She's got the devil's eyes

Though Heartfire has never been one to avoid things, it’s true she had not made any great effort to visit the Tephran queen after the war. There is so much history there. And, for all that Heartfire might live with the pretense she has little emotions, she knows it is far from true. Better to let sleeping dogs lie, as it were.

Still, it cannot go on forever, to say that she is surprised by Leliana’s visit would be a great untruth. Perhaps in another reality they might have had some sort of real relationship, but when matters of the heart become too tangled with their reality, such things are… difficult, to say the least.

Perhaps it might even have been different had Heartfire any regret over her actions. But she doesn’t.

Still, she had taken care not to burn bridges. To many it might seem counterintuitive that avoidance had been the solution, but Heartfire knows herself well enough to know it had been the only solution. Even if it is not one that would last forever.

When the light finds her, she considers it idly for a moment before sighing softly and turn the follow that delicate trail back to its originator. She knows at some point others might take note of her recent activity. So it would only make sense this visit had to be coming sooner rather than later.

“Leliana,” she greets easily as she approaches the neighboring monarch at a relaxed pace. She settles a comfortable distance from her, blue gaze shrewd in the silence before she continues. “It’s been a while.”

and they'll cut you like a weapon

She's got the devil's eyes

As with nearly everything, there is so much unspoken in this story. So many pieces left out. Something Heartfire had never bothered to rectify. She would have perhaps, had she any faith it might make any sort of difference. But love is not logical, nor does it bend to such whims. And it is that understanding that had stayed Heartfire’s hand and tongue. Were she certain the truth might cause anything but pain, she might have offered it. Regrettably, she had never been certain of anything regarding Dovev and those who had come before her.

Were she a more virtuous woman, she might have tried anyway. But she is not, nor would she ever pretend to be. Better then, for Leliana to think the worst of her. Better for her to believe her actions had been intentional and their prior acquaintance a cold, manipulative lie.

She would never willingly admit how he had torn down each barrier she’d placed between them, or found his way past the walls she had so carefully erected around her heart. Nor would anyone ever know that he is the only living creature to have seen her vulnerable in grief.

It is to Leliana’s credit that she had not grown to hate her. Heartfire had certainly never given her reason not to. If she could be said to regret anything, it would only be that their acquaintance would forever be colored by the weight of their history. She cannot change the past, of course, but she does hope those personal grievances might be forgotten for the sake of their respective kingdoms.

After all, in the coming days, doubtless they would both need what allies they could muster.

She can see the ways in which Leliana so carefully chooses her words, dancing around the might-have-beens as she tests the waters, attempting to determine where they each stand. Heartfire, true to her word (despite what many believe of her), had upheld the alliance she’d forged with Magnus in the wake of his departure. Despite the two women’s differences, she’d never had any desire to alienate Leliana or Tephra.

“That’s true,” she agrees readily enough, her affirmation equally applicable to both statements the Tephran queen had made. “I will admit to some curiosity over your position after your… quarrel with Loess. But I have not abandoned the alliance.”

and they'll cut you like a weapon

She's got the devil's eyes

For all that Heartfire does not have a diplomatic mind or heart, there is too much resting on this meeting for her not to tread carefully. Tephra had long been an ally of Nerine’s, and she has no desire to change that. For all that her words are carefully chosen, she is, of course, not the only one with the ability to abandon such alliances. Perhaps she might have couched the statement more kindly, but it is not in her nature.

They may have a great deal of history between them, but Heartfire had never told Leliana an untruth. Leliana must know by now that Heartfire is not one to soften any fact or observation with platitudes.

“Castile thought I might bend the knee to him,” she offers in response to her revelations regarding the state of Tephra and Loess’ relationship. “Naturally, I declined,” a faint twitch of her lips is the only reaction she makes as she offers the insight, “but it seems he is dissatisfied with that and wishes to use other means to gain my cooperation.”

Her eyes harden then, blue eyes glittering dangerously in the dark mask of her features. Loess had chosen the wrong way to go about it, and the faint taste of betrayal still sits heavily on her tongue. She has never been a woman to go lightly into conflict. Always a woman slow to anger and slow to react. But when she does, it is with every domino placed perfectly so. One tipped pieces is all that would be needed to send the effects rippling through Beqanna.

She smiles faintly then, but there is no humor in the action. Instead it is laced with crystal clear intent. “Regrettably for them, they played their hand much too quickly.”

If there is one thing one should not do, it is give Heartfire time to plan.

“I am not a war-monger Leliana. I think you and I are alike in that. I also think our kingdom’s could greatly benefit from a continued alliance.” She leaves the rest unspoken. The neighboring monarch must be aware Loess would not remain quiet forever. And when the hush inevitably ends, Heartfire fully intends to tip the domino.

and they'll cut you like a weapon

She's got the devil's eyes

Truthfully, Heartfire had always thought well of the woman before her. Even when they’d first met, so many years ago now (Leliana heartbroken and face tear-streaked, Heartfire only marginally less hardened and harsh), she had not found her lacking. Perhaps that would be a shocking revelation to her. But that had been what drew Heartfire into that ill-fated encounter in the first place. Had she thought less of her, she would have continued walking.

Heartfire had not sought out all of Dovev’s paramours, after all. Only those who she felt the endeavor might be worthwhile. A dubious honor at best, no doubt.

Regardless, those ancient musings are neither here nor there anymore. They each have much more pressings concerns to consider. Though their mutual interests may not mend old wounds, she does rather hope it might bridge them. She would never admit to such things, but the crimson and mahogany queen is one of the very few living creatures who might have the ability to earn her trust.

For all their differences, their willingness to do anything for their families is something they have in common. And Leliana’s fierce oath resonantes with the blue and white woman. A stance she can fully respect.

Blue eyes gleaming, Heartfire tilts her head lightly at her companion, acknowledging her position. “Then we are in accord,” she agrees, sealing the renewed agreement without hesitation. Loess may choose to make a great deal of noise, but it does rather amuse her how much their noise seems to cause them to overlook. “And as an act of good faith, I will tell you I have managed to gather a great deal of information.” She pauses, the brief silence heavy with meaning. “I have also been having some… conversations… with their allies.”

and they'll cut you like a weapon

She's got the devil's eyes

Heartfire has never been particularly attuned to the gentler emotions. A regrettable circumstance, no doubt, but one she has never found the ability to rectify. Instead she had always sought to use it to her advantage, despite the obvious pitfalls such a lack might contain. Still, even she can feel the faint tendrils of understanding them seem to branch so uncertainly between them. A mutual desire to move past old wrongs.

Whether she is becoming softer with age, or whether it is simply because it is a peculiar magic unique to Leliana, she’s not quite certain. But she chooses not to question it.

She nearly smiles when the Tephran queen blasaically acknowledges her lack of surprise at Heartfire’s knowledge. Truthfully, it would have been far more shocking had Leliana not suspected Heartfire of gathering information so religiously. For all that she is older now, sharper and harder than she had once been, she has not truly changed that much. She had merely learned subtlety.

She had discovered much more than she would impart today. But then, there is much more than could be shared in a day. She is silent for a long moment in the wake Leliana’s unassuming statement. Her companion’s distaste for prying leaves her with the decision of what, and how much, to share. Always a double-edged blade, that choice.

Still, today, she hasn’t much desire to wield it. Not as she had when Lepis had offered her only silence.

“Castile’s reach is not nearly so long as he seems to believe,” she finally offers rather bluntly. She’d never been one to beat around the bush. “I only needed one weakness, but he has offered me many.” She does smile at that, though there is nothing joyful or kind in it. “And, as it turns out, his own alliances are not very… stable, as it were.”

She had gleaned much more, of course, but for the moment, it’s less relevant. She knows Nerine is in his crosshairs, but he had made a mistake in not moving immediately. A mistake she has every intention of taking full advantage of.

She would not begin any wars. But if war were brought to her, she would end it as quickly as it could begin.

and they'll cut you like a weapon