Chapter 86
"Leliana? C'est toi?"
"SœurNatalie! Qu'est-ce que tu fais ici? J'ai pensé que vous étiez à Val Royeaux?"
"Non, j'ai été ici depuis la mort de Justinia. Cet endroit fait sentir comme... comme elle est toujours avec nous."
After all the rapid Orlesian going back and forth, the two women hugged. Leliana, however, shook her head imperceptibly. To Alistair, the message was clear: Do Not Trust. He looked on, a smile on his face, and placed a hand on the pommel of his sword. He inclined his head when Leliana gestured towards him.
"Warden, this is Natalie. A trusted friend."
Natalie, however, turned to Leliana and said, "Attendez! 'Warden'? Vous... vous avez apporté leHéros de Ferelden ici?" Though she smiled, the sudden panic lacing her voice was apparent. Natalie bowed deeply. "My Lord, I apologise for not recognising you sooner."
Alistair held up a hand, chuckling. "Ne soyez pas Désolé. Je ne suis pas le Héros de Férelden. J'ai été un membre de son équipe, cependant."
Natalie blinked at him and his smile morphed into a grin. That's right! I'm fluent, you prissy little twit! Hon hon hon baguette! All that torture paid off for this one moment!
"Natalie, listen," Leliana now said urgently. "There is something hidden here. Something Justinia left for me."
"What is it?"
"I don't know, but we'll find it. I'm curious to see what brought all of us here." Leliana unfolded the letter. "Justinia's letter came with directions for me. They were a little cryptic."
"Read them aloud."
"'Always remember that Faith sprung from a barren branch. That Light has no fear of Darkness. Above all, that Strength lives in an Open Heart.'"
"She must be hinting at something here. Let's look around."
That, at least, was clear to Alistair. After the Blight was over and before talking darkspawn has entered his world, Leliana had taken him to Valence. Justinia, who was Revered Mother Dorothea at the time, had been most gracious as a host. Alistair remembered her, as well his time at Valence, rather fondly.
That 'Faith sprung from a barren branch' was easy. It referred to how Leliana had found a single white rose in a dead bush. It had convinced her to join them on their journey to stop the Blight. Unknowingly, he'd returned that flower to her, having picked it on a whim while at Lothering. He wouldn't be forgetting about that anytime soon.
As it turned out, there was a framed painting of a white rose in the antechamber, and fiddling around with it revealed a little button underneath. Alistair pressed it, but nothing happened.
In the meantime, Leliana and Natalie were chatting like a couple of old crones. They spoke in Orlesian, but he had no problem understanding them.
"Natalie, do they still sing from the Benedictions every Friday? That Canticle was Justinia's favourite."
"Of course! We would never abandon the traditions of our most beloved Divine."
"That is wonderful to hear."
Alistair went into the next room, full of paintings covering the walls from floor to ceiling. From what he could remember, it was called the painting room. There was one of a man impaling a woman through the heart, probably a reference to Andraste.
"I think I found the next one," he called out and the women trotted up to look.
"'And open heart.' Well, that one's quite literal," Leliana said.
"And morbid," Sister Natalie added.
"Dangerous, but beautiful. Like the Breach. I stared up at it sometimes. It was terrifying but beautiful, in a way."
"That it was."
'"Have you seen it by sunrise?"
"When the sun rises through it, it splits into what looks like a thousand suns like a broken mirror."
"Exactly. Spectacular, isn't it?" She came and stood next to Alistair as he pressed the second button. "Justinia always said that compassion was my greatest strength. Doubt is easy. It takes courage to trust." She smiled to herself. "Perhaps that's why I still find beauty in the otherwise deplorable."
"She was a wise woman," Alistair said simply. He'd never been very good with riddles. How he was doing so well with this one he didn't know. "I just hope she was lenient enough to allow us to find the clues out of order."
All that was left was: Light has no fear of Darkness. Which was typical Chantry stuff. When surrounded by endless darkness, even a small fire could be visible from a great distance. I slept through everything and still I remember that.
A fire. A source of light. There was a fire burning in the room itself in the brazier. Alistair trotted over to it, having no other ideas. To his intense satisfaction, he did find a third button, though it was directly behind the crackling fire and thus out of reach. Alistair had to use his sword to reach it and press it, resulting in one of the paintings opening up like double doors to reveal a hidden painting of the Divine, her Right and Left Hands on either side.
This painting then rose up, revealing yet another small chamber. Why Orlesians were so fond of stacking puzzles upon puzzles upon puzzles, Alistair would never understand. Theatricality was their life-blood, apparently.
The chamber had a marble sarcophagus – decorative, as far as Alistair could tell. Upon it sat a small wooden box, a golden rose resting atop it. It was a veritable work of art, with intricate designs carved into its dark work surface, a fitting container for whatever relic rested within. Alistair turned to Leliana to tell her to go get it, but he found there were other complications at hand.
Namely, Leliana had shoved Natalie up against the marble statue of Andraste and had a knife to her throat.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," she told her old friend, her voice low and cold. Alistair got chills. Never had he seen Sister Nightingale in action before. He didn't like it.
"Leli, stop," he said, raising his arms in pleading. "What're you doing?"
"I'm protecting us," Leliana threw back over her shoulder. "They never sing the Benedictions here on Fridays, Natalie. Something so simple, yet you got it so wrong." She shook her head. "I wanted to believe. But you were lying from the start."
Sister Natalie said nothing. Leliana chuckled.
"Keep that pretty mouth shut if you must, dear. You've already told me everything I need to know. The prickleweed burs on your hem, talking about the sun rising through the Breach. It all points to a single place: Morelle in the Dales. Grand Cleric Victoire's bastion. She sent you, no? Always an opportunist."
Alistair didn't know whether to be impressed or horrified. Leliana had strummed Natalie like a lute. But killing her to protect the Inquisition?
"Who's this Victoire?" he asked, half to stall and half to get a grasp on the situation. Leliana obliged him.
"An experienced Cleric. She never agreed with Justinia but kept her own counsel. With Justinia dead, I suppose she thought she could make her move."
Alistair took a step closer. The situation would take... slow defusing. Sister Natalie's legs were trembling. She wasn't suited to this life.
"And what were her plans? I've never heard of her."
"She sent Natalie to see what Justinia was hiding, no?"
"The Inquisition has turned Thedas away from the true Chantry," said Natalie finally, albeit somewhat shakily. "It must be stopped."
Leliana laughed aloud at that. "Stop us? Stop the Inquisition? You must be mad."
"Grand Cleric Victoire is well loved by many. The Inquisition has more enemies than it realises."
"And she thinks she can ally with them?"
Natalie scoffed. "I shan't betray her by telling you anything. Kill me if you must. I am not afraid to die for my beliefs. At least I still know what they are."
Ooh, low blow.
"As you wish," Leliana replied, but Alistair placed his hand on her knife-wielding arm.
"Let her go, Leliana," he said with a shake of his head. "She's no threat."
"But the Grand Cleric-"
"-is one woman. You're the Inquisition."
Leliana stared at him and Alistair met it unflinchingly.
Don't do it, Leli. Don't do it.
Finally, Leliana sighed and lowered her weapon. She pushed Natalie away.
"Run," she advised. "Go to your mistress and tell her she has a choice. The Inquisition is coming."
With a stiff bow, Natalie did just that. Leliana swept past Alistair wordlessly and went into the secret chamber. As she picked up the box, Alistair leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb.
She would be angry for a while, but good sense would prevail. They disagreed on many things, each others' methods most notably, but that had never got in the middle of anything. It was why they'd lasted for as long as they had.
He heard her open the box. Then he heard her take a sharp breath.
"No!" she exclaimed and Alistair straightened up. "This can't be! There's nothing here!"
"Nothing? Really?"
"There's a message carved in the lid: 'The Left Hand should lay down her burden.'"
"Well, that's not nothing, right?"
"She... she's releasing me." Leliana leant her hands on the sarcophagus and sighed. "The Divine has a long reach, but it is always her Left Hand that stretches out." She shook her head. "A thousand lies. A thousand deaths. Her commands, but my conscience that bore the consequences."
Alistair placed his hand on her shoulder. "Then you have to let it go. Let her go. You don't owe her anything anymore."
Leliana placed her cheek on his knuckles. "Had it not been for you, I would have killed Natalie and called it a good thing." She closed the box. "Thank you. For showing me what was right when I couldn't see it myself."
"You're very welcome. Now let's get back, okay?"