Character

Ailian has kept her tomboyish nature way into adulthood. She is a wildfire, incredibly short tempered and tends to use an "act first, ask later" policy. However, she can be quite responsible when necessary and being raised to know how to run a large household she can hold her own just fine when commanding forces and her merry band of misfits. She is also noble to a fault and a terrible liar, a virtue that sometimes gets her in trouble.
She loves swordplay, riding, dogs (which is pretty obvious as Fereldans are obsessed with their Mabari warhounds and Highever has a famous breed of them), duelling, travelling and some quite simple pleasures such as playing cards, drinking contests and singing.

Ailian is a party person. cheerful, whitty and easy to get along with unless provoked. She gets really silly and talks a lot when drunk.
To her her travelling companions are family, and woe to whoever might threathen any of them. She also has a soft spot for children and adores them.

Relationships
Alistair Theirin

The man in whom she found all she could ever wish for. They love each other with all their being and complete each other in a way that those who would only look on their obvious differences would never understand. Meeting during the blight, two young adults thrown into chaos, shaken by loss and expecting certain death they only grew ever closer. As Grey Wardens. As King and Queen. As parents. Even apart, him ruling the kingdom and her travelling Thedas looking for a way to save them both, all of them, they are still together in their thoughts, still fiercely in love. And she misses him so much she writes letter after letter, holding on to the hope that soon, they will be together again.

Duncan Theirin
Her small, great, incredible miracle. She does not want to leave him, but yet she knows she must, she knows she cannot bear the thought of him loosing his parents at a young age as she did, she knows she cannot bear the thought of not seeing him grow up, get married, have children of his own. And so she leaves. To save him, to save his father, and to save herself.

Fergus Cousland

The last link  to her past that is left to her. Her beloved elder brother. There is really nothing more to say. Fergus is ... Fergus. He is home, part of her just as she is part of him.

 

Morrigan

Is her closest friend, somewhat of a sister even. once they got close there was nothing that could destroy that, their companionship, the secrets they shared, hopes, fears, dreams ... and she would never forget how Morrigan saved her, saved Alistair, gave them a future they had all but given up on. And even so many years later, both of them all grown up and mothers, they are just as close. Oh and how she loves Morrigans son - Alistairs son - almost as fiercely as her own. Because they are family.

 

Leliana

Their relationship is a strange one. They like each other well enough and enjoy each others company. It's all duels and comparing of skills and sitting at the fireplace singing songs to Leliana playing her lute, talking about fancy dresses and shoes and girl things. And she feels relaxed around Leliana because they share the same bone-deep sadness, and she understands loss and betrayal better than most.

 

Nathaniel Howe

Trust. A fragile thing unmade and reforged into an unbreakable bond. In fact she trusts him more than most. Fate had pulled them apart and thrown them back together, and they are stronger for it now. Nate is an irreplacable friend. To her. To Fergus. He is not his father. He never will be.

 

Anders
There is the feeling of loss whenever she thinks of Anders. Wonders what's become of him. Of Justice. If they are still on the run after Kirkwall, if they are all right, somewhere safe. She knows she shouldn't, not after what he's done, but she knows that if he'd come to her, she'd welcome him with open arms. Because they are both Grey Wardens. He is her brother. And he is her friend.

 

Erin Trevelyan
She looks at her and sees herself. Younger, thrown into chaos and desperation. They get along well, there is a sense of kinship between them. Strong willed, back to back, they will protect what is precious to them. Their children are friends as well, and who knows .... maybe they might even be family one day.

 

Cullen Rutherford

They remember each other, from Kinloch Hold. He would not forget how she saved his life. They are both older, stronger, sitting side by side on the battlements. Talking about home. About the blight. About the way his little girl Aria looks at Duncan and about how she's much too young for such things. And really they both haven't changed much but at the same time they did and it's confusing and she finds it funny how he awkwardly stubles over his words when flustered while being so sure and deadly with a sword in hand. Just like Alistair. Just another thing the she and the Inquisitor have in common as it seems. Their taste in men.

Appearance

Ailian is a small, slender woman, long legs, small breasts, a face that makes her look younger than she actually is. Build for stealth and speed more than brute strenght she chooses her combat style and garments accordingly. 
When armed and armored, she wears practical leather armor and short swords or daggers, and one can be sure she always has one or the other knife hidden somewhere on her person.

Ailian is not a vain person despite being a noble and a queen. Fereldans, unlike Orlesians, don't care much about fancy dresses, their garb is much more practical. With the climate being mostly wet and cold, leather and fur are part of almost all Fereldan clothings, even dresses and court fashion.

Being raised in Highever at the rocky coast of the waking sea her clothing hat to protect against wind and weather. She prefers garments in browns and greens, but also likes blue, fitting her eyecolor.

 

Backstory
(most things outside the events of dragon age orgins and awakening are NOT canon and just from imagination and/or slight AU/AU storywriting)

- Childhood and Teenage Days -

Ailian was born in 9:10 Dragon as second child to Theyrn Cousland of Highever.
Although growing up sheltered as befitting of a noblemans daughter, she was given many freedoms by her parents and being surronded only by boys around her age she was quite a ruffian during her childhood and teenage days. Her favorite playmates, even though being quite a few years older, were her elder brother Fergus and the eldest son of her fathers friend, Nathaniel Howe. Being surronded by boys had the merit that noone minded her learning swordplay and archery from early on, actually getting quite proficient at it. At age 10 she was known aroung the Therny as a "rogueish tomboy."

There were of course talks about marrying her to one of the young Ferelden nobles as she grew older, but Ailian would have none of it and her father would never marry his "pup" off against her will. There were some rumors that she was close to one of Highevers young knights, Ser Gilmore, but their relationship never went past flirting.

- Dragon Age Origins and Awakening -
Things changed as the blight threatened the land in 9:30 Dragon.
After the murder of her family by her fathers former trusted friend Arl Rendon Howe, she managed to escape from Highever with the help of the Grey Warden, Duncan, and joined the Wardens to fend of the blight.  Even hunted and antagonized by Loghain McTir, who grasped the throne of Ferelden after betraying King Cailan at the fated battle at Ostagar, she eventually managed to gather a formidable army under Grey Warden banners and defeated the arch demon, ending the blight.
During this year she did also meet, grow closer and eventually fall in love with her fellow Grey Warden, Alistair. With the  help of Arl Eamon Ailian convinced the council of nobles to have king Cailans brother Alistair take his rightful place on the throne of Ferelden, with her as his wife and queen beside him.
Following the blight in 9:31 Dragon, she took the title as Warden Commander of Ferelden for a short time, rebuilding the Vigil and recruiting new Grey Wardens to rebuild the order in Ferelden, passing both the title of Warden Commander and Arl of Amaranthine to Nathaniel Howe afterwards and returning to her chosen place at court.

- Miracles and Goodbyes - 

In 9:34 Dragon Ailian gave birth to a healthy son, who was named Duncan, after the man who saved her life and was a father figure to her husband Alistair. To the king and queen, the birth of their first and only child was a miracle, considering that due to the teint they subjected themselves to at their initiation it was highly unlikely for a Grey Warden to ever bear or father a child. For two Grey Wardens it was said to be impossible.
Ailian stayed at the castle until 9:38 Dragon. At this point there had been a few discussions between her and Alistair, both of them knowing that their time together was limited due to them being Grey Wardens. Following some rumors she set out on a quest to find a cure to the calling all wardens sooner or later succumbed to, unwilling to accept that they had twenty years left at most and vowing not to stop her search until she found it.

- The Inquisition -

After the conclave and the founding of the Inquisition in 9:41, Ailian was drawn to Skyhold after hearing that the so called "elder one" could control the calling and the Grey Wardens with it. The ancient darkspawn being her best clue so far, she joined the inquisition forces, starting a new line of research with Fiona, the only Grey Warden ever known to be freed from the teint and the calling.