'Change is coming to the world. Many fear change and will fight it with every fibre of their beings. Bu sometimes, change is what they need most. Sometimes, change is what sets them free.' –Morrigan, Witch of the Wilds, Daughter of Flemeth, Companion of the Grey Wardens of Ferelden, Arcane Advisor to the Imperial Court of Orlais, Liaison to the Inquisition.
~ Cousland Castle, Highever, 18th Drakonis 9:21 ~
Seven-year old Kenna rolled her shoulders as she walked through the halls towards her bedroom, grimacing slightly at the way her undertunic stuck to her sweaty back under her leather breastplate and how her arms ached from all the swings and strikes Ser Kenneth had ordered her to do—since Fergus had been knighted, Kenna had the dubious pleasure of having more of Ser Kenneth's attention after he had kicked his former squire into the City Guard instead of allowing him into the Army like Fergus had half-expected.
(She didn't know who was more dismayed, Fergus or the unlucky guard that ended up as the then sixteen-year olds partner—Kenna had almost laughed herself sick when Fergus had come stomping back covered in rubbish when a particular cunning and fast thief had taunted him into one of the rubbish filled alleys and had tripped him into one of the stinking heaps, Caitlyn had tried to look sympathetic but she couldn't keep a straight face or stop her nose from wrinkling in disgust)
Her steps slowed as she noticed the young elven girl waiting outside of her parents' study.
Kenna stumbled with a pained gasp when the girl—maybe a year older than her? —looked up with surprised pale green eyes as her head seemed to explode with images and knowledge.
Her fingers—calloused from her combat training—tried to dig under her tight braided-crown, tried to claw at her head as images flashed in her mind's eyes almost too fast.
Warm slim fingers curled around her wrist and held her shoulder, and she looked up with bleary eyes as concerned pale green stared into her dual-coloured ones as the images stalled.
In her mind's eyes two possibilities hung like spectres, flanking their real-life and current-self; on Kenna's left stood the girl grown up, slightly gaunt with her ash-blonde hair pulled into a bun, and wearing mage robes—that version flickered, one with dead staring pale green eyes with claw marks slashed across her throat and blood staining her robes only to replaced with blank pale green eyes and the bright sun-burst brand in the middle of her forehead standing out compared to her muted robes—while on Kenna's right stood another version of the same woman, not gaunt but with a healthy weight to her delicate figure, ash-blonde hair pulled into a loose braid and pale-green eyes keen, a smirk curling at her rosy lips as an egg-shaped focus crystal hung at the hallow of her throat—hidden in plain sight—and she wore clothes of midnight blue with golden embroidered laurels and tiny song birds—her personal colours and heraldry, Kenna dimly realised.
"Are you alright?" the elven girl asked.
"Just got dizzy," Kenna told her with her throat dry and her tongue feeling thick in her mouth as sudden realisation and confirmation made her feel as dizzy as she claimed.
Her dreams that she half-thought to be visions of the future—half-hoped because that meant she wasn't mad, that she wasn't afraid for nothing, that she wasn't just dreaming terrible things for no reason—were really visions of the future.
Just not one set future, she realised as the spectres waited and the girl kept a steadying hand on her shoulder, but of possible futures.
"What's your name?" Kenna half-asked and half-demanded as she realised she was faced with a choice, a choice that affected this girl's fate.
"L-Lileas Surana, milady," the girl stuttered slightly in her slight shock—none of the confidence of her right spectre self.
"Call me Kenna," she told Lileas as she grabbed one of her hands and began to drag the startled girl to the study. "I know we're going to be great friends."
There really wasn't much of a choice, she thought to herself as the left spectre shuddered and disappeared and the right spectre's smirk softened into an affectionate smile before disappearing from her mind's eyes as she almost slammed the door open.
Her father looked up with annoyed fondness that turned into resigned fondness as he saw her and the girl she was dragging behind her.
Caitlyn smiled at her, amused and loving at the same time, as she sat beside her father at his large desk.
Before his desk was another elven girl—around Caitlyn's age—with Lileas' pale green eyes and almost strawberry blonde hair that stared in shock at her entrance.
"Lileas?" she spluttered in shock, but Kenna ignored her as she set her eyes on her father.
"Lileas' going to be my lady-in-waiting from now on," she informed him and the room at large with her jaw set making her father sigh, Lileas' sister to splutter again and Caitlyn to laugh brightly.
"Then I suppose I should make you my own lady-in-waiting, Rosina," Caitlyn informed the elder elven girl.
"Do I have a say in this at all?" their father asked almost wearily making Caitlyn smile prettily at him and Kenna to set her jaw more firmly making him sigh. "You two are definitely your mother's daughters."
"Thank you, Father," Caitlyn told him almost primly as she stood. "Come, I suppose we should talk to Nan to get you settled."
Nan, Lileas learnt, was an old woman with wrinkles that seemed to frown for her as she stared down at the two Cousland ladies—Lady Kenna hadn't let go of Lileas' wrist once—and the elven girls that they brought before her.
"And whose idea was this?" Nan asked archly, arms crossed over her chest as her gaze seemed to linger of the red-headed noble that stared up at her with a set jaw. "Of course, it was you, why did I even think otherwise?"
"Lileas going to be my friend," Lady Kenna announced firmly and proudly, like it was a forgone conclusion, that it was something to be proud of—a noble girl claiming to be the friend of knife-eared servant.
Rosina gave a small sound behind her, and Lileas glanced back to see anxiety clear in her big sister's pale green eyes, and Lileas looked back to Nan with wide eyes.
"I see," Nan said simply before pinning Lileas in place with her keen dark eyes. "I hope you know—Lileas, was it? –that you'll be spending most of your time trying to keep this one out of trouble," she jerked her head towards Lady Kenna, "she's twice as stubborn as an old mule once she gets an idea in her head."
Lady Kenna scowled, but didn't deny it, didn't say anything against the old woman's words.
"And you? What's your name?" Nan asked, turning her gaze to Rosina.
"Rosina, ma'am, Rosina Surana," Rosina attempted to give a clumsy curtsey only to stop herself when a scowl creased at Nan's face.
"Don't bother, I'm a nanny, not some noble," Nan informed her almost curtly. "You'll have an easier time then your sister. Lady Caitlyn keeps to a proper schedule and doesn't attempt any foolhardiness."
"I have a schedule too," Kenna protested making Nan level her with an unimpressed look and the Lady Caitlyn to place a hand on her shoulder with a fond smile curling her lips.
"That you only keep to as long as some foolhardy idea doesn't pop into your head," Nan told her making Kenna scowl slightly, but didn't argue against the old woman's words. "Now then," Nan eyed both the elven girls closely, "I will be getting in the seamstress tomorrow, you'll be fitted with clothes fitting your new position and in the colours of your new ladies. Tell me, can you read?"
"A little, I've done my best to teach Lileas," Rosina admitted looking slightly ashamed, but Nan just nodded.
"Then I will talk to Aldous about your lessons then," Nan nodded to herself. "You will be sharing the room with your ladies; do you have your belongings with you, or do you need to return to the Alienage to collect them?"
Nan pursed her lips as she glanced back to Lady Kenna.
"I suppose you won't be letting Lileas out of your sight?" Nan asked and Lady Kenna's grip around Lileas' wrist tightened slightly, and she raised her chin, setting it in a way that was quickly becoming familiar to Lileas. "Of course not," Nan sighed as she looked heavenward. "Then I will go and collar some knights for your protection."
~ The Alienage, Highever, 18th Drakonis 9:21 ~
Caitlyn had left the safety of the castle several times in the past, but she had never gone further than the docks or the marketplace and had never really given a thought to the Alienage.
Caitlyn wasn't sure how she should feel when she stepped through the gates the walled off the Alienage from the rest of Highever.
The buildings were built right next to each other and stacked on top of each other—built from worn stone and wood— the cobbles of the road wobbled under foot, and some of the windows of buildings were cracked.
Elves in worn and carefully mended clothes slowed as they entered, eyes watching the armoured and armed Knights almost nervously.
Caitlyn glanced towards Rosina, who was already glancing towards her with an almost ashamed look on her thin face, before she glanced at the slight scowl of her younger sister's grimly set face—Kenna had either known or expected this, probably because of her dreams.
"It's really not that bad," Rosina told her softly, "I heard its much worse in other places."
Caitlyn fixed a smile on her lips as she nodded agreeably to her new lady-in-waiting, but her gaze as she looked around was firm—this would not do.
She felt that especially when they entered the Surana's previous home and Caitlyn realised that their two rooms—a main room and a shared bedchamber—could fit in her own bed chamber.
Plans began to build in her mind as she watched Rosina and Lileas pack their meagre belongings.
~ Cousland Castle, Highever, 18th Drakonis 9:21 ~
The bunny that Rosina had carefully stitched together from scraps of fabric looked out of place against the plump pillows on her new bed, Lileas decided as she nervously brushed her hands against the soft nightgown that Lady Kenna had given her to wear until the seamstress came and finished her new wardrobe.
Her new bed had soft sheets, a thick dark blue quilt and even soft blankets folded at the bottom, it could also easily roll and fit under Lady Kenna's bed when Lileas wasn't using it.
The room was large with a fireplace—generously stocked with wood—and a soft fur rug in front that Lady Kenna informed it was nice to lay on and read a good book.
There was a desk with bottles of ink, a container of quill pens, charcoal sticks and a ruler as well as a carefully carved songbird as a paperweight. Beside the desk was a bookcase half-way filled with books and other carvings of ships, dragons and Mabari hounds.
There was a stand for Lady Kenna's leather armour—practise armour, she told Lileas—and a rack with two sheathed swords.
There was an armoire for the Lady's clothes and a set of drawers had been brought in and placed next to it for Lileas' own clothes—the thought of having enough clothes to fill it made her feel slightly giddy—and a simple vanity with golden hairbrush, several bottles and for some reason a carefully folded bit of cloth on top.
Framed maps, sketches of dragons and other beasts and a tapestry of knights fighting werewolves hung from the walls.
On the other side of the Lady's bed was a small table with a discarded attempt at embroider and a potted plant with several red flowers on the long stalk.
On that same side was a wooden divider with carefully painted golden laurels and songbirds that hid the bath and the toilet.
Lady Kenna sat crossed legged on the bed with her damp red hair loosely braided down her back as she watched Lileas take in the room with bright dual-coloured eyes.
"Do you like it?" she asked curiously, her face open and almost kind.
"Yes, milady," Lileas replied softly making Lady Kenna frown slightly.
"You know I asked you to call me Kenna? I don't need you to call me a lady or anything, just Kenna," she told her almost as softly as Lileas had spoken. "We've going to be friends, and I want my friend to call me by my name. You don't have to do it in front of others if it makes you uncomfortable, but when we are alone, can you call me Kenna?"
Lileas almost bit her lip as she thought before she gave a slight nod making Kenna almost beam at her happily.
"We can add things you like to the room," Kenna told her, "It's both our room now, isn't it? It isn't right that there's only my things around."
"Thank you…. Kenna," Lileas said and Kenna smiled at her.
Lileas didn't know why Kenna was being so kind to her, why she seemed so convinced they were going to be friends, but Lileas knew better to than to question it.
The door of the hall shuddered as their enemies tried to smash it in, to swarm in like insects to slaughter the slowly tiring defenders. The Knight leaned against the thick wooden doors, forcing it closed with their own weight, ready to sacrifice themselves to allow them to escape.
Lileas glanced toward Kenna, taking in the set of her jaw and the way she was watching the knights, and heaved a slight sigh as she strode towards the dead mage that the enemy had brought into the castle, into her home, and had set upon her people.
"Lileas?" Rosina asked in confusion as Lileas reached down for the discarded staff.
Lileas ignored her sister as she tested the feel of the staff in her hands, shuddering at as its own magic reached out eagerly towards hers—she had never truly gotten used to using a staff to augment her strength though she had dutifully trained to fight with a bladed staff that she had placed across her back.
"Get ready to move," she called to the men as she raised the staff in her hands, waiting for them to nod before she brought it down, the focusing crystal on the staff and around her neck glowing as she slammed the butt of the staff on the floor with all her might.
The floor rumbled as large roots burst out, raining cobbles, before they headed towards the doors. The Knight moved out the way and the roots slammed into the door, twisting and turning amongst themselves as they anchored themselves into the doorframe and floor, and forced the doors to remained closed—she had barred the way to their enemies.
"Maker…" "She's a mage?" "Andraste's mercy," "Did you know?" "How did she hide it?"
A warm hand clasped around her elbow, steadying her, and Lileas glanced up at Kenna.
They shared a smile as they ignored the whispers.
"Thank you," Kenna told her and Lileas shrugged slightly, a slight sheen of sweat on her brow—she had placed as much magic into the roots as she could spare.
"Right, now that's sorted out," Bran called out, "Men slaughter the bastards that came through, grab some supplies and take the secret passages down to Lowever. Our people will need you to defend them in the coming days."
"You heard Lord Brannon," Ser Morgan called out, "Get to it, now," the Knight paused as she looked around at the Couslands. "What are you going to do?"
"We're going to find our father," Caitlyn carefully spoke, mindful of gash splitting part of her lips and most of her left cheek—Lileas once again felt some regret that she could never get her head around a healing spell.
"We won't be back for some time," Kenna added as she and Lileas walked over to the others. "There's a Blight to be fought."
"Then we'll keep these bastards on their toes till you can return," Ser Morgan told them with a grim smile as she turned to leave. "Don't die out there."
~ Cousland Caste, Highever, 19th Drakonis 9:21 ~
Kenna turned in her bed and peered over the side to where Lileas slept cuddling her patchwork bunny.
"I'm going to have to find you a teacher," Kenna decided with a thoughtful frown. "And a focusing crystal."
She rolled on her back and frowned up at her ceiling.
"This may be harder than I thought," she admitted into the darkness and to Lileas' soft snores.
Kenna didn't regret it though, she wouldn't regret it, not when she knew what fate could befall Lileas.
Yes, it was going to hard, yes it was going to be difficult, but Kenna was stubborn, she wasn't just going to give in because it was hard or difficult.
Author's note; Sorry this is shorter than my other chapters, but my other scenes didn't work with this chapter. Hope you enjoy it though.