30 Days of Alistair: Day Nine

Master post here. My posts collected under this tag.

9. The Warden has left Alistair alone with the other members of their party. Who does Alistair socialize with? How do they pass the time? What do they talk about?

In all my headcanons so far, the only other person in the party Alistair really grows close to is Wynne. Not only does he cast her in a sort of surrogate grandmother role, she is the person with whom he has the most in common — Andrastian but not too dedicated, respectful of the rules, generally in tune with the mores of their shared society. She is the only other Ferelden in the party, and the only one who grew up under the supervision of the Chantry. It’s natural that he would gravitate toward her, between her familiarity and her nuturing air. I suspect that conversation between them would be much like their party banters: Alistair asking her for help with small tasks, talking about their pasts and a little about the future, friendly chatter and gentle teasing, Alistair trying to learn more about life in the Circle to get a glimpse of what his life might have been, had he taken his vows.

I can also see Alistair building a friendship of sorts with Leliana — the fact that he’s comfortable enough to ask her for relationship advice if he’s wooing the Warden speaks to that — and a grudging, if possibly distant, trust and respect for Oghren, Sten, and Zevran, though I suspect their conversations would mostly be around practical matters. Not Morrigan — never Morrigan, theirs is an oil-and-water relationship — and for some reason not Shale, either. I do see him getting along well with the Dog: feeding him scraps when he thinks no one is looking, or tossing a stick, or having the long, private conversations about his fears that he doesn’t feel he can share with anyone else. Dog never judges him; he just looks back and smiles.

One last bit of personal headcanon: Alistair gets along famously with Sandal and Bodahn Feddic. He asks for stories of Orzammar, wheedles Bodahn into cooking (since Bodahn is the best cook of the lot), explores the shinier and more arcane of Bodahn’s wares and Sandal’s runes, sells them tidbits he finds on the road. Bodahn may be a scavenger, but he’s a useful one to have along, and Alistair admires him greatly for taking in Sandal and treating him as his own. They become fast friends, and Alistair is genuinely regretful when father and son leave for Kirkwall.