"Come, sit with me." She sets out some coffee and the aforementioned scones, and sips her own cup before answering. "Calanthe does not go out of her way to be likeable, lest it suits her. But that doesn't mean that she's some mustache twirling villain. Now, the whole werewolf debacle? I can't say I would have handled things like she did, but there's a reason I'm not in charge. Hard decisions must be made, and though hind-sight seems 20-20, who could have said at the time if it was part of something larger and more sinister, aiming to target the hold once defenderless? Or, if things had played out differently? Had Dame Dagmar not assisted you in defeating that monster... if heavens forbid Aiden HAD been struck down, the fire would have needed someone to reclaim it, lest the hold itself go dark."
"But, that's all water under the bridge, and none of us can say how things may have gone differently, not for certain. But Calanthe? When I see her, I see a strong woman and knight, one that I cared for since she was just a childling dipping her toes into the wilder world of fae politics. She's prickly, to be true, and proud as any Ailil... but I still see the little girl who loves birds, and fights to protect her home, in her own manner."