[ At the mention of Claude's return to Almyra her heart sinks, just like it had so many times before. Absently she chews on the inside of her cheek, willing her mind not to get caught on a fact that will forever loom over her like her death on a bridge so far from home. There were more important topics at hand.
Eventually she lets out a short, quiet laugh still tinged with the remnants of her shock. ]
I guess it would make a lot of sense why you wouldn't want to come to Fodlan with your real name.
[ Claude's sudden appearance and the accompanying announcement naming him heir to House Riegan had been enough to send a ripple through the Alliance to begin with. She could only imagine the upheaval it would have caused for him to introduce himself as Khalid. But it wouldn't just be the upheaval. The aftermath was what churned her stomach. It would would have been digs and whispers becoming sharper and crueler than the ones that had followed him at the Academy.
Even if she can't relate, will never be able to relate, she understands.
Another quiet, cloying voice surfaces: would he have ever told her this at home - or at all - had she not found those letters in his domain? Would she have gone on blissfully unaware that someone she held close to her heart didn't trust her enough to tell her something incredibly important like that even if he had every good reason not to? And if she did find out, would she have held it against him? The reaction would be an irrational one, but she hadn't exactly demonstrated level-headedness in the last several months. She had proven to herself several times over how awful she could be.
Another moment of silence passes as the thought weighs heavy on her mind. But getting caught in the what-if's, the things that hadn't happened or things that had yet to pass aren't going to serve her now. Her gaze stays trained on him, uncertain. Cautious. ]
Then the things your brother said - Shahid - did he say those things because he was upset at not being named the heir to House Riegan? Or was it something else?
no subject
Eventually she lets out a short, quiet laugh still tinged with the remnants of her shock. ]
I guess it would make a lot of sense why you wouldn't want to come to Fodlan with your real name.
[ Claude's sudden appearance and the accompanying announcement naming him heir to House Riegan had been enough to send a ripple through the Alliance to begin with. She could only imagine the upheaval it would have caused for him to introduce himself as Khalid. But it wouldn't just be the upheaval. The aftermath was what churned her stomach. It would would have been digs and whispers becoming sharper and crueler than the ones that had followed him at the Academy.
Even if she can't relate, will never be able to relate, she understands.
Another quiet, cloying voice surfaces: would he have ever told her this at home - or at all - had she not found those letters in his domain? Would she have gone on blissfully unaware that someone she held close to her heart didn't trust her enough to tell her something incredibly important like that even if he had every good reason not to? And if she did find out, would she have held it against him? The reaction would be an irrational one, but she hadn't exactly demonstrated level-headedness in the last several months. She had proven to herself several times over how awful she could be.
Another moment of silence passes as the thought weighs heavy on her mind. But getting caught in the what-if's, the things that hadn't happened or things that had yet to pass aren't going to serve her now. Her gaze stays trained on him, uncertain. Cautious. ]
Then the things your brother said - Shahid - did he say those things because he was upset at not being named the heir to House Riegan? Or was it something else?