Gradually the laughter faded as he quickly shimmied up the pipe and reached across to catch the fluttering ribbon. By the time he had it firmly in his hands the alley below was deathly silent, but he paid them no mind as he dropped back down to the ground and turned to face the girl with the red hair.

She didn't looked quite the same as she did a month ago. She seemed to have hacked off most of her hair and now it was an uneven mess that framed her grubby face, though the colour was no less striking. She also wore plain clothing that seemed to make her fade into the background. But her eyes defied that. They stood out above every attempt she'd made to diminish her looks, like swirling pools of green and blue beneath long dark lashes. She glared at him as he approached. He gave her a smile to show he meant no harm, and held up the ribbon to her. She did not take it though. So instead he stepped forward to put it on her. He tied the ribbon around her forehead and then stepped back to see her reaction. She blushed as she looked up at him. The light caught on the metal plate of her ribbon and the symbol of Bellmare flashed in his eyes. He was sure she was grateful, but just didn't know how to express it. Until she punched him in the gut.

As Alistair fell to the ground, the girl scowled at the bully who had accosted her originally and pressed her thumb to her ribbon.

"I am Kenna Scylla of Bellmare! One day I'll be the greatest mage in the world and don't you forget it!" She said as she shoved her way out of the ring of spectators and ran off.

Finally able to breathe, Alistair rolled onto his back and stared skyward. "Kenna Scylla," he murmured wonderingly between coughs.

“What a horrible girl!” He thought. The bullies looked down at him and he could tell that he'd spoiled their fun, but Alistair had the unusual gift of popularity and people found it difficult to dislike him even when he was doing stupid things like this. Even the worst bullies didn't have the heart, or perhaps the nerve, to pick on him. Except for Elyan. She was always picking on him.

"You're such a bleeding heart, Alistair," someone said as they helped him up.

"I should punch you too for being such a wimp," the bully said.

"It wouldn't be half as hard as the one I just got," said Alistair.

The gang dispersed and Alistair sat up slowly, clutching his stomach. Kenna hit as hard as Max did, and that was nothing to be taken lightly. If he ever saw her again it would be far too soon. As he was catching his breath, he almost forgot about his test results. They'd fallen out of his hand when she punched him, and he sat rubbing his stomach for a long time before he collected them and carried on his search for Lance. He found him at the training grounds, sitting against the wall as he tapped a pencil against a small notebook in his lap.