Summary: Try as he might to help her stay the course and keep out of the internal affairs of her homeland, Lord Haurchefant Greystone is powerless to aid her without her assistance in the matter of Lord Francel de Haillenarte's charges of heresy. After a long day of battle planning for how they would aid the young lord, Haurchefant and Rhea enjoy a cup of cider alone before the hearth to wind down the evening.

Author's Note: WoL x Haurchefant | OC Work w/ MSQ References

Well, things were not good.

No matter how hard she fought against getting embroiled in her people's politics, it seemed destiny had another path for her. Word had spread of the elezen's association with Lord Francel and, though her identity was still a secret, it made people reluctant to talk to her and aid in her search for Cid's airship. Though Haurchefant remained an ally of herself and Lord Francel, even he was limited on what he could do to help her on her quest.

They both knew that until Lord Francel was cleared of the charges, no information would be forthcoming - especially not from the witness to the airship's descent that the Commander had found. Like it or not, she would need to clear Lord Francel's name, and by association her own, if she wanted to find it. Yet in doing so, there was an increased risk of her identity being discovered and the heretical rumors against her finding their way to infect her family.

Why can't anything be simple in this damnable place, Rhea thought to herself as she agreed to work with Lord Haurchefant to clear Lord Francel in the eyes of the Inquisitors.

Though she'd never say it aloud, for it would surely brand her a heretic in the Holy See's eyes, sometimes she genuinely thought the Inquisitors were just as bad as the dragons with how much damage they inflicted. She respected them for what they did, and respected them for the protection they brought the realm, but their methods were what brought doubt and questions to her mind. She felt they had far too much power and could make too many choices over life and death with very little evidence, if they so chose.

That evening, Haurchefant invited Rhea to join him for a meal befitting a guest of House Fortemps, with the intention of creating a battle plan for how to move forward on clearing them of the accusations against Lord Francel. Joined by a few of his closest knights, along with Alphinaud and Cid, it was a pleasant dinner and conversation abounded with how to resolve their predicament.

By the end of the meal, the plates had been cleared and a sleepy Alphinaud had been ushered to bed by Cid. Even the last of the Knights had dismissed themselves, leaving only Lord Haurchefant and Rhea to remain. Rhea, herself, stood by the fireplace and looked into its crackling embers and licking flames. Five years and she'd still not gotten used to the cold - especially in Summer. Wrapping her arms around herself, her mind drifted into the past. It flickered through many memories quickly, reflecting on her journey since she'd left her homeland. She was approaching her one year abroad and so much had happened. She smirked, finding it amusing that her agreed upon year was nearing its end in a couple short months yet there she found herself returned home, regardless. She could scarcely recognize the woman she had become from the girl who had departed for Limsa Lominsa.

Eventually her thoughts came to rest on the memory of seeing the Waking Sands as she'd last seen it - the dead bodies of her comrades strewn about the stones, the splattered blood on the walls and the vision the Echo had shared with her. A frown knitted her brow as the fire of desire for vengeance awakened in her breast.

She had to move faster. She had to deal with this petulant gossip. Her friends in the care of the Empire didn't have time for the molasses of Ishgardian politics and fearmongering. Frankly, the people of Ishgard didn't have time either to delay while Garuda grew stronger. Time was not on their side and she resented the pettiness of her people getting in the way. No, she certainly wasn't the girl who'd left home all those months ago anymore.

"Wherever your mind goes, I do not think it a pleasant place," came a soothing and warm voice from back and to her side. Blinking from her thoughts, she turned her head to look at its owner and gave a smile as warm as his own. Instantly, her brow smoothed at the sight of Lord Haurchefant offering her a mug of hot cider.

"Forgive me. Many of my thoughts stray to recent events and I find my frustration with the current state of things rather distracting," Rhea replied, reaching out to take the offered mug.

Haurchefant came up to her side, the metal of his chainmail armor scratching and clinking as he moved. Turning his gaze to the fire itself, he held a small smile though it was clear to see sadness on the edges of it. "Yes, we're in quite a state, aren't we?" he commented, growing serious for a moment. He looked over to Rhea, "Fear not. We will clear Lord Francel's name and in doing so, save not only his life but many others as well."

The elezen Scion held her gaze on his as she cradled the mug, not yet taking a sip. "I hope you are right. Ishgard is notoriously slow when it comes to anything except fighting the dragons and pursuing heretics - both of which they sink their teeth into like a starving wolf finding meat. They don't care if it is one of their own, they only know they're hungry." Her gaze moved to the fire, "Its atrocious, if you ask me." How had she been so blind growing up, she wondered. How had she not seen what she now saw of her people?

"For an outsider, you have quite a solid grasp on the ways of things here in Ishgard," Haurchefant commented, a smile forming on his lips as he looked at her. "But then again, you're not simply an outsider are you, Lady Baphineaux? Worry not. Your secret is quite safe with me and will remain a secret so long as it is within my power to keep it that way. You've cut your hair, since last I saw you, but I'd not be able to forget that face and those eyes so easily."

Rhea looked at him with a startled expression, glad they were alone in the room. How did he know who she was and why was he talking as if they knew one another? Still, he was an intelligent man and she would not do him the disservice of insulting that intelligence and denying his statement. "You know who I am then? How? You speak as if we know one another but, and forgive me if I have forgotten, I cannot recall such." Her silver eyes locked onto his vibrant blue gaze, trying to understand.

"We were both young when last we saw one another. The meeting was brief. Your father had come to speak with my father and you were in tow with him. I remember coming down during the meeting to find you playing with a small figurine of a dragoon and a figurine of a dragon behind the chaise. The great dragoon knight was valiantly combating the dragon and you were very enthusiastic in playing it out," he said with an affectionate chuckle at the memory.

"I was only a few years your elder but I found it odd that a Lady of the nobility would be hiding from prying eyes to play with figurines often found in the clutches of boys. You looked up at me when I found you and gave me the most fierce frown. You stood up, indignation in your gaze, as you proceeded to put me in my place that 'girls were just as capable as boys at felling dragons and dreaming of heroics'. I'd not said a word, either prior nor after, but I found your ferocity endearing and amusing." Haurchefant chuckled again, "Those eyes of moonlit silver dressing me down as if you were the one born of the High House, illegitimate or no, and not I. Before I could respond, your father called for you and you hid your toys in your skirts and rushed off."

Those sapphire blue eyes softened as he looked down into Rhea's, "Perhaps most young boys would have been off put by such an interaction but I had found it quite bracing and refreshing. Enough to still remember it, even to this day. Your hair was longer then though, considerably so. And it did not have the vibrant highlights it does now. As fitting as the short is on you now, and forgive this knight's impertinence, I must confess it does not do you the justice your long tresses did," he said, giving a slight bow to her.

Rhea, for her part, looked up at him with surprise. She remembered the time he spoke of vaguely, though the boy she remembered had more white than silver hair at that time - but the eyes were the same. And he had remember true of her, as well. Growing up in Ishgard, ever had her raven hair been a cascade of long, straight locks that flowed down her back. It had only been upon leaving Ishgard that she had cut her hair, excited for a new beginning. A deep crimson filled her cheeks as she shyly looked down in embarrassment and gave a soft laugh, "Oh my, well...you are forgiven, my lord, but that was hardly impertinent. I do hope you'll forgive an indignant child for her actions. Though," she glanced up to him, "it does not sound as if you overly minded it." Another laugh escaped her dark lips, "Forgive me then, instead, for not having recognized you as you recognized me, Lord Haurchefant. I tend to do better with names than faces."

Inclining his head, he bestowed upon her the most charming of smiles, "There is nothing to forgive, my lady." He brought his mug of cider to his lips, taking a sip. Rhea mirrored him, a soft pink still lingering on her darker skin as the spiced liquid rushed over her tongue and settled in her belly with a pleasant sensation.

"I also want to thank you for keeping my identity a secret. Before, it was to protect my family from the target the Empire has painted on my back. Now, it is to protect them from these heinous rumors going around, as well. Just my association with Lord Francel could bring ruin upon my house and I could not bear that. Your silence is appreciated beyond words, my lord," she bowed her head respectfully to him. "I am in your debt in a way I can scarcely describe."

The silver-haired elezen waved his hand, "Tis nothing, I assure you. No debt need be between us. I know all too well the dangers your life presents for not only yourself but your family and I could not bear it if these false claims destroyed not one but two families."

Rhea held her gaze on him with a soft smile and nodded, "Well, it is appreciated. Thank you nonetheless."

Haurchefant nodded to her with a smile, holding her gaze with his own. The two stood there in silence, gazing upon one another as the heat of the fire pushed away the cold of the night. Time passed, though how much Rhea could not honestly tell. It could have been seconds or minutes for all she knew, not that she cared. Looking to Haurchefant, having this moment to breathe, was a blessing she'd not known she needed - a respite from the chaos that had been constant since the fall of the Waking Sands.

It was not the past, nor even the future, on her mind as she looked into his eyes. It was the present, the peace of the moment of being there with him. Once more that feeling, that connection she'd felt upon first coming to Camp Dragonhead to meet him, returned and it was clear she was not the only one to feel it. In that moment, he was not a Fortemps and she was not a vassal of Dzemael. In that moment, the politics and heretical gossip did not exist. There was no Empire, no Garuda. Only the peace of each other's company.

"You know, my lady, I..." Haurchefant began but suddenly was interrupted by a strong burst of wind beating itself against the doors, making it sound as if something had been thrown against it. Rhea had rarely been the jumpy sort, but the sheer violence by which the gale had shook the heavy wooden doors had startled her enough that a measure of her cider went flying from her cup and spilled along the front of her tunic. "Well what little I had was quite delicious," she said with a laugh. Glancing up to Haurchefant, he too was chuckling and nodding.

Like the gentleman he was, he pulled a handkerchief from under the sleeve of his chainmail and handed it to her, "As you are surely aware, the Coerthan winds are legendary when a storm approaches, thanks to the Calamity. Alas, the night grows late and we've a lot of work tomorrow. You should retire and get rest while you can, especially before the blizzard sets in. By the look of you, I don't imagine you've had much of that and, knowing what we are like to face, I do not imagine you will beyond tonight."

"You're probably right and, as it stands, this is all I have at the moment in ways of attire. It might be best for me to clean this up before it's ruined, especially if I am to be working with influential people. It would not do to look like a drunken braggart too deep in her cups to look presentable," Rhea commented, cleaning up what she could with his handkerchief. Looking up to him, she smiled and then handed it back to him.

He shook his head and put up a hand, "Please, keep it. Perhaps it can help you further in your reclamation of your attire." Standing straight, he gave her a deep bow befitting a Lady of Ishgard. "Rest well, Lady Rhea, and thank you for spending the evening with me," he rose, eyes meeting hers once more, "it has been lovely beyond words."

Rhea pulled back her arm and found a warmth coming to her cheeks at the way he addressed and looked upon her. "And you as well, Lord Haurchefant. Your company has been most pleasurable and I look forward to getting to know you better through our work together. I've no doubt, together, you and I will be a force to be reckoned with and these charges shall melt away as we wish this everlasting winter would. Good night, and thank you very much for your hospitality."

Giving a graceful curtsy born of years of grueling practice by her mother, Rhea rose and gave a warm smile to him. Making for the table, she set down her cider mug before departing. Stepping outside, the cold wind assaulted her face, yet she did not feel it. The warmth of the company of the evening had seeped into her bones, soothing her from deep within. Looking down to the white handkerchief in her hand, embroidered with the Lord's initials and the crest of House Fortemps, she smiled at it then carefully folded it and tucked it into her pocket.

There were many reasons why an evening like that one could not happen again, but in that moment, Rhea didn't care. She'd found an ally, someone she could see becoming a dear friend, and she was going to cherish it - no matter if a part, deep inside her, wished for the hope of something more. Even in ideal circumstances, the hurdles to such a thought were more than could be surpassed, and these were not ideal circumstances in the least. Their paths were too different.

So it was Rhea resolved to enjoy the night for what it had been and move forward with the pleasant memory, letting such foolish hopes bury themselves deep within her. She had to focus. Distractions right now could prove to be catastrophic. Sparing only a momentary glance, and affectionate smile, to the closed doors behind her, Rhea made her way to the lodgings Lord Haurchefant had arranged for her and her companions.

Tonight was a blessing she'd needed but tomorrow, the work would resume.

Please, Halone, guide us to a better way, she prayed silently as she walked, disappearing into the warmth of her borrowed room.

There has to be a better way than this...