CHAPTER 2

Fehnra's story is a unique one. She wasn't possessed, exactly… at least not anymore. It's best to simply start from the beginning.

The Templar's had been stepping up their raids on the Dalish tribes, excluding no mage from their attack. They had already taken the Keeper, Adelan, and the Keeper's second, Mehthra. The Templars were about to retreat back to the nearby village, when the group's Commander sensed a magical presence in one of the larger tents.

He stomped forward, and yanked the flaps of the aravel's entrance aside, gazing upon the elves inside. The female was clutching her young girl to her chest, while the man stood in front of him, ready to stop his progress. The Commander took little notice of the male elf, and sweeped him aside with a swing of his arm. His focus was on the girl. The Templar grabbed the back of her shirt, lifting her away from her mother, and handed her to the Templar waiting behind him. The mother cried, gasping out words in Elvhen while turned towards the sky. The father picked himself off the ground, and rushed at the Commander, his thin face twisted into an awful expression of anger and loss.

"Pitiful elf," the Commander spat as he drew his claymore, hefting it over his shoulder to disable the elf with the pommel.

As the male elf fell, the Commander turned and exited the tent, ignoring the stricken cries of the female elf wailing within. He glanced at the writhing child in the arms of his subordinate, and grimaced. The Commander felt something in akin to pity for a moment, but it swiftly passed. Mages were a danger to society, and catching them early helped with their integration into the mage tower. It was better for everyone this way.

The young elf, Fehnra, learned quickly, especially when it came to the primal arts. Each element she greeted as a friend, and they worked together like age-old companions. The instructors noticed this, and were quick to point her towards the path of the primal mage. Fehnra's studies progressed quickly, garnering her the attention of many. It was her uncommon aptitude with magic that would be her undoing.

After spending some time at the tower, Fehnra's dreams shifted to a darker tone, plaguing her sleep with demons and whispers of her secret desires. She noticed the same demon, constantly battering at her defenses, trying to get into her innermost thoughts. Fehnra was strong, but she was only 6. This desire demon was not put off for long by Fehnra's resistance.

It finally happened during one of Fehnra's instruction times. She had dozed off during one of Wynne's lectures, which was not surprising, considering her lack of sleep and lack of patience with the healing arts.

Desire demons do not often possess people, but when they do… it's unlike any other abomination. They much prefer to enthrall their victims, as it is a much less complicated process, and does not require as much energy.

Wynne stumbled back, mid- lecture, as Fehnra's body began to glow with a menacing red light. Her head was clasped in her hands, her mouth open in a silent scream. Her features began to shift, but not to those of a monster. Oh no, they shifted towards perfection. A desire demon will not accept a less than perfect host body. After all, their main purpose is to inspire desire in others while bending them to the demons will. Only powerful Demons may do this, and Fehnra was unfortunate enough to attract the attention of one of them.

Her hair changed from the color of straw to that of burnished gold, reflecting the light of the surrounding candles. Her eyes, once a stormy gray, shifted to a brilliant sapphire as they stared at Wynne, begging for help. But the healer was powerless to stop the transformation, lest she wanted to strike the young elf down. And that was not an option to the motherly mage. Fehnra's features slowly became symmetrical, giving her visage a look of impossible perfection. Each flaw in the skin was burned away by the red glow, leaving her skin a smooth alabaster.

The red glow began to subside, yet this didn't put an end to Wynne's tension. She had not spent so many years in the mages tower to not know an advanced possession when she saw one. It was a private classroom, so no Templars had seen her. Yet. Fehnra slowly stood from where she was kneeling, and smirked at Wynne. While her 6 year old body screamed little angel, her eyes spoke demon.

Wynne backed up, holding her palm out towards the elvish child.

"Leave Demon! The child has done nothing to deserve this!" She held back the tremble she felt creeping into her voice, presenting a strong front to the Demon.

The 'child' laughed, a low, rich sound, but completely hollow in meaning.

"You have no idea how long I've watched this child. I've waited long enough for her to give in to me. It's embarrassing enough having a 6 year old elf keep me at bay for so long. But no longer! I'm not giving up this body for anything. Her magic is like nothing I've ever felt before!"

To emphasize her point, the demon sent a blue flame arching towards the bookshelf, setting it and all the books in it ablaze. The smoke quickly filled the room, clouding Wynne's sight. The gray mass stung her eyes, and forced her lower to the ground to find cleaner air. The demon child laughed, seeming to not be affected by the smoke staining the air.

Suddenly, Fehnra gasped, and doubled over as if in pain. Wynne coughed into her hand, watching as the young elf's body began to convulse, trying to expel the evil within it.

Seconds ticked by as Wynne held her breath, waiting to see what gave the demon pause. As the second minute passed, the older mage began to feel feint. She thanked the maker there was nothing flammable near the bookcase, which was close to cinders now. Fehnra still maintained her bent position, now whispering to herself fiercely.

"NO! GET OUT OF MY HEAD DEMON! I WILL… NOT… HAVE… YOU… HERE!" Fehnra's back arched as she screamed, a great red light expelling from her body. The light began to coalesce nearby, solidifying into the form of a Desire demon.

"Impossible…" Wynne whispered to herself, "She expelled her own demon."

The Desire demon let out a scream of frustration, her movements jingling the jewelry that hung from her in abundance. Her horns curved back, more than those of any desire demons Wynne had ever seen. Perhaps it was a mark of their power. Nevertheless, Wynne had to dispose of that demon before it returned to Fehnra's weakened body.

By this time, the smoke had wafted out under the door, attracting the attention of the nearby Templars. Wynne could hear the pounding of their steel-clad feet as they gathered outside the door.

The wood frame surrounding the doorway began to splinter as the Templars through themselves at it. A fire in the mage tower typically meant out-of-control mages. This merely fueled their conviction to get to the source of the smoke.

Wynne's ears were ringing from the demons scream, preventing her from hearing any of the Templars demands. She was focused solely on Fehnra, and getting her out safely. She crawled over to the elf, and wrapped her arms around her securely, holding her fragile from tightly to herself. Wynne then turned her head towards the demon, only to find it gone. 'Where did it go? There's only 2 possibilities…'

Wynne's thoughts were interrupted as the Templars burst through the door, immediately draining the mana from the room. Wynne felt the force suck the mana from her body, leaving her drained and nauseous. Fehnra whimpered, clutching her chest as if to keep the magic from leaving her.

The last of the bookshelf's cinders were stamped out under the Gregoirs steel-toed boots as he surveyed the room. When one of his Templars had burst into his office, babbling about Wynne's instruction room expelling smoke, he had been ready to sentence the whelp to a month of kitchen duty. But seeing Wynne huddled on the ground, clutching the form of the new mageling Fehnra, made him reconsider his initial assessment.

A long discussion with Wynne (after a trip to the infirmary of course), revealed the truth of the situation. Never before had Gregoir felt so conflicted. The girl was a model mage, and had clearly fought against the demon. But she had been possessed! The chantry law clearly stated what was called for in this situation. It was either death, or the Rite of Tranquility. But… a 6 year old? Could he live with such a heinous act weighing on his conscious for the rest of his life? He paced in front of Wynne as she waited for his decision. She certainly believed the girl to not be a danger. Gregoir felt himself giving in to his merciful side, and came to a quick decision.

"There is a possibility she could still be possessed. The demon had two options at that point: return to the fade, or return to Fehnra's body. I will not kill her." At this, Wynne sighed in relief.

"However," Gregoir paused, eyes on Wynne's face as he revealed his plan, "She could still be a danger. She must be kept separate from others, until a time I deem she is safe enough to re-enter mage society. Though, considering her appearance, that may be never. There's no telling what would happen to her if she was let out into the world looking like that." The Templar considered the child's appearance after he found them. The soot from the flames had done nothing to conceal her ethereal beauty; Beauty enough to get her every desire.

"Yes, hiding her in the tower is the best option. She may live and continue her studies, but we can't let her roam around unchecked. If the Chantry got wind that I did this, I would have to resign in shame. Then who would protect her?" He glanced at Wynne, and was pleased to see her content with the arrangement.

"It is the only good option," she agreed. "But only trust a few of your Templars. Like you said, if the Chantry found out about her it would be her head and your career."

"Then it is settled. We shall hide her in the top of the tower until she is deemed safe. Perhaps her face will return to the way it was by then."

Suffice to say, it didn't. It took 20 years for something to change in Fehnra's life. But the wait was worth it.

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All right, there's chapter 2. So please, give me your thoughts, good reviews, bad reviews, trash my dreams and crush my spirits. Whichever you prefer, but please be truthful! Hurricane Sandy might cause me to lose power, so I'm not sure I'll be able to update tomorrow. Ah yes, and Fehnra's name is pronounced Fane-rah.

-Marie