Chapter three
Adjusting
"I'm sorry to sound ignorant sir, but is showing this pin all that I need to become a Warden?" I asked curiously.
"No, that pin tells me that you were recruited by one of our agents. That does not mean you will become a Warden," he stoically says as we continue down the main hall of the barracks. "Only those who go through the training and pass can call themselves Wardens."
I swallowed a lump in my throat. "May I ask what the training is?" Not turning to face me he replied, "You are required to go through a ritual called The Joining. It is brief, but it is the most important step for all Warden Recruits."
Before I could ask my next question, we stopped in front of a pair of large doors, and he turned to face me. "Before we continue you must be shown to the Commander."
He opened the door and we entered a lavish office nearly twice the size of the First Enchanter's room back at the White Spire. Sitting behind a large oak desk is a young woman with red hair tied into a bun. She glanced up at us then returned to the documents in front of her.
"Who is this, Senior Warden Herman?" she asked, not bothering to spare me a glance.
"Commander, this is our new recruit."
Gently, he pushed me forward. I reached into my pocket and handed the silver pin to the Commander. She looked at it for a moment, then handed it right back to me.
Staring at me coldly, she says, "Listen, elf, many of you Mages have come to us in the hopes that we will shelter you from the Templars. We…do not…recruit Wardens out of…pity." She emphasized the last word. "That pin you have is nothing more than a piece of silver."
"Actually, Commander," Herman says from behind me, "that pin came from one of our agents here in Jader."
"We don't have any agents other then the Wardens, Herman," she stated, returning to the documents on her desk.
"That may be true here in the south, but in the north, Wardens use agents to recruit. We have very little time to do it ourselves."
She rose from her desk. "Be that as it may, Herman, as Commander I have final say on recruits." She glanced at me dismissively. "Just by looking at this elf I can tell that she does not have the skill or will for this life."
"Then I invoke the Rite of Conscription!" Herman declared. The Commander glared at him seemed unfazed by it, exhibiting a calm demeanor that made him look like the Commander and she the recruit.
The Commander sat back down and said, "Fine, Herman, but she is your responsibility. She pointed at him. "If she becomes a hindrance to us , it's your ass, understand?"
"Of course, Commander, I will make sure that she is ready," he replied before ushering me out of the office and down the hall.
As we left, I took one last look back at the Commander. I could see that she was stressed. After having spent so long in the Circle, I had seen many Senior Enchanters with that look when things were out of their control.
Because I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, I bumped into Heman's back and fell onto my butt. Looking up I saw Herman's hand outstretched. "Always mind you surroundings, recruit. That can determine if you live or die." He pulled me to my feet "Let's not dally; the others will want to meet you."
"I'm expected, sir?" I asked in surprise.
He nodded as we headed further down the hall. "The other recruits have heard we were looking for another, but that is about it." Stopping in front of a pair of double doors, Herman turned to me and said, "Don't mind the looks they give us, it will stop in time." He pushed doors open and I was shocked at the sight that met my gaze.
The room, which was obviously the Mess, held close to a hundred people, mostly human, but a few elves were mixed in. They were drinking and merry-making like it was a party of sorts. Many hushed once we entered, although the majority of the cold looks were directed at me. Herman announced that I was the newest recruit, and most of them returned to their drinking.
Signaling me to follow, Herman led me to one of the tables near the back of the room. Sitting there were three men - two human and the third an elf.
Looking at the two humans, they appeared to come from opposite ways of life. One had untidy brown hair with a thick layer of stubble on his face. He was wearing very simple armor identical to that of most conscripts in the city. Sitting next to him was a regulation bow.
The other had well-groomed red hair with a clean-shaven face. He wore heavy polished armor bearing the crest of a family unknown to me. Next to him was a heavy metal shield and an expensive looking long sword encrusted with precious stones. I didn't know why, but for some reason he reminded me of the Commander.
Finally, I looked towards the elf and realized that he was about the same age as me. He was twirling a dagger in one hand while another sat on the table. His leather armor looked like it was about to fall apart.
As we approached, I heard the redhead call the conscript Marcel, who replied to him as Justin.
"Marcel, Justin, Fonor," Herman greeted the three men at the table. "I have brought the final recruit." He turned towards me and paused for a moment. "Sorry, young woman, I never got your name," he said, and grinned.
"It's Kathreen, sir" I say feeling a little shy and embarrassed that I did not do this sooner.
"Alright then, Kathreen." He nodded at me and turned to the other recruits. "As I was saying, Kathreen here is the recruit we have been waiting for. We are now ready to begin preparations for The Joining."
"Finally! I was starting to think this Joining thing was never going to happen," Marcel joked.
"We are not doing it right this moment, Marcel - it will be a day or two yet," Herman replied sternly. (Or does he cut them some slack and joke a bit?)
"Sir, we've been here a week already!" Fonor whined in a less than mature tone.
"And you will wait a day or two longer, because preparation is required, and that can't be done within the city. For now, I'm leaving Kathreen with you three. Show her the respect you would like to receive." (Oooh, I LIKE that. I think Herman is a good guy.)
"Yes sir," they chorused, and Herman headed back the way we came. With him gone I took a seat next to Fonor.
"So, Kathreen, are you from an Alienage?" he asked interestedly.
"Well, I…," I paused, trying to think about the best way to explain myself, when out of the blue someone from another table said, "Can't you tell? She's from the Circle."
My chest tightened at the words, and I felt a sense of panic as my status was revealed.
"How can you tell, Senior Warden?" Fonor asked.
"For starters, she's not wearing armor, nor does she have any kind of weapon," the woman replied, looking at Fonor. "Plus she does not look like a thief or bard, Fonor."
Wondering if I should take this as an insult or not I looked down at my clothes. I might not have much if any skill with a blade, I thought smugly, but with the commoner dress I was wearing I'm positive I could hide a knife or dagger. What still bothered me was how quickly, some random Warden managed to single me out like I was using magic.
"Sorry if this is disrespectful, Senior Warden, but how could you tell that I was a mage?" I asked with a hint of fear.
She chuckled a bit and said, "I've been with the Wardens long enough to know a mage fresh out of the Circle, through being a former army scout helps."
Listening closely I noticed her accent. "You're from Ferelden?"
"You're right," she said, taking a sip of her wine. "If I'm lucky, I'll be back there soon." She looked around. "This country is too cloak and dagger for me." After taking one last sip of her wine, she stood and headed towards the exit. She turned to us and said, "Change is coming, like it or not," then exited the room.
"Ha, Fereldans, a strong-armed people, but they have no understanding of civilized views," I heard Justin say smugly after the Senior Warden left.
"That's rude, Justin! The Fereldans stopped the Blight on their own," Marcel said vehemently.
"Had they let us into the country sooner we could have ended the Blight at Ostagar. Our Chevalier legions boast the best soldiers in Thedas. The darkspawn would have fallen there and the Empress would have been able to negotiate a pact with King Caillan," Justin said. "Once a Blight is ended, the Empire helps Thedas by taking strain off the land affected until it is able to support itself once again," Justin retorted.
Even though he made the Empire sound like a benevolent entity, I didn't believe it anymore. The Civil War, the mage/templar rebellion; if Orlais was truly is such a great a nation, why were all those events not stopped before things got out of hand? Why else were so many of the other nations hostile to us?
"Hey, Kathreen!" I returned my attention to my fellow elf, who looked at me with concern. "You okay? You look like you're still in shock about what the Senior Warden said."
Forcing a smile I said, "Sorry about that. I am still just shocked that she figured it out so quickly."
"Yeah, I know the feeling: I was recruited just last week after I was caught stealing some goods that a noble, carelesslyleft unprotected. Had Herman not helped me, I'd be hanging in the gallows by now."
"So you're a thief, then?"
"Thief, bandit, pickpocket, cutthroat - they're all the same thing in the end - rogues just trying to make a living with the skills they have." He shrugged.
"Have you tried finding honest work, maybe as an army laborer or servant at an estate?"
Looking down at his mug of wine, he took a big swill and said, "You think the nobles care about some beggar on the streets? Unless you come from one of them groomed servant families, your choices are either begging, labor that borders on slavery, or prostitution. Even The Game is reserved for all those groomed families." He took another gulp of his wine, looking depressed as he stared down at the table.
"I'm sorry," I said sincerely, not having realized until then that some things outside the Circle were worse than within.
"It's fine, besides, now that I'm free I get to become part of something greater." He smiled at me, staring into my eyes. "Plus I get to fight beside a cute girl, and a mage to boot."
"What?" I stared, shocked at the complement he'd given me and feeling the tips of my ears become warm.
He picked up his mug and held it out to me. "Can you burn this mug to ashes?"
"Why would I want to do that?" I snapped, annoyed that he considered magic an entertainment or a toy.
"Well, could you freeze the wine, then?" he challenged, grinning.
"Why would you want me to freeze your wine?"
Looking at me like a curious child he replied, "Because I've never seen magic before, and I thought that my soon-to-be comrade could enlighten me about it."
Still upset, I turned away from him, crossing my arms. "My magic is not for your amusement, Fonor!" I looked into the hall ignoring him, which was when I noticed someone being escorted towards the commander's office.
He was an old human, sporting a long braided beard held in place with small golden rings, and wearing the most tattered cloak I had ever seen. Had he not been holding a staff, I would never have suspected he was a mage. For just a second he looked into the mess, and I could have sworn he was looking directly at us.
His blue eyes were cold, and when he looked at me, I felt like the surrounding air was freezing.
"You know that guy, Kathreen?"Marcel asked as I turned back to the table.
"No, I don't, but for some reason he makes me uneasy." When I looked back towards the door I saw that he was gone and felt relieved.
"Why? It's obvious that he is either a Circle mage like you or some apostate looking to hide from the templars," Justin pointed out in a very ignorant way.
"He is not from the Circle in the capital, plus I don't think that a mage hiding from templars would carry a staff around so casually," I informed him. "Plus, when he looked over here, there was no fear whatsoever those eyes," I continued. "No Circle mage I have ever known would look like that."
"You need to relax, Kathreen" Marcel said, giving me a reassuring look. "I think you're just letting your imagination get the better of you." Reaching for a bottle of wine, he poured a mug and offered it to me. "Trust me when I say this," he said, holding up the bottle. "This stuff always takes your mind off your worries."
While not much of a drinker, I accepted the mug and took a sip. Surprisingly it wasn't all that bad - sweet and fruity with a toasty finish – which placed it a step above what the Circle had. Finishing my drink, I started to feel like I could relax. Yet the moment was ruined when I heard one of the Wardens shout, "Commander in the room!"
In unison, everyone rose to their feet, standing at attention like soldiers. We recruits did the same just as the Commander walked past us to the head table.
"All right, everyone. Listen up!" she barked, leaning forward on the table. "All Wardens, including recruits, will prepare for departure immediately."
This caused many of the Wardens to whisper among themselves, forwarding wagers about whether the commander was joking or if she was just crazy.
"Commander, you can't be serious! We can't just up and leave," I heard a man with a bushy moustache say.
"He's right, Commander! With civil war breaking out, the possibility of darkspawn raids could increase! We need to be more vigilant then ever!" a young man said, his words slurred from too much drink.
I was watching the Commander and saw the same look she'd had when I left her office earlier. This situation was not under her control.
"You should all know that if it were up to me you would all remain here in this dire time," she said, looking down at the table. "However," she continued, looking up again, "this order comes directly from the Weisshaupt."
Upon hearing this, the room became completely silent. I looked around and saw many with looks of fear on their faces. I had heard that the Anderfels was the birthplace of the Wardens, yet the expressions I saw in their faces told me that the situation was very serious.
"Does the First Warden believe that the darkspawn are planning something, Commander?" Justin asked.
"All I know is we are to prepare to march, under the Command of High Constable Glith."
For some reason I couldn't understand, the image of the old mage walking down the hall came to mind. Trying to get a feel for want the Wardens were thinking, I looked around, and found many faces filled with looks of shock and horror.
When I turned to Fonor and the others, they seemed just as confused as I was.
"Recruits!" the Commander said, grabbing our attention. "You four will head to the armory, and equip yourselves."
"All right!" Fonor yelled joyfully, rising to his feet.
"Calm down, would you, kid?" Marcel scolded, also rising to his feet. "Let's just do as the Commander says.
Muttering agreement, Justin and I joined them in exiting the mess.
"Follow me, recruits" a fully armored Warden said when we entered the hall.
While Fonor and I were just happy to be properly equipped, Marcel appeared to care very little about what he received, while Justin was overly-concerned about his own gear.
"My own gear is superior to standard arms, sir."
"Irrelevant, Justin!" our guide barked over his shoulder. "The Commander wants to give the High Constable a good impression."
"I don't see what the big deal is; Orlais has the best soldiers in Thedas. How can he not be impressed by us?" Justin said smugly, which resulted in our guide suddenly turning to pin him to the wall with one forearm. Even though Justin tried to break free, all of his struggling was in vain.
High Constable Glith comes from the harshest country in all of Thedas. If the rumors are true, the Wardens there fight darkspawn on a near daily basis, thus producing the deadliest soldiers you can imagine! Do you really think anything Orlais produces in comparison will impress him?" the senior warden growled.
Justin remained silent, trying to breathe. Apparently satisfied by his lack of resistance, the Warden released Justin and pointed towards a door just down the hall.
"Just follow orders, recruit. It will make things easier later on."
Learning from Justin's mistake, we headed to the door.
I knocked on the door, more out of reflex than anything else.
"Enter," said a monotone voice. When we filed into the room, two women wearing mage robes stopped what they were doing, and walked towards us.
"You are the recruits that the Commander wants equipped and ready for departure?" When we nodded, she waved us towards the armor and weapon stands.
"This way, please."
"Anna?" is all I could manage to say to the Tranquil in front of me.
"Kathreen, I was not aware that you escaped the White Spire. It is good to see that you are safe, and well," she replied,staring with dead eyes. I approached her and cupped her face in my hands feeling tears running down my cheeks.
"Anna," I whispered, "why would the templars do this to you?" I cried as I hugged her. "They liked you! You embraced the Circle." I sobbed into her shoulder, remembering how vital and curious her face had been before.
Feeling a hand grip my shoulder, I turned my head and saw the other woman frowning at me – obviously not one of the Tranquil.
"You should get equipped, recruit. Anna and I need to finish moving these crates or the Commander will have our heads for it."
Even though I didn't want to leave my old friend's side, I realized that I needed to follow orders. Regretfully I let go of Anna and headed towards the armor stands.
"Can mages even wear armor? I thought robes were all your small frames could handle," Justin said in a cutting tone, as he took his shirt off, flaunting his well-built body.
I ignored him and walked towards Fonor who was eagerly pulling off his worn armor, and carelessly dropping it on the floor.
"Honestly Fonor, I know you're exited about getting new equipment, but at least put you old stuff were no one will trip over it," I scolded mildly.
Smiling at me with a mischievous grin, he replied sarcastically, "Yes sister, I'll put it all away like the good boy that I am," making me feel like a nagging older sister.
"You're an ass, you know that!" I said, exasperated.
"I do my best," he replied in a carefree tone, pulling a blue tunic over his head. "By the way, that human Anna, Is she a mage, too?
"She was," I replied quietly, feeling the sorrow building up in my heart again.
"Was?" he repeated, confused.
"She was made Tranquil. The Templars took her magic and emotions away."
"Templars can do that?" he said, giving me his full attention.
"Yes, they call it a mercy to any mage they believe is in danger of becoming an abomination." I replied, remembering what others had told me.
"So they can just do that without cause?" He sounded both shocked and confused.
I shook my head. "I don't know, every time I spoke with one them they say that they can't talk about it by order of the templars." Slowly at first, I continued trying to explain the Tranquil to Fonor. "Templars are the authority figures in the Circle. This means the Tranquil follow all their orders without question."
"They can't refuse? What if it's something dangerous? Or … bad?"
I nodded, not liking where his questions were leading.
Grinning, he moved closer to me and whispered in my ear. "So, if a templar ordered a Tranquil to get naked, would they do it?"
In one quick motion, I punched him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. Cupping his cheek, he looked up at me in shock. Both Marcel and Justin turned to stare at us, wondering what had happened.
With tears of anger building in my eyes, I grabbed the first thing I saw on the rack, and strode towards another part of the room, desperately trying to fight back the urge to freeze Fonor solid with the most powerful ice spell at my command.
"Come one Kathreen! I said I was sorry!" Fonor wheedled from the other side of the dressing screen I had chosen as my hiding spot. "Look, just come out already, the Commander is waiting!"
"Just leave her," Justin sneered. "Let the Commander deal with her." For a moment I thought Fonor might protest, but he remained silent. All I heard was the sound of armored feet leaving the room.
Once I heard the door close behind them I peeked out to see if the coast was clear. Once I was certain they were gone, I stepped out and picked up the clothes I had taken earlier, mentally cursing at what I saw. Rather than grabbing a robe, instead I had managed to get a tunic nearly three times my size.
"It's not wise to keep the Commander waiting, recruit." It was the mage, talking to me while she worked to stack a small crate on top of a pile. "She is not known for her patience."
"I would have gone sooner – but..." I trailed off while trying to defend my reason for hiding.
"That elven boy's joke about Anna upset you?"
"Yes," I agreed, looking down at my feet, trying not to make eye contact with her.
Turning towards me she continued in a sincere voice, "I would have done the same, but you also have to understand that many don't know anything about the Circles."
Even though I wanted to protest, her words forced me to look at the harsh truth behind Fonor's comments. While I knew more about the Tranquil, he knew only what I told him. While I didn't regret hitting him, I finally understand that he had meant no harm by his comment.
"You need to get changed recruit, you're already falling behind the others," she said, turning back to her crates. Before I exchanged what I had I looked around the room to see if Anna was still present. She was gone, however. Disappointed, I returned to the stands and equipped myself properly.
I selected a simple robe laced with chain-mail, and a wooden stave to help amplify my ice magic. I quickly headed to the door, hoping that I had not fallen too far behind the others.
Running back to the mess, I arrived just as Fonor and the others were entering. " Sorry that I took so long, I just needed to, uh..." I paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "... clear my head. I'm sorry for hitting you, Fonor."
"Don't worry about it," he said, gingerly cupping his face where I had punched him. "Not the first time I've been hit for something I said."
Relieved to hear that he wasn't mad at me, I waved toward the door, and the four of us entered the mess and took our seats.
"Recruits!" the commander said harshly as soon as we were seated. "Why did it take you so long to equip yourselves?"
Before anyone could say a word, I stand up and addressed the commander. "It was my fault, Commander," I volunteered, surprising my fellow recruits. "It took me longer than I expected to equip myself."
She didn't appear to be impressed with my admission. Instead, she sighed and pointed out that I needed to be more efficient. I nodded in agreement, but before I got the chance to sit back down, the room went silent, and everyone was looking at the door. The old mage was standing there; looking straight in at us with a blank expression on his face.
"Prepare to march." was all he said, and immediately everyone in the room stood, and began to head out. When my fellow recruits and I walked past him, we all tried not to make direct eye contact.