Dalish tradition, as a whole, was to be described as something "pure." Their intentions are everything to do in the accordance of their clan as a whole instead of with selfish tendencies; their entire existence depends on each other and to work together as a family. The stories his Keeper told him during the times of their ancestors said tales of betrayal and hatred, the hunters who ventured too far from their clan to randomly come upon other beings would say things of stealing and aggression, then there were the messengers who made a life out of traveling between different cities and cultures, taking the meaning of jealousy and misunderstandings that could take a wrong turn to a point where someone ends up dead.
Needless to say, it was almost as if the Dalish culture were painted as the better life to live compared to the others.
It was often these things he was told during his years growing up that he would be grateful he wasn't brought up in such environments, glad that he had a family and friends that he cared for who cared for him back. Just even thinking on the idea that he might not have had the compassion of his mother, the pride of his father, the understanding of his Keeper or the friendship of his best friend was almost enough disgust to make his stomach twist and turn in displeasure. And for those who were born with that great misfortune, he could only hope that they learned to survive and learned to accept the life the Creator (or the individual's chosen god) had given them.
The issue of marriage was perhaps one of the differences between Alienage and Dalish elves. Perhaps the concept could be said the same in that both of them would marry after falling in love, but for the Dalish, it was much more than just a ceremony that joined two people who cared so deeply for each other that they'd be willing to give and sacrifice anything for them. Just based off the example of his parents who Faer hadn't ever seen two people any happier to be together, then the utter despair that The Keeper's First saw in his father's eyes when his mother died was enough for Faer to believe that marriage was a connection held strong, a connection that couldn't be severed even after death.
But it was also a connection that Faer Arandil feared, afraid of falling for someone to the point where he would have that same deadness in his eyes after losing a loved one that his father did after losing his wife (Faer's mother.)
It was common for them to marry young and at the age of eighteen, his father (and friends, for that matter, especially Jaden who constantly tried to put Faer on the spot when it came to noticing a girl) had been pressuring him to make a selection for his wife-to-be, yet he hadn't made any decisions and neither had any plans to do so. For one, he was afraid of seeing what the idea of being bonded to someone would do to him and for another, none of the girls in his clan seemed that interested in him and neither was he interested in them. Then, of course, there was the matter of Seda Utheriel, an elf he was betrothed to who belonged to the same clan as Æolyn and he could only thank her from afar that she felt the need to run away, otherwise he would have probably been stuck on the alter by now.
But to talk about this with Æolyn and realizing that it was discomforting told him that he simply wasn't ready. Not yet, anyway. He cleared his throat, clenching his jaw in a fit of nervousness as he tried to soften his tone, not wanting to offend her, "If you are suggesting that we marry each other, I think...it might be better if we wait. Coming from different clans already puts a strain on us and I'd have to ask my Keeper and father as it is. Perhaps...it would be better if we take it as the days go. At some point, I may want to but right now...I am sorry, but I am just not ready."
His gaze held sternly to her, but still had a quiet edge that told her he really was apologetic for not being as enthusiastic as her about them.