Kaitlyn and Wendell watched in silence from the shade of a nearby oak tree as the mage said her good-byes. Only one of them had remained unaffected by the scene. It was obvious how much the woman was loved by the way the elves spoke to her. Part of Kaitlyn felt a little sorry that she was dragging Thea away from the only home and family she’d know. But it wasn’t as if there was a choice. The Nevarran Accord created the Circle of Magi, a safe haven for mages. This same document also created Templars to protect innocents against the magical threat mages imposed. Thea and Kaitlyn were bound by the same thread of time, each, in their own way, unable to escape their fate. Thea [i]would[/i] go to the Circle and being of age, she would most likely undergo the Harrowing immediately. If Thea survived, her new life would begin, although she could never once again return to the Dalish. 

“I will be glad when all of this is behind us,” Kaitlyn said. The whole ordeal left a bitter taste in her mouth. Escorting mages (willing or unwilling) to the Circles had never bothered her before. But now that she knew that nether the Circle nor passing the Harrowing guaranteed safety, she was torn. Still, she knew first hand how unpredictable magic could be. Templar and mage, a sort of “cops and robbers” had been her favorite childhood game. It was so different in the real world. 

“Do you remember when you left the village?”

“Yes.” Wendell replied, pausing before continuing, “I believe the Templar’s tried to take me away when I was five. My mother said I was too young. They came back on my sixth birthday. Most people were happy to see me go.”

“Yeah,” Kaitlyn admitted. She wasn’t one of those happy to see him leave, but she could understand the rest of the village’s feelings. Wendell had always possessed a starting amount of magical ability.

“I was worried that you joined the Templar order to be closer to me.” Kaitlyn did not turn to look at him. She wanted those words to be filled with emotion, any sort of emotion-guilt, irritation, happiness, anything. But his words were as flat and emotionless as always. How many hours had she spent secretly researching a way to reverse the Rite of Tranquility only to come up empty handed? How many days had she spend secretly harboring some hope that the real Wendell would somehow miraculously break through? 

“Being assigned to your Circle was just a coincidence,” Kaitlyn said, a lie she had repeated often enough that it felt true, “I joined the Templar Order because my father was one and because I thought I was doing the right thing.”

“You are doing the right thing. Magic must be controlled. In our society, only the Circle provides this protection for the mages and those powerless against magic…”

The ending of the farewell ceremony halted the conversation. Thea, her eyes shinny and cheeks tinted red walked towards them and announce that she was ready to go. Kaitlyn was just about to point out where their horses were tied up when shouting made them turn back.

Two elves stumbled into camp, one barely managing to carry the other whose leg looked like a Mabari had used it for a chew toy. Several elves stepped in to help them. Both of the wounded scouts were streaked dark red blood, some of it obviously not their own. She didn’t understand everything they said in their elfish tongue but one word was almost universal around Thedas. [b]“Darkspawn”[/b] 

After the initial shock died down, Thea walked back over to them. “Well, templar, it seems we are in a predicament, are we not?" 

“Darkspawn don’t change a thing.” Kaitlyn replied folding her arms over her chest, “The Blight has been going on for almost three years in these lands. I have even fought a few in my time,” Alright so she’d only fought one, a single scout she had happened upon while it was feasting on a dead body. Wendell had pulled out his sword and stabbed the creature through the chest without blinking while Kaitlyn had been frigid with shock. But she wasn’t about to let this woman know that, “and I’m much rather deal with them than an abomination.” Plus, the Night-Commander would never accept the excuse of a few darkspawn as a reason to let an apostate roam free. “Perhaps the darkspawn will give you a reason to not run away from me?” Kaitlyn said, half joking- half serious. “But either way I would like to get started as quickly as possible. No reason to give them time to catch up.” 

She eyed the wounded scouts again. There were so many rumors about those nightmare creatures. Some people believed the darkspawn allowed a few stranglers to escape so they could follow the trail of their blood back to the nearest village while others believed the monsters didn’t possess nearly that amount of intelligence. One day Kaitlyn hoped to meet a Grey Warden and ask them, but now was not the time to worry about that.

Leading Thea over to the horses, it was obvious there was another kink in the plan. “This is Roan,” Kaitlyn said as she nuzzled the sturdy bay stallion. The horse blew whiffs of breaths that lifted pieces of hair around Kaitlyn’s neck. “I wasn’t gone for very long,” she chided the horse and lifted up on her tip-toes to whisper something into the animal’s ear. The horse bobbed its head either in agreement or from the sensation. 

Meanwhile, Wendell introduced Thea to an appaloosa mare that seemed friendly enough if not a little skittish. “We only brought two horses. Our sources said you were a child, and while you might be to elf standards, you are a full grown human and incapable of sharing a horse. You may take my ride. I will walk. This way the two of you have the best chances of reaching the Circle.”

Kailyn watched out of the corner of her eye as Wendell tried to help the other woman mount the mare. For some reason the site of this left a sour taste in her mouth, although for the life of her, she couldn’t say why.