BioWare owns this… blah, blah… characters are theirs… blah, blah, legalese… ideas' mine… blah, no profit, snore… rights and property of said game aren't mine… drifting… OC's and plot belong to me… BSOD
9:38 Dragon, Vigil's Keep, month of Cloudreach 14, near evening
Warden-Commander Lyna Mahariel walked into the Infirmary dressed in a simple tunic and leggings traditional for the Sabrae Clan, made of Halla hide and meant for ease of movement through a forest without snagging upon the branches of said forest. It had been a long day for her, and the headache that seemed to assail her every day was worse than usual. She had dressed in the simple clothing to give her some form of comfort; more so as of late, she was either in her armor, or dressed in ridiculous court gown meant for her when she had to be seen as the Arlessa of Amaranthine as oppose to the Commander of the Grey. Being able to be in more comfortable garb lessened the stress of the seemingly endless parade of disasters that she had to thwart on an everyday basis.
Lyna found Senior Magician Bethany Hawke talking to the their visitor, showing that not only had the woman regained consciousness, but was also responsive and amicable. The Dalish woman approached the bed, watching as mage and Tevinter spoke to one another, without any sort of animosity. The Warden-Commander stopped for a moment, watching the two women talk, and it brought back a fond, if painful, memory. Bethany sensed Lyna nearby, as the mage looked up to see the Commander standing there, watching them. Bethany motioned for Lyna to approach, and the Dalish elf did so, seeing the unknown woman's eyes locking in on her as soon as she was aware of the Commander of the Grey, her blue eyes going wide at the sight of her. Lyna didn't doubt that the sight of a free elf might be strange to the Tevinter woman, as might the sight of an armed and armored one. The Dalish elf had decided to make the transition to make it easier for the Tevinter woman, who may or may not have been a Magister's Guard. Undoubtedly, the sight of her being free, as well as vallaslin on her face, was startling to the woman.
"Is it fine to talk?" Lyna asked, looking between Bethany and the woman on the bed. Bethany quickly nodded, though the woman on the bed looked slightly uncomfortable; that didn't surprise the Dalish woman at all.
"This is whom I was telling you about, Augustine." The Senior Magician told the woman, the Tevinter looking to the mage as Bethany tried to calm her. "This is Warden-Commander Lyna Mahariel, known as the Blightender and the Dragonslayer, Arlessa of Amaranthine. Commander? This is Magister Vigilus Augustine Lynaus, a Magister's guard of the Tevinter Imperium."
"It is good to see you awake and well, Guardswoman Lynaus." Lyna replied, sitting in an available chair by the Tevinter woman's bed. "Or is
it Vigilus Lynaus? I'm afraid I am not very knowledgeable on Tevinter honorifics."
"Augustine… will be fine." The woman replied, her voice uncertain. "I… I'm not use to interacting politely with… your kind." Augustine replied, looking a little uncomfortable, moving about her bed to gain a better position as she tried to sit up. Bethany immediately went to help the woman as she got in a position that had her sitting up a little. Lyna nodded her head, letting the Tevinter woman know that it was acceptable, knowing how hard it was to let go of life-long prejudices.
"You may call me Lyna, Augustine, and I know what you are feeling." The Warden-Commander told the woman. "I lived my entire life in a Dalish Clan, and our opinions on shemlen, which means 'quick children', was not exactly good. It took me time in dealing with your own kind. Especially when I found myself having to lead them against the Blight. It was… not easy for me. I forgive you of any slip-up and such as long as you are not trying to be malicious about it."
"Gratias, Praefectus." Augustine replied with a relieved look upon her face. "It is… hard for me… knowing that I am in the Heretical Lands, where people are forced to bow to those without the Maker's gifts." The comment had Bethany looking a little confused, but Lyna figured out what the woman meant.
"The Black Chantry, what we call the Divine of the Imperium, and the Dalish are not so different." The Dalish woman informed the Tevinter woman, and Hawke as well. "We, too, are ruled by those blessed with the gift of magic. In the lands of the White Chantry, which I'm guessing you call the Heretical Lands," Augustine nodded, confirming it, "we are ruled by men, not mages. Well, and one Elf." That had the Tevinter woman snort, yet a smile followed it.
"Why do I find that satisfying? That the barbarians of the south allowed that to happen, or that it puts a burr in their side?" The Imperial woman gave a weak laugh, following with a cough that made her grimace. The Senior Magician looked concern, but Augustine waved her off. "I think some hatreds will take long to die, Lyna. Yet you do understand what it means to be taught something your entire life, and yet seeing it in a different light for yourself."
"Sometimes the shemlen surprise me." Lyna shrugged, looking over to Bethany Hawke, indicating the focus of her conversation. "Every time I see a mage or an apostate, it breaks my heart knowing what has happened to them. If they had been born Dalish, they would have been revered and protected, as Hunters such as myself are sworn to defend our Keepers and their apprentices with our very lives to protect them and our lore. I take it that that is something you would know well."
"I would." The Imperial Guardswoman replied, a knowing nod following her words. "It is… strange… to find someone so kindred in someone who is… of a different race, someone in the Heretical Lands that would understand what we fight for. I know not the stories your people are told of the Imperium, but in my lands, the Magisters are revered and expected to rule, as we are expected to serve them with our lives. I know that the Heretical Church tells your people," Augustine indicated Bethany, "that mages are dangerous and evil. But in our Church, they are our sworn defenders, protecting us from the evils of the Fade and the Qunari of the north. Without our Magisters, we would be defenseless against the hordes of the Qun and the Demons of the spirit world."
"That is… quite a different view than what we are use to." The woman from Lothering admitted, a little disturbed by what she was hearing. "Andraste stated that mages were meant to serve, not rule."
Both Lyna and Bethany were utterly surprised when the Tevinter woman laughed out loud, interrupted by wracking coughs.
"Oh, your precious Bride?" Augustine continued chuckling, moving a bandaged hand weakly to wipe away a tear. She seemed to notice the many bandages on her arm, which held her attention for a moment, yet the Tevinter Guardswoman let it fall to the bed. "Why do you think the Rebellion followed some barbarian woman? Why do you think they listened to her? It was because she was a mage. Something your Heretical Church undoubtedly tries to disguise." Bethany made a choking noise, her face filled with disbelief, and even Lyna raised an eyebrow. "Don't believe me? Come to the Imperium where we have records of the Rebellion, and find out why we cast her out to the most mud-grubbing lands we could find in all of Thedas, filled with primitives and their dogs. Find out why your precious Bride, one of the most powerful Magisters of her Age, was tossed to a place where we thought she wouldn't hurt anything important. Bride of the Maker, indeed." The Guardswoman snorted, shaking her head. "Bride of a Pride Demon is much closer to the truth. Blighted woman got weak and got her soul sucked out by a demon, and it was causing all sorts of mayhem. Don't know why they didn't kill her outright, but the only 'voice' she was hearing was from one of the most powerful demons the Magisters had ever encountered."
"You… you're lying!" Bethany announced, her eyes wide as she bolted out of her chair. "Andraste was a good woman who freed the slaves of the Imperium!"
"They were nothing more than fodder for her spells, Magister Hawke; why do you think Maferath sent her to us wrapped up in magesbane?" Augustine asked, no venom in her voice. "I am from the Imperium, and we still hold records of those times. She didn't lead slaves to freedom to overthrow the rule of mages. She led fodder into a war to overthrow her competition to rule Thedas. We still have annals describing those years, and Magister Andraste Augusta was as bad to this world as any of the Archdemons."
"Bethany?" Lyna looked to the mage, whose face was red with fury and indignation. The Senior Magician looked to the Warden-Commander, still quite upset. "Bethany, the Imperium has been around for thousands of years; much longer than any other nation or people. It could very well be that they have the truth written down, or at least their version of it. You don't see me getting upset whenever Andrastians insist that their version is correct."
"But…" Bethany started, and then paused, thinking it over, the color of rage slowly draining from her face as she mulled what the Warden-Commander said. "You… you do have a point, ma falon. We are… rather belligerent about it, aren't we?"
"I did not mean to upset you, Magister. I mean… Magician." Augustine corrected herself, obviously trying hard to pronounce the unusual word. "Perhaps our veritas is not correct at all. I remember that from Magister Rakaius, when some Orlesian slave was intent on defending the Bride of the Maker." That had the Guardswoman snort. "He quickly shut up when we showed him the frescoes that depicted the battle against the Rebellion, how Andraste finally had turned into a Twisted to save her very skin before we purified her with magic and fire to destroy the demon inside of her. He seemed… convinced."
"Interesting." Lyna replied, thinking it over. "It definitely fills a lot of holes that I've asked over the years about her, the things that never made sense. Somehow, all the Reverend Mothers and Sisters were ever able to say were 'you must have Faith' or 'it is the will of the Maker' for a good many of my questions." Bethany looked at Lyna as if she had lost her mind. "This Magister Rakaius, is he your Keeper? Your… the one whom you guard?"
"He was." The Tevinter woman replied, a slow smile growing on her face. "Just this past year, I had been arranged to provide my sword and shield to a brand-new apprentice. Most wouldn't think being assigned to a brand new apprentice a good thing, yet I was more than happy to serve. She is, after all, my daughter."
"Your daughter?" Senior Magician Bethany Hawke asked, surprised. "Your daughter is a mage? I mean, a Magister?"
"Yes." The woman smiled, and Lyna saw that it was a smile of pride and love. "Her name is Trysta Lynaus, and she had recently passed her Tests to be accepted into the Academy of Magic. When she passed, she was in need of a Vigil, a Guardian. It was I whom volunteered, and she accepted my oath." Augustine was silent, and it was apparent to both the Warden-Commander and the Senior Magician that the Tevinter woman was reliving that moment. "My daughter is a hero, and I am very proud of her. Knowing that she will be protecting our people, that she will be sword and shield for the Imperium against our enemies, a mother couldn't have asked for better."
"That's… very different from us." Bethany admitted readily enough. "I myself was born an apostate, my whole life spent on the run from the Templars, protected by my older sister and twin brother. Until I joined the Order of the Grey, I admit that I hated what I was, for putting my family through such fear and trials because I was born a mage, like my father before me."
"I can't imagine that." The Tevinter woman admitted, shaking her head in awe. "A Magister that isn't exalted? Living in fear? Hiding themselves? Why?" Augustine asked, and Bethany looked to Lyna for help.
"Don't ask me. We Dalish have our mages trained in magecraft and lore to become Keepers." The Warden-Commander replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't understand it, either." Bethany didn't seem to like that answer, but what was Lyna to do; the Dalish and the shemlen lived different lives. "I do want to ask you some questions Augustine, and I apologize in advance if they may make you uncomfortable. Gauging by what your ordeals have been, and what little we know of your homeland, I do not wish to make you feel as if you are in any duress. If something is too personal, you may let me know, and I will not hold it against you."
"I will try my best, Commander." The Tevinter woman replied with a nod of her head. "You have shown yourself to be a woman of honor and thoughtfulness. It is something… I never would have expected to say as such about an Elf before, but then I've never interacted in such a way that I have with you. Perhaps there is something about your kin that we have been missing out on? I would like to learn more about your and your people, Lyna. Perhaps the Imperium could be made stronger by it."
"We shall see." The Dalish woman replied, not thinking it very likely. "Guardswoman Lynaus, I am interested in hearing about your travels, specifically how you came to be here. You are obviously a proud member of the Imperium, yet something caused you to flee close to the furthest point from Tevinter as you could get. Having said that, I am not interested in Imperium state secrets, nor do I wish to inform any others that I currently am hosting a Tevinter guest. You are here simply because you are hurt, and I will only keep you here until you are healed. Because those men were chasing you by the means of a phylactery, and probably from wherever you started, I would like to know your tale simply so we know what to guard you from."
"I think I can accommodate your request without any real qualms, Warden-Commander." Augustine replied without hesitation. "That you seek not to harm the Imperium, I wish you gratias. Anything else I shall be free with my information."
"Good." Lyna smiled at the woman. "You identified yourself as a Magister Vigilus, a Magister's Guard, yet you did not identify yourself as a Grey Warden. Was it because the men that were chasing you were Grey Wardens, too? Did you think we were in on their plot?" Lyna Mahariel watched as the Tevinter woman's face falter at her question, her mouth opening wide as her eyes grew bigger at the Dalish Elf's question. The woman looked back and forth between Lyna and Bethany Hawke, her full lips moving without any sound coming from it. Lyna looked to Hawke, who looked back at her, Dalish Elf and mage confused by the reaction. "You… did not know that the men chasing you were Wardens?"
"I did, but…" Augustine's words were cut short as the woman looked at Lyna with a look of desperation upon her face. "I… I am no Warden, Praefectus. I have never been offered the Oath of Submission."
"Serah, you are a Grey Warden; we can tell." Senior Magician Bethany Hawke said, the woman looking to the mage. "We, as Wardens, can feel the presence of one another. At this close proximity, you should be able to feel us as well."
"But…"
"Perhaps you would remember something else a little less forgettable." The Commander said, her voice gentle. "Do you remember drinking something that looked like blood? Smelled fetid and rancid? Tasted as of rotted meat? Knocked you out for about an hour and made you wake up as if from your worst nightmare? Some others taking it and not waking up at all?" The woman's face was the very portrait of shock and horror, and yet Lyna didn't doubt that the woman did indeed imbibe a Joining Potion. Yet how would she not remember such an event as the Joining Ritual?
"Are… are you sure?" Augustine asked, her voice wavering with the hopes of one wishing that it was all a cruel joke. "Tu credis verbum veritas? Et hoc non potest!" Lyna didn't understand the words that the Tevinter woman was saying, but she thought she understood the gist of it; she was wondering if the Dalish Elf was telling the truth.
"Close your eyes, if you will." Lyna asked, standing up from her chair. "I want you to concentrate as you close your eyes, Augustine, and follow me in your thoughts as I move about the room. Every ten breaths, open your eyes, and you will see that you will have followed me. You will not do this with your ears, for I am a Dalish Huntress, and know how to move without sound. You will follow me with the sense that you gained when becoming a Warden. Please, Consors, close your eyes." The Tevinter woman didn't look like she was going to, but the Dalish woman watched as the woman's blue eyes closed. Lyna moved a few feet away, to the opposite side of the bed, closer to Bethany Hawke. Though her eyes were closed, Augustine's head followed the Elf, and when her eyes opened, they widened at the sight of looking directly at the Warden-Commander. She shut her eyes again, her face scrunching as she shut them tightly, and Lyna moved once more without a sound, going to a far corner in the Infirmary. Again, the Guardswoman's head followed Lyna's movements though her eyes were shut and the Warden-Commander made no noise. When Augustine opened her eyes again, she let off a curse in Tevinter that while Lyna didn't know the translation, she had a pretty good idea what the woman said.
"There's… no reversing it, is there?" The Tevinter asked as Lyna returned to her seat, Bethany shaking her head mutely as the Guardswoman sighed. "I suspected not. When those men tracked me, I always knew that they were close by, or when they were almost on top of me. I was… never ambushed." Augustine sighed. "And I thought it was because I was good at what I did."
"You are good; your body is a testament to that." Hawke replied. "You had seven men chasing you from the Imperium to here, and the wounds you received would have killed a lesser man or woman. You didn't give in or give up."
"Actually, there were originally seventeen of them." The Vigilus admitted sheepishly, earning a grunt of approval from Lyna Mahariel. "I guess you want to know what happened? Why they were after me?" To that, the Warden-Commander simply nodded. "Truth is, I don't really know the why of it, but I do know the how. That, I'll tell you. It is a long story, I'm afraid, and you may be left with more questions than answers."
"That is fine, Augustine." Lyna replied honestly. "Tell me what you know, and I shall be satisfied."
The Tevinter woman sighed, closing her eyes, and the Dalish woman saw her trying to summon her courage, to return to the days before all of her ordeal had began. It reminded her of herself, when she and Tamlan had ran into some shemlen who had boasted of finding a nearby ruin. If only they had not been so curious…
"It was a chilly day in Minrathous," Magister Vigilus Augustine Lynaus began, her eyes opening slowly, "as the month of Umbralis was coming to a close when I first saw the slaves arrive on the ship…"
A/N: There's speculation in the game that Andraste may have indeed been a mage. It would make sense that, in a country full of slaves and mages as a ruling class, who better to lead a revolt? Why would a warloard follow some slave girl with dreams from a God no one believes is there for them (as the Maker abandoned humanity due to the Magister's attempt to enter the Golden City). That Andraste is a Magister, and one of the 'Twisted' is a concoction of my own making. And the last name, Augusta, was Andraste's real canon name before the developers changed it.