John was quiet during the rest of the meeting, Josephine and Cullen were too busy discussing the next steps that the recently reborn Inquisition would take together with Cassandra to notice.
Leliana on the other hand was paying little attention to the words that were being spoken, her focus was on reading the young warrior in front of them. The Nightingale could play The Game and very well. She could tell many things about the person with some gazes and perhaps a conversation.
Human, male, hazel eyes, short dark blond hair, a little messy. White of skin but tanned, young, probably mid 20s, sharp features except for a slightly round nose, unshaven. Strong body, the mark on his left hand seemed like a very taxing burden yet he fought a legion of demons with strenght and skill and sealed the major rift at the Temple of Sacred Ashes.
Wich leads to another conclusion. He was well trained, she was surprised while watching him carry a greatsword into the battle and more so with the way he wielded it impressively. 'Now that seems reasonable', she tought.
She just gathered enough information about him during the three days that he remained unconscious after sealing the rift. John Trevelyan, youngest of 5 brothers of a noble house from Ostwick. A family with heavy connections to the Chantry and the Templar Order. As the youngest, he had no perspective of any major role in the family so it was most likely that he was trained from a young age to join the Templars.
Leliana's thought were interrupted by a wince. The action caught the rest of the room's atention. John noticed and instantly spoke "So... I will prepare for my departure to The Hinterlands since we already have our course of action. If you excuse me." As quick as the words left his mouth he was already on the other side of the door that slowly closed behind him. Everyone looked at his back as he exited the building.
"I'm worried about him." Josephine broke the silence while still looking at the now closed door.
Cassandra snorted "He is a big boy, he can handle himself." She said while examining the map on the table.
"Perhaps someone should check on him. He is far from home, some claim he is the Herald of Andraste and the mark on his hand seems to trouble him a lot. On top of that, since the start of all this madness he willingly helped us. I say he deserves a little of sympathy." The Commander added.
"I agree. I will see to the Herald." Leliana spoke and like John left the room surprising some of it's occupant with the aparent concern displayed by the usually ruthless spymaster.
She found him immediately outside the Chantry, near the tent she had set her working space. The warrior already was on his iron vanguard armor before the meeting, now he was securing a grappling chain to his right arm while making sure that his greatsword Claymore was properly in place on his back. Leliana watched as he finished his preparations and started looking at his marked hand.
"Does it hurt?" Leliana asked, startling the young man that quickly turned around to face her.
"I'm starting to understand why you are our master of secrets." He says quickly recovering with a small side-grin and a slight hint of admiration "Will I have to get used to you sneaking up on me?"
"My apologies Herald, I didn't mean to." The redhead says bowing slightly her head but keeping a watchfull eye to check his reaction.
He immediately sighed "Don't call me that." his words were barely a whisper but Leliana heard then anyway 'He does not believe?' she quickly tought.
"It hurts a little, but nothing I can't handle. Nice of you to ask." He says before she could voice what was previously on her mind.
"Still, I find it hard to believe that you are only concerned about my well-being." John stated.
"It was one of my reasons, albeit not the only one. I still have questions I would like answered." She says with a serious look, he laughed and spoke up "Varric did say something about you and Cassandra enjoying interrogations." Crossing his arms and leaning on the tent's table during the process.
"By all means Spymaster, ask away. I already sent word to Varric and Solas that we would be leaving shortly and they should be on their way, but not right now."
Leliana folded her hands behind her lower back and started the session."What were you doing at the Conclave?"
John's answer was quick "My family wanted to make sure that whatever decisions made would be of their interest. Also I was being offered to the Templars. Youngest son you know." She nodded accepting his first answer.
"Were you responsible for the explosion?" His expression darkned "I tought that this chapter was behind us all." The Young man says.
When the bard didn't say a word he sighed, "No." Was the only word that left his mouth, he was probably picturing where that conversation was going, some still thought that he was the criminal responsible. But not the Spywaster, she already knew of his innocence. She was at the Temple of Sacred Ashes when he stopped the Breach from growing any further. She heard Divine Justinia call out to him to help her. Still, analysing his reactions should help her undertand him, the questions were means to get them.
"Why are you helping us?" This one caught him slightly off guard, but Leliana really wanted the answer to this question,so she waited patiently while the warrior gathered his toughts to formulate one.
"I really don't know how to put my answer into words. All I know is that darkness has fallen upon Thedas and if anything good could have come from what happened at the Conclave it came to me." He stopped for a second, looking down at his left hand before continuing.
"All those people dead and I should be among them, still here I stand with a tool that could save the world." He rose his head with a determined look on his face "I feel it is my duty to make the best of whatever they call this, curse or blessing, to protect the innocent caught on this chaos and, who knows, perhaps end it."
She could feel honesty from those words, still it takes more than pretty words to save the world and even more to make the stoic Master of Secrets believe them. Nevertheless, Leliana couldn't help but feel better hearing that speach. "You sound like a remorseful criminal." She says seriously, making the Herald flinch.
"I- I already told y-" She interrupted him with a risen hand. "Don't worry, I know you are not responsible." a smooth smile on her beautiful face made him instantly relax and do the same "Never imagined that you off all people would be prone to make jokes."
"I don't." she replies immediately regretting the small display of playfulness and returnig to her serious self.
"No need for concern, your secret is safe with me." He smiled while saying those words.
Awkward silence settled in for a moment until Varric arrived followed closely by Solas.
"First the Seeker, now the Nightingale, you are popular kid, I give you that." The dwarf spoke, obviously amused with the sight, and blinked his right eye at John's direction making the human laugh.
"We are ready to leave" Solas stated.
"It seems we are still one member short." The warrior spoke aparently looking for Cassandra. "I'm here." Everyone turned to face the woman that just joined the party and was straping her shield to her back.
"Glad you could finally join us Lady Pentaghast." John says, a sly smile plastered across his face, making the Rogue dwarf laugh and give him a friendly pat on his back, the Apostate to show a small smile and Cassandra make a disgusted noise and speak
"I strongly advice you, Herald, to not listen and even more to not perform the provocations suggested by Varric. If you want to arrive at the end of this journey in one piece" She says the last part with a grim aura around her, making Varric laugh even louder and John beg for an apology.
Leliana couldn't hold back a slight laugh to scape her lips at the behavior of the party in front of her, for her relief Cassandra didn't notice. 'It is good to see this kind of interactions during hard times like these.' The redhead tought to herself.
"We are off then. Spymaster, perhaps we could finish this later." He nodded polietly in her direction, as she did the same. The nightingale watched the group leave Haven and soon her line of sight. Toughts about the young man beeing processed on her sharp mind replacing at least for now the dark ones about the Conclave.
A/N: So, this is my first ever fanfiction, English is also not my first language but I tried my best here. I really really enjoyed DAI, it was the first game that I played from the series and although I now know that Leliana was a romance option at Origins, it really bothered me that in Inquisition she couldn't be romanced like almost everyone else, she is awesome and extremely badass. I really thought that it should happen, specially because she is going through a hard time and so I couldn't help but imagine what a romance based on friendship and mutual help could do to her and the Inquisitor. So this is my inspiration, I intend to write how the interactions after main and minor quests could bring them together and shape each other's behavior, approach some of their cutscenes in another light, also adding some nice moments and perhaps fluff that could have hapenned betwen them, with a little bit of humor and including some of other characters. This short chaper is perhaps the only one from Leliana's POV, it was only to introduce my Inquisitor and give some hints of his behavior. I would really appreciate reviews, I need them to get better! Hope you liked!