CHAPTER:

Leliana was sat opposite the Ambassador. They were in Josephine's room, alone. And Josephine was ready to dash her inkwell and paperwork to the floor in her wrath at the woman who caused Leliana such hurt as this: their Prophet.

But Josephine's expensive Orlesian education had been drilled deep into her. So, she daintily took another sip of her imported Rivaini tea instead.

Josephine knew that the Herald Yasmin and Sister Leliana had returned from their talk in the woods and something was wrong with her dearest friend. That was over a fortnight past. The day after her talk with Leliana, Yasmin had immediately left with Lysette, Solas, and Sera. She had rolled a die between Cassandra, Lysette, and Varric, the dwarf and Seeker both losing, and set off to investigate Charter's little birds' reports of Tevinter Imperium presence in the Hinterlands. There hadn't been a report from them since last week, but it seemed there was something rotten in the city of Redcliffe. They had met a Tevinter Mage named Dorian, and the discovery of a militant Tevinter cult called the Venatori. Cassandra had scoffed at that information; there was only so much danger even a group of mages posed when faced with a woman of Yasmin's unique anti-mage powers. What worried Josephine, and indeed Cauthrien as well was the observation that there seemed to be a distortion of the timeline via experimental magics this Magister Alexius had employed to enslave the Mage Rebellion.

The Orlesian Bard had not slept much since then. Oh, Leliana covered it up brilliantly. If Josephine hadn't woken Leliana from multiple nightmares over the years, she'd have never recognized the tight expression of repressed terror standing out like a beacon to her. After a few days of watching her closest friend go through the motions, Josie had decided to cut to the chase.

It wasn't the new intel that bothered the Bard, or at least that's what Josie thought. She had noticed her red-headed friend tense and agitated ever since walking back to the Chantry with Yasmin all those weeks ago. The Antivan Diplomat decided it was time to stop pussyfooting around the issue. "Leli? What happened between you and Yasmin?"

Leliana sipped her tea in ponderance before delicately saying, "Nothing I didn't deserve." Josie looked for a moment like she'd fetch the knives she had locked away with her sentimental items from home before Leliana raised a placating hand with a ghost of a grin. "She showed me something. Something I've been trying not to think about, something that was partially my own doing as part of my duties of the Left Hand. But I did it. Justinia's orders," Leliana let out a harsh breath.

Josie looked at the usually unshakable former Orlesian Bard and said, "Forgive me for being crass, but I was of the understanding that you were accustomed to killing well before you did so on Most Holy's orders."

Leliana nodded. "True. But not like this. I was not the one to wield the blade. I wasn't even the woman who ordered the massacre. But I was Her voice, and stability had to be restored, whatever cost." Leliana said the last bit with a bitterly sarcastic lilt to her voice.

It was at this point that Josephine realised there was much more going on than she had originally suspected. The Antivan rose and fetched a small flask of her father had gifted her for her twenty-fifth birthday. "I think you and I could use some spiced brandy for this, am I wrong?"

Leliana's lip quirked in a pale imitation of a grin, and said, "You are not wrong."

Josephine poured them each a liberal amount before sealing the flask again and returning it to its perch resting against her copy of the Chant of Light. "Something horrible happened on Justinia's orders. And you were the messenger to provoke another powerful woman into action? Am I following?"

Leliana nodded. She looked up and met Josie's eyes. Josie nearly gasped at the sight of tears forming there. "This is much worse than What I'm imagining isn't it?" Josie asked softly.

Leliana closed her eyes and just decided to rip the stitches out; "Justina ordered me to coerce Empress Celene into Purging the Val Royeaux Alienage."

Josephine nearly dropped her class, but luckily it was only centimeters above the table. She rose to her feet and began pacing like mad. Her mind was clearly working over this new information at a rate that only she could do; analyzing all different angles of Leliana's crime. Leliana watched her with hopeless eyes. Just when she looked like she was about to slow down and sit down when she pulled up and turned to Leliana with a horrified look on her face. "Does Kallian know?"

Leliana's eyes widened but nodded morosely. "Yes. As you can imagine, that wasn't the most loving conversation I've ever had. She let me live though, so…" Leliana trailed off. "She went to the Divine personally, after I told her. Demanded an explanation. She would have brutalized and slaughtered Empress Celene if Briala hadn't my love to show her mercy."

The manner in which the Bard was speaking really just accentuated how heartbroken Leliana was about the whole affair. "…. Leliana," Josephine whispered as she reached out to put a hand on Leliana's cheek reassuringly; but Leliana's eyes flared and she half-flinched back, just out of reach. Josie retracted her hand immediately, a look of devastation on her face.

"Kallian forgave me. One of the things becoming the Warden Commander forced upon her was the necessity to see consequences beyond what our own eyes can see. If the Elves of Orlais rose up, Celene's power would be fragmented, which would've led to Gaspard seizing her throne and more than likely exterminating all the elves he could. His views regarding elves isn't something he even bothers to hide," Leliana said with disgust.

"So yes. Eventually, my love Kallian forgave me. And then she left to pursue what we hope is the final lead to curing the Calling. But then the Wardens vanished without a trace. I asked the Herald to locate one my agents have reported is training farmers in the Hinterlands, though she'll have to deal with whatever the hell is going down in Redcliffe first," Lilianna continued.

"You're rambling," Josephine said with a small smile. But then she schooled her expression. "Charter and Scout Pellane have reported Tevinter activity in the Hinterlands. Do you think the Magisterium is looking to oppose the Inquisition?"

Leliana sighed and said, "Not the Magisterium. But as we saw during the Blight in Denerim, and later during the Troubles in Kirkwall, the Imperium's slavers and opportunist magisters don't hesitate to prey on the disasters that happen south of their border. Honestly, the only reason there hasn't been a proper invasion is because they fear the hammer that is the Orlesian military. And rightly so."

"Which is why Most Holy ordered the Purge, no? To stave off suggestions of a potential Tevinter Invasion?" Josephine said quietly.

"Yes." Leliana admitted as if it caused her physical pain. "But that's no excuse for what I did Josie! Not for what I wrought. The things she showed me, that she made me experience. It was so horrible. It was as bad as the purge in Denerim during the Blight," Leliana had tears in her eyes. And if the hand subtly resting on her abdomen, Josie believed her Orlesian friend was nauseated by what she was 'remembering' of the Purge.

Josie didn't know what to say, for the first time in a while to make her friend feel better. She didn't think that her words even could make Leliana feel better, the right words or no. There was a knock on the door. Leliana hastily wiped away the moisture in her eyes, and her expression once more defaulted to her perfect neutral Bard-trained expression.

"Yes?" Josephine called out cordially.

The door opened and Cassandra Pentaghast rushed in looking distraught. "What is the matter, Cassandra?" Leliana spoke up with nary a tremor in her voice.

Cassandra seemed to gather herself a moment before she finally found her voice, "Something horrible has befallen the Herald's Party in Redcliffe!"