New Beginnings, New Companions and Càra
"I am not staying here!" Càra growled at the Knight-Commander and Irving. "I will not let my life be bound to this haunted house of hell!"
"Càra! Control yourself!" snapped Irving.
The young mage rounded on the older mage, her piercing dark eyes stared fiercely at him before she turned back to the large templar seated at his desk. Greagoir looked small in comparison to the demon she had faced earlier that week and her anger over being kept under close scrutiny was wearing down her patience. Since Ellis had left five days ago she had become determined to leave the tower and unlike the majority of the other mages she was unafraid of what the outside and the coming war would bring them. She rather hoped it would bring change. She was determined to go off with Ellis but her friend had taken Wynne instead. She was still feeling bitter about it but Wynne was the most talented spirit healer in the tower, it made sense, she thought reluctantly.
"I will not wait in this tower for months to be called upon for battle. I will choose my own path to war!" she pleaded with Greagoir. "Let me go Knight-Commander, there are mages to find. We cannot go to war with only those who are left, the wanderers must be found!" she argued.
"How do you suppose to find them Càra?" Irving grumbled. Càra glanced at him and then looked back at Greagoir both men now had folded their arms and were looking at her with great interest. Her plan was simple, a large number of mages had left the tower, some on research while others attended business around the country. There were ten mages altogether, their exact whereabouts unknown, especially with the country in the state it was now in after the death of the King and the army at Ostagar. Her plan was to find them and return them to the circle and perhaps on the way find some way of remaining outside of the tower walls for good. The crucial part was having Greagoir agree but Càra had a plan for that too.
"I was hoping knight-Commander that you would allow a templar to accompany me to Denerim and throughout the task."
"What!" Irving exclaimed in disbelief. His arms dropped and he glanced between Greagoir and Càra. "You can't honestly think that is a good idea Greagoir?"
The templar smiled and sighed. Irving narrowed his eyes at him and shook his head. "You're considering it?"
Greagoir looked up at the older mage from his desk. "Irving she has a valid point, your numbers are low, you need reinforcements." He sighed and looked at Càra. "I will choose your escort but I will warn you child, should you try anything to escape, I will personally see you hang, do you understand?"
Càra nodded, "I understand Knight-Commander. Thank you."
She performed a low curtsey and left the two men. After the door closed firmly, Irving turned and glared at him but Greagoir held up his hand to stay any comment.
"I fear her anger would harm the tower Irving, she has seen and been through much." He looked at his old friend with concern in his eyes. "There are three templars that I would like help with, one you already know of, Cullen. The others are Farhan and Carroll. Who should I send with her?"
Irving took a deep breath and ran the mens names, ranks and personalities through his mind. After a few moments he decided and told Greagoir. The templar offered him a grim smile and agreed with him.
"No, there is not much to choose from but yes, he will be the best choice. He saw her abilities before anyone else." Greagoir sighed. "I would have sent Cullen but," he shook his head, "he needs more time to recover and a keen eye on him."
"And Carroll?" Irving probed, raising an eyebrow.
Greagoir shrugged, "Lyrium is not his strong point."
And that was the end of that part of the conversation.
~v~
Càra stood at the tower entrance checking the buckles to her pack and checking again if she had everything she thought she would need. She had no illusions that the journey would be a difficult one and that more often than not she would most likely be cold, wet or both and miserable but she was determined to make the best of it regardless. She made sure her heavy overcoat was securely fastened underneath the pack, that her canteen was full and that her staff was secure on the side strap. More than likely she thought I'll be using it as a walking stick rather than a weapon.
"Are you ready child?" asked Irving as he walked towards her. Càra rose and embraced the man in a tight hug. She nodded as they broke apart and offered him a small smile.
"I am. I'm sorry that I'm being difficult but I feel this is what I must do First Enchanter."
Irving nodded and smiled. "You have always been different Càra, you and Wynne were always one's for never staying still when something exciting was going on. I hope your journey goes well and you return to us safely."
"If I enjoy it too much I fear I may stay outside," she chuckled.
"Let us hope not, I would rather you did not return to us in chains," the older mage said plainly. He moved towards the door and helped her with her pack. "Greagoir has chosen your companion, he shall be here shortly."
"I certainly hope it is not ser Cullen." Càra said quietly.
"No ser Cullen will be remaining in my care for the next little while, he has some trust and … issues to deal with. It will be a long process but I am confident that the man will make a full recovery."
"I hope so, he was always a gentle soul." Càra stepped forward, testing the weight of the pack before nodding, satisfied that the weight was good and the burden bearable. She straightened her robes and pulled a ribbon out to pull back her hair. Irving handed her a magi hood and a small satchel.
"This is obviously to keep your head warm," he grinned while fixing the hood over her head. "The satchel carries a notebook an ink-filled pen and some sovereigns." Càra smirked at him as he continued to fasten the hood. "I know how much you like to write and doodle when your mind wanders. Perhaps when you return you will have found things that inspire you to write and become the scholar you obviously are?"
Càra grinned, "Perhaps old man but one can only follow one path at one time, find it first and learn to walk it."
"Does the path chose the walker or the walker the path?" Irving quoted.
"You make little sense old man." Càra remarked, shaking her head. The hood was warm and Irving was right it would serve a good purpose.
"Little sense because you do not listen Càra Skerrie but I have hope for you yet," he sighed. Irving turned to face the stairs as the clanking of templar armour became apparent. He took Càra's hand into his own. "Be careful child, the surviving templar's are shaken, their nerves frayed beware of what you say and how you say it. And by the Gods girl do not react with magic, he could slay you easily."
"Who is my escort? A butcher?" Càra joked giving the man a sardonic grin. Irving merely shook his head and sighed again.
"No but his father was a merciless brute of a man." He looked, pleading her to be careful. "Promise me child you will be careful. I do not wish to lose another student."
Càra dropped her smile and nodded meekly. "I promise Irving," she gripped his hand a little tighter and offered him a weak smile. "I will come back and help restore the circle in the memory of Amell and the others, don't worry."
Irving nodded and pulled away to stand nearby as the two templar's arrived near the door. Càra bowed to the Knight-Commander and nodded her head at the helmed templar. He was tall like ser Farhan and his armour, even newly polished had dents and marks of battle, he has seen action thought Càra.
"Càra Skerrie," Greagoir announced and Càra straightened and looked at the Knight-Commander. "You have been charged with finding the wandering mages of the Circle of Ferelden, may your journey be safe and swift."
"Be safe child," Irving smiled and stood back as the doors creaked open.
The Knight-Commander performed a customary warriors bow and left the mage and the templar to walk out of the tower towards Kester and his boat. Càra had only trudged a few feet forward before she unslung her staff and began using it. So much for walking without it, she thought. When they reached the small dock she quickly stowed away her pack and bid hello to the boatsman.
"Hi Kester."
"Miss Skerrie and ser Templar." Kester greeted, nodding to the two companions. "Not often we see both your kind travelling together in harmony."
Càra grinned. "Well there is always a first time, isn't there ser...?"
The templar remained silent as he packed his gear away and for a moment Càra was a little deflated but she shook herself.
"I think the training gets to their heads Kester. So much suppressed emotion, I doubt it's healthy for them."
The ferryman chuckled and nodded as he cast them off. "Yes I suppose that's true."
The rest of the journey included Càra mainly asking Kester different questions about the mainland, peoples habits and their reactions to mages. The information the old man provided was invaluable and Càra felt that the journey had been far too short for her to learn half of what the man knew. After disembarking the boat she bid Kester a pleasant day and turned to her stoic companion.
"Shall we then?"
Silence.
Càra sighed deeply, closed her eyes and then looked back up at him. "You know, this would go a lot smoother if you spoke. I know for a fact you all can, that you all have your devotions to do at certain parts of the day and that by not speaking to me you are going to have a very bored, and very blabbering mage to trundle about with." She narrowed her eyes at him, hoping that at least some part of him would chuckle but her words were met with silence. She sighed again and looked back to the tower, a little sadness gripped her. "Ser Farhan would have laughed," she whispered.
Then she walked on.
~v~
Càra sat near the fire that evening, her back snuggled into the crook of a tree's trunk. Around herself she had wrapped a blanket and sat with her knee's pulled up to her chest as she sat with the small book and pen Irving had given her. She half-watched her templar escort stalk around the campfire, watching. Càra rolled her eyes. He'd been doing it for hours and for hours she had no-one to talk to except herself. She was beginning to regret asking Greagoir for an escort. She peered up from her writing and looked him over as he stood warming his hands by the fire. She leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees while her eyes stared up into the night's sky.
"Its nice isn't it?" she said and she indicated with her eyes the stars as he turned towards her. "You can see the stars from the tower of course but it's not the same as actually being able to sleep or sit under them."
She noticed he still remained silent but he continued to watch her from his position near the fire. Càra continued, since she now had his attention. Talking to a captive audience was better than one that ignored her completely.
"I don't remember much before the tower, not that I'm complaining or anything." She added. "I just always seem to look on the positive side of things, well … I try to anyway. Being in the tower is good, you learn how to control the power we have so you don't hurt anyone and that's great but ," she paused trying to get her point across without sounding like a heretic. "Its just that I always think we could be more useful to society than just being kept cooped up in the tower with only a few mages being allowed out at any one time." Càra shrugged and then she stretched and yawned. "Well ... since we both need some sleep I shall set wards out, fine with you? It means we can both chill out and sleep safely so we have enough strength for tomorrow." Again the templar said nothing but Càra noticed his shoulders relax and she took that as a positive sign. "Right then." She stood and walked along the cardinal points of the camp site. At each point she she cast a warding glyph, which joined with the others to form an invisible barrier that surrounded the two companions. As she finished the last glyph Càra stretched and yawned again then made for her bedroll. Perhaps in the morning I might catch him without his bucket on, she thought at least then I'd have something to look at.
In the morning when she awoke Càra found breakfast being made and the templar bent over the fire preparing some porridge and dicing some fruit. Càra was surprised but offered the templar a gentle smile before sitting across from him and graciously taking her bowl from him. She had woken too late to see the templar without his customary bucket on. After finishing two helpings the templar rose and was about to take her bowl when she protested.
"I shall wash the plates ser, you were kind enough to prepare breakfast it would be rude of me not to do my part."
With a quick flick of her wrist she plucked the bowl out of his hands and carried off the small pan to a nearby stream. It was a pleasant morning, the early sun shone brightly but clouds over head signalled the day would have periods of showers. But ever the optimist Càra decided, for the moment, the day was glorious and she couldn't help but hum to herself. As she scrubbed the plates she dried them with a simple spell, turned and froze. There, standing not two feet from her was a mountain wildcat. As large as a mabari, but black as night it sat there settled and looked almost like it was asleep, almost. Càra's breath caught in her throat as its slitted eyes opened slowly and the two eyes stared back at her. She immediately dropped her gaze from the cats, she did not want to appear to be challenging the creature and it strike out, so she took a step back.
As her foot connected with the bank the wet surface gave way and she slipped backwards onto her back and the plates, pan and utensils went into the air, crashing violently as they hit the nearby stone. Then Càra heard the creature growl and she subconsciously let out a short scream as it lunged over to her. She couldn't help it, their eyes met and Càra stared into those golden eyes as the cats maw came closer and closer. She faintly heard the unsheathing of a blade and looked up to see her templar escort. The cat was momentarily distracted but Càra didn't move, instead she did something completely against what she was feeling. She motioned to the templar to stand down.
"It is frightened ser Templar," she whispered, her eyes flicking from templar to beast, who had now returned to staring at her, its smile of teeth on show. "Lower your weapon!"
She watched as the creature hissed and a low growl came deep within it's throat as it looked between the two humans. The cat's eyes looked back up at Càra's and then, quite calmly, the cat moved off into the forest, walking past Càra's right hand side. As the cat moved through the forest the mage let out a long sigh of relief. She looked up at her escort and smiled.
"I think that's enough excitement for one day, shall we continue to Denerim?"
~v~
Denerim was so noisy, Càra thought. She had never felt so small before and her eyes looked around the market taking everything in. The two companions had arrived in Denerim within three days of leaving the tower. They had been lucky and had come across a group of merchants who were travelling towards the capital. The merchants had been wary of her but seeing her templar escort they had eventually agreed to let them travel alongside, even if they insisted they kept their distance. Càra hoped she would find some conversation but the merchants kept to themselves and she was left alone to find herself retreating to her little book.
She walked into the market and found herself enraptured by the haggling and the speed at which everything was going. Càra was intrigued and watched attentively as the hustle and bustle of the city went on around her. It soon lost its novelty as countless times her templar escort had to right her balance as some busy-body rushed passed her and inevitable bumped into her knocking her and sent her lurching off to one side.
"Maker damn them all!" Càra growled as the templar helped her right herself yet again. She turned to him and smirked, "I bet you are enjoying this. It's payback for all the talking I do."
He didn't seem to notice and instead pointed in the direction of the Chantry, Càra looked over. She sighed and nodded, it would probably be better to get the phylacteries, some supplies and then head off as soon as possible. As they neared the Chantry the templar suddenly stopped and held out his hand to stay Càra. She creased her brow and tilted her head up at him.
"What is it?"
The templar pointed to the door, then at Càra and shook his head. Càra narrowed her eyes at him, the silent treatment was beginning to really irritate her now, had she not been good company?
"I take it this is a Chantry-posse only thing?" she sighed and then shrugged. "Fine, can I at least leave our gear here and have a look around the market?"
The templar nodded and Càra unceremoniously dumped her pack onto the floor. She turned and looked at the templar expecting him to have gone but he seemed to stare at her. She looked at her pack and then it dawned on her. She couldn't just leave it there on the doorstep.
"Oh right, fine." she hastily picked it up again scanned the immediate vicinity and after finding one of the sisters marched over towards her. After a few moments of discussion the sister graciously took the pack and motioned for the templar to follow her, leaving Càra for the first time since the mountain cat incident, alone. She nodded to the templar's stationed at the door, both of which glared back at her. Càra groaned, were her kind truly hated that much? All for something that happened so many centuries before she was even born? Càra herself did not burn Andraste, her actions were here own as where the consequences, as far as she knew she had never intentionally burned someone, had she? Was she wholly responcible for one batty high-class woman's demise? Càra was glad she didn't really believe in the maker, she believed there was a higher power of some sorts but whether it was this maker or not she had no idea. She'd rather believe in principles and morals before believing in one single god. After ensuring her staff was firmly fixed to her back and her satchel secure at her waist she made her way back to the market.
The buzzing of the market had dulled somewhat on her return and there were less people to barge into Càra, much to her relief. She browsed the wares and tried to ignore the cold stares she knew she was receiving from the surrounding merchants and guards and tried to concentrate on seeking out supplies that they were low on. Near one stall she saw, out of the corner of her eye, a small child sat begging. People in their hurry to finish their own business and retire for the day were rushing past and ignoring the poor child as she tried to call out. Càra turned and looked closer at the girl. There were beggars all over Ferelden, she knew that, but there was something different about this child that she couldn't quite put her finger on. One of the girl's leg had been splinted and quite poorly by Càra's trained eye. She was hunched over a small bundle of cloth and near her splinted leg a long stick sat alongside it. Her hair was filthy and Càra couldn't tell if it was dark blonde or brown in colour. Her ragged muddy clothes only completed the pitiful state of her.
Càra slowly made her way over to the child, pretending to be browsing the stall near her.
"Spare a penny Miss?" the child croaked and it sent a stab Càra's heart. She looked down and smiled gently at the little girl before she knelt down to take a closer look at her. She closed her eyes briefly, taking in the smells of the street and of an unwashed body but forced them open to smile warmly at her.
"What happened to you little one?" she asked indicating the girls leg. Càra noticed she had green eyes, much like ser Farhan's but these had a circle of hazel on the outer rim. The girl flushed a little and looked at her leg.
"I wasn't fast enough, the guard caught me stealin'."
"You stole food to eat didn't you?"
The girl flushed redder and nodded. "No-one looks after you?" Càra continued. The girl shook her head again and looked up at Càra and the mage knew that come winter the child would be dead and not one person would care about it.
"Cery used to but then he got caught and now he's gone."
"What about the Chantry?" Càra asked, she knew that there must be an Orphanage somewhere, the girl couldn't stay on the street, if death didn't find her then finger-men would and Càra was not about to let her fall into that dark pit.
"Full, they have no space left."
Càra scowled at the Chantry's inadequacy but the girl merely shrugged and continued to look at her splinted leg. Càra sighed and lifted up the girls face to look at her in the eye. Seeing only sadness and a desperation in her Càra decided to act. If the Chantry could not provide she would at least heal the girl enough to make some sort of living.
"Little one, if you promise me not to tell anyone I shall do something for you."
The little girl narrowed her eyes at Càra, the first bit of steel Càra had seen in her and she smiled broadly. The child looked her over and noted the Chantry mage robes and her eyes went wide and she nodded vehemently. Càra grinned at her enthusiasm then sat back on her heels so she could examine the leg closer. Sending healing magic into the bone was straight-forward and it wasn't long till Càra found the three places the bone had been broken in and had began to speed up the bodies natural healing process. Càra was concentrating too hard to hear the scuffle behind her and the child flinch until she felt herself being yanked to her feet and backhanded across the face.
Stunned, Càra squeaked in pain and lost her concentration which sent a stray thread of magic out hurling off her attacker. Then suddenly she could barely move at all and forcefully slumped to her knees. A chorus of screams and yells, shouts and curses went up into the air and the sound was almost deafening. Càra's head buzzed but she could clearly see, as she gazed up from her position, the blazen emblems of the Chantry templars. Two stood nearby chanting keeping her subdued, the little girl had fled, a third was on the floor nearby and a fourth was standing over her, sword ready to cut her down in an instant. Càra's eyes went wide and she tried to mumble out something but the templar above her narrowed his eyes and in two swift movements brought the sword to her throat while the other took hold of the neck of her robes jerking her upwards.
"Chant anything and I will tear out that little throat of yours," he hissed, just inches away from her face.
Càra couldn't see anything but his cold piercing eyes that burrowed into her soul and made it crawl back into itself. She sat stone still and made no attempt to move. People were talking nearby, then someone yelled and an argument between a templar and a newcomer began. Her capture blinked and looked to his left.
"What's going on Bren?" he shouted.
"Ser, someone here is ..."
"UNHAND MY MAGE!" barked a voice. Càra's brow furrowed and the templar holding her looked at her then back in the direction of the voice.
"Who speaks?"
"I do!" She turned to see her templar escort pushing past one of the others. "I am from the Circle of Magi! That is my Mage and she is under my protection." Càra could hear the fury in his voice but was sure she had heard it somewhere before."We are on Circle business and if you do not let her go the Maker help me but I'll strike you down!"
"And just who are you?" the templar holding her sneered. He moved his hand to grasp her arm instead and held her so tightly Càra winched in pain.
"Ser Tarin stand down," another voice called, this time a female voice. Càra assumed it was one of the sisters of the Chantry, or perhaps the Revered Mother. She barely heard what they said next, the force at which the templar's gauntlet held her arm was demanding nearly all of her attention, nearly, until the woman spoke again.
"Ser Farhan speaks the truth this mage is his charge, now please release her."
What? Thought Càra, it can't be, and then her mind reeled, it is him.
Oh for the love of the Maker, she groaned when she realised it was truly him. She turned back to see that he had now removed his helm and was looking at the particularly pissed off and reluctant ser Tarin with an equally smouldering stare.
That bastard … I spent all this time … damn him, Maker damn him!
Thank to all the favs and alerts I'm really glad people like it to do so. Please leave me a comment, ideas, reviews etc I love hearing back from you readers, especially the idea bit, I want to try and put poor Càra into all sorts of situations along with ser Farhan so ideas are welcome!
If you havn't already I shall point you in the direction of my other stories along with other authors. Leask my dear best friend and I have done a few joint projects, the are We're in This Together and Once Upon A Time: A Dragon Age Romance. Also please check out Crinisum and Erynnar they are awesome authors!
Thanks again, Mousemage