#its fine to not like alistair

[vigilskeep]

mental note next to the list in my head of minerva’s principles/lines she won’t cross that says “okay but it would be sexy if she used her companions as blood batteries more often. minerva have you considered that it would be sexy”

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

This week on "CJ needs to gush about DAO": Morrigan's dark ritual.

I adore Origins because depending on how serious you take roleplay, every decision you make is a thread that leads back to your origin, and in this case of the ritual, who you choose to romance can have a major impact on how you handle this choice.

For context, my canon run is with a female Tabris who romances Alistair and keeps him as a Grey Warden, and is close friends with Morrigan. It's more in character for my Tabris to reject Morrigan's ritual and not even bring it up to Alistair, which would result in her leaving him behind while she makes the ultimate sacrifice in killing the archdemon... however, agreeing to convince Alistair to do the ritual with Morrigan is the only choice in the entire game where I break roleplay because I'm selfish and weak and I want Tabris to live.

I have a lot of strong feelings about the ritual, like it hurts me. It makes me want to chew on furniture. I can talk about it until I can talk no more. I so badly want to be strong enough to remain in character and reject the ritual.

Let me explain: Tabris survives an origin that deals with sexual assault. She gets kidnapped on her wedding day, she watches the other kidnapped women and her husband get murdered, and then is too late to save Shianni from being assaulted... and Tabris carries that trauma with her throughout the entire game.

If the way to save her life is to ask the two most important people she cares about; one being her lover and the other being her best friend; who she knows hate each other, to have dubiously consensual sex in order to make a baby to absorb the old god soul... she's saying no. The last thing Tabris would ever do is put someone into a sexual situation where consent is at all dubious after what she saw happen to Shianni and nearly happened to herself. She'd rather die than force that upon Alistair and Morrigan.

That's what I mean when I say origin affects everything; I know some will side eye that with "Really? Your warden would rather die than let Alistair sleep with another woman? It's one time, and Alistair agrees to it, so no one needs to die?"

Let me be clear in saying this isn't a "Morrigan slept with my man" issue. Sure, that part's awkward and it sucks, but that's not even breaking water tension, let alone diving into the deep waters to the core of the issue.

For my Tabris, this is about betrayal, consent, and accepting fate.

The person offering Tabris this deal is someone she thought of as a trusted friend who has actually been lying to her the entire time. It doesn't matter what Morrigan's intentions are now or if she genuinely wants to save the wardens. She knew from the beginning why Flemeth sent her with them, she admits as much. She knew a warden would need to make the ultimate sacrifice and then leveraged that to get what she wants. Morrigan waited until the night before, when Alistair and the warden learn one of them has to die to defeat the archdemon, and took advantage of the high running emotions and possibly the fear of dying to make the warden agree to her ritual.

At least, that's how my Tabris interprets this confrontation. She feels betrayed by someone she came to love like a sister and went out of her way to help Morrigan with her mother upon learning what's in Flemeth's grimoire. And then that someone tells her no one needs to die, she just needs to convince Alistair to sleep with her... which is a huge fucking problem.

The Alistair and Tabris romance is slow; it took a long time for either of them to be comfortable with being emotionally vulnerable and trusting each other with basic intimacy, let alone sex. Tabris is mortified at the idea of putting Alistair in this situation. Not only would it feel like a betrayal on her part to ask that of him, but she knows the last thing Alistair ever wants to do is father a bastard who then goes on to grow up without him. How could she possibly ask him to do that?

Then you consider that ritual or no, there isn't a guarantee that they'll survive anyway. Say they do the ritual and Tabris dies anyway; she made Alistair sleep with Morrigan in order to save her and then she died anyway. Or if Alistair dies then Tabris gets to live with the fact that the last person Alistair was with was a woman he hates because she asked that of him… and either way, Morrigan gets to walk away with what she wanted.

Tabris led the group, and she's accepted that if Riordan dies [which he does] then she'll be the one to make the sacrifice, even if it means breaking both hers and Alistair's heart.... except she doesn't because I'm a coward who doesn't want to lose her because my worldstate isn't good without her in it but I also refuse to lose Alistair so I just pretend it plays out differently in my head it's fine-

But... that's how I play Tabris and view the situation. My friend @pi-creates and I have discussed the dark ritual at length. While I play a Tabris who romances Alistair, Pi plays a Mahariel who romances Morrigan, so we have vastly different interpretations of the ritual itself and Morrigan's intentions.

Which yeah, it makes total sense that someone who romanced Morrigan with a different origin, and has the option to do the ritual with her rather than asking someone else to do it, wouldn't see this the way I do.

To quote Pi: "Playing as a male warden in the Morrigan romance makes the whole situation feel different, and maybe it’s because she’s presenting it differently due to the emotional connection, but it feels more like she’s opening up about her initial instructions (that she had been given by Flemeth) and offering a solution to avoid the possibility of death. And for my Mahariel, the constant threat of sudden death has haunted him from the start – he caught the blight and was ripped away from his clan (something he did not want to do in the slightest), got forced into a Grey Warden ritual that could kill him, was forced into a battle that could kill him, going on this whole quest that he never wanted but has now become responsible for regardless of his thoughts on the matter… the dark ritual may be one of the few moments where he is presented with an option to decide if he wants to walk into certain death, or take actions of his own volition to stop it.

"The idea of the ritual still feels like a dodgy thing to do since the ultimate outcome is unknown at that point, he’s taking Morrigan at her word that it will save the warden and that this child would be unharmed, just with an old god soul that she isn’t exactly clear on why she wants that and is determined to runaway immediately after the battle to secure it properly. It could be interpreted that it’s purely a preservation thing, but I’m biased to wanting Morrigan's intentions to not be power based.

"But also, taking part in the ritual isn’t as outlandish for my warden since he and Morrigan have already been involved in an intimate relationship. It’s the future of the ritual that is scarier – the idea of this old-god baby, and the idea of Morrigan insisting that she’s leaving afterwards when Mahariel and her have a loving relationship. He’s hurting, but he doesn’t want to die, he doesn’t want Alistair to die, he doesn’t want Morrigan to leave, he definitely doesn’t want pregnant Morrigan to leave on her own… it’s complicated, but for completely different reasons."

And I find that fascinating. I want to know how other players approach this part of DAO, what origins they play, and who they romanced. Seriously, this is an invitation to anyone reading to share their thoughts.

What about a warden who doesn't even have Alistair in their party because they made Loghain a warden? Is there anyone out there who has Loghain do the ritual with Morrigan and why? What about male wardens who don't romance her? Do you choose to do it with her anyway, or do you ask Alistair or Loghain to do it? Do you tell Morrigan to fuck off with the ritual? Why? Who makes the ultimate sacrifice in that case? And what about Morrigan herself? How do you interpret her intentions/motivations? I want to know.

I'm telling you, this is a discussion that gets me excited, as most discussions about DAO do.

[thewardenisonthecase]

Okay I have to talk about everyone and their mother in Inquisition calling Corypheus funky dragon an archdemon cause I'm like people, people, you had a Blight ten years ago. When there's an archdemon, there's a bunch of darkspawn going to the surface and fucking shit up. They get organized. Are you seeing any of that? No, because it's not a fucking archdemon.

ALSO, it's even more baffling they keep calling it that if you get the Wardens to join the Inquisition because then any warden (that's not blackwall) could verify that it's not an Archdemon since they're not having weird dreams, or the fact that they wouldn't sense it.

I'm just aaaaaa every time they call it an Archdemon, my girl Cousland did not go through all that for y'all to say this funky ass red lyrium dragon is an archdemon

[janewayintersection]

hi! loved your take on fandom's obsession with sarcastic characters, I feel like you 🤝 thus i wonder: who was your LI and / or favorite character in dao? if you're comfortable answering

HEY!! I’M JUST GLAD I’M NOT ALONE! 🤝🤝🤝🤝

OMG DW i'd love to share!! i have two wardens (amell and mahariel) and romanced leliana and alistair with them respectively. id romance morrigan, but i have chronic 'loves playing as a girl' disorder ;_; iirc i hardened leliana and didn't harden alistair and kept him as a warden. i really like his cameo as a warden in dai! also i soften leliana in dai. and im sick and twisted and in the save state where i romance her i make cass the divine solely so my amell and leliana can live with their nugs :,,,) still waiting on a happy ending for my mahariel and alistair though………

favorites wise, hmm. that’s hard!! morrigan is one for sure. girls who are SO mean but warm up <3 (can you tell i also like miranda from mass effect LMAO) throw leliana and alistair in there as well. i also like sten! dao is def my fav of the dragon age games (though i also love 2 and inquisition).

my more predictable picks for other rpgs are cullen and josephine from dai, wyll and shadowheart from baldur’s gate, and preston and danse from fo4 :,)……. and of course, kaidan in mass effect. do you see how i struggle so. Every Day I See A Bad Take.

[feralcleric]

according to the in-game stats im 57% done w DAO and now considering starting it all tf overrrr

[thedragonagelesbian]

turntables or something...

[pentaghast]

if im honest i like king alistair w a warden queen! theyre happy ur honor!!!

[sleepys-sunny-garden]

haiiiiiiiii how's yousssssss :3333

oh god a tranny get it away! ahhh!

[ghost-bard]

Whats wild is i know that if morrigan liked women shed be my go to romance shes up there with shale in terms of how much i like her

[darethshirl]

I bet the reason the reblogger called Alistair a good follower is because that was what they experienced, because they made the choices Alistair approved of. Which literally proves the point of this post! And I bet the reason they pointed out the king decision in particular (and not something that makes him angrier like, say, sparing Loghain) is because again that’s the first time that what they as the player wanted clashed with what Alistair wanted, and they had to deal his pettiness and anger.

Like yeah Alistair will be probably be unhappy as a king. You know who else is probably very unhappy and stressed being a leader? The Warden. I’m not saying all Wardens feel that way, but it’s a real possibility for them to do si, and the game doesn’t let you call Alistair out on that hypocrisy. Why is it mean/controlling when the Warden makes Alistair a king (for whatever internal justification given) but understandable when Alistair does the same out of weakness/selfishness? Why isn’t there a dialogue line available saying “The situation is dire and you need to step up and do your best, just like *I* did when you forced this position on me?”

A thing I wish DAO went into more: the way Alistair is in some ways incredibly selfish. Like, the way he refuses to take charge of the group is treated as kind of endearing in the text, but the game doesn't really get into what a massive burden he just... drops on the junior Warden present with no warning or discussion. Think about it: the Warden is heavily implied to be very young (possibly younger than Alistair, definitely around the same age), most of them have no real experience in leadership, several of them have no experience in the world outside their small corner, all of them have only been Wardens for a few days. And Alistair dumps leadership of the group on them and refuses to take any of that weight. Does your Warden like leadership? Are they any good at it? Is it exhausting and difficult for them? Alistair doesn't care! He doesn't want to lead, and that means you have to lead, and whether or not you want to lead has no bearing on that. It's not a discussion, there's no suggestion of sharing the responsibility of leadership as the Wardens of the group; Alistair metaphorically throws the responsibility at you and runs.

But if you go for low approval with Alistair it's basically all about calling him childish and immature, even though I think a much more compelling low approval dynamic is the Warden despising Alistair for putting so much on them with no hesitation, but being stuck with him (because they know as well as he does that they need all hands on deck Warden-wise) and stuck with that burden of leadership (because a Warden kind of has to be in charge of the group and even if one didn't no one else in the group would be very good as a leader in this situation, and Alistair has made it very clear that he won't take it). Even at high approval it would be very compelling to have this sense of resentment at how Alistair just assumed they'd take on the burden of leadership and refuses to take any of it for himself. But that aspect gets completely ignored in the story, you don't really get the chance to raise the matter aside from asking why you're in charge despite him being the senior Warden present a couple of times.

It also adds something really spicy to the fallout of sparing Loghain, though, because... Alistair forced the Warden to take on leadership. He made them be the one to make these hard choices. It's never been a discussion, it's never been the Warden's choice whether or not they take on responsibility for these tough decisions, Alistair always just expects them to do it. And now they've made a call he doesn't like, and he abandons the group on the eve of battle because of his wounded feelings? I'd argue that's as much a betrayal as sparing Loghain if not more so, and certainly more of a betrayal of Duncan's memory; Duncan understood that a good Warden must be driven by necessity, not emotion or even morality, and I feel like in the Warden's place he likely would've made the same call. They need Wardens around to kill the Archdemon, as many as they can get, and even one more could make the difference between victory and defeat. The Warden and Alistair may not know the details, but with the most senior Warden present saying they should make Loghain a Warden instead of killing him a logical assumption would be he has a very good reason for saying so and maybe they should listen to him! I would've loved it if during the argument with Alistair after sparing Loghain you could really get into that "You forced the responsibility of making these decisions on me when I never wanted or asked for it, you don't get to throw a tantrum now that I've made one you don't like" aspect of it, but you... don't. And that's a shame, because it takes a lot of depth away from his dynamic with the Warden.

[rin-hanarin]

Ok, even I can't defend the three choices bs explained with a "Southern Thedas is an entirely different region and it's not relevant to what we want to show in the game."

Like. Ok, fine, there was a timeskip, you can either kill or not recruit half of the characters, they realistically wouldn't have been able to flesh out every choice since Origins, even though they kinda have to account for it still at least with Morrigan and maybe Alistair, etc etc.

Inquisition being this irrelevant though? The most recent one Veilguard is supposed to be a sequel to? The foundation of its plot? I know they're trying to appeal to new players, but that's a shitty decision to begin with, and would you look at that, so far it appeals to no one other than old players who love these games for the world and the story already. Honestly, they should've just called it Dragon Age 4 and sticked to making it a proper sequel where at the very least Inquisition matters as much as it was presented in Trespasser, or, alternatively, stick to "Dreadwolf" and stop pretending that this game isn't exclusively for new people and solavellan fans with everybody else being an afterthought in Bioware's very expensive fanfic.

Whatever these 100 gigs of the game even are have to be amazing now, new companions, quests and characters from the books should be godlike to make up for basically discarding 10 years of world states of the players who sticked around to even care about Veilguard, because clearly no one else does.

[dalishious]

I just played Origins for the first time and I... didn't like it much. In particular, I struggled to suspend disbelief and get past the fact that once the wardens were destroyed at ostagar, there was nothing forcing my unwilling conscript PC to stay at all. And playing as anyone other than the human noble, I don't see why I should care which asshole sits the throne of Ferelden. I don't want to avenge that blonde brainless king or Duncan, I disliked them both strongly. And yeah, Loghain is awful for selling elves into slavery, but we don't find that out until Denerim so for the majority of the game I was just wondering why I'm even working against this guy, especially when the blood mages in the circle said he'd promised them freedom, too. So anyway, I've enjoyed reading your blog and am interested in your opinions, so I was wondering, why is origins so loved in fandom and what is it you personally like about it? And how do you feel about the grey wardens and the whole fact they're allowed to just conscript people against their will? I'm against conscription irl so I really struggled to get into being a warden. I loved most of the companions, but even in this aspect I prefer the other two games.

What you say about playing an unwilling hero being stuck in a situation can be said of all the Dragon Age games, but especially Origins and Inquisition both. Like, you are literally one of two (2) people in the entire nation capable of defeating the Archdemon, so unless you want Ferelden to fall to the Blight and be destroyed beyond measure, it's up to you and Alistair, who begs you to stay. And that's motivation to accomplish all the goals in the game - they all lead up to defeating the Blight.

I don't know why you dislike Duncan, I personally like him just fine.

Origins has my favourite story of the games we have thus far, so that's why it is ultimately my favourite to date.

I'm against conscription into the military IRL because I'm anti-military period, but the wardens are not military (well, except in the Anderfels.) They're not fighting other nations over oil or some shit, they're trying to stop the end of the world. So yeah, I can understand how the rite of conscription came to be. Not that it doesn't have its faults, but that's what I love about the grey wardens - they are a wonderful example of true, really well done grey morality in fiction. They do good things and bad things, because they are a group willing to try anything to stop the Blight.

[aethes-bookshelf]

a taste this bitter || solas/inquisitor

Something possessed me to write this. Gods above, I don't know what it was, but I pumped this out in an hour. I haven't written fic since February, I can't believe this man is the one to get me to do it again. I thought it'd be Alistair or Zevran, or Fenris, but you'll get the egg instead.

I love me some angsty pining and unresolved feelings and since Solas is Solas, he's perfect for this scene concept.

Pairing: solas/inquisitor (can be read as self-insert as well)

Warnings: angst, hurt/no comfort, unresolved romantic tension, made to fit any inky, not just fem!lavellan

Wordcount: 1k

Summary: For a moment he missed the way their fingers wrapped themselves around their teacup, holding it like something precious, something worth touching; he missed the way he longed to be held by them just so.

Solas hates tea, but he promised he'd never forget them.

[Written to fit an Inky of any gender/race, not just fem!Lavellan.]

ao3 link

The scent of tea was not the problem to Solas — it was its taste. It didn't matter how fragrant its smell, how earthy or flowery the flavor's undertone, tea was always far too bitter. Bitter enough to twist his face with disgust, bitter enough to burn his tongue. Sugar made it a sickly kind of sweet, but the bitterness never really went away. It would spread inside his mouth like a disease, and each time he wanted nothing more than to be rid of it, to replace it with a taste that actually agreed with his palette.

The cup he was holding was nothing like the one the Inquisitor had used in years past, back when the sun seemed brighter and his purpose didn't weigh so heavy on his shoulders. Theirs was small and light, made of fine porcelain, and his was heavy, thick and tall.

For a moment he missed the way their fingers wrapped themselves around their teacup, holding it like something precious, something worth touching; he missed the way he longed to be held by them just so.

He pushed that longing down just as he had so many times before, the same way he did it over and over again as the years passed and the light of their soul grew brighter. He'd allow himself just this one sign of weakness, just this one moment of despair and not one more. It was for the best.

---

The sun outside was setting and the entire sky was on fire with it.

The Inquisitor was sitting in Skyhold's rotunda, a dainty porcelain teacup cradled in their hands. The tea was still steaming, its aroma filling the space around them. It was rich, fruity and sweet. They took a deep breath, enjoying the fragrance, before taking a tiny sip.

Solas stood nearby, a brush in his hand. He'd spend the past few days working on another one of his murals and was about to add the first layer of color. The Inquisitor usually accompanied him while he worked. Sometimes they'd talk — about the Fade, about the Inqusition's next move, about a book they'd both been reading. Sometimes they'd sit in silence, the Inqusitor watching and Solas quietly enjoying the attention. But almost always, they'd bring with them a cup of hot tea.

‘Inquisitor, if I may,' said Solas, adding a big pass of a bright, vivid red to the wall.

‘You may,' said the Inquisitor, tone light.

Solas' smile was small; it was gone before they could see it. ‘I couldn't help but notice how you always bring tea with you, yet you don't seem to enjoy it, not really.'

‘Ah,' they made a quiet, startled sound, clearly caught off guard.

‘I don't mean to pry, but I find it a little curious that you keep drinking it despite that. I assume you have a reason.' Solas turned away from his painting to look at his Inquisitor. His eyes were drawn to their hands and the cup in them; a sudden burst of feeling in his chest made him catch his breath.

Foolish, foolish man, he thought. He didn't let it show.

They, too, took a long look at the cup in their hands before taking another tiny sip. A mostly hidden look of disgust passed their face, but Solas caught it anyway.

‘It's a reminder.'

It was Solas' turn to be caught of guard. Of all possible answers. ‘How come?'

The Inquisitor carefully lowered the cup down to the floor and left it right by their seat. They cleared their throat as they straightened, looking a mixture of solemn and bashfull.

‘I never really liked tea, you see.'

‘You are not alone in that.' He let his nose wrinkle a bit for emphasis. Not too much, but just enough to be noticeable.

‘Oh, I know, don't worry.' They chuckled. ‘I never liked tea, but my mother always had. She had this big tea and cup collection she was very proud of, you know?'

They looked at the wall opposite to them, but it was like they weren't looking anywhere at all. ‘And she knew I didn't really like it, but she'd make me drink it with her anyway.'

Was there a shine to their eyes?

‘We'd pick a flavor, and she'd make me pick the cups we'd be drinking from.' Their next chuckle was wet; they must have realised this — they cleared their throat again. ‘At the time I found it rather annoying, but now, well…' They turned to look at Solas. ‘It's my way of remembering her, I suppose. Her and all the happier times.'

He was silent for a moment. The air all around them smelled of fruit.

‘I see. I'm sorry for your loss, Inquisitor.'

---

The drink in his cup smelled of fruit, but the scent wasn't quite right. He didn't know nearly enough about teas to pin-point what was missing, but he knew something was. A certain note in the smell, so familiar he could almost taste it.

No matter. This one would have to do.

The cup warmed his hands as sweet-smelling steam filled the air with an aroma that, to him, smelled like paint and sunsets, and a sky on fire. His eyes burned with tears he wouldn't, couldn't let himself shed over memories he had no right to grieve. Not after he had left, not before he was about to do something unforgivable and yet, to him, necessary. Something he wouldn't be able to take back. He wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing.

He took a sip of his tea and grimaced.

It was so, so bitter.

[rookinthecrownest]

i am rotating the idea of an angsty King Alistair and Mage Trevelyan fic in my head like a rotisserie chicken. Alistair previously romanced Amell, who sacrificed themselves to slay the Archdemon. Put Alistair on the throne because she knew he’d make a good King and Ferelden needed him etc.

Alistair dealing with that + the fact that the landsmeet would never let a mage be queen and Amell was too proud to stay as a mistress so they were never going to really ‘be together’ anyway. Not that it mattered because she usurps the final sacrifice regardless.

Until, in the events of Trespasser his advisors realize that arranged marriage between Alistair and Trevelyan, who is a mage and like Amell had noble blood, would ensure Ferelden’s protection and neutralize the threat of the Inquisition getting too cozy with Orlais. Might even give them stronger foreign allies in the Free Marches.

Alistair immensely (and rightfully) pissed because oh NOW they’re suddenly fine with a mage being queen, so long as she’s also some kind of religious figurehead they can use as a shield against Orlais. The Hero of Ferelden wasn’t enough for them but the Herald of Andraste is and just how unfair that is etc etc its like history rhyming rather than repeating, because he’s stuck with another ‘hero who will sacrifice themselves at a moments notice to save everyone’ type, only the scale is even larger in Inquisition.

Idk I just think the concept is neat and rife with potential. I loooove trespasser and how political it gets with the fate of the inquisition :3

I have no idea if this concept makes sense but I will make it make sense somehow.

[mllemaenad]

The issue with reccomending people to the Wardens is that, unless you're already blighted or condemned for a capital crime... your odds of surviving the joining seem to be significantly worse than 50%.

Alistair says that he was the only member of his group to survive, and the joining at Ostagar had, depending on how you count it, either a 50% or a 33.3333333333333% survival rate.

Those are lousy, lousy odds, even if you are from the wrong side of the tracks. And if you're in your early 20s or late teens, you're probably still cutting your life short, and ensuring that you die alone in agonizing pain down in the deep roads.

It's just... really not a good deal for anyone who isn't already literally at risk of imminent death.

It's not really an issue ..? I mean, I'm not having an issue, and neither is Warden-Commander Brosca, since I assume this relates to my post about Seanna cheerfully recruiting everybody. :)

For a start. Eh. Honestly, trying to work out how dangerous the Joining should be is a mug's game. I accept your examples, but I could just as easily counter that in Awakening five of six companions come through it just fine (Six of seven? Are we counting Justice, since Kristoff survived his Joining?).

If you recruit Loghain to the Wardens, he's fine. If you send Bethany or Carver to the Wardens, they are fine. If you send Blackwall to become a proper Warden, he is just fine.

Honestly, how dangerous the Joining is just seems to be related to how interesting you are. The deaths of all possible recruits but the Hero of Ferelden and Alistair occur because it is imperative that there be functionally no Wardens left – so there can be no more youngsters than that for Duncan to protect. The Awakening companions are mostly fine because we need a new party for a new adventure, so we can't just keep killing off candidates for hours.

I realise that's the most Doylist viewpoint possible, but honestly it's just not worth worrying about. Does the Joining carry with it a risk of death? Absolutely! Do I need to consider it so very risky that one should never offer it to anyone? Nah. It has its share of "everybody lives" scenarios too.

But regardless – I said Seanna never met an apostate, runaway slave, casteless dwarf or petty thief she didn't try to recruit. She's not recruiting people whose lives are going well. Even if they're not facing literal death right this second, these are all people whose lives are likely to consist of crushing poverty, imprisonment, torture, captivity, Tranquility, and an appalling lack of personal agency and dignity.

Are the Wardens kind of taking advantage of Thedas's horrific levels of prejudice and inequality? Yep! They're a bit dodgy, as many of the best things in Dragon Age are. Seanna takes her duty seriously and does her best by her recruits ... but she did get her start as the muscle for a Carta crime boss. Her morals don't have to be 100% pure all the time.

On the other hand – the Wardens largely do deliver on the promise of a better life. Yes, there is a duty and there are drawbacks, but they are one of the few genuinely multinational and multicultural organisations in Thedas. You see elves, mages and branded dwarves in positions of respect and authority. These people can marry, travel, own property, raise children if they manage to acquire any – and genuinely live their lives in a way they very likely would not be able to elsewhere.

How many casteless dwarves will expect to live to a ripe old age? Seanna didn't. There were so many ways she could have died young. And even if she somehow made it past forty (which is hardly old), she was terrified of ending up like her mother – or even worse, out starving on the streets.

Instead of that, and because of the Wardens, she is Commander of the Grey and Arlessa of Amaranthine, and she will absolutely keep telling just about any poor, down-on-their-luck bastard she meets that the Wardens have food and a steady pay cheque, and if the Templars or the slave hunters or the Carta come looking for you, you'll have dozens of your brothers and sisters watching your back.

[rainwingmarvel7]

The Lion and the Lamb

Part II. The Dressing of the Lamb

Divider by @strangergraphics

(@sikudastoner I’m back with them again - this one’s a bit shorter too, mostly setting the stage for what’s to come)

With delicate hands, Elinor Hightower tied the crimson satin lace of Nadya’s dress, pulling it tight against her bruised body. She bit back a wince, although she couldn’t stop her muscles from tensing at the sudden, slight pain pulsing beneath her skin and through her bones.

She wore a fine golden dress with elaborate red embroidery that fit her figure well. Her hair had been done up in a traditional Southern style, and a golden headpiece of ruby and pearl sat atop her head, matched by the necklace at her throat. Her cheeks had been made rosy, her lips painted as red as a rose, and her wounds covered as best as they could be.

She was sure that if she saw her reflection, she would scarcely recognize herself.

“My lady, are you alright?” Elinor asked. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I’m fine, Elinor,” Nadya responded quickly.“Its just been quite a while since I’ve worn such a tight dress. I’m afraid my body has grown weary of such things when it has still yet to heal.”

“Well, then I hope Lord Darren will be gentle during the bedding,” Elinor remarked. “If he is even capable.”

Nadya frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?” she asked warily.

“Your betrothed has a certain reputation,” Elinor responded as she finished tying the lace. There was no softness to her words. “He is never without a woman in his bed, and he is never satisfied with any of them. Nor anything really. He discards them as soon as he’s finished, then moves onto the next.”

“Do you think he’s compensating for something?” Nadya asked.

Elinor snorted. “He has to be,�� she said. “What Lannister isn’t?”

“He really does sound just like the rest of them,” Nadya murmured. “Lannisters.”

She spat out the word as if it tasted like salt. The idea of being married to one was still vile to her. Especially Darren. If she had to be married to one, she would have preferred his older brother, Jaime. Even Lymond seemed preferable.

Elinor moved around to face Nadya, her blue eyes clear and piercing, full of a fiery intensity that Nadya admired. She clasped her hands in her own, giving them a tight squeeze.

“He is just like the rest of them, and yet not at all,” she said. “I do hope that he will be a good husband to you, Nadya.” She cupped Nadya’s face in her hands, her grip surprisingly strong. “But a lion is still a lion, and you are another pretty lamb wandering into his waiting teeth. Do not let him devour you as he has all those other women. Perhaps you will come to love each other, or perhaps you will not. But you are not his prey, Nadya Dormaire. You will never be. Remember that.”

Nadya felt as though she could hardly breath as she stood outside the Sept of Baelor, her arm intwined with Alistair’s, waiting to make her entrance. Her heart pounded in her chest, frantic like a caged bird desperate to escape.

But there was no escape for her.

The doors to the Sept swung open, revealing the crowd of people gathered for the wedding ceremony. She saw her brothers and cousins and grandmother, all standing together. Her children, Ren and Lena, were there too, held in the arms of two nursemaids.

Nadya’s lower lip quivered. She didn’t like that her two infants, the last of Robb’s line, were so close to the lions who wanted them gone. But she had to believe that they were safe with her family. Perhaps the one good thing to come from her marriage would be some leverage for their protection.

Standing across from the Dormaires and Tyrells were the Lannisters. Nadya could feel Tywin’s gaze on her, and she could see the triumph in his eyes. He thought he had won.

The realization made her skin crawl, but she forced herself to look away from him, instead focusing ahead of her, where Darren stood with the High Septon.

Darren wore an expensive red doublet with trailing sleeves, accented with gold and embroidered lions. His golden hair was slicked back, and his ears neatly trimmed. Nadya had to admit to herself, he was very handsome.

She could see how he drew so many women in.

Darren’s expression was unreadable as Nadya let go of Alistair and ascended the steps to stand beside him. She wondered what he was thinking. He wasn’t happy with the arrangement, she knew. But what was he hiding behind those plump lips and sharp eyes?

“You may now cloak the bride and bring under your protection,” the High Septon instructed Darren.

Knowing what was expected of her, Nadya turned so that her back was to Darren. She felt the sudden weight of the cloak as it was draped over her shoulders with a surprising amount of care.

As she turned to face the Septon again, Nadya ran her hands through the pale red and gold fabric now adorning her shoulders. She tried to keep her hands from shaking, with little success.

Darren wouldn’t look at her, his hands clasped behind his back and his jaw set with barely contained emotion.

“Your Grace,” the High Septon said, addressing Joffrey, who was with the rest of his family on the steps. He was grinning from ear to ear, finding the whole thing quite amusing. “Your Grace,” he added to Cersei. “My Lords, My Ladies, we stand here in the sight of gods and men to witness the union of man and wife. One flesh, one heart, one soul, now and forever.”

Nadya could not bear his words, and she was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to cry, and she fought back against the tears threatening to escape her. When she finally looked into Darren’s eyes, and he met hers, she saw the same despair, and her heart only ached more.

The lion and the lamb had been made one, and she was not sure she would survive it.