Leliana listens carefully, cautiously, as the Nerinian Queen talks of their relationship with Loess. She has never been politically-minded—she, unlike Heartfire, had never been suited for a crown—but she is a quick study and motived by her family, by her people. She may not be a political genius, she may not be able to make the wisest, quickest decisions, but she does not pretend that she has not learned anything.
“I cannot imagine anyone thinking you would bend the knee,” she says, the faintest hint of humor on her lips. For a second, she is silent, lifting her crimson head and looking out toward the sea, letting the breeze pick up her mane and lifting it from her neck. She breathes in the saltwater and marvels at how this kingdom is so different from her own; she marvels at the ways in which Tephra morphs the sea.
When she looks back, her face is still calm, but there is a fire barely simmering beneath the surface.
“I will do anything to protect my family, Heartfire,” her voice is steady and she punctuates the sentence with a nearly clipped version of the name. It does not matter what has been between them before. It does not matter because, in this, they are allies. In this, Heartfire is someone who could help protect them.
“I would very much like to continue our alliance,” she says, breathing in deep.
She knows that Heartfire is a powerful ally to have. If not for her unique gifts, for the sharp mind that lies beneath the surface. For the way that she so carefully studies the situation and then takes action.
But Leliana is no longer a meek child, and she knows that she is powerful too.
Even now, she feels the magic crackle under her skin, and she just smiles.
it's only you and me there until the darkness calls
let's face the dawn together; we'll brave whatever comes