When they arrived in Amaranthine, Kitranna went to go find Wynne, and left her companions on their own.
“Alright, I have to go find a friend of mine,” Kitranna told her companions. “You lot stay out of trouble.”
“We are not children, to be ordered around thus,” Nathaniel huffed.
“Speak for yourself,” Anders smirked, elbowing Nathaniel. “We’ll catch up, Surana.”
The Wardens (and Velanna) hovered about just outside the city for a bit, not wanting to draw too much attention. Eventually Velanna spotted a tree that took her interest and wandered over to it. Sigrun was quick on her heels.
“This is a beautiful tree,” Velanna said, looking up at the large tree. “I did not expect to find one thriving and healthy in a shemlen town.”
“Why not?” Sigrun asked. “I'm sure lots of people like pretty trees, even if they're human. I know I like them.”
“Of course you like trees,” Velanna folded her arms. “I swear I’ve seen you take handfuls of dirt and sniff them!”
Sigrun chuckled. “Oh—I can’t help it,” she rubbed the back of her head, flushing slightly. “It smells good! Anyway—why don’t you tell me about the tree?”
Velanna folded her arms. “I suppose you would not recognize it,” she grumbled. “This is a dahl'a'mythal—a tree of Mythal. Keepers' staves are cut from the wood of such trees.” she looked up at the tree. “Ilshae—Keeper Ilshae—had such a staff cut for me, for when I would take on her role.”
“Is it special? I mean—is a staff from one of these trees more magical, or stronger or something?”
Velanna paused for a long moment. “I do not think it affects my magic,” she said. “But it—it is worth something, to feel the strength of your people in your hands.”
Sigrun looked up at the tree. “Sounds nice,” she said. “The dwarves have something kinda like that—you know about the Ancestors and the Paragons and all of that?”
“A bit,” Velanna said. “Our Clan met some dwarven soldiers during the Blight. I have a passing knowledge of those things.”
“Your people seem a lot more willing to help you out than mine and me,” Sigrun said.
Velanna scowled. “Orzammar’s caste system is barbaric,” she said. “There is no need for it. You are one of their people. They should protect and help you as much as they do anyone else.”
“Sure,” Sigrun said. “I mean—I guess so. But—I don’t know. Shouldn’t I prove I’m worth more than they say? They shouldn’t be forced to accept me.”
“Yes they should,” Velanna said. “You owe them nothing. It is they who owe you.”
“Huh.” Sigrun looked up at the tree. “I don’t think I ever thought of it that way before.”
“Of course not. Why should you have?”
Kitranna met Wynne in a crowded pub near the center of Amaranthine. Wynne was easily spotted by another mage, as she wore spells of protection about her like a cape.
“Wynne, nice to see you,” Kitranna summoned a smile.
“It is good to see you as well, Surana,” Wynne said with a smile. “I contemplated visiting you at Vigil’s Keep but—well, things become busy.”
“What is it you needed to talk to me about?” Kitranna asked.
“Alistair thought perhaps you would wish to hear this news from a friend rather than an anonymous messenger—and I agreed.” Wynne said.
“What is it?” Kitranna frowned. “What’s the matter?”
Wynne sighed. “You recall that Fiona was staying in Denerim, to assist while Anora and Alistair cleaned up after the Blight?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“And you remember that a Seeker was to come and speak with Alistair.”
“Yeah...Wynne, what…?”
Wynne closed her eyes. “The Seeker—Seeker Lambert, the second to Lady Seeker Nicolene—was the Seeker who came. He decided that since there was no active Blight, Fiona, due to her—unusual circumstances, must return to the Circle.”
“Back to the Circle?” Kitranna whispered. “They sent Fiona back—they can't do that!” nausea rose in her stomach. “She's a Warden, how did they--?”
“She has no Taint,” Wynne said. “The Wardens of Weisshaupt said that the Chantry was well within their rights to ask her to return—the only reason she hadn't done so sooner is because they didn't insist.”
Kitranna shook her head. “This doesn’t make any sense. Since when can the Chantry interfere with the Wardens?”
Wynne shrugged and spread her hands. “According to Alistair, the laws concerning mages and Wardens become extremely murky after a certain point. They can be read one way or another.”
“Then why haven’t they dragged all the mages back to the Circles?” Kitranna asked. “They were giving me grief about being a noble, but--”
Wynne sighed. “Now that the Blight is over, they may try that soon,” she admitted. “The Chantry is frightened. The Chantry is already worried about losing its hold on the Circles, and the Circles themselves--” Wynne pinched the bridge of her nose. “This business with the Wardens is just making everything more tense,” she said. “The Libertarians wish to pull away entirely from the Chantry, and this is just convincing them further of their cause.”
“The College of Enchanters is meeting in Cumberland this year, right?” Kitranna asked.
Wynne nodded. “Hopefully, we can come to an agreement,” she said. “But with the Chantry pushing to hard on the mages and upon King Alistair--” she shook her head, her expression pained.
“Enchanter Cera said a lot of the same things,” Kitranna said. “Nothing about Fiona, though. I guess she didn’t know either, but she said the Chantry was getting bent out of shape about lots of things.”
Wynne nodded.
Kitranna dug her fingernails into her scalp, staring at the wood of the table. “Cera said the best way to try and calm everyone down would be for me to go back to the Circle,” she said.
Wynne nodded. “Surana,” she put her hand on Kitranna’s shoulders. “This is not your fault.”
“I never said it was.”
“It isn’t your fault, but you are the catalyst through which much of this has happened,” Wynne said, tightening her grip on Surana’s shoulder. “The Chantry sees one mage gaining a great deal of power very quickly, by irregular means, and that frightens them. And when the Chantry is frightened, the Circles become frightened as well. Frightened people make bad decisions.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Kitranna demanded, thumping a fist on her chest. “I have this darkspawn problem to deal with, and I can’t go back to the Circle, Wynne, I won’t.”
“Perhaps if you inform the Chantry of the darkspawn problem, they will understand the necessity for more Wardens,” Wynne said thoughtfully. “If they pull back from the Wardens, the Circles will be calmer.”
Kitranna nodded slowly, the tightness in her chest easing. “That’s a good idea," she said. “You think I should contact the Chantry directly?” she stroked her chin.
“If you came into contact with Leliana, she may be able to point you in the right direction,” Wynne said. “She has a great number of contacts within the Chantry, and hopefully with more information cooler heads will prevail.”
Kitranna sighed. “Hopefully,” she said. “Probably not. You know what they’re like.”
“The Chantry or the Circle?”
“Both. Either.’ Kitranna waved a hand. “I just—tell me how to find Leliana, I’ll talk to her about this. Try and keep the other Enchanters calm, alright? We still don’t even know what was the thing about all the demon attacks during the Blight…”
Wynne pursed her lips. “And the peculiar dreams, as well.”
Kitranna nodded. “Exactly. It hasn’t stopped, as far as I know--’
“I haven’t had any overtly unusual interactions with spirits,” Wynne said. “Nor has anyone else, as far as I have been able to tell. Perhaps now that the Blight is over, the Fade is calmer, but…”
“But you don’t think so.”
Wynne shook her head. “I am not certain of anything.”
Kitranna looked away. “Me either.”
“Have you been well, otherwise?" Wynne asked.
Kitranna snorted. “No, of course not.”
Wynne nodded sagely, a knowing look in her eye. “You miss Morrigan.”
“Yeah...I mean, that’s definitely part of it.”
Wynne sighed. “She would never have stayed.”
Kitranna looked at her sharply. “You don’t know that. Maybe...if things were different…” she faltered.
“At the moment, she is not here,” Wynne said. “And that hurts you.”
Kitranna avoided her gaze. “Should it not?”
“It is normal for these things to hurt, but you cannot let it distract you.” Wynne caught her eyes. “There are larger things at work. You cannot afford to have your mind on anything but the task at hand.”
“I know,” Kitranna said. “I know.” they were silent for a few minutes. “How’ve you been?” Kitranna asked at length. “Holding up alright?”
“I am well,” Wynne said. “I am no longer fighting darkspawn every waking moment, so I daresay I am doing much better than I was when we were traveling.”
Kitranna snorted. “Yeah, the fighting darkspawn thing is pretty tiring.” she leaned back in her chair. “Our last scuffle was a week ago and I’m still feeling it—and that’s with a spirit healer and all!” she sat up. “Did I tell you about Anders?”
Wynne furrowed her brow. “Not the young lad who jumped into the lake?”
“That’s the one.”
They chatted for a bit longer about things, mostly ones inconsequential. Wynne worried a bit about what taking in a known malcontent like Anders might do for the Chantry’s perception of the Wardens, but agreed that a spirit healer was needed on Kitranna’s team regardless.
After a few hours, they parted ways. Wynne had a large number of things she needed to do before leaving for Nevarra, and Kitranna needed to get back to her own companions. She found the others where she had left them, looking bored but generally whole.
“Glad you lot didn’t get into trouble,” Kitranna said.
“What trouble would we have gotten into?” Nathaniel asked with a slight frown. “You were only gone for a few hours.”
“You’d be surprised what you can manage in a few hours,” Anders said with a grin in Nathaniel’s direction.
They were on their way out of Amaranthine when someone recognized Anders. An elf woman, leaning against a stone wall, saw him and waved them over.
“‘Bout time you showed up,” the woman pushed off of the wall she was leaning on.
“Excuse me?” Kitranna snapped.
“Namaya?” Anders said, recognizing the woman. “You’re still here?”
“I keep my promises,” Namaya informed him. “Here—turns out you were right. The cache is here, in Amaranthine.”
“It is?” Anders said in surprise. “You found it?”
Namaya waved him off. “Yeah. What you do with that is up to you. I for one am done dealing with mages.”
“You have a problem with mages?” Kitranna demanded, stepping forward.
Namaya blinked at her. “Who are you?”
“That’s the Warden-Commander,” Anders told her. “Long story. Surana—it’s fine, she’s a friend.”
Kitranna eyed Namaya dangerously. Namaya glared at her right back.
“Well...anyway…” Anders interjected. “I guess I should...thank you?”
“Damn right you should,” Namaya said. “Look, if you get caught, Anders, I’m not helping you again. That’s all I’m saying.”
Namaya left, and Kitranna glared at Anders.
“I...suppose that requires some explanation,” Anders said.
“Yes,” Kitranna growled. “It does.”
“She’s normally more welcoming than that!” he said. “A Lot more!”
“That’s not what my problem is.”
“Look--the last time I escaped the Tower, I asked her to look into some things. That’s why I was in Amaranthine in the first place, to meet up with her.”
“So you’re a little late, then.”
“More than a little.”
“What were these ‘things’ you wanted her to look into?”
“During the Blight, and everything that happened in Denerim, the Templars moved the phylacteries from Denerim to Amaranthine,” Anders explained. “And mine is in there.”
Kitranna bit her lip. “If yours is there, mine is too, probably,” she said. “The Templars shouldn’t be going after Wardens, but…” she trailed off.
“If they have that blood, they can track us,” Anders agreed. “And what’s to stop the Chantry from declaring mages in the Wardens are apostates, too?’
“Not much,” Kitranna said, taking a breath. “Maybe even less than there used to be.”
“That’s promising.’
“Look, we’ll go find the phylacteries,” Kitranna said. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, remembering her conversation with Wynne. “But if the Templars find out about it….”
“Then what?” Anders asked. Kitranna didn’t say anything for a long time. “Surana? What is it?”
“Look, if we do this, the Chantry might see it as more reason to push on the Wardens,” she said. “The Seekers are already hounding Alistair—King Alistair—and they already sent one mage Warden back to the Circle.”
“What?” Anders exclaimed. “Who?”
“You wouldn’t know her—Warden Fiona, she was never at Calenhad, but she was with the Wardens.”
“And they sent her back to the Circle?” Anders shook his head. “That’s just more reason for us to do this before they come up with a reason to drag us back, too.”
“Or, we’ll just be giving them a reason,” there was a sinking feeling in Kitranna’s gut. “We’re stuck either way. If we don’t, there’s a chance the Chantry will back down, and leave us alone…”
Anders shook his head. “They won’t.”
Kitranna scowled. “No. they probably won’t.” she knew that Wynne would tell her this wasn’t a wise course of action. The better idea would probably be to back off. “But if we push them, they’ll definitely push back. If we leave off...” she shook her head. “Bastards,” she snarled. “If they could just leave us alone to begin with…” she took a deep breath. The idea of her phylactery, her leash, being so close made her blood boil.
They had no right to hold any leash of hers. She was a Warden, and so was Anders.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go find those phylacteries.”
The cache was being kept in a warehouse on the far end of the city.
“This seems like a bad idea,” Nathaniel said.
“Don’t care,” Kitranna said. “You lot stay put. Keep an eye out in case something goes wrong.”
The door to the warehouse was unlocked, making Kitranna raise an eyebrow. She and Anders exchanged a look and went inside.
The inside was dark and dusty, scattered with crates and odd bits of supplies. There were no people inside.
“No guards…” Anders muttered.
“This doesn’t look good,” Kitranna said.
“Do you think we might actually be that lucky?”
“No.” Kitranna put a hand on her blade. “I think this is a trap.”
“Then we should probably leave.”
Before they could do so, a tall woman in Templar plate strode out of a back room.
“And here I thought the infamous Anders wouldn’t take the bait,” she said. She was flanked by two other Templars, also wearing full plate. Kitranna bared her teeth.
“Ah, yes, I suppose I should have known it would be you,” Anders rolled his eyes.
“He's a Warden,” Kitranna snapped, pointing at Anders. “You don't have any authority over him, so I suggest you back off.”
The Templar woman looked at Kitranna, her eyes narrowed. “Warden-Commander. You made a poor choice with this one.” Kitranna suddenly recognized her as the Templar who had initially been escorting Anders back to the Circle when they stopped at Vigil’s Keep.
“Have you been following him the whole time?” Kitranna demanded. ‘What’s the point in setting up a trap for a Warden? Shouldn’t you have gone back to the Circle?” there was a sinking feeling in her gut.
“You can’t arrest me anyway!” Anders exclaimed. “King Alistair allowed my conscription!”
“The Chantry supersedes the Crown in this matter,” the woman said with a sniff.
Kitranna stepped back, grabbing onto Anders’ sleeve as she did so. “Then why did you even allow it?” she demanded. “What are you trying to pull here?’
“We will ensure that this murderer never bothers anyone again,” the Templar said. “That is all we wish to do.”
Kitranna shook her head. “No—no, I don’t think so,” she pulled out her sword, and lightning ran along the blade.
“I would not do that if I were you, Commander.” the Templars tensed.
“And if I were you, I wouldn’t go around bothering Wardens, but it’s a little late for that,” Kitranna snapped. “Unless you want to back off, now.”
The Templar scowled. “You cannot wish him to be under your command,” she said.
“I don’t think that’s your call to make, is it?” she turned the sword over in her hand. “Decide. Either you leave right now, or you get the wrong end of this.”
The Templars all exchanged dark looks.
“On your own head be it, Commander,” the head Templar said with a scowl. “Just remember—you came here with him. This little display will not end things.”
The Templars left, keeping their eye on Kitranna and Anders the whole time.
“I wonder if Namaya knew about this?” Anders said, watching them go.
Kitranna shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Something else is going on here.”
Andetrs looked at her. “You really think so?”
Kitranna nodded sharply. “Why would they go to all the trouble of luring you into a trap, if they knew you were a Warden?” she asked. “What’s the point? What were they trying to do?”
“They can’t stand it when spirit healers leave the Circle,” Anders pointed out. “It’s like how they never let Tranquil out, ever, even to somewhere they’d be safe.” Anders’ expression turned sour. “We provide them a service. Healers heal the Templars, Tranquil give them enchantments. They’d never let us go.”
“But this--” Kitranna waved a hand. “This is going directly against the Wardens. Why would they do that?” she shook her head. “I knew the Chantry was pushing us, but this far--?”
“Come on,” Anders said. “Shouldn’t we be getting back to Vigil’s Keep? I mean—I don’t really want to talk about this right here.”
Kitranna nodded. “Good point. Let’s get out of here.”
The others met them right outside the warehouse.
“Anders!” Nathaniel hurried up to Anders, the others following on his heel. “Are you alright?”
“I'm fine, I'm fine,” Anders assured him.
“What happened?” Sigrun asked Kitranna. “We saw a bunch of Templars coming out of here--”
“It’s alright,” Kitranna assured her.
“Why were they here?” Velanna demanded. “What did they want?”
“They wanted Anders,” Kitranna explained, gesturing to the spirit healer.
“What for?” Velanna’s lip curled. “What possible use could they have for him?”
“He is a Warden,” Justice said with a slight frown. “Kristoff’s memories tell me that mage Wardens are not supposed to be hunted by Templars. This does not make sense.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Kitranna agreed.
“You are quite sure you're alright?” Nathaniel asked Anders.
“Yes, yes, I'm fine!” Anders said. “Stop fussing,” he rubbed his forehead. “What do we do now?” he asked Kitranna.
“Go back to Vigil’s Keep,” she said. “See what we can do about the darkspawn, and see if we can complain about the Chantry to someone.”
“Like who?”
Kitranna shrugged, and the group began to walk while she thought. “Maybe Alistair could do something…”
“They already got him to demote you from bein’ a noble,” Oghren pointed out. “You might wanna think about going to someone else.”
“Who else am I supposed to get help from?” Kitranna demanded. “Culwydd doesn’t care about the Chantry, and they probably wouldn’t listen to her anyway, unless she did something stupid like try to cut off lyrium trade—Maker knows they wouldn’t listen to the Dalish, and all the senior enchanters from the Circle are headed to Nevarra to try and cool everything off.” she sucked a breath in through her teeth. “I don’t know what else we can do,” she admitted.
“Surely there is something!” Velanna said. “You cannot let them run all over you like this!”
“I’m not going to,” Kitranna snapped. “I just--we have to think about this.”
The trip from Amaranthine to Vigil’s Keep was tense. The darkspawn didn’t make any new moves, but all the mages were jumpy, waiting for more Templars to come after them.
“They won’t give up,” Anders confided in Surana. “They never give up.”
Kitranna’s lip curled. “Let them try something,” she snarled. “Just let them try.”
“That’s what I’m worried about…” Anders shook his head.
Sigrun had come up with a nickname for Velanna.
“Gimle-vael?” Velanna said. “What in the name of the Creators does that mean?”
Sigrun chuckled. “It's a compliment!” she assured Velanna, patting her arm. “It means 'pretty star.”
“Oh.” Velanna was quiet for a moment. “Thank you.” she paused again, then added “In Dalish, to say that, you would say, 'uvun'inansha,” Velanna explained. “Or 'uvunudh.'” she frowned. “But that would not mean anything.”
“No?”
“No, because it would make more sense to call—to say--” she stumbled over her words. “It would make more sense to call a friend—ah—ma'halla, or—ara'lin.” she flushed.
Sigrun smiled. “And would you call me that?”
“I—I--” Velanna was even redder now. “I—I could,” she said at last, bright red.
“You should,” Sigrun informed her. “We’re friends, right?”
Velanna paused. “I suppose…”
“You’d let me know if we weren’t friends, wouldn’t you?” Sigrun elbowed her with a slight grin.
“I am not in the habit of being friendly with people I dislike,” Velanna said.
“That’s what I thought.” Sigrun hummed to herself. “Gimle-vael is a bit long, though,” she said.
“You are the one who came up with it.”
“I know! How about...ibine?”
“What does that mean?” Velanna sighed.
“Gemstone.”
“Oh. I suppose that is...acceptable.” Velanna was still a little red, and avoided Sigrun’s eyes.
Sigrun smiled.