Pretty, quiet Pomello. Always pleasing others. This wedding is important for her father the elf girl reminds herself as she prepares. It doesn't matter how she feels or what she wants. Pleading won't help. Crying won't help.

So she prepares. Hair brushed, lips painted, dress on. She looks at herself in the mirror. She tries to smile; her already abnormally pale skin is even paler today. She takes up her mother's mirror, tries to smile again but it looks unreal on her face. Fake. Like this sham of a wedding. It's only to please others. It's always to please others.

She talks with her father. He reminds her that she cannot stay a child forever, and without a wedding a child is what she will stay. He tries to joke with her, telling her that her husband is very handsome, as if Pomello would even care. As if that changed anything. Then her father takes a step too far, telling her that she should not tell her future husband about her fighting skills. Something snaps in Pomelllo and she finds herself crying, pleading. Please father, do I have to?

She has to. It is for the best. As Pomello goes towards the door, she tries to recite the Chant of Light, beaten into her by the chantry since childhood. Let the blade pass through the flesh, let my blood touch the ground, let my cries touch their hearts. Let mine be the last sacrifice. Those are not fitting words for a blushing bride on her wedding day. But Pomello is no blushing bride. All her blood has gone from her face and she feels like Andraste, being brought like a lamb to the slaughter.

…

She hates herself for waking up being happy that the wedding got interrupted. Her head might be pounding, her chest aching, the fear on her friends' faces breaking her heart; but there is no wedding ring on her finger and because of this Pomello is grateful. She has to be. It turns out that even pretty, quiet Pomello, always pleasing others, has a limit too.

…

And then it is done. The men are dead. Shianni saved. Pomello killed them like dogs for what they did to her. They killed Nelaros too as he tried to save her. Stupid man, he didn't know she doesn't need to be protected. Pomello always sweet and quiet but never helpless. Not with a dagger or sword in her hand.

As Nelaros lies dead before her feet, Pomello searches her feelings. This man who was supposed to be her husband. The elf leans down and picks up his wedding ring, it is big for her fingers but fits on her thumb. She leaves it there, it is pretty, it will remind her of where she is from. It will remind her of the price of duty. Of sacrifice. She feels sorry for Nelaros, if it hadn't been for her he would still be alive.

She knows that things will never be the same again. She has killed humans. At worst she has brought war on her alienage, at best only she will be executed. She makes sure that Soris never delivers the final blow to anyone. It is her fault, only hers. If she can save Soris from blame she will. If they execute her she won't have to marry anyone.

Soris shakes his head as he hears the words she mutters under her breath as the men fall before her. Yes, Pomello is praying for them. She doesn't hate humans; she pities the whole stupid, foolish race. They are so ignorant, so impatient – they must be truly unhappy. And these soldiers, these rented swords and muscles -they are just following orders; the elf refuses to believe that they are evil. Even when they swing the sword at her, she can only pity them.

So Pomello sings the chant of light as she watches life drain from their eyes. She runs out of verses about killing and sin, and starts reciting all the parts she can remember. Anything to drown out the sound of battle and men dying. There she stands, no longer a shy bride but more like a goddess of death. Wild look in her eyes, the white dress of hers, tainted with human blood. She sings in a loud shrill voice. Let all repeat the chant of light. Only the word dispels the darkness upon us.

…

Pomello doesn't want to be a Grey Warden. She voices her complaint. Maybe she could run, find the Dalish, and be free instead of a captive. The blight is not her problem, she cannot help anyway. She is no soldier. But there is no time, they are coming for her. She needs to leave now. Duncan looks compassionately at her, but he cannot understand; he is human and he is male. He can never understand that as an elf and as a woman it doesn't matter if Pomello has the fighting skills of a champion, she is still helpless and not in charge of her own life. This is just another must.

She doesn't say good bye to her father, she doesn't even throw a glimpse at the tree of the people; she just leaves with the shemlen. Okay, Pomello nods, fine, whatever. She will just be trading one prison for another. As she leaves the only home she has ever known she sings quietly. And there I saw the Black city. Its towers forever stain'd. Its gates forever shut. Heaven has been filled with silence I knew then. And cross'd my heart with shame. Duncan hears her and seems surprised. Why? Why would an elf recite the chant of light? Pomello tells him it is because it is the only song she knows. Duncan asks her if she has faith. Off course she does, the chantry told her to. It has never even occurred to Pomello that she had a choice in the matter. She doesn't get to decide who to marry, where or how to live her life, why should the destination of her soul be any different? The one who repents, who has faith. Unshaken by the darkness of the world. She shall know true peace.

…

In the end it doesn't matter. She traded the wedding for a joining. Different rituals, same result. Pomello has been sold into captivity, her joining necklace a heavy wedding ring around her throat. Darkspawn doesn't scare her, Alistair makes her smile, Morrigan annoys her and Leliana… Leliana makes her heart beat faster as they sing the chant together.