Heartfire has always had a disarming presence and Leliana, for all of her gifts, feels stripped bare before her. This is the one woman who has seen her at some of her darkest moments. She is the one woman who saw her crying after Dovev, her heart scrubbed raw and the pain seeping through her. And it was Heartfire who had tried to warn Leliana away from him—only to show up later bearing his children.
Were she a jealous woman, she would come apart at the seams about it.
Instead, she feels a constant and dull ache at the thought of it; a confusion she can never quell.
Still, time has soothed some of the wounds, even though she knows the ones around Dovev’s memory are as fresh as ever, and she does not bear grudges well. Instead, she remains cautious.
Heartfire looks at her with her dangerously blue eyes and Leliana meets the gaze evenly with the hazel of her own. She reminds herself that she is not a young child anymore with nothing but a bleeding heart and the gift of healing. She is a magician and a Queen and a mother and such thoughts bolster her.
“It has,” her voice is calm, steady, and she shows no signs of whatever turmoil churns within her. She has always been so good at hiding away the truth of her emotions with the mask of serenity. “I am not well -earned in the arts of running a kingdom, but I have heard that visits to other lands are wise.” She almost says allies, almost says friendly lands, but she is not certain of her standing with Nerine and withholds.
Her head angles slightly, red wings tucking closer into her sides, and she studies the other mare.
“Magnus had told me that you and him had established an alliance.”
There is a pause, a breathy laugh, the roll of shoulders.
“But much has changed since then.”
And she is not Magnus.
it's only you and me there until the darkness calls
let's face the dawn together; we'll brave whatever comes
@[Heartfire]