Tales of an Unlikely Mage

by CrimsonLance50

An eighteen year old high school graduate gets dropped in Thedas out of the Fade. Wakes up to find that he's a mage. Follow him as he tries to survive in a hostile world that hates him for what he is while he works to gain control of his newfound abilities. Partial SI. Eventual pairings. DA2 with mention of Origins. Rating for language and violence.

3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age. I only own my OC. I'm just letting him play around with Bioware's world.

Holy Time Skip, Batman!

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~3~

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The next three months pass quickly.

Man, it's odd to say that. The thought that I've spent three months in Thedas is crazy enough, but to think that I've enjoyed it as much as I have is even crazier. I would have never thought that I would be able to survive three months without electricity, running water, an iPod or video games. But to my everlasting surprise, I've managed to do so both easily and with a smile on my face.

Honestly, I think my enjoyment of my time has come from two main things. The first would be magic. Easily. For all that I've lost from my world; I've gained so much more in my newfound magical ability. Bethany has been a brilliant teacher and I find that I have an aptitude for the stuff. It'll be quite some time before I'm slinging around fire and lightning like a Tevinter magister, but I'm more than enjoying the process of learning.

Right now, I can only do about two spells and only very weak versions of them at that, but I'm actually learning fast if you can believe it. The most important things that Beth is teaching me have to do with demons and how to resist them. Lessons on the Fade and the hierarchy of demons are what take up the majority of our time and with good reason. These are the lessons that will keep me alive the longest as even the strongest mage could fall prey to a demon if they aren't careful. It wouldn't matter if I could conjure a fireball the size of Lothering or smash a hole down to the center of the Earth if I don't know how to push back the demonic horde constantly testing me.

And I have been tested.

The first time I went to the Fade to sleep, I wasn't sure what was going on. When you dream, you don't usually question anything and you honestly don't have much control over what happens. No matter how insane or unlikely the dream seems, you just go with it and react as you normally would. Imagine my surprise when I find myself fully aware and in control of my dreamscape. And yet it was still absolutely insane and full of unlikely events except that I could mostly recognize them for what they were and change them if I willed it to change.

That's another thing that I've learned about magic; it's all a matter of will and repetition. The stronger your will is, the stronger your spells will be once you know how to cast them. Your magic itself is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Spells require constant repetition as if you were training your body. It builds up what I like to call "mental memory" instead of "muscle memory".

All of your power and will starts from your head and you have to train your mind to call on the motion and magic simultaneously from your core. It is a tricky process and is definitely more difficult than I thought it would be. I see now why it takes most mages years to master their power. Three months I've been learning and I've only managed two spells with any degree of success!

Untrained or not, however, I quickly found that demons wait for no man. On the very first night I visited the Fade, I was accosted by a demon trying to offer me what it assumed I wanted. It gave me a wonderful vision of my home back in Philly. My parents were together, all my sisters were there to bug me and even my little brother put in an appearance. It was a glorious occasion of good natured teasing and general familial fun I hadn't experienced in a long time even before I found myself in Ferelden.

Just when I though the day was complete, I suddenly got a strong urge to go to my room. I bid everyone a fond farewell and followed the feeling. Walking upstairs to my room, I had opened the door and received a pretty shocking sight. Right in front of my face was a scantily clad Bethany lounging in a much larger version of my bedroom with a sultry smile and a loving embrace waiting for me. I barely noticed the suddenness of her amorous actions and practically melted in her arms. The facts that we had just met that very day and that I honestly would have no idea what to do with her given my virgin sensibilities completely slipped my mind. I was well aware that Bethany's hands had started to wander dangerously in that embrace while she whispered sweet nothings into my ear in a tone that turned my bones into jelly. I didn't catch much amid everything going on, but the phrase "let me in" was repeated quite a lot.

It was about there that I fully realized what was going on.

Dreams usually are weird so I had just gone with it despite none of it making sense. My parents hadn't been together since I was two years old. I have no memory of them ever being anything other than hostile or mildly friendly towards each other, so them being together in a romantic sense was absolutely laughable. My siblings all have different parents and none of us share the same two. So if my parents were together as the dream suggested, none of them would exist so that was illogical as well. Besides, I hadn't seen my brother in over a year. It's unlikely that he would be anywhere near me or my father given the situation between his mother and my father. I've seen cage fights that are more civilized than those two when they try to talk. To top it off, Bethany was there in the - very noticeable - flesh and not in a video game. That alone should have been a giant fucking red flag but I was too caught up in the sheer fantasy of it all. Especially the part about Bethany in my bedroom. I still feel like I need a cold shower just thinking about it.

When she started talking about letting her in...it all cleared up. I saw it all for what it was and I did...something. I'm still not entirely sure what I did, I just let loose. All of my anger at being tricked, the despair at seeing everyone and everything that I've lost and the absolute panic of actually being confronted by a demon was unleashed. Whatever it did, it washed away the demon and its cruel apparition before propelling me out of the Fade back into the bundle of blankets Leandra found for me on my one night on the floor of the Hawke family home. I can truly say that it was more terrifying than any nightmare I had ever had. Made even worse by the fact that it took me so long to identify it and that I really was sorely tempted to accept it.

Since then I've learned to never accept anything at face value in the Fade. I can trust nothing in there but myself and my own will. Bethany says that as long as I remember that, I can resist any demon regardless of the number of spells I know. Demons can't possess you against your will and my will shall remain strong. Of course, the more powerful you are as a mage, the easier it is to get rid of them as you could use your magic against the damn bastards to get them away from you faster and more permanently. It is difficult to have to repel them every night without any real spells but I've managed. It definitely gives me even more motivation to improve as a mage, though.

Still, my three months of magic has been very rewarding. It has given me a purpose that I've never known before and I'm good at it. I am more focused and more in tune with myself than I have ever been in my life. The world seems to make more sense as I become able to feel more and more of it with my growing sensitivity to magical energies and forces.

Oh and the fact that I can throw fireballs and bolts of lightning from my fingertips - no matter how small they are - never gets old.

Aside from my magic, there is one other thing that keeps a smile on my face in Lothering, and that would be my lovely teacher. I've said it before, but Bethany truly is amazing. I've kept my word to her these last three months. I've made a real effort to be her friend while learning as much as I possibly can from her, and you know what, it hasn't been that hard. Bethany really has been the best friend that a guy could ever hope for. She's kind, patient and understanding with me and my struggles in learning the complicated art of magic.

While I may have a bit of an affinity for the art, it doesn't change the fact that magic is complex and very hard to grasp. Just gathering my energy for the first time took several days until I could pinpoint the exact feeling. Even then, it took me hours to get it just right to the point where the energy would be of any use. But like I said before, once I could do it, it was all about repetition and becoming more familiar with the motion. It still takes some time but I can do it much faster now and I'm getting better by the day.

Bethany really is a natural as a teacher. She makes even the hardest and most difficult to explain concepts easy to understand. Not an easy feat when you're talking largely about vague feelings and perceptions. From what she tells me, I've picked up some things in months that most apprentices take years to learn, according to her father. This is mostly in meditation and the ability to fortify the mind and body with your will but any praise is good especially when it makes Bethany smile. I took to this form of magic very well much to my surprise.

I normally can't sit still for five minutes, let alone long enough to meditate. It's probably because I know that this skill is the one that will protect me from the demons until I get a better feel for my magic. Or maybe because I can actually feel something when I meditate here and not just an endless wave of nothing like it would be at home. Either one works for me.

But Bethany is one of a kind. Back home I had never met anyone who had the same beauty of both spirit and appearance that she does. I find myself relishing our meetings any time they would occur. Just to hear her laugh and to make her smile with my increasing progress has become one of the highlights of my existence. A little sad, I know, but it isn't like I have anything else to look forward to other than the impending Blight.

Speaking of which, King Cailan's army passed through Lothering about two months ago and took both Garrett and Carver with it. Of course, they went willingly and told Bethany to stay safe and away from the Templars and the Chantry but she told me what happened with tearful eyes full of fear. Fear that they wouldn't make it back. Fear that the Darkspawn would win the battle and march on the rest of Ferelden starting with Lothering. I didn't have the heart to tell her what I knew would happen, but it just didn't feel right to see her scared and worried like that.

At that moment I vowed to do what I could to help her. I wasn't sure what exactly it was I could do but I would find something. It was the least I could do. I hadn't seen Garrett or Carver much since they kicked me out of their house. I left just as they said but Bethany cleared out a little space for me in the hayloft of the Hawke family barn. I had been there secretly for a few weeks before the men left. I owed Bethany more and more with each passing day. I would make up for it somehow.

You know, before I got here, I always wondered what exactly the family did for coin in Lothering. They didn't seem overly poor but they definitely weren't rich either. It turns out that the Hawkes have a little farm that they tend to. They also run a small apothecary through a stand in front of their home, selling various potions and medicinal salves. Leandra would work the stand while Malcolm and Bethany would mix the stock and the boys would work the farm and haul everything in. Now it's only Bethany doing the mixing.

Most of the herbs that they sell is grown themselves on a little corner of land out back. Calling it a farm is actually a bit generous as it was really the size of a city backyard that I'd occasionally see back home in the nicer parts of town. Not that big, but more grass than a normal house in the city would have, that's for sure.

There's also a bit of livestock with one cow for milk and a few chickens for eggs and meat in addition to the mabari who I've met once or twice. The land was just barely large enough to house all of the animals in a ramshackle two story barn barely sturdy enough to keep the wind out. Add in a few food crops that could be sold or eaten with whatever the animals and apothecary produces and you have a living. While the Hawkes were not rich by any means, they definitely have enough food - if not always the coin - to ensure a comfortable life for commoners by Ferelden standards.

After the men had left to join the war, I offered to help pick up the slack that their void had left behind on the business end of things. Bethany and Leandra looked like they sorely needed the help and I wanted to do something to make myself useful. I don't like being in anyone's debt and I was already in up to my eyeballs to Bethany by this point.

Bethany argued against it at first saying that I didn't have to, but eventually gave in once I pointed out that they wouldn't have to pay me as they would a hireling. Since Beth already provided food, shelter and training for me, I had little need for anything else save for the occasional bar of soap. Simply playing with my magic provided enough entertainment for me on most occasions so I didn't really need much in the need of personal effects. A practice made safe thanks to the physical wards her father had made years ago to suppress the feel of rising mana that Bethany placed around the barn and any other place we would use magic. Besides, I could use the exercise.

So after reintroducing myself to Leandra, the two women showed me how to properly do the jobs that Garrett and Carver had always done. I had a small amount of trepidation as they showed me how to irrigate, plow and generally care for their little patch of dirt. I was told what goes where and when it should go there and how everything was supposed to work. It was far more extensive than I had originally expected and I had never even tended a potted plant, let alone an entire garden.

It was also a lot more physically involved than I had thought it would be. Very quickly I found out why the brothers were in such great shape. That work was brutal stuff involving more physical labor than I had ever needed to do in my entire life. I had always thought that I was in fairly good shape after a combined five years of organized (American) football in middle and high school but this was ridiculous. Often I went back to my little hayloft sore in places that I never knew existed, exhausted beyond measure.

Bethany became much more attentive during the time I had started working to keep the family livelihood intact to my everlasting joy. I think she was just as touched by my gesture of keeping her family afloat by working practically for free as I was of her protecting and teaching me how to control my magic. No matter how tired or weary the work made me, I never once complained. Not even sarcastically, which coming from me is a really big deal. In return, Bethany started spending more and more time up in my hayloft with me and not just to impart magical knowledge.

Now before your minds start heading into the gutter, no we did not engage in any adult activities as much as I would not have minded if we did. Perverts. We really just sat up there and talked. Truly started to get to know each other for real outside of the freaky magical visions. Speaking of which, I still haven't figured out why that happened or why I'm here and neither has Bethany. We'll keep working on it but I'm not holding out any real hope on coming up with anything. No matter how talented Beth is and how much talent she says I have, we're still essentially a junior mage and an apprentice. There's only but so much we could expect to find.

But back to me and Bethany, I was surprised to find that we had a lot in common. Despite the comparative centuries between our home universes, we found traits in each other that simply resonated. I found out the right way that Bethany was smart as hell and had a great sense of humor. We caught glimpses of it in the game where she would respond favorably to a sarcastic Hawke but without the tragedies that are likely still to come; her humor is freer and comes faster. There were times where Bethany had me in stitches from her irreverent, innocent and slightly dry observations of the world. She would meet me quip for quip as our combined sarcasm would make even the most seasoned comedian groan in exasperation at our childish antics.

Beth is also incredibly optimistic, always wanting to see the best in everything and everybody. The cool thing, though, is that she also knows how to see things exactly as they are and not be blinded by wanting to see something that simply isn't there. If somebody is a scumbag, Beth will hope that there's some redeemable quality within them, but she will treat them based on what she sees in front of her. In other words, assholes will get the asshole treatment even though she's sorry they're such an asshole. She's compassionate and wants to help people in need but she won't let it become a weakness that people can exploit. It's a surprisingly mature and compelling view on life from someone so young and isolated.

We also traded stories of our childhoods and our homes. Beth told me what it was like to constantly travel to avoid Templars while I did my best to tell her about the modern world I come from. It's not like I could hide it from her given that she had seen some of memories from the freaky vision thing, henceforth referred to as the FVT (tm). Besides, I wanted to tell her more about myself since she's been so open and honest with me when she didn't have to be.

Bethany was amazed and enraptured at the tales I spun her of cars, planes, trains, cities and skyscrapers. The idea of using electricity as a power source for machines and other devices intrigued her and she got a bright light in her eyes as I described some of the basic medical knowledge that I knew from health class and overall common sense. I found out pretty fast that what passed as common sense for me was revelatory here in Ferelden and that Beth was going to be a hell of a healer someday. Probably good enough to give Anders a run for his money with magical application of the knowledge I gave her.

As impressed as she was with my stories of home, I was similarly impressed with her stories of her journeys across Ferelden as a young girl. It would seem that the all of the Hawkes were forged in fire long before they made it to Kirkwall. The strength of character that her entire family had shown in doing what they did to always, ALWAYS, keep their father and baby girl safe over the years was very humbling to see. It made me question what exactly I would do to keep my own sisters safe in the same situation...and then I would get sad and tell Bethany all about my family. She listened intently and only offered support if I really needed it. She wouldn't pity me but she still was there for me as I worked through the grief of losing my family. Even if it might only be temporary, I have no way of knowing that so they are, in effect, lost to me for the foreseeable future. I appreciate everything Bethany has done for me, but I really miss them sometimes.

At this point, I'm over the worst of it and can focus on the present and not about what I've lost in the past. I'm here in Ferelden now with Bethany and going home may or may not be an option. There hasn't been any indication that my family is in any danger so I'm going to assume that they're just as safe as I left them. I will definitely remember home and hope to one day go back, but dwelling on it will do nothing but drive me nuts. Taking things one day at a time has served me well so far and, of course, Bethany has been a great help. I see no reason to change my outlook.

Truth be told, things had been going pretty smoothly up to this point. More so than I expected, anyway. Even Leandra hasn't questioned all the time that Bethany has been spending with me. On any normal day, Bethany is rarely allowed to leave the home. Having her with me as much as she had been is really odd if you think about it. In fact, the only way that she's even allowed out of the house now is if I'm with her.

Don't think that amount of trust came easily, though. It took weeks of being a model employee and citizen along with a demonstration of my own weak magic to assure Leandra that I wouldn't sell Beth out to the Templars. Bethany had to talk me into showing her mother that I'm a mage, but I'm pretty sure revealing myself as a fellow apostate earned me a boatload of brownie points with mommy.

Even so, I don't think that I had shown enough to Leandra to be entrusted with her daughter as much as I have been. I mean, Beth has been with me every night though she does leave to go back in the house at a somewhat reasonable time. As weird as it sounds, I think she's plotting something. Leandra, not Bethany. A couple of times I have caught Leandra giving me odd looks when she thought I wasn't paying attention. Otherwise she's been polite and businesslike in our meetings since I'm still largely a hired hand to help out with the manual labor. She hasn't said anything but something about the way she looks at me makes me nervous.

Unfortunately, Leandra Hawke's scrutiny isn't the only thing that's been making me nervous lately.

Today, I saw something that caused me a great deal of alarm. I had gone down into the village proper to pick up a few things for the girls who were worried sick. News of the Blight had finally started trickling into the Lothering area from a few deserters out of Ostagar who were spreading doom about the approaching Darkspawn horde and neither Garrett nor Carver had made it home yet. I knew it was going to happen eventually and I was prepared to do what I could to protect Leandra and Bethany, though I too was scared as hell. Frankly, I was surprised it took so long to happen, but it is what it is and we have to deal with it.

I had approached the village wearing some more appropriate Ferelden attire that Bethany had bought for me months ago so I would blend in better with the Lothering folk. Nothing fancy, just simple leather breeches with some sturdy boots and a white tunic covered by a brown vest. Combined with the months of physical labor that shocked my system into admirable shape, I was indistinguishable from the average fit Ferelden laborer if a bit dark in the skin.

This was good since I didn't want to draw any undue attention to myself. Supply run or not, I am still a mage and the Templars were still in town despite every other armed force already having left. I have no desire to be taken away to the Circle now of all times, so I have to be more careful than ever. Anyway, I was just approaching the village entrance when I saw something that immediately made me freeze in my tracks.

A flash of porcelain white skin assaulted my vision as it walked by with a group of two men and a large mabari warhound. The men were heavily armed and armored with one bearing tarnished splintmail in terrible disrepair along with a sword at his hip and a shield strapped to his back. The other wore what I recognized as some kind of studded leather armor that was also in pretty bad shape. The one in the leather armor caught a fair amount of my attention as he seemed nearly as young as I am and bore a veritable medieval armory on his back.

An impressive longbow was slung across his chest and back with a full quiver of arrows hanging off his right shoulder, twin daggers lie crisscrossed against the small of his back and a longsword was securely belted at his waist. He had a few years on me but the man was clearly ready for war.

Short, ear-length reddish-brown hair and a dusty chin goatee along with a rather severe expression in steely green eyes barely spared me a glance as he passed by, his brown furred mabari at his heel. Conversely, his blonde companion in the splintmail seemed rather distant and had a sad, faraway look in his eyes as he dutifully followed the slightly smaller man in front of him. Behind him followed the only woman of the party who was the flash of skin that drew my attention to the group of travelers in the first place.

She was a sight that even a blind man could appreciate. The woman wore an artfully ripped hooded burgundy blouse barely held together with various lines of string with a similarly patchwork yet functional black leather skirt, leggings and boots underneath it. Long midnight black hair was tied up in an elegant yet messy bun at the top of her head and a gnarled wooden stick lay strapped to her back.

It was obviously a magical staff, but the woman made no attempt to hide it and I wasn't inclined to say anything to her about it. Not that I think she would care much even if I did. As she passed, I caught a brief glimpse of bright yellow eyes framed in a dark makeup that seemed to pierce your very soul. It sent a violent shiver down my spine and not in a good way. All of that was amid an absolutely gorgeous face locked in a perpetually bored expression.

To my relief, none of the eccentric party took any notice of the random villager loitering around the village entrance and continued on their way without incident.

After seeing those individuals, I hurried into the chaos that Lothering had become almost overnight and quickly made my purchases with little haggling before making a beeline back to Leandra and Bethany. I was probably cheated out of a few silvers but I couldn't care any less about that right now.

There was no mistaking who I just saw.

The Warden had finally arrived in Lothering with Alistair and Morrigan. The events of Dragon Age Origins have already begun to play itself out and the beginning of Dragon Age II will be here shortly. I've already pledged myself to stick with Bethany for however long I'm here in this universe so it's with her and Dragon Age II I'm staying with. It would seem that this is where my relatively easy first three months in Thedas start to come to an end.

It had been fun while it lasted and I've learned a lot, but now it's time to meet whatever fate has in store for me in this universe. What was it that Flemeth said in the game? Something along the lines of standing on the precipice of change and when destiny comes calling, don't hesitate to leap? Well, I might not be a dragon but I think I'll take Captain Janeway's advice.

I'm heading into this shit head first.

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A/N: New chapter done! As always, the responses have been great and it inspires me to keep writing more. I think I've come up with a system in posting to keep the story moving, so that's a good thing. I've never kept up with updating before so this is a first for me. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited or added this to story alerts as it really makes my day every time I see one of those notices in my inbox. I guess I understand why writers are always demanding reviews on this site. I'm no different, REVIEW! (lol.)