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It was nearly the middle of the night, or so Fordola Lupis reasoned. They switched guards every six bells, she'd kept track. Every one gave her different flashes, different pains of what she'd done. Earlier, the Warrior of Light - damn them - had come with their companions. Had taunted her with release, had continued to treat her beneath everything. Each of them seemed to meld together, her mind overwhelmed. Every so often, she'd feel herself lose control of her body, begin to shudder and then black out. Usually waking up with somebody changing her soiled clothes, disgustingly enough. Fordola couldn't know what she'd been exposed to. Knowing these people, they'd hurt her. After all, she was their prisoner.
Her thoughts were interupted by a sound though the darkness. A cut-off scream from the guard, one in the present. One which seemed to stop the pain from being Resonant for a moment, seemed to fill the room with light. The door had been burst open, the guard knocked out. (Not bleeding, alive.) A screech alerted Fordola that she was now facing down... well. A griffin, one with deep black feathers.
The griffin eying Fordola was massive. Old, older then any she'd ever seen before. Scars littered the beast, and the only sign it was owned was the slight depression on its back. And the familiar figure currently rushing for her. Usually, Fordola would give a playful greeting to her savior, knowing who it was - but her head hurt, her body was twitching, new feelings flooded her mind and made it nearly impossible to see the one she called a friend.
The only Ala Mhigan who did not stand with Garlemald that Fordola felt she could understand. The only one who had broken though to her, when they were both seperated from anybody they trusted, forced to heal together.
Yda Hext.
Without having to say a word, Yda grabbed Fordola, and quickly leaped onto the griffin. Her griffin, who had been injured and nursed back to health after Dalamud fell. Fordola managed to mouth out a 'why', and Yda dropped her voice to a whisper.
"Found out you were here, and a lot of these Mhigans would kill you without a second thought. They wouldn't care you did what you needed to survive - and besides. You saved me and my boyfriend, so... think of it as payback?"
As the beast took off into the night, however, Yda looked back. A few had come running - she'd been too loud, huh. Raubahn was one she could recognize, but her eyes focused on the lady in red. Lyse. Lyse was here and she looked strong. A few others made her curious - there was a monk who stood in front of everybody, a swordsman with a unique face tattoo, and a short Elezen, among others. Quite the group.
Yda felt thankful she was in disguise, as they fled. She'd just broken the law to save a life, in her mind. On the other hand, she didn't feel a group like that would just give up. She couldn't let them find the cavern that Fordola, her, and her amnesiac Papalymo had renovated into quite the house. Actions before words - that was what she'd worried about. It had been years since she had died to the world outside. It had taken years for her to become this mobile again - between her near-death and the fall of Dalamud, there was no way she'd be able to face everybody. Life had become simpler - train, train, and try and aid Ala Mhigo in her own way. Had it been cowardly? No. A single person couldn't take down all of Garlemald - but having Fordola listen to her could help change how people saw Ala Mhigans, slowly. They could reject Garlemald once enough of their people ruled.
Idealistic? Maybe. But Yda had lived though the end of the Mad King - a revolution would have been far too bloody, destabilize those who just wanted to survive. As Fordola twitched against her - twitched? - and gripped a little, Yda sighed. They were nearly there. The same cavern that she'd been brought to when an injured Fordola had trusted her. Blinded by blood or pain, Yda still didn't know. But the two of them had recovered there before, and not been found.
Now, the three of them could recover here again. As soon as the three landed, Yda gestured to the griffin. Fly off, fly away, don't bring them here. She quietly removed her helm, placing it at the entrance. A bloodied griffin helm, resting on a torn Ala Mhigan flag. A perfect entrance.
The home wasn't too shabby - sometimes, when they met, Fordola gave Yda directions to places that had been abandoned. Places she could take things from. Yda had even been given a Garlemald uniform for some outings - the older Ala Mhigan found it a bit disgusting, but it helped her survive. Fordola limped over to the bed, even though she knew the strange Lalafell Yda had found near the broken Wall was in there. The one who barely responded, who spent most of his time asleep. When he did respond, it was screams and torment - and a look she had only seen Zenos wear before.
...Fuck. Fordola hadn't thought though coming close to the comatose Lalafell though well, as she felt the same headaches. The same pain, as she gripped to the blankets. The Resonant power - whatever it was - was pulling at her again. It had been bad enough when she'd taken a peek at the Warrior of Light, when she'd seen though all that pain and suffering, but she hated it every single time. This time, it felt as if her head was about to explode.
That's when Fordola passed out, biting her lip tightly. She swore she woke again during that night, but-- well, it was blank.
Night had turned to day, and Fordola had woken. Yda was sitting up, making sure the entrance was blocked by at least fabric. From far away, it blended in with the rocks. Fordola let out a whimper, and Yda sat next to her. "You crashed hard - uh, sorry, but I had to change your clothes. You'd soiled yourself."
Fordola meekly looked over at Yda, her Resonant eye still flickering on and off. She'd been changed - was that why the guards had done it too? But instead of old rags of clothes, Yda had gotten out some of her smaller Ala Mhigan robes. Ones that were bloodied but wearable. "...Thanks, Yda," Fordola mumbled, resting her head on her knees. The Lalafell-- no. That wasn't a Lalafell, Fordola had seen. It looked like one, but-- "I've been passing out a lot lately," Fordola remarked, closing her eyes. (It didn't stop the visions, the pain, but it made her feel like she had a bit of control.)
"Had they been feeding you right? How about drinking?" Yda asked, giving a soft smile, placing a hand to the pained younger Ala Mhigan. "Because I don't have much, but there's a soup I could warm up."
"Soup sounds better then the scraps they gave their prisoners." It wasn't just scraps, but Fordola didn't trust their words. "There's barely a prison system in th'reclaimed Ala Mhigo. Just a few cells and untrained guards. And most of them want my head."
Standing to go over to her makeshift kitchen, Yda nodded to herself. "Makes sense - you hurt them. But you got hurt as well - because they thought their way was the only way. And if it got 'em their country back, then they won't think they were ever wrong."
Yda held her opinions strong - that neither way had been fully right. But even she'd heard the celebrations, from her cave up here. Ala Mhigo was free. Free, but not united. When they were united, maybe she'd be able to return. Unable to fight anymore, with her healed-but-injured legs. Her aching arms, that placed a fire crystal under the pot. Fordola let out a whimer, and Yda shook her head again. "We'll set out once Papalymo's up and about."
"Set out?" Fordola asked, as she looked between Yda and Papalymo. Papalymo was twitching, his body seemed almost together.
Yda laughed. "We can't stay here anymore, now we've been seen by the Bull of Ala Mhigo. He's stubborn - even if he's now missing an arm? I don't know--"
"--Ilberd cut it off, after a failed assassination plot on the Sultanas' life," Fordola interrupted, without realising she knew that. It must have been from exposure to the Warrior of Light. Though she didn't know the exact scenario, she could see it clearly. Almost as if she experienced it, Ul'dah wanting her dead. There was another wince, another whine.
And then, she felt Yda staring at her. Before frowning. "...What happened to you, Fordola?" she asked, knowing she could let the food rest for a while. Bringing over a cushion, Yda sat by the bed.
"You remember how I-- how a Primal was summoned? From the Ananta. I was going to be punished for it, but instead-- I was given the power to transcend Hyur limits. Stolen abilities from one of those Beastmen, those who can resist tempering." Somebody with the Echo, in other words. Fordola still saw them as just a beast. A common Garlean way of seeing them. "Ever since then, I've been seeing... things. Peoples' feelings."
"Can you control it?" Yda asked, but already felt as if she knew the answer. "If they didn't know, that's one thing. But if they knew and kept you in that prison, that's horrible! If Ala Mhigo's a country, then they should have the power to move people to other prisons. Ones which don't have personal connections to the war?"
Instead of answering Yda, Fordola looked over to Papalymo. The twitching beast. "...They're still my people, savages or not. I-- saw into his mind, you know. The Lalafell."
Unlike Lyse, Yda had a little bit of tact. She'd grown up, after all, and had to be the more mature sibling. Her hand darted to her tattoos, as she felt the question at the tip of her tongue. Fordola answered it before it was asked, however. "He's alive. But he-- he died. I could feel it, Yda. His will brought him back, but he's wrong.
I could see Zenos as well."
Yda listened. She listened, and placed a hand on the now-crying Fordola. The Fordola who could show this to her trusted... sibling. But Fordola wished to continue. Wished to let it out. "He used his aether to try and contain a Primal. But that barrier broke, and he reformed a bit, but it wasn't complete. He couldn't wake up. B-but-- I can see Zenos, too. Fusing with him, and then being forced out. I think it's th'Primal that Zenos and Garlemald captured. Shinryu.
Somehow, your boyfriends' aether got captured and not destroyed, but something was helping him live. And Zenos died, and he's in there? I don't know shite about how this works. H-how any of this works."
She didn't say it, but Yda barely understood it either. But, well, if it meant Papalymo was still alive? It didn't matter. His body had been moving oddly, though. Changing, looking mostly Lalafellian. No matter what, though, he was Papalymo. He would get the shock of his second (?) lifetime once he got his mind back. Oh, how he'll be shocked that not only she's alive, but she's gotten a new sibling. One who stood for the same ideals, on a different side.
Shakily getting out of bed so Yda could get to the strange former-Lalafell, Fordola limped over to the soup, to sit near it. They had some dirty bowls. That'd be good enough - but she couldn't keep her hands still. Every time she had these visions after she'd been beaten up, she felt ill and couldn't hold things. Not that she needed pity. It was nice enough to have Yda around, as she began to whisper to Papalymo.
This was what Fordola wanted. Well, it wasn't all she wanted, but, she loved just having a second loving family. Even if she knew it couldn't last.
Six more bell, and there were sounds. Yda and Fordola had spent a lot of time discussing their next move, discussing where they could move to. Papalymo still needed to wake up, but then perhaps they could move to Ishgard or beyond? Yda spoke tenderly of the former Sharlayan colony there, and Fordola reasoned they wouldn't know of her crimes.
Until the griffin cried out. Somebody - or somebodies - were coming. Yda slipped on her helmet. "I'll handle this, Fordola," Yda said. Fordola would protest, but she felt her head beginning to scream. There were multiple people, some who hated her hated hate hate hate--
Fordola was trying to hold on, and Yda moved outside. Her griffin was not bleeding, thankfully, but had been spooked by some form of smokebomb. The frozen waterfall - well, more salty then frozen - was what the others were on. There were two - at least, two visible. One of them was that strange monk, likely the Warrior of Light. But the other was Lyse.
Lyse stood firm, her fists raised. "Hand over Fordola, and we won't need to fight."
It had been so long since Lyse had heard Yda, Yda could not quite tell if Lyse could recognize her voice. Her helmet also hid her tattooes. "No. I'm not gonna let you torture her."
"Torture--?! I'd never!" Lyse replied, placing her hands over her chest. Yda kept an eye on her - it was her old dress, after all. Her old weapons, with a hidden blade.
"She's currently battling visions of the past - if she's this bad around us, imagine how she'd be in your prisons?" Yda said. "Imagine what she'd see from you?!"
Taking a step forward, Lyse didn't let herself falter. Right. She had to do this. "I didn't know-- but we can't just let some stranger take the Butcher. She needs to pay for what she did."
"And so you'll get her worst enemies to keep her? Why not send her to Ul'dah - at least there she'll get a fairer trial!"
Lyse gasped. "How--?! Are you saying we're more corrupt then Ul'dah, Lady?!" But before she could reply, Fordola had limped outside. To stand by the entrance, eyes harsh, looking right at Lyse. Yda couldn't help it - she moved next to Fordola, putting an arm around her. It would mean she couldn't fight as well, but...
...Fordola wanted to fight her own battles, even as she began to tremble again. "Lights?" Yda whispered to Fordola, and Fordola nodded. "Listen, I don't know much about the other one. I mean, you know how me and Lyse..." Yda began, before trailing off. Fordola nodded a little.
"That's the Warrior of Light. Savior. Fighting for those they can still save - least, those they see as being on their side." Fordola was going to continue, but that's when Lyse attacked - a flying kick came at Yda. Without thinking, she knocked Yda to the ground - so the two avoided the kick. At least she could still see like this, but-- her body hurt, everything ached. Yda gave a small smile, before standing - letting Fordola sit.
"You're just gonna kick like that?" Yda asked - sounding more confused then angry. "It's a good kick, but..."
Lyse picked herself up from the ground, before barely dodging a swift kick backwards from the griffin-helmed lady. "It's a little slow." Even now, Yda wanted to help her little sister. Well, her middle sister now? Fordola was a little younger. Why was the Warrior of Light just standing around, though? As if to answer that, the Warrior of Light had paused, to get out a weird tomestone - before giving a slight wave to Lyse. Within a moment, they were gone.
"Kugane." It was a soft whisper from Fordola, but then she snorted. "Must be going to fill that hero quota by killing some more. Wouldn't be beloved otherwise. You ever hear what they call 'em back with Garleans? Murderer."
Both of the Hext turned to Fordola, as she remained there. "But it's a war. Group of people thinking they're playing heroes destabilizing an empire that only became so powerful after being pushed to its brink. After everybody hated them. Garlemald saved Ala Mhigo from crumbling under rebellion and confusion - and now so many good people've died."
"You killed your own men!" Lyse retorted, but Fordola snarled.
"Listen - if I hadn't fired that, they'd be dead anyway! From you animals - or from Zenos! You don't get it, do you - you dumb Hext!" Fordola would have said more, but she'd begun to cough and tremble again - another large vision. Yda put a hand to her, and began to clear the area around her. So she couldn't hurt herself - she'd done the same, the previous night. Lyse could only watch as the griffin-helmed lady ripped off her outer gown, to make Fordola comfortable - before turning back to Lyse.
"...Six years ago, she was seperated from her friends after an attack from the Ala Mhigan resistance. But she still saved my life then. I can't just hand her over to torture," Yda said, "but I get where you're coming from as well. The Butcher can't just be left alone, or you think she'll go back to her old ways?" Lyse nodded a little, before Yda continued. "...I'm sorry I didn't show you earlier," she said, as she lifted her hands, and removed her helmet.
Ydas' hair, now messy, fell over her - and her face, unscarred and soft, was visible. She could look over Lyse, and see Lyses' expression shift from anger to horror to confusion. "They never found the body. I'd just... fallen deep into a chasm near here. But so did she. I couldn't move, and she couldn't climb out. So we ended up... saving each other, in a way."
Lyse stepped forward.
She stepped forward again.
And fell onto Yda, her cheeks beginning to puff up, her tears beginning to flow. Gripping to tightly, any anger at Fordola seeming to vanish. Oh, Lyse was still angry. But this was Yda! And she was alive! Still, she had to do her job. "Why didn't you-- why didn't you let us know?! Papalymo missed you-- all of us did!"
Yda held Lyse, gently holding her closer and closer. Rocking her. "I couldn't. At first, I was injured. But then - well, the Calamity happened and I couldn't just come back. I didn't know if you'd all stayed in Eorzea or not. Plus, well. Fordola needed me. She was hated by her own people - Garlean or Mhigan. At least with me, she'd had somebody who'd stop her from going too nuts.
She's... another sister to me."
Lyse looked between them - before focusing on her sister once more. She cared that much--!? "They still know you, Yda. Maybe-- we can take Fordola back and have her put in your care?" Lyse swore she heard a half-hearted snort from Fordola, but it might have just been air leaving her lungs. "Once she's not... doing whatever this is."
"...Come in, Lyse. It's not just me and her here - and I'm guessing that if you knew I was dead, you're not-- well, just come see."
Six more bells, and now there were four on top of the griffin. Lyse at the front, Yda behind her, Fordola gripping to both Yda and the comatose Papalymo. Lyse looked terrible, any makeup she'd been wearing had run far too much. But it didn't matter. It was almost like with Moenbryda - she'd survived, even if it had been so harsh. (Even if she and Urianger now shared their life, shared their aether. A foolish thing from a man in love. She'd need to let Yda see Moenbryda again.) Lyse still hadn't told Yda what she'd been doing for the previous years. That didn't matter, as they landed in the Ala Mhigan Quarter, the griffin letting out a gentle coo. They had work to do... but it would result in Fordola not having to see what she'd done forever. Perhaps they could begin healing.
Things could always become better.