Chapter Text
It was in the early hours of the morning when Haurchefant was roused from his light doze. The horizon had just begun to lighten, but the fire was still being kept strong. The Elezen didn’t dare to move, not wanting to rouse the woman securely wrapped in his arms. During the night the Miqo’te had nestled herself closely in his chest, her hands wrapping around his back, pressing herself into him in search for warmth. His chin rested on top of her head, one of his hands loosely borrowing into her hair. Though the chill had not left her body after several potions had been administered, she had not grown significantly colder, for which the Elezen praised the Fury vigorously for.
After making sure the state of the Warrior of Light had not worsened, he looked around the room to spot what had roused him from his doze. Though he would never allow himself to fall asleep while the one in his arms could slip away at any moment, he felt a certain unease in his heart.
Tataru had not left her spot from the couch, tucked into a woollen blanked herself, while uneasy slumber had taken her into the lands of dreams. After straining his ears for a moment, he realized that someone was staring at him from above. There, on the bedpost sat a tiny black dragon, his tail lazily swinging as it watched the woman in his arms. Under different circumstances, he would have drawn his sword from under the bed and struck down the beast where it stood, but the look in the dragon’s eyes made him pause.
‘Betrayed by the people she once trusted,’ a voice in ancient tongue echoed in his mind. ‘Struck down and nearly killed by the ones she called friends.’ The dragon looked at him. ‘Her story is not unlike the fate my dear daughter had to endure, and yet she doesn’t turn to vengeance like my son. Instead, she withers away from the pain inflicted upon her heart.’ The beast closed his eyes and shook his head. ‘How fragile mortals are. The purer the heart, the more pain they suffer.’
Haurchefant looked at the dragon in bewilderment. It spoke as if he’d seen the hardships the Warrior of Light had gone through with its very own eyes, though there was no pity in its voice. The Elezen wondered if he’d fallen asleep and should dismiss the dragon as a mere fever dream, but something about the way the beast had spoken about the one he cherished the most didn’t sit right with him.
The knight’s hand stroked the soft ears of his friend, trying to think of an answer.
“Though mortals are fragile,” he whispered hesitantly, “isn’t this what makes them so beautiful?” He traced the cat ears lovingly with his fingers. “We quarrel and mingle, even kill each other in our desperate search for our fate. But even then, we seek comfort and strength in others.”
‘The mistake of trusting others is killing the one you love,’ the dragon stated blatantly.
“And yet, she returned to me, trusting me to catch her where others left her to die.” A sigh escaped his lips. “Though I had hoped she would have opened her heart to me before despair threatened to freeze it in her chest.”
The small beast remained silent for a few moments, considering the words of the mortal. ‘I was wondering why Hydealyn chose this mortal to become her embassy. Now I am beginning to understand that it was not the strength she saw in this woman, rather than her ability to connect with others.’ The dragon straightened itself, standing on his hind legs. ‘Very well. I will grant you one chance to pull her back into the light.’ There was a silent disturbance in the aether when the beast vanished in a spark of light. ‘Do not waste it,’ the ancient voice echoed in the Elezen’s head.
As soon as it had died out, Haurchefant felt the fingers wrapped around his back quiver, a soft sigh brushing against his neck. Taken aback by the sudden movement, the knight froze, not sure if it had been real or just his imagination. But then soft ears fluttered against his fingers and a shiver seemed to take hold of the Warrior in his arms.
“C-Cold…”
The soft voice was the most beautiful sound he’d heard all his life, forcing him to take a shuddering breath. He pressed the Miqo’te just a tiny bit more into his bare chest, burying his nose into her soft hair.
“Thank the gods,” he whispered into the red strands, his voice nearly failing him. “They brought you back to me.”
“Hau-Haurchefant…?”
The soft breath against his neck filled him with relief. “I am here, my friend.” He slowly started to pet her head just as he did while she was asleep. “I am here.” He thanked Halone that she didn’t try to escape his embrace. Instead, she seemed to burry herself into him, her eyelashes tickling the skin of his neck. A trembling shook her shoulders which had nothing to do with the freezing cold that gripped her heart. Soon there were cold drops of water staining his skin, travelling down to soak into the sheets below.
“I’m sorry…” She whispered against his skin, hiccups shaking her body even more as sleep loosened her lips. “I’m so sorry…”
Haurchefant didn’t try to hush her, instead, he silently listened to her, calmly stroking her back when the trembling in her body grew.
After a few minutes, it seemed like she’d used up all the energy she’d left as words stopped sprouting out of her. Only then did Haurchefant allow himself to loosen the embrace, shifting them so he could look at her face. Tearstains around closed eyes greeted him, and he cupped her face with both of his hands, softly pressing kisses unto both of her lids, halting further tears in their descend. The two-coloured orbs he’d come to love finally revealed themselves to him and he smiled at her as the weight on his chest lightened.
“Tell me what darkness claims your heart, so I may slay it for you and bring you back into the light,” he whispered to her. Her half-lidden eyes filled with fresh tears, rolling down her cheeks and unto his fingers. Although it took some moments, he could see her lips trembling, ready to spill her heart to him, but refusing to word them out loud. The Elezen knew about the burden the Warrior of Light carried on her back. Too many expectations were pushed onto her. Too much for one soul to bear. So much, she wouldn’t allow herself to speak in fear of crushing her in the process.
“Please…” he called softly, carefully drying her cheeks with his thumbs. “Let me give you some of the hope you bestowed onto me. I would gladly give you my life if it meant saving you from this heartbreak.”
Haurchefant could not react quick enough.
He hadn’t thought her to still have so much strength in her weakened body as she quite literally ripped herself from his arms from one second to the other. As he tried to catch her, sharp nails scratched his forearm, leaving four angry-red lines. He did not notice the blood dropping unto the sheets below. His eyes were transfixed on the ashen Miqo’te, standing in the room shivering with barely anything on to cover her skin. The ruffling had woken up Tataru, who was blearily rubbing at her eyes, still half asleep as white fangs sparked in the light.
“I DO NOT NEED YOUR HELP!” She screamed, ears laid back, ready to strike if he so much as moved a muscle.
The doors to the bedroom blew open as the guards positioned outside stumbled in, swords at the ready.
“My lord–”
“Chirisa–!”
Her head whipped around, spotting the little Lalafell who had called out for her, sitting on the couch. All fight left her at the sight of her frightened friend. Her ears twitched, tail dropping listlessly as she realized just how dangerous she must look to all of them. She, the Warrior of Light, was threatening her own friends. The stench of blood filled her nose and her gaze fell to Haurchefant’s outstretched arm. Did she-?
The blue-haired Elezen noticed how her expression turned into anguish once she’d seen his bleeding arm. She looked outright terrified at the sight of his blood, clutching at her hair in desperation, to hide from their stares. His eyes widened in realization, putting the pieces together.
The words from their private chatter the night before echoed in his mind as he slid out of bed, straightening himself to his full height. If she would not let loose of the burden on her shoulders now, her soul would be crushed under the pressure, killing her quicker than the poison in her veins.
“Guards!” He called out, snapping the soldiers out of their stupor. “See to it that all the nearby rooms are emptied. No one is to come close to my chambers until I call for them.”
The two Elezen saluted hastily, quickly following the orders of their lord. When the footsteps retreated down the hallway, Haurchefant turned to the shook Lalafell sitting on the couch. His eyes turned softer, the usual smile playing on his lips.
“Miss Tataru,” he said, anxious eyes fixing on him. “I would ask you to leave this matter to me.”
“But I can’t just–”
“Miss Tataru,” he called out softly, “I know how much you care for our friend and that is why I have to ask you to trust me, although I know how harsh it may seem. I fear this is something only a warrior by heart himself can understand.”
“…A warrior by heart?” The Lalafell asked quietly, her gaze flickered to his still bleeding arm and then to her friend shivering in the corner of the room. The Elezen watched as fresh tears welled up in the little one’s eyes. But she still forced herself to smile at him when she nodded. “I understand.”
With those shaky words, she slowly walked out of the room, taking one last glance at her trembling friend before closing the doors behind her.
Haurchefant took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he took in the silence. If the dragon spoke true, he had only one chance to rebuilt what had been broken. He could only pray her fighting spirit hadn’t been lost to the void yet.
He opened his eyes and looked at the woman standing in the corner. Her skin had grown paler and every breath she took seemingly hurt her. The first few steps went unnoticed, but when he came close enough to reach out for her, her ears began to lay back and the hair on her tail stood on end. A clear warning, he decided to heed.
It pained him to see her react in such a hostile manner, but he knew it was pure instinct trying to shield her from more harm.
“I had dreamed of you marking my body, although I had hoped it to be different circumstances,” he teased lightly. “But I think you already were aware.” When he reached out with his bloody hand, she bared her fangs and hissed at him, eyes hidden behind red strands of hair. He dismissed it as he leaned towards her, crowding her personal space until her back was pressed into the cold stone bricks of the corner. She hissed again when his hand closed in, trying to escape him. But he didn’t give her any room to flee. He took her chin, forcing her to look up. Blood smeared onto her skin, but the Elezen didn’t seem to mind as he leaned down, warm breath tickling against her lips.
“I could take you here and now and nobody would be none the wiser,” he whispered, a smile pulling at his lips. Just as he was about to seal them into a kiss, a hand lashed out, slapping him hard across the cheek, making his ears ring and his teeth ache. It took a few moments to dispel the dizziness, but when he looked at the woman beneath him, he stared into two eyes filled with pure fury. A deep chuckle escaped his chest, cheek stinging ferociously. “And here I’d thought they’d already broken you in Uld’ah…”
He could barely escape the claws aimed at his chest as he stepped back, angry red lines proving how close they had been to breaking skin. His smile widened in anticipation, his eyes sparkling. “Poor lost kitten,” he sing-sang, “Separating her from her flock was all they had to do. How can she protect the people closest to her if she can barely protect herself?”
The infuriated Miqo’te reacted in the only way she knew how: She lunged at him, claws and fangs ready to rip into soft flesh. But strong hands wrapped around her wrists, forcefully holding them in place. She hissed as the Elezen looked down on her and smiled.
“You are supposed to bring peace to this world, Warrior of Light? You are nothing but a fraud.”
With a scream she twisted her lower body, kicking her attacker into the groin, throwing him back into the couch behind him. Wood splintered at the fierce impact, broken pieces creaking against each other when the man coughed into his hand.
“I know!” The Miqo’te screamed at him in pure anger. “I never asked for any of this! I couldn’t care less about this stupid title! When it mattered the most, I could not even save one of them.” Her eyes stung with tears and she clutched her hands over her heart. “Everyone died because of me! They gave their lives, hoping I would be the one fulfilling their wishes.” A strained gasped filled her lungs. “No one ever asked me what I wished for.”
“What could you even wish for? You’re an adventurer basically living your dream!” Haurchefant coughed, wiping away the spit at the corner of his mouth with his backhand.
“I wanted them to live! I wanted to keep them from harm but all I ever did was endanger them! It is my fault Moenbryda died because I am too weak to stop the Ascians! And now…” Fat teardrops fell unto the stone floor. “Yda, Papalymo, Thranced, Y’shtola, Minifilia…”
A terrible scream ripped through the room as the warrior fell to her knees, crying to the heavens as anguish took over. Haurchefant’s heart threatened to splinter at sight of her breaking into pieces. He’d suspected that her despair was buried deep, but to see it all come undone nearly overwhelmed himself with grief.
She would even go so far discarding the title ‘Warrior of Light’ if it meant bringing back all that she’d lost. There was no darkness in her heart, only sadness she had no idea how to deal with. Everyone saw up to her for hope, but to whom could she turn to? The gods? Would they even hear the silent plea of a single mortal?
No, if not even Hydealyn was keeping her warrior from breaking apart, he had to shoulder this task himself.
Haurchefant leaned against the broken couch, watching how his friend could finally free herself from all the pain. It would remain, of course, but the wounds had to be cleaned before they could heal.
Haurchefant lost track of time, waiting until the screams first turned into hoarse cries and finally into unsteady hiccups. He picked up the woollen blanket from the floor and slowly stood up. He knelt in front of the woman, draping the blanket over her head carefully, so she could hide herself in it. Before he had the chance to wrap it securely around her, she let herself fall forward, burying her face in his neck. Somewhat startled by the voluntary contact, he slowly wrapped his arms around her, embracing her softly.
‘I dream of the day your smile may renew the hope in others,’ he thought to himself. ‘Until then, I will remain closely by your side.’
Some hours later the healers ensured him that the heart of the Warrior of Light was strong enough to overcome the sickness since the antidote had shown effect on the remaining poison in her system. The few who had learned of their heroine’s ailment swore an oath in Halone’s name that no word of it would pass their lips. Alphinaud was worried over his friend when he heard that she’d caught a terrible cold while out hunting. Tataru didn’t utter a word as Haurchefant explained to the young boy that she would need a few days rest to return to her full strength. The little Lalafell only nodded at him in understanding, a sad smile settled onto her lips. The story of the fearless Warrior of Light standing strong even in great times of despair soon found its way into Ishgard, where a new tale awaited to be written.