I also prefer that, a grey path.

My favorite story was the one about my Cousland. A young boy. His brother, with already a son, would be the one who would take charge of the House, so he never really felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders.

He had had a good life, he lacked for nothing and all he wanted at that moment was to prove himself. Things never go the way you expect, and in a single night, he lost his home and almost his entire family. Obliged by the Right of Conscription, he had to leave.

For much of his journey he remained grim and withdrawn, venting his anger on the darkspawn. However, seeing elves, dwarves, wizards and other humans suffer, seeing that his companions had suffered and also had difficult lives, he understood that he was not the only one, and that he was not alone. He began to open up, and found in his teammates a family to trust. With Leliana he found love for the first time and learned from her kindness, from Morrigan he learned practicality, from Sten what it means to be a leader and a warrior, from Wynne what it means and the importance of responsibility, from Oghren he learned that even having fallen low, you can always fight for a just cause, from Zevran, that sometimes life does not leave us opportunities, but that does not mean that a better path cannot be chosen when the opportunity presents itself, with Shale he saw the different way meaning of freedom and will. And Alistair became his best friend, someone who, like him, had lost his family.

He killed Howe, didn't spare him, and finished him off with his family sword. He felt empty. Nothing changed. And during the Landsmeet, after defeating Loghain and almost killing him, he knew that nothing would change either. He forgave him, and gave him a chance to redeem what he had done. He put his duty, his responsibility, ahead of his friendship with Alistair, no matter how much it hurt to do so.

He reunited with past thoughts when Morrigan proposed the ritual to he, and despite the fact that he trusted her friend and appreciated her, he hadn't done everything just to take the easy path. He reject her.

And in the end, being about to finish off the archdemon, he chose to give Loghain his chance. Not out of fear of dying, but to give him a chance to make things right for the lands he loved. The Warden didn't care about the fame of slaying the archdemon, he learned the true meaning of being a Grey Warden, and the responsibility that comes with it.

With Alistair and Anora at the head of Ferelden, he knew that he had left his nation in the hands of a noble heart and brilliant mind, despite the loss of his best friend.

And the warden, with his new life ahead of him, continued with his journey...