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Herein lies the story of the Lonely King of Ferelden
The great warrior, brave Hero, and former Grey Warden
The bastard son and Maric’s only surviving heir
The man that drove the darkspawn back to their lair
‘Twas at Ostagar he met the lovely Joanna Amell
A brave and beautiful mage who brought our king under her spell
They fought side by side against the traitorous Teyrn
Of secrets and lies, blood and betrayal, they did learn
Together, they rallied forces from all across the land
They saved Orzammar from a greedy would-be king's hand
They made peace in the Forest, and brought the Circle back from the brink
They saved dear Arl Eamon from death's subtle wink
They did all this together, fighting for what was right
They were the only ones who could, the only ones who might
And though they'd seen so much death, blood, and war
They fell into a great love, the love that is most rare
For she was unlike any woman he'd ever met
He'd given her his heart; he'd let her into his bed
The future king, though he did not know he was to be,
Was confident by her side and, for the first time in ages, happy
Joanna, his love, was a light in the great darkness
A rose growing beautiful and strong among all the hardship
Something so rare and wonderful and bright
Alistair gave her his heart, his soul: she was his life
So confident was he that they'd be together forever
Alistair was certain there was no storm they could not weather
But even our brave king could not see what was to come
For there was only more pain on the bleak horizon
Though the battles were hard, the battles were won
And the Landsmeet decided to hand the crown to Maric's son
Duty came first and a mage could not be queen
They were too in love to let each other go, but they both agreed
Fair Joanna would not pursue the love any more
Instead, she would be simply a Grey Warden as before
Alistair would reign and take a queen if he chose
But he never had any intention of replacing his fair Warden rose
On the eve of the final battle, before the Archdemon did call
Morrigan left suddenly, without a goodbye or good luck at all
Alistair ignored it and, at dawn, marched with his men
He led them to war to save his beloved Ferelden
Their king was he, so strong and so brave
But they did not know how his bravery was made
It was the Hero Joanna, her influence, love, and patience
Had invigorated our King Alistair, it had molded and shaped him
Though strong as iron he was, he still had one weakness
The Grey Warden mage, his Joanna, his sweetness
As she ordered him to stay before she left to kill the beast
He told her he loved her always, because he owed her that, at least
The light from the tower blinded them all
And, one by one, the darkspawn did fall
The ones who did not hastily retreated
And, by the grace of the Maker, the Blight was defeated
Alistair cheered and chanted, celebrated and cried
But, up upon the tower, Joanna had died
He hoped beyond all hope that she had survived
But she had gone out, his little magical light
Alistair waited for the others to return with good news
He saw it first in their faces: the sadness, the anger, confused
How had such a bright star been snuffed out so easily?
The answer is only given so very weakly:
Evil and good sometimes must cancel each other out
Her sacrifice was brave and, without a doubt,
Dear Joanna Amell, a mage, a hero, a Warden
Was the true saviour that day, and her sacrifice shall never be forgotten
But the years they go by, and memories become legend
Including this tale of the Lonely King of Ferelden
Alistair, they say, was never the same
His rose had wilted and died, and his heart had grown lame
He proved a good king, but never took a wife
And he never forgave himself for letting Joanna give her life
The Lonely King they called him, and the title spread far
It was said he didn't mind it, though it reminded him of her
The Lonely King did not grow old, eventually hearing the Calling's curse
He named an heir in Teagan and set off to see the dwarves
His wish, it was said, was to die alone
Alistair was no longer bound to rules or the throne
He stormed a darkspawn nest with the Legion of the Dead
The battle was fierce and heroic, or so it is said
And Alistair fought and screamed and died in that cave
Ferocious and heroic, strong, proud and brave
His body was burned in a funeral pyre
In the centre of Denerim, in a massive bonfire
They interred his ashes with his father's sword, Duncan's shield, and a rose
The Lonely King laid to rest in his final repose
His tomb was sealed, and many mourn at it to this day
The Lonely King's ashes locked and sealed away
Rumour became legend, and legend accepted as fact
Of what the Lonely King did in his final act
Legend says he shouted her name as he sank his final blow
Into the chest of an ogre, killing a great menace from below
The Lonely King's bravery, compassion, loyalty, and strength unmatched
For, in the metal of his blade, the name "Joanna" is scratched.