At first everything seemed to be going well. Kaitlyn was making her way through the mutton stew when the mage stood up, made a scene, and stormed off. The Templar didn’t even bother to look up as the mage left but simply continued to spoon soup into her mouth as if nothing had happened. Kaitlyn knew, if circumstances had been different, she would have gone after Thea either to force her to come back to dinner and eat or simply to apologize. But not now. She had given all her emotions to Wendell’s death and their subsequent flight to safety. She had no more. As Kaitlyn continued to eat the words of Transfigurations 12 spiraled around in her head. [i]” O Maker, hear my cry. Guide me through the blackest nights…”[/i] Thea was wrong. It wasn’t Kailtyn’s fault that the mage’s life with the elves was over. Human mages went to the Circle. That was the law. Kaitlyn was only acting to make sure it was kept. [i]” My Maker, know my heart. Take from me a life of sorrow...”[/i] Besides, if the Dalish had handed the human child over to the Templars years ago when she first showed a talent for magic, as was the law, this whole situation wouldn’t have happened in the first place! [i]” O Maker, hear my cry. Seat me by Your side in death…”[/i] The mage blaming Kaitlyn for taking her away from the Dalish was no better than Kaitlyn blaming the Dalish for Wendell’s death. Why was the mage in such a foul mood anyways? Yes, she was stripped away from what she’d grown up with but that was the fate of must human adults. At least she had a chance at a life! [i]” For You are the fire at the heart of the world And comfort is only Yours to give.”[/i] The words of Transfigurations 12 had always been comforting before. They’d comforted Kaitlyn when Wendell first left, when she’d struggled in her trainings as a Templar, when her father died after losing him mind to Lyrium, when Wendell was made Tranquil. Apparently in the course of a single day she’d lost not only her friend, but her faith. The soup and the table blurred together. Her meal was cold long before Kaitlyn headed to the room. --- Kaitlyn knocked on the door to their room and waited. She was sure she’d given Thea enough time to bathe but her comment about Kaitlyn keeping an eye on her during the event was still fresh on the Templar’s mind. “Thea,” Kaitlyn called. “I’m coming in. I suggest you cover yourself.” She waited for the mage to protest. Nothing came. “Thea? I mean it.” Nothing. Well Thea couldn’t blame the Templar for trying. The door was unlocked. Her eyes adjusted to the tiny room. A single candle, drawing near to the end of its life, cast shadows about the darkness. Looking around, Kaitlyn found the single bed in the room was empty. Had Thea escaped out a window? A gleam of gold caught her eye. Turning, Kaitlyn found that Thea was still lying in a small wooden tub in the far corner, her back facing the Templar, golden curls falling to the floor. “I did warn you.” Kaitlyn said exasperated, walking closer to the tub. When Thea didn’t answer right away, the Templar grew worried. “Thea?” A vision flashed in her head of the mage lying in a pool of red blood, a slash across her neck. “You okay?” No response. Kaitlyn rushed over and leaned over the other woman. A quick inspection showed nothing was amiss and while the mage’s breathing was slow, it appeared Thea had simply fallen asleep in the bath. Feeling relieved, if not a bit annoyed Kaitlyn contemplated what to do. More than likely the girl had become exhausted from the day and passed out in the bath but the Templar knew how dangerous it would be to simply leave her there. Unfortunately, the stupid tub didn’t have a drainage hole- if it had, Kaitlyn would have simply drained the water and left Thea there. Her eyes fell over the woman as she tried to think up a solution. The soap in the water had long cleared leaving white wisps, like clouds, on the surface. Underneath a tangle of legs and smooth white skin shone in the fading candlelight. The height of the water allowed beautiful round globes to be exposed to the cool evening air. A few slick golden tendrils fell across them, framing their shape. Kaitlyn’s eyes lingered on one of the two pink- Heat rose to her cheeks as Kaitlyn felt her whole face turned red, when she realized the direction her thoughts were going. Taking off the collared shirt she always wore under her armor, lest she get it wet, the Templar leaned over and gathered Thea’s body. Kaitlyn thought she heard Thea stir but it took all her concentration not to drop the mage. While the other woman wasn’t heavy, her limp body was awkward to carry and the wound on Kaitlyn’s arm protested the strain. The water Thea had been in was barely luke-warm, and the mage was still damp when Kaitlyn placed her on the bed and pulled the covers over her. “I’ll be right outside,” Kaitlyn said, turning away to collect her shirt.