'Magic exists to serve man, and never rule over him. Foul and corrupt are they who have taken His gift and turned it against His children. They shall be named Maleficar, accursed ones. They shall find no rest in this world or beyond.' –Chant of Light, Transfigurations 1:1-5.
~ The Alienage, Highever, 12th Cloudreach 9:21 Dragon ~
Giles leaned against the door of his home as his Boss—as he had decided to call her—forced the young Knight to bend to her stubborn will despite the Knight being just over a decade her senior.
(No, you will not be going in with me. Why? Can't you see how small these homes are? You'll take up all the space in that armour. How are you going to protect me? I'm not some delicate flower, and I'll scream if I need help fending off an old woman. No, I will not be inform Nan so you can rest easily. Giles isn't a stranger, he's my employee. Oi, are you saying I can't have an employee? No? Good. I will be fine, just enjoy some rest. You'll be right outside the door, I highly doubt anyone can get past you. Just try not to scare everyone, okay?)
Kenna Cousland, Giles decided as he listened, would never be known for having a silver tongue—that would probably go to her sister if rumours were to believed.
That didn't mean she wouldn't be able to get people to do what she wanted however, Giles knew, she'd just get it through sheer force of personality and pure stubbornness.
Granny should hopefully like her, Giles thought and then he wondered what she thought of the show because there was no doubt in Giles' mind that his grandmother wasn't watching.
He hoped she realised just why Giles was tying his lot in with the youngest Cousland despite them both being little more than children.
Kenna Cousland wasn't the average noble daughter, she wasn't the type that would be depicted in stories for a valiant knight to rescue and marry.
No, Kenna Cousland was the type of girl that would rescue herself and scoff at the so-called valiant knight when he proposed marriage.
Practical, hard-working, stubborn as anything and protective of those she termed hers, that was what Kenna Cousland was—one only had to see the way those golden tanned fingers would wrap protectively and reassuringly around Lileas' thin and pale wrist, the way she kept just in front of the elven girl that most would dismiss as how nobles had to stand in front of their servants and not seeing it as the protective gesture it was.
Giles wanted that.
He wanted that easily given protection and care, he wanted to have the security that Kenna Cousland gave to Lileas Surana without hesitation, he wanted the stress around his mother's eyes as she worried about his future to be gone.
Giles had been looked down upon, pitied and disgusted by the fact his left hand was disformed, clawed, and no one would hire a boy—let alone when he became a man—that was considered crippled, damaged goods.
Kenna Cousland had, in his mind, been his only chance and despite things not going to his plan, he was more convinced by it than ever.
When she had seen his crippled hand, she didn't recoil, didn't let pity soften her face, didn't hesitate as she held it as easily as she held his right hand—only a slight frown as she tried to hold it in a way that wasn't uncomfortable for both of them—and that acceptance, offered so easily and without thinking, made something tight in his chest ease and the tension in his shoulders to go.
Yes, Giles was certain that he had made the right choice, and nobody was going to make him doubt that.
~ Cousland Castle, Highever, 12th Cloudreach 9:21 Dragon ~
Caitlyn smiled politely at the dwarf across from her as Rosina carefully poured the tea for both of them before she took her place just behind Caitlyn's shoulder, standing despite the fact that Caitlyn and the dwarf was sitting across from each other.
It had taken weeks of convincing, arguing and planning with both her father and Hahren of the Alienage, but finally, Caitlyn had been able to arrange a meeting with House Cadash.
House Cadash have had a place in Highever since the time of Teyrna Elethea Cousland in the Exalted Age.
Elethea Cousland may have bent the knee to Calenhad Theirin, but that didn't mean she didn't take steps in case another would-be-King or enemy attempted to take Highever so that her people would survive, and those enemies would regret attempting to take the Cousland's seat of power.
House Cadash had been recently exiled from Orzammar and needed a new home, Elethea offered them a place amongst her people in exchange for them building Lowever and the many hidden pathways to it.
It had been four Ages since they had come to that agreement, and while House Cadash had expanded and some had moved across the Waking Sea, there was still a branch in Highever and would be as long as the Couslands lived.
It only made sense for Caitlyn to reach out to House Cadash with her plans to renovate the Alienage.
"Shall we get down to business?" she asked the dwarf, rich blue eyes bright with plans.
"Let's," the dwarf grunted as she pushed her plans across the desk for him to review.
Caitlyn was rather proud of her plans and was hopeful Dain Cadash didn't see too many problems with her ideas.
While she had partly wanted to make all new houses for the elves, she had known it wasn't practical for the space in the Alienages. She had instead decided to make buildings of apartments that would circle the great tree in the middle.
She had added plans to make gardens on the roof, allowing the elves to grow some of their own food, and balconies for them to dry their washing. Basements for storage would be linked to Lowever, allowing the elves to easily retreat to Lowever if the worse happened—which may very well happen if Kenna's dreams were true.
"Not bad," he finally muttered as he leaned back in his seat. "It'll be easier to tear it all down, re-use what we can to save money, and then build from scratch."
"I suppose the elves would have to live in Lowever till then," Caitlyn figured making Dain nod.
"I'll offer jobs to any of them that won't mind hard work," Dain informed her. "Let them see their new homes take shape under their own hands—might ease some of minds."
"How long will this take?" Caitlyn asked as she reached for some parchment to start jotting down things that would need to be prepared down in Lowever—she was glad she and the Hahren had already foreseen this and had come to an agreement to the possibility.
"Ten years, give or take," Dain decided after a moment, "it depends on how much we can re-use, how fast we work and how fast we can get new stone in."
"I've already written to a Quarry," she told him as she wrote. "They will be waiting for your own report before they start mining the stone."
"It seems you have everything in hand than," Dain Cadash grinned in amusement. "You'll be terrifying when you grow up."
"Thank you," Caitlyn flashed him a pretty smile making him laugh. "Now, shall we talk money?"
"Let's," he agreed as he leaned forward as they haggled.
Some may have been insulted by young woman—basically still a child—calling a meeting like this, they may have underestimated her or have tried to cheat her.
Dain wasn't like that though, not when he had a younger sister that was as brilliant and gifted as Caitlyn Cousland was proving herself to be.
Davia was quickly becoming House Cadash's best artificer despite still being classed as a child in most people's eyes.
The branch of the House that ruled the Carta were already making requests of her joining them, not that Dain would allow it.
As he haggled, Dain also began to plan a way to keep Davia out of the Carta's hands—they may have been family, but the Carta wasn't the type of world that he wanted his little sister to be part of.
He wondered if this young Cousland wouldn't mind employing a young dwarf—no doubt, he mused as he took a quick glance around the room and took in all the alchemy equipment, they would have a lot to talk about.
~ Guard's Quarters, Highever, 12th Cloudreach 9:21 Dragon ~
"Oh, come on!" Fergus almost groaned as another load of paperwork was dumped on his desk. "Why are you dumping this on me?"
"Because it's your job," Alison Waters informed him with a hint of a smirk. "Acting Guard-Captain."
Fergus just groaned as he laid his head on his desk.
"Ser Kenneth is laughing at me," he informed his fellow guard and acting secretary. "Guard-Captain Kane is laughing at me. They are both laughing at me together, the bastards."
"These need to be reviewed and signed before the end of the day," she told him without sympathy making him groan again.
"You are a cruel, cruel woman," Fergus sat up and declared.
"Thank you, Guard-Captain," she told him with an almost demure smile and sharp greyish blue eyes.
"I'm never introducing you to Cait," he decided with a shudder of horror at the thought, "you'd end up ruling Highever before the end of the day."
"I promise we would be kind to you," she informed him a hint of a smirk. "Keep you nice and pampered so we can march you out as our pretty front-piece."
"Aww, you think I'm pretty," Fergus mockingly fluttered his eyelashes at her. "You'll make me blush."
"Blush and read, sir, blush and read," Alison told him without missing a beat.
"Yeah, yeah," Fergus sighed as he reached out for the top page. "You know, when I asked to squire for Ser Kenneth, I imagined more Tourneys and training and less paperwork."
"The realities of the world are obviously cruel, sir," Alison dryly added as she turned to leave.
"So cruel," he agreed as he began to long-process of reading as the door shut behind Alison.
He had barely gotten to the second paragraph when the door opened, and another guard came in with more paperwork.
"Oh! Come on!" Fergus cried out making Alison smirk from her desk outside his office. "Why does the Maker hate me so?!"
Alison snickered, she decided she wouldn't let him know that those reports could wait till the end of the week for a few more hours.
"Get out! Leave me alone! Get me some more tea!" Fergus called out, and Alison could almost picture the panic on his face as he frantically tried to arrange the paperwork into order.
She almost snickered again, she was rather enjoying Guard-Captain Kane's time off, and hummed to herself as she remembered she had another week of this entertainment before he was back to work.
With that happy thought in mind, she turned towards her own paperwork to the sound of Fergus Cousland spluttering—he must have taken a sip of cold tea again, she thought with a smirk.
~ Harbour, The Storm Coast, 12th Cloudreach 9:21 Dragon ~
Brannon Cousland leaned against the wall as he watched as one of the ship-builders carefully painted his ship's name on it—Ravencrest, that's the name he had decided to call his ship after the figure-head of the great raven with its wings flared back.
"Thought I'd find you here," a voice that was as familiar as his own spoke making him glance up.
Art smiled at him as he leaned beside him, his board-shoulders almost the same level as Bran's head—his cousin had really take after their grandfather in height and build, Bran thought to himself, while Bran himself had the slimmer and shorter build of his father, not that that made Bran short as he was still growing and should reach around six-foot maybe even taller.
"Nervous, Captain?" Art asked him making Bran smile slightly.
"You could have been a captain too," he reminded his cousin making Art shake his head.
"Me? In charge? No thanks, I'm happy being your first-mate," Art informed him making Bran laugh slightly—remembering the way Art's eyes had widened in panic when Grandfather had asked if he wanted his own ship too, how he had basically shouted out that he would just follow Bran without warning and how Grandfather had laughed heartily at his fear and panic. "You still didn't answer my question."
"Maybe a little," Bran admitted. "It'll be strange, seeing everyone again. Kenna's going to be so different."
"I think it'll be nice, meeting Aunt Eleanor and everyone," Art decided making Bran smile.
"Our first trip after Highever will be Ostwick," Bran told him, despite the fact both had already agreed to that. "I want to meet your siblings too."
"Ewan will be about Kenna's age," Art remembered. "Huh, it's hard to imagine him as anything but the bawling toddler I last saw."
"Tell me about it," Bran grumbled slightly. "Kenna's going to be big, she's going to be actually talking properly now. And she won't be able to just follow me around like she used to, she'll have lessons and such."
"Are you pouting that your little sister can't toddle after you with big loving eyes?" Art teased making Bran shove at him with his shoulder—not that it moved the boulder that was his cousin. "Aww, poor Bran."
"Shut up," Bran told him, ignoring the heat he could feel raising up his face which just made Art laugh—that great booming laugh that reminded him of their grandfather.
~ Giles' Home, Highever Alienage, Highever, 12th Cloudreach 9:21 ~
Giles' grandmother was Dalish, Lileas had known that before she had entered the house as she was the only Dalish elf in the Alienage. But knowing, and seeing was different things, Lileas knew.
She was a slim woman, with dark grey and white hair pulled back into a firm bun. The branches that spread across her brow and framed her eyes—her grandson's eyes, Lileas noted—were faint from age and sun.
She hadn't stood when they had entered, she remained sat at the small and worn table with several leather-bound books stacked in front of her and watched them with sharp pale blue eyes that she shared with Giles.
Giles had ushered them into the two seats across from his grandmother before he leaned against the window, mid-way between both sides and stopping anyone from seeing anything if they looked in.
"So," the older elf began sharply, her eyes fixed on Kenna. "You're the noble that my grandson has decided to swear himself to."
"And you're Giles' grandmother," Kenna said in return. "Thank you for agreeing to see me."
"It was the only way to shut him up," she informed Kenna with drily. "It was the only way I could get a moments peace."
"He can be annoying, can't he?" Kenna asked making Giles scowl at her and the woman to snort.
"You have no idea," she informed the noble child with that same dry tone she used before. "Now, you are here, you can tell me why a shemlen noble is harbouring a knife-eared mage and is so willing to spit in the face of the precious Chantry."
"Because she's my friend," Kenna said without hesitation, fiercely and stubbornly, and Lileas ducked her head to hide her smile.
"You are willing to risk everything for a friend?" she scoffed making Kenna scowl at her as Lileas flinched—she wasn't unaware of what Kenna was risking after all.
"She's my friend," Kenna repeated, "that means she's mine to protect, to care for, and I will."
"Should my grandson expect the same foolish loyalty then?" she asked doubtfully.
"Giles is mine now," Kenna told the woman fiercely, "my friend, my employee, mine to protect and care for."
For a moment the woman stared at Kenna before scoffing again.
"I can see why Giles likes you so much," she finally said.
"And you?" Kenna asked boldly making her lips twitch.
"I maybe beginning to like you," she inclined her head as if that was a bit declaration before turning her sharp gaze onto Lileas. "My name is Mirwen. I will be doing my best to make sure you are at least acceptable when it comes to magic and will not risk discovery. Now, what magic have you been able to do without training?"
Lileas shared a glance with Kenna, who in turn, gave her an encouraging look.
She took a deep breath as she stretched out her hand and kept her palm facing up, a frown twisted her features as she focused before a small orb of light—no bigger than an egg really—blinked into being just over her palm and bobbed there.
Mirwen leaned forward, a hint of interest on her features as she reached out to poke at the light, it bent a little under her finger but didn't dissipate.
"It's not a wisp," she spoke almost to herself before she leaned back and stared at Lileas. "How did you think of this?"
"Fire could get out of control, ice maybe noticed, and we didn't know what else we could try without risking discovery," Kenna spoke up. "So, we came up with something that would be hidden more easily, wasn't like to cause damage, and would be useful in the future."
"You came up with it," Merwin said towards Kenna with certainty, interest clear in her sharp eyes. "Many mages would say that," she waved towards the orb, "was impossible."
Lileas and Kenna shared puzzled looks at that, and Lileas decided to speak.
"But its magic," she argued, a frown of confusion on her face. "Shouldn't anything be possible if we willed it hard enough? Isn't that why people fear us? Because we can do the impossible?"
For a moment Mirwen just stared at them in silence before a smile twitched at her mouth and a chuckle slipped out.
"Oh," Merwin almost breathed out, "I'm going to enjoy teaching you."
Somehow, Lileas didn't know if it was a good thing or not.
"Granny likes you," Giles smirked at them, "I knew she would."
"Don't be so smug," Merwin told her grandson before snatching the orb from Lileas' palm and rolling in her hands as she tested it. "You would be wasted in a Tower, bogged down by rules and laws, watched by Templars, discouraged from experimenting with your magic too much. Yes, I'm going to enjoy teaching you."
Merwin looked up at Kenna then.
"Especially with this one coming up with ideas," Merwin smiled, a small smile. "Yes, I'm really going to enjoy this."
"That's good?" Kenna ventured, both Lileas and herself baffled why a small orb of light was causing all this fuss.
Kenna decided just to go with it, they had secured a teacher for Lileas, she had gained an employee, everything was great.
"You'll need to get a staff," Merwin informed them as she crushed the orb in hand, watching in interest as it winked back in place when she opened her palm, "if only for the foci crystal."
"I was thinking we could just get the crystal," Kenna told her making Merwin look at her in interest. "Turn the crystal into a necklace."
"Hiding it in plain-sight," Merwin nodded in understanding. "That's an interesting idea. It's not been done before, but I don't see why it couldn't. It may even help keep mages hidden if it works."
Lileas could almost see Kenna physically biting her tongue, Kenna knew without a doubt that it worked as she had already seen it, but she wasn't going to say that to Merwin even if she eventually told Giles' about her dreams.