hadriel | Video 1

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Video 1

[the video opens with a sixteen year old girl who is doing her best to appear self-assured and confident. she's in armor and she's sitting ramrod straight in a plain, wooden chair. she takes a deep breath and speaks]

Hello. My name is Lady Mariane Cousland and I'm looking for sparring partners. I use a sword and dagger, but I'm willing to fight with any kind of swordsman. Or swordswoman.

I'm also willing to teach others to fight, so please let me know if you'd be interested in that.

[she looks away from the camera briefly, as though debating with herself whether or not to say anything more]

Any responses would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

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I have to agree with you on that. There's something to be said for the thrill of being in the midst of battle.

[He is most definitely the sort who charges right in to face an enemy directly.]

It's always a good idea, anyway, to strengthen yourself and learn new skills... but around here it's also very necessary.

Yes. It was . . . a bit of a surprise, how much I enjoyed it. I have only been fighting regularly for the past year.

[she's a rogue, so she employed tricks and misdirection in order to strike when her opponents were most vulnerable]

Certainly. I was among those who went on the prisoner exchange where Delight was killed. The Null, they were unlike any opponent I've ever seen before. And I have no doubt that eventually, we will be discovered.

That's not very long, but it sounds as if you've still learned a great deal even in such a short span of time.

[He's got to give her credit for that. He's seen newer recruits back home excel rather quickly too, so it's something he's seen before. As long as she doesn't overestimate her skills, he's sure she has what it takes to hold her own out there.]

We will be. We're always at risk of discovery, and of being bested by the Null. The more prepared we are, the better off we'll be. I've always recommended that everyone learn a little self defense. [Not that they'd expect the less combat-ready folk to be out on the front lines if things went truly terrible, but no one is entirely "safe" around here.]

Yes, I did. I really had no choice. Had I failed, my country would have been destroyed.

[and that was a tremendous weight on her shoulders, especially given that she'd barely turned sixteen at the time and was prone to deep fits of melancholy that sometimes made it difficult to even get up in the morning]

Were you here when the Null attacked? I've heard rumors, but very little in the way of personal accounts. And you're right, everyone should know at least the basics of self-defense. [she's of the opinion that no one is entirely safe anywhere]

Then you did the right thing, especially if it meant saving your home country. There are few causes as worthy.

[As someone who would die for his home, who would give everything to protect it, he respects that. He takes a lot of pride in where he's from.]

Yes, I was. It was an all out war, as you would expect. They have terrible powers... They were a force to be reckoned with, and not to be underestimated. After that experience... we need all the defenses we can get.

Thank you. I would do anything for my homeland.

[and for its new king. to say that she's a violently protective girlfriend (fiancee) would be putting it mildly.

she nods] That is why I'm offering lessons to any who want them. We all must be capable of defending ourselves when the time comes.

So would I, for mine. It means everything to me.

[He misses it terribly for that reason, of course. He'll always be loyal to his home country and king above all else.]

It's a good idea, as there are always newcomers arriving here, and many non-fighters among them... they need all the help they can get.

As does Ferelden to me. The rest of Thedas may look down on us, but we have a wild beauty of our own.

[she had been willing to go to Orlais or Antiva if that's where her father had found the best marriage alliance, but that was not to be. instead, she chose for herself and she chose a man who would become king and raise her to queen]

Indeed. And even those of us who can fight, we must keep our skills sharp and at the ready at all times.

That's a shame your home is looked down upon, but I'm sure you're doing what you can to bring it the honor and glory it deserves.

[Kain comes from a kingdom that's well respected, although maybe a little feared for their power. He knows that reputation can mean a great deal.]

Yes, we must. That's why it's essential to constantly train. We have no room for slacking off.

[she nods] Recovering from the Blight will be difficult, but Alistair and I will have the chance to lead Ferelden into a new age.

[she has every confidence in Alistair's ability to grow into a fine king, one who will lead with with both head and heart while rebuilding its strength.

and she doesn't say that she doesn't know what she'd do with herself if she didn't train. it didn't used to be that way, she used to be occupied with her dresses and her marriage prospects like any other highborn girl, but in a single night, all of that changed forever]

A new age… that sounds like it'll take considerable time and effort, but I hope it works out. This "Blight" sounds quite ominous.

[The way she makes it sound, anyway. If you have to give your disasters a name, it's probably really bad.]

As do I. And it was. Darkspawn surged to the surface, killing everyone, polluting the air, land, and water. They only stopped when I killed the Archdemon.

[and this was the fifth Blight]

How terrible and tragic for your world. I'm sorry. And Darkspawn... are they as hideous as the name sounds?

It was nightmarish. It will take decades to fully recover. And the Darkspawn . . . whatever horrors you can imagine, the Darkspawn are worse.

I've fought countless monsters in my time... so I can only imagine. If they're far beyond that, then... your world will have a lot of work ahead, to make a true recovery.

It will. Some parts of Ferelden may never fully recover. It will be the work of more than one lifetime. I can only pray that when I return, am wedded and crowned queen, that Alistair and I have an heir. Soon.

[even though she knows it's virtually impossible for two Grey Wardens to conceive a child. she'll go to anyone, try any remedy to ensure an heir. failure is not an option]

I wish you well in that endeavor. It's no easy path to walk... but it must be done. It seems quite common around here, unfortunately, to have so much undone left back home. But that's all the more reason why we must work toward getting back.

[Will it truly happen someday? Who knows. He's not one to be too optimistic about that, but he won't give up entirely, either.]

Indeed. It almost makes one wonder if that is why were were chosen--leaving so much unfinished back home is likely to provoke a severe emotional response. And we will go home. Perhaps not as soon as we'd like, but we will get there.

[Mariane knows it's possible to go home and she refuses to give up hope that she will]

Perhaps you're on to something. I've often wondered whether our being brought here is truly all that random, if they chose us for a reason... it very well could be as you say.

[After all, it's true that everything the gods do is to generate the most emotional response. That would make sense, in the overall grand scheme of things.]

Indeed. Almost all of us, we seem to be at turning points in our worlds or we have died in them. Were I searching for individuals with strong emotions, they would be who I would choose.

[which is rather frustrating because she wants nothing more than to go home, marry Alistair, and begin the work of healing Ferelden, including bearing his child. but she supposes that very frustration must be feeding someone, most likely Rage]

Yes, it's probably no coincidence... they might have somehow been drawn to us because of those reasons. It would explain a lot.

[He has a lot of guilt that he still carries with him even now, and a road to redemption to return to. Of course, it was probably either Sorrow or Confusion interested in him, given a lot of his past. They all have something, apparently. It's all the more reason to fight for a return home somehow.]

Indeed. Which makes their taking advantage of us all the more loathesome.

[she truly loves Alistair, but she holds a great deal of sorrow for the loss of almost her entire family.
and she was going to be Queen of Ferelden, a long-held, but thought impossible ambition. she wonders which god would be attracted by ambition]

It does. They've used our emotions for their own purposes ever since we were brought here... no one deserves to be exploited in such a way.

[Having one's emotions toyed with is bad enough, and it's even worse when it's done in the uncontrollable way it often happens here.]

[a bitter smile] Ah, but we are. And there is little we can do about it. After all, one cannot simply refuse to feel.

[even though she tries to every day she's here]

It's a shame we can't control that, but you're right. There's no escape from feelings... no matter how hard one might attempt to hide them.

[That's his way of dealing, hide the feelings, push them down, and don't let anyone know they're there. It's... sort of worked, until it finally backfired.]

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