Pairing: Jowan/Anders
Prompt: A confession

Telling the Truth

It was odd to see an apprentice in the Chantry chapel most days. Still, Greagoir never paid it much mind if on occasion he encountered a mage among the devout; praying to the Maker to forgive their transgressions.

But when he saw two such apprentices on opposite sides of the grand space in the Tower, it set his mind to wondering. Just what are these two up to? He assumed the worst. One always assumed the worst when Anders was involved. Though the presence of Jowan was a bit of a mystery. The two young boys had been seen together at times – running through the halls with the Surana girl. Still, Jowan hadn't made himself known as a troublemaker…yet.

Greagoir approached the two quietly, careful not to disturb them. Jowan however immediately recognized the man's presence and spun around to look at him. Suspicion crossed his face, but he remained quiet.

When the man stood almost directly adjacent to Anders, he noticed the boy's head was tilted towards the front of the room. His eyes were closed. Maker's breath! Is he sleeping? Just as Greagoir was about to swat him in the back of the head, his head snapped straight up – his eyes remained closed.

But Anders began to speak in a hushed voice.

"Dear Maker…I hope you're listening. I'm sorry for trying to run away twice from the Tower. I know that they want to protect the world from us mages. But we aren't bad. We aren't what the rest of the world thinks. I'm not a bad person. I just want to be able to run in a wide open field. I want to be friends with someone who isn't a mage. I want to see my mother again. Why is everyone so afraid of me?"

He paused, causing Greagoir to freeze in silence.

"And I don't hate the Templars. Well, not all of them. Okay, there are three Templars that I don't like. But there're some nice ones still. And sometimes I think they're just as stuck here as we are. Okay, well…if you're there, thanks for listening."

He quickly stood up and spun around; stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Greagoir.

"Oh…Knight Commander," he began. "I…uh…"

Jowan quickly ran over and grabbed Anders by the arm, pulling him away.

Greagoir chuckled at the young boys as they scurried away, but his expression quickly turned to a frown.

"Dear Maker," he said quietly. "Sometimes I wish we didn't have to lock away the children like this."

After all, the mages weren't the only ones who needed to confess.