Blessed are they who stand before the corrupt and the wicked and do not falter.
Blessed are the peacekeepers, the champions of the just.
Alessa held her eyes shut and her hands still, comfortable in the requiem of a familiar prayer.
Blessed are the righteous, the lights in the shadow.
In their blood, the Maker's will is written.
The Chantry Sisters each recited the Chant in a harmony that Alessa has mastered as well. She spoke with a cadence that turned the chant into a song. A rhythm, flowing between steely devotion and burning passion.
The room was still until the jarring sound of Templar armor disturbed the silence and a soft, frail voice spoke out gently, however still much too loud given the circumstances. "Ms. Trevelyan? Might I borrow you for a moment or two?"
Alessa looked to see Senior Enchanter Doris accompanied by a young templar, a strange sight given that the circles were disbanded and Templars were spread thin. The Circle of Ostwick had remained mostly intact, taking in refugees from the explosion in Kirkwall. A fair number of loyal mages and Templars had remained to keep a semblance of normalcy.
"Certainly, Enchanter. Let's leave the Sisters to their prayers," Alessa said as she led the duo into the next room, a small private study. "To what do I owe the honor?"
The Enchanter handed her a sealed letter, "First Enchanter Josephus has requested you join him at the Conclave in Ferelden, he asks you to attend as his advisor."
"Advisor!?" Alessa said stunned. There were more than a few seconds of silence to accompany it. "I'm… honored! But what qualifies me, exactly?"
The elder enchanter let out a forced breath, "The First Enchanter asked for you specifically. A mage of your talents and abilities would be more "relatable" to the rebel mages, more than an old woman like me would be, anyway. At least that is what the Enchanter believes." The words were slick with jealousy as they fell from her mouth. A fact that Alessa relished in.
Confusion quickly turned to elation. This was an honor like none other, to have a role in shaping the future of the mages in Thedas. To bring the Chantry's teachings back into the hearts of the rebels. "Why could the First Enchanter not tell me of this himself?" It was a fair question. This moment would taste a bit sweeter had the request come from the First Enchanter himself.
"He is... preoccupied," said the senior enchanter. "The other Senior Enchanters and I will be overseeing the Circle while he is away. He is preparing all of the paperwork for that. You will need to prepare as well, you'll be leaving tomorrow, weather permitting. It's a long way to Haven, you know." It seemed like Doris couldn't be more ready to be done with this conversation.
"Yes, of course. Thank you, Enchanter Doris. I will go make preparations now." Alessa could hardly contain her excitement. Her careful poise was slipping into an excited walk as she left to go pack and ready herself. She couldn't help but smile as she thought that finally, her pain and tribulations would be rewarded.
She was 10 when she was sent to the Circle, away from her home and family. She was only 17 when she passed her Harrowing. Senior Enchanter Doris had disapproved of her being tested so early. She feared that her Faith in the Maker might blind her to the reality of her situation. Alessa was dangerous. She was powerful. Her belief that she could overcome all thanks to Andraste's Blessing and not her own raw potential could prove deadly. But Alessa instead proved her doubters wrong. She knew her power. She knew ever since the day she had discovered her magic. Her mother had asked her to wear a dress for some meeting of the elite of the Free Marches, but Alessa found the dress particularly horrible. Yellow plaid? What was she, Fereldan? Alessa, fearing the embarrassment of being caught wearing such hideous attire, pushed the dress away. Telling her mother she wouldn't ever wear such a hideous thing. Her mother instead forced the dress on her and even made her wear a matching bow. Alessa's cheeks flushed red with anger, but they kept getting hotter and hotter. She looked down and noticed that the dress was in flames around her, yet her skin did not burn. Her skin was what started the fire. As the dress burned away into ashes around her, she screamed for her mother, tears turning into steam before they could even fall to the floor. Her mother burst in and witnessed her youngest daughter burn away the dress.
She was sent to the Circle within the evening.
Alessa was always faithful to the Chantry, her parents wouldn't allow her to be otherwise. But it was her early years in the Circle with only the Chantry sisters that came every day to take care of her, that steeled her faith. She had no one in the Circle other than the Maker. She had no one to comfort her as she awoke from her nightmares. So she would pray. She had none of her siblings to laugh with at mealtimes, so she would sit alone and study the Chant. She lost her ability to believe in her family, so she believed in the Maker.
As she readied her things; a comb, soaps, her favorite robe, and a book of songs from some Antivan poet, Alessa became even more determined than she usually was. Upon reading the note written in the First Enchanter's hand, she was zealous. She always wanted to excel, to be the best, make a name for herself. But now she was on the path of power. She would be rubbing shoulders with only the most respected templars, mages, priestess, even the Divine herself would be there. Her faith was finally being rewarded.
A reward that she would soon feel grossly under-qualified to receive.
As the young woman hurried to her quarters to gather her belongings, the templar who had since been quiet broke his silence. "She's a spritely one, eh? She does seem a bit young for a task of this magnitude. Is her voice really the one that needs to be heard?"
Senior Enchanter Doris's face turned into a sly smile. "More than you might think. In fact, I don't think any other mage here has the same… training, she does."
The templar was confused, "I think I must have missed something ma'am. Pardon my honesty, but you seemed pretty envious of the young woman."
"Nonsense," Enchanter Doris dismissed. "We all have our part to play in this war. If all goes well, I just played mine to perfection."