Work Text:
It had been a few days since Alys had reawakened in Ishgard after the Bloody Banquet; the Elezen had known he had eyes scanning on his back since Ul’dah. However, not even the threat of the Crystal Braves daunted Alys as he continued his studies just in time under the tutelage of X’rhun Tia.
The mythrite rapier felt right in Alys’s hands. If they were to move on from Zinnia and continue on a journey of revenge against the Church of Thaliak, Alys felt they needed to don their old blade and reclaim it for themselves. Yet X’rhun had guided Alys more towards an attempt at bettering his red magic control with patience.
Alys had taken his first couple lessons with X’rhun prior to the Bloody Banquet, to which his mentor now awaited him in Aleport, looking into the cabal that was kidnapping various men and women under hopes they would take out sympathizers of the Ala Mhigan Resistance.
Upon taking the orders of X’rhun, Alys’s eyes scanned Aleport’s boxes, inspecting briefly each box from the recently arrived vessel in hopes of finding out about the suspicious crate. As Alys passed by a box, they heard a muffled groan from within a rectangular crate.
Hurriedly grabbing the key X’rhun had found moments earlier, Alys opened the box with hesitation, only to find a blonde Midlander girl in a pink dress looking up at him with bleary eyes.
The girl’s sapphire eyes met Alys’s mismatched orange and green eyes and weakly asked as she left the container.
“What— Where am I…?”
“You’re in Aleport in western La Noscea. It seems I found you asleep—or rather, waking from sleep here.” Alys calmly explained.
The Midlander did not hesitate to observe her nearby surroundings and gather what info she could in that second, “Was I sleeping? …In a box? What an odd thing of me to do…”
Alys noted the girl’s disposition—hazy and confused, not unlike Alys themselves had mildly experienced when their memory seal had been released a few days prior.
“By chance, do you remember anything about yourself?”
The girl hesitated to speak, stumbling over her words before Alys’s gentle eyes assured her that she could in fact, take her time. Eventually, the words left her mouth after half a minute, “Of course, I— …Oh. Perhaps not.”
She briefly paused. “…Hold on a second. I remember something now. Arya! My name is Arya… I think. Is it?”
Alys smiled softly but with mild concern, “Arya… That’s a lovely name.”
“…You really think so, huh?” Arya smiled back, “I suppose the name shall do for now. But… what should a girl call you?”
Alys unexpectedly froze for a moment, their mind for whatever reason turning to what Zinnia would call him.
Zinnia would use to call me Al.
But Zinnia wasn’t alive anymore. And Alys had moved on, hadn’t he? Why everything from the Gelmorra Ruins had been weighing on him now would—
“Just call me Alys. Friends call me Alys, and sometimes Al.”
Arya looked into Alys’s eyes, noting neither his freezing up nor his quick response; instead, she gave him a gentle nod, “Alys… Alys. Alys! Alright, I’ll try to remember that. Thank you kindly for letting me out!”
Arya bowed and Alys uttered a relatively quick “No problem” as X’rhun had come jolting towards them, filled with wonder and worry about the identity of the Midlander looking at him.
“What happened here? Is aught amiss?” X’rhun turned his head to Arya, causing her to clutch her hands over her chest in worry and scurried behind Alys like a scared fox as she trembled in fear.
Alys reassured Arya that she’d be okay, but then turned to X’rhun with brief words, “I found her inside of one of the crates from the ship.”
“…Inside a box? Peculiar. I would’ve suspected her a possible stowaway, but intuition tells me the lass was kidnapped.” X’rhun deduced before looking into Arya’s eyes, “The people who took you might be lurking nearby. We should probably make some distance—”
Arya backed further away from the Miqo’te’s stern eyes, causing a faint pang of agonized worry to weigh on X’rhun’s brow.
“Come now, you’ve no reason to fear me so.” X’rhun looked to Alys with a look of dismay, “Alys, please say something reassuring, would you?”
Alys thought before smiling, looking back to Arya with a warm glance, “He’s as gentle as a kitten.”
X’rhun softly smiled before he heard Alys continue.
“He’s soft as a cat. Like a fluffy ragdoll cat, for instance.”
An embarrassed sigh escaped X’rhun’s mouth, “That’s good, Alys.”
“…Hehehe.” Arya giggled lightly, “I suppose if you say so, Alys, then I guess I can trust him.”
X’rhun nodded to Alys with a smile, “Well, you seem to have made a new friend. I’ll go and arrange some lodgings for the lass in the meantime, while you two go and hang tight or follow after. We can discuss where to go from there.”
The crimson fitted Miqo’te walked away as Alys and Arya stood at the sunset-lit dock before following suit.
As they walked, Arya weakly stumbled and collapsed as she felt her energy leave her in slumber, to which Alys rushed to catch her.
“Arya, are you alright?” Alys cried out with concern as he held the Midlander in his arms, sighing in relief as he heard her gently snore.
A hum left Alys’s throat as he realized how he would have to get Arya to the lodgings X’rhun had booked. Alys threw one arm under Arya’s knees and the other behind Arya’s back and holding her shoulder, stancing himself at the ready to carry her to the inn.
As Alys set Arya down on the bed, X’rhun laid down the debrief of what he had done and gathered as Alys returned, though noting that Arya had passed out from the ordeal.
Before Alys could teleport away from the night, X’rhun put his arm on Alys’s shoulder with a gentle smile.
“Hey,” X’rhun added tenderly, “She really trusts you.”
A blushy smirk creased Alys’s lips, “You really think so?”
“She does. Doesn’t seem like the type to trust a lad at first sight.”
“And what are you trying to say with that, perhaps?” Alys rapped his hand against his cheek.
“Nothing really. Aside from the fact that she took a shine to you immediately.”
“Interesting.” Alys replied, unsure of how to respond. With a nod, Alys began to walk away.
“Hey,” X’rhun called out to Alys, to which he turned to look with a pause. “You’re a good egg. A lad with a kind soul.”
Alys paused for a moment more to process X’rhun’s words before he fired back, “Thank you… I… suppose I am.”
With a nod, X’rhun gently beamed a smile as Alys took off back to Ishgard. Though it would be a while before Alys would be back, X’rhun fondly hoped his apprentice would come back soon for the next lesson, knowing time would need to pass before he could figure out everything with Arya’s affliction.
Eventually, about a week had passed, and Alys had in fact returned, changed from new companions on their journey as they had finally reached the Dravanian Forelands. X’rhun had readied the next objective as Arya had been awaiting, though with her memory still remaining muddled.
As Alys had returned to the inn in Aleport, Arya eagerly jaunted over to them with a gentle expression.
“It’s you. You’re back!” Arya beamed, “I had a lovely few sleeps since we last met. I no longer feel the exhaustion from earlier, but no matter what, I still can’t seem to remember anything…”
Alys thought for a moment as they considered a possible option to jog Arya’s memory, then seeming to have an idea after a moment, “Would you like to go outside for a bit, perhaps? Perhaps the La Noscean ocean scent might stir up a memory.”
“…Outside? Hm, I suppose a fresh breeze might help to blow away the cobwebs a bit.” Arya went to the exit of the inn as Alys followed suit, “I think I’d like to see the view from the battlements up there. Will you join me there, Alys?”
Nodding in affirmation, Alys went with Arya to the battlements overlooking the town port. The sky was a picturesque blue with white clouds dotting the sky, seagulls flying around as they garped in the afternoon air as the breeze blew on the pair. Amidst the ships at the port and the vast blue waters, Alys saw numerous sailors carrying boxes to and from ships.
“Look! Isn’t it beautiful?!?” Arya pointed out at the port view, “The sky, the clouds, the bustling port… I’ve never seen anything… so…”
As the word “amazing” was about to leave Alys’s lips, they paused, looking at Arya as if she may’ve been remembering something.
“…Is this truly the first time I’m seeing this view? I try to remember, but my mind is a blank page. I can be sure of nothing…”
Alys then thought for a moment as he took in the breeze, remembering how they were for the past six years.
“I… forget such things myself sometimes, but perhaps we can make new memories.” Alys put his hand on his hip as he looked out at the vast waters, “Maybe even together.”
Arya thought for a moment, processing Alys’s words, “…Make new memories? Oh, I hadn’t thought of it like that! I suppose it’s a gift of sorts, being able to see and enjoy things afresh.”
“Though, my mind is bound to wonder….” Arya looked at Alys with curiosity and concern, “You don’t mean to tell me you lost your memories too, Alys?”
Alys paused for a moment before replying, planning his words a bit, “I have, kind of. Not to your extent, but my memories were sealed away for the past six years. However, that’s a conversation for a different time and I… don’t necessarily want to get into all of it right now.”
Arya nodded in understanding; there was a faint acknowledgement that Alys didn’t want to overwhelm Arya with the info when Arya was still trying to figure out the fog she herself was in.
“Well, that’s fair. I think I’ll stay up here a little while longer, just to make sure I will remember this view tomorrow…” Arya’s attention turned to the ships in the yard, her finger pointing out at the largest of the batch, “Oh, oh! Alys, do you see that ship? How do they keep such massive things afloat like that?”
Holding back from going on an explanation from a book he read years ago, Alys astutely smiled at Arya, “I suppose you must be rather fond of ships.”
“I… Why, yes, I’m fond of ships. Watching them pass by and… Hm, I might have always enjoyed the sight. What an insightful question!”
Alys looked to Arya as she paused for a moment, looking once more like she had a memory on the tip of her tongue.
“I remember when I was a child, I would always beg my uncle to… Oh! I remember now! I had an uncle!”
Alys silently watched as Arya put her hand to her chest, “He… was my only family. He… tried protecting me, but—”
The memory had recurred to Arya, the faintest scene of the day becoming fuller and fuller as she recalled the events.
“…Please forgive me. The exact events are still a jumble, but the memory wasn’t pleasant by any means.” Arya shakily huffed, “That day… it’s… it’s all coming back in a rush. Might we return to the inn? I need a moment to compose myself.”
With a nod, Alys led the way, “By all means. I don’t expect the feeling of memories returning to be necessarily pleasant.”
Alys knew the feeling all too well. The surge of his memories returning after he had faced Zinnia for the last time had overwhelmed him to the point of disorientation and overstimulation, so he knew Arya would like a moment to let things settle in.
As the pair returned to the inn, X’rhun had returned with a report from the Yellowjackets regarding Arya’s past, before learning in that moment that Arya had recalled the incident; her soul both eager and hesitant to share what she had recalled.
Alys sat down on the bed and listened to Arya with a considerate smile, looking up at the Midlander, “You needn’t rush yourself. Whenever you’re ready to speak, we’ll be here to listen.”
“Nay,” Arya spoke with a sudden conviction, “I’m ready to share what I’ve remembered of that day.”
X’rhun nodded empathically, “Alright, what have you remembered?”
Arya shut her eyes tight as she recalled her memory.
“From what I can recall, I had always lived with my uncle, Eddard, from a young age. He was a kind, gentle man who’d often tell me stories of what my parents were like. I was young when they died… too young to remember them, I think.”
X’rhun noticed a momentary pause, opting in a chance to ask more into the report, “…Arya, the report mentioned that you were citizens of Limsa Lominsa. Do you remember where you were when the attack came?”
Alys took a moment to register that X’rhun had meant the attack from the cabal, then looking over to Arya as she began to speak again.
“Yes. We were on the road to… somewhere. The ambushers had appeared as if from thin air, and I remember my uncle having fended off most off the bandits as he went to protect me. But as my uncle had went to fight off the last few of the ambushers, he… he…”
Arya began to tremble as she sobbed; the image of her uncle, weakly smiling as his blade and shield clattered to the ground, had reemerged in her mind once more.
X’rhun and Alys let Arya mourn the resurfacing of the memory; neither of the duo wanting to intrude on Arya’s privacy. Though the two were now privy to her past, both felt as though they weren’t close enough yet to comfort Arya. A look from X’rhun into Alys’s eyes could intuit the Elezen respected what newfound trust Arya had in him, not wanting to squander the friendship Arya and himself had built with a possibly boundary crossing hug.
As Arya had taken a moment to mourn, she had wiped her tears, steeling herself once more.
“…I can’t remember much past that but…” Arya was then cut off by a gentle smile by X’rhun as he held up his hand.
“Thank you, Arya. You needn’t force yourself to remember the rest. For now, we must concern ourselves with your future.”
Arya could remember her story beginning there, having the next several months lead her onward ever still towards becoming a red mage—staring down Garlean troops, brief encounters with ghouls, and even Lambard, X’rhun’s old sidekick turned enemy.
But as Arya sat now on a bench in Mor Dhona, wondering where her journeys would take her next, she fretted with her newly mended coat as she looked at the deep pink fabrics threaded on. Arya’s memory had returned by now, yet something about the fabric had reawakened a memory she never thought she had.
-------------------
10th Sun of the Fifth Umbral Moon (Nald’thal), 5th Year of the Seventh Umbral Era
The plaza of Limsa Lominsa was bustling; sailors and adventurers alike gathered in the squares and market halls as fishers and couriers waited at the docks for the next sign of fish or new shipments coming in. And on a bright sunny afternoon such as this, it was expected shipments would come in from Old Sharlayan, along with any boats from the Black Shroud or Ul’dah.
With a jaunt in their steps, Arya and her uncle Eddard passed through the winding halls of Limsa for one main purpose: pick up the shipment of medicine Eddard had needed for his condition.
Arya had always loved coming to see the ships coming to and from port with her uncle; it was a pastime the two had enjoyed ever since Arya was a kid. With an eager smile, Arya swayed her arms in alternating forwards and backwards motions as she approached the docks where the ships had been held.
Eddard smiled at Arya as he went towards the huge docking ship that had been carrying out various goods from across the salt, “You sit tight, princess. I have to see if the tincture has come in yet for my condition. You can look at the ship in the meantime, alright?”
“Alrighty!” Arya replied before a moment of thought had crossed her mind, “Why can’t I come with though?”
Eddard commented as he looked towards the dock, “Just figured you’d like to admire the finery of a vessel from Sharlayan. It’s not too often we get ships like these here in old Limsa.”
A mild grunt of exhaustion came from Eddard; he knew it had been a few days overlong for him to receive the tinctures needed for his aetheric blood balance. He knew as of late that his blood balance had went to the higher ends consistently, hoping he could hide the fact of potential worry from Arya. He wanted to preserve his older brother’s daughter’s happiness, even if it meant having to hide any potential health concerns regarding his aethero-endocrinology.
Luckily, the Sharlayan vessel had what Eddard needed. Eddard walked up to the ship’s entrance and smiled as he looked at the sailors unloading everything. As he spoke with the heavy lifters handling delivery, an eager Sharlayan alchemist had walked up to Eddard with his supplies.
“In here, we made sure you had enough gemdraughts of insulin to balance out, plus a small bloodletting kit for any need to check your blood balance urgently, and…”
Arya listened in with an intent ear, trying to figure out the details of what her uncle was discussing with the alchemist. After a moment of waiting, Eddard had returned once more to Arya with an exhausted smile.
“Uncle Ed, what was that about?” Arya had folded her arms.
Eddard meekly smiled as he held his knapsack, “Naught of interest or worry. We have my meds however, and that’s all that matters.”
A brief pause came from Eddard however as he went through the bag, moving aside bottles and almost tomestone shaped peripherae, eventually pulling out a beautiful pink dress with fine magenta ribbons.
Arya’s sapphire eyes shone with delight as she looked at the dress. She had never seen anything like it; its fine fabrics and threading techniques had love and care put into its very foundation, the lace toward the bottom of the dress stitched as though the maker’s own heart had been put into its creation.
“Apologies for the nearly two months late 18th nameday gift, Ari.” Eddard beamed as he saw the light in his niece’s eyes. “Figured I’d have to get you something special, but I didn’t think it’d take this long. Heard this beaut came from Sharlayan itself.”
There was no hesitation in how Arya jolted to throw her arms around her uncle, nearly tearing up from joy, “Thank you so, so, SO much!!!”
Eddard just ruffled Arya’s hair as he went to embrace her back, “I’m glad you like it.”
Moments passed as Arya looked at the dress and held it with joy in her eyes, admiring the finery in every seam. Eddard looked back to the hall entrance, readying to leave.
“We can head back home, and you can try on your birthday gift if you want.” Eddard grabbed his knapsack, “I can put your dress back in here for now, so it doesn’t get ruined.”
After tucking her dress into her uncle’s knapsack, Arya nodded in agreement as she readied to go, only pausing to look back at the large boat with a smile.
As Arya and Eddard had passed through the corridor by the Arcanist’s Guild, Arya’s eyes met with an unusual sight. A lavender haired Elezen ran down the hall with an eager smile, a Carbuncle following them as it bounded after its owner.
Elezen weren’t a common sight in Limsa by any means, so for Arya to see an Elezen lad in town intrigued her a bit.
Arya’s eyes then met the azure-blue Carbuncle, sniffing with interest in the direction of the Midlander.
“Hello!” Arya cooed affectionately as she knelt to pet the Carbuncle, “Aren’t you a cute little Buncle!”
The Carbuncle made a noise of delight as Arya scritched its head.
“H-hey! Little guy!” A voice called suddenly to which Arya’s eyes met its source, the Elezen from before then looking at the Carbuncle, then Arya.
“My apologies if my Carbuncle ran up to you out of the blue, madam.” The Elezen bowed in apology, “I’m new to Arcanima and… my Carbuncle’s a curious sort.”
Arya shook her head as the Arcanist scooped up his Carbuncle, “No worries whatsoever. I’ve always wondered what it’s like to be an Arcanist with the cute little Carbuncles and all.”
“I’ll just say it can take some work.” The lad explained, “But with enough work, one of these little guys will listen.”
Eddard softly sighed as Arya went to boop the Carbuncle on one of its toe beans, then noticing the Elezen’s eagerness to get back to the Arcanist Guild.
“Well, I wouldn’t want to keep you overlong. I must get back to my training, but I hope you both enjoy the rest of your day!”
“You as well!” Arya replied to the Elezen Arcanist.
The Elezen turned away to leave briefly as Eddard guided Arya back home. However, time froze briefly for a moment as the Midlander and Elezen momentarily locked eyes as bluish-grey eyes met mismatched orange and green, unknowing how the threads of fate would draw them together from there.
As that moment of time unfroze, the two paths would then part for the time being as Arya went back home to try on her brand-new dress, while the Elezen she met went on to start his journey in La Noscea and have his destiny unfold from there.
-------------------
Arya paused for a moment as she returned to her conscious realization.
The Elezen she had met with that fateful day almost two years ago was the same one she had been travelling with all this time and had now fallen for. The only difference about Alys that Arya noticed was a distinct lack of facial hair, plus a learned look in their eyes as they travelled.
The next realization came with the coat she had on, feeling that the same lacy dress which she had on from her uncle’s 18th nameday gift to her had now been amalgamated with her first red mage bliaud. Arya let the moment sink in as she looked at her outfit, feeling now that she would carry her uncle Eddard’s gift with her as she fought as a red mage.
Looking to the blue skies in that moment, Arya’s eyes burned with both a melancholic conviction and a feeling in her breast that could not be quenched.
Arya knew now she carried a stronger reason to fight and make new memories with Alys and X’rhun at her side, now feeling as though she was closer to a truth she didn’t yet know of yet.