My Spanish guest= I am glad you enjoyed it. \ Judy= Thanks. \ Natalia Courtney= I am glad you are enjoying it and that you have found the story. Alistair is coming in couple chapters- thanks for the comment.

9:30 Dragon, 9 Wintermarch Kokari Wilds

I was just finished pouring the last container of clean rinse water over my hair and body when the door opened, and the king sauntered into the hut. A long low whistle accompanied by thorough examination left me with a deep scarlet blush coloring my fair skin.

I threw the sponge full of water at the gawking man who laughed, caught it and offered to help wash my back. With my arms crossed as much as I could over my front, I turned my back to him, heard the sharp intake of breath, and knew he'd seen scars. Which had not been my intention.

The playful tone was gone when he said, "Flemeth is gone. She thanked me for the meal, told me she would be back in four hours and then she would take us out of the wilds. I came in hoping to dry off and get warm myself. Your hound is lying by the cooking fire chewing on a large bone Flemeth gave him. Darkspawn, I think."

I made a sound of approval and stepped out of the washtub. I glanced over my shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief. He'd turned his back to me.

"Did you get those in battle?"

"No."

He looked over his shoulder and noticed the crisscrossed pattern of old scars. There was more than ten but less than thirty. The looked perfectly placed with even space between each one. He knew they were old but he had asked in a way that she would share. He figured he would be more direct this time. "Self-flogging? Or did you have help."

Bent over the chest holding what I assumed to be Morrigan's belongings I let the question hang. Hoping there was something, less reveling than what she wore when we met. I pulled out a bit of leather. There didn't seem to be a lot of material. But there was fur. Maybe I wouldn't freeze.

Cailan prepared for Rhiannon's startled jump as he placed the blanket around her shoulders, stepped back. He'd looked for something to dry off and not finding anything, he pulled the blanket from the bed. When there was no other, reaction from her he cleared his throat to remind her that he'd asked a question.

"Neither your Majesty. More of a reminder." I hadn't wanted to tell him about the conscription but a kind word, a listening ear, and the whole story came tumbling out. I hoped to do better this time. Most normal people didn't want to know how the circle worked just that it did. The king of Ferelden would be no different. He would tell me he wanted to know. And then when I told him it would be strained silences and pretending that nothing was said.

"Can you be any more cryptic? Is it a national secret or a restricted to mages only?"

I shrug and begin to rub the water off my body with the course woolen material. I pick up the leather, hold it up against me, and sigh. My robes while difficult to move in, sopping wet and torn in half at least offered me some modesty. I would be fortunate if this garment covered more than it left bare. Sighing as I slipped the leather and fur over my head, I answered. "It's a reminder that a Templar is never wrong and no matter what you do as a mage you never fight back."

"What in Andraste's flaming knickers are you talking about? Never fight back. What happened?"

"The former Knight Captain reprimanded me. Two thirds of the lashes were for punishable acts the other third was for crying out, going to my teacher, and refusing to yield."

"But," He stared looking right through her in his confusion.

I sigh. In his horror he will forget that it was a mage needing control. "Your majesty. People don't care how the Circles work. Just that they keep the dangerous, mind controlling, blood mages away from the good people of Thedas. The Chantry says the Circle is there to protect Mages from those without magic. And sometimes you get Templars who believe that. Most often you get Templars who believe it is their job to punish mages for being born with magic."

"They're allowed to beat you like that?" Cailan asked disturbed.

"Yes. Do you know that I was supposed to be there when the Ogre picked you up? And if I had you would never have been hurt as badly as you were."

"You can't blame yourself…"

"I'm not. It wasn't my fault. A Templar found a mage loose and assumed I was apostate. Even when I begged him to check with Duncan he refused because Mages can't be trusted. And had the battle not happened I would be on my way to Aeonar. When one of your soldiers suggested I might be telling the truth he accused her of being a mage lover. And if you were to speak in defense, they would claim I put you in a blood mage thrall. Kill you and me."

Cailan grew thoughtful. He had his own reason to hate the Chantry, namely Alistair. But here was another reason. "Tell me that the man who did that to your back has been reprimanded and removed from the circle.

I frowned and shimmied the leather down over my torso. This had turned into me complaining about my life and the king of Ferelden had other issues he needed to worry about than a mage that had come to accept that life was horrible and you just made due. "Yes, he was removed. Two years ago, Knight Rutherford found him raping another apprentice. He and the man who would become the Knight Captain forced the Knight Commander not to ignore what was going on under his command. I don't know what happened to him and honestly, your majesty I don't want to talk about it."

"Rutherford, the same one who helped you learn the full chant." Cailan said moving to another topic.

My blush had nothing to do with amount of skin that showed between my breasts all the way to my navel. Or the robes were cut all the way to the hip, leaving only the private areas covered. The small kiss Cullen and I shared the morning after my harrowing before he ran away out of horror still made me smile. "Yes."

"And"

"And your majesty we need to figure out what we are going to do with you? You are very recognizable."

"I am. I look like my father King Maric. But you are right if we are to survive, we have to do something about that. Do you have any spells that could change the way I look?"

"No. Magic doesn't work that way."

"Um I beg to differ. Wasn't Flemeth a dragon when she arrived?"

I chewed my lip in concentration I didn't have an answer for him. From everything I was taught you had one form except in the fade. But then it was just changing to animals like the mouse did. But you had to be taught by a demon. "I think that was shape shifting and unless you want to roam Ferelden as an animal, we might need to try something more mundane."

Cailan became thoughtful and said, "Would I get to choose the animal?"

"Um I think the better question is what would Flemeth charge you to change you into and back out of the animal. Because I don't know that kind of magic?"