Wild Berry Meadow planted them in spite of you

Briefly, her pale eyes shut and her shoulders sagged as she exhaled a pent breath. Weary argent found Celara when the druid had regained her strength. 

"I cannae answer zat in so many vords," the sylph wisped regrettably, "an' I know 'ow zat sounds." Like their treason was uncalled for, unjust. 

"It is a very complex situations, mi'lady. It began long ago I zink, before ze Vale even, perhaps. But I vill tell ye vhat I know, or zink I know." And may you make of it what you will. 

"Ze Lady Reiko vas nae always like zis. Vhen first ve met, she vas like...like ze return of spring after ze 'arshest of vinters." An enamored, unconscious smile spread over her lips as warmth colored her cheeks. "She vas radiant. Almost like zis beacon of safety, of kindness. She vas the goodest person I ever met."

"She gave me safe 'arbor an' put me ta use as midvife. Reiko 'erself vas my very first patient. I 'ad only met Takeshi once, briefly, but I suspected ze children vere 'is long before ze announcement vas made. 'e vas ze only male in ze Vale zat vasn't claimed at ze time - Collision 'as Vespera an' Yuudai, Hiromi."

"Never once did I see zat man do 'er any kindness. Not once through ze whole pregnancy - 'e never bothered to dig a 'earth fer 'is family or bring ze Lady food, never did 'e ask after 'is vife's 'ealth or zat of 'is children. I 'ighly doubt 'e even knew I vas treating 'er." This was not a crime in itself but it sure made him an asshole. The seelie's spring gaze had cooled and hardened with fierce judgement for the pitiful father. "Vhen Reiko vent missing, I vas ze only one vho looked fer her. Takeshi probably didn't even realize she vas gone!" 

"Even vhen 'is children vere born and I 'ad 'elped ze Empress to bring zem home, I never witnessed 'im 'elping 'is vife vith zeir babies. I vas zere again, relieving Reiko vhenever she needed time ta 'erself." 

"An' through ze vhole zing, I vatched my dear friend - ze only I 'ad fer a long time - grow just a little bit quieter, a little more docile. Slowly, zat radiance dimmed. An' I realized one day zat ze Reiko I'd met on ze borders vas nae more, she vas a shell." 

The woman paused, swallowing heavily and blinking against smarting eyes, feeling weightless with the release of her pent emotions. 

"I 'ave met men like Takeshi. An' I 'ave been ved to men like Takeshi." Slowly encased and entombed in the exoskeleton of her soul, crystallised into a hollow shell of her former self. "I feared somezing vas amiss but I couldnae say fer sure until ze pack meeting. Vhen 'e attacked Yuudai...'e's a brute. An' a bully," her lips curled in disgust at the thought of the Emperor. 

"In short, mi'lady, I 'ave my suspicions - an' zey follow an overwhelming trend of disregard, callousness, and unworthiness." As the halfling wrapped up her speech, or outburst maybe, she offered the Peasant a sardonic smile of absolute exhaustion. 

"But I can prove nozing."