Heirot

Vlad relaxed into the image she sent him. When she lifted him back from it, he was smiling. "What a brat, having such a cute kid sister," he mused. "Does it work in reverse? Can I show things?"

Lelana nodded. "Open your mind to what you want me to see. I can search for things, or I can wait for them to come to me," Lelana told him softly. She was scared to see what he wanted to show her, but she let herself go back into his mind.

Vlad grinned, and opened his thoughts as much as he could bear after last night. He went back to the day he and Atul had enjoyed their night out on the town. They'd had plenty to drink, and gotten more intimate in public than they probably should have. They'd also been quite atrociously musical in the throes of their drunken antics. He let her hear the whole dreadful performance as they hung on each other for balance and belted out folk ballads in the streets.

Lelana laughed at the site of her brother singing in the streets, hanging onto Vlad's body. He seemed less intoxicated than her brother, but then again he'd never been good at holding his alcohol. He seemed so happy, so loved... He'd forgotten her so easily.

Lelana snatched away, taking a step back. "What a pleasant memory," she sighed softly.

Vlad smiled at her, understanding flashing in his eyes. "It's fine to be a little hurt at the same time," he said gently. Honestly, her willingness to acknowledge being happy for them, despite feeling left out, struck him as a very good sign that she was capable of empathy, even if she hadn't fully worked out the best practices.

Lelana nodded. "I don't deserve his love, not that I have it anymore," Lelana whispered, brushing past him and back into his room. She ran her fingers through her wet hair. "I fell in love with my brother. He loved me, he cared about me, and as I didn't have much exposure to anyone who cared for me like he did, I wanted him for things other than brotherly love. But, he never loved me like that. As much as I tried to get him to see me as a woman, he didn't. Then, he fell in love with a girl that worked in the palace and I was hurt. I was jealous. He stopped spending time with me, showing any interest in me at all. So, when it came time for the lottery to make an offering to Verin I took all the names out of the pot and replaced them with hers. Every singly one of them."

Lelana had tears in her eyes. "He doesn't know. I never told him. I never told anyone. I am a monster."

Vlad slicked his wet hair back and followed her, doing up some of his buttons so he didn't frustrate her. "That was a pretty bitchy thing to do," he raised his hands in a gesture of helpless acknowledgement. "Really. But you'd be surprised what your brother can forgive. I've done much worse."

"He won't forgive me," Lelana told him firmly. "Because after her death I took her form, much the same way I take Tenele's. When he wouldn't love me, I tortured him with it." Lelana leaned against the wall. "I guess you can thank me for killing her, though. If she were alive, you would have never fell in love with him. My father would have taken your wife from you, and you would have never met your daughter."

Vlad smiled wryly. "Yes. I am grateful for that." He looked into her eyes. "I am in love with your brother, Lelana. I can hardly fault you for the same feeling. And I can't say I didn't want to hate Espha for her ability to be with him when I couldn't."

Lelana smiled. "He is an easy man to fall in love with. He is noble, and caring, and beautiful. He ran for so long from who he was, never wanting to be King, never wanting to be Verin's son. He refused to practice his magic, and as a result he never built up the stamina to use it. When he does, it drains his body very quickly. Whereas I welcomed my magic and I learned to control it. I built up stamina. If we were to fight, I would win."

Vlad smiled. "Only if you can bring yourself to hit his sleeping face. Don't underestimate the challenge," he thought of his lover's peaceful expression, the only time he looked truly relaxed.

Lelana sighed heavily. "Yes, he sleeps like the dead. It makes him vulnerable to assassination attempts. But, he will make a good King. I'd hoped to be chosen as his bride... I thought that if I could be with him like that, then I would find peace in being loved by him. But, I realized that no one would know his love but the ones he had already given his heart too. I love him differently now, or maybe time has helped me see that if I love him, I should let him be happy..."

Lelana covered her face. "And I was going to do that, I really was... but I messed up again. What is done, is done, though. It won't be long before he arrives to take you back."

Vlad tilted his head. "He doesn't know what's passed between us here. I never said I was going to rat you out."

Lelana laughed. "I ratted myself out," she told him. "I sent them a message to lure them here. Atul loves you, Vlad. He will come here, and he will come to kill me. To end his suffering, to save the person he loves, to keep the other safe. At any rate, why wouldn't you have chosen to rat me out when you returned? Eventually you'll have to tell them, right? When you can't get it up to fuck your wife because I've warped your brain into seeing her pain everytime you try, you'll have to give a reason, right?"

Vlad flinched. He'd been trying not to think about that. "No one is killing anyone," he barked. "Since you forced a confrontation, we'll just have to make use of it. Nothing brings families together like a little drama." He sat back on the bed he hadn't touched, suddenly feeling heavy on his feet. "When will they be here?"