Áine is a mage from Kinloch Tower. She was there during the blight and had Cullen as one of her acquaintances.
She fell in love with him but was too shy to say something about it. Nevertheless, he was in love with her friend Amell and didn't know sh...
What was Áine doing when the Chantry was blown up?
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Around three years before that day, the Arishok fought Hawke in a battle that led the mage to be known as the Champion of Kirkwall. Everyone thought that, as the Champion was a mage, things would change for the circle. Fools, all of them.
As Knight-Commander Meredith stepped in and assumed control of Kirkwall after the death of Viscount Marlowe in the First Battle of Kirkwall, she oppressed the Circle more violently than before. When Áine first arrived there, she thought the number of tranquils was high, but now with Meredith in control of everything...
Áine never wanted to make friends here, but with each passing day Nina was gaining her heart, and the two of them became almost inseparable, of course, it would never be like Amell. They traded stories and looked after each other. Nina always asked her for advice, and she always tried her best to answer. Despite their growing friendship Áine never told Nina about Aiden or Cullen. It was too much, too painful.
"Is everything alright Áine?" Nina asked from the door.
The face, the body, and the voice were the same, but the Nina that stood there wasn't and would never be the Nina she once knew. The life that once could be seen in her eyes had faded. The simple laughter, the familiar smile, it was all gone. What stood there was but a shadow of what once was an amusing mage.
"No, nothing is fine." She stood up and paced.
Áine was angry. No, she was feeling guilty. Guilty because she had left Amell behind, she knew Kinloch was nothing like Kirkwall, but she had left her there alone. Guilty because she left everyone behind, she ran away. Guilty because she couldn't help Aiden, she should have seen he was suffering, and she could have helped. Guilty because she let him do that to her. Guilty because she couldn't help Nina, she should have told her to stop seeing Paul, even though, she knew they really loved each other. Guilty because she still loved Cullen, and often would go to the training yard to watch him. Guilty because she was afraid, she loved Cullen so much, but looking at tranquil Nina, she knew what would be waiting for her if anyone found out, and she wouldn't deny it. She couldn't.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" She took some steps in Áine's direction.
"Thank you, Nina, but I just need to be alone."
She watched as Nina left the room and closed the door. She wished she could go back in time, go back eight years to when she was fifteen, and all she worried was about books, spells, and learning. When her life was much simpler.
She didn't notice, but all this time, she had been stroking the scar on her jawline. It wasn't particularly ugly, but it was visible against her light brown skin. A thin white line starting at her jaw and finishing at the chin, a reminder of what she was and would always be to him. One more painful scar, another painful memory.
