#then there was the Laurel that the Gallows knew; she died when Jowan smashed lyrium potion into her scalp

[attractthecrows]

As much fun as Revallen and all his layers are to explore. there is something really nice about Laure and her lifetime of "Sure, Fine, Fuck Me I Guess" and "I will NOT be THWARTED!!"

like, it could have been fine. It could have! She could have grown up as an Amell of Kirkwall and stayed with her family. Probably wound up betrothed to some other noble loser. It could have worked. I'm gonna ramble so here's a cut.

It might have worked, but she was born in Kirkwall, and the spirits noticed her early. She had weird dreams, she'd hear voices sometimes... it was enough to spook her father. But she was so little that he told himself he was wrong... until one stormy night, when she called for help, and he walked into her bedroom and saw lightning sparking up and down his terrified daughter's arms in time with the thunder outside. And he turned around and locked the door behind him as he left her alone in her fear.

The next people that opened that door were the Gallows templars. And off she was dragged, her mother crying but doing nothing to stop it, her father staring at her with disgust in his eyes, to the Kirkwall Circle.

The Kirkwall Circle was, at this point, grossly overcrowded. They were already in the process of finding Circles willing to take excess apprentices; there was simply no room in the apprentices' dormitory for another little girl. So, as a temporary measure, she was paired with any free Enchanter. She rotated through several - but Orsino was her favorite, and the only one who could get her to talk. He was the one who learned her name - Laurel Amell. He taught her about spirits, and anything he could think of - which wound up being quite an eclectic jumble.

But eventually the Knight-Commander found a place for her in Kinloch, and sent two templars to take her there. They were not happy about this assignment. They didn't let her gather any belongings or say goodbye. They were mean and rough and impatient on the road, grossly unsuited for being in charge of a child. In a fit of frustration at the tangles, one of them hacked off her long hair. Etc. By the time they arrived at Kinloch, she was mute once again.

These templars also did not bother to learn her name. Essentially they shoved her toward Knight-Commander Greagoir and handed over the paperwork and fucked off to the barracks. So Greagoir gets to take her to Irving, who had been instructing a class.

They're trying to do introductions with a very shy and mute little girl. The paperwork only lists "Amell, L." The templars that brought her here don't know anything else nor do they care. Jowan and Surana barrel out of the adjacent classroom, fighting over a lyrium potion they just made that they want to show off to Irving and thoroughly interrupting. Jowan wrenches it out of Surana's grip. Surana trips him. The potion goes flying. The boys topple into Irving. Laurel tries to dodge and trips over Greagoir. The glass bottle full of lyrium potion smashes over her head, badly cutting her scalp and knocking her out cold. Irving and Greagoir still do not know her name.

But now they have more important things to worry about. Like whether or not this child is going to die of lyrium poisoning. So they whisk her off to the infirmary where Wynne (and Anders, learning the basics of healing) works on healing her. Jowan feels horribly responsible for what happened, so he's been hovering. Surana, not so much.

And they still don't know her name.

Wynne finds a written label on the inside of the girl's dress, but it's blurred and bleached from the lyrium. She hands it over to Anders, whose eyes are much younger, and he manages to read "L??RE?", which he pronounces as "Lore". That's all they can deduce: "Lore" Amell. It works for the infirmary; she's not even conscious. They can ask her more later, provided she lives.

And she does, obviously. She wakes a week later.

Wynne very carefully removes the bandage on her head, which is how Laure discovers that her hair has been bleached a brilliant shining white. During the examination, Wynne's just talking, to try to put the girl at ease. Where they are, what Wynne's been doing to help her, where the wound came from, where she'll be bunking, and here's the release papers please sign them, Jowan will take you to Irving, and please don't be afraid - she knows it's scary and strange, especially waking up in the infirmary after that introduction, but the enchanters only want to help and the templars are patient and fair. And by the way, they couldn't find her name in the paperwork, so please don't be offended if it's wrong, they can correct it later. And Jowan here has volunteered to help you get settled in...

Laure decides that the new name suits her fine. Laurel Amell is gone; she died the night that Daddy locked the door.

So Jowan takes Laure to Irving, apologizing all the while. Groveling, even. Begging forgiveness. etc. They get to Irving's office, and he has Jowan stand aside while he and Laure talk.

Irving asks her name. She tells him it's Laure. He asks if she's had any instruction. She tells him No, the Gallows were too crowded for her to attend classes, she had private studies with (list of enchanters, including Orsino). And at the mention of more and more high-ranking enchanters, Jowan is getting more and more stonefaced. just Kubrick staring at this kid he nearly killed. Beginning of the inferiority complex of all time.

and Irving laughs. He assigns her to basic apprentice lessons with plans to mentor her himself once the basics are covered.

And that's all that goes down BEFORE Origins.