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The Mage and the Templars	By : Nyghtlei17 Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 8458 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age or any of its characters. I do not make any money off of this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
She lie on her back in the tent, missing Ammy’s warmth at her feet. Alistair’s fingers combed through her hair. “Why were you and Teagan fighting?”, she looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
He snorted, “Fighting? When did we fight?”, he met her gaze. “He said something I didn’t like.”
“What did he say?”
“He said that he absolutely hates cheese. Can you believe that? How can someone hate such a wonderful food?”, his smile suggested this ridiculous lie was true.
Suddenly she remembered the amulet. She sat up and pulled it over her head. “How could I forget?” She dangled the amulet in front of his face. “I believe this belongs to you.”
He propped himself on an elbow and took the amulet gingerly in his hand. “This is… my mother’s amulet?”, he had a confused look on his face. “Where did you find this?”
Her cheeks grew warm with the memory. “In the Arl’s study. I was cleaning up and found it in one of his drawers.”
He inspected it closely. “It’s been intricately put back together. This must have taken ages”
“I think you mean more to Eamon than you realize.”
“Hmph”, he was grinning ear to ear. “I’ll have to thank him if he- when he wakes up. You remembered me telling you about it? Usually when I talk people just ignore me.”
The truth was she clung to every word he said. “Of course I remembered. It is important to you, so it is important to me.”
He put the amulet back around her neck. “I used to feel safe when I had it. Maybe it will keep you from harm.”
She touched it, it seemed heavier now. “It is all you have of your mother. You should keep it.” She protested but didn’t make an effort to take it off.
He took her hand in his. He sat up completely and reached for his pack and pulled something from it. “Here”, he put it under her nose. “Do you know what this is?”
She giggled, “Your new weapon of choice?”
He chuckled, “Oh, yes. That’s right. Watch as I thrash our enemies with the mighty power of floral arrangements! Feel my thorns, darkspawn! I will overpower you with my rosy scent!” He waved the rose in her face as he joked. He exhaled, “I found it in Lothering. I saw it among all of that despair and thought; how could anything this beautiful exist in a place like this? Then I thought of you.” Her eyes grew wide when he put the flower in her hands. It was cold to the touch. “I had Morrigan preserve it with magic”, he explained.
“Why did this make you think of me?”, she wondered to herself mostly.
The back of his fingers brushed the warm skin of her blushing cheek. “Because among all of this chaos, between the blight, the calling, and everything else, you’ve been the one thing that is constant. You’ve been the only thing I can focus on. When I’m fighting, be it darkspawn or not, all I can think of is keeping you safe.” He laughed to himself, “Not that I’ve done a good job of that.”
Her eyes were burning. Tears watered the rose in her hand before she could stop them.
He lifted her chin, “There’s no reason to cry if you don’t like it”, he smiled softly. Her trembling lips touched his. When she pulled away she heard him say something in the most quiet of whispers.
“What did you just say?”, she asked unsure if she heard him correctly.
He coughed, “What? I-I didn’t say anything.”
She raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure about that?” Frost glowed in her hand.
He put his palms up defensively, “Alright, alright.” He coughed again and looked everywhere but her eye. “I said… um…”
She cleared her throat as he procrastinated.
“I said, I love cheese.”
“I see”, she set the rose down gently in the corner of the tent. She lay her head back on the bed roll. He joined her and she rolled onto his chest. The frost in her hand inches from throat. “Am I the cheese?”
He licked the tip of her nose. “You are much better than that remember?” She dipped her frosted hand down to his crotch. He jumped and threw her off of him. She laughed as he pinned her under his weight. “You know I hate that.”
Now she licked the tip of his nose. “I think I love cheese too.”
His smile warmed her.
They reached the Spoiled Princess half a day ahead of schedule. It was not Kester who brought them to the Tower but a young Templar named Carroll who at first was resistant but with a little persuasion he was compliant. She knew something was wrong. There were too many templars. She pushed open the large doors to her home. The smell of dust, lyrium, and magic made her nostalgic and very quickly, angry. She took one look at the place and knew something was definitely wrong. She walked briskly to the closest set of robes and armour. “Ser Templar”, she addressed him from behind. “What is going on here?”
The look on his face mirrored hers when he turned, shock, pain, and regret. There was one thing different. There was longing in those honey eyes.
   She didn’t mean to swing at him. Well, she did but she didn’t mean for him to stop her. The feeling of his hand around her wrist sent her into a wave of fury. She struggled to pull free. He brought her into to his chest, his nose bending against hers. She growled her displeasure and pushed away from him. Her hands were pressed into his familiar armour, getting him away. He looked her up and down, inspecting her appearance. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.
   “Uh…”, Alistair’s voice reminded her of why she was here. .
   Cullen’s eyes flicked to the two unfamiliar faces behind her. His gaze lingering on Alistair for far too long. He looked down at her, his hand still on her wrist, he let her go.
She took a step back, fully aware of the snarl on her face. “What is going on here?”, she managed to repeat her question.
“I-”, he started to say something she knew she wasn’t going to like. She glared at him and he continued with something else. “There are Abominations all over the place. Some of the mages are using Blood Magic to summon demons. It’s a complete mess.”
Her heart sank to her feet. This couldn’t be happening. How could the Templars fail to keep the mages in line.? “Where is the First Enchanter?” She was terrified to hear the answer.
“The last I heard he was in the Harrowing chamber”, the Templar answered.
She scoffed. That was the last place he should be. “What are you doing to fix this?”, she wasn’t entirely sure why she was blaming him. “Or do you plan on running away again?”, she mumbled.
The scar on his mouth twitched before he answered her calmly, “We are trying to get the situation under control but I fear the Knight-Commander wants us to get approval for the Right of Annulment.”
If her heart could sink any further it would have then. “Knight-Commander?” Greagoir was dead she hadn’t stayed around long enough to know who had taken his place.
“I went to Kirkwall”, he was telling her as if she cared. Maybe a few months ago she did but now, she wanted him to disappear. “Irving sent for Knight-Commander Meredith to help investigate the disappearance of Jowan. When we arrived the tower was already overrun.”
“You’re sure there is no hope for anyone in the towe?. The Right of Annulment is a very serious situation”, Alistair spoke.
Cullen’s eyes never left her. “I’m not sure if there’s anything to save from beyond that door.” He gestured to the doors that led to the Apprentice Quarters.
“We have to do something”, Leliana urged. “I am sure some have survived.”
Kitsune made her way for the door. She didn’t care if there were several Templars standing guard. Her strides were cut off abruptly by a large blonde woman clad in Knight-Commander armour. “Where do you think you’re going mage?”, she said to her.
“To save those you have doomed to die”, she spat at the woman.
“Pardon?”
“Move aside, Knight-Commander.”
“You see this door? It’s sealed. I will not risk the lives of my men because you want to save some of your friends”, she retorted.
“Knight-Commander”, Cullen spoke up from behind her. “Maybe we should let them go. If there are survivors, they can bring them back. We haven’t sent word about the Right of Annulment yet. There is still hope for some of them. Especially the children.”
Meredith dropped her firm demeanor for a moment. “I will not allow them to go unattended. You seem to think highly of them Knight-Captain, I trust you will guide them well.”
Kitsune glowered at his new title and at him. He smiled innocently, all she could think of was how she wanted to add another scar to his face.
The Templars guarding the door, opened it enough to let the four of them enter. “I will not open this door unless it is yours of Irving’s voice I hear on the other side. Meredith said to her Knight-Captain. He nodded once as the doors sealed behind them.
Everything was still on the other side. It was eerily silent. Cullen walked ahead of them, his sword drawn, his left hand glowing Lyrium blue. Alistair walked beside her. They exchanged a strained look of calm and remained silent as they walked down the halls.
The sound of groaning and hushed wails had the four of them ready to attack. Cullen held up a hand, signaling for them to stop. Kitsune rolled her eyes and pushed past him. She stood near the doorway, her back against the wall and her ears straining to hear. She could hear voices; “How is your dinner darling?”, she heard a woman coo. .
“It’s wonderful dear, the children love it”, she heard a man respond.
Cullen must have heard it too. He moved her away from the door when the female voice grew louder. “Would you like seconds?”
She pulled away from him, his hand on her skin, gloved or not, burned. She slid against the wall and stood next to Alistair defensively. “It’s a Desire Demon”, Cullen whispered.
An unwelcome chill crawled up her spine. Her oak staff in her hands, she enhanced their weapons with ice. Alistair moved slowly ahead of her, careful to be quiet in his heavy armour. He and the templar exchanged a look. She made a hissing noise with her mouth to get their attention. They both looked in her direction. She pointed at herself. She wanted to go in first. If the demon saw a Templar there was no telling what it would do to the man it had captive.
Alistair shook his head sternly, Cullen dropped his eyes and moved away from the door. Alistair didn’t stop her when she walked in the door but she heard him sigh. She planted her staff on the stone floor with a click to get the horned demon’s attention. It’s yellow eyes caught hers, it’s lips curling back. “Is there someone at the door, dear?” The Templar who was under her spell asked.
“I will get it love”, the demon was levitating inches from the ground as she made her way towards Kitsune. “What brings such a lovely mage here?”, the loving voice from earlier was gone. Now she sounded like the demon in Connor. “Is there something you desire?” The demon looked towards the door as she pushed silver out of the elf’s face.
“Release him”, she demanded. The grip on her staff tight.
“He is happy. Why would you want to take that away from him?” It folded its arms across it’s chest, pressing it’s breasts together.
“That is a mirage. It is not true happiness. He deserves to be in the real world”, her patience were growing thin.
“But the real world is a terrible place. In the world I made for him he has a wife and children who love him”, the demon explained.
She looked at the man; he had an awkward grin plastered on his face as he stood in a trance. “It is not real.”
“It is to him.” The demon challenged.
“You want me to just leave him like this? You want me to walk away and let you keep your little toy?” A part of her started to question what was the right thing to do. His smile was creepy and off putting but it was also honest. He was happy with his pretend family.
“No harm will come to him if you let me keep him”, the Desire Demon was circling her now, it's long talon like nails scraping her bare shoulders. “I love him.”
“Monsters are not capable of love”, Cullen was standing in the door frame with Alistair beside him and Leliana with her bow drawn.
The demon snarled, her dark violet lips curling back, exposing yellow fangs. “My darling! Help me, please! There are bandits trying to kill the children!”, it said in the female voice again.
“Bandits?”, the enchanted Templar was enraged. He brandished his sword and lunged immediately for Cullen. “Go my love, take the children and run!” Cullen forced his Templar brethren back with his sword.
“You have to snap out of it”, he yelled at him. “It’s possessed you! You are a Templar! Fight back!”
His words were wasted. If any part of himself was still there, it was locked away, buried so deep he couldn’t reach the surface. Cullen forced him back with the flat of his blade after taking a blow to the stomach.
Alistair quickly positioned himself between Kitsune and the demon, holding his shield up anticipating a strike from the demon. Waves of electricity came from her staff, reducing the demon’s movements. Alistair stabbed it through the chest, between the breasts. A pile of ash replaced the body on the floor.
The Templar fighting off Cullen slumped to the floor. Leliana ran over to check his pulse, “He’s alive”, there was relief in her voice.
Cullen sighed as he sheathed his sword. “Let’s go”, he ordered.
She trailed behind them, watching the unconscious man’s chest rise and fall as if he were in a deep sleep.
Maybe it was wrong to take that happiness away from him.
“Kitsune”, he barked.
He stood in the hall waiting for her to catch up. “I do not need you to watch me, Templar”, she coated her words with as much annoyance as she could manage. She hurried ahead of him, avoiding his eyes. He pulled her back by her wrist but she tore it free. “Or touch me”, she added. His touch pained her.
She hadn’t given it much thought until being back in Kinloch Hold. She buried her emotions, stuffing them far back in the recesses of her mind. The dreams she had were only tricks of the Fade, it didn’t really happen, did it? Greagoir and the daggers, they were only a bad dream, a bad trip to the Fade. The scars on her hands forced the truth into her reality. Of course it was real. Greagoir had really done that to her. And he had helped him.
The fireball came whistling in their direction before any of the four of them could brace for it. She lie on the cold stone floor, her ears ringing and her vision clouded by a veil of thick black smoke. Her lungs filled with it, then expelled it violently.
A deafening crack came with a vibrant blue light. She knew this feeling, she had nothing now, no spells, no magic. This cleanse was much more powerful than Alistair’s, it was strong and heavy. She felt as though she were drowning, unable to breathe. The smoke was clearing. Alistair and Leliana lie on opposite sides of the hall, limbs twisting in a fashion that they shouldn’t be capable of. She struggled to stand, her hand on the wall held her up. He came to her side, his hand still glowing that offensive blue. She gestured toward her companions with her staff.
He sat them up against the wall and sprinted down the hall sword in hand. Neither of them seemed to be badly injured, a twist or a sprain of some limbs. Nothing she couldn’t heal when her magic recovered. She followed after him down the hall.   The sight that greeted her was gruesome. Cullen stood over two mages, wiping the blood from his sword. He heard her approach and turned to face her horrified expression.
“What did you do?”, her voice broke between her words.
“They wouldn’t comply”, his tone was soft.
“Of course not! You took away their spells! They were defenseless!”, she was shaking with hate and the loss of her own power.
“They were using Blood Magic!”, he retorted pointing to a dagger and chalice scattered around the bodies. “They meant to summon another demon. These are no longer mages, they are Maleficar.” He spoke the word as if it was poison on his tongue.
She didn’t want to make excuses for them. She didn’t want to pretend they were innocent. But she knew, firsthand how overbearing it was to be a Mage in this prison. The Chantry’s prison. Where they lock you up until they condition you into believing you were cursed at birth. Until you believe that your very existence is an insult to the Maker himself. You must be controlled. They just couldn’t take it anymore and she did understand it. Summoning demons and attacking Templars just wasn't the answer. "If it were me-"
"You wouldn't-"
But she would. She had. "If. Would you have killed me like that? Like an animal? Like I did not matter to this world?"
"What? What are you going on about?", he studied her impatiently, his brow furrowed.
She smirked, If only you knew, she thought. “Next time, wait for me. Maybe I can talk to them. Convince them there is another way”, she tore her eyes away from the bodies. They were too hard to look at.
Maybe it was the solemn tone that made him agree. “Alright”, he sheathed his sword.
They walked back down the hall to her companions. It was empty. “Alistair?”, she called out. Maybe they had come to and wandered off, looking for her. “Leliana?” She jogged further down the corridor, back tracking their steps, checking the room where the Templar was still knocked out. She was beginning to fear the worst. “Maker, where did they go?”
“Calm down, we’ll find them” Despite herself, she found comfort in his reassurance.
They proceeded back down the hall, passing over the dead mages’ bodies. “You should be able to cast”, he told her.
“Why?”, she asked.
“‘Why’? Because it should’ve worn off by now”
“No, not that. Why did you leave?” There probably wouldn’t another time to ask him. She certainly didn’t want Alistair around to hear his answer.
“Is now really the time for this?”, he was trying to avoid her question.
“Yes!”, she pushed her staff toward his throat. She knew the frost at the end of it was chilling his skin. “Now is the perfect time, Cullen!”
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The Mage and the Templars