"I underestimated you, Warden. I thought you were like Cailan, a child wanting to play at war. I was wrong." Loghain was clearly tired, he had just lost his pride and his vision. He could not have been more wrong, he thought. Such strength the Warden possesses! This man is no child! "There is a strength in you I have not seen anywhere since Maric died." Loghain takes another deep breath. "I yield."
"I accept your surrender." the Warden says calmly.
It took a moment for those words to set in but they made Alistair furious. "I didn't just hear you say that. You are going to let him live? After everything he's done? Kill him, already!" Alistair exclaimed angrily.
"Wait! There is another option." Riordan quickly steps in just as he sees an opportunity. "The teryn is a warrior and a general of renown. Let him be of use. Let him go through the joining." Riordan saw the practical side of things. He had long forgotten the ability to hate another person or simply the concept of vengeance. He had fought the Darkspawn for so long and seen so many of its horrors that he understands the Blight must be stopped above all other things. If the Darkspawn wins, all of this would not even matter.
"You want to make him a Grey Warden? Why?" the Warden asks. There seems little point, given that the necessity of the Grey Wardens is their ability to sense the Darkspawn and there were already 3 of them.
"There are 3 of us in all of Ferelden. And there are... compelling reasons to have many Wardens on hand as possible to deal with the Archdemon." Riordan explained. The Warden immediately sensed a darker secret about the Grey Wardens, one that neither he or Alistair knew.
"The Joining itself is often fatal, is it not? If he survives, you gain a general. If not, you get your revenge. Doesn't that satisfy you?" Anora quickly remarked when she saw the chance to save her father. She was not surprised the Warden had been so calm. She knew the Warden understood mercy when he spoke to her before the Landsmeet and had agreed to let Loghain live if possible. Anora was anxious about the decision regarding her father's sentence. She knew that there is little to say in his defense and that his chances of survival were slim. But Anora still remembers Loghain as her father and the hero who had saved Ferelden and she refuses to give up on him so easily.
The Warden was surprised that Anora knew so much of the Joining ritual when it's supposed to be a secret but he decided that questions were for another time.
Alistair, appalled and shocked that such a suggestion was even made, quickly protested as soon as he regained his senses, "Absolutely not! Riordan, this man abandoned our brothers and then blamed us for the deed! He hunted us down like animals! He tortured you! How can we simply forget that?"
"Everyone deserves a second chance if they wish to repent!" the Warden exclaims, striking his open palm in front of his chest to emphasize his point. "Does joining the Grey Wardens not show his sincerity?"
It was at this moment Anora realized why the Warden had so many followers. No, not followers, companions. Companions who would very gladly die for him. Anora understands now. It is the Warden's unwavering confidence in his own beliefs. The Warden was a true man of principle. There was no hypocrisy in him. Anora saw the unrealism and flaws in his views but what fierce sincerity! He was merely presenting school boy heroics but such pure idealism has touched even her heart. It was then she knew. It was this feeling, this very inspiration that binds his group to him.
"Joining the Grey Wardens is an honor, not a punishment! Name him a Warden and you cheapen us all. I will not stand next to him as a brother. I won't!" Alistair frantically claims, his hands waving instinctively from the revulsion of the idea. Alistair was furious. Things had certainly not turned out the way he had expected it. How could the Warden even consider sparing his life? After such painful excursions all over Ferelden, how could he?
"Joining the Grey Wardens is not simply an honor. The Grey Wardens bear a great responsibility and a difficult burden. You are a Grey Warden, you should understand this! By allowing Loghain to become a Grey Warden, you give him the chance to atone for his sins! Would you not grant him a chance to redeem himself? Would you not let him save lives for those he took?", the Warden begged sincerely. It had hurt the Warden greatly to see Alistair's face change from pained to disgusted. Alistair is a dear friend and the Warden understood the pain Alistair was going through. The Warden understood it all too well. He understood the urge to exact vengeance on those who had wronged him greatly. His father had told him that true justice is merciful, he had never understood it until disaster struck his family. The Warden has since walked the path which his father taught him and he will do whatever it takes to continue down that path, even if it means losing his closest friend.
"Loghain is a traitor. We need him like we need to be stabbed in the back or have you forgotten how his being a great general didn't help the last time?" Alistair angrily retorted. Realizing his options were few if he wanted to see Loghain punished, he decided to resort to more drastic means. "I didn't want to be king. I still don't. But... if that's what it takes to see Loghain get justice. I will do it. I will take the crown."
Upon hearing Alistair's announcement to take the throne, a wave of rage filled Anora. She could not believe that someone could be so selfish. "Listen to this! Can you see how disastrous a king he'd be? Putting his own selfish desires above the needs of his country. You can't seriously support him?" Anora asked, almost mockingly. She could not believe that someone as immature as Alistair was even considered for the throne. She was not too concerned about the decision, however, as she trusted the Warden.
"I am sorry, Alistair. Anora, take the crown.", the words reluctantly escaped the Warden's mouth. This was his most painful decision yet, ever since that tragic day. Life had been anything but easy since then, but he persevered and never complained. To the Warden, this was the ultimate test of his character. His very foundation was being measured.
"You are supporting Anora? You dare! After everything we have struggled to achieve?", Alistair asked angrily. He simply could not believe what is happening. After all their hardships together, the Warden is siding with Anora? Is the Warden simply going to ignore their friendship?
"I am sorry, Alistair. Believe me when I say this. I cannot express how hard it is for me to make this decision but this is the path I have followed, no, we have followed. If I choose to execute Loghain instead, we would betray all that we have done. Did we not fight so hard so Zathrian could forgive the crimes against him? Can't you see, Alistair? It has been our compassion that made us strong and united.", explains the Warden, gesturing to the other companions of the group to which Zevran replied with a solid nod. "Forgive him and have mercy. This is the form of true justice. This is the ultimate test of our journey."