Coan Bryland ; the ferelden noble (coan) wrote in thedas,
When he heard the Warden-Commander's traveling plans while still in Gwaren, Coan wasn't exactly sure what to do with himself. Their first major stop would be to the Circle Tower to request the help of the magi. He'd seen some before, wandering around Denerim, but he'd never been around so many of them at once, and he'd never actually met one face to face. He realized his excitement was a little ridiculous, but he found the power they controlled - and how they controlled it - to be fascinating. Once they'd left the last camp before reaching the tower, Coan spending his time daydreaming about what it must have been like to live there, and how amazing it must be to be a mage.
When they arrived, though, the excitement was turned around. He certainly wasn't expecting such a huge reception. He thought maybe there'd be some polite hand shaking, thank their hosts for having them, ask them for some recruits, and be on their way. The coming of the Warden-Commander, though, was a bigger deal than he realized. There was also the fact that he hadn't expected to be treated so lavishly, as if he'd already forgotten that he had been in line to inherit a title that, in a way, was just under that of king. All the excitement had Noa just as giddy as her master. They were surrounded by people who paid attention to her - it was like she was expecting to be treated the same way she had been back in Gwaren. And she might as well have been. All Coan could hope was that she kept herself out of the larder.
She didn't, though - in fact, he'd kept a pretty close eye on her all day. After their arrival, Coan and his Orlesian companion were allowed to rest a bit before they were taken around the tower on a tour, while Alistair met with the First Enchanter and the Knight-Commander. As much as he liked exploring, and really enjoyed seeing the nooks and crannies of the tower, Coan hated feeling like some sort of tourist. He humored the tour guide, though - it would have been rude not to - and he understood that they might not want random people running around the tower, but he was responsible enough not to touch things that looked like they shouldn't be touched.
After the tour, they enjoyed their time at the banquet, which was even more extravagant than the greeting. Coan could barely eat for talking with his hosts, but Noa had no such problem. She was well fed and loving all of the ridiculous attention she was getting. When the festivities were over, he retired to his assigned quarters, but laid in bed restless. The day's events had been so exciting, and he had yet to get over the fact that he was in thee Circle Tower, surrounded by exceptionally skilled mages. After a while, he could no longer stand to lay anxious in bed, and decided that he and Noa needed to take a walk. He remembered the ins and outs of the winding corridors, and knew if he got lost, all he'd have to do was follow an inside wall - or find a templar. He didn't think that was going to be necessary, though.
Wandering around until he found another open, inviting door, he could tell it wasn't empty, although all he could see was an empty desk and the flickering glow of candles. Approaching the door cautiously - like a child who knew he shouldn't have been sneaking around at such an hour - he poked his head into the door to see if anyone was inside. What he found was a room full of bookcases, more than he'd probably ever seen before. Looking down to Noa, he signaled for her to stay quiet, finally noticing that there were actually a few people in the room. Entering, he noticed that the present templars afforded him a quick glance before returning to their conversation and allowing him to wander in wonder. Turning down an aisle, he saw Noa look up sharply, then turned his gaze in the same direction. There was a young woman sitting atop one of the towering bookshelves, legs dangling over the edge as she looked out over the collection of books. "I imagine the view from there must be impressive." He smiled wryly as he peered upward. "I'm a little jealous. I might have to join you."