#ma'alin

Chapter 27 of The Fox & The Wolf has been posted

This has been a long time coming.....I heard you loud and clear when you said you wanted a wedding! Well,it’s here! There is a bit of POV from Ma’alin & Solas as we fall down this rabbit hole. I try to stay true to the original story while taking a few liberties. I hope you enjoy it. 

I will provide links to references for you. 

Wedding Music - Halleluah on violin. Play from beginning to 2:35.

Reference for Ma’alin’s dress

Writing music - Jocelyn Pook - Masked Ball (1999 Extended Mix) Music I listened to while writing the last bit of the chapter. It’s odd, but when heard faintly in the background, it’s fitting. 

Chapter 27 - Halleluah

Awww, the Warden! My favorite Warden playthrough was as a Dalish rogue who sacrificed herself for the greater good. I lost it when I saw Oghren weeping at her pyre and I lost it again when I read that he named his first born after her. Seriously, I miss me some Oghren!

So, if Ma’alin were the Warden, here is who she would get along with best in order from most to least. 

1. Oghren - he’d put her off at first with all the burping, farting, swearing and general callousness. But once she got to know him she’d see a broken man who wants nothing more than to be worthy and to feel needed. Oghren is the kind of man that pushes you away so you can’t hurt him. But once you get past that rough manner and earn his trust, you couldn’t find a more loyal or devoted friend. She and Oghren would be good drinking buddies after everyone else had retired to their tents, sharing stories of their adventures. 

2. Alistair - come on, he’s Alistair! How can you not love the goofy jokester who hides his insecurity with self-deprecating jokes while wearing his heart on his sleeve?! He’s a good man, that’s easy to see, and he would have the best chance at earning her heart. 

3. Shale - the golem who doesn’t sugar-coat anything, has no filter, and tells it like it is. Shale’s dry witticisms and dead-pan humor make even the most dire situations at least mildly amusing. 

4. Zevran - She adores Zevran, but she’d never tell him that or else she’d never hear the end of it! The would share a common bond over similarities they share regarding their past, and their common heritage would make her protective of him. Zevran is very experienced in the love department and he’s smooth but so much so that it’s a bit intimidating to her. She appreciates his flowery language but she’s more endeared to simple and unadorned feelings than grand emotions. 

5. Sten - *see Shale….same reason* lol

6. Leliana - she’s fun, charming, and a bit dark and dangerous. Leliana possesses many of the same skills Ma’alin does in the rogue department and they each favor bows so they have mutual interests to discuss. They vary greatly on the subject of the Maker and Andraste though so it’s best to stay away from conversations regarding religion and politics. There is mutual respect there but Ma’alin doesn’t understand her fascination with frilly things and shoes! 

7. Morrigan - Ma’alin and Morrigan have a friendly rivalry in which they are constantly pushing one another’s buttons. Morrigan gets great joy in rubbing people the wrong way and Ma’alin likes to take the wind out of her sails by giving her sweet compliments about her moments of kindness to others, which results in Morrigan seething. There is a begrudging respect between these two strong women. In her moments of rage, Morrigan may be a steamroller trying to roll over Ma’alin and assert her dominance but Ma’alin is an unmovable force that can take the brunt of her wrath and hold her footing without budging. Nothing irritates Morrigan more, and Ma’alin knows it. However contentious the relationship, they respect each other’s strengths and will fight side by side knowing that they each have one another’s backs. 

8. Wynne - Ma’alin can’t put her finger on it, but the doting older lady who likes to poke her nose in everyone’s personal business has more up her sleeves than she is showing. Wynne is adamantly pro-circle and that does not sit well with her either. She has wisdom, and her counsel is appreciated, but Ma’alin keeps an eye on her at all times. She’s not all that she appears and Ma’alin is convinced that her soft and unassuming appearance and demeanor conceal something unseen and it troubles her. 

Ma’alin Lavellan - Then and Now, unedited in-game shots

Stay

‘’Ma’alin the child did not wish to part. She threw her arms around his neck. “No, no can go! Stay.” The wolf bowed it’s head, buried it’s nose in her ivory curls. She ran her fingers over the fur of the wolf’s face, ruffling the fur around it’s neck. Solas stood as still as a statue. His chest ached and the emotion was swelling in his throat as he watched the exchange.”

The Fox and the Wolf, wonderful fanfiction by @cyran9 

A little something I had to draw after having a conversation with @cyran9 

Ma’alin Lavellan - The Fox and the Wolf

Tricky, tricky to answer without giving too much away…

So, in regards to Solas…there will be some heartbreak, that’s inevitable since there is a canon storyline to stay true to. However, there will be a resolution and there will be redemption. There will be aspects of the relationship that are expanded upon and created with the underlying story that I am telling away from the canon plot. 

There will be some hurt feelings but there will not be anger, fighting, accusations, or some of the other nasty things that pop up in fics regarding Solas and a very angry, vengeful Lavellan. Nope, won’t find that here. Ma’alin is going to have her eyes opened to a few things that aid in her understanding of his motives. 

So…there will be a Crestwood scene. It’s going to hurt like hell. Ma’alin will face an additional hardship, independent of Solas, which will cost her much and is definitely in the heartbreak territory…*wince*…as for the resolution and the ending, can’t give you details except to say that nothing in heaven or on earth will sever them from one another and the pain will be worth it.