Yep, I think that is a big difference. And remember Leliana was raped and tortured as well. That's why I think the LI difference makes a big impact. I like how Kalindra's writer is handling the situation with her past and feelings.
I'll share another part of Dan's story that shows his PTSD, it's not Alistair related except that D&L stop by Highever before heading to Alistair's wedding to Maggie:
A Time to Heal
Dan Cousland stood on the parapet looking out over the village and valley below. It had been years since he had been back in Highever…the memories still too fresh in his mind. Fergus Cousland had done an excellent job of rebuilding the castle, but Dan could still see the carnage from that night he left with Duncan. The north wall had been rebuilt, and anyone from outside the family would have not known it wasn’t always there, but he could see the difference. It was new stone…the moss and ivory that covered the old wall he remembered was long gone. Even the interior of the castle was different. The rooms he, his parents, and his brother’s family had occupied were no longer there instead replaced by guests rooms twice the size of the older ones. At least the main greeting hall with the great hearth was still there, but all the old paintings of Couslands were gone having been destroyed by Rendon Howe. Fergus had not even been able to find one depicting their parents. When Fergus first greeted him back home he was shocked to see a painting of himself hanging over the main hearth. He asked Fergus why, and his brother replied that the Hero of Ferelden deserved to be displayed prominently in the Cousland home. It didn’t make him feel better when his brother rubbed his bald head when he said it.
He looked down at the village below and the people who lived there. Fergus had taken his advice and changed the plight of elves in Highever. Not only had the Dalish fought so valiantly in the Battle of Denerim, but so had the elves in the alienage. There was one in particular, Shianni, which had garnered deep respect with Dan. It was because of her when facing the Tevinter slavers that he had helped them for more reasons than just getting leverage against Loghain. It was because of her willingness to fight the darkspawn to save her people and their homes that Dan had asked Fergus to remove the alienage in Highever. He wanted elves to live equally with their neighbors, and when he saw how elves were treated in Amaranthine he again asked Fergus to better the lives of elves. Looking at the village now he was glad Fergus had listened to him. His brother had been concerned about how other nobles and especially the locals would accept the change, and it was the one time he told his brother to use his status as Hero of Ferelden to push it through.
“There you are, little brother,” Fergus said behind him. “I was wondering where you had gone.”
“I just wanted to get away from the bustle downstairs,” he replied. The servants had been busy packing for the trip to Denerim. “I came up here for some peace and quiet.”
Fergus stood beside him overlooking the village. “Father used to come up here when he wanted peace and quiet. I think also a lot of times to get away from us.” He let out a light chuckle which caused Dan to do the same. “See…I knew you were still in there.”
“What do you mean by that?” Dan asked turning to look at his brother.
Fergus met Dan’s look. “You’ve been so somber since you came back home. In fact every time I have seen you since I left for Ostagar you’re somber…well except for your wedding. I know you can’t always be this way. Leliana loves you, and she’s lighthearted and happy. I just can’t see you being moody all of the time.”
“Have I been? I’m sorry,” he replied. “I’m just still getting used to it all…I mean being home…the changes you made. They’re good changes…don’t get me wrong…”
“You still think about that night…don’t you.” It was a statement.
Dan looked away from his brother and back out to the village below. He looked back at Fergus…a tear running down his cheek. “I remember the fires…the screaming…the clashing of swords…the smoke…the blood…the bodies…mother and father…” he trailed off.
“I wish I had been here that night,” Fergus said placing his hand on Dan’s shoulder.
“I’m glad you weren’t.” Fergus gave him a puzzled look. “When I saw what they had done to Oriana and Oren…it took a lot of convincing from mother to keep me from charging blindly for Howe. I know that if had you been here…” he placed his own hand on his brother’s shoulder. “If you had been here I would be the only one left.”
Fergus just nodded. They separated and looked back out over the village. “So that’s why you have been somber? The memories?”
“Mostly the memories but also the castle. It’s just all so different. I mean…it looks the same, but it isn’t. You know what I mean? It’s just going to take me time to get used to it all.”
“I know,” Fergus replied. He turned to walk back the way he had come. “Don’t stay up here too long, little brother. We have to leave on the morrow for Denerim.”
“I won’t forget,” Dan replied with a smile. “Last thing I want is for Maggie to get upset with me.”
“Well…it is her wedding,” Fergus smiled back.
Dan stayed on the parapet letting his thoughts wander. He wasn’t sure how long he was standing there, nor did he hear Leliana walk up beside him.
“You would think I would be used to how quiet you are by now,” he said to her.
“I wasn’t trying to be quiet,” she replied. She hugged his arm and laid her head on his shoulder. “You’re just being thoughtful and not paying attention.” He slid his arm around her waist and laid his head on hers. “Has it been as bad as you thought it might be? Coming back here?” she asked.
“No…you were right. I needed to come back here,” he replied quietly. “It still hurts, though. I can still see things as they were…I can still hear the sounds from that night.”
She turned in his arm, wrapped hers around his waist and laid her head on his chest looking out over the village. “We should have done this a long time ago. This has been a wound you needed to heal.” She looked up at him.
“I know,” he said looking back at her. He swallowed hard. “I just…I…” He buried his head in her shoulder. “I miss them all so much,” he sobbed.
She put an arm around his head and made soothing sounds in his ear. “It’s ok, baby,” she whispered. “Let it all go…let it all go. It’s going to be alright.”
“I should have done something,” he continued sobbing into her shoulder.
“I know you blame yourself, but it was not your fault,” she said trying to calm him.
He withdrew from her and stepped to the parapet’s wall slamming his fist on top of it. “But it was my fault. I should have recognized the tone in Howe’s voice. I overheard his men talking about the defenses. I should have recognized what they were planning. I…” he trailed off and looked down. “I was more worried about bedding a woman than I was paying attention to the dangers around me.” He turned around and sat on the walkway. “I… I…” She got down on her knees in front of him. He looked at her with tears running down his cheeks. “I could have saved them, Leliana. They would still be alive if I had just…I had just…” She pulled him to her, and he wrapped his arms around her burying his face in her chest. “I miss them so much,” he sobbed.
“Yes…I know,” she whispered to him. “When you killed Howe you told me this. But you still needed to come here to heal. I know. When I was betrayed by Marjolaine a sister in the chantry helped me. But I was not healed. When I met you in Lothering and left the chantry to join you…to do something good…it helped me. But I was not healed. When I confronted Marjolaine…and you stood beside me…it helped me. But I was not healed. It wasn’t until you told me that you believed in me…and told me you loved me…then I was healed. I needed to know that someone cared for me…that was what I needed to heal.”
“And you still think coming back here is what I need?”
“You left to survive, and you became a Grey Warden. You defeated Howe and ended the Blight. But the one thing you have done ever since I first met you…you have avoided this place. You took the assignment in Amaranthine to avoid coming back here. You took the Teyrn of Gwaren to avoid coming back here. You spent extra time in Denerim with Alistair to avoid coming back here.” She pulled his face up to look into his eyes. “But the one thing you needed more than anything was to come here…to face your pain. I blamed myself for what Marjolaine did to me. It wasn’t until you told me that you cared for me…that you loved me…that I was finally able to forgive myself and realize what Marjolaine did was not my fault. Coming here…seeing this place…your home…you need to forgive yourself, my love. None of this was your fault.”
“I don’t know that I can,” he said quietly.
“Yes you can,” she replied and kissed him. “I believe in you…just as you believed in me.” He looked into her eyes and nodded. She pulled his head back down into her chest. “I believe in you, my love. And no matter how long it takes I will be here with you.”
It was rainy as they left Highever the next morning. Leliana rode in a carriage while Dan patrolled with the guards on horseback. He wore his warden blues despite no longer being an active member of the order. He said it was what the people wanted to see in the Hero of Ferelden, but she figured there was more to it than he would say. “A Cousland always does their duty” he had told her. But for him personally it also signified a change in his life. Had he not left with Duncan to join the order in Ostagar he would have been killed. And even though he would never tell her…she knew. Plus she liked the way he looked in the uniform. It was, after all, what had originally attracted her to him. She watched him as he talked to the men…still being the leader he was during the Blight. Sitting tall in the saddle, giving orders when needed, joking with the guards at other times. They respected and admired him. He had a charisma…an air about him that made soldiers, both men and women, look to him for guidance. But they would never know him like she did. They knew him as the Hero, the warrior, the defeater of darkspawn, leader of armies, and so many other titles. But she knew the man, and she loved him. She had seen him at his best and his worst. And she loved him.
She watched as Fergus reined his horse next to Dan’s. They were close enough that she could hear the brothers talking.
“Hey little brother,” Fergus said as he pulled back on the reins slowing his horse to a walk. “You should be in the carriage with your wife.”
“I will soon enough,” Dan replied.
“Making sure the guards are patrolling? I’ve heard you have them on their toes.” Dan looked over to Fergus who was grinning. “Feeling a little paranoid?”
“One can never be too careful. There could be bandits on the road or Anora sympathizers. Maybe even Howe supporters who would do us harm despite the efforts of Nate and Delilah.” He looked ahead towards the front of their column. “One just can’t be vigilant enough these days.”
“Is that Dan Cousland talking? Or the Warden Commander?” He kept stride with his brother. “It’s not your fault what happened when our parents died.”
Dan jerked his head to look sternly Fergus. “I know that.”
“Do you? Is that why you took so long to come back home, little brother?”
“You weren’t there…you had left with the army to march to Ostagar.”
“And I showed Howe’s men the defenses of the castle,” Fergus replied. “Father trusted Howe, and I had no reason to doubt father. Neither did you. None us knew Howe would betray us. You are not the one at fault. If anyone was to blame it was Rendon Howe, and you took care of him.”
“But I should have seen what was happening. I heard the men talking, the way Howe talked…I should have known and said or done something.”
“You know, I thought the very same thing when I first heard what had happened. I felt certain I should have stayed with the army and waited for Howe’s men to arrive. But I did as Father wished because he trusted Howe and I trusted him.” He stopped his horse and pulled on the reins to Dan’s stopping it as well. “Little brother, we can both look back at the whole thing and see so many signs that something was wrong…something not right. But that’s looking back knowing what happened. The important thing is that we survived, justice was served, and we learn to never let it happen again.” Dan only nodded. “Now get off that horse and get in the carriage with your wife.” Fergus rubbed Dan’s head with a grin, and he grinned back.
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A few days later they arrived in Denerim, and the brother’s were greeted with open arms by their cousin. Maggie Cousland was so excited to see them, and as she gave them a tour of the palace could not stop talking about her upcoming wedding and how happy she was to have the family back together again. As they followed her Dan looked at Leliana as they held hands. She smiled back at him. She was right…as was Fergus. It was time to realize that what had happened was not his fault, nor his brother’s, nor their father’s. And it was time to look to the future. The Couslands were stronger and more powerful in Ferelden than they had ever been. One was still Teyrn of Highever, one was the Hero of Ferelden and Teyrn of Gwaren, and soon one would become the Queen of Ferelden.
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And I love the picture! People are so creative! Love it! 
I'm hoping to post the "prologue" in the creation forum some time this week
Unfortunately for her.
