Author Note: This is a snippet of what comes after the quest Pride Before A Fall between the Arisen and Julien. Just a quick background to set the scene. The Arisen is NOT from Cassardis, but from Meloir on the mainland. She was an infamous pirate that raised along the coast of Hearthstone. When her ship was caught in a storm, she and her crew were driven south where they wrecked near Cassardis. The only survivor of the wreck, Mavourneen washed up on the shore of the fishing village and was taken care of by Quina. A few days passed, blah, blah, blah, and the regular story ensues. Also, before this, the Arisen and Julien get kinda close with each other. And since I don't like wakestones, they don't exist here. So Mavourneen doesn't kill Julien and bring him back, just knocks him out. So, uh, yeah... Enjoy.
A red sun hung low on the horizon that eve, casting its fiery rays dancing across the sea below by the time the Lord was roused to consciousness once again. Sapphire eyes fluttered open to find the young Arisen, Mavourneen, gazing down at him warmly, yet sadly at the same time, her pale face framed with golden locks fallen loose from their tie.
His head was thumping painfully in time with his heart, and without even touching it he could tell there was dried blood matting his hair together where the rock collided with his head. Much to his delight, he was not laying on the cold, sharp gravel of the tower, rather his head rested on something quite soft.
He groaned softly and shifted around to find he was in fact laying with his head on the woman's lap. She gently dabbed at his wound with a wet cloth and he winced at the sharp pain it caused.
When the sting of the cloth finally blurred into the background, he closed his eyes and let himself relax in her care.
How strange, he wondered to himself, to be aided by the very woman who wounded him. A smiled spread across his lips and further still until it was a beaming grin, and he gave a throaty chuckle.
"Forgive me, Arisen, but I fear the blow to my head may have caused illusion," Julien said when he felt her hands leave him. "To be alive, still, after all that has transpired, with my head cradled in your lap as lover's... It simply cannot be real." He sat up, more quickly than intended for his head spun into dizziness, but he ignored it, lest the Arisen see the weakness. With a steadying sigh, he said, "I shall return to the capital and place myself in the mercy of the court. They shall have my confession... and my head, should they wish it."
"Julien," Mavourneen whispered at last, but he held up a hand to stop her.
"You need not fear I will flee. I have some semblance of pride," he chuckled again, though ruefully so this time. "I would ask you something first. Why care for a traitor, a man with no honor? Why not simply end it all with a swift stroke of your blade?"
He looked not to her, but Mavourneen could tell he was truly troubled by this. She could almost feel what shame he felt for having betrayed not just the oath his swore as a knight or the entirety of Gransys, but the one person who stands between the people and the dragon, peace and chaos, life and death; she who, even knowing what wickedness had taken hold in his heart, snuffing out what light of goodness was left, had cared for his wounded body.
She placed her hands in her lap, staring at the bruises and nicks on her knuckles, wondering the same thing herself. To be truthful, she couldn't quite say. So much about her had changed in the past year, she barely knew herself anymore. Where once she was merciless and so sure of herself, she found she was soft and vulnerable, just as any other.
"I have seen good men and women die fighting the chaos the Wyrm has sewn in theses lands. What good would it do to lose another to this war?" Mavourneen said quietly. She heard the words travel past her lips, felt them and her tongue moving together to speak them, but couldn't quite believe it. It didn't sound like her. Those were the words of someone noble hearted, something she could never be, but she felt them in her heart.
Julien glanced over his shoulder at her with pain in his eyes. He felt unworthy to even be in her presence. "You have my thanks, dear Arisen... for what it is worth." He rose to his feet and stood tall and proud as always, hiding the shame inside. "I shall take my leave now, but before I go, I leave you with a word of warning. The revolt you saw here today was merely a distraction. The killing blow will be dealt elsewhere."
Julien turned to leave, but Mavourneen quickly grasped his hand. "I beg of you," she pleaded to him, still kneeling in the gravel. "Do not return to Gran Soren. Run. Flee from this place while you can. I would not see you hurt, my Lord."
He looked to her steel-blue eyes, always so calm, and saw fear. The woman truly feared for his life. He would have been fallen back were it not for her hand tethering him to the ground. He suddenly became very aware of the feel of her hand in his, the soft flesh so warm against his own, and he felt small.
The world shrunk around him as he faced his choices. His pride and the shred of honor that he clung to told him the right thing was to turn himself in, but Mavourneen - how sweet her name tasted on his tongue - and his heart told him to flee.
He smiled warmly at her. He had made his decision. "For you, my dear Arisen, I will do this. I owe you this much."
He bowed low and brushed his lips to her knuckles. Without so much as another word, he left Windbluff Tower, to where no one knew.
Author Note: I apologize for the long note at the top, but I felt I needed to put that there for you to understand why they're kinda mushy sounding with each other and also because, depending on how this goes, I might make an entire story outta this. So if you wanna hear more of my pirate, Mavourneen, and her rise to Arisen, then review and let me know. Also, if you do decide to leave a review let me know if there is any way I can make my writing better. I know this is short, but it's just a one-shot, at least for now.