"You know," Leliana begins as she stares ahead at the Imperial Road. "I wasn't exactly honest with you back at Skyhold."
"You weren't honest about what?" Josephine asks as she looks around from her seat atop a Free Marches Ranger.
"Evelyn didn't encounter a Ridgeback in Crestwood."
"Why did you lie to me, Leliana?" Josephine huffs as she turns her gaze to the Spymaster. "You had me worried for her safety and you had me worried that she didn't trust me enough to tell me that she was harmed by such a dreadful beast!"
"It was a Northern Hunter and I think you should know the reason why she did not tell you about the fight," Leliana states calmly as she stops her horse and looks about the road.
The Ambassador sighs as she pulls up beside her friend. "Then why don't you just tell me if it is so obvious. And why are we stopping?" The Antivan looks around. "I think you are taking the long route, Leliana. We should have been able to see the docks of Val Royeaux by now! From a ship no less!"
"Good of you to finally notice that I went the long way around," The bard says with a smirk. "Now we can discuss a few things. Just you, me, and our very lovely horses that Lady Trevelyan's family loaned to our cause." She pats the animal gently and murmurs, "You are a very pretty horse. Yes, you are! Oh, I wish we had horses when I was travelling with Neria. It would have made things so much easier."
Josephine pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. "So... let me get the straight... We are racing towards Val Royeaux to keep the Inquisitor from being impaled on Lord Otranto's rapier, but instead of taking the shortest route, you decide it is best for us to take the longer one? I just knew we were supposed to take a right over a candle-mark ago. We could have been on a boat crossing the Waking Sea. By the time we get there, she could be dead!" She bites her lower lip before continuing in a more subdued manner, "I guess it is my fault really, I should have never mentioned a duel, even in jest. When I said it, I did not think she would have actually believed me. I told her not to worry about it, that I would handle it... and I was making strives in settling the matter peacefully and..."
"Calm down, Josie," Leliana says as she places her hand on her friend's shoulder. "You have to give Evelyn more credit than that. She survived at the Conclave. She survived at Haven. What makes you think she wouldn't survive this? And you must realise that this predicament that you have found yourself in wasn't just your burden to carry alone, the Inquisitor was there to help you in any way possible."
"It was my mother who put me in this situation and I..."
"Who put both of you in this situation, you should say. You are not alone in this. If you are serious about her, it is both of your burden, not just yours." The Spymaster turns her horse to stare out at the rich, lush vineyards that the Heartlands were famous for. "If you really care for her and want this relationship to work, you will let her help you carry this burden. Since you did not, she decided to go behind your back to help you in a way she thought was best. How does this make you feel, Josie?"
"I feel..." she stops momentarily as she closes her eyes and sighs. "I feel as though she can not trust me. I mean, she trusts me with matters that involve the Inquisition, but not in matters that involve the two of us."
"Maybe she feels the same as you do," Leliana says quietly. "Maybe she thinks that her love is not reciprocated and that you would rather marry Otranto."
"Goodness, no! I would never marry Lord Otranto! I do not even know him and..."
"And you prefer the company of our Lady Inquisitor, yes?" The Ambassador breathes out a quiet yes to the question asked causing the Spymaster to smirk. "Then let's go interrupt a duel!" She pulls on the reins of her mount to turn it around and digs her heels into the horse's side, causing it to gallop back in the direction they had previously been.
"We will never make it in time!" Josephine exclaims as she follows pursuit. "Even if we run the horses at full gallop, the duel will be over by the time we get there!"
"Maker! Have some faith in me, Josie. I promise you that we will arrive at just the right moment! I sent agents to ensure that the duel is postponed for some time. With luck, we will arrive right in the middle of it."
"I hope you are right, Leliana. I do not wish for any harm to befall the Inquisitor. I am upset that she decided to duel him without informing me, but if anything were to happen to her, what would become of the Inquisition?"
Leliana rolls her eyes, though her travel companion could not see. "You're doing it again, Josie. Stop thinking about the Inquisition for just one day. I know we have to find a way to stop the Venatori, the Red Templars, and Corypheus, but you need to set aside sometime for your own self and your own needs. Can you do that just this once? Can you at least be honest with me? With Evelyn? With your own self?"
"You are right..." Josephine starts as she snaps the reins in her hands causing her horse to gain speed allowing her to come alongside the bard. "Just once I need to focus on me... not the Inquisition, or my family for that matter." She glances to her left and smiles slightly when Leliana meets her gaze. "Thank you for coming with me, I don't think I could have done this on my own."
"I am just happy I could help..." The Spymaster states with a smile. "And besides... this is the best information I can get on both of you."
"Wait... what?"
Leliana laughs as she speeds along the road. "Come on Josie, I know a short-cut! I have agents waiting there with a boat to ferry us across. We can be in Val Royeaux before you know it!"