The storied Tower On The Lake, Kinloch Hold, was just as starkly beautiful as Hilda had always dreamed it would be: a lonely spire perched upon still waters, preternaturally mirror-smooth, mysterious depths to reflect the unreadable nature of the mage-prison before her. They told stories of the Circle Towers in the farthest reaches of the mountainous north, where even the Chantry held only a tenuous foothold and the populace were fed as children upon tales of blood and glory; to find that some of them, at least, were rooted in truth was an exhilaration that only a bard could truly appreciate. This place.... this was history. Prison or no, the mantle of her ancestors felt flung around Hilda's shoulders, both protection and support, calling to her heritage.
Even standing on that shore, crouched at the water's edge, the tips of her fingers in the icy liquid - never had she seen an expanse of water, so far across, and so orange from the sky! - she felt drawn to it, to the rich tapestry the Tower wove with its very presence. How she longed to wander its halls, peruse its records, question its elders! Very likely they would not openly welcome her, even if they could not smell the witch-heritage in her blood, as the Templars were rumoured to do. Travel with Ser Aurin Demarc had done nothing to confirm nor deny such rumours, but he was, to all claims, not one who acted much like how a Templar should. One closer to the Chantry's teachings perhaps might have keener senses -
- and it was on this thought, shading her eyes at the water's edge from the sunset's vibrancy, she spotted the boat. Rising to her feet and still shading her eyes, Hilda heard a hailing from the dockside, from the youngest mage, Ashya.... and more surprisingly, an answering call from the boat. Aha. They were among old acquaintances, it seemed! Smiling, Hilda brushed her hands on her thighs and made her way back up to the dock. It was difficult to be unobtrusive to a meeting of friends when one was six feet tall, but she tried. Oh, she did try. And with that sweet smile, who could be upset?