AN: In celebration to Endwalker's launch, I've written a small piece for my own indulgence. I hope you enjoy.


High upon a hill, overseeing the great nation of Ishgard stood a lonely grave.

Within piles of rock and stone, it was a wonder how much time had passed since the day his body lay buried beneath the earth.

Phyllis made her rounds to deliver a few goods in favour of the guilds she had been acquainted with. Anything was better for her than lying still within the confines of her own humble abode. While the Scions made their preparations to travel to old Sharlayan, the waiting and idle wanderings had done little to stave away her darker thoughts. And so, in the meantime, the elezen decided it was high time to pay her dues to the very guilds whom she owed her successes to.

It just so happens that a few of them asked for errands to send for Ishgard's restoration.

It feels like forever, now. She thought. Since the Dragonsong war.

That silhouettes she saw before casting Nidhogg's eyes to the casm, she had no doubt they were real. But after one thing led to another, she was never granted that chance to ever ponder over it.

After tarrying her thoughts, she made her way to climb up on that lonely hill to visit Haurchefant's grave.

The snow's deep today, with her newly fashioned sabatons, she let her long limbs plough through the knee-deep layers of fallen snow. Much to her relief, the higher she climbed, the ice receded until she reached the top.

"The weather looks wonderful today," she mused. "I suppose I never had the chance to visit you after everything, Lord Haurchefant."

At the base of the grave lay flowers next to her late friend's broken shield.

Lord Francel was here, she smiled.

She folded her legs on the snowy floor, not caring for the cold as she dusted off the snow from his grave. The green-haired elezen never thought it possible to make peace with his loss, almost vowing to never allow herself the right love and never be loved by another. The guilt that ate at her heart was never being able to reciprocate his affections in a manner that was clear for him to see. But as time moved forward, and after a long and arduous journey from the First to the Source, she finally braved her heart to make peace with that.

"Good day to you, Lord Haurchefant," Phyllis then moved to sit properly before the engraved stone. "Firstly, I'd like to apologise for not coming to see you so soon. Now that things have mellowed for the time being, I've found things nary difficult to ever keep track of everything and everyone respectively."

She paused; her smile mellowed.

"…Soon enough, before the songs of war will ring once more, I will be leaving for Sharlayan. Old Sharlayan, to be precise. …I cannot say I'm not truly worried with what is to come, if I must confess. After all, this is Sharlayan, we're talking about. After all that yearning of wanting to be there, only to have ourselves tied to it in two days flat- I just don't know what to think anymore."

Her mind turned to those small days, where she had been naïve and barely learned. How the world looked so hopeful inspite of the loss from the Seventh Umbral Calamity. How coming to Sharlayan was a dream she had all but yearned, never believing it would truly be fulfilled. How she had confided these yearned musings to him one night, and how her friend would listen to her by the fire over a mug of mead.

"Knowing you, you'd always try and keep my spirits up, send me off with that cheerful smile of yours," she laughed. "You've always been eccentric in that way. Finding a way to see the hopeful in the dreariest places. I suppose, it has always been an endearing trait I've come to love."

I miss you. I still do even now.

"Your family has ever been good to me, as they've done in the past. Your brothers still tarry on, doing their best for House Foretempts and for Ishgard. They told me stories of you growing up. How much of you has changed just as there were parts of you that lingered even after being assigned out here."

Phyllis stretched out her hand onto the grave stone, splaying her fingers across its cold surface. Her fingers traced the engraved letters, her eyes followed the lines that marked his name.

"Is it not strange? That I'd only realise how much people mean to me in the face of death? How I'd only come to love you in the face of your sacrifice, or how I've only realised how much I cared after such dire of circumstances?" she scoffed, smiling at the irony. "Such insignificant creatures we are. We who dwell in the past and treasure them like a jewel, only to squander our present in the process. That in the face of our grief and despair, we wouldn't see what matters before us."

I'm sorry, Haurchefant. But I'm moving forward.

"You, who had been my hope in that time of loss. How much I prayed and hoped that you would be standing beside me in the worst of times. How much your memory had kept me going, even in the face of death's door." Her throat tightened as a lump of grief slowly grew within her. "Before, I've always thought you would be the only one left in my heart. But now- its time I have to move forward. You will always be a memory I treasured the most, Haurchefant. Someone I loved. Forever will be. But now, I-"

I have my friends, who need me as I have needed them.

"I have found family among my peers," she swallowed hard. "People who have supported me, scolded me for my recklessness; people who would fight at my side… In spite of everything. Friends who would ask of my hand, just as easily as they would give me theirs without expecting anything in return."

Upon their arrival of the first, never had she been so close to anyone as they are now. Having all the Scions together to support each other. And how much they were willing to give to guarantee her survival. And before she knew it, the gaps Haurchefant left behind had begun to fade.

"I never wanted to let go of you."

Even now, I feel your presence fading from my heart.

"I swore an oath I'd never abandon you, even for a second. Even if… even if you are all but a memory to me."

With closed eyes, she could already see him. That familiar silhouette who would pat her head and listen to were woes over the fire. She knew Lord Haurchefant was never one to want in becoming a burden. That in every respect, he would always do what is best for world. To find cheer in the most hopeless of situations; to serve even in the dreariest of places. If he were truly here now, she would already know what he'd do.

He would smile at her with an honest, accepting nod, letting her know her happiness was also his.

She sniffed, drawing a long breath.

"That doesn't mean I'll stop visiting you though," she forced out a laugh. "I'm not so cold hearted that I'd neglect these visits, no doubt. But I just thought I'd let you know, that I'm alright now. I've come so far, and I have the Scions with me in every step in the way."

Phyllis then stood up, brushing off the chips of ice that stuck on the sabaton's plating.

"You can rest easy now, Lord Haurchefant. Though the wars are never over, I swear by my name I will not have you see this world succumb to the hands of these destroyers."

Good night, knight of house Fortempts.

With a reverent bow before his grave, the Warrior of Light turned her heel and made her way down the path that leads to Mor Dhona.


Night draped over Eorzean skies, clearing itself of clouds as it adorns itself with beaded stars.

Since his leading days of the Crystarium, clear nights would always make him think of Norvrandt and the residents of the Crystarium. With their world in no calamitous-scale of danger, G'raha would nod to himself to remind him that all is well for them.

G'raha sat idly over the balcony of the Rising Stones, his red eyes staring out into the sky above, his hands lacing together on his lap. It had only ever been months since he joined the Scions and already, he had come to see the many sides of each member. Though more importantly, he had slowly come to terms that the Warrior of Light was almost always absent if the Scions do not beckon her.

Most of her most known adventures within that unwritten future, often spoke of her companions who aided her in the midst of her trials. How in almost every tale and corner of that broken world, she'd be accompanied with either of the Levaliuer twins, or with some other known figures. By these impressions alone painted a version of the Warrior of Light as someone who could connect with the hearts of others. Someone who would always be in aid to her friends by her side.

It was only by the fourth day of her absence had it finally sunk in, that in her fame, so many had demanded so much of her attention.

Just as the thought passed his mind, the famed elezen herself arrived by the base of the aetheryte, dismounting from her choccobo.

And the famed hero returns, he smiled.

The miqo'te was just about to stand up and wave from where he stood, then ceased when he saw Estinien approach her. G'raha read the tales of the Dragonsong War, how the Warrior of Light and the Azure Dragoon fought side by side on certain fronts of the battlefield. It certainly doesn't surprise him now to see the two famed figures of history talk with ease. With his presence so far from where they stood, G'raha could only watch as the two sat on the closest bench, her expression seemed mellower than usual.

I shouldn't pry into their business, he decided, convincing him he's satisfied knowing Phyllis had finally returned to the Rising Stones. G'raha turned himself to leave until he caught sight of her rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand hastily. Followed by the stoic dragoon patting her head as a means of comfort.

Though he told himself again it shouldn't be part of his business, but G'raha was compelled to oversee this. Inaudible their exchange may be, he wouldn't dare draw into hasty conclusions.

Ah, he realised. I'm doing it again.

In his days as the Exarch, he would oversee the world and its denizens through a mirror, unable to lift a finger to intervene despite his worries and wants. But in situations like these, it's only fair and etiquette not to dig too deeply, only wait for the persons involved to be out with it on their own terms. At the same time, if there lies a need that needs addressing, would it be his right, as a friend, to ask her how she fares as of late?

The former azure dragoon then stood up, giving Phyllis a satisfied nod before he made his way towards the tavern bellow. Lifting her head, her eyes met with the miqo'te and blinked.

She caught me. G'raha made an awkward smile, silently apologizing for bearing witness to that. In turn she nodded in greeting, before she gestured to him that she'll join him in a moment.

The Warrior of Light headed inside, leaving him to sit among the empty chairs to wait. By now, his heart ceased its jitters at Phyllis's presence, now that he had come to learn more about her as a friend. Though a part of him now pondered if she had only decided to meet him as a means of explaining herself. If it were the case, he'd be ready to tell her there was no need to feel obliged to explain, unless of course, she wanted to.

At the mere sound of her steps, he turned towards her incoming presence. She wore no armour now, only donning a simple dress and walking shoes. G'raha waved at her, to which she returned with a warm smile.

"Welcome back, my friend," he then gestured to the seat adjacent to her. "How do you fare as of late?"

"Oh, the same as always," she said, taking her seat with a long sigh. "Though we're at a state of calm, there's always an errand to run, people to see. Ah, but I suppose that's on me since I can choose to decline their request if I didn't want to."

Now that she's there, upon close inspection, her purple eyes were rimmed with red. Her sun-kissed skin now seemed a little paler. G'raha turned his gaze to his hands as his palms began to run along his forearms, his tail swishing as he debated whether or not he should ask.

"…I had to say goodbye," she said quietly. "To a good man."

His breath ceased for a moment, looking up to find her wearing a pained smile on her lips as she continued.

"Though my heart had finally made peace with it, there would be times where I find myself remembering him and his words. For the longest time, I truly thought I'd set my heart only for him; but as time moved on, everything that he was now became no more than a memory."

The sudden revelation brought a small pang of pain in his chest, only to have curiosity take hold over that emotion.

"A memory?" G'aha leaned forward. "Then is this man-?"

"-He died around the time of the Dragonsong war," she answered. "Lord Haurchefant Greystone of House Fortempts was his name."

The miqo'te recognised that name, remembering a member of house Fortempts being the author of Heavensward. The pieces now fell together and now understood who this elusive man was.

"I've read of him," he admitted. "In that lost future of ours. Edmund Fortempts wrote of him in passing as one of your companions."

She laughed, "I don't really know what Lord Edmund has to say of my efforts in the Dragonsong War, but I can only hope he did well in depicting his son in the most noble way possible."

"So then, what was he to you? A friend? A lover?" he said.

Her eyes casted down to her lap. "An inspiration."

G'raha then leaned against the back of his seat, registering the words to his memory.

"Since that day he paid his life for my own, I was… at a loss," she continued. "For the first time in my life had I ever known the taste of vengeful thoughts. In the midst of all that harrowing worries of being an outsider, the very man who reached out to me was taken from me. And that in the end, I finished Thordan and his knights for less than honourable reasons. And even when I did, the pain of his absence stricken me. It was after confronting Niddhog for the final time did his words finally reach me.

Be the hero that smiles. Accept the world for all its flaws but strive to be better than that. And for a time, I held onto that. Fighting recklessly in Ala Mhigo's and Doma's frontlines. Everything I strived for in the end, was about honouring his memory, playing the part of a version of me he had envisioned."

Phyllis then raised her head to the night sky, sighing once more as she smiled.

"In the end, I held his memory too high. And in the midst of it all, the very essence of him whom I desperately clung to, eventually ebbed away. It took me this long to accept the truth; that no matter how hard I try, he was never going to come back."

G'raha's ears flattened, "I'm sorry to hear that. My condolences."

"Don't be." She patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry to bring on you so suddenly."

"Well, no, I'm-" he took in a deep breath. "I'm honoured that you would confide this with me, if anything. But I will ask; are you feeling better now? Rather, is everything alright with you, presently?"

Phyllis firmly nodded. "I'm alright now."

"That's good, I was rather worried there for a moment if anything had made you upset."

His friend smiled tenderly, the kind of sweet smile he had seen whenever she was among the rest of the Scions. His heart jittered for a moment as a quiet warmth grew in his chest. Though the day had been long and busy, nothing could be more perfect than a night like this, spending this precious time with his friend.

Let's not ruin it, he thought.

Phyllis then hugged her knees on her seat, raising her head up to the sky. "Do you miss them? Norverandt, I mean."

"I do," he nodded. "But I have faith they'll be alright, even without me around."

A quiet repose fell between them, one that neither felt awkward nor uncomfortable as the two of them watched the night sky. Now that she was there, they had the world to themselves as he basked in its tranquillity. Not since that brief moment of respite at mt Gulg had he ever felt anything like this.

"…I'm glad you're here, G'raha," she finally said. "I'm happy knowing that there's always going to be someone waiting for me here. Whether it's you, Y'shtola. Thancred. Alphinaud and Alisaie. Urianger. Tataru. Everyone. If no one hadn't been on this journey with me… there's no doubt I would have been so lost and with no sense of direction."

"That's only because your efforts had brought us to where we are now, Phyllis. For every good deed, there will always be someone who will be touched by your works. I can guarantee that."

"G'raha," she buried her face on her knees. Her short, pointed ears now glowing red. "Honestly, I thought for a moment you were talking about someone else entirely. You still speak so highly of me."

"I only speak what is in my heart," he grinned. "There's no shame in accepting compliments when you truly deserve it."

"Now you're just laying it thick."

"I do what I do best," he made a gallant bow.

The elezen peaked at him, her cheeks glowing pink. He was tempted to push her further with his own words, but at her behest, he conceded.

"Whatever lies within your heart, there will always be someone who will listen," he said. "Whether its me, or rest of the Scions, I'm certain anyone will be willing to lend an ear on mellow days like this."

She nodded as the pink on her cheeks slowly ebbed away. He had always known her path was never easy, that this path she walked was not without trials and tribulations. To be part of her adventures would also entail sharing the same burdens as hers; a role in which he was more than willing to play.

"G'raha."

"Yes, Phyllis?"

"…thank you."

No, I thank you.

Despite such thoughts, he decided it was better to be prudent and accepted her words. For the night could not have been so much perfect than it already is at that moment.