Disclaimer: Guild Wars does not belong to me, rather, it belongs to Arena Net and NCSoft. All characters and locations are copyright them.
Summary: Fills in what happened to the four core characters where the offical Guild Wars lore only briefly hints at. Takes place immedeately after the Searing, focused primarally on the elementalist Cynn and the warrior Devona, slight Shoujo-ai content in later chapters.
If Cynn had thought she was going to die earlier, she now thought that she most assuredly had and gone on to the afterlife, she could swear that she heard her mother calling her name. It was about then that the pain hit her mind, and she cried out, or at least thought she did. She felt strong hands moving her body, the heat of the flames she caused lessening as she was likely carried away. Mumbled voices were heard in her clouded mind, and she decided that she wasn't dead, for death couldn't hurt this much. The cooling touch of divine magic washed over her as she drew in a shuddering breath, grimacing a little as she tried to open her eyes.
"Cynn? Cynn, can you hear me?" It was a female voice, likely the one she thought was her mother earlier, but this voice was younger, more insistent. "Cynn, open your eyes!"
Another wave of magic flowed over her, lessening the ache from the bruising, but not quite pushing away her weariness or the pain from her leg, nor some of the larger burns from the fire her own magic had started and ended up inflicting on her. "I can't do anything more, out of energy..." A male voice this time, one that carried a hint of desperation, and a lot of uncertainty and apology. The name...she knew the name...it was reluctant coming to her...his and the woman...
"The fire seems to have caught the attention of more Charr, we have to move her further from here." A third voice, another male, also so familiar...
She felt herself lifted again, the scent of the woman a comfort after the days of smoke and flame, she could only assume that she was being carried by another woman, the slick feel of armor against her skin. She grimaced faintly at the jostling motion caused by the one carrying her, but couldnt find her voice to protest. Her awareness clouded fully again, and when she came to what little consciousness she could find, the hard ground was all too evident below her.
"Mhenlo, are you sure you cant cast anything more than healing breeze? She doesn't have enough strength to make that be of any use!" The female voice was frustrated and curt, a hissed whisper. Mhenlo, she knew that name!
"Devona, I swear by Dwayna that I cant, not right now. In an hour I can, I promise."
Another recognizable name. Now if only she could find her voice and tell them all to be quiet, her head was pounding.
"We've got her stabilized, we can hide here until Mhenlo can cast a few more healing spells." This voice was calmer than the other two, a bit more in control, and she was thankful for his stability in her pained state.
"Can you do anything, Aidan?" The woman...who was it? Oh, Devona, she spoke again. Aidan, that must be the third person who spoke.
There was the touch of a hand to her cheek, and she tried again to open her eyes, but once again, to no avail.
"She's no longer bleeding, she'll be steady for a good while. She's stubborn, remember?"
Cynn wanted quite badly to smile in reaction to that, as she knew the one who spoke had to have been smiling somewhat as well, despite the fact that she knew she must look absolutely horrid after being stuck for Dwayna only knows how long. After a bit, she wasn't sure if it was silence that had fallen or if she had gone unconscious again, but she attempted to open her eyes yet again, her determination now focused on that small task. And surprisingly, she was able to, at least a small bit, though she still couldn't see a thing, at least, not much through the blur. Whoever was holding her, however, was easily able to see that she was trying, and she felt a soft touch to her cheek. "Cynn?"
"You all need to learn to speak softer, you know?" Her mouth was dry, but she spoke as well as she could without her tongue cracking. Water washed over her face, clearing a bit of her sight and she looked up at the simultaneously relieved yet tremendously worried face of the female warrior who was her commander. Relief flooded through her, her vision once again clouding, this time from her tears. "..Devona..." The warrior nodded, briefly wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand before she reached to grasp Cynn's hand tightly. A light smirk crossed the elementalist's lips. "...what took you so long?"
A faint shock of anger washed over Devona's features before the woman realized that Cynn was baiting her in order to make the situation at least somewhat normal, and the anger quickly faded back to the concern she held earlier. "Had to make sure you had the opportunity to show off." Devona brushed a bit of Cynn's blond hair back from her face, the already thin woman looking even worse after her ordeal. "I...you...Im glad we found you." Devona's voice cracked as she quietly trailed off.
Cynn blinked a few times and shifted a bit in Devona's hold, pressing her cheek to the cool armor covering the warriors' chest. Glancing about, she spied Mhenlo resting against a partly crumbled wall, the monk looking faintly desperate as he worked to regenerate his power in order to cast another healing spell. Aidan stood in the doorway to the small room they had holed up in, and turning towards the two women, he smiled and winked to Cynn, looking almost as relieved as Devona did. Devona occupied herself with using a damp cloth to softly wash Cynn's face and arms, the normally fiery and highly independent elementalist letting her, her mind mulling over the recent events.
"Im glad you found me too. Did you see what I did? I dont think I can pull off those spells again any time soon...but you should have seen the look on those beasts faces...served them right for what they...for what they did..." Her grip on Devona's hand gradually increased as she slowly began to lose the calm which had come over her before, and the full horror of what she experienced settling in her mind now that she had the relief of being found not only by a human, but by the three people she trusted most in her life. "How long..." She coughed, grimacing and curling up slightly as it sent a wave of pain through her body, Devona tightening her hold as she raised her hand to brush her fingers over Cynn's forehead.
"Shhh, it's okay now. Just relax, Mhenlo will be able to heal you more soon, and when you're able, we'll head back to Ascalon City. I'm sure the Prince will be glad to know you're alright, and we've missed you." Devona continued on about as many random things which came to her mind, describing the fight with the warband on the way to Surmia, conveniently leaving out the bit about her nearly getting her arm cut off by the axe warrior. She spoke of the battles since the initial attack as lightly as one could, speaking of the lands Ascalon had regained and the bravery in holding back the Charr. But she realized, because of the blank sort of expression in Cynn's eyes, that the elementalist wasn't really listening, she just needed someone to help keep her in touch with reality, to hold her, to speak to her. It was an expression she had seen a lot over the last week and a half, and something she herself had briefly gone through and would still be if she hadn't had the support of the two men with her. Even they had suffered sleepless nights and fits of anger at what had happened, but Cynn was four years younger than she, two years younger than the stoic Mhenlo, and considering what she had just gone through, a week and a half of being trapped in her ruined home, Devona feared for the elementalist's sanity. As Cynn closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, Devona gradually fell silent again, and let a few tears course down her cheeks.
"She'll be alright." Aidan's soft voice spoke next to Devona, the warrior looking up to the ranger who had moved close to her side and was now crouched next to her.
Devona sighed and gently shifted Cynn in her arms. "Physically, yes, but what of her mind? I don't wish to see her in the sanitarium..."
Aidan shook his head, resting his hand on Devona's shoulder. "No, she wont end there. Look at what she just lived through, and remember our time together at the academy? Yes, she's only eighteen, but she's stronger than so many we've seen come through this, she will to."
"Funny, I was just thinking of what she had gone through as a reason to fear for her mind." Devona leaned back against the wall, playing her fingers through Cynn's hair as her eyes took in the injuries still needing to be healed. A faint shudder flowed through her at the sight of the girl's mangled leg, and she carefully began to wash the dried blood away with the damp cloth, grimacing slightly each time she felt Cynn wince. "She sometimes drives me up the great wall itself but, I dont know what I'd have done if we didn't find her tonight..."
Aidan took the cloth from Devona and rinsed it clean, and then handed it back to the warrior, knowing it calmed her to help and comfort Cynn. He was relieved at finding the spell caster, but he suspected that Devona was much more so than he. "I think that we would have continued on, but it certainly is nice to know that she's as stubborn as we suspected in the first place." He smiled lightly. Devona had been so fixated on getting Cynn to safety after finding her that she hadn't seen the destruction the girl had wrought, but he lingered long enough to have seen the extent of her spell casting power. The signs of divine intervention were clear about the area, and he strongly suspected that Balthazar himself, granting her greater power than she normally possessed to protect herself and destroy the Charr that had attacked her, had briefly blessed her. That itself was almost more comforting than finding her, it showed that the gods hadn't completely left them like many feared, but he didn't know if Cynn herself would realize it any time soon.
More time passed, Devona getting fidgety as the hour that Mhenlo said he needed came and went, but with a calming touch from Aidan, she managed to stay her tongue and let the exhausted monk continue to commune with his gods and rebuild his energy. Cynn slept quietly in her arms, Devona checking periodically to make certain that the younger girls pulse and breathing stayed even. Aidan ventured out from the building a short way and managed to find a cluster of unburnt vegetables in a root cellar, beginning to prepare them for a meal and making certain to be careful to save the seeds. Plants would be desperately needed to help keep the people of Ascalon alive, and he knew it. As he worked, Mhenlo blinked free from his trance and stood. The monk glanced around, momentarily confused before his eyes settled on Cynn and Devona. Moving over to the two women, he crouched down and began to start the series of complex incantations that would greatly heal the elementalist's injuries. He was skilled, but not quite enough to completely undo the wounds Cynn carried, but he'd at least be able to heal her leg and give her a boost of energy so she would be able to more easily return to the more skilled monks in the city. Devona watched his movements like a hawk watching its prey; she knew his ability and trusted it, but she was just enough on edge that she was wary of everything. As he kept quietly chanting Devona looked over towards Aidan.
"She hasn't eaten for so long, that's not too strong, is it?" Like her watching of the monk, her concern reached out to the much older and knowledgeable ranger. A part of Devona's mind grimaced as she realized she was worrying over things she likely shouldn't have to, but she just couldn't help it.
Aidan smiled tolerantly and nodded; gesturing slightly towards the smaller pot he had set up on the side. "I've made a broth specifically for her. It's not too strong, but has a lot of things that she needs right now."
Devona nodded and looked back as she spied the light of Mhenlo's magic flowing from his hands to Cynn's body, the girl taking in a deep breath as Devona watched Cynn's leg shift oddly back into its natural state, a fair amount of the bruising fading. Cynn shifted, but did not wake, tightening her hold on the warrior's hand in her sleep. Devona smiled her thanks to Mhenlo as the monk sat back heavily, wiping at the beads of sweat which had formed on his brow. He nodded back and staggered a bit as he got to his feet and moved over to where Aidan was, accepting the bowl of stew he offered before moving to sit in a shaft of sunlight the midday sun shone down into the rubble. Aidan held a bowl up to Devona, but she shook her head, lifting her head to look up at the sky above.
"What's our plan now?" Mhenlo spoke between bites, watching Devona. Aidan settled into eating a bowl of the stew for himself, tilting his head slightly as he too was curious to hear Devona's answer.
The warrior continued to look up to the sky for a few quiet moments, then back down at the girl in her arms. Her brow furrowed a bit as she spoke. "We'll see how she's feeling after we get some food into her. If she thinks she can walk, we'll leave tonight, though Im a little more inclined to leave tomorrow during the day. More Charr are moving around during the day, but we'd be more able to see them and avoid them. Regardless, before we go if we do tonight, or even if we don't, I want you two to head out into the city a bit after the sun sets and see if you can find anyone else alive, though if the Charr were going through and looting, I doubt we'll be blessed with any more."
Mhenlo nodded and set his bowl aside, standing and getting a bowl of the weaker broth as well as something for Devona. Crouching next to the two women, he held out one bowl to Devona. "Here, you need to eat something."
Devona looked about to protest, but before she could she yelped lightly from a pinch to her lower arm, glancing down to see Cynn opening her eyes and giving the warrior a look. "Eat something you stubborn oaf." A smile touched the corner of Cynn's lips as she watched the familiar play of expressions across Devona's face, that slight look of flared up irritation in her eyes before the usual calm settled in, though Cynn often said the calm was really simply bullheadedness on Devona's part. The elementalist was a creature of emotion, it fueled her power and the decisions she made, each choice she made with her heart never doubted in her mind. The warrior, by contrast, was trained to make decisions based on calm logic and what was best for the safety of her kingdom, often putting aside personal wishes and desires for Ascalon. Together, they made a good balance, Devona taming the fires of Cynn and keeping the elementalist from consuming herself with her sometimes rash decisions, and Cynn helping Devona to see beyond the big picture and look closer at the meaningful details within, and if you asked Cynn, helping Devona to stay human.
Shaking her head with a light smile, Devona helped Cynn sit up on her own, though she kept an arm wrapped about the girl's shoulders until she was convinced that she was steady and not about to fall. Mhenlo grinned at Devona and held out the bowl to her, and with a slight wrinkling of her nose, Devona took the bowl and set it down, taking the other before the monk held it out to Cynn, and handing it to the girl herself. "I will if you will."
Mhenlo chuckled lightly as he stood and walked to the side of the room, starting into a dance-like series of exercises. Cynn glanced at Devona out of the corner of her eye as she accepted the bowl. "Like you need to tell me twice? There was only so much within reach while I was stuck, Im famished."
Devona started to eat as well as Aidan moved over to add a small stick to the fire. The ranger looked into the flames for a moment, then over to Cynn. "You were trapped? How did you get outside your home then?"
If looks could kill, Aidan supposed that the one shot to him by the warrior would have struck him down right there, but he was curious, and he knew that it was best to speak of such things instead of keeping them all bottled up inside, much like Devona did on a regular basis. Cynn paused for a moment, her bright blue eyes getting a bit of a far off look before she locked her gaze with Aidan's deep brown. "You think I would have stayed here if I weren't trapped?" A faintest touch of anger accompanied the words. "When the crystal struck my home, I became trapped below the stone dining table, the blasted marble slab lay on my legs, and was pinned down by larger pieces of rubble. Thankfully, I suppose, a large amount of food was on said table and had been scattered about, enough within my reach to have kept me sustained for a few days."
She looked down at the bowl in her hands, mindful of the feel of Devona's shoulder behind her own for a bit of support without being obvious about it, and was grateful for the warriors subtleness. "I didn't know how long it had been, there was no way to tell night from day, and I believe I was out of it for a fair while, I had one hell of a headache." Looking down at her palm, Cynn flexed her hand a few times, clenching it into a fist before relaxing it again. "I passed the time by talking to myself and flinging flares at the wall. I didn't throw any up into the sky, I didn't know if there was anyone left alive aside from those horrible beasts, and I didn't fancy being found by them. But last night, a group did, I suppose it took them a while to get to looting that part of the city."
Devona made a sound and set her bowl aside, the small room otherwise silent save for the crackling of the fire. Aidan was watching Cynn carefully as she spoke, and Mhenlo had stopped his routine to listen as well. "When I heard them approach I was ready to fight to the death where I was. But, something, I don't know, but…" She glanced at Mhenlo as if he could answer the question in her mind, the look in her eyes causing Aidan to revise earlier assumptions about the elementalist realizing the touch of the divine. "…but something sort of, came over me, and I felt the calmest I've ever felt in my life." She looked down at her hands again, a smirk on her lips. "I suppose I had accepted that I was to die, and had reached the point of insane desperation. I decided, then and there, that I wasn't going to die under a table, and the calm urged me to wait just a little longer."
Cynn set her bowl into Devona's and unabashedly reached to take the warrior's hand, squeezing it softy. "So I waited. I only saw four at first, the axe warrior that found me, a hunter, another warrior, and a fire caller." Devona audibly sucked a breath in through her teeth at that, fire callers were some of the most dangerous Charr to deal with, but she said nothing. Cynn continued. "Apparently the fire caller was the leader, and ordered the axe warriors to free me, which they did as it left. Another beast pulled me from the rubble and left me in front of the house, I suppose they thought that in my state I wasn't going anywhere. By that point, there were six, the four from before, another hunter, and this one, sickly looking Charr that Ive never seen before. It work a skull helm…" She drifted off for a moment at the memory of how the Charr looked, then shook her head.
"The calm switched into rage and I felt a surge of energy greater than anything any enchantment ever placed upon me in the academy could ever dream of doing. My mind felt opened to something, and it felt like I was reaching up into the heavens themselves in order to pull down the meteors of flame with my own hand." A dark expression settled on the elementalist's features, her eyes darkening and her smile wicked, a look more fitting for the pale followers of Grenth than for Cynn. "They didn't stand a chance. The last bit I remember was flinging fireball after fireball into the inferno before passing out, then you all were there." She looked up, the dark look gone and replaced by a tired, yet determined expression. "I will learn how to do that on my own at will, and rain destruction upon those who sought to destroy us."
And if you asked any of the three there when the elementalist made this decree, not a single one of them would have doubted her.
