari? Your going to get into alot of trouble." Ri scolded as only a little sister could.
"What do you mean Ri?" I asked, wondering whether I had forgotten to carry out the laundry again.
"Thats Prince Cailan, the Kings son. He may have you put in jail."
"No he won't Ri. Everything is ok. I was asked to spar with him by King Maric himself, Cailan wants to be friends with me."
"Whats wrong, Arianna?" The prince asked as he came over to see what our little pow-wow was all about.
"My sister Riona though that I would be in trouble sparring you." I replied.
"It's ok Riona. Your sister Arianna is my friend now and you can be too." The prince offered as he stood with his hand outstretched ready for her handshake.
Right after dinner that day someone came to the door. Dad, answering the door, told us that it was king Maric and 2 of the palace guard.
"I told you that you would be in big trouble." Ri said, looking at me with the trademark 'I told you so' expression native to all younger siblings.
"Arianna what did you do?" Mother asked.
"Mom I didn't do anything, King Maric came to me and asked if his son Cailan and I would like to spar. I said ok and we both had fun." I told her.
Thankfully king Maric stepped in and told her that everything was ok. "I came here to see if you would allow Arianna to train at the castle in combat training. I saw that she is very proficient with her daggers. I'll have special daggers and leather armor made up for her to keep her safe."
"Please mommy? Can I please? It'll be just like training with Idrial in Kirkwall!" I asked, looking at my mom. Finally,after a minute or two that seemed like an eternity, mom said yes
"Arianna please be careful." She said to me and then looked at King Maric. "Your Majesty please tell whoever teaches Arianna to not hit her too hard."
"Mrs. Hawke she will not hit Arianna to hard." Mom and I both looked at each other. He laughed and then added that my trainer will be his wife, Queen Rowan.
"WOW!" I exclaimed. "I'm going to be trained by Queen Rowan?"
"She saw you and Cailan sparring earlier. She said you have good potential and with some more hard work you would be a great adventurer, or Captain of the Guard, or even a general. Also, you would be able to protect yourself and family if it ever came down to that. Of course, I hope it never does."
The next day Mom came into the bedroom I was sharing with Ri and Marian and woke me up to get ready for my first big day and then asked me to help her get the table set for breakfast. After I finished with that, she asked me to wake up Riona and Marian and tell them that breakfast will be ready in 5 minutes or so.
Ri got up when I put my hand on her shoulder and said her name. Marian was much harder to wake up.
"Ri please help me get our baby sister up." I asked.
Ri had this big grin on her face and I knew right away what she was thinking. Ri and I got her up by tickling her on her tummy and feet. Marian first screamed then started laughing so hard that she almost fell out of bed. I helped her to get on her feet before I let go of her.
After breakfast I got ready to leave the house to meet Queen Rowan for my first day of training. As I opened the door to leave I was greeted by a royal guard to escort me to the palace. King Maric met me at the door.
"Good morning your majesty." I greeted the king.
" Good morning Arianna. Did you eat a good breakfast?" He inquired as Queen Rowan came up behind him.
"Good morning Arianna." The queen said.
"It's an honor to be here and to be trained by you Queen Rowan." I said, then turned back to the king. "Yes, my king, I did eat a full breakfast."
"Good, her ladyship will work that meal right out of you." He replied as the royal couple showed me to the armory to get me fitted for armor and to get my daggers.
"Jack are you here?" King Maric asked.
"Yes your highness please come in." Jack, the armory sargent replied. He gave a tip of his helm to me and asked "Is this the young lady that you're going to be training?"
"Yes this is Arianna." The queen introduced me and I bowed to him. "Please get her sizes that you'll need so that you can get started on fitting her for a suit of armor."
"Right away, Majesties." He replied. "I have what i need now and i'll get to it immediately."
"Thank you Jack." Queen Rowan said.
I was led by Queen Rowan to the training room where she started training me with the basics on how to get to my dagger as fast as possible so that I can stop an attack on me or one of my family or friends. We had been in the combat training room for 3 hours or so and Prince Cailan came in to see how I was doing so far and to see if he could spar me for a few minutes.
"Arianna would you want to spar Cailan?" The queen asked.
"Can I have a little break first?" I asked, being tired and thirsty. "We've been at this for 3 hours now, and I'm dying of thirst."
"Sure Arianna you can rest first, and I will send one of the servants to fetch us some tea." said a smiling Queen Rowan. "I've worked up a thirst as well."
"I wouldn't turn down a spot of tea right now either." Said Prince Cailan as he rang a silver bell resting on a stand over to the side of the room. Almost immediately, a servant entered the room and the order was placed.
"I'll go get you all some tea." He said and then quickly vanished.
After the break, when we had all had our fill and rested, I got up and told them that I was ready.
Cailan and I began to spar, and I decided to try a disarm move that Guard Captain Idrial had taught me. I waited for the prince to thrust with his wooden training sword, then turned my body aside, letting the sword miss me on my right while placing my right-hand dagger point downward on the other side of the blade and then catching the hilt of the sword with my left-hand dagger. Then I pushed with my left while simultaneously pulling with my right. The sword came free of Cailan's hand and clattered behind me. I then thrust my dagger at him as if I were going in for the kill, but then smiled and began to playfully trace the point of the dagger across his armor as if I were writing my name. He stared at me the whole time open-mouthed, while off to the side, I heard the queen clapping and laughing.
"Where did you learn that move?" Cailan asked, dumbfounded.
"That was one of the first things that guard-captain Idrial of Kirkwall taught me." I replied.
3 years have passed since we've been in Denerim. Riona is now 6 and a half, Marian is 3, and in 3 months I will turn 10. Mom and my Step-father called us all in for a family meeting and mom told us that we are going to have a new family member coming in a few months.
"Mom you're pregnant with a baby thats great news." I exclaimed.
Ri and I are both very happy. Marian is a little bit confused about this.
She came up to me and asked. "Whats going on sis?"
"Marian you're going to be a big sister, just like Ri and I." I told her. "We are gonna have a baby brother or baby sister in a few months from now."
Right after Ri and I got done Explaining to Marian about Mom being pregnant a knock on the door came. Ri got up and answered the door and there was a lady at the door looking paniced.
"Ari it's for you." Ri said hurredly. "Sis, she looks very scared and worried."
"Miss Kat what's wrong?" I recognized her at Katherine, one of the servants at the palace.
"It's Queen Rowan she need help." She cried.
"WHAT?"
"Some men are attacking her outside the gate. She asked me to come get you and to see if your step-father will also help. That would be greatly appreciated.
Both my dad and I along with Ri were all immediately in motion for the door. Me grabbing my red steel daggers that the king and queen had given me only a week before, Ri and Malcolm grabbing their staffs.
"Yes ma'am I will help." Our stepdad said. "Come on Arianna, get your daggers FAST!"
"I already have them Dad lets GO!"
"I'm coming too! I have a couple of spells I could throw at them." Ri called out as she headed out the door behind us.
I called back to Miss Kat to go get King Maric and some guards for help.
As soon as we got there, Ri casted a haste spell on all of us and I casted a freezing spell on a man that was about to cut Queen Rowan's head off. It froze him in place just long enough for one of the gate guards to deal the killing blow. Another came at me with a thrust, and I used the same disarm move on him that I had used on prince Cailan in our first sparring match in the palace, except this time, instead of letting the sword fall to the ground behind me, I spun around and launched it back at him point first, coming in behind it and plant a dagger in his thigh. As he, naturally, doubled over with the pain of a blade being embedded in his leg, I came up with my other dagger and got him in the throat. He was dead before he hit the ground. I saw another man heading for Ri. She staggered him with an earth spell, giving me time enough to get over to him and cut both of his hamstring muscles. Then all of a sudden, I hear Dad telling me to get down. I ducked immediately and not a 1 second later a fireball went right over my head, at a guy that was coming up behind me. It killed him and some of the others behind him. I then threw both of my daggers into the neck of a guy that was about to swing an axe at the queen.
When the fight was over I looked around for Queen Rowan and saw her on the ground badly injured. King Maric was already at her side. He was the only one that showed, and asked Dad if he can help him carry his wife to the palace to their room. When we got to their room he looked at Dad and said "I saw you cast a fireball out there. can you please help my wife?"
Dad cast his healing spell over her and I saw the look on his face and knew it wasn't good.
"Dad what's wrong?" I asked.
"She lost too much blood and has a lot of broken bones, and she has blood in her lungs." He said with a pained look on his face. "I'm sorry your Majesty Queen Rowan not going to make it through the night."
"Malcolm can't you do anything to help her?" Maric pleaded, on the verge of tears.
"Sir. I can cast a spell that can help her with the pain, so that she'll not suffer as bad."
"Please do that." Said Rowan and Maric at the same time.
Rowan looked at me. "Please see if you can find Cailan for me."
"Yes your highness." I said obediently.
"I saw him last in the armory Arianna." said Maric.
I got to the armory and didn't see Cailan there. I yelled "JACK!"
He came out from his storage room, "Arianna whats with the hollering?"
"Have you seen Cailan anywhere?"
"He's in the storage room looking at swords."
Cailan came out and looked at me. "Hi Arianna." He said, then he looked closer at me and saw that i was crying. "Whats wrong?"
"It's your mom." I told him between sobs. "Some bandits attacked her outside the city gate. It's not good. She's in her bedroom. You need to come now, she may not last the night."
"What?" He said, as if he had heard that the sky was green. "Lets go."
Back in the royal room Cailan went right to his mom. She told him what happened, said that Malcolm, Ri, and I had come to her rescue. "They had already done their harm to me. Arianna and her dad killed the man that hurt me."
Cailan looked over at us and he came over and hugged me and shook dad's hand, thanking us for taking out the man that hurt his mom.
Rowan looked at me. "Arianna come here please."
"Yes your highness?" I said, coming closer.
"You have learned very well over the last year since I started training you. I'm very proud of you Arianna."
"Thank you Queen Rowan. I had a very good teacher, and I loved every single day."
"Malcolm thank you for all that you've done." Maric said. Then he looked at me. "Your dad's magic will be kept a secret between us. You don't have to worry about the Chantry finding out about you, your dad, or Riona."
Cailan looked at us. "You're mages?
"Yes Cailan, I'm a mage." I replied.
"WOW! COOL!" He exclaimed
The next morning King Maric sent a call out to all of Denerim to gather at the palace gate where everyone was given the bad news about Queen Rowan's death. Everyone throughout Ferelden was saddened by the news. King Maric's brother, Arl Eamon of Redcliffe, and his family came to Denerim to say their goodbyes to the Arl's sister-in-law. Eamon and Maric both said their last goodbyes to her just before the wake. King Maric then asked me if I would launch the arrow at the boat that had his beloved wife the Queen's body in it. Of course, I said yes. Still, it was hard not to be in shock of him asking me, a non-native. Shooting that arrow was one of the saddest things I had ever done.
