Chapter Thirteen

The next day, as Evelyn was about to walk out the door of the estate to go to the keep, there was a knock. She opened the door to find the Grand Cleric herself staring back at her. Evelyn was caught very much off-guard, "Grand Cleric! I'm sorry, but you must be lost...can I help you with something?" She couldn't imagine she would be here on purpose.

Rothia peered at Evelyn, again over her nose, then said, "Lady Evelyn, I am afraid that perhaps I owe you an apology. Do you have a minute?"

Holy crap! What the hell did Cullen say to her after she left? "Of course," Evelyn opened the door wider and gestured that the Grand Cleric was welcome inside, "Might I offer you some tea, perhaps? Anything?"

"That would be lovely, thank you."

She was certainly being cordial enough. After yesterday, it was unnerving. She asked Orana to start a pot, then sat down with Rothia in the main room. "I do not understand, Your Grace. You owe me no apology."

Rothia sighed, "Yes, I do. I should have realized that with no First Enchanter and no Grand Cleric, you, Ser Cullen and the Guard-Captain would have taken over most of those duties yourselves until those positions could be filled. Most of the time, civic leaders do stay out of the affairs of the chantry, unless they are seeking to undermine its authority. So, seeing you in the Gallows yesterday, and hearing that you've been working on plans for the chantry, as well as knowing the history of Kirkwall itself, I had assumed that your intentions were other than honorable. Ser Cullen was so kind as to explain the situation to me fully yesterday. I understand what you are trying to do here, but please realize that the circles are starting to rebel all over Thedas. I'm afraid that even with the changes you're trying to implement, there will be many more yet to come, most of which you nor I will have any control over."

Evelyn smiled genuinely at Rothia, "I assure you, I have enough responsibilities of my own without wanting to try and control yours as well. I appreciate your enthusiasm and sincerely hope we can work together. In your conversation with Ser Cullen, did he happen to mention what we would like for you to consider for the new chantry?"

Rothia nodded, "He did, and I think it's a bold step, but perhaps one that is necessary now. So, is now a good time to discuss your plans, Lady Evelyn?"

"Actually, I'd rather show you. The plans are at the keep. Perhaps we can have our tea, then head up there?"

Rothia nodded, "Yes, please."

Orana brought the tea and once they had served themselves from her tray, their conversation continued, "I'm curious, Lady Evelyn, have you given any thought to your coronation?"

"To be perfectly honest, right now that's the last thing on my mind. There are so many other things that need my attention, such a festivity seems out of place."

"Surely you're not wanting to wait until after the new chantry is built to have it?"

"Of course not. There's always the keep," she shrugged, "we could have it there."

"If that is where you want it, you should start making plans for it now. It will take awhile to plan and to gather everything. There are decorations, your dress, the ball afterwards, many things to consider before you can even begin."

"Oh my! It certainly doesn't have to be such an event, Your Grace. At least, I certainly hadn't planned on it."

"My dear, what I did yesterday in the Gallows, you need to do here and now with this city. You currently bear the title of Viscountess by the grace of the people, which is admirable, however, once you receive the crown, it is by the authority of Thedas itself. It is a momentous occasion that should not be taken lightly, otherwise, you will lose that authority before you've really had a chance to wield it."

"I see...," Evelyn had not considered it like that before. To her, it was simply a ceremony that would validate what was already accepted. But, when Evelyn looked at the big picture, seeing it as the legitimizing of becoming a political ruler on Thedas, it certainly seemed like Rothia was correct. "I truly appreciate the advice, Your Grace. I will certainly take it under advisement."

They drank their tea and conversed amiably for a little while, then went to the keep. Once there, Evelyn asked Bran to please bring the plans for the new chantry.

Once he arrived, Evelyn led them to a room with a large table where they could spread them out. She unrolled the plans and allowed Rothia to look them over before making any comments.

When she was done, the Grand Cleric looked up from the documents, clearly impressed, "My my, Lady Evelyn, you have been busy."

Evelyn smiled and explained, "I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity presented, Your Grace. When the chantry was destroyed, it was tragic and whether it caused the current war or simply exacerbated an already unstable situation, that is for others to debate. What anyone who has lived here for any amount of time could see is that the situation needed to change. I think that what we've come up with here will go a long way to helping make things better for everyone."

Rothia nodded, "I see you have quarters for mages and Templars here. Ser Cullen has explained that you intend to move them from their current lodgings in the Gallows to the chantry instead. Would you explain that?"

"Yes. One thing that I do not agree with is that the circles need to be done away with completely. There are many who would disagree with me," Evelyn paused as she thought briefly of arguments on this very subject that she'd had with Anders, "some vehemently, I might add, but they can serve a purpose. If that purpose is to educate instead of to isolate, then they could still work. The Enchanters would still be teachers and guardians, serving as councilors to mages, but they would not have to isolate themselves from society. The Templars would still be there, and they're role would be diminished somewhat, but they would still provide protection in case a mage got out of hand or for some other reason. The Rite of Annulment would be done away with. If the Templars only target individuals who present a legitimate threat, then there is no need to have the Rite. Even here in Kirkwall, not every mage became an abomination when everything went to hell, and the ones that did always felt threatened at the time. One of the biggest changes would be that mages would no longer have to fear being taken away from their families. If they are from Kirkwall, then would be allowed to return home in the evening. If they are not, then there would be housing for them to stay here, with breaks provided at holidays for them to visit."

"And what would become of the Gallows?"

"It will still serve as a prison. I'm not going to pretend that all problems will go away once these changes are implemented. I believe that by separating them from the city, they will pose less of a threat, but also, they may think twice before committing the same offense again. I would like to say that I hope eventually it will come to disuse, but I know in reality that's probably not going to happen. This will present the biggest change for the Templars. They will rotate in shifts, some days at the chantry, to be able to return home at night, should they have a family here, some nights at the chantry, and sometimes stationed at the Gallows. I would suggest allowing the Knight-Commander and then the Knight-Captain to make the schedule, once he gets familiar with the recruits."

Evelyn paused to let the Grand Cleric process the information. As she could see Rothia's acceptance, she said, "One more change that I would like to present, but I'm afraid it may be still more difficult to accept than anything else I've discussed thus far."

"And, what is that, my dear?"

"As sort of a pilot program, within the city, I would like all mages to be considered free. They would be able to live their lives free of worry at being called apostates and hunted, and would be free to marry and have children. If you were to ask King Alistair, I believe he is working on a similar proposal for Ferelden, so they would be able to move about, between our two kingdoms, should they need, or want to. As part of this freedom, should the chantry desire that they register themselves, or to have some other way of keeping track of them and their families, I'm sure that would be acceptable, for now. It would be a small price to pay, I think."

Rothia contemplated that idea for a minute, "It's an interesting notion. I will present your ideas to the Divine and will let you know what she thinks. One of the things I must compliment you on is how beautiful it seems the new chantry will be. Most do not have half the number of windows as this one. How did you...?"

"One of the most frequent problems mages cite is that they are confined to a circle for their entire lives and there are no windows. Imagine having to spend your entire life living by candlelight. I think that alone would drive me to want to leave, if only to feel the sun on my skin again. There is no reason, if they will be allowed to rome as they wish, that they should not have as much natural light as possible."

Rothia nodded, "I see...," then she smiled. "Please allow me to set up another meeting with the First Enchanter so that you can present this to him as well, but I certainly don't think he'll have any objections. As far as the changes you want to implement, I'll have to consult with the Divine, but as far as the building itself is concerned, I see no reason why construction should be delayed any longer."

Evelyn smiled, "Excellent! Then you will have the full cooperation of the city's resources to proceed. Should you require anything at all, please just ask."

The Grand Cleric smiled and said, "Of course, Lady Evelyn," she sighed, then giving a last look at the plans, said, "I have had a wonderful morning, but I should get back. If there is anything else, I'll be certain to let you know."

Evelyn bowed her head, "Good day, Your Grace." Her heart was singing with joy. If Rothia could get most of her suggestions passed, it would be an excellent first step to resolving this conflict. As it was, construction was to begin soon and that, more than perhaps any other change, was a beginning to helping old wounds heal.

When she exited the room, she ran into Aveline, "Well, well...You certainly seem to be much more chipper this morning. Was that the Grand Cleric I just saw?"

"Yes, it was. As it turns out, Cullen is a miracle worker," she proceed to tell Aveline all about her morning with Rothia.

When she was done, the Guard-Captain nodded her approval, "Excellent. Hopefully the Divine will see reason and at least agree to try your changes. If they don't work, she could always rescind them."

"Well, at any rate, I have to see Bran. We have a busy morning ahead of us and I think I'm about to make him a happy man."

"And why is that?"

"Because, as it turns out, I have a coronation to plan," she smiled happily as she waved goodbye and walked to her office.