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WHO: Fiona & you
WHAT: Fiona and all of her Skyhold haunts
WHEN: Late Guardian (Covering a span of time)
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Nothing presently

library;

Her most frequented retreat upon arriving at Skyhold, it is quite, the alcoves are relatively secluded, and she can easily lose herself in all of the books. It is where she can be found most often if one wishes to enjoy her company. Advice? Counsel? Favors? Idle chit-chat?

stables;

Rarely, she can be found near or around the stables, for reasons entirely her own. These days Fiona seemed somber, but fully determined to redeem herself from the mistakes she's made. Now and then, however, she can be seen with the animals, it wasn't often that she had contact with horses so stroking them was a treat.

She was also keen on the dogs roaming about, though the Grand Enchanter did not seem the type, she had quite the liking for a nice, sturdy hound as opposed to the sad toy dogs they had in Orlais. In the mud and grass she could be seen rubbing bellies and scratching behind ears.

More rare than seeing Fiona with the dogs was the occasional laugh at their doggish antics.

garden;

When not in the library or around the stables she can be located in the Garden, fresh air, exercise? Even she needs these things, but more importantly the atmosphere is excellent for meditating.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Korrin uses the area by the stables more for training than to bond with animals, which is her purpose in heading there now. She knows how to ride -who doesn't?- but never really felt a bond with any sort of mount. She has a soft spot for dogs, despite not being Fereldan, and pauses to smile as she watches the Grand Enchanter rubbing the belly of a particularly happy canine.

"Now you've done it. Give them that kind of attention once, and they'll never leave you alone. It's a huge burden." Said as she bends down to scratch another behind the ears.

Fiona had a secret weakness for animals, cats, dogs...her experience with horses was limited enough, but they seemed gentle to her and the fact that they spent quite a bit of time carrying others on their back? Well that deserved acknowledgement and a reward of some kind, at least that was how she felt on the matter.

"I truly hope that is the case," Fiona had never been able to keep a pet, though while living in the alienage she had a brief relationship with a stray cat, "there are few bonds that are greater, at least from what I have seen in my time, than between someone and their dog."

She often thought of Kell and Hafter fondly, that silly dog who never left his side for any reason. They didn't even need words...Fiona often wondered what that was like.

The Vashoth mage chuckles softly, giving in to some whining with more ear rubs. "Watch out, you sound so very Fereldan with that remark. Any fellow Orlesians overhearing you would be so scandalized. Who wants to admit any commonality with a 'dog lord', right?"

She rolls her eyes at that, overhearing more than visiting Orlesian nobles would assume. But she'd rather keep to light teasing than regurgitate the extent of their bigotry. They're not worth dwelling on, not when attention-hungry pups are around to shamelessly spoil.

"I doubt there is much of a difference between elves and 'dog lords'...or dogs for that matters...among the Orlesian elite," Fiona confessed aloud, and she meant every word of it if she was to be completely frank. One could argue that not all Orlesians were the same, just as not all nobles were the same and she knew this well, but she had also lived in the alienages of Orlais as a child so she was not ignorant either.

"The company of dogs? Far more attractive in my opinion," a high compliment indeed that earned her a rather fierce face licking. The dogs in Ferelden were smarter to boot.

"I couldn't agree more, but then I'm less than fond of people who mutter 'ox' every time I pass. That...gets old." If Korrin wasn't bound and determined to behave herself for the sake of the Inquisition, said elite would most definitely not forget the reaction of said 'ox'. But she's trying to keep her outbursts of temper limited to more important things, like mage council meetings.

"My parents' company had a few hunting dogs and such when I was with them, but they weren't mine and weren't pets. That was made very clear. I wouldn't mind one now, but what I do and where I go would be too dangerous for anything short of a mabari."

And even then, she'd worry. Could a mabari truly stand up against a Red Templar or rift demons?

"Shame on them. I agree completely...when I was first in the circle I heard 'knife-ear' quite a bit. Being the only elf in an Orlesian circle, it didn't make it any better," bigotry was all the same, she'd learned to ignore it and realized they could have done and said worse things, but she still hated it. The loneliness of it, not a friend in her corner, but it made her stronger regardless.

"I had a cat once...well it wasn't really mine...it was a stray in the alienage. I would feed every night until he stopped meeting me," and she knew, in spite of all her childish dreams and hopes that the cat had climbed the walls and escaped to the other side where the rats were fatter and the scraps were more plentiful...she knew her cat had been made a meal of.

"Mabari are fearless warriors...I knew one, Hafter, he took on Darkspawn without a shred of fear," and what a handsome beast he was at that.

"That sounds like Jayne and Bronson and every mabari my mercenary friends have or had. Such brave pups. Who's a brave pup? Huh? Is that you?" Korrin can't help but get all mushy with the silly canine for a moment, pleased to just have attention from people.

She looks up at mention of the discrimination Fiona suffered, though, her lips forming a thin line. "So much for Circles having been the bastion of safety and solidarity that some promote. As far as I can tell, it's always humans who say that, too. That's why I let Adelaide talk me into being on the council, you know. It's easy for them to forget that non-humans often have it even worse, if they aren't reminded."

Fiona rocked back on her heels, trying to keep her laugh polite, but it was difficult not to when Korrin spoke to the hound that way. It was refreshing if she was to be honest about it and it wasn't very often that she found herself laughing so openly.

There was a great deal that Fiona had suffered, but it was best to keep it on this level for the time being. She nodded, though, "hm...that is the truth. While I had been Grand Enchanter for a time, and while that is a position of power very few non-human's have held over the years...there is a certain hierarchy within the circles depending on who you are and where you are from. Orlais...is special in certain regards."

Special

Getting that laugh out of Fiona makes Korrin smile warmly. The Vashoth woman hasn't had much time for laughter and silliness, so whatever brief moments she can get are very welcome. And though she doesn't know the Grand Enchanter's story in detail, what she is aware of has her thinking that she's in desperate need of the same. The presence of the hounds keeps her temper down, as she wouldn't want to scare them off.

"I'm not surprised. That toxic Grand Game permeates everything, doesn't it? Even places you'd think would be safe from that nonsense. And the deeper the Inquisition heads into the Empire, the more of that there is to deal with." Emprise du Lion wasn't too bad in that respect, though it was in every other way. "That you put up with that bullshit as long as you did and stayed sane...well, I'm impressed."

Fiona expected that there were a great number among the inquisition who had very little time or opportunity for laughter. Some more so than others, so little moments like this were always a refreshing break in the ill-fated atmosphere that surrounded them most of the time. That Korrin would indulge her like this? Fiona could deeply appreciate the gesture.

"Yes and it will not be easy, especially if the Inquisition finds itself in the Empress's court...then we will all be susceptible to the manipulations of the Empire. Celene herself might have intentions that are not as terrible as Gaspard's...but she wears a mask all the same," she could only imagine the mechanisms that could and probably would happen the closer they found themselves to the Lion's den, "I am not so sure I would have survived it had I not finally discovered that I was a mage, to be perfectly honest."

Unsurprised about Celene or Gaspard, Korrin sighs. "Those in power are always awful to some degree; you don't get to the top of the heap without getting your hands bloody. Some are just better at hiding it, that's all. I never really cared for any jobs my company had to take in the Empire, since it always came back to some noble pissing contest. Give me darkspawn or dragons any day of the week."

She pauses to give that whining hound a scratch under the chin, smiling a bit at how easily it's appeased. "Considering how much you must have hated the Circles to rebel, that has to be really ironic. Did you really say 'fuck the Divine' or were they exaggerating about that?"

"There are lists of reasons to dislike the circle, particularly for someone who has known imprisonment and freedom...the circle is just another prison. For some it might be a pretty, gilded cage that offers protection, but a cage nonetheless," and having been a slave before her time as a Grey Warden, Fiona knew the value of her own freedom, even though she'd been bound by the same fate as the other Wardens. When the content of her speech had been brought up Fiona smiled sheepishly, "guilty. Yes, I did say that, it is not that I had anything against the Divine personally, she was sympathetic toward mages, but her sympathy was not enough. People are sympathetic toward elves, but has that elevated us?"

Fiona's admission prompts a quick grin from Korrin, who nods in full agreement with what's said. "It hasn't, of course. Words without actions to back them up are just that, and not deserving of respect. My people aren't treated as badly, but we're not accepted either. We live on the fringes not because we want to, but because we have to. I love the mercenary life, but there are many who don't, and that's often the only role available to them."

That or bodyguarding or banditry, but Korrin doesn't feel like covering all the popular stereotypes. "When you're a non-human and a mage, it's even worse. Twice the scorn for the price of one. That's why it matters more than ever what we do now. I have no intention of living in a cage, gilded or otherwise." Not that she's heard of any Vashoth living in Circles, but really, who wants to be the first one?

"Naturally. Elves are either pretty adornments to be treated as such, or we are vermin, again to be treated as such," as was the way the world worked, but Fiona had grown enough in her time to know that not everyone was the same, "being of the non-human variety and a mage at that certainly places the both of us in more than one category of discrimination...the labels...the positions to which we belong to or fill within this world become even more defined."

Fiona was smiling not because the topic of their conversation prompted it, but because it was quite nice to find someone who was understanding of similar issues that she faced. And she liked dogs. It had been a while since Fiona last had a friend, as a leader she did not have the luxury, there were people needing cared for and protected. Duncan had been her last, true friend and he was gone, it would be nice to have more of them considering she was not popular with many at the moment, "I...do not think I formally introduced myself, I am Fiona."

Korrin smiles and gives a polite nod at that, though the hound beside her nudges her when she briefly stops petting him to do so. Such a greedy thing. "It's difficult to hear your name and not immediately attach 'Grand Enchanter' to it. There may not be Circles anymore, but influence like that doesn't just go away, even now." Despite what happened in Redcliffe, some mages still look to Fiona and appreciate what she initially did for them. "I'm Korrin...Korrin Ataash of the Valo-Kas. Though now I guess it's more appropriate to say I'm a Knight-Enchanter under the service of the Inquisition."

Her lips twitch a little at that. "I know, it's weird for an apostate to use a Circle-based discipline. I'm still not used to that, but the style of magic suits me more than anything else I've seen." Plus, it annoys the purists, which is always a benefit in her eyes. "Just between us, though, I'm fine with shedding labels whenever possible, though. The rest of the world will do that for us; I don't feel the need to add to or reinforce them."

She wasn't the only one who liked the stables -- but then again some people actually owned horses there. That was where Norrington was heading - to curry and clean his own Dauntless so he could take him out for a bit of exercise, when he found someone petting him.

Not ... just anyone.

He cleared his throat, to announce his presence. "Grand Enchanter."

It is stiff. It is polite. There is no malice and all civility, no matter what sort of problems he might have with the Grand Enchanter.

Fiona has learned to ignore most of the problems people had with her--she was the Grand Enchanter, a mage, an elf, Orlesian--there were so many reasons. As for her mistake in Redcliffe? She acknowledged that as well, it was the reason she no longer referred to herself as Grand Enchanter even though others did.

"Monsieur..." she nodded withdrawing from the horse after one last gentle stroke to the side of its neck. The only problem she had with Templars was certain of their abuses, it wasn't just the mage in her, but the Grey Warden in her that balked whenever she saw a Templar intimidating a small child and then laughing in the aftermath.

Other than that they shared the same shackles, did they not?

Otherwise it was really the idea of the Circle that she could not stand, anything that limited her freedoms, for she had worn those chains long enough.

Norrington, in turn, had no problem with her as an elf, an Orlesian, definitely not being a Warden. Her being the Grand Enchanter who started the Mage and Templar war? Who unthinkingly set all of her charges off half-cocked into a war no one was prepared for.

Dauntless knickered after her softly, which brought Norrington back to his horse. If Dauntless did not bite her - well.

He pressed his lips together, before he sighed quietly, "My horse seems to like you."

That was where most were at a complete loss with her--Fiona's position and decisions within the Magi were directly related to all of her identities, most strongly with her being a Grey Warden. Most people were diametrically opposed to the ends justifying the means, for the Grey Wardens stopping the blight was the ends and that justified itself.

If asked? Rebellion was in the pipeline, it would have happened eventually, and rebellion was never something anyone was prepared for, but what it was...what it always was...it was the shape of the voices that went unheard. She did not regret rebelling.

She did regret siding with a magister from Tevinter and she was amenable to the idea that constant war benefitted no one, least of all her people. She was content to take a backseat to the politics from hereon, unless things looked as though they appeared to be slipping backwards, but she would not regret bringing about a change that needed to happen.

For now she was here to help, and to repair some of her mistakes.

"I've little personal experience with horses...but they bear our weight and they seem perfectly delightful."

For all her identities, for all her 'Rebellion was going to happen anyways', he wanted to know if she could have just said, 'If you all want to rebel, go on, do what you want. The rest of you who want to stay in Circles can and should'. Did she not know that she had basically -- well - in the eyes of Thedas just send out thousands of well armed and angry people who needed no swords to terrify and kill?

He ... would never be able to say that his brothers and sisters did not lose their minds in kind. He would not say they weren't pushed to extremes. He would also not say certain people never should have become Templars in the first place -- but the more he was learning, and accepting -- the more he understood why Circles were in place.

Not just for the dangerous mages, but perhaps for the more dangerous Templars as well.

Siding with the magister that ripped apart time? Well, Fiona had that on him.

He stepped into the stable, pleased to see the hay had been changed and Dauntless had been fed. Her statement brought him some surprise, and that translated to his expression.

"Then ... why are you here, Grand Enchanter? If I might be so bold to ask."

Fiona would not have said such, especially given the events of the final days that had led up to the rebellion, mages were not even allowed to convene in peace without being seen as traitors and imprisoned. The axe had been swung by an ill-timed Rite of Tranquility before they could even discuss the matter, a right they should have had. Not that Fiona could take full credit for the rebellion, it took other leaders agreeing with her and followers who wanted this push for freedom.

As for the circles? Perhaps they did have their place, but not as they were, not with the Chantry in control of absolutely every aspect of it, not with the constant policing of mages...terrified children who couldn't walk down halls without being intimidated. Laughing Templars. It was no life for anyone. If they wanted to police mages and Templars alike, then perhaps mages and Templars should both do the policing. Mages and Templars should be allowed marriages and families, and freedoms...mages especially should not be treated as though they should be bred out because their gifts were undesirable.

She had opinions, the opinions of a mother who never would have been allowed to have her child. She had been lucky in that she had been a Grey Warden at the time.

She would not deny that siding with Alexius had been a mistake, but there were other...mitigating circumstances. It was indefensible, certainly and she would do whatever she could to correct it.

"I enjoy the company of the horses...the dogs, the cats. They do not share in our troubles, but they are very easy to talk to."

An argument that Norrington perhaps would have had sympathy for - if so many loyal mages and Templars hadn't died in the aftermath. Did he despise Meredith for being weak before the red lyrium, for forcing Anders hand and the death of the Grand Cleric of Kirkwall? Of course he did. But the slaughter done by the rebel mages - the blood magic that poured out of every Circle in Thedas ...

All the bodies of the innocent that litered every village from Ostwick to here showed that when Templars and Mages rebelled? Innocent people suffered in the process. Freedoms, certainly. But not without regulations. Not without a way to insure that no one else died, or was hurt, between the Maker's Own, and the those who controlled the Fade.

As for Redcliffe -- that should have been a life lesson for all mages. Just as Therinfal Redoubt had been a sobering lesson for himself and his brothers and sisters. He had not been there - but the stories were enough to stick one's hair on end.

He put down his currying equipment, and took out the shoe cleaner, so he could make sure there were no uncomfortable stones or clips in Dauntless's horseshoes.

"Hmm. Because they do not argue, or because they do not judge?"

"Perhaps for both of those reasons," Fiona mused, folding her arms behind her back and tilting her head to the side a bit, watching the horse with a kind of fond curiosity, "but more than that I think, they are easy to like and to please. You show them affection and they return it in their own way, without the same problems and pride that we have as people."

And she meant that in a very symbolic way. There were such divisions between elves and humans, humans and Qunari, dwarves with nearly everyone, and everyone with mages...because there was an insistence upon the things that kept them separate. Perhaps Fiona's world view would change a bit on a day that elves could be rulers of their own lands, or that an elven woman could become the queen of a human male, and vice versa. Her perspective might be altered if there were more instances of love and cooperation between mages and Templars instead of distance and pride.

She did not want war, but she did not have it in her to spend the rest of what remained of her life languishing, hoping, dreaming for things that she knew would not come to pass. Life had made her cynical.

Norrington worked on Dauntless's tail in silence, while the horse craned his neck so Fioan would be forced to pet him again. Norrington gave his horse a sheepish sort of glower, but internally sighed. This must be how Adelaide felt around Templars all the time - that mix of fear and aggravation and a touch of respect.

At least he hoped for the touch of respect.

"I came from Ostwick." Which should tell her just how broad his own leanings were. "I can honestly say I had not seen the full price of pride until I began to travel Thedas on the run, and not doing the Maker's work of hunting blood mages." He is silent for another moment, "Tolerance and understanding can be had -- but only when both sides acknowledge their mistakes. When they both find a way to live together, and to put the safety of others first."

He looked up at her, his green eyes grave. "It is easy to show affection. It is harder to be responsible about it."

Well alright, if Dauntless insisted, then Fiona would relent...she could not ignore the pleas of a horse in the same way she could not ignore the whimpering of a dog. Her hands were back on the beautiful creature, petting gently.

"I come from Orlais," if they were sharing stories, "I was a normal little girl in an alienage, not a single ounce of magic in me until I became a slave. Manifesting my gifts had saved me from that fate, but it also meant I had to be sent to the Circle. You might have thought that would have been a welcome reprieve, but it was all the same. I was the only elf and therefore subjected to much bigotry and so many rules, was it really necessary to try and teach me how to act like a lady, I ask you? When the Grey Wardens came I begged to become a member of their ranks."

It wasn't everything, Fiona left out many of the unsavory details.

"I suppose it depends on the situation...life has taught me that from one day to the next things can change," so Fiona took affection and anything good where it could be found, even in the most miserable of places. That was how she found Maric, though she did leave it open for her companion to elaborate.

Dauntless wickered in pleasure, bumping his nose against Fiona's palms.

Norrington kept working on the horse's mane until it shone like silk, soaking in Fiona's tale. He snorted softly, before he stated simply, "Did you never feel a calling in the Circle? Did you never feel as if you were given magic to do the Maker's work?" A pause, and a more honest question, "Is your magic a curse to you, or a blessing, First Enchanter? It seems all the mages who have rebelled hate their magic more than they claim the templars do."

Another pause, before he shook his head, "I ... almost loved a mage. She decided to end things before affections became too close. I don't blame her - I still miss her - but how could I have ever killed someone I loved if she wore the face of an abomination?" He's quiet for a moment, "I also have a good friend who is a mage. I know his wishes upon becoming an abomination. I have known many mages grateful to the templars, because we will stop them from becoming such creatures. To show affection ... means that there has to be an acceptance on both sides. That one friend, one lover, will kill the other in the compliant wishes of the other. Will the mages ever agree to that, First Enchanter?"

Fiona was genuinely pleased by the horse's response, her affinity for animals spurring her to pet more vigorously as Dauntless seemed to desire it.

At the questions, however, Fiona tipped her head curiously, expecting something like this at some point. She did not discourage it, in fact it was good, Mages and Templars were all part of the inquisition now so cooperation was necessary. The walls of suspicion and necessary distance should be broken down and so she approached each question as it was presented, "I should make it clear that... as I am an elf, my experiences are vastly different. I grew up in an Alienage in Orlais and the only time anyone from the Chantry came to us, it was not to help, and we were desperate for it, it was to tell us how wicked we were. I have a distinct disconnection from the Maker because of this... so to answer your question the only callings I have ever felt were as a Grey Warden and as someone who wanted to rectify problems within the Circle."

At the next question Fiona thought about it carefully, it was an honest question and it deserved an honest answer, "a blessing and a curse I suppose. On the one hand my magic saved my life and it has saved other lives, I can certainly help people with my abilities in a way that those without magic cannot. I have been able to heal and save those that I love and that? That is everything. If you could do it would you not see it as a gift, a blessing? I have not been able to save everyone, I cannot bring people back from the dead, no matter how much of myself I put into it, but the lives that I can save and the people that I can help? A blessing, a blessing that is useless behind walls. Of course I have been possessed by demons, on more than one occasion and I have come back from it as well. For many mages that is a curse. That is only part of it, being looked at in fear, dragged off in chains, scorned by loved ones and people you once knew when your magic manifests... like you've become a monster. It's something you come to believe...and for that many mages hate themselves more than Templar's ever will."

At this last question Fiona sighed, Mages becoming abominations was a complicated matter usually associated with fear, "I must first say that I disagree with Harrowings, should a mage be trained properly, certainly, should they be forced into this at any given time even if they are not ready with the alternative solution to make them Tranquil? I think it is too convenient. Abominations are a risk, but there are solutions as well, and I think Mages and Templar should both police the situation and come up with the answers. That, I believe, mages will agree to... having a voice, being given the chance to help, feeling as though we are part of the process instead of watching it without any control over it. If we feel like we have a stake in what happens, I certainly believe that would be better... Abominations are not beyond saving and exceptions should be handled on a case by case I feel."

Dauntless was quite content, all things considered. He was getting petted and brushed at the same time. Norrington would snort that his warhorse was getting spoiled -- but it did the old boy good to get some love.

"I see ... " A sober expression passed his face, and he shook his head, "Then I apologize for my rudeness, Grand Enchanter. I did not know the Chantry refused you aid. Orlais is ... well. Orlais is quite honestly the dregs of kindness, it seems, and the Chantry there seems ever more corrupt." He is silent for a moment, "With your gifts as a mage - you were invaluable to the Wardens, and even more so to the Circle. You rose as a real leader, to them. First Enchanter Lydia spoke of you with much fondness and respect."

He carefully teased out a burr from Dauntless's coat, as he continued to speak, "I am of a rare breed, Grand Enchanter. One who believes that a mage's powers are gifts -- a gift that is also a test. A test of who they are as a moral person, above all. They are granted a direct line to the Maker himself, and if they prove himself worthy of His love and respect by doing magical deeds in His favor? I have no issue with them. I have only ever hated magic that was used for self gain, or to hurt others. I ... know now that most of the Order does not feel that way. That they want to imprison what they can't control. That some want to abuse that power to their own ends. I have seen the ideals I have striven to live up to for over ten years twisted in ways that defy my imagination. I can understand hating, a little, what I am because of what others have made my title represent. But I will never understand how mages think they can rule themselves - without hurting everyone else around them? You want freedom, Grand Enchanter -- but at what cost? How many innocent people will have to die before the mages realize there must be stronger restrictions?"

He sighed again, his brush stilling. "I don't want to see mages looking at Circles as a prison. I want them to see it as a haven for learning and teaching. Where a responsible mage, in time, can go through some sort of test to make sure he can resist the temptations of demons and blood magic. If not a Harrowing, then something else." He gave Fiona a firm look, "I want the Templars and Mages to work together as well, but there has to be rules. There has to be safeties put in place, so the innocent do not suffer." He bowed his head, "...so that good people like Lydia are not murdered by their own apprentices."

"And yet the Divine was Orlesian..." Fiona pointed this out, because this was important to remember, that the leader, the one who represented the Chantry was of the same Orlesian cloth from which the dregs of kindness was wrung, "...I do not tar everyone with the same brush, terrible things happen in alienages everywhere, it is not only in Orlais where their voices are silenced, Orlais is simply more... cavalier. I would not mind seeing some interference in this on behalf of the Chantry, but alas. As a mage and an elf I stand on two fronts."

At the mention of First Enchanter Lydia, Fiona smiled, "there was not always agreement on the course of action to be undergone by mages, Wynne was my biggest objector, but there was always respect. First Enchanter Lydia has always had my respect."

All of the First and Senior Exchangers, Fiona held in high esteem, whether they agreed or did not.

"I believe in schools, and certainly learning how to control ones abilities is of vital importance. Power and responsibility go hand in hand... it is no different with leaders, I was a friend of King Marci for a time and his power brought him nothing but misery, but with it he was responsible and a good, invaluable leader," she certainly sung his praises, but she kept it reasonable, "I believe that using magic to hurt others is reprehensible and should be punished, I believe in pruning objectionable practices... but the important thing to keep in mind is that mages are people, just like you are. People are capable of doing good things and reprehensible things no matter what their creed, their background, and their abilities. I do believe that mages want to have autonomy, I believe mages want a say in how laws an rules concerning mages should be carried out, I believe that it should be possible, as an example, for someone like you to love someone like me without someone else saying it cannot be so."

Fiona hesitated a bit before making her next statement, but honesty it was, "I would have liked to have been able to have my child with me I the circle so that he could know who he was and that his mother loved him dearly and loves him still. Instead he became someone else's...property." Well not at first, but eventually he ended up in the Chantry, "why can I not have such things? Why can you not have such things? Yes I do want freedom, everyone wants freedom and I ask you how many innocents will die because of the stronger restrictions placed upon mages? I do not believe stronger restrictions are the answer to the problem, they are the start of a new problem, perhaps a worse problem, people fight against being smothered that is only logic."

Fiona was adept in keeping her voice calm and even though she sounded sad at times, there was no point in startling the horse over such a discussion. It was a conversation that needed to happen anyway, "Unfortunately all Circles are not created equal and that is part of the problem, just as all Templars are not created equal... there is no set standards for how to punish unruly Templars who terrify little mage children who are already scared enough. What of elves within the Circle? I was the only one as a young girl in an Orlesian Circle and I might as well have been a slave or servant for all they looked their noses down on me. It is insufficient. Circles should be a place of learning... where mages should not have to fear death and should be able to test their mettle in their own time. I fully agree with learning and safety, but the universal standards are simply not there," so while some Circles might be pleasant enough and mages might be okay with it, the rules and regulations were disturbingly uneven from place to place, "there has to be rules, I do not disagree, but mages need to be represented in the rules and they need to be held accountable for upholding them and punishing those who do not. They need to be allowed to breathe, to stop feeling as though they are being punished and contained for crimes they did not commit. Mages are often looked at as what could be instead of what is, that is a problem."

"The Divine is above countries." Was Norrington's firm response, "And if that wasn't clear to you - the fact that she decided to hold her meeting in Fereldan, of all places, should lead you to that conclusion. The Divine looked out for what was best for all of us - mage, templar, the common folk ... " He paused, and then sighed, "Which is why her death, and the death of Lydia, and Knight Commander Swann, are the true tragedies here. People who could rule through rationale and reason, who knew how to make the compromises necessary ... "

He sighed as he moved up Dauntless's coat, making sure to keep his strokes calm and even so the beast would not be startled by their tones or their discussion in any way. "Is such a world even possible, Grand Enchanter? Where we can love who we wish, keep and protect the children that we have from the ugliness that is our world? If mages are willing to live with some regulations, to work with templars if templars allowed them some say in their own lives and rules -- why have we not done so? Where are the rational men and women who should have made this happen centuries ago, before the first true abuses began?"

He looked sharply over at her, before he stated firmly. "There are such rules put into place, to keep my brothers and sisters in line. Clearly, they have not been used for some time." Much to his anger - and chagrin. "I do concur ... elves in the Circle should be treated no differently than the other mages and in many cases - mages should be allowed more autonomy. At least to have their own families, as Templars are allowed to if they choose not to take the vow of chastity." He pointed with the currying brush, "But not total autonomy, for either one of us. I may want to marry someone like you, and you may want to marry someone like me -- but I don't want a blood mage raising their children to more despicable acts. For you are right - mages are people, and people are easily corruptible." Another pause, "And ... yes, mages are feared of what they could do and not what they have done. I think it is perhaps because we see you all holding a torch that you do not seem to have a firm control over, and you are in the middle of a dry forest. If you are spooked, you could set the whole wood aflame. What promises could be made, if any promises at all, that you would show control - teach better control? If not a Harrowing, what test would you suggest?"

"One might attribute a number of factors to the Divine deciding to hold the conclave in Ferelden. Particularly the political upheaval, it would not be much of a conclave if Gaspard went around forcing mages into his ranks as they stepped into Orlesian borders," Fiona was merely thoughtful, she did not think that the Divine had the interest of all of the common folk at heart, Fiona had yet to know a Divine, a Templar, or a member of the chantry to go into an alienage and scoop up the children who'd lost so much. The only waiting arms those children had were the arms of slavers, so her thoughts on the Divine and the chantry were very mixed on the matter.

"Where are the rational men and women who should have stopped many atrocities before they happened? Where were they when elves were written off of these lands and pushed to the margins of the pages by humans? Where are they now? What does blaming people for things in the past do to help reconcile and change things for the future? Foresight into such matters is impossible, you simply need to have confidence in change, confidence that the way things have been traditionally are, perhaps, not the best way," Fiona lightly stroked the horse's nose with her finger tips, "once upon a time mages did exist without Circles, as we know them now, until some came along and ruined it for us all. As much as humans are besmirched as ravenous and destructive so are mages, because we continue to look into the past and at the way things are and see this as how it has to be. We've learned to ignore or contain things by building walls...we build walls around elves so that they can be ignored and contained, we build walls around mages so that they can be ignored and contained...nothing highlights how different we are than by building great big walls, with big fancy doors, and pretty little windows."

"Well ... that is probably true because Gaspard is an irrational lunatic from a land of irrational lunatics." Was Norrington's sarcastic reply, before he sighed. Heavily. He had no idea what happened outside of the Free Marches in the alienages -- he knew elves had it bad, wherever they were from. That he had learned from Pel, and it was not a lesson he would soon forget.

"Probably pushed to the side. Or murdered. Seems to be rather common occurrence, honestly." Seriously how did anyone get by being moral? Morality seemed to have a large target painted on one's back. He paused, then frowned a little, "...Mages formed the first Circle. It was their way to be protected, to be able to study what they wanted to study in peace and serenity." He worked another burr out of Dauntless's coat, continuing to speak softly, "And while it would be nice to have a tower with larger windows that let in more light and more freedoms for both templars and mages -- those big doors are there to keep the people of Thedas out as well. Do you honestly feel safe from all the people without magic, who hate you? Trust me when I say -- mages are not safe now on their own. Not among the common folk. Not until you've won some goodwill back by stopping Corypheus." He gently worked his way along Dauntless's back, "You say - look to the future. In the future, this will have to change or all of our lives work - mages and templars - will be for naught. I agree to that. But what I don't agree with, Grand Enchanter, is ignoring the consequences of today. To free hundreds, you endangered thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands. You released mages into Thedas, putting the common folk at the mercy of those mages who had gone mad from their imprisonment, and the templars who had done the same. At the same time, those mages who did not want to fight, who wanted to stay in the Circles, had no choice but to rebel or to go to the only safe havens left."

His jaw worked, as he stopped again, green eyes closing, "And even those safe havens were overrun by those who wanted to take their freedom by force instead of reason."

"I am well aware that mages formed the first Circle, but education and research was the intended purpose. That purpose was perverted, the Circles of today are not what those who originally created the circle had in mind, that I can assure you. Even then the Chantry had mages using their gifts to keep the Eternal Flames lit, detaining us to use us in the Chantry. That did not go over well either. Thus we have the Circles of today," those mages were not forced into being cloistered, "I feel no safer or protected inside of those walls than outside of those walls, as I have said before: not all Circles are created equal. I've had to deal with stories of mages locked away in prisons and conveniently forgotten, left to starve to death. How safe am I when left to someone else's whims and whether or not they feel like feeding me that day? What happens to us when men like Lambert are allowed to enter your ranks? Or when you have Knight Commanders stretching their hyper-technicality in order to enforce the Rite of Annulment? No, I do not feel safer in the Circles, I felt more security in the Deep Roads than in the Circle, because I knew when I was about to be attacked by Darkspawn."

And she could control how she reacted to that situation, within the Circle, control was limited, what one could do was limited.

"It was not a decision I made on my own, it was not a decision made lightly, we were backed into a corner by Lambert and what do you do when you are backed into a corner? Denied the conclave we were promised? Given the ultimatum to either march into prison cells where we would no doubt he left to starve or executed one by one? This probably could have been settled differently if we had been allowed our time, the time that we had been promised by the Divine herself. I know that constant warfare benefits no one and I want it to stop as much as anyone else, but at the time we had little choice. Thousands of lives are in danger every day, but I can honestly not take credit for all of it, not with humans burning alienages to the ground. We live in a world where no one can disagree with the systems set in place without someone crushing them under a boot. The elves in Halamshiral fought and killed and rebelled, that was not without reason. It is the sort of thing that happens when voices go unheard for so long."

"Why couldn't they be that again, though?" Was Norrington's response, as he arched an eyebrow at her, "And why is it that mages hate the Chantry so? There are corrupt individuals, as we have discussed, but there are many good ones as well. I know you did not have a good experience - but can you honestly tell me that you have never known a good brother or sister of the faith? That all you have ever seen of our Order was corruption? I find that hard to believe, Grand Enchanter. You paint a picture of your life - and then try to fit that picture to everything else around you." He shook his head a little, "I will admit there are changes that need to happen - I am sure there are others who would agree to some, if not all you say. Especially to elves - who have always been welcome in our ranks, by the by."

He frowned, faintly, "I will not argue the merits of what Seeker Lambert did, or did not do. My personal opinions right now of Seekers have never been high and right now they are at an all time low. That those who would guard the guardians would step so completely off their intended roles? Is what should truly disturb us all. Splitting us from the Divine's own wishes? How could that turn out any other way but rebellion?" He looked at Fiona then, green eyes serious over the back of his horse, "You keep bringing the argument back to the alienages, to the elves. There is a strong difference, Grand Enchanter. The elves are helpless souls who are being suppressed against their will with absolutely little to no recourse outside of rebellion. I admire their courage. Mages, on the other hand, have the entire scope of magic at their fingertips. Some Circles were truly abysmal, and those templar knight commanders should be hung about the neck until they are dead, but that is not the case for all. What was needed was reform, not rebellion. To fight for your freedom in the White Spire? Absolutely - the Seeker Lambert had stepped far out of line. But to force rebellion when there was no clear majority? How is that any different than the boot you claim to hate?"

His lips pressed together, "There is always a choice, Grand Enchanter. You could have fought free of the corrupt Seeker and those corrupt Templars -- then gone with the Divine to continue your discussions. Decisions made in the heat of the moment are rarely the most considered. And what did it gain you? Are you truly free?" He sighed, as he ran the brush along Dauntless's mane, relenting quietly, "Are any of us? Responsibility is as much a cage as anything else. Duty, above all, to the Maker who created us, and the people who depend on us. Absolute freedom is not a luxury either one of us can afford, Grand Enchanter."

"The only way the Circle could be that way again is if studying and researching were accompanied by breathing fresh air. It is something that is done now to pass the time spent languishing behind walls, because what else are we going to fill our day with? I suspect it is not the same kind of pleasure it once was." Fiona simply shrugged, continuing to pet the horse in a soothing manner all the while her attention was fixed on Norrington, "Why? Representation I expect is part of the reason why some mages might dislike the chantry. Hesitation to interfere in certain instances where they should, because goodness knows it is the Chantry who is responsible for the Circles and yet there is so much tiptoeing. I have my own opinions of the chantry of course, my disquiet runs deeper...such as soliciting money from the poor...and why does the Chantry need to be political? Why does the chantry need it's own armored forces? Why does the Chantry need to control the Lyrium? The implications that come with dressing the Chantry up in moral-dignity breeches runs deep."

Fiona smiled faintly as Norrington brought the conversation around to her experiences, "hmm...I suppose my experiences have colored my perspective, but I was the Grand Enchanter, if abuses were uncommon in the circle then you could attribute my way of thinking as simply a case of tunnel vision. Nothing got by me, however...Circles in Orlais, Kirkwall, Ferelden...all have dirty secrets that would rattle your cages. These cannot be corrected by simple reforms, it has everything to do with character, with dehumanizing, with separation."

Fiona closed her eyes for a moment as if she could block out some of the crimes against her people that still haunt her.

"I keep bringing the argument back to elves and alienages because--look at me and tell me what you see? There is no separating the elf from the mage, I have had both experiences and I have lived both lives and so I stand on two platforms that are very similar. Both are treated differently for being born in a way in which they cannot help, both are kept in by walls, and mages having an entire scope of magic at their fingertips? That is incidental to me when there are plenty of Tranquil out there who are helpless, who cannot even refuse," Fiona simply shook her head, shaking off those particular thoughts, "I think it would be prudent to clear up certain misconceptions about the rebellion. To suggest that I forced it without a clear majority? The rebellion began before I became officially involved, it started in Kirkwall, so there were several leaders. Leaders that included First Enchanter Orsino, First Enchater Edmonde and his predecessor Adrian, First Enchanter Rivella. There were thousands of mages that gathered at Andoral's Reach, hundreds more standing on the battlements to fend off an army ten times our size. As most of our First Enchanter representatives were killed in the White Spire rebellion we made our choices based on fraternities. The Liberitarians and the Aequitarians made up the larger fraternities and they voted for rebellion, there was a rather clear majority. The margin was slim, but we all decided that in taking this vote we would follow through with whatever was decided. We ended up in conflict with Loyalists, such as Madame Vivienne de Fer, while the Isolationists fled."

"Sitting back and waiting for reform, for changes to take place...these things take time. People talk about change, they ask for patience, they ask you to wait...and then you keep waiting. Keep hoping that maybe tomorrow...but some people do not have until tomorrow. Mages that committed suicide in the Gallows much to the glee of Templars...the horrors of that place. Mages that are made Tranquil for the enjoyment of Templars in the White Spire. Those who are forgotten about and left to starve. Mages who are murdered for escaping or kept in solitary for years in Ferelden...they cannot wait for tomorrow. I do not want war, war benefits no one, but I feel I have gained ground on which to give voice to things that have no voice," Fiona shook her head, her petting having momentarily stilled, "I am not talking about absolute freedom, I understand that there is a present danger in some mages, but perhaps we can find a way to subvert those dangers without tightening the chains for both of us. I am talking about what is fair, and I can tell you that making a Mage who says 'no' to a Templar's advances Tranquil so they cannot say 'no' is unfair and a corruption that is beyond my ability to tolerate. I understand that not all Templars are the same, but corruption spreads like the taint."

The library was not Maria's favored haunt. She would help researches as she could, certainly, but the task of all that sitting and endlessly pouring over ancient texts for small details were better left to others. Summaries written by others were vastly preferred.

Still, the new events of Rifts being opened by shards and the entire state of the world was enough to drive anyone to read. Which wasn't to say more noted authorities weren't incredibly welcome, despite tangled histories. Maria looked up from her small book pile, blinking in the (annoyingly) dim light as she heard footsteps.

"Grand Enchanter."

It was a title that Fiona didn't personally use anymore, there was no circle, it was merely a figurehead title now. Still she would not mince words.

Fiona was often seen within the Library as it was easily one of the quieter locations within Skyhold, but even she would agree that the light was not the best for reading. She often found herself reading by windows or taking books with her a few at a time into the daylight.

Right now she was currently replacing one of her borrowed books not too far away from where Maria was doing her research. This was not a face she recognized, only because she was familiar with who came and went in the library frequently. Still she nodded and arranged a friendly smile, "madame. Are you finding what you need well enough?"

"Knight-Captain Maria Hill."

She stood as she gave her introduction, inclining her head. Say what one would of Templar training, but it came with manners. At least in the Circles she had once been from. It also allowed her back to finally pop, the full realization for how long she had been trying at all this, alone, really descending on her.

"Knowing exactly what I need would help with that, I think. You haven't happened to find a layman's guide to Rifts and shards somewhere around, have you?"

"A pleasure."

Fiona was polite, there was no animosity in her, especially knowing that Templars and mages were going to have to cooperate from now on and that this was an imperative to success. It's what she wanted and what needed to happen really.

"I am afraid I have not...unfortunately most of these books are old in their content, I can show you where there is more information about the Fade. Rifts and shards, however, are an unusual phenomena."

Maria closed the book in front of her with a resigned sigh. She had figured as much after all this (afternoon) of looking. But there had been some small hope...

"How closely do you think they're tied? The Fade and these Shards."

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