During my recent playthrough, I was fully determined to see Alastair as King. Whether that was alone or with Anora, I left to the flow of the game as I was playing. During my last playthrough, I arranged for them to be married and then allowed Alastair to kill Loghain, knowing that Anora would refuse to marry him and would thus be arrested, leaving Alastair to rule alone. To that end, my character would stay on as Chancellor... (you know the rest).
This time I did the same thing, but (in the aftermath), I realized that I hadn't hardened Alastair, so when my character was asked for a decision and decided to question them both separately, Alastair began to backtrack and reaffirm his desire to not be King. Naturally, having forgot that he wasn't hardened, I was like WTF?!? In this particular case, Anora made the stronger case for herself, so in spite of my initial reservations and motivation, I named her to rule alone... Much to Alastair's satisfaction. Later, after returning to Redcliffe, Eammon alluded to the fact that I had "my" reasons for naming Anora Queen and that now, the Theirin bloodline was finished. I suppose this was intended to make the character feel some sort of remorse about the chain of events, but it was then that my perspective changed radically. At that point, from where I sat (having played the game the way I did... oversight and all), my character reasoned that it was Alastair who abandoned the throne. A throne he never wanted. If the Theirin line was going to end with him, he is the one who should be held accountable, because ultimately, he was the one who should have decided his place. Yes... I know this is all about game mechanics and how characters are written, but for the sake of role playing, if you fail to go down one path or another, a completely different outcome is sometimes the result. In this case, no remorse from my character at all. I didn't betray Alastair, I simply gave him what he wanted. He wanted to be a Grey Warden and nothing more and that's what he got.
Likewise, this playthrough changed my perspective on Anora as well. The hate that she receives, I believe is based more on guilt by association, but through my eyes, she was as much a victim of circumstance as anyone. She wanted to know the truth about her husband's death and she got no answer... She was held captive by her father's ruthless co-conspirator and had no idea of what her ultimate fate would be. Her father usurped her authority (to whatever degree it existed) to further his own goals and as a result, people believed that she was at least tacitly complicit. However, the evidence doesn't really make that clear. It seems that she was as much in the loop as anyone not named Howe or Cauthrien. In this sense, I think the hate directed towards her is at least somewhat misplaced. Yes, she is ambitious and has a clear sense of entitlement, but those feeling are justified when you consider what she says about being the *de facto* leader of the nation. A claim that no one disputes. Yes, she is her father's daughter, but when faced with his treachery, she chose for herself, which (honestly) you really can't fault her for (given the circumstances). Imagine having someone you love betray your trust and putting your life in danger to further their own ambitions... Then ask yourself what you'd do. You might not sign off on their death warrant (which she didn't), but you most certainly wouldn't give them your trust anymore. Also, after returning to Eammon's estate after killing Cauthrien or escaping prison, she states why she says that your character kidnapped her... Which ultimately made sense. Along with this, when she learns of your capture (if you go that route), she has real concern for your character and wants him/her to be rescued. Of course, her reasons may have something to do with her ambition, but it certainly doesn't seem that way. Also to her credit, she acknowledges the fact that her father's actions might very well have dire consequences. Even if you ignore everything else I've written here, the woman was groomed to be the Queen since she was in diapers, so let's be honest... How should we expect her to act?
In the Post Coronation, my character agreed to stay on as her Chancellor... To which she heartily agreed and in the Epilogue, it showed that she was indeed "an astute leader". She did a lot for Ferelden and had a very good relationship with her Chancellor. ;^) Whereas Alastair (in the same position and hardened), learns more about the art of governing, but still left most of the decision making to his Chancellor. At the end of the day, my character didn't really like Alastair that much (through any playthrough), but he respected the fact that the throne had a clear line of ascension and he was prepared to defend that... Also for reasons that were given by Arl Eammon. But when the game plays out as it did in this particular case, my character (being the pragmatist that he is), understood that the nation needed clear leadership and in this case, that was Anora. If the Theirin noble line was ending, the reason laid with it's remaining heir and he had as much reverence for it as Anora did. Even more to the point, when he 'finished' Loghain, what did he say? "Forget Cailan, this is for Duncan." --Nuff said.
Considering all the above, one could argue that Alastair betrayed my character's faith in him (game mechanics notwithstanding). For that, I left him to guard the gate during the final assault, that way, if my character fell, (theoretically) he could lead the second wave and perhaps restore some honor to his name. Unfortunately for him, he didn't get the chance, but he did his duty as a Grey Warden and in the same breath, Ferelden got a true leader.
