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“There, there ends your hateful legacy.” The words left Estinien like a wave of relief. It had been so long since he had once felt that same relief...only for it to have been followed by a rush of hate, anger, and far worse feelings. He was beginning to walk away, turning away from the scene and striding through the bright pink petals that danced in the wind like a Thavnairian maiden. As he walked his ears picked up a familiar clack of boots on stone, a familiar voice caught in the wind.
“I’ll be right there, I just want one more look at the view.”
Aymeric.
Estinien was barely able to dodge around a sun warmed pillar before the tall jet black haired elezen came into view. The sun danced off the gold of his armor while the blues contrasted with the burning orange of the sky behind him. How long had it been since they had talked? Since before he left his bed, since the man before him had been named the Azure Dragoon. A title that held such a different connotation now, no longer for one who was the best at slaying the winged creatures...no...now it was held by the very man who helped to bring peace to their people. Or at the very least start a peace. Shaking his head Estinien dismissed the thoughts instead for spying on his friend, it had never been hard to sneak up on the other. It seemed almost a game to Estinien, a game of coeurl and rat almost.
Watching Aymeric step closer to the pillars where Estinien was hiding, the silver haired dragoon grinned, a look that only faltered when he heard his friend speaking to himself.
“Estinien.”
Was he found?
“Fury knows where you are.”
No...no he was safe.
“I wish you could see what we have accomplished with our friends. I wish you could see this view….I wish I could see you.” Aymeric’s voice got quieter at the end, his words nearly lost to the roaring winds of their high perch if not for the fact that Estinien was almost an arms length away. All he had to do was reach out, finger tips would brush raven hair, ghost over the pale flesh of the back of Aymeric’s neck.
By the Fury, man. He’s your friend, your brother in arms. You shouldn’t hesitate! You never hesitate!
Estinien berated himself before he took a look at Aymeric and decided.
Without warning a hand shot out, grabbed the knight by the back of his armor and tugged him back into the shadows. With his other hand Estinien brought his lance up in front of Aymeric, the shaft pinning him against the dragoons armor.
“You let your guard down, Azure Dragoon.” His voice comes out smooth and rich, not betraying the sheer giddiness he feels or the adrenaline that thrums through him as Aymeric fights to free himself only to freeze at the sound of his voice. “What would your predecessor think?”
It’s then that Aymeric goes limp, leaning back against the dragoon’s chest and has the nerve to chuckle. The sound is deep and rich and something Estinien hadn’t realized how much he had missed. It lightened his chest and made him smile as he lowered the lance.
“I can imagine my “predecessor” as you put it, would not appreciate my lacking guard, seeing as he seems to always be reminding me of it.” Even no longer being pinned Aymeric stays as he is, both of them hidden from view by cool shadows of the pillars that surround them. “I have missed you, old friend.”
Estinien wants to say ‘and I you’ but instead all that leaves him is a grunt, a soft sound that Aymeric would surely know the meaning to. It’s with that sound that the knight finally moves, turning to face his longtime friend before arms raise to encircle Estinien and their foreheads are pressed together. Estinien can smell the spices of home that mingles with the smell of the salts from the Loch that cling to Aymeric’s armor. Their breaths mingle with how close they are but it’s fine, neither cares.
“Tell me, has this dragoon finally found the forgiveness he has so sought after?” Aymeric speaks in a hushed tone, bumping their noses together as he shifts. It takes Estinien a while to sort out his thoughts, eyes taken in by how warm Aymeric cool blue eyes are. Finally he lets out a sigh that has him near slumping if not for Aymeric being there and closes his eyes.
“Not yet,” he starts and Aymeric’s eyes seem to fall. “There is one more I must be forgiven by. I caused an awful mess that nearly meant the ruin of my home and the death of those I hold dear.”
There is a short soft gasp before Aymeric surges forward, pressing his lips to Estinien’s wind chapped ones. The two stay like that for a moment that feels like an age before Aymeric pulls back with specks of tears clinging to eyelashes.
“You never needed to ask for it, you were always forgiven my friend.” There’s a broken chuckle as Estinien moves to quickly wrap his arms around Aymeric’s midsection and pull him into a tight embrace. He nearly lifts the knight off his feet as he ducks his head to press his face to Aymeric’s throat. Fingers run through silver hair, snagging on knots before working them out carefully. As they stand like that Estinien mumbles something that Aymeric has to ask him to repeat, moving his head away the silver haired elezen smirks lightly before repeating himself.
“Then I am home, my dearest.”