Freedom Among Slaves: A Mage's beginning

Chapter 9: Life in the Circle

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age, Bioware or EA.

Author's note: Thanks for reading. Last day for the poll!

Hawke was glad when the three months of quarantine were over and she was moved to the apprentice dormitory, if only because Anders gave up his unspoken vow of silence.

"Andraste's knickerweasels, I was starting to go mad in there!"

"Mmm..."

"You still have to teach me how to turn into a cat! Don't think you can get out of it by ignoring me!"

"Mmm…"

"You know, I ate a Templar's brain the other day, tasted like chicken!"

"Mmm…"

"Thedas to Hawke!"

"…Huh? Oh, you're talking to me now, are you?"

Both of their voices were hoarse from disuse. About two weeks before their day of release, having exhausted all possible topics of conversation, Anders had taken his silent vow of silence, and neither of them had talked since then.

"We'd have to have a cat first, you have to study it for hours until you can shapeshift into it, and besides, I don't think that that's the kind of magic they allow here. Since when did you get hold of a Templar brain anyway? I think you have gone mad."

"Hey! That was a joke! You were ignoring me!" Anders pouted, "The tower has a mouser, I call him Mr. Wiggums. Will that do?"

"Show me the cat, then," Hawke relented with a sigh.

"This way!" Anders strode purposefully down the corridor, "We just have to find him. That cat is always wandering about. He has a habit of going to people he knows will feed him. It's a wonder that he's able to catch anything."

Hawke smiled faintly, bemused.

They found the cat being petted and fed by a small knot of six year olds.

"Excuse me, I need the cat," Anders picked up Mr. Wiggums.

The air became filled with the protesting clamour of squeaky six year old voices.

"Give Fluffy back!"

"You will make Meowser sad!"

"Fluffy? Meowser? I thought the cat was called Mr. Wiggums!"

"That's what I call him. There's only one cat and he doesn't have an official name, so just call him whatever so long as you can tell it's a cat name."

"Uh…right," Hawke wished she hadn't agreed to this.

Why did I agree to this again? Oh, that's right I didn't, Anders here just wouldn't take no for an answer.

"I know this cat like the back of my hand! What do I need to do now?"

"You don't need to know the cat, you need to know how a cat works, how it behaves, how it reacts…" Hawke sat cross-legged on an empty table in the corner of the circle library, eyes firmly shut. I am in my happy place…in my happy place…inner peace, Hawke…just relax…

Anders shifted where he stood, staring at Mr. Wiggums as he went about his cat business…or whatever he was doing. Anders yawned. Hawke's eyelid twitched. Anders yawned louder.

Ok…inner peace not happening anytime soon…

"What is it, Anders?" Hawke sighed.

"I've been watching the cat for six hours!" Anders slumped forward, "All you've done is sit there! How can you stand it? It's so boring!"

"What have you observed?"

"I could stare at that fluffball all day and not learn anything about how he "works"! He is so lazy!"

"You've made progress and discovered our problem. I'm astounded." Hawke spoke with affected astonishment. She opened her eyes, stood, and pointed at the cat.

"This cat doesn't behave like a normal cat, which is why it hasn't worked! He's much too lazy! He has gorged himself into oblivion!"

"Uh…come again?"

"Look at that cat's belly!"

Mr. Wiggums rolled over, hoping to be petted. His stomach bulged, proof positive of being overfed.

"Sheesh…don't blame Mr. Wiggums. It's not his fault he's been fed so much is it?" Anders petted the cat fondly.

"Tell you what, Hawke, since you gave me six hours of a shapeshifting lesson, I'll give you six hours o a spirit healing lesson!"

"No thanks, I'm already a spirit healer…"

"No buts!"

Hawke sighed. Another mage ran over.

"Hey, Anders, I need some help! I c-can't remember how to-"

"An enthropy spell? You know I'm no good with them, Jowan. Go ask someone else; I'm busy."

Hawke seized the opportunity with both hands.

"I have a knack for that school of magic. I'll help."

"Oh, thank the Maker! I have an exam tomorrow and-"

"Oh, no you don't! You're not stealing my apprentice!"

"Huh?"

"I'm a harrowed mage."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Hawke questioned.

"…drat!" Jowan whimpered, "It means that if you haven't got a teacher yet…he can teach you. And that means he gets to choose when you have class, where you have class and who you're classmates are."

"He also needs to be taught how to teach first."

"Senior Enchanter Wynne?" Anders turned to face the elderly woman.

"I'm a spirit healer also, which means I get to teach you how to teach!" Wynne grinned mischievously, winking at Hawke and Jowan.

"She doesn't seem so grandmotherly now, does she?" Jowan whispered to Hawke.

"I agree."

"Uh…let's run. I don't like it when she gets that face."Anders muttered, barely moving his mouth.

"Agreed!" Hawke and Jowan replied.

Hawke opened her eyes in the Fade.

"Hawke, what happened? You disappeared for three months!" Justice hurried over.

Hawke felt dizzy; returning to the Fade after being cut off from it for so long was a strange sensation, to put it lightly.

"Templars, circle, quarantine."

Hawke staggered. Justice ran forward to catch her. Once she had recovered somewhat Hawke explained the full story to Justice.

"Marethari shouldn't have left you to fend for yourself."

"She had to put the clan first. I understand her reasons for doing so, even if I cannot forgive her for abandoning me."

"Are you sure you're not a spirit of Compassion, Hawke?" Justice half joked, half hoped.

Hawke laughed, something she hadn't done in a long time.

Author's note: Ah, poor Justice. Next chapter: time skip and Hawke's harrowing. I haven't got it written yet, but I'll start either sometime today or tomorrow. The poll is open until sometime tonight, last chance to decide what Hawke will face in the Fade! The poll is embedded in my profile, it should be easy to find.