Chapter 49: Bonus Chapter: Little Ladies Day

"Remind me why I'm here again?" Alphinaud asked sourly as they walked through the streets of Ul'dah. The street looked very differently from how it normally was. The entire town was decorated with pink banners, flowering trees and other decorations were set up everywhere. It was like the sky was filled with the delicate pink flower petals as they fell from the cherry blossom trees, filling the air with their sweet scent.

"Because," Tataru said happily as she skipped along, "It's Little Ladies Day! And it's a gentleman's duty to treat every lady like a princess today!"

"Yes, Alphinaud," Alisaie added with an evil grin as she looked back to her brother. "Besides you've been locking yourself up at the Rising Stones for some time now. You needed an excuse to get out."

"I wasn't in the mood," he answered bitterly as he followed after the two women. But he had to admit, it wasn't a bad time to get some fresh air and change of scenery. He looked up at all the decorations, realizing just how much he did enjoy seeing the seasons come and go while he had been here in these lands.

All over there were young men who were with their sweethearts, or with their wives and daughters, doting upon them lovingly and he had to agree that it was a touching sight. He had needed something to occupy his mind and this was doing a fine job distracting him from all that had happened recently.

This had always been one of his grandfather's favorite times of the year, for it meant that spring had returned and that the motherly Matron had seen fit to bless the realm with the blossoms of the peach treas. Because of this, all over, this was the day where young maidens were treated as princesses for the day. Their own family celebrated Little Ladies Day, and he could remember how Grandfather would dote upon Alisaie. He could remember how her eyes would light up whenever Grandfather told her that she was his princess, and he would think of the special events that he had planned for them. Even if it was normally a day where the ladies of the land were celebrated, Grandfather worked hard to make sure that both he and his sister had fun. He couldn't help but smile back to those days before he shook his head now, wondering how this was supposed to be fun for him.

This morning, Tataru and his sister came to him, and decided that he wasn't going to be spending his time with his head in a book. Instead, they were demanding that he accompany them outside to Ul'dah to enjoy some of the celebrations. Tataru was quite animate on going, saying that her favorite singing group would be performing a concert and she just had to be there to see them.

"The Songbirds?" Alphinaud repeated as they walked through the decorated streets.

"They performed last year," Tataru said excitedly as they headed towards Emerald Avenue and she picked a flower petal off her head and blew it into the air once again. "They have grown quite popular lately and they have the most beautiful voices! I simply had to come and see them in person."

"And why did you need me to come with you?" he asked them.

"Because of all the new stalls and events going on, we need someone to carry our things for us!" Alisaie laughed as he rolled his eyes.

There were many things that were being sold at the market boards and stalls all over town. Soon, the girls were making him carry many different boxes and bags for them. All the while he was doing his best to bite back the angry retorts that were just begging to break free.

"I love this season," Alisaie beamed happily as she looked around all the stalls.

"Me too," Tataru whispered excitedly as she spotted some new pink dresses that had been designed specifically for Little Ladies Day. "Oh! Look! This one's pink!" she gasped when she grabbed hold of a pink kimono and admired it.

"Of course it's pink! Today's is Little Ladies Day!" he could not help but speak out.

"Behave," Alisaie scolded him as she stopped by another stall and had found a few books and was looking through them. Even if today was one of her favorite holidays, she wasn't the type of girl who would be wasting time and money on clothes or make-up. She would always get books on this day and continue to improve her studies. As Alphinaud looked at the books, he could see that most of them were storybooks that told the story how Little Ladies Day came to be.

He knew the story, of course. The Legend of the Lost Lady. It was over three centuries ago where the city-state of Ul'dah had been ruled by the iron-fisted sultan named Baldric Thorne, a man whom was rumored to have been feared across the realm for his temper and how he believed in a swift justice. Yet, there was one whom the sultan loved more than anything else, and it was his daughter, Edvya. He was so devoted to her protection that there was nothing he would not pay to ensure no harm would ever befall her. He kept her confined to the palace and assigned her over fifty handmaidens and seneschals to watch over her.

But ironically, the princess had the spirit of an adventurer and longed to explore the land beyond the palace walls. One day though, when a miller girl came to the palace to deliver flour to the kitchens, Edvya exchanged her gown for the rags of the commoner, so that she could slip out of the city for the day.

However, it did not take the palace long to realize that the princess was missing and the sultan ordered his entire army to search the city until they found her. As for the miller girl, the sultan ordered for her home to be torn apart and her family arrested and tortured. Thankfully, the princess discovered what had happened and when she returned to the safety of the palace, she told her father what she had done and begged that he show mercy to the miller's family. Seeing how cruelly he had treated the miller girl, he sought to make amends. He ordered the family released, and not only did he personally apologize to them, but he ordered his royal architects to build them a new home… but most of all, he offered himself to serve as the miller girl's seneschal for one day, saying that every young woman deserves to be treated like a princess. That regardless of her standing in the world, they were all ladies in their own right.

After hearing this unexpected display of humility, the people of Ul'dah saw that there was more to their ruler than a heartless despot. In fact, the sultan declared that one day from each year there would be a day where he would treat the common girls from the city as if they were princesses, as he had done with the miller's daughter.

That had been one of his sister's favorite stories when she was younger, and seeing her here underneath the falling petals, she looked just like how she did when she was young. That bright glint in her eyes made her look like a child and that this was just another special day that their family would spend together.

He kept focused on that the whole time as he was forced to carry all their ever growing boxes. To be fair though, not all that they were buying were gifts for themselves, there were several other gifts for some of the other women back at the Rising Stones. Tataru even thought to grab a couple small presents for the little Doman children, wanting to give them a taste of the season here in Eorzea.

But he also noticed that she was looking for very specific items from the stalls. Various threads, leathers, even a couple jewels and she was taking very great cares to make sure they were wrapped up before putting them in the same box.

"What are those for?" Alisaie asked her curiously when she noticed the box.

Tataru only giggled mischievously as she explained, "I can't tell you. They're for a very big surprise for someone. I've been working on it for a while now, and are having some people from Mor Dhona helping me."

Right… he had almost forgotten about that. He had seen her discussing things a few times over the last week with the craftsmen from Rowena's House of Splendors. He had also seen a large number of people also coming and going, having brought rare and far away materials that made him wonder just how she was able to get her hands on them. He was just bursting to know what she was up to.

"What are you making?" he asked suddenly, though already knowing that she had taken care not to tell just anyone what was going on.

"You'll see," Tataru grinned back with that mischievous smile. "It's taking longer than I thought it would, so I'm getting these cheap materials to practice on. But don't tell anyone!"

"But what exactly are you making?" Alisaie couldn't help but press her.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Tataru giggled again. "Don't worry though. Once we get the final problems worked out, you'll see! I can't wait to see it all put together!"

"If you are having that much trouble, perhaps we could lend a hand?" Alphinaud suggested, suddenly finding it difficult to walk under the weight of all their purchases. He wished that they brought Urianger here in his place. Normally, he would think of Thancred, who would love the chance to see some of the single beauties of Ul'dah, but with his attention still focused on caring for Yda at the moment…?

Tataru thought his offer over before she said, "If we can't fix this problem, or are looking for a material that we can't find anywhere else, I'll be sure to ask. But for now, I want to keep this secret from everyone."

And she let the subject drop as she spotted some jam tarts for sale and went off to buy one. Once the girls finally finished with their shopping, with his sister finding herself more drawn to books or spell-casting clothes than anything fancy, they went back to Emerald Avenue to where there was already a large crowd surrounding a stage. Because of their short heights, the three of them were having trouble trying to see anything that was going on until Alisaie pointed for them to step up to a small outlook that over looked the area.

This was an area that jutted over the stairs next to the Quicksand, which was able to get a look over crowd, and they looked down to see three girls dancing and performing on the stage. The three girls, a Miqo'te, an Au Ra, and a Lalafell, all dressed in identical outfits, but each a different color of soft dresses with long trains that flowed behind them. They wore tights that went up past their knees, as well as small hats perched crookedly at the top of their heads. He had to admit… their singing was truly breathtaking and he nodded his head as he listened to them, glad for the chance to be able to set down all the packages that had been saddled up on him like a packed Chocobo.

They watched as the sweet voices rang throughout the air and they were able to enjoy watching it. As they listened, one of the girl suddenly approached the crowd and pulled someone from out of it and up to the stage with them. Though she was in very different clothes than what he normally saw her in… there was no doubt who it was.

"No," Alisaie laughed when she recognized the figure who was trying to politely refuse being dragged up to the stage.

"No way!" Tataru gasped out, her eyes bright. "Claire knows the Songbirds?!"

"Why am I not surprised?" Alphinaud laughed as he leaned forward on the railing and watched. Claire was also dressed in a similar outfit that the Songbirds wore, only hers was as white as snow that seemed to suit her before she joined them. She didn't sing like the girls did, but she seemed happy enough to dance in harmony with them. She didn't miss a beat and there were cheers going on all over at the sight.

As soon as the song was over, she applauded the girls before she quickly jumped down, seemingly glad to get away from the stage before she was asked to go on.

"Claire! Hey, Claire!" Tataru cried out excitedly as she waved down at her.

The noise quickly got their friend's attention and she came up to the top of the avenue to join them.

"How could you?" Tataru demanded as Claire climbed the stairs to greet them. "We were friends! I can't believe you never told me?"

Claire raised her eyebrows at her in confusion before Tataru fell to her knees and cried out mournfully, "You know the Songbirds and you never told me?!"

"Apparently, she's a big fan," Alphinaud informed her with a laugh, doing his best not to blush as he looked at her. The fact was… she really looked pretty cute in that outfit and it was hard not to notice.

"Sorry," Claire said in surprise before she patted Tataru's head comfortingly as she stood back up.

"I'm sure that it's none of our business," Alisaie said with a smile, "But, what are you doing here? And dressed like that?"

Claire looked down at her costume and laughed awkwardly as she smoothed out her skirt. "I was helping the Songbirds with their concert," she answered simply.

"And you joined them?" Tataru laughed happily. "We saw you dancing up there."

Claire chuckled as blushed red, confessing, "I didn't want to, but the girls were insistent that I join them up on stage for a dance number."

They all looked down at the Songbirds, still performing as they sang another sweet song. "What about you?" she suddenly asked. "I didn't expect to see any of you here."

"Huh? Oh, we were shopping," Tataru explained happily. "It's Little Ladies Day for us too so we thought that this was a good chance to get out and enjoy ourselves a little."

"And we made sure to bring Alphinaud with us because we needed someone to carry our things," Alisaie teased as she clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Alisaie," he groaned out, feeling like they were kids again and she was trying to embarrass him. But to his surprise, he saw Claire giving him a sunny smile.

"That's sweet of you," she informed him and he knew his face was burning again. Damnit… he wondered if he could pass it off as starting to get sunburned or something? Thankfully, Tataru was able to get their attention by showing her some of the things that she had bought, taking great care not to show her what was in the box with the materials that she was trying to keep secret from them all.

"So I got these peach blossom necklaces because I was thinking of those two little Doman girls back at Mor Dhona!" she explained, showing Claire the two necklaces. "Flhaminn isn't one for jewelry, I mean, she wears those pretty earrings all the time, but she's not someone who's sentimental. And it was hard trying to find something for Y'shtola, I mean, she's not exactly someone who would wear something like this…?"

Claire only politely nodded as she watched Tataru go on about a lot of her gifts for everyone. Tataru was so excited that she was practically bouncing around before they remembered the concert and they looked back over the crowd to see the girls continuing to sing. Claire leaned against the wall as she looked over the crowd, but there was a rather distant look on her face. As if her eyes were seeing it, but her mind was somewhere else far away.

"You a fan of them?" Alphinaud asked as he leaned against the wall, copying her.

"They're good," Claire admitted. "But…?"

"Not your style of music?" he finished and her mouth curled up a little at the corners at the question. As they kept watching, Alisaie noticed how the two of them were standing rather close together.

"Come on, Tataru," Alisaie offered to their small friend, as she picked up her half of their bags. "Why don't we see if we can go in for a closer look? Downstairs?"

"Huh?" Tataru asked in surprise, "But we can see them so well from up here…?"

But Alisaie nudged her before jerking her head over at the two of them and she understood.

"Oh, right!" she said happily. "Good old downstairs! Maybe I'll get an autograph!"

"We'll go with…?" Claire offered but Alisaie shook her head, telling her, "My brother has been complaining all day about carrying our things around. I think that he needs a break. And you better stay here too. I'm sure that you don't want to be pulled on stage again."

She waved before she went off with Tataru, leaving the two of them alone in the ledge as they looked over the area.

"So ah… how have you been?" Alphinaud asked suddenly after a few minutes of nothing but the Songbird singing. This was the first time that he had seen her since she last left the Rising Stones after… after what happened at the Wall, and it was hard to say how they fared since they had seen another friend, possibly lost to them forever now.

"I've been doing all right, all in all," Claire confessed somewhat awkwardly. "Been finding ways of keeping myself busy." She was silent for another moment, as if trying to fish around for something to say, she asked, "How's Yda, doing?"

He sighed as he informed her, "She still hasn't returned. Thancred contacts us, letting us know that he's still with her and that he's keeping her out of trouble for now. Y'shtola went to have a word with her and apparently that has helped somewhat, but she's still in a state of shock."

Claire nodded, not surprised by any of that.

Alphinaud stood there stiffly as he looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, noticing, once again, just how pretty she did look in that costume.

"You ok?" he asked her again. "About what happened?"

She did not answer him, but he wasn't surprised as he found himself reaching over and taking her hand in his own once again. She turned her head to gaze at him and he felt himself grow a little warm at how close they were standing together. Normally he would worry about what others might think and the problems it could cause them. With the entire crowd was focused on the Songbirds, however, he doubted that the two of them would draw attention to themselves.

"Want to go for a walk?" he offered and she smiled a little as she nodded and they left, their hands still being held. The only people who noticed that the two of them were leaving, were watching out of the corner of a pillar, both of them grinning at the sight of their hands being held.

"You think he's gonna tell her, this time?" Tataru whispered excitedly.

"Hard to say," Alisaie whispered back. "I know I'd say that I'd tell her if he didn't, but in light of all that's happened, and the fact that we haven't dealt with the matter of the Wall just yet, he still has time. But maybe this is just what they needed. Some time alone."

"I thought that the whole purpose of dragging him along with us was to get him to see all these people treating their sweethearts like princesses for a day was for him to see that he should do that by telling our Warrior of Light how he felt before someone else does?" Tataru asked, "I never thought that we would run into her here, though. It's like fate had a hand in this. You think she can get me the Songbird's autographs?"

"I'm sure if you ask, she will be more than happy to help out," Alisaie smiled as she watched her brother's retreating back as they turned the corner. "I'm sure that she'll keep him out of trouble so there's no need to worry," she added with a nod before she picked up her shopping again. "The one bad thing is that we will have to carry everything back to the Rising Stones ourselves."

"Oh, I'm sure that we can find someone who will be willing to help a couple single ladies out," Tataru chuckled teasingly as they drew closer to the crowd, watching the three girls continuing the dance and sing.

"By the way," Alisaie said suddenly. "Can't you please tell me just what you're making?"

Tataru thought it over for a moment before she nodded. "Alright," she said quietly. "But you have be swear not to tell anyone else! Especially not Claire!"

Alisaie blinked in surprise as she leaned down so that Tataru could whisper into her ear.

*Later*

"So all three girls were around Eorzea and you were begged to find them by their seneschal?" Alphinaud laughed as he listen to Claire tell him more of her adventures with the Songbirds. "And they were gone so long that they didn't realize how late it was until you told them?"

The only reason they got their costumes in time was because the head of the Weaver's Guild was a fan of them," she informed him.

They both laughed as they took the walk outside the city and into the hot sun, and he breathed in the air, once again relishing the fact that they were away from the cold. "As fond as I have grown of Ishgard, I do not think I will ever be able to be comfortable in snow." He looked at her again and added, "Not that it bothers you, though. You'd be able to walk around in a swimsuit in the Western Highlands and still wouldn't feel anything. How do you do it?"

"Not sure," Claire answered as if she hadn't had a chance to really think about it. "Strange, huh?"

She seemed to be enjoying the walk, and he began pressing her for more information on what else she had been up to lately and she told him that she had been spending a great deal of time at the Wolves Den. It was a kind of training ground in Limsa, and she had been fighting it out for medals with a lot of other adventurers.

"So… basically, you all run into the center of this area and try to kill each other for medals?" Alphinaud repeated as he looked at her with eyebrows raised.

"That's about it," she answered. "No one dies though, so you don't need to worry about that. Knocked out several times? Yes. Death? No."

"Well, that's one less thing to worry about," he said as they moved more across the hot sands, and he was only vaguely aware of where they were going at that point. "I fear that I haven't been out much at all lately. Please, tell me more."

So she told him more about how she had been working with a couple others at Azys Lla to try and make a new weapon. It sounded unbelievable! That they could create a weapon that could think for itself! He was fascinated by it, and even more so how she told him about the tiny, but marvelous spirit made entirely of light that was born from their efforts. Yet, she did not have the weapon with her this day, having wanted at least one day this year where she didn't need to fight.

"It grows by the day," she went on fondly. "We just finished the final touches on it."

"You must show me the finished product," Alphinaud said firmly. "I wish to see it with my own eyes."

She promised him that she would, and he asked all sorts of questions as they crossed over the threshold into Horizon and took the familiar path that would take them to the Waking Sands. She also started telling him that she had recently managed to tame a large warbear mount for her to ride around on. She had her eye on trying to catch herself a panther or something like a lion next, but had a feeling that she would have to do a lot of work for that.

He wished that he had stories to tell her as well, but he did try more to tell her what was going on with the world that he knew. Just small stories of what was going on at Mor Dhona, doing his best to stay away from the many grim stories of the Scion's or of the issues with the other nations… mayhaps she knew this and seemed to appreciate the gesture.

Soon the two of them made it all the way to Vesper Bay. But with the heat of the day reaching its worse, they decided to head to Limsa on the ferry. They were able to enjoy the refreshing breeze as they stood on deck and were hit with light sprays from the water. The more that they traveled, the more he seemed to be trying to come up with a story that could make her laugh and smile more. It was difficult at first because he had been so miserable himself, but seeing her eyes light up and that smile seemed to wash away his own sorrow like the waves the hit the side of the ship as they cut through the water.

They were able to forget all the bad things and didn't even notice that they came to dock at Limsa until they realized that they weren't moving anymore. They began to head throughout the markets, though he wished that they had come out somewhere else in the city. He had thought that he had enough of markets to last a lifetime after having walked around with Tataru and Alisaie for hours. But he didn't mind it so much with Claire, who did not seem to be interested in the stalls at all. She could probably make items that were better than most of these things anyway.

"I heard that you were an amazing crafter," he said suddenly, taking her by surprise. "In fact, I saw a store in Ishgard that sells leather that bears your name as its brand."

"Oh that," she said in great amusement. "Well, let us just say that adventuring is fun, but it doesn't make much in terms of money, so you have to find other ways."

"Just asking, but is there a guild in Eorzea that you haven't joined, yet?" he asked her curiously.

She thought that over for a moment before she shook her head and confessed, "I have yet to see one. But should you find one, let me know."

"So that you can master, yet another, skill?" he asked her in amazement.

"I get bored very easily," she shrugged. "Keeps me busy."

He supposed that he could understand wanting to be kept busy. After all, when he wasn't working, he was left alone with his thoughts for too long and that never ended well. As they passed by the market board, he suddenly had an idea and he gave her a few gil to go and get them something to eat. But as she asked him what he wanted, he told her that it didn't matter and for her to just find something to pick out and that he would meet her by the entrance to Limsa. Surprised, she left through the crowd, giving him time to go to the market board and make a quick purchase.

He waited there nervously for a moment and was glad when she returned with some random food.

"They didn't have much," she informed him as she handed him his half.

"Y-Yeah, I know that," he said nervously, his hands behind his back and she noticed that he was stuttering slightly again.

She arched an eyebrows, silently asking him what was wrong. He knew that what he was about to do was a little out of character for him, but he figured that today was a good day to let that go. Wordlessly, he pulled out from behind him a small bouquet of pink cherry blossoms that he had gotten while she was away.

She stared at it in shock for a moment before she took them and continued staring at them before asking, "Did you get these for me."

"Ah, yeah… its Little Ladies Day and grandfather taught me to take it seriously, so…?" he began, suddenly wishing he came up with a better explanation for that. But she was smiling as she breathed in their sweet fragrance.

"They're gorgeous," she said before beaming at him. "Thank you."

That smile was enough to make him feel that he was walking on clouds for the rest of the afternoon. By the Twelve, he had it bad, didn't he? But he didn't focus on that, just their time as they began walking all over La Noscea, speaking of everything that came to mind. He put everything that had happened recently out of his mind, and he began to slowly open up about some of his own personal history about Sharlayan, about going to school at the Studium. And he felt that she was slowly beginning to open up to him about her own stories.

"Come on," he said as she told him more about Alexander and how she had actually experienced time magic. "Please, go into details. Brag, just a little bit. It's maddening that you are so humble about it."

She just looked back teasingly, and after seeing the glint of mischievousness in her eyes, he started to suspect that the reason she didn't talk much about such things was because she liked frustrating people.

They were so busy talking that they didn't notice where the road took them… but eventually they looked up to realize that they were in Eastern La Noscea… near Costa del Sol. He couldn't remember the last time he set foot here. Possibly, he came here when he first entered Eorzea, but that was so long ago that he had forgotten all about it. Still, it was a nice change to be able to walk along the beach, listening to the sounds of the water hitting the shore and the smell of salty air filled his nose.

They avoided the small village-like resort as they kept more to the shore itself. The sun was going down by this point and they soon found a quiet spot on the sand to watch the sun setting over the distant horizon.

"You'll have to go back to the Rising Stones," she said. It wasn't a question, just stating a fact that they both knew and he nodded solemnly.

"Afraid that I do," he confessed. "We are still lacking a leader, and work is piling up. Yda and Thancred have both been excused from their duties for now, and we are short-handed. Some of the other newer Scions have had to step up and take on more work, but they need all the help they can get. I guess that I will be on the the role of an Acting Leader for now. At least until we find another."

She looked over at him and asked, "You'd make a fine leader. Why did you refuse it?"

"Ah… oh…" he stuttered in embarrassment. "Thank you for saying that. But I fear you are mistaken. I fear that if I was left in charge for too long, I may return to the way that I was before. I don't wish for that to happen. I'm happier in the field so to speak. I learned so much more than being a commander and I wish to keep learning."

He meant those words. He felt proud of himself for leading the others as well as he did and for as long as he could as the acting leader, but he knew that he wasn't the right person to lead them forever. But the question now was, who would lead them? Minfilia was gone, at least for now, and he wasn't sure if any of the other Scions would be able to take up the role. While Thancred made a good point, on merit alone, it would seem an obvious choice to make the Warrior of Light their new leader. However, that would only burden her even more and she had so many other duties to attend to. They couldn't force her to take up such a role…?

Perhaps Papalymo could have done so…? But that was no longer possible, was it? Yda was a bit indecisive… and now wouldn't be a good time to ask her anyway. There was still Thancred, Y'shtola, and even Krile…? But he wasn't sure if any of them would be willing to take up such a role either. As for his sister, he felt that she would sooner leave then be forced to be the leader. But surely there had to be someone who could take such responsibilities? He truly believed that without a leader, they could end up falling apart and the future of the Scions would be put into jeopardy.

He grabbed a handful of sand next to him and watched the fine grains slid from his fingers for a moment. "There are some people who are meant to lead, and others follow," he said slowly. "But there are also those who lead only when there is no one else. I like to think that I am of that third category. I led the Scions after the incident at the Feast because there were only just the three of us. Tataru wouldn't be able to do so, and you already had more than enough responsibility to be getting on with. So, I decided that I would take up the role of a temporary leader. At least until we found Minfilia and the others."

"Minfilia…" Claire said suddenly as she looked up at the setting sun again. "I wonder how she is doing right now?"

"I often wonder that," he nodded as he leaned forward to rest his chin on his knees. He could scarcely imagining being able to go out to another world and see something that hardly anyone ever had. "I hope that she is well. I know that we will see her again. She promised you that she would repay you for all that you had done for her, didn't she? And when she comes back, we can ask her all about the world of the First."

"That would be nice," Claire said as she closed her eyes, as if imagining what another world would look like.

He looked over at her for a moment, admiring her and feeling at piece with the world once again. Not having to worry about pain or battling or dangerous missions and the endless amount of tasks that seemed to keep piling up one after the other. Here, there was just this moment.

How did she do it? How was she able to bear the burdens of the world without trouble? No… wait… that wasn't true. He had seen for himself how heavy that weight was for her, how she struggled to keep herself held up. The rest of them looked to her as a source of comfort. According to Tataru, even Minfilia, who was their leader, had once said that their Warrior of Light was her pillar of strength.

He was suddenly struck by this endless wave of curiosity and was looking at her like a new tome whose words he did not understand. He felt that he had knew so much about her, having spent so much time traveling together, but looking at her now, he felt that he knew nothing about her. For example, where did she come from? He knew that she came here to these lands, but as far as he was aware, she wasn't born and raised here. If not, then why did she choose to come here and begin the life of an adventurer? Did she have a family? And if so, where were they now?

He wished he knew more, but knew not how to ask.

"Thank you," she said suddenly after another long moment of silence as she opened her eyes continued watching the gentle waves wash up on to the shore, the sound so soothing that it felt like it could lull a babe to sleep.

Alphinaud looked back at her in surprise, not sure of what she was talking about as he asked, "For what?"

She blushed as she informed him, "For treating me like a princess today."

He blinked in surprise at that before he stuttered out nervously that he didn't do much.

"No, but it was enough," she told him with a bright smile as she looked to the bouquet of flowers that were still in her lap. "You cheered me up. And even brought me flowers. I can't remember having such a nice time."

His normally pale skin was stained with red at his cheeks... even his ears were turning pink, but if the red from the sun was lighting up her face, he liked to think that it was doing the same for him and she hadn't noticed it.

"Your welcome," was all he could say.

They fell silent for another long moment as he was now desperately searching for something to say.

"So," he asked, "Did you learn anything new, lately?"

Claire thought that over but then she had an idea and she blew a kiss at him and that was when a heart made entirely of aether appeared and stuck at him until he felt a wave of happiness going through him.

"How did you do that?" he asked in awe as she laughed.

"I learned it from a sweet couple on Valentione's Day," she laughed as his face grew even redder. "You asked for something new, and you be surprised by how many people have been using it. It's just a way of me showing appreciation for all you've done."

"I… I don't… I should be thanking you, I mean," he stuttered and seeing him so taken back caused her to start laughing again.

"Valentione's Day," he said as he tried to think of something thing to say. "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to celebrate it. I can only imagine the countless couples across Eorzea doting on each other like that. What about you?" he asked suddenly. "You leave behind a broken heart? Is there a lonely young man who is waiting for you to return?"

She paused for an agonizingly long time before she confessed, "No, I've never been in a relationship. Not like that."

He looked at her in surprise as he said, "Never? I would have thought that there would be more than a few suitors fighting for your affection?"

"Here and there. Sure, I flirted with a few people that I met during my dungeon running days, but we always parted ways once we reached the end," she confessed. "I never had time to… really get to know someone. Not like that, anyway."

She chuckled softly as she reminded him, "I'm hardly in the same place for longer than a few days. That makes being in a relationship hard."

"I suppose so," he said as he thought that over. But he could not deny that he know knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was not with someone. She truly had no idea of beautiful she was, did she?

"I think you're beautiful," he found himself saying. He looked away as he heard a slight intact of breath of surprised.

"No," she said softly. He did not dare look at her face, so he had no idea what her expression was. "I fear you are mistaken this time."

But he shook his head as he said firmly, "No, I mean it. You really are. And… you shouldn't try to prove that you're perfect."

"I know I'm not," she agreed.

"If it means anything. I like who you are. Though, maybe you could try talking a little more?" he offered softly and she chuckled, making him look back at her as the glow from the setting sun caused her face to glow.

"I never have anything to say," she confessed.

"You know, a lot of people do think that you're a mute when they first meet you," he informed her. "You talk to me a lot more than you used to."

"That's because you actually listen now," she informed him teasingly. "You aren't in love with the sound of your own voice."

He blinked in surprise before he began laughing as he confessed, "You sound just like my sister."

"You have to admit, you truly did have a love for your voice," she pointed out and he held up his hands in surrender.

"You're right," he acknowledged, knowing that she spoke the truth. "Thinking back to how I used to be, I admit that I'm… embarrassed. I was such a smug, little…?" he couldn't even find the words to describe how he used to be, but she seemed to understand.

"You made a lot of mistakes," she nodded. "As do we all. But you learned from them. That's what matters."

"But I…?" began but she cut him off this time.

"You made a mistake because you were trying to make the world a better place," she pointed out. "You changed. And you know more about yourself now. The others have long since forgiven you. I have long since, forgiven you. It's about time you forgive yourself."

Forgive himself? Hadn't he done that? He had always blamed himself for the Scion's downfall, and even now just the thought makes him sick to his stomach at how it all turned out.

"You've done a fine job," she reassured him. "Even if you weren't the official leader, you have done much. Both in politics and research against the primals and even helped to fight. Don't think that you aren't a good leader."

Her words were a great comfort to him and he felt some of his hesitation and fear leave his heart, instead, leaving him with a new courage.

"Well, I know that there is one thing that Minfilia and I had in common as leaders," he said suddenly.

"What is that?" she asked curiously.

"Having you there to keep us from breaking apart," he confessed as he looked back at her, seeing the gentle golden light from the reflected in her eyes. "Thank you for your kind words. I suppose… if I must… I could take up the role as a leader. But if I must, it will just be until we find someone else. You know, I talked it over with some of the others over the last few days, and they all agreed that you were one of their first choices as leader."

"You are kidding," she chuckled. "I don't do politics. I'd be a terrible leader."

"That's not what everyone else says," he countered with a laugh. "But as Thancred put it, you have your hands full fighting primals and feeding the orphaned poor…? I don't suppose you would have much time to do all of that if you were our leader. Especially if you have yet to find that special someone?"

"Oh?" she asked with eyebrows raised, "You still going on about that? What about you? I half expect that you have some maiden waiting for your return back home?"

"What?" he asked in surprise before shaking his head. "Regardless of whatever my sister or Krile told you, I assure you that I was never in a serious relationship. I had a bad habit of showing off to girls when I was younger. I can admit to that. But I like to think that I have grown up since then. Besides…?"

"Besides what…?" she asked him curiously.

"I… I just… never met anyone who really caught my attention in Sharlayan," he said slowly and carefully.

They continued to gaze at the other, though he wasn't entirely sure how that happened.

"So… what are you… going to be doing… for now?" he asked slowly.

She was hesitant to talk, almost as much as he was, though he wasn't sure what it was that either of them wanted to say at that point.

"I'm not sure," she confessed simply before looking up to the blood-red sky. "It's just… it's hard."

He could only continue to gaze at her sadly, knowing that pain all too well.

"I wish I could help you," he confessed and she didn't even look at him. "But… I just don't know how."

He reached up and placed a hand on the side of her face as he continued looking at her. She stared back into his eyes, a beautiful blush suddenly spreading across her cheeks, pink as her hair. He could feel his own cheeks burning and judging how her eyes suddenly lit up in amusement, he knew that his stupid ears were also turning color.

He didn't dare move for a moment as he gently tucked some of her hair behind her ear and he was suddenly reminded of that accursed dream once again. He knew that he was turning even redder at that thought.

Lower your hand…

He kept hissing to himself inside his head. But he couldn't bring himself to stop as he continued staring at her face, losing himself in those green eyes. Come on, what was wrong with him? Once again, his head and his heart were waging an all-out war about what to do. Minutes passed in silence, neither of them daring to move a muscle. He had no clue what was going on in her head, but he was captivated by her gaze, unable look away.

He suddenly felt his face burning even hotter than ever as he felt her hands suddenly squeeze his hand back, her fingers becoming intertwined with his own. His eyes suddenly found her lips once again and he realized just how soft they looked… and he was dimly aware of how he slowly crept his own face towards her.

Wait… was she also lowering hers towards him? He couldn't tell anymore, for a moment he was sure that this was all a dream once again, but this was all far too real to be one. If it was, he was sure that it was going to kill him upon waking.

He could feel… nay, hear, his heart beating as his blood pounded in his ears. He could feel her hot breathe on his face, his eyes closing just when he could feel the heat from her lips reaching him… but before they could touch, there was a bright light and suddenly both came back down to reality.

At that moment, out of the light, there was a tiny creature appearing out of thin air right above them. When he first saw it, he thought that it was a sylph… or even one of Claire's fairies that she had learned to summon. But this was neither… but looked like a combination of both. It was a light greenish color, with delicate wings that were as thin as a butterfly's and cast a multitude of rainbow colors. Its legs were long and tiny, as was its arms, though its feet and hands were slightly bigger in contrast. It seemed to be wearing some kind of armor, leaving it with long sleeve-like gauntlets on its hands and even stretching to cover the most delicate parts of its wings. It had large eyes and long ears like an Elezen, which gave it a kind of innocent, almost child-like appearance.

Alphinaud stared up at the creature, never have seen anything like it. The creature wasn't even looking at him, its eyes focused solely on Claire as it came fluttering down between them and seemed to be looking over her like it was concerned.

"What's wrong?" Claire asked, not the least bit surprised by seeing it.

"Ah, Claire…? Who is your friend?" Alphinaud asked, trying to clear his thoughts, wondering just what had happened or if he was possibly seeing things now.

"Oh, this is… Anima," Claire answered as the tiny creature waved at him as it fluttered about and he stared at it.

"This is the Anima that you told me so much about?!" he gasped as he looked up at it.

"Nice to meet you," it said happily before the little creature turned back to Claire and said worriedly, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" she asked in surprise as it came fluttering closer to her.

"Because you and I shared the same aether for a long time," the Anima told her. "Our minds are connected as are our spirits. And, for a moment, I felt your heart skip a beat and I thought that something was wrong?"

"Oh, that," she said, and she sounded awkward as she reassured it that she was just fine and that there was nothing to worry about. The little one smiled in relief, glad to see that it worried for nothing. It then turned back to Alphinaud and apologized for giving him that fright.

"Don't worry about it," he said, staring at it in wonder. "Magnificent, a life created from such a method…?"

"Yes," Claire said as she gazed up fondly at it before she stood up and all of a sudden, what just happened, or almost happened, came back to them both and there was a new tension in the air.

"You ok?" he asked, hoping that he could somehow pass off what nearly happened.

"Yeah," she said, awkwardly. "I guess… I think I forgot where I was for a moment."

The Anima seemed worried as it asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Claire reassured it as is fluttered down near her. "Not at all. You thought that there was something happening?"

"Yes," it said. "It's harder to tell when you don't have the weapon. I thought that there was some something going wrong."

"I suppose you could say that," she told it. "But I'm fine. I'm sorry for worrying you."

She was on her feet again before she held out a hand and pulled him up as well, telling the Anima that he was her friend. It seemed overjoyed to have met another new friend, but according to it, they had met several times before when it was just beginning. But this was the first time they met face-to-face.

They started walking along the beach again, with the Anima gazing at everything with bright eyes. It looked harmless enough, but there was certainly a new awkwardness between the two of them, though they were both clearly trying hard not to think of it, he was finding it difficult to even look her in the eyes. Thankfully, the sun had fully set and the moon was out… signaling that now was probably the time to leave.

"Must you go?" the Anima asked sadly when Alphinaud informed them that he should be heading back. The others were probably wondering where he was by now.

"I'm afraid I do, little one," he told it, having grown fond of the little creature quickly. "But I certainly hope we meet again soon. I would love to see this weapon of yours. Come and visit me at the Rising Stones whenever you want."

It fluttered happily before he turned back to Claire, adding, "And you be careful. I don't know when we will next met, but…?"

"But we still have the matter of the wall and the primal?" Claire nodded grimly, her head turned off in one direction, and he knew that she was looking off in the direction of where Gridiana was… like she thought that she might be able to see that floating cage.

"I better get going," she said finally.

"Hopefully, the next time we meet, we'll have a better idea of what we're going to be doing about Ilberd's insane plans," he sighed. "Krile informed me that the prison for the primal is stable for now. But she doesn't have a clue how long it will last."

She nodded as the Anima looked worried about this fact.

"Don't worry," it said firmly to her. "I'll be right there by your side to help you. Don't you fear."

She smiled back at it and nodded as it fluttered happily, like it thought that it could single-handedly take out that primal on its own so long as it was going to protect its friend. Alphinaud also watched them with a smile, wondering if he could have a chance to create an Anima of his own one day.

"Tell Tataru and Alisaie that I'm sorry for leaving them like that," she told Alphinaud. "And pass along my wishes that they are well. Oh…" she added as she thought it over, "And tell Tataru that I'll get her an autograph from the Songbirds if she wants one."

"That will make her happy," he agreed. "I'll tell them."

The air between them was now so thick with that tension that he could swear that he felt it in the air. As he looked into her eyes, so full of understanding that he thought for sure that she knew how he felt. But a second later, she held out her hand for him to shake and they parted ways.

Claire turned and began walking away, heading up a slope, heading off in the direction of Wineport. He watched her leave, not noticing that he wasn't completely alone just yet.

"You will find a way to help us fight that primal, won't you?" the Anima asked him quietly.

Alphinaud blinked at it before he nodded, reassuring it, "We are searching day and night for a way, little one. But what makes you think that Claire would have to…?"

"Because doesn't everyone?" it asked. "I witnessed her memories of when she faced so many primals and it showed me just how hard she had to fight against them. I wanted to grow stronger so that I could keep her safe. If she is to head into battle, I will go with her."

Alphinaud nodded in understanding. "I see," he told it, "Isn't that what you were made for though?"

"At the start," it confessed. "But I felt her heart-filled wish. She wants me to have freedom to choose my destiny. The world is a vast and wondrous place. And I wish to see it all, but to do so by staying by her side as her companion and ally. This is the path I have chosen for myself."

He felt his affection for the new form of life grow at the declaration and nodded.

"Indeed. Sounds like a wonderful wish," he said. "I pray that nothing will ever break the bond you two share. I will continue to try and find a way to deal with that primal. In exchange… take care of her, alright?"

It spun about excitedly in the air.

"Don't you worry," it said happily. "I'll never leave her side."

It turned and began to flutter after, possibly it's other half, and it happily began commenting on everything that it saw, as well as asking her about her bouquet of flowers that she still carried with her. Alphinaud watched fondly, feeling a slight pang of jealously towards the Anima for being able to go wherever she went, no matter what happened, it would be right there to summon to her aid at a moment's notice.

She would be taken care of. He turned and teleported away, heading back to the Rising Stones and thinking longingly of bed.

*Later that night*

"There you are, Alphinaud," Tataru scolded when he returned to the Rising Stones later that night. "We were looking all over for you and Claire! You just ditched us like that! How could you?!"

"Apologies, Tataru," he said absent-mindedly. "I—err… just had some things on my mind. And next thing I know, we were leaving."

"Well, so long as you are alright," she told him with a nod before realizing that he was on his own. "Oh, are you alone?"

"Claire had to go," he answered as he walked passed. "She told me to pass along her best wishes to you all."

"Wait, you mean… that's it?" she asked, disappointment in her voice as she watched him pass.

He paused and asked shrewdly, "Did you expect something else?"

"Huh? Why… no!" she gasped unconvincingly as she shook her head at him. "I was… well, I was…?"

"Oh, Claire said that she could get you the Songbird's autographs if you want them," he added, and at the thought, Tataru gasped excitedly and that quickly drove everything else out of her mind as she happily began telling him about how wonderful the concert was."

"I wonder if I can make myself a copy of their costumes?" she asked herself as she thought that over with a giggle. "I saw a few people in the crowd today who had those exact same clothes and I wonder just where I could get them? Maybe I can make a few adjustments…? WAIT! THAT'S IT!"

"What is?" he asked in surprise as she clapped her hands together ecstatically.

"The project that me and a lot of people at the Diamond Forge have been working on," she explained in a rush. "We were having problems with the design, but I just got a great idea for it! I got to go and tell them! If I'm right, and I bet I am, then we could probably have it finished even sooner than I thought!"

With this new inspiration in mind, she went running off, heading straight out the door and to the Diamond Forge, leaving him to wonder just what it was that she was working so hard on these days.

"You made her day," said a voice and he looked back to see his sister coming towards him, carrying one of her new books under her arm. "She was having a kind of artist block earlier because she couldn't figure out how to make her 'project' function but still go with the design."

"You know what she's working on?" he asked her.

"A little bit," Alisaie shrugged. "She was vague on most of the plans, but I have a basic idea of what it's for. I can't wait to see the end product. You, meanwhile, left us to carry everything home. Had to hire a Chocobo to be able to make it back here with all our things."

"Right, we left in the middle of the concert," he said. "Sorry about that. But it was getting a bit crowded."

"So, what did you two do?" she asked eagerly.

"Oh, went for a walk, did some talking," he answered back honestly.

"What did you two talk about?" she asked him curiously and he sighed, understanding what was happening.

"Alisaie, you planned that whole thing, didn't you?" he asked her knowingly.

"What? How could you even ask such a thing?" she asked and when he raised his eyebrows at her she sighed.

"Alright, maybe," she confessed. "But it was really to get you outside. We both wanted to take you out during the Valentione's Day celebrations, but that was around when…?"

She fell silent as they knew that it had been around the time of their failed mission at the Wall.

"But afterwards, we felt that maybe you just needed to see how happy people could be if they let their feelings show," she went on. "Honestly, we didn't plan on running into her at Ul'dah today. That was just a lucky accident."

"I see," he said softly as he turned his gaze away. He couldn't believe what happened, or rather, what almost happened. He gulped hard… thinking about the terrible longing inside him at the thought of being able to kiss those lips. What was he thinking? He wanted to kick himself for that… this wasn't like him! Not at all!

Unfortunately, his sister saw the look on his face and frowned slightly in worry.

"Did something happen?" she asked slowly as she set her book down on a nearby table.

"No," he answered honestly again. "Nothing happened. We talked for a long time, and had gone as far as Costa del Sol."

She sighed as she asked, "Why are you putting yourself through all this? You moron, you're in love with her, but you don't want to say anything. Why?"

"Because every time that I try, something interrupts me and I lose what little courage I built up for it," he retorted. There was no need to try and hide it. She knew how he felt. And she would surely keep pressing him for information. They went to the Sonar where they could have some privacy and he told her more of what they talked about, if she swore not to tell anyone else.

"What happened?" she asked again and he grimly told her about how he had the perfect chance to say something, but he lost his courage once again. He skipped over some of the finer details and made it sound like they were interrupted with the Anima appeared over their heads while they were just talking.

"Her heart skipped a beat, the Anima said?" she repeated slowly, simply amazed at the thought of having created a life and it being attached to a weapon. "I must pay a visit to Azys Lla and see this for myself. But more on that later, why would the Anima ask that?"

Alphinaud turned away as he stared to head to the door.

"Alphinaud," she called, "Why do you think that happened? I think that the answer is obvious, don't you?"

"Goodnight, Alisaie," he said as he opened the door. He paused for a moment and then looked back as he added, "And Happy Little Ladies Day, dear sister."

She blinked in great surprise before he waved and left. He returned to his chambers and collapsed on the bed, staring up at the ceiling for a long time, despite the fact that he was so tired. He couldn't get that image out of his mind of when they were on the beach. He went over it in his mind over and over…

But… he remembered… she was leaning in too wasn't she? The Anima had said that for that moment, her heart skipped a beat. Alisaie told him that the answer for that was obvious. Did that mean… that she felt the same?

(And that is the end of the story for now. Patch 3.5 part 2 should be coming out sometime this month. Most likely on a Tuesday, so if not next week, it will either be on the 21 or 28. Hope that you will be looking forward to it. This will be the last chapter until we see how the final patch for Heavensward will end so I hope that this added chapter will keep you entertained until then. I finished playing through the Little Ladies Day questline and the idea of them meeting up on this day seemed so perfect that I couldn't help myself and put this end and I really do hope you liked it. I'm going to be guessing, depending on how long part 2 will be, around three or four more chapters plus one bonus chapter to finish up Heavensward. Yes, there will be one last bonus chapter. Possibly even 2 if I'm hit with another chapter. Well, that's it for now, be seeing you around the Duty Finder!)