Just as the first time the great Warrior of Light returned to Ishgard, he greeted her with a warm smile and a soft, yet confident, "Welcome home."

It had been a while, more time than she had willingly admitted. But Ishgard carried a lot of memories… and a lot of old wounds not-quite healed. Though, she would admit willingly that those wounds may never heal.

She had always felt that her time in Ishgard had led to the most loss of life she had yet faced up to that point. Or at least, those she knew on a personal level. She choked back the lump in her throat that tried to form when she appeared at the Aetheryte Crystal in the Foundation that morning.

She first wished to lay down; it had been a long time since she had willingly taken a nice nap. Before she went on her way, she took care to take her faithful chocobo to The Holy Stables for some rest and relaxation. It had been too long, she concluded, since she had pampered the bird, and so she tipped the groom and asked that the Warrior of Light's chocobo get some extra love during her stay. Was it often that she used that line? Definitely not, but for her most loyal companion's sake, she was more than willing, and he was more than deserving.

Once she took another Shard to her destination, she gazed up at the mansion and sighed as her hair whipped around her in the chilly air. She stepped up to the guard at the entrance of Fortemps Manor and was regarded politely with a salute, and the door was opened for her.

Though she had come unannounced, Lord Edmont had insisted upon a lunch together with his – remaining – sons to properly greet her. There were few moments of awkward pauses here and there, but mostly the younger sons enjoyed her stories of the world beyond Ishgard when she threw in a couple of boasts once in a while.

After lunch, she went to her room to be in peace for a bit, she decided. In her time there in the past, they had given her a room of her own from one in the guest wing. She had been told to decorate it to her liking but hadn't had the time to do what she wanted with it before being whisked off to the brink of war once more. Edmont had taken her suggestion of soft blues and grays for the theme while she had been away, with new paint, carpeting, and all the trimmings of her bed. She smiled at the consideration of it all before taking a much-needed, long, hot bath in her joining bathroom.

Feeling clean for the first time in actual months, she pulled back her long hair and threw herself onto the bed, face-to-pillow in fresh, dry clothes. She reveled in the feeling of her clean clothes and blankets, and finally drifted off for a few hours.

When she awoke next, it was around 17 hundred hours. She groggily pulled herself upright and smoothed out her hair before throwing off the blankets. She slid off the bed, standing up and stretching. She sighed. It was time to address one of those old wounds.

And that was how she found herself standing in front of the much taller Elezen man. A man who had done nothing but give his full support of her since they became friends. After his greeting, he nodded and seemed to decide something. "Would you like to discuss your travels over dinner?"

She tensed, and he seemed to notice when he quickly added, "Just something casual. I promise, I'll change out of this."

Then she smiled and nodded in agreement.

Lucia escorted her down the hallway to the dining room she had been to before, of course, only to be interrupted. They chatted idly about Ishgard and how it had been in her months away. She had missed the way the Garlean woman described things in earnest, and she could respect that and even appreciate it. But when Lucia dismissed herself to go to her own home, the Warrior of Light sat in one of the chairs on one side of the table, dressed in a simple shirt and long skirt combination rather than more elegant dinner-wear… something felt very different.

When the Lord Commander of the Temple Knights appeared through the door with a simple V-neck undershirt and dark, cloth pants, the Warrior of Light paled. Then she understood what was different. It didn't even take Ser Aymeric dismissing the waiting staff with the doors shutting behind them to understand that this dinner was going to be different.

Their plates were already in front of them with the meal steaming hot even still as he sat opposite her and smiled. "Please, think not that you must wait for me."

She smiled uneasily and wordlessly started to cut her steak, focusing on it.

As he made himself comfortable, he eyed her warily. Something didn't sit well with him either. "Is there something amiss with your meal?"

She quickly looked up and shook her head. But she could only think to herself, after everything… and how long it had been since she last visited, he was still so loyal to her… treated her so well. She quickly looked back down.

Aymeric's mouth formed a thin line but he said nothing, instead choosing to clear his throat and begin cutting into his own meal. "So… please… tell me some of your recent adventures, my friend."

She winced slightly at his words. She wasn't sure which of them made her most uncomfortable. But she played it off and began describing how well the revolution in Ala Mhigo had went. She had helped free Doma! She had slain the murderous prince of the Empire. She took down yet another few – not one – primals.

With each story, Aymeric seemed to grow more and more excited for her, his eyes widening at all the right times, and his mouth gaping at the shocking details. Of course, he was there when she had helped free Ala Mhigo, but he hadn't the chance to talk with her after.

After a beat of silence, Aymeric was quick to say, "I wanted to speak with you after the besting of Shinryu." He caught the way she winced that time at the word "besting". He frowned. "Something bothers you."

She bit her lip and shook her head, staring down at her plate but only turning her food with her fork.

This time, he called her name, gently yet firmly. This time, she shook her head harder and focused further on her meal.

She heard his chair creak from the other side of the table. She felt his presence kneeling at her side and pointedly looked the opposite direction.

"I do not know the precise social formalities of Eorzea, but I do know that a friend is supposed to be there for one another." he said barely above a whisper, his voice hoarse.

Then, she sucked in a breath and finally looked down at his face, his eyes softened and pleading. There seemed to be water prickling at his eyes. "I do not take joy in seeing my friends in pain." he admitted.

"I haven't told anyone." she said finally.

His eyebrows furrowed. He looked down at her hands folded in her lap and lifted his own hands over hers and looked up to her in question. When she didn't pull back, he picked up her hands in his own. "You have not spoken of…?" he prodded gently.

She shuddered as she let out another breath of air, closing her eyes. His hands were warm and soft… comforting. She opened her mouth to speak, hesitated briefly. "You will think different of me. I don't expect you to understand."

"I expect not to understand but only to listen to your plight. If my advice is what you desire, I am willing to give it."

She opened her eyes and looked straight into his without hesitation. "Zenos was my friend."

There wasn't much that surprised the Lord Commander. This was one of those few times. His mouth hung open slightly and he breathed out through his nose.

The girl in the chair withdrew her hands and started to turn away, but he wouldn't allow her to retreat in on herself. He gently touched the side of her face with a hand, prompting her to look back at him. "Please… allow me to attempt understanding."

She sighed. "It's not something that I even understand. He was my enemy, a villain, a murderous… beast." She chuckled at the inside joke between them. "But he had no one else. He was shaped to become what he was. But he was not… he was… still looking for someone."

Ayermic sat listening, still baffled. But he prodded further. He needed to keep her talking, both out of his own curiosity and his worry for one of his dearest friends. "Looking for whom?"

"Me," she said with a nervous laugh. "He wanted someone close to him. He felt that he could never be matched in battle. His father was not an option because of the sides of war they were on together. But me…. I was able to go toe-to-toe with him… eventually. I needed some help to defeat him in the end, but he saw me as his equal. And when he asked me… once I defeated Shinryu in his unnatural bonding with him…. He asked me if I accepted him as the monster he was. He wanted to know if we could be friends. I had said no. I wanted him to change. I wanted him to become the person I knew he could be if he had real companions…. But I didn't get that chance. I couldn't give him that… not before he did…."

"What did he do?" Aymeric prompted, taking back her hands and squeezed them.

The Warrior of Light's eyes moved to Aymeric's, searching. How could he not know? Word didn't spread that she had not finished him off?

"He slit his own throat."

His mouth was slightly agape, his brain not quite caught up with what he had just heard. But she didn't need him to because she went on, rambling through sobs and struggling for air to catch up with her thoughts. Her hands flailed out of his grip as she explained what she needed to less than what made perfect sense to him.

"It was right in front of me. And then Lakshmi was summoned during the peace talks…. She converted so many… we had to slaughter them all. The other Scions… Alphinaud came so close! And then I lost Midgarsormr… and almost Biggs and Wedge…. We actually found Gosetsu but that was nothing short of a miracle! So many more people have died since The Dragonsong War, and it's my fault for not being good enough! I could have saved-!"

"Stop!" Aymeric shouted, then immediately coughed to cover up his discomposure. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I meant not to raise my voice."

The Warrior of Light sitting before him had returned to hands to her lap at his outburst, looking at Aymeric with wide eyes, cheeks stained with tears.

He sighed. "My friend," he started, pointedly looking into her eyes, piercing through with his brilliant blue ones. He reached down, and she allowed him to take her hands once more. "When you signed up to become a Scion of the Seventh Dawn, were you aware of how important that job was? To protect and defend a country you had just arrived upon?" She shook her head, more tears streaming down her face. Aymeric lifted one hand to brush away the tears with his index finger. "What were you told?"

"I… I had the Echo. I didn't know what that meant… or how important it was."

"Precisely!" he whispered softly yet directly. "You had not the slightest idea what your journey would entail." He glanced down at her smaller hands in his own and rubbed the back of them with his thumbs. He looked back up to meet her eyes again. "And were you aware that you were the Champion of Haedalyn? Of a god? Did you know the responsibility you took on when you joined, precisely?"

This time, she bit her lower lip and shook her head vigorously. "No! I didn't know I'd lose so many people for it! I never asked for this!" More tears streamed down.

With one hand, he squeezed hers harder and the other gently stroked her cheek with his index finger to relieve more tears. "Please… deep breaths…." he coaxed.

She had caught that he seemed to linger in his words, as if he left another thought unsaid, but she let it go in her state at the moment.

"Warrior of Light…." Aymeric said quietly. "Your title… do you enjoy that? Are you proud to be a becon of hope for Eorzea?"

The question made her furrow her eyebrows at him. But she answered, "I am proud to be…. I just don't want to be."

"That is the answer," he agreed. "You asked not for this grave responsibility. You asked not to be honored and revered as a god on Hydaelyn…." he scoffed at his own unintentional joke. "You asked not to be this. "However… you do so with such grace. You have always taken your job as seriously as mine own." He paused in brief thought, taking her hands firmly. "An illegitimate child of a monster… essentially became the prime minister of a broken nation overnight! I am in charge of arguably the most corrupted military on all of Hydaelyn… and still the people trust in me. Still, they asked for me to move us forward. Why?"

"You would die for them," she answered without hesitation. "They know that. You've been through so much to help them and create a path for equality. That was all you."

"And that is precisely the same reason the world turns to you. You try. You continue to try. You do not stop. And the people know this. You give them hope. That is what makes you the Warrior of Light. Yes, indeed loss of life is inevitable in your line of work." She looked down at this, but he used a hand to lift her chin again. "But those that are lost do so in the name of hope. Because you show them what hope is…." He sucked in a breath before speaking again. "Haurchefant… he gave his life to protect you. Ysayle… did so as well. You and Alphinaud risked your lives to save Estinien…. It comes to receiving and giving life. There is a balance. And trust in me when I tell you that there have never been regrets by any of those that follow you."

The conviction in his voice is what broke her. She finally reached forward and buried her face into his shoulder, shaking with sobs. She clutched at his back, to ground herself. She needed this. She needed to hear that someone cared... feel someone hold her while she broke… think that she was home…. And she finally understood.

She needed her friends and family. She needed to feel vulnerable. But most importantly, she needed her friends and family to be there for her when she became vulnerable, and no one else to see the great Warrior of Light completely broken down.

Aymeric allowed himself a small – albeit sad – smile. He smoothed her hair with one hand and held her close around the middle with his other despite the awkward angle from her sitting in the chair. He shushed her the best he could while he breathing slowly became less ragged and smoother. He started to hum something quietly to soothe her.

After what felt like eternity, she pulled back, her breath settled, and looked to his eyes. He seemed to smile with them at how gracefully she came back to herself on her own. She just needed this quiet moment between friends.

He lifted a hand to her hair and took a small strand, smoothing it through his fingers, delicately. He repeated the motion, watching his own hand run through over and over. She followed his gaze, feeling at ease at last. He leaned forward and she followed, their foreheads touching as they both closed their eyes. They sat there for a while in the comfortable silence.

His voice hoarse, he broke it after what time he felt was allowing enough. "Come," he said, slowly standing. "I wish to show you what it means to relax." He held out a hand to her. She looked from his hand to his face and back again. She took it carefully and stood.

Her calloused, rough yet small hand in his own slender, gentle, soft one led her down a hallway she hadn't been down before. At the end of the hallway, they came to double, oak doors designed for the height of an Elezen man, and he gently released her hand to turn both golden handles to reveal his bedroom.

She only had time to briefly glance around the ornate interior before he turned to take her hand once again and led her to a couch off the side of the room with a fireplace and tea table before it. He placed an extra pillow against the back of it and gestured to the couch for her to sit. She did so, not taking her eyes off of him.

"Wait here, if you will," he seemed to ask. She nodded with a brief smile and he left the room, the doors left open behind him.

She observed more of the room in his absence. His bed was trimmed with a full canopy and was the largest she had ever seen. The comforters and pillows were decorative but clearly soft and full, black and royal blue designs flowing down all the way to the floor. The fireplace was a rich, red brick and the couch she sat on matched the bed with the tea table and other furniture the same deep brown of the doors to the room with matching golden handles.

After a few minutes, she heard footsteps emerge from the doorway and she turned to see him smiling with a tray of tea and cookies.

She felt herself allow her shoulders to drop. He came over to the table in front of her and set the tray down with a chuckle. "My friend… my intention was not to scare you with mine own."

She felt her cheeks heat as she sat forward, clasping her hands in her lap. He came around the table to sit just inches beside her and he looked to her with a smile before leaning forward and pouring some tea from the silver pot into a cup with a plate under it. "Milk? Sugar?"

"Both please," she said quietly.

He added both for her and spun the contents with a spoon, setting it back on the tray before gingerly handing it to his companion. She took it with a nod. "Thank you."

"Careful, now. It will be hot." he cautioned as he took his own cup and began pouring.

She blew on the cup's steam and sipped quietly, eying his choice for lack of milk and sugar. He took the cup with plate underneath and sat back on the couch, crossing a leg over his knee. He sipped his own tea quietly as well and sighed. "Ah…. Nothing in Eorzea is betting than the warmth of tea in your middle."

"Mmm" she agreed with a hum.

He lifted a hand to the tray. "Please, help yourself."

She eagerly reached down to the tray and selected a cookie, practically melting in her hand. The chocolate was partly melted and diminished completely on her tongue. She smiled, letting her eyes slide closed.

He chuckled at her antics once again, a little more loudly and a little more heartily this time. "Excuse my musings, but you seem to still be hungry."

She swallowed the cookie in her mouth and rubbed her lip. "I might be," she admitted.

"You feel at ease?" he asked.

She nodded. As she chewed – taking care not to drop any crumbs – she glanced around the room again. It contrasted so greatly with the man in front of her, and it brought her to the realization of just how intimately friendly she had become with the great leaders of the continent she felt as though she just recently settled in. It had hardly been a year since she arrived, and yet, here she was with a leader from a new Eorzean Alliance member she had worked to forge that bond with, both nationally and personally.

"Has your voice left you?" he asked, gently.

She finished the cookie and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I look like an idiot."

"You look relaxed," he said. "At last, the Warrior of Light hath let her guard down."

"That's a good thing?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"There be a time and a place for everything."

She pursed her lips, unsure if she agreed. In her travels, she knew that was an optimistic mistake. She thought better of someone hardened by his own battles, but she supposed it came from his lack of practice.

"You may feel differently," he suggested, her starting slightly and gazing at him. "But your physical willingness at the moment appears to agree."

She looked down at the plate in her hand, her tea nearly gone and only crumbs remaining from her snack. She reached forward and replaced the plate with the cup on the tray. She sat back and looked to him. "I just know what's wronged me in the past."

He frowned, took one more sip of his own tea and replaced his plate and cup on the tray. "Always vigilant, are we?"

She scoffed. "More people would be dead if I weren't."

He shook his head. "You mustn't blame yourself." He inched closer to her and took her hands in his own once again. He released with one hand and brushed her cheek with his thumb. "We make our own choices in life and in death. People choose to fight for what they believe in. And in you… people see that Light that has been bestowed upon you… and that you have made of yourself."

She smiled, leaning slightly into his hand and reached up with one of her own to rest on his. "Thank you… for showing me the light when I can't see it."

He smiled his gentle smile again and moved his hand to press it lightly against her chest over her heart. He looked into her eyes. "You need not see the light. For it is in you to bestow upon us all which are grateful for you."

Then, it was her turn to search his eyes for something. She wanted… needed conformation that this unexpected turn of events was truly unfolding in front of her. She felt it in her heart, with his hand pressed over it, what she craved for so long.

She closed the distance between their lips.

He breathed in sharply as their lips met, her, throwing her arms over his shoulders to pull herself close to him. He released his hands from their original position to cup her face, ever-so gently as the initial shock faded. Her surprising warmth reached his cheeks, and he held her there immersed in her presence.

After a few moments, she pulled back and touched her own lips with her fingers, eyes wide.

Aymeric reached out and gently rubbed her cheek. "Be not afraid. Make of this no mistake." he said, his voice hoarse and low. "My… admiration… for your courage… your leadership. I have strived to have what thou has for my people…. I have fallen for that… for you."

"I…" She was at a loss for words. She knew that the closer she had gotten to others, the more danger had befallen them. But his words earlier rang in her thoughts. We make our own choices in life and death. "You know what I'm going to say."

He brushed a strand of hair from her face with his hand. "For this affection you hath shown me, I would make that choice to ride into battle with you again. As with the Eorzea Alliance, you shall have my blade as well… always."

Tears brimmed at the edge of her eyes, but before they could fall, she pressed herself against him again, kissing him fully with her hands grasping fistfuls of his shirt. He reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her slender yet muscular form and pulling her close.

Another moment passed, and he gently pulled back, breathless. "Allow me to make you more comfortable… if you'll have me," he offered, standing and holding out a hand to her once more.

She smiled and took his hand, rising to her feet. He guided her to his bed, but made no move to do anything drastic. He gestured toward the bed, and she hopped up as he took care to fluff a pillow behind her head. Once she was settled, he laid on his side beside her, propping his head in one hand with his elbow to the pillow to look at her.

She turned on her side to match him and breathed in deeply.

"Are you comfortable, my friend?" he asked innocently.

Then it was her turn to chuckle. "You can use my name, you know."

"Thou hath never used mine," he countered.

She grimaced. "You're the Lord Commander of Ishgard," she said back.

"Mmm," he hummed in agreement. "However, Ishgard is no longer a theocracy, and the people voted mine rule. Therefore, I feel more connected to those around myself than before. Would you call me by name?"

She sighed. "…Aymeric?"

He smiled. "The sound on thou tongue hath given me comfort."

She reached out with her free hand and poked his chest, his eyes following her finger in curiosity. "Don't be so formal," she quipped. "If I have to relax, so do you."

He threw up his free hand over his head. "I surrender! The primal slayer hath slain me!"

She narrowed her eyes at him and shoved him this time, throwing him slightly off balance. His body tipped back and he rolled onto his back, making her laugh.

"Ah, you think you're clever as well?" He smirked and this time, he reached over and pulled an arm around her, sweeping her underneath him. "Now who hath slain whom?"

She laughed again, reaching up to cup his face as she kissed him again. He placed his hands on either side of her head to balance himself above her but not crush her and kissed her back, fully. He allowed his fingers to tangle through her hair as they kissed, both smiling into it.

In the middle of their bliss, she reached down and started to pull at the hem of his shirt.

One hand shot down and gripped her wrist.

They stopped kissing.

She pulled back instantly regretting her decision and looked into his eyes with horror. "Aymeric, I-!"

"Please," he said, breathless. He dropped her wrist as quickly as he had taken it and sat back on his knees. "Please forgive my reaction."

She narrowed her eyes at him and sat up on her elbows. "Why are you sorry? If you don't want-"

"I do," he said quickly. "That… is not the problem."

She tilted her head to the side.

He sighed, and stared at his hands in his lap. "Like you, I have fought battles of mine own. And… I have physical memories to prove that."

She gaped at him for a moment. She sat up fully. "What? And you think I'm perfect under this?" she asked, gesturing to her own shirt. She started to pull it from the bottom.

"No, stop!" he said, pulling her hands down. "You need not prove anything to me."

"I'm not," she said, taking his hands. "But I'm comfortable with my scars, so I want you to be with yours."

He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I am… I just… You needn't know of my failures."

"Aymeric…."

"Be it a shame that I regret allowing you to use mine name?" he chuckled, not meeting her eyes again.

She covered her mouth with her hand and made to apologize again, but he met her eyes then and held up a finger. "'Tis but a jest."

She pulled her hand away and allowed a small smile.

He sighed again and reached down, pulling from the hem of his shirt and folding it up and over his head.

She gasped, clasping her hands to her mouth. The Warrior of Light had fought countless battles for the good of Eorzea and beyond. Everyone knew that. Her scars would come as a surprise to none. But before her sat the Lord Commander of Ishgard… royalty in all its glory by the Fury… And she was devastated by the sight.

As she would have guessed, there was a clear, deep scar running diagonally down from his left shoulder across his heart. It was an angry red, all these months later, but that wasn't the sight that shocked her.

All across his chest… stomach… arms – particularly his wrists – were slash wounds. They crisscrossed in some places, creating deeper gashes, but others created grim designs across his body. He stared down the bed in front of him, his hands in his lap.

He scoffed. "Not as glorious as one may have guessed the Lord Commander to be."

She sat upright and leaned forward, looking up to meet his gaze first before reaching out and tracing the scars with her fingers. She used her free hand to reach behind him, and she felt them there too. She finally sat back and lifted his chin with her hand. "Tell me."

He sighed. "I had sought that you needn't ever know of my plight." He shook his head. "Of course you would discover my secret. T'was the Vault, unfortunately. My father's… final act of love for me I suppose." He chuckled darkly.

She bit her lower lip. "Aymeric…." She shook her head then, trying to find the words. "He did this to you?"

"Not by his own hand. He ordered just so. T'was mine own Temple Knights. I suppose I'd never known them at all."

She stared at his scars, even then, not-quite healed. "…Why?" she whispered.

"I cannot." he replied firmly.

She reached forward and took his hands in her own. He looked up at her willingly this time. "Please…."

He searched her eyes for a moment, narrowing his own, desperately searching for something to allow him not to divulge the truth. He reached up and gently brushed his fingers along her cheek. He breathed, "You, my dear."

Her own breathing stopped.

He sighed again, continuing to run his fingers along her face. Whether it was for her benefit to soothe her or for his own sake, she didn't know.

"My… intense questioning…. They wanted to know how to defeat you. They planned to use my relationship with you to break me. Fortunately I was not there long before you and the others came to rescue this damsel…." he laughed again but it was hallow. "As you know, I emerged from the Vault limping and in obvious agony, but I tried to hide best I could. What with the events that followed that fateful day…. I faded into the background, and rightfully so," he quickly added. "Haurchefant was a dear friend to me. We were alike in more ways than our character and love for the way of righteousness by the Fury. And so I vowed never to inform you of my… newly broken form. Then there was the assassination attempt…. And I thought maybe the people would be better off-"

"Stop!" she screamed, echoing through the room's immense size. Her voice had broken on the words, tears streaming down her face. She collected herself at the sight of his concerned gaze, but then she looked down at his scars again. "You are needed by so many. Don't say those things."

He shook his head and scoffed again. "Then why might the people choose to have me slain?"

"Because it is corrupt!" she shouted. "You are working so hard to fix your country for no one but the people and the place you grew up in! Don't you dare say they would be better off! No one would be! You've fought for them and by my side in this war and for far longer than me! How dare you say that!"

By that point, she was shaking, tears pouring down her face unbidden. His gaping expression at the sight finally broke and he smiled at her, tears forming in his own eyes. "You truly believe in this simple-minded bastard-child?"

"Is that all you think of yourself as?" she asked, spitting out the words. "You earned your title, Lord Commander. You have dedicated your life to doing what's right for your people, evening reuniting with the Eorzean Alliance and ending the Dragonsong War! So cut the shite, Aymeric! You are incredible! Everything you've done…! You're just as dedicated to this world as I am! You were made to fight by my side! And you shall have my blade as well! Always."

He slowly cocked his head to one side in deep thought. He cared nothing for the tears that now rolled down his own cheeks. He outstretched his arms to her, and she practically threw herself into his embrace.

He pulled her close to him, turning around to lay them down together, curled up on the bed. He cupped her face in his own and kissed her fiercely, taking comfort in that his life could end here and now, and he would finally rest at peace.

He felt every part of her, as she did him. Breathless, he pulled back. "I would do it all again for you, my love."

She smiled a watery smiled back to him. "And I you."

[A/N 2-20-18]: Here's to another one! Aymeric grew on me a lot after Heavensward, and especially when he followed the WoL into the final confrontation in Stormblood!

This one I was listening to Stand by You by Rachel Platten. And it definitely works for both of their perspectives! I hope you enjoyed this one! Stay tuned for more!