
IF YOU LOVE SOMEONE SET THEM FREE
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Ahhh, yes. Poor Aerie. Poor, poor Aerie.

Originally, the Aerie romance was also supposed to have a third possible branch. Although assigning this to the romance isn't exactly true...it's something that would come up regardless of whether or not you were romancing Aerie. The effect on the romance could be pronounced, however.

Ordinarily, Aerie has an initial period where she simply can't get over the loss of her wings. She talks about her people and what it was like to be an avariel...and if you're not in the romance, she never quite gets over this (although she's considerably more quiet about it).

Now, if we all recall, there was a place in the game where people knew how to turn others permanently into bird, right? You know what I'm talking about...the Xzar and Montaron quest involving the Harpers. Their polymorph ability was supposed to be no joke, and the player was supposed to be able to find, originally, a ritual scroll that would allow a subject to be permanently transformed into a bird. As a ritual, it's not a learnable spell...but it is castable by anyone (although it takes several hours, apparently, so it's not a combat spell).

Once the quest is over, if Aerie was in the party (or joins the party later), she would inquire about the scroll, wondering if the player would be willing to use it on her. Being a bird wouldn't be the best thing, but she would do almost anything to have her wings back. If Haer'Dalis is about and has been interacting with Aerie, he'll be all for it...it would seem very fitting to him for Aerie to become an actual bird (and he does have that fondness for thinking of everyone as birds anyway). The conversation with Aerie was supposed to revolve around whether or not the PC romance was active.

If there was no romance, the player had several options. He could refuse her out-right, saying that being a bird isn't the answer or she's an idiot or whatever. She will be hurt and upset and leave the party to return permanently to the circus. The player could also promise to turn her into a bird later, saying that he needs her right now...but she will require a promise that once Imoen is rescued that he do so. She thinks that this is, indeed, what she wants.
If there is a romance, the player has the same options as above...although he also has the option of convincing Aerie that what she really needs is to adjust to life as it is now, to see the good things she has and not throw them away simply for a pair of wings. Aerie will be unconvinced, and will ask for the player to give her the scroll...in case she changes her mind. If the player doesn't give the scroll, she leaves...obviously he doesn't trust her. If he does, the issue doesn't come up until later.

NOW...for those of you who have actually played the Haer'Dalis/Aerie romance, you probably know the effect that Irenicus has on Aerie...the hatred that she has for him after seeing what he's done at Spellhold.
This was actually a much-shortened version of the original story. Besides the Suna Seni thing, Irenicus was supposed to have other lieutenants. One of these was a struggling Thayvian mage named Thraxis Gall (I think...at least, this is the name that pops in my head, though my memory may be off). Before Spellhold, Aerie was supposed to have been stolen by Gall. The player can found out where he is, but when he gets there Aerie has been tortured terribly. Gall knew that avariel wings are incredibly valuable for spell components...and he wanted the opportunity to study an avariel closely to see if anything else was as valuable. When the player frees Aerie, she kills Gall and is shaking with rage and utter disbelief at the kind of evil that exists in the world. The player has two choices: encourage Aerie's new vigilanteism, in which case she commits herelf to a campaign against evil and tears up the scroll (she was originally supposed to take on a new voice set in this case). Or the player could believe that this world isn't for Aerie...she will breakdown and agree and say her tearful good-byes before turning herself into a bird (if she has the scroll) or begging the player to do so (if he promised he would). If the player refuses at this point, Aerie will be heart-broken and leave permanently. 