Anya Mac Tir was a complicated woman. On the one hand she was gracious and charitable. On the other, capable of the most heinous betrayals and would not stop at anything to get what she wanted.
Anya was the second daughter of Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir, who often beat her and accused her of her mother's death. Her older sister, Anora was by far the favourite of the two. She even married King Cailan, which her father had organised.
The Outcast of the Mac Tir family, she often immersed herself in books and music, dreaming of the life of a rogue like the ones in her books. It was in Denerim Market, after stealing a small silver jewellery box from a noble woman that she met Alistair while he was visiting the palace with his guardian, Arl Eamon of Redcliffe and they struck up a close relationship quickly.
It wasn't until she was eighteen that she realised she could use her appearance to her advantage. She stood at 5'9" inches tall and was quite slender. It was often remarked that her legs "went on for miles" and though she was broad at the shoulders, she still had the feminine grace of a swan. Her skin was as white as the morning snow; her eyes were as blue as the deepest ocean and the sun often got caught in her raven hair which she had inherited from her father. She was a force to be reckoned with and was often within lustful company.
It wasn't until two years later, when her sister married the newly crowned King Cailan that she discarded all morals. The night before their honeymoon, Anya seduced Cailan and took him to her room where a secret romance ensued.
Five years later, Anya and Cailan still pursued their forbidden affairs, and Anora was still none the wiser.