Bonus Chapter 16.5: The Slayer and Ice Maiden
*Three Years Ago*
"So there are supposed to be a coven of bloodsuckers around here?" one of the newly appointed hunters asked him.
"Yes," Estinien grunted back in annoyance, wondering how he ever got roped into babysitting some greenhorns who have yet to even slay their first bloodsucker on their own.
Personal favor for the Lord Commander…? Gods, how he hated not being able to say no to him when he pointed out that Estinien would be given the opportunity to kill an entire coven if he agreed to help. Surely it would be almost worth putting up with a couple new hunters?
He looked back to see the three other would-be slayers and he had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. Since joining the order, he had always been something of a lone wolf, spurning contact with his comrades in favor of honing his skill at arms. Ser Aymeric, now the Lord Commander, was one of few knights who ever bothered to talk with him—or indeed knew how to approach him—and so it was hard to resist it especially when the prize would be a good few vampires to slay all at once?
So all the dragoons that could be spared were sent off to ready the assault. Estinien was just the one unlucky enough to be stuck with a unit of sprouts who clearly had never had any training outside the practice yard.
Damn, he was going to have a few choice words with the Lord Commander when he got back.
He and his unit had been dispatched in response to the sighting. As they traversed hilly terrain, hunting down the path that they could have taken. If the rumors were to be true there at to be around ten to even a dozen fully transformed bloodsuckers waiting for them. He doubted that very much, but it was certainly enough to get his blood pumping.
It was close to dawn at this point, meaning that the bloodsuckers would soon be seeking shelter. It's always best to begin your hunt at night, while they were out, and track them to their hiding places at sunrise… always leaves them with fewer options to escape afterwards.
And this was the largest coven recorded yet! He would not deny how eager he was to bring an end to this group, especially after learning of the kidnappings that were happening lately… perhaps it was not yet too late to save the hostages since he was all but certain that was where they were all being taken to. If they waited too much longer they were going to find themselves with even more of the blood-thirsty beasts, which no one needed.
They journeyed far into the Western Highlands where they could see the remains of a fortress that was now incased in ice. The Dusk Vigil it was once called… now apparently home to the vampires that stalked these lands mercilessly.
"Right," he said, taking charge of the group behind him and pointed to the different parts of the fortress.
"There are several entrances and exits on this side… one on the other… and one more near the back end. So that leaves one for each of you to guard. You leave the hard stuff to us dragoons… we'll infiltrate the fortress. You are all on hand should we be careless enough to allow any of them to escape. Shame on us if we let that happen," he added to that last part to himself. Like hells was he going to allow one to get away if he could help it.
"What…?" one of them began in frustration, "You're just telling us to stand outside while you have all the fun?!"
"These are not the types you want to try your strength at," Estinien growled back, close to docking the guy in the head and leaving him out here for the crows.
"But it's already dawn," another pointed out, pointing to the horizon as if his point was suddenly valid. "Surely they won't be able to escape."
"Yes, and look at those snow clouds," he pointed up above them. "Another snowstorm is on its way and with those clouds blocking out the sun, bloodsuckers can travel across here without fear of being burned."
"What's the problem?" the third asked with a rather cocky smile. "I mean, they're cornered, right? They're as good as finished."
"Don't you know anything?" Estinien growled, wiping the smirk off the hunter's face when he turned to look at him. "That is when a bloodsucker is at their most dangerous. When they are backed into a corner and trapped with no way out? That is where they bare their fangs the most often."
He turned back forward as his eyes surveyed the endless expanse of white snow in front of them, before he finished, "Bring me to a beast that is guaranteed never to bite when it's cornered. That'll impress me."
He walked on without looking back but he smirked to himself, wondering if the recruit wet himself yet.
He sent them off to each of the entrances while he joined with the other dragoons—only five of them this time—but hopefully enough to finish the job. So after waiting a few more moments as the last traces of darkness left the land as the sun fully rose up into the sky and cast small patches of sunlight through the clouds, they felt that now was the time.
It was almost too easy to get in. sure they had to deal with a very cranky griffin and a few mammoths, but other than that their first challenge didn't begin until they came across the frozen soldiers.
Men and women were halfway in transforming and he gritted his teeth when they lunged at them. They weren't that strong… just very hungry. They weren't a threat but that didn't make it any easier to put them down.
"Poor bastards," one of his fellow dragoons said sadly as she closed the eyes of one of female vampires and muttered a prayer to Halone that they find peace.
"Let's go and hope that we can spare anyone else from transforming," Estinien said as he led the way deeper into the fortress, running passed all the icy walls and on the lookout for creatures as cold as the snow beneath their feet.
They kept going, finding more people that were in various stages of transforming—but all thirsty as they lunged at them with their mouths wide open. It wasn't until he heard the painful scream did he push ahead of the group and came bursting out into a great room that held a broken statue of Halone, which laid cracked and in pieces on the ground. There was a gathering of at least six or seven fully awakened bloodsuckers as they held another captive on the ground.
The vampires shrieked at the sight of him and dropped the bowl that they were holding to their captive's mouth and ran at him with hunger in their own eyes and fury when they realized he was a slayer.
He stood his ground and immediately took down the first one, piercing him with his lance which was traced with a special type of metal that could easily pierce through even the thicker skin of a bloodsucker. It was almost too easy to take out the first one… which was enough for the others to back off. Two of them chose to flee, rushing to the open door—not realizing that they were running straight into a horde of dragoons on the other side—but the remaining three were not so easily cowed.
Too bad for them that they were hardly any better than their friend. They fell easily enough… but that still left one more, whom was holding onto the long hair of the captive upon the platform. He hissed as he dropped the woman and she felt to the ground with a smack before he charged at Estinien. This guy, at least, was not as weak as the others. He seemed to have been the ringleader… just as fierce as the strongest dragon that he had faced… much older and more experienced than the others.
It was a fierce struggle at first, but in the end Estinien was able to pierce his lance straight through the bloodsucker's face. He was panting hard since the bastard was able to damage one of the gauntlets on his arms, exposing flesh to the bitter cold… but aside from the cuts he was just glad to have all his limbs still connected.
He looked up when he heard the trembling cry and still saw the woman on the ground and he rushed to her side to check on her. She was a young woman with long, silver hair that fell past her waist and skin as pale as the snow around them. He reached out to touch her, noticing how her body shook and trembled before he spotted the bowl just in reach… the contents had already spilled and a rather acid smell filled his nose as he noticed the violet purple of the liquid inside it spilt.
He immediately covered his nose at the sight of it, recognizing it as the violet shade of Black Rose. He looked to the woman at his feet, who still was wheezing as her body seized up and a tiny dripple of the violet liquid dripped past her lips. While covering her arms were still fresh bite marks. It seems that the coven here had been kidnapping citizens and forcing them to drink the poison in its liquid form after each of them had their taste. Usually the gas was enough to cause a very slow transformation, to drink it in person in its liquid form cause the change to take place much quicker.
Estinien shook his head, sadly knowing that the only option they had right now was to just put her out of her misery. It looks like they were too slow to stop them from drinking it but what else could be done? He stood up, readying his lance to make it as quick and painless as possible for her… better dead than becoming one of them, after all.
But just as he hovered the tip of the blade over her heart… he heard a loud crashing and it distracted him enough to cause him to look behind him where another griffin had come bursting in through the gaping hole in the wall where another statue of Halone had just been knocked over. But that one second of distraction was all that was needed.
The pale woman's eyes snapped open from the noise and she looked up to see the blade hanging above her… as well as the part of Estinien's arm that was still exposed.
She let out a scream of pain before rolling and launching herself straight at him, the smell of blood from his cuts like a siren's call.
Estinien realized this too late and turned just as she threw herself at him and he barely had time to hold up his arm to protect himself.
She bit down on his arm and he could feel her breaking through the skin. He let out a holler that was more of anger than it was of pain as he felt blood streaming. That was when he saw her eyes widen as if she just realized what she was doing and let go.
He cried out as he pulled his arm out from between her teeth and tried to kill her with only one hand on his lance. Unfortunately he was too slow that time and she immediately leapt up and dove straight out of the open gap of the missing wall and out of sight.
"Don't you dare…!" he tried to yell but he fell to his knees as felt the pain really come along from his arm and he grabbed hold of it as he quickly ripped off what was left of the gauntlet so that he could get to the damaged skin.
He cursed at the sight of how much blood he was losing, sure that she could have taken off his entire arm if the noise didn't distract her as much as it did. He shook as he quickly grabbed part of the dead leader's cloak and wrapped it around his wound just as the other dragoons came burst into the room.
Estinien was immediately treated and praised for having landed the killing blow to the leader of the coven and how many he single-handedly managed to kill of the others. But he didn't pay any attention as his mind was focused upon that one female that managed to escape him. She had just begun transforming and he allowed himself to let her slip away.
He gritted his teeth in frustration as he snapped at them to find her before she got away. But even after a quick search of the lands around the Dusk Vigil, it was as if she disappeared.
"Well, there is a chance that she may not have even survived?" one of greenhorns pointed out. "She was just a newborn, right? Most don't survive… and with her out here on her own…? She'll die from exposure if nothing else?"
Estinien rolled his eyes even as one of the other dragoons finished bandaging up his arm. He was surrounded by idiots.
He didn't bother speaking again until they returned to Ishgard, where the Lord Commander came to him, greeting him warmly. Ser Aymeric's smile soon faded though when he saw the concerned look in Estinine's stance… and got a good look at his arm.
"What happened?" he asked after taking him to his office so that they could speak in private. With a growl, Estinien told him what happened and Ser Aymeric's cheer also turned to worry.
"I will have the Temple Knights keep a close eye on the Western Highlands for any trace of her," he promised. "If she is left on her own, she will be faced with a painful death on her own… or become as hungry as the others were. We will see what we can do for her."
Estinien wanted to go back out but Ser Aymeric insisted that he stay until he get his arm healed. But even after several trips out into the wilds over the next couple weeks, there were no traces of the woman anywhere.
There were a few sightings of a woman that matched his description but just about all of them proved to be of no use. It truly seemed that the woman, whoever she was, managed to get away from them at the Dusk Vigil and was simply taken by the wilds and laid buried under the snow and ice…?
Of course… she didn't.
The lone vampire that managed to get away went from him survived and it wasn't long before she started causing trouble.
It started off with scouts finding the remains of beasts scattered about the highlands… all drained of their blood. That immediately put them all on edge… but then people's cattle and livestock were found next… before she began appearing in front of people.
But she never hurt them, which was what startled the people more than anything else. She would appear before mortals and scare them before giving them a message to give to them to share.
"Come and fine me… if you can."
It was short and simple, but it was always addressed to the Azure Dragoon… which pissed him off more than anything else. He made it his personal goal to hunt her down and put a stop to her, for his pride if nothing else.
The problem was that she was smart, unlike many of her kind after first transforming. She knew the lay of the land better than he did and could move so much easier. Whenever he got word of a sighting, he would immediately set out in search for her.
But she used everything to her advantage. And more than once he gotten bitten by her during their struggles. It was infuriating that she was able to somehow escape… as if she just melted into the snow and out of sights.
But what got him the most was that she always seemed to be sane of mind whenever he confronted her out in the wilds. Most bloodsuckers went mad with not being able to find their bonded blood… which often made them even more wild and dangerous, but also easier to outwit since they weren't able to string more than a couple complicated moves together. But she was always calm enough that made him wonder just where her caregiver was.
Yet in the next few moons that followed, he never once was lucky enough to track down where her pair could be. He was able to root out just about every other bloodsucker in the area, all save for her. Because of the trouble she caused, she was given the moniker of Iceheart… a woman who lived among them as cold as ice.
It fit her.
So why was he always having trouble? He felt that if he could just find her pair then surely he could work her into a trap…?
At least, until one day when everything changed his perspective.
He had been at Falcon's Nest when a group of travelers came running up the frozen road to them. They were screaming how they were passing through here when they were ambushed and a vampire had attacked their chocobos… barely letting them get away with their lives.
He didn't even need to ask them what the vampire looked like; he knew it was her.
He immediately raced off down the road, sprinting hard as he held his blade aloft, ready to finish this whole thing once and for all. Soon enough he found the remains of the wagon with the dead birds lying there… looking like empty husks.
It had started to snow again, but the footprints were still fresh.
He took off after them. He ran and leapt for hours on end, travelling over the frozen lands until he found the tracks leading him through downwards into a deep ravine where suddenly it veered off and disappeared into a cave. Estinien took a deep breath and entered, his eyes gradually adjusting to the gloom. About a hundred paces in, the cave opened into a chamber. And there, at the far end, he found his quarry, breathing hard and hugging her body close to her as her body trembled.
She didn't even seem to notice him at first as he checked his grip upon his lance once more for good measure before he charged. The flurry of footfalls roused her, which she looked up and leapt up to avoid the pointed end.
It began as a kind of dance between them. Though he held the weapon, she was still much stronger than him, her eyes alight with hunger as she threw herself at him. He fought back fiercely as they were all but tossing the other across the chamber. At one point, he moved too slow and she ended up grabbing hold of his helm and with her strength, ended up crushing it with her hands.
He hissed, despite feeling the blood getting into his eyes. He furiously ripped the helm away as he was longing to just finish her off. She wasn't like any other opponent he had ever faced. Despite her obvious hunger, she was intelligent enough to keep up with him or see through to his techniques.
Some of his blood splashed onto her hands and she had licked it off as he roared with anger, determined to just put an end to this.
But all of a sudden she was suddenly avoiding his attacks with greater ease than before. She danced with a kind of cold step around his lance, not even bothering to really avoid it as she slashed at the exposed skin on his face.
He was getting to her though. She was also hissing furiously at him as he pushed back harder and harder, pushing her into a corner. More than once he managed to make her lose her footing but he didn't relent until her back was all up against the wall. But as he made to finish her off, the steatites above their heads began to groan and crack… it seems that their fight had caused them to shake. He had to move back, away from her, to avoid getting pierced by one of the larger ones, but that was all that she needed to back off into a collapsing part of the walls and escape through the sparking dust.
"Don't you dare!" he yelled as he immediately began to chase after her through the gap. They were inside the mountain, continuing to fight and chase through the endless tunnels. She clearly knew these lands better than he… but he was able to keep up with her for the most part as they fought fiercely on their way through the tunnels.
It continued on for hours as she continued to move, now desperate to get away but he would not lose her. His mistake happened when he underestimated the roof of one of the tunnels… which ended up collapsing on top of them both.
He gasped as he was immediately buried under boulders of snow… and he blacked out…
…only to awaken to a cloudy sky above him.
Estinien found himself staring up at it with confusion… wondering how he got there… sore all over… and then felt a shiver upon his face when he blinked and realized that he was outside.
He slowly sat up, feeling sick and dizzy, but miraculously alive. He immediately felt his body, realizing that he was in one piece more or less… just with damaged armor… but otherwise it seemed that he was in good health. His hand then went up to his neck where the pain was worse… and that was when he felt the marks on his neck and he froze.
Bite marks… he had been bitten… and suddenly his dizziness made sense. He had lost blood.
That was when he saw something move out of the corner of his eyes and he looked up. There she was… standing upon the hill… and he suddenly understood. She had been the one who saved him. But… why?
When he cast his mind back to their first meeting, however, he felt the need to kick himself sooner for not realizing it sooner. That day, it had been his blood that splashed onto her face… his blood the first she ever drank… and suddenly he understood why her messages were always meant for him… it was because he was her caregiver and never realized it.
She left him after she saw him awaken… and that would be the last time he would see her for a fair amount of time.
He couldn't help but think over and over what he had learned, not sure what to think. It was clear to him now that the reason she was causing trouble was for him to come after her so that she could get more blood. She got what she needed and that should be enough to hold her for the time being. But it won't be too much longer before it started up again.
Estinien was so lost as to what to do that he found himself training just as hard in the training yard as he focused his rage. Ser Aymeric soon noticed his behavior and asked what was going on… and in the end, he managed to coax it out of him during one of his training sessions where he obliterated the third training dummy before he was ready to talk.
He accompanied him back to his office and that was where Estinien confessed what had happened in the caves and what he learned of his apparently 'connection' to Iceheart.
Ser Aymeric was shocked by this, but once he let that wash over him he came thoughtful.
"That explains her behavior," he muttered softly. "And I had been wondering about it. Those with a steady supply of their pair's blood are usually sane of mine. The reason that the coven went through such acts is because once they realized that their victim's blood wasn't like the same as their first, they thought to bring them into the fold."
"Those coven bloodsuckers were already close to losing their minds," Estinien countered. "If not already lost to madness already. They had gone so long without their caretaker's blood that their minds were little more than savage animals. Iceheart is different because she is smarter and able to keep a level head… at least for now."
"If that is the case, then perhaps it would be for the best that we wait until she needs to feed again and we have the rest of the dragoons…?" Ser Aymeric offered but Estinien was shaking his head.
"Nay, Lord Commander," he scolded. "Though be it indirectly, it is partially my fault that she is causing problems. I will be the one to finish her. I have a plan."
In truth, it was a terrible plan and he would be very surprised if it worked. But still, he was determined to get this over with and so he set out the next day with the hunt on his mind.
If it was his blood that she wanted well, he would make it easy for her to come and take it. When he ventured out into the western highlands once more he made a small cut in his hand and began to set his trap. He ventured out further and further… nearing the place known as the Sleeping Dragon, and all the way he would touch the occasional stone or snowdrift and leave a tiny spot of his blood about. This was sure to drive her to him.
When he arrived at the Sleeping Dragon, he figured it would be awhile and so he set a small fire burning to keep him warm… and waited.
He stood there in the open, sticking his lance into the ground as he waited for her. If he was right, then it wasn't going to take her long before she appeared. But to make things easier for her, he took out a short hunting knife and carefully gave himself a cut on his arm. He watched as a couple droplets fell onto the ground, dying the snow pink…?
It was such a long wait that he honestly feared that he may be mistaken in his theory in that it was his blood that she had bonded with… but then he saw something moving out of the corner of his eye.
Soon enough he felt the familiar sensation of eyes watching him and he stood tall.
"Alright, enough games," he called out to her. "Come out and let us talk. I grow tired of this hunt of cat and mouse so let us see what we can do about it. I swear I won't attack you if you come out now. But keep hiding and you leave me with no choice."
He waited another minute, wondering if she would call his bluff… and then…?
"So you finally figured it out?"
He turned around to find her standing there, as pale as the snow around them, with only her blue cloak standing out among the sea of white.
"Lady Iceheart, I presume?" he asked her, turning to face her fully.
"That is what the people call me," she answered as she approached, but he could see that she was on full alert, as if expecting for an army of hunters to come charging out. "I do have a real name though."
"There is no one else here if that's what you're concerned with," he answered back, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You, however, have much to answer for."
"For what?" she responded darkly.
"For what?" he repeated, anger taking root and he was visited with a strong urge to tear out her heart with his lance. "For all the villagers that you're targeting!"
She arched her eyebrows at that.
"I am aware of the villages that are being targeted… but I am not harming them," she answered.
"Lies will get you nowhere, bloodsucker!" he retorted as he doubled his grip upon his lance. "Today is the day you die for your crimes."
"How dare you?" she hissed.
"What? It's your nature, isn't it? Whatever you were before, you're nothing but a beast now," he said and he saw her eyes flash in fury.
"YOU THINK I WANTED ANY OF THIS?!" she yelled, taking him by surprise how angry she suddenly was. She was shaking as her hands curled into fists. "Do you have any idea how horrified I was when I awoke like… like this?!" she demanded with a slight tremble in her voice. "That I became one of those… things?!"
He blinked as he continued staring at her as she went on, "I lived in a small hamlet that never harmed anyone! When the Black Rose first started and vampires first started appearing?! My people were terrified to leave their homes at night! But then… then a handful of us were captured and brought out here to this godsforsaken wasteland! I lost everyone I ever loved… and to make it worse… I was forced to drink that damned liquid and now I'm… I'm…?!"
She shook her head in disgust.
"If you feel that way then why are you going out of your way to scare people?!" he demanded.
"You honestly think that no matter what I do will ever change how the people will look at me?!" she shot back. "At first I went out looking for help… but they always fled in terror at the sight of me! I couldn't stand what I became… and now I'm doomed to remain alone! And as time went by… the more my minds slips into crazed hunger…. I went for every beast that I could find but nothing works… nothing satisfies my thirst… not since…?"
"Me," he growled back. "So that is why you are drawing me out here."
"I knew no other option!" she yelled back. "I don't wish to become one… one of those things! Crazed… hungry… I don't want that!"
"Then why are you attacking people?" he demanded.
"I haven't been attacking anyone!" she yelled back. "The only mortal I've been starving for was for the taste of your blood! I don't wish to see any more bloodshed if I can help it!"
He thought that over, sure she was lying… but then… why else would she have saved him that day? Well, of course, she bonded with his blood. Yet… these attacks were still only recent… so why wasn't she attacking people before now? She had been taking to scaring them, but as far as he knew that had been the extent of her aggression.
"Well, then bloodsucker," he answered slowly, still on high alert, "What is it you wish to do?"
"I have a name, you know," she answered back coldly.
"So do I," he shot back. "What is yours, then? Tell me that and I will never call you Bloodsucker again."
She glared back with narrowed eyes.
"Ysayle," she answered back.
"Ysayle," he repeated slowly. "I'll remember that."
He then charged, more curious to see what she would do… and she dodged his lance once more. She was fast and so it was all he could do to keep up with her as she moved about him, all but dancing in the snow like some kind of fairy.
Well, two can play at this game.
He began to move, this way and that, avoiding her attacks as she swiped at him. The two of them were really more of dodging the other's touch at this point… as if waiting to see who would crack first. For someone who was still a relatively newly awaken vampire, she certainly had a fair amount of control over her own powers already. He could give her that… but what other options was she to do? They couldn't keep this little hunt between them forever? Sooner or later it would have to end… violently more likely than not.
Yet as he stared at her, he found that he couldn't bring himself to feel anything other than pity.
Suddenly, she leapt back away from him and up the side of the cliff that he had been waiting underneath it and looked down at him.
"Judging from your lack of anger, you seem to believe me?" she called down.
"In a sense," he answered back. "While I no longer believe that you are the killer we are after… the fact is that you cannot be allowed to be alone out here."
"And what do you suggest?" she questioned, her tone still cold. "Allow myself to be killed by you or another slayer? Or would you prefer that I be brought back to the capital in chains so that my public execution be shown to the rest of the city?
He frowned and shot, "You aren't making this easy, are you?"
"Forgive me for not wishing to be made into an example," she yelled back down sarcastically. "I'm sure if the roles were reversed, you would be far from compromising as possible. My reluctance would seem a minor tantrum compared to how I suspect you would be acting."
He growled up in annoyance.
"Is that a complaint?" he answered back, "That doesn't seem quite like how you would do it."
At his words, she smiled. It was the first time that he had ever seen her smile… though it wasn't happy in the least. It was bitter and sad all rolled into one.
"You're right," she answered. "I suppose it's truly not like me."
After looking at her expression… he felt guilty. For a bloodsucker of all people?
She just left after that, leaving him alone to really think about her words and wonder what to do. Yet, ever since that day, he had a hard time trying to get her words out of his mind.
Whenever he went out into the wilds… she was always there… always watching him… though he pretended not to notice since she had since calmed down and stopped attacking people on the road. There was no need… he practically lived out in the wilds as the moons went by as he continued with his 'hunt' for her. They would fight often enough and more often than not she was able to find ways of getting past his armor to get to his blood.
Always he could see her eyes relax and calm whenever even just a little bit of blood was tasted before she would disappear. She was always his main quarry, but whenever news of others started appearing in these lands, he would be the first one to take care of them… all but making Coerthas the safest place in the realm from vampire attacks. He soon grew a reputation of one of the greatest slayers in all of Eorzea… all save for one of these fiends… which he now spent all his time and devotion to hunting.
He didn't bother to correct them.
The truth was that this game of theirs was still continuing on yet neither of them seemed keen on letting it end since neither could bring themselves to kill the other.
He knew that she would never kill him for that would lose her bonded blood… but why was he having such a hard time in trying to slay her when he knew that he could?
It drove him mad with how this… connection seemed to work. It didn't seem to have any logic or meaning to it… no explanation or commands that could get it to really make sense. He just felt a kindship with her that he so rarely felt from his own people. The only one whom he ever felt anything close to such a connection was to Ser Aymeric… one of the few people he could admit as a friend.
This… whatever it was with Iceheart… it wasn't like that though… and it made no sense to him.
There were even days he wanted to just kill her so that he wouldn't have to think about it any longer… but he still couldn't bring himself to do so. The more that he saw her, the more he felt something grow inside him that he hadn't been aware of before. Such warm and comforting feelings that, until now, only appeared whenever Ser Aymeric was around.
He also started to keep an open ear for rumors of even more vampires lurking in Coerthas, though Ysayle had sworn that she had no intensions of ever creating more.
He believed her.
So he set off to find them just to make sure that they weren't causing trouble either. He followed them for a while until he came across the Behemoth's domain where he found the remains of what looked like a rather homey cave up in the cliffs. It looked like several people had lived here at some point… but if there were vampires, they were obviously not alone. It seemed that someone was caring for it… judging from the remains of pelts and even dried food that were stored away in the snow… though the cave had clearly been abandoned for a few years at least. It looked like whoever lurked here had long since left this cave in a hurry.
He also started to hear more and more rumors of this 'Warrior of Darkness' who protected roads and people alike from these night-walkers. This vampire-like slayer whom seemed to be more darkness than any vampire that he had heard of.
Curiously, he realized that this figure started to appear around the same times that the ones who lived in the cave disappeared… if his judgement of time was right.
He wanted to get some answers from her and made the effort to hunt her down.
He found the slayer in the Twelveswood… and he confronted her though he could sense that she hadn't been alone, he knew that her charges weren't nearby.
He grew annoyed as she made him give chase through the forests and into the heart of the deserts… but never once did she sway in her role as a protector to not one, but two, vampires. She was young and strong… but he could see how the years of serving had taken their toll on her.
It made him wonder… how did he look now after such a long time?
Something about seeing her devotion made him think more and more about it.
When he left her after slaying those figures in blue, he returned to the lands of Coerthas… where Iceheart was waiting for him upon the white snows. And when he saw her, he came to a realization.
He wanted to see her free… if only so that he could also be free from this sensation of duty to a woman he felt forced upon him. Yet that was impossible… everyone knew that there was no cure for this. Yet, it seemed that wasn't the case anymore, or so the rumors were going on about.
A couple weeks after returning to the north; when he chose to stay at Camp Dragonhead to get away from a snowstorm and for some food, the leader of Lord Haurchefant was waiting with some interesting news. As Estinien sat down for a bowl of lamb stew, the lord mentioned how a scholar from Sharlayan will soon be making it towards the Crystarium, which caused Estinien to stop halfway through his meal. He couldn't help but ask questions about it. He didn't know how Lord Haurchefant found out about it, but it turns out that this man had been study vampires for years and had been looking for a possible cure.
Though the lord of Camp Dragonhead seemed far too curious to know why Estinien was suddenly so interested in meeting this scholar.
"Is it that surprising to see if there are any new methods for dealing with vampires?" he asked grumpily as he turned, getting ready to leave.
"Ah, is that all? Interesting?" Lord Haurchefant said and Estinien stopped to look at him with a dark look.
"What does that mean?" he barked.
"It's just that I noticed that you never refer to them as bloodsuckers anymore," Lord Haurchefant informed him as Estinien grunted and went marching out into the snow. As he headed off into the snow, the latest storm finally over and the sky clear this evening, he found her stalking the way north to the bridge that connected the city.
"We're leaving," he said to her and she looked down at him in surprise.
"Going? Going where?" she asked as she leapt down from the stone gate and he told her all that he had learned.
"Listen," he said, "We're playing a dangerous game here. It's only going to be a matter of time before they realize the reason why I'm not able to kill you. This is going to be bad news for both of us. But perhaps… if we speak with this scholar, he may be able to help."
Her eyes widened at the thought.
"You believe I could become free from this curse?" she asked him.
"I will not lie and say yes," he answered back, thinking of the countless scars that are across his body at this point from their many fights. "But we must do something. If nothing else, we need to understand what is happening."
Ysayle wasn't sure how she felt about this, but it didn't take long for him to convince her.
He returned to the city to speak with Ser Aymeric once more, telling him that he had reason to believe that Iceheart had left Coerthas and he will be given chase. They decided that this was the best excuse to use should anyone else have suspicions. Ser Aymeric was surprised by this, but agreed that he would keep things together here.
"Are you sure, my friend?" Ser Aymeric asked as he stood up from his desk. "The people have never been safer with you here… I can't even think of how many vampires you have taken care of on behalf of the city…?"
"That is why I must do this," Estinien interrupted. "Coerthas will continue to live in fear so long as Iceheart is still out there. I will not return until I am certain that she has been taken care of."
Ser Aymeric looked only the slightest disappointed, but nodded in understanding before placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You have my complete trust, my friend," he said.
Estinien would be lying if he didn't feel guilt in his stomach for hiding the truth. But he couldn't risk him finding out and getting into trouble. Though he did vow that he would tell his friend the entire truth when he returned… once the matter with Ysayle had been taken care of.
He left that night, and along the road out of Coerthas he felt her presence nearby. He didn't react though, knowing that she would follow at her own pace as they left the snowcapped mountains behind them and planned to make their way down to Vesper Bay to take the next ship across the sea.
It was a two day long walk, and he had really begun to miss the snow and cloudy skies because trying to get Iceheart to move was very difficult. During the day, they would hide out in some kind of cave or ruin until it was easier for her to travel. At one point she had collapsed near dawn on the second day as they passed over the desert and he was forced to carry her to a nearby cave.
But as he made to set her down, she grabbed hold of his armor and held on despite his protests. He was forced to sit there with her in his arms as she slept through the worst of the day. As he begrudgingly sat there, he found his eyes straying over her slumbering face… her white hair… her long and elegant form…?
As soon as such thoughts entered his mind he punched himself to wake up, ashamed for allowing such a moment of weakness now.
Thankfully she awoke not long after that and they were able to continue on ahead.
The journey across the sea was uneventful aside from a sudden storm that made their journey rather tricky, but they stayed below deck—in the room that he was able to smuggle her into. Well, one would kindly call it a room, it was hardly more of a broom cupboard, tight for even just one person.
She insisted on him taking the bed and she would stay watch during those days… which he was so tired that he finally agreed on the third day. It wasn't until after he woke up that he realized that he trusted her enough not to attack him in his sleep.
This went on for several more days… yet the day before their schedule arriver, they came to a rather awkward situation where she became incredibly thirsty.
He knew it right away as her chest heaved and she was shaking as she kept her mouth open like she wasn't getting enough air. He demanded to know what the problem was and felt himself freeze when she croaked that she hadn't drunk anything for days.
Most of the time she was able to make due with some kind of wild animal, but here she had been running on empty for a while and he saw how her eyes darkened with hunger. He knew that if she didn't drink anything soon then she could attack the crew or passengers… besides he knew whose blood it was that she was craving.
He thought it over before removing his gauntlet for her.
"Make it quick," he growled at her though it was in a much more gentle voice than what he was used to. She blinked up at him in surprise and he knew that she was taken aback by this. After all, most of the time they were in the middle of a fight and she would take nips and bites from him during such moments… making her fight to earn the right to drink.
Here though, for the first time, he was allowing her access to his blood without having to earn it.
"Are you certain?" she asked as she moved up to him.
"Just do it so that we don't need to think too much about it," he said crossly. He could see nothing but her silver hair in his vision as he closed his eyes and felt her lips at his arm. It hurt when he felt her teeth bite, but it was a very different kind of pain that he was used to experiencing from her kind. It was… oddly gentle.
He bore with it even as she drank her fill and at once he saw how calm she became… almost docile. Which was not something he was used to seeing. She remained in that almost disinterested state for the rest of the boat ride before they were able to disembark… or at least he was. She was able to follow behind until they crossed over the far southern part of the continent when he realized just how far off they were.
"This scholar should be arriving in these lands soon enough," he said as they walked on along the winding roads that carried them up from the deserts of Amh Aerang. Moving through that land had been almost torture for them both… having grown so used to snow and cloudy skies… that they had taken for granted the fact that moving in the middle of the day was a blessing. Here, they had no choice but to move only when it was dark out.
They moved up slowly through the desert sands until the mountains grew rockier and the air gradually cooled down. Eventually, they found themselves on the very edge of Lakeland and a sea of violet spread out before them.
As they walked, he looked to the sky and noticed the rolling thunderclouds coming in and he frowned at the sight.
"More rain?" he grunted. "Well, we best find a place to hunker down for the night… I doubt that we would be able to speak to anyone this late anyway."
"Is there a plan?" she asked him and he shrugged.
"I'll go into the city in the morning and see about hunting down this scholar," he said. "I'll talk with him and then we will decide what to do. Hopefully we will be able to find a way to smuggle you into the city itself so you won't have to wait too long. But let us find shelter tonight?"
"There are supposed to be ruins scattered about these parts," she informed him. "They should be able to do for the time being."
"Agreed," he sighed, already starting to feel weariness settle into his bones. "Well, let us hurry while we still have a little bit of dusk to search by."
They went up further north where they could clearly see the tower in the distance and Ysayle seemed to stare at in as if mesmerized as he snapped his fingers to wake her up. As they explored more ruins, he was starting to question if there was any chance of them being found here? He had heard the rumors of hunters joining some mysterious organization to hunt down vampires and he was wondering if there was a chance that they could run into any here. Seems likely given how safe that Norvrandt was supposed to be these days?
Could any of these ruins be enough to hide them? At least for the time being?
But as he wondered about it, he heard Ysayle shout in warning to him and he looked up in time to see a giant lizard come charging forward and then wings sprouted from its back as it launched itself at him.
*Later*
It had already begun raining by the time that they found a stable enough shelter for them. The wind was blowing hard so making it difficult to see by, but they ended up almost falling right into it when they found the stairs that led below ground and into the remains of a church. They found a stone altar with some broken pew scattered about on the floor.
Ysayle was helping to support him as she guided him down the stairs and set him on one of the creaking pews as he nursed his wounded shoulder. Godsdamn, how could he have let that puny little lizard get the better of him? He needed to start taking his training seriously again.
Ysayle looked around the room to find the remains of an old lantern with the tiniest little candle still left. With a flint she was able to light it and cast the room in a warm, gentle glow.
"We should be safe here," she panted before going back to the door to try and keep it shut and pulled out a kit to care for the wound in his shoulder.
"Yeah, no thanks to you," Estinien snarled as he already felt blood dripping down his arm and Ysayle had to cover her mouth and nose to stop herself from reacting to the smell. But that was not enough to stop her from reacting angrily to his words.
"Oh, so now it's my fault?!" she demanded hotly as the storm continued to blow on outside and the one candle they had flickered from the wind that swept through and he went to block the door with the worn boards until he was able to keep just about all of it out save for the few cracks in the wood.
"I'm just saying that if you had just thought to move when I told you, we may not be stuck here," he retorted darkly.
"Sure, and if you didn't feel the need to show off and attack that monster we wouldn't be here either!" she retorted back harshly as she set the candle down on one of the pews so that she could help him move the boards in place. "Anyway, we'll be safe here for the night. So how about you stop complaining?"
"How can I not? It's your fault that I came this far to begin with!" he reminded her.
She spun about, glaring at him furiously as she demanded, "If you feel that way, then why not kill me when you had the chance?! Why help me at all?!"
"I don't know! And that's what's getting me!" he barked back angrily as he removed his helm and cast it aside so that his long, silver hair fell past his shoulders. He sighed as he ran his hand through it as he tried to think of some kind of answer for his actions that would explain something to them both.
"I've killed dozens of vampires before and never thought more about it other than a slight regret," he confessed. "Regret that they didn't choose this but it drove them mad. So why is it that I can't do the same for you? Why is it that I can't bring myself to put you out of your own misery like I had done to so many others?"
She looked back at them, glaring and looking hurt and angry all at once.
"I just found that I couldn't do it," was all he could say. "And that drives me crazy. I don't know if there some kind of connection between us because you are bonded to my blood… but I just found that I can't bring myself to care either. It's just like I know that this is how it is and I just went along with it. I want us to be free of this… whatever it is. Just so that we don't need to think about it any longer. Does that make sense?"
Ysayle glared back before looking away.
"I know what you mean," she confessed quietly. "Ever since we met, I was filled with a hatred for you… but I can't bring myself to kill you either. Because I just can't stand the thought of hurting you after you helped me… albeit unwillingly. I don't like it. I don't like… whatever this thing is between us and it's making me feel like I'm losing it. Connected with one who should be my worst enemy? It's torture."
He finally smirked and answered, "We agree then. Let us hope this scholar can tell us what to do or how to help so that we can both move on with our lives."
Neither of them spoke as she gently removed his armor from his shoulder so that she could tend to it. He was silent the whole time as she cleaned and dressed the wound with a bandage… he unknowingly shivered as she touched his skin, and he felt just how cold she was.
"Thank you, by the way," she said at last and he looked over at her in surprise as he began to fix his amour. "For… helping me."
He looked back before muttering quietly, "Your welcome."
She moved to help him with the amour but his hand instinctively went to hers and held it tightly, telling her that he could take care of it… but then his eyes found hers and he stopped. Until that moment he only saw either the blood-thirsty monster or the pitiful girl who had been forced to drink poison to turn her into this monster.
He never once saw her as a woman… which, as he looked into her face, he realized that was exactly what she was. Just a lost, scared woman who moved on through live with whatever cards the fates had dealt her.
In some ways… she was… just like him.
With them so close like this… he couldn't help but gulp down when she stared back at him… as if she could suddenly see something else inside him as well and he could feel blush on his checks. Why was she looking at him like that…? Like she trusted him so completely? The two of them could easily kill the other and he knew it. So then… how did they come to…?
A breeze suddenly picked up around them from the damaged boards still blocking the exit… and when he next blinked… the candle went out which left them in darkness.
It was pitch dark… with only those glowing eyes looking at him from the darkness around him.
He didn't know what made him do it. But somehow, before he realized what was going on, he rushed at her and his mouth found hers. She met him with the same level of longing and dominance that he was feeling as they kissed. It all happened so suddenly but it was as if his pure, raw instincts took over and gave in to desires he didn't even realize were there.
He broke away for air, but that was all she needed for her tongue to invade and take the whole of his mouth, her kiss as fierce as any attack she ever dealt against him. He couldn't properly feel her with all his armor though, so with impatience he unlocked his gauntlets and tossed them over his shoulder so that they made a loud clamor against the stone floor. But he didn't pay them any attention as he felt her skin upon his fingers—her coldness burning his warm flesh as their kisses grew more eager.
He ended up having pushed her up against the altar as her lips found his ears and he moaned out at the sensation—his eyes all but rolling. He could tell she was grinning as her lips found his neck and began to kiss lovingly there and he actually tipped his head back in spite of himself.
She cried out as he bore her down upon the altar itself, sprawling at an angle across the stone, one of his hands cushioning her head, while the other began to move down her body. She clung to him tightly when she felt his hand caress her across her belly and over her hip. She responded without missing a beat by curling one leg around his waist as she cried under his touch when he managed to free her from her cloak to get to more skin underneath.
For one wild moment a part of him wondered if he would even survive the night with her, given how strong she was… but as he felt more of his armor continue to be removed with every passing minute, he found he didn't even care. His eyes fully adjusted to the dark, though she was so pale she almost glowed to him, as their lips continued to kiss with every ilm of skin that continued to be revealed to each other—their voices drowned out by the storm that continued to rage on outside but they didn't even notice it as they continued long into the rest of the night and even after the storm had passed overhead.
*Present Day*
"Alright," Claire interrupted after Estinien reached the part in his story about finding refuge here last night. "I think I have the whole picture now."
"Really?" he asked with a smirk, "I could have gone into more details…?"
"No, it really is quite alright," she answered back, suspecting that he was just yanking her chain.
The two of them were outside in the bright sun while they left their charges inside the darkness of the church below to keep them protected.
Estinien had changed back into his full amour once more and now looked as if he hadn't been active all night. The only thing that gave it away was the slight marks on his neck where clearly showed that his friend wasn't thinking about feeding during that time.
"I suppose though that you were still going at it when we appeared?" she couldn't help but ask and he shrugged.
"I woke up first and was getting changed when…?" he began before she smirked at the blush on his face, suggesting that they were thinking about going another round before she appeared with the twins.
"Truly though? A famed slayer making love with a vampire inside of a church? One would think that you are trying to get into trouble," she pointed out.
He shrugged at that and answered, "If I was worried about trouble you think I ever would left Ishgard? I'm not the type to really think of consequences."
"Obviously," she responded with a smirk as he looked pointedly away with a grunt… but didn't look to be the least bit ashamed.
"Well, that's how we got here, so I think it only fair to ask you a few things as well," he countered. "After all, now we have a chance to properly speak to each other rather than being ambushed by those men in blue."
"Fair enough," Claire smiled as she looked up to the sunny sky and enjoyed the feeling of the warmth on her skin. "Alright. It all began about five years prior…?"
(A little different from the rest of the story but I came up with the backstory for these two and I just had to put it in! So now that both groups had met, what will they do? It seems that they are both on their way to the Crystarium… but if they are here, could it possible that other bonded pairs are slowly making their way here as well? The answer is yes… but the real question is… who will also be joining them? If you want to take any guesses, please feel free and find out in the next chapter. I am determined to get this story done before the release of 6.0… so after some quick calculations and the basic outline of the story… there are 8 more chapters and the epilogue! Hope you all look forward to it since we are slowly, but surely nearing the end. Also I'm not really an author who writes explicit scenes and so this is my first attempt at it… or at least trying to. If enough ask for more, I may do more for other characters later on. Anyway, take care all and enjoy!)