Chapter 1

"Now children, who can tell me what the Chant of Light says specifically about magic?"

Half a dozen hands shot up and children were asking their teacher to pick them. The instructor looked at the bunch of eager faces trying to pick one. Out of all the students, one didn't raise his hand. Rather he was writing into his journal and seemingly not paying attention. The instructor resisted the urge to scowl and decided that humiliation might get the boy's head out of the clouds. She said, "Ardeth Kae. Perhaps you can tell us."

Ardeth Kae slowly looked up as he laid his quill to the side. He carefully stoppered the inkwell rand looked at the instructor. He heard the other children snickering and saying that he was going to get it this time. Thing was he knew the answer and he knew the Chantry's interpretation of it and he disagreed with it.

"I am waiting Ardeth."

The snickers increased as Ardeth looked around. He sighed and looked down. The instructor thought he didn't know and was going to look for another student. Suddenly, Ardeth's quiet voice sounded forth, "Magic exists to serve man, not rule over him. So as it's said by the prophet Andraste."

The instructor didn't flinch in surprise but instead maintained a neutral expression. "Very good and perhaps you can tell us what that means."

Ardeth wished he was anywhere in the bloody tower but here. In fact he wished he was with his mentor Wynne. At least she didn't try to humiliate him or beat out his independence. His eyes then became a hard glint as he said, "It's supposed to be that magic shouldn't be used against men but the stupid Chantry thinks that we mages are full of sin and must be watched by bloody templars."

"Oooo careful Ardeth's going to try to escape again," one of the children taunted.

Unfortunately one of the templars overheard and came over and headed straight for Ardeth. "You planning on something boy?"

Ardeth's eyes became a dangerous silvery color as he stared up at the templar. He said in a controlled voice, "No ser. I'm just telling everyone how stupid I think your Chantry is."

"Little bastard. You blaspheme twice over."

"Yeah I know. The first time is because I was born a mage and the second is because I think your Chantry is full of stupid shemlen." Ardeth rarely spoke the elven words he knew unless he was getting extremely emotional or had a hard time expressing how he felt. "Then again it would be thrice over since I am also a knife ear bastard."

"Insolent…"

"Aww did I hurt the templar's feelings?" Ardeth was on a roll with the mocking.

"That is enough. Ardeth Kae, you know better than to make those kinds of remarks." The instructor was trying to achieve some semblance of control before the templar got it into his mind that the boy needed to be struck down.

"It's true," one of the other students called out. "Just because he can master the basics, he thinks he's better than us."

Ardeth fought to prevent the tears from falling. It had been that way ever since his first day in that bloody tower and he saw no means of making any friends. He simply knew too much since he was a survivor. With as much dignity as he could muster he gathered his things and stuffed them in his pack. He looked at the instructor and then the templar. With a straight voice he said, "Since that is the case I'll take myself to the chapel and the revered mother can have me do what she wants. You got a problem with that?"

The templar merely growled but didn't touch the boy. He had heard stories from templars who had something happen to them when they rubbed the brat the wrong way. They were wary of him since it should have been near impossible that for him to cast spells like that. Thing was the spells were never meant to kill. He merely watched the boy and followed him to make sure that he did go to the chapel and there he left him.

Ardeth entered the chapel and went to his favorite alcove. He hated being there and he couldn't understand why Vilmaris left him there. The rules, the watching, he felt trapped and there was nothing he could do. The kids thought him to be a know-it-all and the older apprentices called him a knife ear bastard and ignored him. The templars would give him a cuff if he gave them lip. He felt like a bird trapped in a gilded cage.

He sat on the floor and hugged his knees to his chest and looked up at the carved statue of Andraste. He wondered if she really did look like that and if she would have approved of what the Chantry did to mages. He stared up at her and thought about the one who dared to show him any kindness, the mage Wynne. Since she had found him and invited him up to her quarters, he took to visiting her every night for an hour or two and then he would go back to his bunk and try to sleep amidst the attempts the other apprentices did to humiliate him. Wynne never made him feel like he was worthless but rather encouraged him to open up. She kept egging him to show her what he already knew but he was reluctant. If he showed her, she could… betray him.

"Ardeth?"

Ardeth stiffened when his name was called. He didn't move for he didn't want to be found, least of all by any of the apprentices or the revered mother. The revered mother despised him much more than the templars. He didn't move when he heard his name being called again.

Wynne had heard about what had happened during class. It was the second time in a matter of weeks that a templar had been involved but one of the many involving students. Ever since Ardeth had started his instruction in magic, it had become apparent that he knew more than his age group. It was a cause of jealousy and hatred. She didn't like the instructor since she suspected that she started most of the incidents just to make his life miserable in this morbid attempt to humble him.

She went to the chapel since that was where she found Ardeth had penchant to hide when he didn't want to be heckled in the library. It was a good choice since most of the mages were not as strongly as inclined to Chantry beliefs. The alcoves were good places to hide since they afforded privacy. She only hoped the revered mother hadn't found him since the old biddy despised him when he dared to question a belief in front of her and refused to be placated by the accepted answer. Since then the revered mother would give him the dirtiest chores to do about the chapel and the kitchens.

The chapel was quiet but Wynne was not going anywhere without having a good look. She walked in and called out to the boy. When he didn't respond, she continued her search, not leaving. She then said, "Ardeth. It's all right. It's me Wynne."

Ardeth knew it was Wynne but he wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to her. Yet he didn't want to turn away the one person who didn't judge him. He replied, "I'm here Wynne," and poked his head around so she could see him.

Wynne was relieved that he wasn't in trouble as she made her way over to the alcove. She sat on one of the pews nearby and said, "I heard about what happened."

Ardeth stared downward sullenly and replied, "Does the knight commander want to lock me up this time?" He then moved his head down so his forehead touched his knees. He couldn't bear to look at Wynne now. He had promised that he would try not to get into anymore arguments and now he felt that he had let her down.

Wynne reached out and stroked the boy's locks. "I am familiar with Tanya's methods and I disagree with them. She started it and it provoked the other students. I am sorry."

Ardeth didn't move but let her stroke his hair. It was oddly comforting and it reminded him of his mother doing the same for him. He said, "I don't fit in Wynne. I hate it here. I hate the bloody Chantry and the templars. Mamae is gone because of them."

"It's my fault Ardeth. I was thinking more of your socialization rather than skill level when I agreed to have you be in your age group class."

"Putting me with the older apprentices won't help. They dislike me just as much."

Wynne couldn't really deny it since she had caught the older apprentices look at him as if he was a freak and they either bullied or ignored him. She continued to stroke his hair in the comforting gesture and replied, "I know it's hard Ardeth but I do know that one day you'll be able to leave the tower. You'll go on to do great things."

"When?" Ardeth finally managed to lift his head and look at Wynne. He rested his chin on his knees. His blue-grey eyes looked up at her with a pleading look. "When will that be?"

Wynne debated on telling him what the arrangement was. A part of her realized that in the few short weeks she had become attached to the boy and that part was afraid that he would push her aside if she gave him that promise of freedom. Yet she realized that she couldn't be cruel. She had to give him some measure of hope. She replied, "If you succeed and are ready, you may be allowed to go through your Harrowing early and be the youngest mage ever."

"I don't think that's much of an accomplishment," Ardeth muttered.

"Maybe not now but you might be asked to serve under a noble or even to the king's service."

Ardeth's memories stirred. He had met the king once in the Deep Roads and that was when he first met the Grey Wardens. Somehow though the details were fuzzy. He had been told that he had saved the Grey Wardens and the king from the First Enchanter's plot and he did remember the dragons and the dwarves but there was one part that eluded him. He frowned slightly trying to remember but found that he couldn't. He looked at Wynne who was wondering why he was frowning. He explained, "I was trying to remember. I met the king once."

"You have?"

"Yes. He was in the Deep Roads. He and his group did something stupid and stirred up a dragon. I saw the whole thing and I remember jumping out and doing something."

Wynne was surprised he had even met the king and in a dangerous situation. From what she had gathered from her conversations with the boy, he had run away from the templars when they came for him and hid in the Frostback Mountains. He had told her that he had hid within the Deep Roads for months. His involvement with the king was rather sparse save for the fact that he had saved the king. She smiled at him and said, "I see that you've met quite a few people."

Ardeth smiled back. He then had a thought and voiced it, "Could I be a Grey Warden?"

Wynne stared at the boy incredulously. The things he came up with was as effective as splashing someone with a pail of water. She replied, "Well that is a possibility if the Wardens come recruiting for mages from the tower."

To Ardeth's mind, he found a means of surviving the tower and the others. If he could prove that he was worthy of being called a mage, he might be able to join that group. Maybe even see the ones he met in the Deep Roads again. He then looked at Wynne and said in childlike determination, "I'm going to be the best mage ever Wynne." He then leapt up and gave her a hug.

Wynne had been startled by the sudden movement from the boy but she welcomed it all the same. When she heard his declaration she chuckled, "I believe you will."

A/N: Well here's the next chapter and Ardeth is placed with kids his own age. Somehow this story seems slightly familiar... *looks around innocently*