Something that I feel gets disregarded in far too many portrayals of Merrill is her strength of will and determination to fight on behalf of her people. A lot of times, depictions of her usually boil down to one of two extremes: she's either a sweet cinnamon roll who must be protected (accurate but limited), or she's an arrogant fool who blunders about without any idea as to what she's doing (not really valid, plus the people offering such a take often seem to have no problems with Solas actively trying to destroy the world...) As cute and idealistic and frequently bewildered by human society as she is, she's still a woman willing to question old traditions and break taboos for the sake of making a better world, and her kind-hearted nature doesn't stop her from wielding immense magical power either. Hence my take on her: a sweet cinnamon roll... with a will of steel and the ability to single-handedly turn a small army into a fine pink mist.
Regardless, I hope you enjoyed my portrayal of her, and the chapter overall. Going into the new year, I've resolved to improve my writing productivity, both with fan-stories like The Grey Path and my original works, so I hope to avoid such a long and shameful delay between chapters in the future. Thank you all for your continued patience and support, and let me know what you think!
As ever, the preview image was done by the awesome Poly-M and used with her permission (Source here: BiowareClub contest prize)
First Chapter: A Day For Celebration - The Grey Path - Chapter One: A Day for Celebration
Previous Chapter: Mahariel's Calling, Part One - The Grey Path - Chapter Twenty-Eight, Part One
Next Chapter: Oaths of Blood - The Grey Path - Chapter Twenty-Nine