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Aria fell to her knees. She had finally finished leading the last wave of defense against the Garlean attackers looking to push the line in their favour. Despite the remnants of skirmishes and sound of mortars in the background, she wasn’t able to properly hear anything that wasn’t a high pitched ringing echoing in her ears.
Aria had changed her outfit from the typical crimson duelist to a black Voeburtite caster tunic after admiring the way it looked in Il Mheg. It proved helpful in hiding the soot and grime of warfare, as well as being dark enough to hide the stain of blood. Her eyes lazily wandered to the rapier that had dropped at her side with its crystal partner just an ilm away.
Then, her head turned in search of her companions, the members of her Free Company that had continued to loyally follow her into combat upon her return from the First. She saw Zeke’s despondent figure lying on the ground a fulm away, lying close to where Dernar was as they had been knocked unconscious by the might of a magitek vanguard. Opposite to them, Valeria was lying on her side, arm reaching forward with her katana unsheathed and still in her grasp.
I need to heal them , Aria thought desperately, the gears in her mind turning so fast whereas her body hadn’t the energy left to respond. I can’t lose them … I can’t …
Aria felt a body spasm hitting her hard, beginning at her stomach, and she had to fight against the urge to double over in pain. Her body screamed as stabbing jolts hit wave after wave at her ribs, her lungs burning from the fire and smoke around her. When she choked, she coughed out blood and despite her attempt to prevent it from spilling as she covered her lips with her hand, drops had fallen nonetheless.
As Aria had wavered forward to stand on all fours on the ground to wheeze and vomit out more blood blocking her airways, more of the essence had fallen from her head, her arms and her stomach. When she straightened herself, she found gashes on her legs that she hadn’t realized were there. It only made her wonder at what point she had received them.
“...ia!” she heard in the background.
Is someone calling me? she thought as she sat on her knees, just staring weakly at the earth beneath her.
“Aria…” the voices grew louder. Louder. “ARIA!”
The Warrior drifted her gaze to lazily peer up to the one calling her, half expecting a bright light to return her soul to the Lifestream. Instead, she had found a panicked Lord Commander kneeling before her, eyes wide with shock and fear. She couldn’t hear the words that he shouted, only knowing that whatever he said resulted in a pair of Twin Adder and Temple Knight conjurers to rush to her side. When she felt the warmth of their healing light, Aria reached out to push them away with the strength of a day old kitten.
“The others…” Aria panted, struggling to even say above the chaos. “...they need it more, please …”
“They are being treated, Aria,” Aymeric answered sternly. “Don’t speak and let the chirurgeons attend to you!”
Aria glanced into Aymeric’s eyes and saw the anger emanating from him. Was he angry that she let herself get hurt? She had been careless, after all. It was foolish to think she could make up for the strength of the detrimentally low number that consisted of her available Free Company members.
When something moved behind Aymeric, Aria’s natural instinct was heightened by a new flow of adrenaline being pumped into her bloodstream. Another vanguard had appeared and was positioning itself to blast a beam to cut through Alliance lines.
Without hesitation, Aria snatched her rapier and partnering crystal and got to her feet. Leaving a protesting Elezen behind, Aria shot forward with the rest of her strength with a Corps-à-Corps, Riposte, Zwerhachu, Redoublement and Moulinet combination, all enchanted by her red magick. To ensure the machine was no longer functional, she sent a Verflare, Scorch and Contre Sixte until the magitek had exploded from its malfunctioning.
With this, Aria’s pants had grown heavier and with the adrenaline leaving her body, she no longer had the strength to continue standing on her feet. She collapsed to the ground face first, the aetherial manifestation of her weapon dissipating as its owner was unconsciously doing all it could to minimize physical strain and focus on self-preservation.
“Get a stretcher, NOW!” Aria heard someone shouting in the distance.
As the seconds went by, Aria felt a sort of stickiness staining the skin that remained bare. It was only when it had reached to her cheek that she realized she was lying in a growing pool of her own blood. When she meant to move herself out of it, a pair of arms had shifted her, much to her dismay, and sent a sharp inhale her way. Her body scolded her with jabbing pain at her sides.
“I am sorry,” she heard a soft, and broken, voice cooing to her. “I am so sorry…”
Above her, the Warrior saw the raven locks of Aymeric’s hair attempting to cover his eyes as he helped a chirurgeon transfer her body from the ground and onto a stretcher that they placed at her side. Aria didn’t resist and let them do as they pleased, instead opting to search for her companions that had fallen. When she couldn’t find them, the Lord Commander assured her.
“They have been returned to base camp,” he explained. “Just as we are returning you.”
Aymeric nodded to a soldier at one end of the stretcher and soon enough, Aria felt as if she was floating above ground. Yet, what kept her steady was the feel of her love’s fingers holding onto hers as he kept pace to stay by her side. He stayed that way until they reached the camp and from the corner of her eye, she spotted a horrified Raubahn and Lyse zoom across her sights.
When she was brought to a tent and hoisted onto a makeshift bed, Aymeric had shifted himself to stand right at her side. Aria glanced to the healer that was to be her caretaker and recognized the Elezen man that had also taken care of Estinien after defeating Nidhogg’s shade. Despite not knowing his name, she knew of his reputation to being the finest healer in all of Ishgard.
“Ia…” Aymeric called to her.
Upon hearing the intimate name she had bade Aymeric to call her as often as he would like, Aria turned her attention to the Lord Commander. She hadn’t realized he had brought her hand to his lips despite the blood to give it a light kiss, his face pinched with agony and regret. Aria panicked with the desire to rid him of his sadness.
“Shh, don’t cry…” she managed to whisper to him. “I’m alright … just a flesh wound…”
Aria wanted to smile to assure him of his worries, but all that came out was a cough and racks of pain in her body. It caused a groan that was only barely soothed by the chirurgeon’s ministrations.
“Broken ribs, possible concussion and about a dozen or so cuts, half of which will require stitches,” the healer reported, giving cause for Aymeric to answer with a solemn expression. “She will recover, aye, however it will be but a fortnight until she is combat ready again.”
Aria saw the way Aymeric gulped at his words and she wished she could just shut him up somehow. Yet, where she wanted to find strength, she found only exhaustion as stars danced across her vision and spots of black began lulling her to sleep.
“Aym…?” Aria called weakly.
“Yes, Ia?” he responded, leaning in to press his forehead gently against hers.
Aria groaned. “Can I … sleep for a bell or two? I’m very tired…”
Aria felt Aymeric’s fingers brush gently against her cheek.
“Of course, my love,” he whispered shakily. “Take all the time you need.”
Aria allowed herself to close her eyes then. The pain was either dulling under the healer’s care or she was so separate from her senses that it couldn’t register in her head anymore. Yet, there was one thing that remained clear to her before she had allowed sleep to succumb to her:
The sensation of a single tear landing on her cheek.