The Epilogue
All her life, Eva Cousland never wanted to get married. It was all her mother talked about as she grew older. The constant nagging eventually grew tiresome, and, quite foolishly perhaps, Eva swore to herself that she would never rely on a man to take care of her. Even if that meant not getting married, then so be it.
All around her, women let the men do the heavy lifting. Fighting, killing, hunting, brawling, drinking; those were for the men to do. The women? Kitchen duties, taking care of the children, cleaning up the house, gossiping; Eva despised it all. So she learned to fight.
Fergus took her under his wing, realizing that his little sister had a fiery heart and if it was aimed correctly, she would grow up to be a brilliant warrior. Perhaps, even, the best that castle Cousland had seen in many decades. So there it was that Eva trained to be a warrior. She refused to use a shield with her left hand, and instead chose a dagger. Fergus never experienced a warrior to be trained like that, but every time he brought it up to his sister, she blatantly refused to fight any differently. He gave in and realized quickly that this method suited her well, for her lean figure was not weighed down by the heavy shield, and instead it gave her almost a roguish appearance.
Many women around the castle heartily disapproved of this practice, especially of which was her mother. Even though she was a skilled fighter in her days, she thought that young Eva should be spending her time looking for a suitor, whom of which she could eventually marry. Eva's father, Bryce Cousland, secretly agreed with Eva, for he was a good, noble man, with a big heart for his kingdom, and especially his little pup. He helped his children sneak out at dawn to practice, and did his best to calm down his seething wife when she would find out.
There were days, however, where Eva did not practice her fighting, whether it was due to poor weather, or if she simply did not want to. Most often, she would watch over her little nephew, Oren. She loved her brother's family, but there were days, also, where she needed to think. Those days she often spent most of her time in the castle's library, reading up on her family's history, and even occasionally, she read about the other kingdoms of Ferelden, intrigued by the underground dwarven city of Orzammar and the Dalish clan of elves. Little diversity was seen in castle Cousland, and Eva yearned to someday be able to travel around Ferelden and visit the people that called it home, especially those that weren't human. Not many books in the library, however, told of the monsters of Ferelden. Curiosity took hold of Eva, and she managed to convince one of her father's messengers to bring her some books that told of them, no matter how graphic they were, she wanted them. So it was there, tucked away in a corner in the Cousland library, that Eva first learned of darkspawn and the mighty Grey Wardens that swore their lives to killing them.
Eva eventually grew, as people tend to do as time passes, and she grew most wonderfully. Though she was often seen with bruises and cuts decorating her face and arms, her training made her strong. Many lines of defined muscles coated Eva's body, and her skin was often very tan. While her mother had little control over Eva's training, she did demand that she wear her hair a specific way. Eva's hair was a brilliant shade of honey brown, and it was often seen at shoulder length with two stands in the left and right side, braided and brought to the back, where they were crossed, and then made into a loop. It was an intricate design, thought of only by Eleanor Cousland herself. It was clear, though, that the first thing anyone noticed when first meeting the young Cousland, was her eyes. Piercing and sharp, Eva's eyes were a dazzling shade of light blue, and they were almost grey at times. Bryce Cousland himself had blue eyes, but they were dark and bland when compared with his daughter's.
Eva's beauty attracted the attention of many young men, all sons of powerful nobles who seeked to take the throne out from under the Couslands. Much to their dismay, however, Eva was an intelligent woman who understood politics and the ways of an arranged marriage. Eventually, though, she got bored of the empty proposes. Eva was fierce, but she did have a sense of humor. So she took advantage of her "love struck" suitors. She would pull one aside, telling them to chase after her. Quickly, she would sprint out of the castle, making sure not to go too fast that her prey couldn't keep up, and lead them out to the docks. At the edge, she would stop and wait for them to meet her. They were often breathless and sweating, and it was all Eva could do to stop herself from laughing. She would bring a finger to their chin and make them look into her piercing stare and then lean in for a kiss. Dumbstruck, they often closed their eyes and happily leaned in as well. It was then that she used her left hand to reach across their back and pin his left arm to his body, and then turn him around. Still dazed, they had little time to react before they were promptly pushed into the freezing cold lake. Laughing, Eva happily skipped back to the castle, savoring the cursing and yelling coming from the water.
It was like that for a while. And while she did not realize it then, Eva was happy. When the brutal night that her whole family was murdered, (save for her beloved Fergus, unknown to her at the time) she swore to herself to find Rendon Howe and do whatever it took to make him suffer. Killing him would be far too easy. Aiming her sorrow at the corrupt man, it was the only way she was able to move on without her grief utterly crushing her. It was only when she met one man that she was able to laugh again. It was not a laugh, either, but a giggle.