I can't believe this has happened.
First the magi have to pay for blowing up that Chanty in Kirkwall, then some magi decides to try and murder Divine Justinia V, and then Grand Enchanter Fiona calls for a vote to decide independence?
Yes, conditions for magi were bad with all the restrictions, but the timing was absolutely horrid. I'm mostly all for independence for magi, we should at least be trained and then allowed out into the world and not locked up except for extreme circumstances. Now the Templars, except for a few like Will, are killing anyone they suspect is a mage.
We got out relatively unscathed. One apprentice died protecting a pair of children who, because of her, got out completely unharmed. But getting out was easy. We were trekking through the wilds with 25 children under the age of ten, 4 apprentices who hadn't made it to their Harrowing, 2 magi, 6 Templars, Will, Vahari, and I. Moving roughly 40 people moving through the woods isn't easy, or quiet.
We're currently sitting in a cave just a league away from Ostwick. A short walk away from where I grew up. I remember seeing a large lake when we were passing by, by the lake is a single oak tree. One of my few memories of before the Circle was when Kat and I were playing around and she was climbing the tree to retrieve a ball that I had gotten stuck up in the high branches. She slipped and broke her leg, I placed my hand on the break out of curiosity and accidentally coated her leg in ice, it was my first sign of magic. I had no idea what it meant, but Kat was old enough to know and made me promise to never tell anyone about what I did. But I accidentally froze the dining table in the middle of dinner two days later.
I get off the rock I had been sitting on and shove my mage robes into my bag. If I'm going to be walking amongst normal people, I can't look like a mage, especially with everyone probably thinking we're gonna blow up the nearest Chantry.
"Belle... is that...?" Vahari walks into the back corner of the cave where I had been for the past hour. I glance down at my outfit, it's vastly different from our loose robes that we wear. Elissa and Leliana insisted on a change in wardrobe for me. Something that would allow me to blend in more when heading into towns and villages. Not that it mattered back then, they were just horrified of the entire wardrobe I possessed. Now I'm grateful that they insisted, it'll make it much easier to head into towns to grab food and other supplies.
"My outfit from the Blight?" I ask as I pull on the gloves. Once the attack in the Circle happened, there wasn't much time, so I made sure to grab this bag, my staff, and what healing potions I could. There was so much more I wished I could've grabbed, but there wasn't time. "Yes, yes it is."
"Are you going somewhere?" Vahari sits down on the rock that I vacated.
"We need help, V," I shake my head. "There's a reason I brought us here. I used to play around these woods when I was a child."
"So you're family lives near here?" Vahari looks up in interest. I never told her or anyone else about my family besides Kat, because to me, the rest didn't matter because I was never going to see them again.
"Yes. I'm praying that Kat won't be on assignment and will be there," I mention as I pull my knife into the slot in my armor. I even pull the quiver on and grab the bow; I can't use it, but it'll help me look less like a mage.
"Just Kat?" Vahari pick up on my words.
"Just Kat."
"But you can see your family, Belle," Vahari insists and I smile slightly at how she's trying to make me happy. "You don't have to stay with us, I'm sure your family would love to take you back and keep you safe."
"Vahari... it's not that simple," I mention as we start walking to the front of the cave, passing all the magi, the children staring up at me like I'm a knight in shining armor.
"Why not?" Vahari demands as we stop by where the Templars have set up.
"Not now. Besides I'm not leaving everyone behind," I mention as Will comes up.
"We've made it look like it's just us and unless anyone walks up to where that entrance to the back is, they won't realize you guys are here," Will tells me as he takes in my appearance. "Going somewhere?"
"My family estate is less than a league away, I'm hoping Kat will be there," I respond as I start heading for the mouth of the cave.
"Do you think they'd be willing to give us food? Hunting meat for about 35 people besides ourselves won't be easy," Will asks and I just shrug. If Kat's there, yes. If not...
"I don't know," I say instead, glancing around the forest, looking for anything that might jog my memory of how to get back. "I don't know how long I'll be. Could be a few hours, could be less."
"Be safe," Vahari pulls me into a hug and then Will quickly does the same.
"You know me, I always am," I say softly and Vahari just raises her eyebrows.
"As if," Will mutters and I stare at him in shock.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask and he just crosses his arms, so I quickly reply.
"Don't answer that."
I turn around before anyone can say anything else and turn right. We came upon the cave from the left so... I have no idea where to go. I really should've paid better attention when Leliana taught me all those different ways to find out which way was North and all that stuff. I remember that my family estate was northwest of the circle, Ostwick itself was slightly west of that.
To be honest, I don't know how we found this cave. I mean, I had been thinking that it'd be nice to get help from Kat and stuff and then I saw the lake. Maybe if I find the lake again, I can try to follow the way we went to get back to our estate.
After a few hours of marking the trees in the direction I go, I finally find the lake and sat down underneath the tree. Think, Izzy, think! We... had to go around the lake and through the trees on the opposite side. I draw a line towards where I entered the large clearing before heading off through the woods.
Luckily, the lake wasn't far from the house and I could actually see the estate. I stop and stare at it for a moment, not because I missed it and was glad to be 'home,' but more because I can't believe I actually found it. Yes, it took a few hours and Kat or Elissa would've been able to do it in probably less than an hour, but still.
After a few minutes, I decide to get it over with and I walk up and knock the door. And much to my happiness, a familiar face opens up the door.
"Isabelle?" Carolyn asks in shock. She was one of the house servants who worked here before I was taken away.
"Hi Carolyn," I say softly, unsure what to say. Luckily, Carolyn seems to get my hesitation and pulls me inside.
"You're alright!" Carolyn pulls me into a hug and I'm slightly reminded of the good times I had before my mother ruined it for me.
"Carolyn! Who is it?" I hear my mother, Yolanda, bark out. Speak of the devil.
"I..." Carolyn looks at me with fear in her eyes, but my mother can hear the hesitation and is over instantly.
"Isabelle," my mother says curtly as she looks me up and down.
"Hello, mother," I try my best to be respectful, but even a child could hear the restrain in my voice.
"What are you doing here? I figured you'd be with the rebel magi, getting ready to blow up another Chantry," I hear and any chance of me being cordial goes down the drain. "Maybe murder Mother Dorothy."
"I'm protecting a group of starving children who just want to have a safe place to sleep and a full stomach, we are no part of what been going on in Kirkwall," I spit out and my mother goes to say something but gets cut off by a young girl.
"Mommy!" I hear the little girl long before she makes it to the courtyard. A small girl, maybe 7 to 8 years old with vibrant red hair comes bounding into the courtyard. "Look what I made!"
The little girl looks up with shining eyes at our mother, holding out the small little pendant that she strung together from flowers and grass. The little girl takes notice of me less than two seconds later.
"Who's that, Mommy?" the little girl gives me a big smile before looking up at her mother, who looks extremely unpleased that the little girl, my sister, took notice of me.
"No one, honey, just someone to tell me of urgent news," mother gives her daughter a tight smile before turning her gaze back on me, the little girl already running off. "I think it's best that you leave."
"Where's Kat?" I ask, not moving an inch as she motions me towards the door.
"Out," mother states and I glance around. With everything going on, she'd have heard it and tried to find me. She must be out on assignment. I'll find nothing here.
"Don't worry, you'll probably never see me again," I say strongly before walking towards the door. Carolyn standing off to the side, remorse and sadness in her eyes. As I step out the door, I turn around to say goodbye to Carolyn, only to see her closing the door. But before I can process it, I see a big brown sack just outside the other door that leads into the kitchens. I go and take a peek inside to see it full of every type of fruit grown in these areas.
"Thank you."
I was able to make my way back to the cave quicker, even though now I carrying a heavy bag full of food. The rest of the staff probably had to empty out most of the pantry for all this. I'm just glad the trip wasn't a complete waste, it almost was since Kat wasn't there.
Who knows where she could be: Orlais, Antiva, Ferelden, Rivain, or maybe the worst, all the way out in the Anderfels. Chances are, she's in a place that she can't get any communication or she's in some deep cover. If she had heard that the Circle was under lockdown, which was months ago, she would've come. But I don't know when she'll find out and I can't risk waiting here until she finds out. Especially since mother might do something drastic and try alerting the Templars that we're in the area, which I wouldn't put past her.
"Isabelle!" I hear my name being shouted as I make it close to the entrance of the cave. One of Will's friends, Ser Bryan, is patrolling the immediate area. "I see your family saw the need to help us."
"Not quite. Thank you," I tell him as he picks up the bag and throws it over his shoulder easily. "Either way, we shouldn't stay long. We need to put some distance between ourselves and Ostwick. The sooner the better."
"You think they'll be actually looking for us?"
"There's no reason to suggest they won't be. For the past few months they've beaten the magi into submission, now that we're free I doubt they're just gonna sit on their hands."
"Who's sitting on their hands? Your family?" Will approaches me.
"You could say that. But Bryan and I were talking about Templars."
"I know you think we need to keep moving..."
"We do."
"... but we have too many children and they can't move fast."
"I'm not suggesting that we stick to the roads our entire life. But for right now, with the Templars actively searching for anyone who could even possibly be a mage, we can't stay here."
"Where can we go that will be safe? And with so many kids, it's even more dangerous to be out on the roads."
"I know of a place. My sister told me of it briefly after the Blight," I mention and Will just rubs his forehead.
"Meaning it's in Ferelden," Will groans as he turns around and starts to pace.
"It's in the Brecilian Forest, we came across it in our travels and couldn't make it in because it was too well defended. I know the correct path in now. And that's even if people are able to find the correct area, we came across it on accident last time."
"It's a long journey, Iz. That's assuming we can find passage across the Waking Sea," Will shakes his head as he looks at me.
"I wouldn't suggest making the journey if I thought we had any other choice," I tell him and he just shakes his head. After a few minutes, he just glances up at me.
"When do we leave?"
