9:41 Dragon

Laurel delicately ran her fingers over the cold smooth stone. She loved these city walls. They didn't represent what walls did to most, they weren't barriers. They were safety, they were memory, touching them always somehow brought her comfort. They represented a sort of freedom. She used to walk these walls with her brother. Nearly a decade ago when they were different people... when he was still alive. Now she walked the walls alone. This was the one place she felt he was with her, the one place that her memories didn't haunt her. And after today, she may never see these stones again, may never touch them. She leaned on the wall, closing her eyes, taking in feeling of the cool stone on her back and the warmth of the sun on her front, breathing in the smell of the ivy and blooms and the faint smell of the sea that roared on the other side of the wall. She imagined Gared standing there with her, not a templar any longer, just her brother. Saying goodbye to the wall almost felt like saying goodbye to him again.

For almost two years she had waited, biding her time until she had a chance to act. Tomorrow could change things, it could change everything. Maybe even bring her some peace. Her aunt and cousin, both Chantry sisters were attending the Chantry's conclave in Fereldan. The situation they were walking into was delicate. Her parents had agreed to send her along to aid them, protect them if the negotiations didn't go well. She knew mages that had escaped Ostwick's circle would be a part of the mage delegation. If what the templar survivors told her was true, she knew the mage who had slain her brother would be there. He would be a member of the Ostwick delegation. He would not survive to see the negotiations if her plans came to fruition.

Laurel opened her eyes again, forcing herself off with a push. She had already lingered on the walls too long. She was expected at the Chantry within the hour. She took one last look at the walls, wishing she could cling to them forever. But it was time for action, time for her revenge against the mages who had wronged her brother.


Pounding. All she could hear was pounding and the sound of her own breath. With each thud, pain seared through her head. Laurel tried to open her eyes, but they felt like they had been glued together. Her senses slowly began to return. She could feel her head hanging low, stretching the tendons in the back of her neck. She tried lifting her head but it felt too heavy, and she too weak. The pounding sounds faded with each breath, she realized she must be hearing her own heartbeat hammering in her head. She slowly lifted her eyelids. It was dark at first, but more blurry as her eyes adjusted to the absence of light in the room.

She started to hear a faint sparking sound, the sound of a fire, or magic perhaps. She tried bringing her hand up to wipe her brow, but there were some kind of bindings keeping her hands from moving. The bindings clanked as she moved. She turned her hands to examine the constraints on her wrists when something green sparked in her left palm, causing her to gasp. She tried to shake away what had lit in her hands, but it didn't come free. The spark almost looked like it was... inside... her hand. It glowed green again and shot a painful tingle through her arm. She looked around, wide eyed and confused. What had happened to her? She couldn't remember where she was, or how she got there. The last thing she remembered was the temple. She was looking for the mage.

Her eyesight was returning, she looked around and found herself surrounded by stone. On each side of her were armed men with their swords drawn, they looked to be guards. She gasped again at the sight of them, wincing away and looking down at the ground. She could hear her own breathing again growing heavy, her eyes darted back and forth as she tried to think, tried to remember. Just then a door in front her slammed open, hitting the wall with a bang. Two figures burst through the door and the guards surrounding her sheathed their weapons, the loud clanking of metal rang through her ears. The ones who entered, they were both women. They began pacing around her. Her heart pounded faster, and her chest was rising and falling rapidly. She was too afraid to move or speak, she could only watch them moving around the room. The red head approached her from the front, stopping at a distance. The dark haired one was behind her, and leaned in to speak in her ear, startling her. "Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now!"