She survives

Thankfully, Anora's wounds were not fatal, and her organs suffered no lasting damage. It would be a pity, after all, if the Queen of Ferelden were to join her husband in her grave.

She slowly awakened on her bed, groggy eyes taking in her new surroundings.

"W-Where am I...?" She muttered.

"In your room, Queen Anora," You said.

"W-Who are you? What is going on here?" Anora questioned, "Guards!"

"Calm down, I can explain," You said.

"Then please, do so," Said Anora, "The last thing I remember is getting attacked and stabbed in my stomach."

"Alright then. First off, I am Lord Inquisitor Alaras Surana. As for your injury, it was because of Venatori agents and co-conspirators among the Ferelden Bannorn who managed to subvert the royal guard with their own people," You explained, "They plotted to remove both you and your husband Alistair and the nobility to seize power for themselves. As for your husband..."

And Anora's face widened in recognition.

"Alaras... it's been a while since I last heard from or saw you," Said Anora, "Truthfully, I didn't recognise you for a moment there."

"Heh, time can change people a lot," You said.

"My husband Alistair... he's no longer with us?" Asked Anora.

"I'm afraid so," You said, face falling, "I fought with him as a fellow comrade during the Fifth Blight; I feel... aggrieved that he's gone now."

"Even though you've had a falling out?" Asked Anora.

"Yes," You admitted.

Anora sighed, saying, "Truthfully, I do not feel like I truly miss him; not to speak ill of the dead, but... he wasn't much better as King than Cailan was."

"Perhaps not," You said, "Alas, with King Alistair and so many of the Feredelner nobility dead, the Kingdom was on its way to complete anarchy, if not for my intervention. And..."

"And?"

"...The people have begun cheering for me to be their King instead," You said.

"What? Why?" Asked Anora.

"In all honesty, I did not expect this," You said, your face remaining even with no trace of emotion, "However... think about this: Almost all of Ferelden's nobility is dead, the Kingdom still reeling from a widespread rebellion that would have consumed it utterly without my intervention. Tell me, which power in the entire continent has the resources and the prerogative to protect Ferelden's people, and to intervene without any repercussions whatsoever?"

"...You, and the Inquisition," Said Anora, "So, does this mean you're asking for my hand in marriage, now?"

"Of course," You said smilingly, "Or rather, there isn't much choice for you."

Anora sighed heavily.

"To think Ferelden would not be conquered by a foreign enemy, but by a power it sees as a saviour..." Said Anora, "Is the Maker playing some sort of prank on us all?"

"That, I don't know," You admitted, "But this is the hand that fate has dealt us. So tell me, what is your answer? Will you choose isolation, or power alongside me?"

"Like you said, it isn't a choice at all," Said Anora, "But let me ask you this: What ambitions do you have for this land?"

"Do you want me to give the long version or the short one?" You asked.

"What do you think?" Asked Anora.

"...To unite the continent by my hand, and end this division between Human and non-Human," You said.

"What? Are you honestly serious?" Asked Anora, "Tevinter tried to unite the continent, and ended up losing all it conquered!"

"That is because they neglected to do the one thing all rulers must do to stay in power," You said, "To win the hearts of the people."

"Isn't it a given, Alaras?" Asked Anora.

"Except Tevinter never did it the right way, and Alistair was no better," You said, "They only pandered to the nobility and never did their utmost for the people to be happy."

"And how would you do that, oh wise man?" Asked Anora.

"...There was a book, written by the Antivan politician Lamberto Di Fiorelli," You said, "It was called 'The Prince'."

"The Prince... if I remember correctly, it's a book that's come under terrible criticism by the Chantry and whose circulation is extremely persecuted," Said Anora, "Why would you read such a book?"

"Because it taught me the very ugly truth on politics, and why tyrants seem to rule for posterity while 'benevolent' rulers do not rule for long," You said.

Pacing around the room, you said, "Lamberto says that for a ruler to be able to maintain his hold on power, he must exercise cruelty. In his terms, cruelty is the use of absolute **** against all your political enemies, be they your enemies or your own allies. He says that because your allies have agendas of their own, to prevent any form of internal division, you must eliminate them all, or they will undermine your rule down the road."

"...There have been nobles who undermined Alistair's authority," Said Anora, "Even so, why cruelty? Surely the law or the King's law is sufficient?"

You shook your head, saying, "Those nobles can easily escape punishment by using loopholes in the law, or using their connections. So long as you can't catch them by the rules, you have to catch them by breaking the rules."

"In other words, the king must dirty his hands and **** them all?" Asked Anora.

"Yes, but cruelty is a very omnipotent weapon prone to ****, precisely because of its power," You said, "If you're not careful, you can end up terribly addicted to it. Which is why Lamberto says that cruelty must be done in one go; not doing it twice is what it takes to be a great ruler."

"Cruelty... the Chantry always loves to advocate honour, justice and peace, even saying that Kings should not 'sell themselves to Demons', the complete opposite of what Lambert says," Said Anora, "I've never liked those hypocrites, anyway."

"And I believe said hypocrites will find themselves targets soon enough," You said, "Without the Templars or Mages to protect them, they have only their word, and they have virtually no power to protect them from any assassinations."

"The Fereldener nobles were better prepared against assassinations, and they still died," Said Anora.

"They didn't have agents like the Antivan Crows," You pointed out.

Anora remained silent at that.

"But... is there really no other way forward?" Asked Anora, "Must Ferelden submit to your rule?"

"...Truthfully, while you are by no means hated by the populace, they show greater favour to me over you," You said, "And you know what the people mean to a nation."

"...Then, I accept your offer, Inquisitor," Said Anora.

"Call me King, or call me Alaras," You said, "Take your pick."