[OPEN] Long Was His Silence

[lifeofendurance]

WHO: Aleron Darton and YOU
WHAT: Pre-Orlais Catchall for July
WHEN: Start of Solace up until it's time to head out.
WHERE: Skyhold, various
NOTES: If any of these don't work, feel free to wildcard or PM me for a starter. Prose or Brackets a-ok, I'll tag to preference.

Aleron is nothing if not a creature of habit. There are reasons his twin has heckled him all their lives about how dull he is; he's not loud, excitable, or given to doing things which are not part of his daily routine.

Morning and evening, he may be found in the Chapel attending to his devotions. At least an hour upon rising, and before sleep, is spent in prayer. Following his attention to matters of the spirit, he then attends to honing of physical training. Where the training ring has been set up in the Courtyard, he works through sword and footwork forms, old and sometimes new. Just prior to lunch, he visits the Stables to see how Valiente fares. Taking the horse out for a ride isn't all that out of the ordinary. However, almost every outing takes him the direction of the Warden's Camp. That destination in itself is a deviation from his routine, but a sharp eye might notice that he never fails to travel there without either a book, a basket lunch, or a handful of wildflowers.

Of an afternoon, he's easily found in the Library, engrossed in research of some variety or another, or enjoying casual reading of wholesome volumes such as The Sermons of Divine Hortensia III. Sometimes he can be observed attending to his correspondence, though there too is an oddity. For a change, each letter received is read, though it can be discerned from his facial expression that he's dreading some of them. Usually those sealed with a ram's head on green. Evenings before vespers, he sits quietly in the Herald's Rest. He never indulges in more than a single ale and listens with quiet appreciation to the music and conversation around him. The Seeker still hasn't quite worked up to initiating social interactions, though he welcomes others who opt to join him and break up his solitude.

Comments

[lifeofendurance]

"My organization also declared an annulment of the Nevarran Accord and has lead rebel Templars in a crusade to exterminate every mage in southern Thedas as an apostate." And yet here Aleron sits, outside the stronghold of the Inquisition, on a log, holding a civil conversation with a man who could be considered the most notorious apostate in history. There's no snark in his reply, nor anger. Just a calm iteration of facts.

Aleron looks down at the cat sniffing at his feet and remains completely still, allowing the creature to continue its investigation without disruption. He might not have had a pet since he was sent away from his family as a boy, but he still remembers that cats are by nature skittish creatures and it would be cruel to startle it.

"You are, however, not in full possession of the facts. The Seekers are enforcers. We serve the Divine and act to root out and remove corruption within the Chantry. Mage, Templar, and Cleric alike. We've no vested interest in enforcing Chantry law on one group over another. In breaking from the Chantry and in full disregard for the leadership of Divine Justinia, I am fully convinced the Lord Seeker has made a grave and blasphemous error, one which incalculable innocents have, and will, suffer for." The more he talks, the more clearly it shows that the Seeker feels quite passionately about this. His tone is as calm and even as ever, but there is a fire in his eyes and a set in his jaw that gives him away. It is his scholastic nature manifesting itself. The same commitment and dedication to faith and duty that singled him out for the Seekers decades ago as a young boy.

And he's not the least bit apologetic for his passion, well-contained as it is. "I have seen with my own eyes Divine Justinia's final edict. It established the Inquisition reborn to put an end to the chaos and the strife. It likewise dictated her beliefs on the subject of the value of mages, and I rightly share her opinion. Mages are the Maker's children much as any other soul in Thedas, and they are to be cherished as such, not merely taken off the shelf whenever it is convenient, then back into the cupboard when they are no longer needed."

Legally, he could argue that as a Grey Warden, Chantry law does not apply to Bethany and as such there is no conflict to be had. But that's not where he goes with his answer. "I cherish Bethany. Not as a mage or a lady of noble birth. But because she is good and kind and has been better to a wretch of a man far more than I could ever deserve or repay."

[justice_is_blond]

It's quite the declaration, and Anders listens, weighing the words. There's a fervent belief behind them which can be good. It can also be dangerous, something Anders knows full well. Zealots are unpredictable.

"She is good, and kind, and better to many than they deserve. And what if the next Divine rules that once again mages should be locked away? Does Bethany alone get a pass because she's... not like other mages, and the rest deserve it? Do you follow what the Divine declares because she's Divine, or do you weigh declarations made by the Chantry?"

Maybe this seems a side-topic, away from Bethany. To Anders it's central. Part of Bethany's identity, something that's shaped the whole of her life, is her magic. If Aleron would judge mages on the Divine's word and if the next Divine is judgmental and oppressive, it's only a matter of time before his cherishing turns to spite.

"I promise there's a point to this. It's not simply my... platform, agenda, what have you. I'd like to know how firm you are on your opinions, and how much you'll weigh them by the opinions of Divines. It's only a matter of time before there's a new one, after all."

[lifeofendurance]

"I broke with my Order to come here because it was right. Faith is not served by blind obedience but by commitment to absolute truth." Actually, Aleron considers himself to still be a Seeker, and that his brethren who have broken from the Chantry to be the outsiders, in addition to their being fully in the wrong. "The truth is that magic is a gift from the Maker and should be respected as such, much as a man born with brute strength or skill at forging. I'm not certain that is the answer you are looking to hear, but it is the honest one."

He's unflinching in the answer provided, not looking away in the slightest but keeping firm eye contact. "Regardless of the direction given by the next Divine elected, Bethany will remain exempted from it as a Grey Warden." Although, knowing her feelings about her sudden conscription into those ranks, he wonders if she will break with them in time. "Though I will be frank with you. I do not think of her magic. In fact, I struggle to remember that she possesses such a gift because there are dimples in her cheeks when she smiles."

[justice_is_blond]

It... doesn't serve to answer his question. Or it does in part, actually. Aleron doesn't blindly follow. But Anders has yet to figure out if Aleron values the whole of Bethany or simply what he's currently infatuated with.

"Why you came here speaks to your favor. As well as your comparison of magic to skill sets that others possess." It does perhaps imply that Aleron doesn't find mages things to fear. "And, perhaps, your affection for her dimples," is delivered with warm amusement.

"What I'm getting at is more... If the next Divine declares that Circles should return as before and mages be locked up, are you fine with that? Are you fine with everyone like Bethany being rounded up again and held, losing their chance at relationships that make them happy, while satisfying yourself that at least Bethany doesn't have to face that fate? Do you see her for her whole, Aleron, and understand the background and baggage that comes with, that she should be free, or do you see your crush apart from her context?"

Please let him have gotten the man's name right. "Will you stand by her for all of who she is, or will you simply ignore a part of her and be glad that Grey Wardens are exempted?" There's not even a guarantee that the exemption will continue, what with the First Warden taking over the throne, the demons summoned at Weisshaupt, and so on. They're in a very precarious position right now.