Circles Within Circles Chapter Five
By Of Quirky Excellence aka LyriumGhost18
"What do you mean, gone?" Caroline asked Jowan as they made their way down the corridor.
"He's gone!" Ten year old Jowan told her. "I woke up and he wasn't there, and I looked everywhere, and he's nowhere to be found!"
"We'd better tell the First Enchanter. The door to his office is closed, so we probably should knock."
"You do it," Jowan said, sucking back as they neared Irving's office. "What if he's arguing with Greagoir again?"
"Things will settle down when we come in." Caroline said as she tapped the reinforced wooden door a few times.
"Who comes?" asked the First Enchanter.
"We have an emergency, ser. Please let us in." Caroline said, as calmly and sweetly as she could. Her persuasion skills had increased a great deal over the years, and she was silver-tongued enough to sway just about anyone, mage or Templar.
"Come in, child." Caroline opened the door. Irving was at his desk and his face was red, as if he'd just been shouting. The Knight Commander was standing nearby, refusing eye contact with either child. Caroline had learned early on that he liked to keep a distant relationship with all the mages. She didn't know why. Yet.
"Oh, Caroline! Jowan! What seems to be the problem my dear children?" Irving asked. He looked at Caroline when the two children exchanged glances, silently debating on who would do the talking. He smiled reassuringly at Caroline, whom he had been very proud to announce earlier that day was now a senior apprentice due to her outstanding skills at elemental magic.
The Knight Commander looked up from his feet curiously at the children. "Well, go on, children."
Caroline blushed, bowing her head respectfully. She nudged Jowan and he began. "Anders is gone, ser."
"Are you certain, child?" Greagoir raised an eyebrow, now very much interested in the conversation. He eyes the two young mages suspiciously.
Irving chuckled. "Did you check the women's quarters? You know how he is."
Greagoir shot him a look.
"No, ser, I have been moved to the senior quarters, as you know, and I haven't seen him there or anywhere else all day." Caroline said politely.
"Alright." Greagoir said. "Jowan, when did you last see Anders? I'm not sure how much you know, young man, but in his sixteen years Anders has already escaped six times! His escapes before this one were all before he was ten, but his time, his consequences will be more severe than ten lashes."
Jowan's face looked then as if he'd just been slapped. "You mean, whipping him? Why?"
His question reflected his pureness and innocence so much that even the hardened Knight Commander gave a depressed sigh to accompany his saddened features.
"Escaping is a disgraceful thing to do, Jowan. If he were older when he'd committed these crimes he would be far worse off." Said the Knight Commander. "Now, when did you last see Anders."
Jowan was crying now, and Caroline stepped forward. "Please ser, let me answer. Jowan told me he last saw Anders last night at curfew, when all the apprentices parted ways to go to bed. Anders obeyed the curfew as far as we know, ser."
She then turned to Jowan, her deep, teary blue eyes speaking volumes. He nodded and muttered his thanks under his breath.
The First Enchanter stood, placing a hand on each child's shoulder, and said, "Very well, children. The two of you have done a very good thing today. You needn't worry about your friend. When he is caught he will not be informed of who told us he escaped. Thank you, and you are dismissed."
As the two left the First Enchanter's office, Caroline turned to face Jowan and she burst into tears. "We shouldn't have told!" she cried.
Jowan blinked away his own tears, then he hugged Caroline tightly. It was all he could do to comfort her. "I knew we couldn't leave, but why would anyone want to hurt Anders?" he asked.
"I feel like a terrible friend! This isn't right, Jowan, it was my idea to tell. This is all my fault!" Caroline said, sobbing into Jowan's shoulder.
Weeks went by and nothing was heard about Anders' whereabouts or condition.
Then, one winter morning, a few days before Satinalia, Jowan spotted Templars on the bridge out the window of the Library where he and his class had been decorating for the great holiday. There were five figures on the bridge, but one was certainly not a Templar, or at least not from what Jowan could see. He interrupted the other two boys and the girl. "Look! Look!" he cried excitedly. "Templars on the bridge!"
This was an unusual occasion for all the children, because since mages never left the tower, (for the most part) there was rarely a soul on the one bridge connecting the tower with the rest of Fereldan.
The other three children crowded the window.
Karl, who was reciting a part of the Chant of Light while the children had been working, grabbed Jowan by the collar of his robes. "You're disrupting the class, lad!"
"But, but, Karl, it could be Anders! Maybe they finally found him, ser!" Jowan said, struggling to free himself from Karl's firm grasp.
Karl frowned. He looked at the other boys and the girl, who were now awkwardly staring at him and Jowan. "The rest of you are dismissed. Jowan," he released Jowan when the boy tried to bite his hand. "Easy there, lad. I think I overreacted a bit, yes?"
Jowan nodded. It was rare that Karl showed compassion, and Jowan was no fool. "Anders is my friend, ser." Said the boy, eyes pleading.
"I understand that, lad, but he has become a frequent escapee from the Circle, and the Chantry frowns upon that. Poor lad's too rebellious for his own good. A poor example for you and your younger friends to follow. "
"I'm sorry, ser. He used to be my bunkmate in the junior apprentices' quarters." Jowan explained. Karl frowned again.
"He'll likely spend Satinalia in the dungeon, poor lad."
Jowan's eyes widened. "The dungeon? I don't like the idea of that."
Karl looked square into the boy's blue-grey eyes and said, "Know this, if you abide by the laws of the Chantry you will never end up there. If you don't, consider it a second home. The Chantry is strict for a reason, Jowan, and I fear for you and every other mage-child I teach. I was just like Anders once. A spell in the dungeon opened my eyes. Now, I'm a teacher, and I enjoy life. There's not much danger to teaching apprentices, except getting your hair set on fire, of course." The man chuckled, and so did Jowan.
"And one more thing before I dismiss you, dear boy. Stick with Caroline Amell. She is a good friend as well as a skilled mage. Nice to have around, you know?"
Jowan nodded and turned to leave.
As Caroline was trotting along, carrying her books back towards the library, out of the very corner of her eye she spotted two Templars in the First Enchanter's office. Between the two armored men stood a shorter figure with strawberry blond hair and tattered robes, hands bound behind his back. Caroline had no doubt who this was.
"Anders!" She cried, " Where've you been, you crazy apostate!" Everyone looked at her in shock as she ran to Anders, hugging him despite the fact he couldn't hug him back if he'd wanted to. The Templars moved to intervene, but nobody would pry her arms from around the sixteen year old. He stood in shock now, still weary from a long journey but very much surprised by his friend's sudden appearance. He looked down at her as he was quite a bit taller and she looked up at him, sobbing.
Knight Commander Greagoir stood next to Irving and he frowned at the scene the young mage girl was making.
"Let him go, Caroline! Let us explain a few things to you." Irving said, as he was the only one in the room calm enough to actually speak.
Anders shot him an angry, defiant look. "Yes. " He said, smugly, "Tell her the truth about the injustice of the Circle and the Chantry's law." He looked Irving in the eye stubbornly.
Irving frowned. "Be silent, young man." He said sternly.
Caroline now stood in between Anders and the two Templars who'd been holding onto his arms but let go in the commotion.
"You cannot hurt him!" she cried. "He's my friend!" Anders smiled, but if looks could kill, the expression on Greagoir's face would have made Anders' heart stop then and there.
"Be calm, Caroline. You needn't worry." Anders said, shocking everyone in the room. Caroline turned around again to face her friend.
"Why? They'll hurt you." She cried, tears now pouring down her cheeks.
"No. Even they know better than that. Pain doesn't faze me. They're holding me in solitary confinement for two weeks. It's what they do to most adults who commit minor crimes." Anders said, with almost a hint of pride in his voice.
"That's where you're wrong, mage." Greagoir barked. "Allow me to correct you. Your sentence is fixed for children who commit major crimes." He had a hint of annoyance in his voice. "But given the amount of times you've escaped, I still do not know why Irving spares you the Brand still."
Caroline gasped at the slang for tranquility. It's not like he hurt anyone! Why would they make him tranquil? Caroline asked herself.
Irving spoke up while Caroline was deep in thought.
"Anders is still so young." He said. "It wold be a waste of potential and I fear other apprentices would revolt, as Anders is well-liked for the most part. So unless blood magic gets involved or if he hurts anyone innocent, he is spared the Brand."
"What's blood magic?" Caroline asked innocently.
Greagoir shot Irving a look.
"Erm…A lesson for another day." Said the First Enchanter.
"Miss Amell, please return to your quarters. Greagoir told her firmly. Caroline knew it was now the time to argue. She turned back to Anders and hugged him.
"I'm so sorry Anders. I've been a fool." She said through her tears. He looked her in the eye as she released him and as the Templars led him away, he continued to look back at her, not looking where he was going and this caused him to stumble. Caroline gasped but he appeared unhurt as the Templars tugged him up roughly. "
"What do you mean, Caroline? You're not to blame!" He called, the fall not stopping him from looking back. Caroline sobbed harder and harder and tried to follow but was held back by Irving and Greagoir.
How wrong he was.
A/N: Argueably, Caroline and Jowan had nothing to do with Anders' capture, but as the narrator, I see into Caroline's head a little, lol. So the last line is basically Caroline's thoughts, to clear anything up. J Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think! J