I need to be feral about Dragon Age Veilguard for a minute. Does the "Romanced Bellara, who gets kidnapped by Elgar'nan and blighted" path have me so feral I am chewing on my enclosure? GOD YES.
You two have JUST had the big heart to heart before starting the final missions. Bellara and Rook are CLEARLY in love with each other, but still haven't committed. Bellara struggles with these things and the right words, and Rook is (in this case) from a military family and an awkward dork who prefers hitting things with her sword. EMOTIONS ARE HARD BUT MY DORKS ARE TRYING
and then Bellara gets kidnapped by Elgar'nan.
and Rook is so IMMEDIATELY DISTRAUGHT that she has to be physically restrained by DAVRIN, a man described as a "walking mountain of armour", because they KNOW she's about to get herself killed trying to kill an IMMORTAL ELVEN 'GOD' trying to get Bellara back. Everyone on this team knows Bellara and Rook are crazy about each other.
Then ROOK disappears. Into Solas' fade prison. And the first thing she sees? The pull of regret that hits hardest? It's not Harding. It's not even Varric. It's Bellara. It's the only time Rook's voice breaks. Meanwhile the echo of Bellara in the fade is tearfully saying 'You picked me to die." Rook powers through, breaks the regret prison's hold (with the rest of the team and Varric's help), but it's still weighing on her.
But once they seize Minrathous, the damndest thing happens. THERE SHE IS!! And...Bellara tries to kill her. MORE IMPORTANTLY is what Rook does next.
The lyrium dagger isn't used as a weapon very often by Rook. Primarily, against the Evanuris and potentially Solas...and here's Rook, using it to attack the blight tendrils that have Bellara trapped. Because it's THAT IMPORTANT to free her.
And just the looks Rook gives Bellara from that point forward.
Rook almost lost the love of her life. And with Bellara blighted. Rook still may lose her. And Bellara only kept going because she had Rook (and Cyrian) in her head telling her to hold on, constructs of the two in her mind as the last bastions of everything she ever cared about. Even Neve faded out. But not Rook. Never Rook.
And these two will NEVER lose each other again, whether they have a day or a century. Rook is the only living person that got Bellara through it, she is the center of Bellara's emotional life.
And Rook is there, and every moment she looks into her...what was Cyrian's word?...vora'shivan's eyes...when she sees past the anxiety and the blight scars and sees Bellara's soul?
Rook would follow Bellara Lutare to the ends of the universe and into the abyss beyond. And what's the translation of the last thing Bellara says to Rook before they kiss?
Your love humbles me, my eternal waking dream.
Not even ancient gods bringing thousands of years of planning during their imprisonment or the god of deceit, lies, and trickery could break these two up, could sunder their love.
I am feral about these two. It's the slowest of slow burn, but on this path you finish the game KNOWING that these two absolutely love each other, to the bitter end and highest joys, AND that Rook is already committed for both 'in sickness AND in health'.
