The next day they were walking to Ostagar, "Duncan, may I ask a question?"

"You may ask."

"Why did you point the templars in the wrong direction?" Neria was fiddling with her thumb ring.

"Was it wrong? I must have made a mistake in my concern for you and Cullen."

"Thank you, Ser." Neria skipped on ahead, pausing to look at birds and flowers.

Duncan, "She never has been outside before."

Cullen, "Not since she was 5."

Duncan, "Isn't that young for mages to display their power?"

Cullen shrugged, "Her report states she was injured and lashed out with fire when her father tried to help her."

Duncan, "You're not much older than her, why would you be reading her reports."

Cullen flushed, "I- uh. Made it a habit to read the reports of promising apprentices."

"A better cover would have been you were assigned to read some, so you could learn to create those reports for new apprentices. You do know Grey Wardens may marry?"

Cullen cleared his throat, "Is it true Conscripts don't survive the trials very often?"

"That is correct...Cullen what is Neria doing?"

Neria was talking to a bird with a white/brown body and a long black neck. "Why hello duck, you like bread right?" she pulled out of her pocket a little bit of bread, tossing it next to the bird, who honked at her. "Oh? You don't? Then I don't really know what to feed you." It bit her. "Hey!" She started to back away the bird kept approaching her.

Cullen, "Shock it."

"It's just a duck."

"It's a goose, shock it and it will leave you alone." Neria did, the goose's feathers were ruffled and it sautered away.

Duncan was chuckling, "We will keep an eye on you for a bit, until you get your bearings."

"I thought the dangerous things would have fangs or weapons!"

Cullen smiled, "And bills"

At Ostagar Duncan had Cullen stay with him sending Neria to find Alistair.

Duncan, "I saw you shaking earlier, I can secure your a vial of lyrium. Once you become a Grey Warden though, you can't take lyrium, Grey Wardens have no leash."

"No. Might as well start now. I'll ask Neria if she knows any teas for nausea though."

"The burden I'm told by previous templars becomes easier if you pass the trial. Drink some water for now and lay down."

Neria found Alistair and a flustered mage stomping away.

He looked at her and grinned, "You know the one good thing about blights, they bring us together"

She was amused, "You are a strange human."

"You happen to be another mage aren't you?"

"Did the stave give it away? You wish to fluster me as you did that other one a moment ago."

"No No, I just like knowing my chances of turning into a toad."

"That would be a complicated curse, it would require you to have some royal blood in you and a lot of lyrium. Preferably you nearly overdosing in it. Turning you into a turtle would be much simpler, plus then soup."

Alistair gaped, "You would eat me?" Neria tried to cackle, but mostly just giggled and coughed. "Ah the elven mage is trying to pull one over me. I thought I met all the mages already that the circle sent."

"Perhaps I should ask Duncan if I can be an apostate and recruit. I might die from the excitement."

"I should have recognized you, Duncan had sent word that he planned on recruiting a mage. I'm Alistair."

"Neria, a pleasure. I already spoke to Jory and Daveth, I need to talk to the circle mages for a bit. Mind tagging along?"

"Lead on"

Alistair followed, wondering why she would keep her head shorn, she was bald. He saw her grab hands of an older woman.

"Neria! I wanted to congratulate you on your harrowing, Irving said you were the fastest he ever seen."

"Wynne, thank you. I'm assuming you are aware I am a conscript for the Grey Wardens."

"I knew you were an candidate. I had hope my other skilled apprentice hadn't run off, I might have pushed him."

Neria laughed, "Grey Wardens seem to pop up out of nowhere, you may be surprised."

Wynne smiled, "My dear I'm sure you have other things to attend to."

"I do and I could use your advice."

"I'm all ears."

"Cullen is a recruit as well."

"My advice to you is that since you would both be free of the Chantry. You don't have to worry about it ending in tragedy. I had worried so."

Neria flushed, "Oh you meddlesome old bat. I meant is there anything I can do to help lyrium withdrawal."

Alistair was very busy staring at his shoes trying not to eavesdrop. Wynne, "Oh my, I seem to be getting ahead of myself. I have some herbs in my pack, let me go get them." Wynne had disappeared for a bit.

Alistair, "I didn't realize we had a templar recruit."

Neria, "It wasn't planned."

Alistair, "I do love gossip."

Neria, "It's not like that. I simply owe him."

Alistair nodded, "I met a templar warden a few months ago. He said it was harder as a recruit than a Warden."

Wynne had come back. "Here is what I have, you already know how to mix them. I don't have embrium."

Neria, "Then he'll throw it up?"

Wynne took Neria's hands, "A man's stomach would be a better demonstration. Young man take off your armor."

Alistair look startled, this is when he becomes a pet turtle. "I'm honored by such a request-"

Wynne's face flattened she seemed unamused. Neria cut in "She is trying to instruct me to help the other recruit. We won't hurt you."

Wynne, "If we do, we'll fix it."

Alistair obliged, trying to ignore to grown women touching him through his shirt. He felt a confident magic in waist and a more flitting one trying to follow suit.

"Thank you young man," Wynne turned to Neria. "Did Irving give you the book I ask him to."

"There wasn't exactly time." Neria's ears flushed.

"I know that look, well I'm sure I'll hear of it later. Carry on my dear."

"Tell Uldred hi."

"I will not. I do not wish to hear about how unnecessary the harrowing is."

"Thank you Wynne."