Leliana does not expect to be greeted warmly—it has been a long time since she had felt such a thing here—and so she does not cower when the dragon greets her. Instead she stands quietly, soft but not weak, her hazel eyes steady as she looks toward him. “I know better than to think that, Castile,” she says, her voice mild, once again the sound of calm waters, unperturbed and unaffected, regardless of how she feels.
For a second, she is quiet, thoughtful, turning her gaze toward Loess and then back to him.
“I have no hunger for bloodshed,” she says simply. “I made mistakes. I let my power overtake me and when I tried to right injustice, I simply furthered it.” Her face does not betray the ache that she feels at the words—the way that it is a dagger that slips into her belly, the way that her hands cannot and will not ever stop the bleeding. “I thought I could control my magic, but I couldn’t. It took on a life of its own and innocents were hurt because of it. I will live with that knowledge for the rest of my life.”
She straightens slightly. “I watched my husband die. I held my child in the afterlife. I know the depth of my crimes.” Once it might have crippled her—and it still might—but today she is clear eyed and calm, not fearful of his teeth or his power. She is but a magician of flora and fauna, but she won’t turn away.
“I don’t come asking for peace, Castile. I know better than to think you would agree to such a thing. I can hope that you will stay your hand—that you will no longer hold anyone against their wishes—but I no longer want to fight for such a thing.” The air is sweeter without the presence of the maze, without the stench of its burned edges. “I simply came to let you know that should you continue, it will be one-sided.”
Not that Loess would meet Tephra with their belly up, but they would not be the first to strike.
They would be, as she had been during their attack, defensive in nature.
It was the only thing she could be anymore and still hold onto whatever remnants of her soul she has left.
it's only you and me there until the darkness calls
let's face the dawn together; we'll brave whatever comes
@[Castile]