Primogenitor

Chapter Eight

Nostrils wrinkled, he let his gazes roam over snowy desolation.

The fiasco unfolding all around him looked even more pitiful under the grey sky.

Western Coerthas had become a place that did not deserve the phrase 'winter-wonderland' at all. Because no signs of the former flora were left. Fields; trees; bushes- almost all gone. It truthfully seemed like the wintriness was swallowing more and more the remaining memories of the times before the catastrophe five years ago. Even the animals he could detect in the distance resembled not the lively creatures which occupied this area in the past... They had a rough charisma thanks to their harsh territory... Bodies changed and adapted to the chilly environment...

Humans living in this place were also not spared.

The settlement which was named Falcon's Nest looked like a corrupted version of it's former self. Having seen it in the past, Midgardsormr could hardly believe, how less the original buildings were reconstructed by Ishgard's cavaliers plus laborers who had been tasked to support their neighbors. As if the inquisitors saw no other use in the village anymore, they had rather built a military base for their holy war instead of taking care of the residents' needs.

Glancing at the reason for his or rather their presence in this place, he was rootedly relieved that Cecilia still couldn't be impressed by the title which her employer owned. Respectively: Erik and the other Warriors, too, did not give that much about a blinding rank.

Artoirel Fortemps might act like the nobleman he was thanks to his heritage, yet it was very obvious he didn't think too positive about the adventurers. He conversed only minimal with them – mostly with Erik, as the Hyur was the leader of the small troop. And therefore, the mannerless man listened now to the assignment which Artoirel and – of all things – a Durendaire-knight had for this mission, while the other Warriors stood deedless around in Falcon's Nest.

Midgardsormr couldn't help but feeling suspiciously when it came to house Durendaire...

It was not directly a coercion, though, that the – for him meanwhile familiar – mortals were here... The Warriors of Light accompanied the elder son of Count Fortemps per will. Albeit the leader of the royal family had asked for demonstrating his successor the famous adventurer-benignity and -dedication, it was nevertheless merely a trivial plea. No official order. Neither house Durendaire nor Dzemael were expecting the anything from the group, above all, as they had only requested some support of house Fortemps.

Furthermore, Edmont had even hesitated with his plea. The constant possibility, that heretics might be involved in the tasks awaiting in Western Coerthas, had been a reason for the Count to worry about his guests' safety. Fortemps' concern, in turn, was the final trigger for the adventurers to accept the quest, since their naive minds did not allow any risks for Artoirel as their patron's son. They saw only endangerment when it came to those who they wanted to support – not themselves. And notwithstanding that their humbleness was absolutely clear, the uppish son of the good Count had still not changed his reserved attitude towards them.

Sometimes, mortal's foolishness knew no end.

Clearing his nose with a sniff, the dragon felt chilly on Cecilia's Astrologian-globe.

Snowflakes fell on his under-cooled corpus, wherefore he stood the weather even less.

Noticing Erik's movement into Cecilia's direction, Midgardsormr figured out, that the leader wanted to instruct the current task to his companions. Thus, he stayed on the weapon, as he wanted to listen first of all to the speech, before he could think about seeking for shelter from the cold atmosphere. This indirect bustling activity was reflected by the rest of the adventurers, who gathered now with serious expressions around their boss. Tammy, Carlos, Bertram and Annika – somehow, the dragon recalled the Warrior's names meanwhile completely.

For a moment, this discovery made his head slightly quake in wonderment.

Erik began to comment on the job. There existed not many details about it, though, as the mortals were mostly here because of some rumors. Allegedly, Lady Iceheart had been spotted a while ago, when a Dzemael-knight had chased a few bandits. The activities of heretics in this area were additionally increasing since a while, so it might be possible that a camp of them existed somewhere in Western Coerthas – the major-base, perhaps.

With this information, the Warriors were tasked to accompany Artoirel and a few other knights on the search for traces of heretical activities nearby Falcon's Nest. For now, the adventurers should search northwards of the settlement, while the others would look westward.

~C~

It was hard to acclimate, when the wind blew harsher onto his body.

Midgardsormr hid his corpus under Cecilia's robe; the hilarious big eyes glancing out of the brink. Full of discontent, his irises glowed in bright red. He noticed her worried gazes, when she looked now and then at him, albeit she should better watch out whereto she conducted her Chocobo. Obviously, Erik thought the same, because he shouted over his left shoulder: "Ceci, your puppet can hardly become an ice-block just because of a little breeze, but Edgar can't act like an autopilot in this area which he does not know yet. Don't you agree?"

She nodded embarrassed: "I'm sorry... It's not like I want him to get more hurt than necessary..." Considering, that she had made for the white bird a winter-coat he wore now, his tender 'Kweeeeeh.' demonstrated how much Edgar cherished her worry about his temperature. The gruff 'big brother', on the other hand, seemed not to be pleased by her apology. "That's not what I wanted to hear! When we bear in mind, that he's practically a gift of mine for you, he should be your top-priority while you 'cruise' around with him. Can't believe I must tell you that! And- OHA."

Pointing out at something in the distance, the Marauder said: "Looks like somebody got trouble." Accelerating the speed of his soot-black Chocobo, Erik rushed forward, so that the other Warriors could hardly catch up. But this seemed to be no moment too early, as Erik's eyes proofed to be right. An injured Durendaire-knight cowered barely conscious over the ground in the grim ice-desert; bleeding from several stab-wounds in arms, legs and even stomach. Cecilia and Annika dismounted as the first ones their Chocobos, as they began instantly to heal the injuries.

Of necessity, the dragon left the robe – yet he clung to the maiden in another way. Unable to endure the weather by the minimal warmth his own corpus could create, he had no other choice left. Although... There existed at least a bit distraction from his discontent.

It was always a miracle to behold from her shoulder, how talented the Au Ra was... No matter, which kind of healer she might be in a specific moment. Though the Lalafell was also remarkably skilled when it came to the Whitemagic she possessed. It was surely Annika's area of expertise.

The faint sound of hooves hitting the snow filled the air suddenly.

"What happened to you? Were you attacked by bandits or even heretics?" Artoirel asked the knight in the very second his horse appeared in audible reach. Erik stared for a moment at the Elezen with such a cold expression in the steel-blue eyes, as if he wanted to behead the business-driven snob, but he kept his rough manners partly down. So, all he said was: "You can interrogate him AFTER we put him onto your horse, Monsieur Fortemps." "Understood." the royal-son replied frigid with offended gazes at Erik's face and lowered corners of the mouth.

When the knight sat behind Artoirel, he confirmed the suspicion of the heretics.

"I was just on my routinely patrol." ,the cavalier croaked with a weak voice, "When I bumped into several hooded men, I wanted to check them – a bunch of bandits had yesterday robbed a merchant, again, so it's my duty to be careful with strangers. They acted at first harmless, but then I noticed these equivocal amulets... When I said blue-eyed 'heretics', I felt their swords in my flesh."

Nodding, the nobleman said: "We will find them. Erik, I entrust you and your companions for now with the task of searching for clues, wherever the heretics could have vanished. I will join you later once this good man can rest in a sickbed. The other knights may surely catch up with you." "Got it." ,the Hyur responded short-spoken, before he addressed the injured, "Take one week vacation or so, buddy. You're lucky we accidentally found you. Things could have ended otherwise pretty bad."

The knight smiled grateful, while Artoirel beheld Erik one last time with a stony expression.

When Count Fortemps' oldest son guided his horse swiftly into the direction of Falcon's Nest, Midgardsormr found it hard to believe, that this Elezen and Haurchefant shared partly their roots.

~C~

The temperature seemed to drop even more.

A little bit, the dragon envied the wounded soldier because of the current circumstances.

While that man would soon lay under a comfortable blanket in a warm room, he was still exposed to the frosty air plus falling snow. And presumably, this fact would not change for the next hours, since he knew the stubbornness of the Warriors too well...

"We should split up." ,Erik suggested meditative when the humans climbed onto their Chocobos, "If the weather doesn't become better, we won't find footsteps in the snow. Or in general any hints. They''ll vanish a fortiori the flakes fall down." "Splitting up might be the most effective method, yes, but what if one of us gets attacked like the Durendaire-knight?" Carlos questioned skeptical.

"We're strong and smart enough to avoid injuries, don't you think?" a counter-question followed. The Blackmage-Elezen seemed not entirely convinced. "This would mean you rely on pure luck." "I rely on the capabilities we all own – and the certainty that we can phone each other per linkshell if one of us stumbles into honest trouble." the Hyur replied sternly.

The two man eyeballed each other with severe gazes.

Chuckling, Bertram said: "Come on now, guys. Don't fight your friends, aye? There are plenty of heretics around for clobbering into the ground – if you insist on letting frustration out." The Paladin was usually a sunshiny person – and this argument did not darken the Roegadyn's mood at all.

Tammy agreed with him: "Yeah, save your anger for the schnooks. Or, when we're back in Ishgard, you could try to grab Estinien. I bet he would enjoy a buddy-fight a lot." "Will not happen, thanks." ,Carlos negated disgusted, "I rather entrust a dubiously, hooded society in a dark forest with my life instead of spending superfluously time with my grand-cousin."

After these words were spoken, the Elezen let his dark-grey Chocobo run away.

"Uhm, looks like we stick now to the splitting-plan." ,Annika noticed and scratched her left cheek, "But I think Carlos and Estinien should do something about their relation." "Yepp... But you're surely not the last person to say that." the Hyur added – shrugging minimal, when the Lalafell gazed with a sobered expression at him. Cecilia and Tammy tried to cheer her with shoulder-patting up, albeit Annika folded her arms in an indignant way. "Carlos is an idiot..." she grumbled.

"You can discuss that later." ,the leader ordered, "Let's go now."

Then, Erik spurred his Chocobo into another direction than Carlos was vanished before – the sign for the others to follow their examples. Simultaneous, the remaining four Warriors swarmed into different angles apart; all birds running at their maximum speed. Midgardsormr squinted his eyes because of the pace, as the snow was directly flying into his sensitive irises. Howbeit he felt good whenever the blunt Hyur was not around, he wasn't glad about Edgar heading to the North while more and more snowflakes dashed to the ground.

After a while, Cecilia said: "Sheesh, it's no use... The view becomes too limited now."

The dragon wanted to ask her, what she wanted to adumbrate with these words, but couldn't move his freezing muzzle under a sharp gust. Instead, he watched, how she slowed her Chocobo down. Walking unhurried over the white ice-powder, Edgar carried them to the frontier of something that looked like a forsaken farm-land.

Next to a fence, Cecilia's corpus twitched suddenly. "Wait a moment." she said, before she slowly dismounted her bird – letting the dragon time to climb onto Edgar's neck before she left the saddle. He couldn't stay any longer on her shoulder, as he needed more distinct guard from the cold...

Kneeling down, her hands glided careful into a small, flat hole, which had been probably made before the snowstorm emerged. A wide grin spread over her face, when she found other dimples next to the first one. "Ah-ha, I haven't failed." ,the Astrologian said muted and stood determined up, "There ARE indeed some footprints which the snow hasn't entirely covered."

When she gazed at him, Midgardsormr nodded minimal, before he flew to her. It was embarrassing, yet he slipped again under her robe; unable to stand the storm without the pleasant heat of hers. "Freezing again?" she asked tenderly, though she must know that he didn't plan to reply – or rather, could not answer to her question. But her considerate gesture was anyway welcome to the dragon, so he leaned his head for a moment against her thigh.

She began pacing over the snowy farm-area – Edgar followed her like a big shadow.

As the dragon glanced like before out of the brink, he noticed a big house in front of them. Perhaps, this had been a lively place in the past. Where those mortals who economized this land were enjoying their downtime together; cooking, eating, talking and sleeping side by side.

Albeit the building didn't look as forsaken as the rest of this farm...

Four humans stood sentinel next to the wooden door; conversing innocently.

The dragon jerked in wonderment, when Cecilia approached them directly instead of sneaking around the house. Her soft voice rose for a friendly greeting: "Hello gentlemen. Quite lonely here in the wilderness, don't you agree?" Her hands were loosely folded behind her back, when she came unusual close to the confused strangers. No hint of uptightness lay in her doing. But the four guards, on the contrary, were alarmed. They all wore heretic-amulets on their chests.

The maiden studied patiently these half puzzled, half hostile faces.

In spite of her guileless behavior, she had obviously waited for an attack. Amongst the second they grabbed their swords and lances, she dodged instantly the subsequent assault. "I won't kill you." ,she declared calmly while she outflung her globe, "Hence, you all should better act peacefully when I handcuff you guys. My darling reacts allergic to persons who try to stab me."

This turned out to be a keyword, as the Chocobo kicked one heretic extra harsh when aforesaid man swung his weapon into the maiden's direction. A strong peck followed. In fact, Edgar was a perfect combat-partner for her, as his rough force matched her magic fluently. Also, she healed the bird instantly when he got injured, so that he could attack without hesitation.

The duo knocked the recalcitrant men quickly out.

With a thick cord, Cecilia tied them up to each other; fettering their feet with additional tows, wherefore they would not been able to walk away if they should wake up later. Done with her work, the Au Ra strolled unhurried into the building – barely making a sound when she opened the door. Looking inside, she and Midgardsormr noticed at first a few messily stables on the left side. Opposite to the entrance, a corridor led to a staircase. And on the right side, three additional heretics jumped up from their seats when Cecilia made willingly a loud step on the ground.

"You're awfully inattentive as security-guards..." ,she stated down-to-earth; earnestly reprehensive, "I bet I could sneak behind you and slit your throats with my Astrology-cards if I wanted this." Midgardsormr felt gooseflesh developing on his skin when her cold words went through his ears. Thus, he was glad she sighed following with an intensity that revealed, how less she wanted to fight these humans in truth. Edgar right behind her, however, seemed to enjoy the next round clearly, although he couldn't move too much around in the room.

Beating two of the three opponents was no challenge at all; the last heretic in return was at least a skilled fighter despite his depauperate acuesthesia. His serrated lance kept Edgar on distance – making it hard for the bird to near his target. Avoiding the sharp metal seemed to be troublesome for the Chocobo because of the stables next to him... He ducked the head several moments, as there was no space left to go when the lance came threatening close to his face.

But this was not the only problem.

Cecilia might fire her Astrologian-magic at the heretic, which was indeed successful, yet this alone couldn't knock him out. Her enemy seemed to be resistant to her blows. Even a specific attack, which should normally weaken it's victim over the time, did not seem to have any effect.

As her attacks were almost piffling in his eyes, the man focused on Edgar. The bird fought bravely, albeit it was clear his condition was only acceptable because the maiden healed him. In this room, he wasn't able to kick precisely like he had done before; a great disadvantage.

Suddenly, Cecilia sprinted without a warning to the heretic; dodging the lance easily, as she was too close to him. With a ably move of her free hand, she slapped the weapon out of the heretic's hold. When the lance slid over the floor, Edgar reacted fast as a flash and kicked the heretic frontal into the stomach. It was a miracle, though, that the opponent could still stand on his feet.

Quickly, he dived for his weapon – surely ready to slay the bird.

But right in the moment he stood up, Cecilia stepped instantly behind him. With a slightly frustrated facial expression, she slammed her Astrology-globe over his head. The object was made of metal, so it must create enough headache to ruin the heretic's balance. Which she and her animal proofed, when the man couldn't even scratch them anymore while he spun wildly the weapon around. Capitalizing aforesaid handicap without hesitation, a concerted peck reached it's goal once more in the stomach, as the lance's next blow fell short of Edgar, too.

This attack of the bird was enough to bring the heretic to the ground; the following Chocobo-kick finally enough to throw the foe into the world of dreams.

Out of breath, Edgar stood harshly panting next to the maiden, when she handcuffed the heretics with thick tows just like she had done before to their allies outside of the building.

"You stay better here and take a break." Cecilia suggested while gazing at her Chocobo with worried eyes. Edgar fluffed indignantly his plumage up as a reaction to her request; making angrily 'Kweeeh!'-tones and shaking manifold his head. Amongst his complaint, however, he stumbled. Obviously, he felt dizzy after the fight. But all rationality the bird owned succumbed clearly enough his affection for the maiden.

"It's no plea, if you do not cooperate. It's an order in this case. So behave well-mannered." she said with a sharp pitch in the muted voice. Edgar opened his beak for protest – however, no sound escaped the bird's throat under the archmage's gaze. Unwillingly, the bird sat down on the floor; signaling, that he would not leave this spot until she allowed it. Albeit he acted a bit like a rebel, when he plucked a strand of hair out of the heretic-skull next to him.

"Let them unconscious, please." she sighed and shook her head resigned. Then, Cecilia walked to the staircase, where she eyeballed skeptical the steps leading down to the cellar. She seemed to have a bad feeling about it – a feeling the dragon shared instantly.

~C~

There was no furniture in the big room at the end of the staircase.

No wide shelves for preserved nutriment stood there. No farming-tools or -machines leaned against the walls anywhere. No fodder for animals was stored in the chamber's corners. There weren't even several stools or desks – or anything which could demonstrate that people lived here.

Only a single object was left in the room's most distant wall.

Midgardsormr raised his brows in wonderment as he regarded it exhaustive.

For a long time... he hadn't seen such a statue... The one standing next to Sohm Al was burned down by his own descendants; at least half of it. All the other exemplars in the Churning Mists were entirely destructed by them. But not that mortals were any better... In fact he had already believed, the humans would have destroyed all replicas they owned of this symbol...

The love of Hraesvelgr and the mortal Shiva.

It was a picture the people of Ishgard had drawn as well as sculptured endlessly in the far away past for demonstrating, how dear they held the peace which the couple had created.

To see now an intact version of it dumbfounded him deeply.

In his astonishment, he noticed only now, that an Elezen-woman knelt before the item; praying to it. And seemingly, Cecilia did not dare to interrupt this supplication, as she stood motionless there – watching silently. Because of her reaction, he wondered, if she did even know this statue. So much, how she wished for peace between humans and dragons, he would not be surprised, if she was aware of the reason why the heretics rebelled against their Holy City... Their leader – this praying woman here – did preach a shard of the denied truth.

When the Elezen's folded hands sank down, the Au Ra became lively again.

Cecilia stepped slowly into the chamber – eyes not leaving the woman. "Ysayle." she said lowly like the whisper of a soft breeze. The tune was deeper than usual, albeit he couldn't grasp, why. Perhaps the maiden was... sad...? But if so, he did not know her reason.

The heretic's leader stood up and eyeballed skeptical the mage for a moment over the left shoulder. Obviously, they knew each other... Their body-languages revealed a clear recognition, which he had not watched before; considering the other heretics. However, these young women here were definitely no friends – nor well-disposed acquaintances, when it came to the Elezen.

When she turned finally around to her 'guest', an almost insulting question came from the grey lips: "Have you still not given up to pursue me?" Lady Iceheart sounded a bit too harsh – it was similar to a threat or at least a notedly warning. But as the dragon had once 'seen' her, he knew certainly, that it would be wrong if she attacked Cecilia now.

They were two of a kind, in the end.

So, he broke his own rule to not interfere in the maiden's interaction with others.

He slipped out of the robe; flying next to the archmage in a protective manner. This single dispute, he would never allow to happen; even under the circumstances, that he had to betray his principles. Probably he would later suffer under his action like he had done before in Ul'dah – when he burnt that atrocious Lalafell... But at least he did not see red now. It was a deliberate choice.

Forthright, he spoke to Lady Iceheart: "The mortal who could take a glance at the truth..."

Ysayle dilated her light-grey eyes when she heard his calm, deep voice. Gaping at him unassertive, she asked breathless: "Are you the one... who I think you could be...?" A silent, suppressed chuckle rolled in his throat. So she recalled him from her visions. Very good. "Yes. She came to me, just like thou did. The two of thee possess the same talent, but thy destinies could not be more different. Thou art mysterious creatures..."

His short explanation was all Lady Iceheart seemed to have needed. Because she beheld Cecilia abruptly with a strong respect in the bright irises. All animosity was gone from the crystalline grey. But of course... She knew thanks to her Echo, that he had been slumbering in the embrace of death. Not even the Garlean soldiers nor their machines were in the past able to wake him with their noise. So, when he accompanied suddenly this maiden instead of sleeping... it meant she was much more than a gifted being. Instead, she was a favorite of Her grace. One of Hydaelyns most precious... rather blessed chosen mortals. A child worth protecting.

Ysayle relaxed visibly, when this knowledge reached her mind.

"If HE accompanies you... I suppose I could try to trust you. After all, there do exist rumors about an adventurer-magician who does not harm dragons at all... No matter what happens. So tell me: You are this mage, am I correct?" the Elezen asked cautiously. Cecilia nodded with closed lids, before she gazed directly with her odd-colored eyes into the heretic's exemplars. These open windows to her soul were calling silently for Lady Iceheart to believe into her wish for peace; Midgardsormr could feel the familiar patience which had been captivating him since a while, too. This charisma of an innocent, pure adult was like a mixture of several addictive drugs... He saw the Elezen's tentativeness, naturally, but no mortal being would be able to resist this Raen truthfully, when an ancient dragon was not even able to do this miracle.

And he was right to expect Lady Iceheart's mental defeat.

Ysayle confirmed his statement straightforward. She talked willingly about her gift – letting Cecilia even listen to the very beginning of her life as a heretic. How she lost her family to the ice which spread over Western Coerthas after the catastrophe five years ago. How she fled alone to Dravania; looking for a place to recover. Everything she had known until then had changed as she met one of the First Brood – Hraesvelgr – who told her indirectly via visions the truth about the dragon-war. Since then, she fought for harmony between men and dragons as well as against the wrong believe of Ishgard's people, even if her path was a violent one.

When the last words left Ysayle's mouth, Cecilia's face became gloomy.

"Are you aware of the fact... that unblamable lives had to suffer under the actions of the heretics...? Not only soldiers exist in Ishgard... Not all of the citizens are Inquisitors... The poor, the homeless and at the most the KIDS have to endure lots of pain – caused by Vishap's attack. And this happened in turn thanks to you guys. Hopefully you do not expect me to rejoice in that 'master-plan'."

Her voice was muted, but Cecilia's words were sharp as a blade. She outmatched Erik right now...

The face of her conversational-partner became a dolorous mask. "I know, I know...!" ,Ysayle said, "It shouldn't have gone so far. It should not even have been like this... That the people of Ishgard detest dragons is not their own fault... We learned to hate already as babies; the hatred was instilled into us from the first second of our existence. And that it's noble to die while fighting a dragon."

The human's misdeed grieved Lady Iceheart deeply. It was a true, strong sentiment.

Indeed... All people of the new generations were taught from the very beginning, how 'cruel' and 'brute' dragons were. They just learned to hate 'pangolins'... Had never known another way.

"The dragons returned the animus notwithstanding that they knew about their true enemy's end." ,Ysayle uttered suddenly, "Albeit their real foe was perished long ago, they still condemn us mortals for our ancestor's sins." Sighing, the Elezen looked directly at Midgardsormr, when she had finished her ramshackle explanation. She seemed to be unsettled, if her words went against his will.

"Thy knowledge is lost so quickly..." ,he murmured while examining the heretic, "Only a piece of it will be passed down to thy children. Descendants. We dragons, in contrast, continue to exist... and with us the memorization. How much wrath and disdain developed in all the centuries, thou won't be able to understand."

~C~

Cecilia stomped suddenly on the floor.

It was a loud sound – surprising both him and Lady Iceheart.

"If you ask me, this all sounds like a nursery-incident." the maiden said; gazes anger-filled.

Ysayle regarded her with sorrow-stricken eyes. "I am sorry that you got involved into our war, but... There's nothing we could do to change the past. Not even we gifted humans with our Echo..." "Surely, but we have a fraction of stubborn creatures who want to extirpate Ishgard's people for something which the humans nowadays haven't done! It's as moronic as an argument of toddlers! When a child's brother does something wrong, would it be fair to punish aforesaid kid, too? No! Same goes for this situation. And I find it more and more unbelievable how ANCIENT DRAGONS can BEHAVE like a TROOP OF INFANTS without realizing THEIR OWN mistake!"

While Lady Iceheart was irritated by Cecilia's outburst, Midgardsormr quivered.

This enragement... It was on a personal level. He did not grasp, why she felt this way, but he saw, which indignation their conversation had caused. The Raen was desperate, yet she was furious. Cecilia acted like a big sister who had learned about a siblings' misconduct. Or rather, she FELT emotions which matched this example perfectly.

Lowering her head, Ysayle shrived quietly: "I will do penance for my sins... Yes, I have sinned – not even the holy Halone can save me anymore. But I will finish, what I have started, and finally, bring this land it's well-deserved peace. Because I am no longer only myself. I am also Saint Shiva; the one who once loved a dragon..."

The Elezen beheld Cecilia directly – determination clearly visible in the grey eyes as they searched for the adventurer. There would be nothing left to stop her but her own death; she wanted the Au Ra to know this. Probably, she even wanted to calculate, how honest an adventurer's wish could be, when dragons were involved in the center of a problem. But relief glimpsed in Lady Iceheart's eyes, as she did not find any hostility in Cecilia's face.

Grateful, the heretic's leader smiled gently, before she teleported away. Leaving the dragon alone with his strange companion. And for an unknown reason, Midgardsormr regretted it deeply, because this new facet of the Au Ra's personality did partly frighten him. Exposed to her 'sense of justice', nothing would distract her from letting him feel her terror...

But in fact, nothing happened.

Cecilia glanced motionless at the statue for a longer moment. Then, she closed sighing her eyelids; not directly in a peaceful manner, yet worn out enough to not incriminate him. Her left arm glided over her neutral face when she mumbled: "I really am silly... She must be scared now..."

Furrowing his brows, Midgardsormr studied the girl. "What do these words mean...?" he asked; dumbfounded by her statement. "She knows I will imprison the heretics who sentinelled this house. So, how – do you think – was the impression she obtained, when I cursed loudly those who she tries to protect from any harm? Because I was doing that when I accused the dragons of irascibility."

Chuckling helpless, the Methuselah looked at the ground. "I do not recall thee using any words which referred to violent fit of temper. I only saw, how she experienced relief when thy wrath subsided despite the potential prospect of abandoning thy wish."

Her arm made room for her open irises. "Do you think I would give my dream of peace up...?" Unhurried, he studied these eyes in different colors. Meanwhile, her limb sank completely down; letting him see these rosy lips which bent down slightly in sadness. As he was foggy-brained by Cecilia's emotional-hurt whisper, he flew closer to her face under the additional visibleness of pain. Midgardsormr might experience this side of hers since a while, but still he was weak against it...

Eyelids partly sunken, he stared into the doleful mirrors.

"I doubt thou would give thy dream up..." he whispered eventually.

Then – without thinking about it – his right 'hand' brushed over her petal-lips.

He petrified in the second he realized his doing. But his 'fingers' stayed where they were; absorbing the feeling of her soft skin. Caused by this touch, she blushed apparitional, yet her eyes told him, how glad she was about his opinion. "You trust me at least in this point truthfully." she susurrated. While she spoke, he could feel her warm breath all over his tiny corpus; felt a shy smile emerge firsthand under his physical contact to her.

Frowning, the dragon shivered, as both the touch and her statement over-strained him.

Was he blindly trusting into her wish? Had he honestly reached the frontier, when he was too weak to keep up his natural distrust into all mortals – including her? Was her innocence alone so strong, that he would make aloud a concession to her...? A single time...?

"I... I do..." he confirmed almost not audible, while his 'fingers' glided slowly down to her chin.

Sighing resigned, the dragon held the rose-colored flesh carefully with the small tips of his 'hands'; looking into her eyes without a break. For a moment, he could not stop his instincts, so he caressed with the pressure of the wings of a hummingbird the maiden – at first the chin, than the lips.

She lost all diffident joy visibly since he had assured her of his opinion, but in the moment he acted like being under a spell, it worked also vice versa. As if she was caught in a trance, she kept completely still under his 'fingertips'; her breath shallow to a point where it was not recognizable. However, her lower lip trembled like a tiny quake, when he intensified the pressure on it.

Unintentional forcing Cecilia, the dragon made her parting the rosy lips a little. Where her mouth had been shut before, the area glistered moist in the minimal illumination of this cellar. Similar to the nectar of a bloom... His 'index-finger' sought cautiously for it, albeit he knew it looked like another 'assault' of a Methuselah to hoax a young being...

Inwardly grunting, he cursed himself, that he couldn't control these sentiments properly... Disappointment would be his proper punishment for the lack of manners – hers and his own... Cecilia would condemn him for 'toying around', while he should disdain his irrationality.

But still, the 'fingertip' glided over the moistness. Still, his own trance lasted, as he explored the small space between her lips. The air left and entered his lungs uneasy, when he lightly plunged into the gap; completely unhindered, so that he tapped minimal against her separated teeth.

His heartbeat seemed to have stopped before, because it hammered suddenly loudly in his chest. Stronger as he was used to it, too – hence, he became nervous. Mostly, when he felt her lips moving unwittingly on his skin, so that it almost looked like he wasn't the only hopeless case here...

When he finally withdrew from the mage, her right hand sought for his own.

And mentally weak as he was right now, nothing prevented his reflexes from answering.

Palm on palm, he gazed helpless onto her facial mien, which was colored in a darker rose-hue. Ah... The strange longing he often enough recognized within his consciousness flowed powerful through his mind – reflected by the windows in front of him. All over his face was the desperation written, to be kept in shackles when it came to this magnetic pull...

The addiction that was not allowed to break free.

He did not know, as what he would label her if she had been a dragon, but only the fact mattered that she was a mortal. And so, Cecilia would never be like a daughter for him – or anything else... His inner chains held him therefore back from giving entirely in to his sympathy. He had to stop before it was too late.

Squinting his eyes, he clenched his jaw; the 'hand' becoming a fist on her palm.

"What is wrong...?" her muted voice caressed his ears. Glancing at Cecilia, he did notice the worry his behavior had caused. But he was not in the position to ease it. "Nothing." the dragon answered and retired from her; irises glowing red as he reminded himself of the reason for his refusal.

She examined him for a short moment. Her eyes were deeply sad.

But then, she turned with a stony expression away from him.

"I'm glad to be no excessive-complicated dragon." ,an icy undertone dwelt in her sharp words, "And now, if you excuse me, I will look after my darling Edgar. We have heretics laying around who need to be handed over to the knights."

She went up the staircase; left him behind in the cellar.

The stinging glow of his eyes died as her first sentence echoed through his head.

Looking at the old statue, Midgardsormr breathed shakily out. What a fool he was...

Flying to the sculptured image of his son, he tipped helpless against the three-dimensional picture. "Thou hast loved a mortal woman and never regretted it... Not even when thou hast turned thy back on humankind... Thy Shiva is still dear to thee... I wonder how I should maintain the friendship to my companion, when I do not even know what I see in her... She, on the other hand, seems to find my hesitation and nescience disturbing... Aaah... I am afraid she was rather doomed than blessed when Her grace decided to lead her to me..."

Groaning intensely, the dragon leaned his head backwards with closed eyes.

~C~

"Emmanellain did what...?!" the irritated voices of two mortals boomed in his ears.

Shutting the right lid down, the left eye glared in stinging red color at Cecilia and her personal fan. Absurdly, these creatures were already on the personal level of uttering exactly the same words... Not to mention their combined noise... Slightly unfolding his wings, Midgardsormr prepared for leaving the Astrology-globe in case they should react once more in a noisy manner.

"He was told to NOT leave the area...! How could he suppose to be strong enough for a solo-patrol? I know he wants to impress my friend, but Laniaitte would never agree to such rashness... If none of the Rose Knights has seen him, we can expect the worst possibility..." Haurchefant added appalled. Considering this aghast face, it was not the first time his young half-brother did a carefree misstep... Albeit it might be a novelty considering the environment. Abalathia.

Looking guiltily at the ground, the young pageboy of aforesaid Emmanellain nodded gloomy.

"I will find my Master before anything bad could happen to him. It is my fault that he wandered off by himself, so I must be the one to bring him back no matter what it takes." the child spoke with a steady voice. Before Cecilia or the Fortemps-knight were able to stop him, Honoroit ran away; quicker than a flash.

Petrified by the boy's loyalty, they all stared into space for a moment.

Then, Haurchefant sighed: "I must apologize... I hadn't expected the typical chaos next to Laniaitte. Since house Haillenarte does monitor the Sea of Clouds, I thought my brother would behave well while following his tasks... Since he has an eye on her, it would have been just logical to listen to Laniaitte's orders... But seemingly I was wrong... Well, that's the fair punishment for my selfishness to invite you. I shouldn't have taken you away from your 'brother'."

The Raen shook her head when the knight looked with a poutful expression at her.

"Erik does accompany Artoirel once more." ,she explained, "After he had yesterday also discovered such a staging-post of the heretics in the North-West, your older brother decided to include our boss into a little elite-troop. And you know Erik... When one day was a success, he's eager to repeat that in the next day. His work-morale relies on pride. At least mostly, as long as he's a bit motivated... So, we other Warriors have only been tasked by our leader to do something useful for anybody. Choosing your offering was an easy decision, therefore."

The Elezen smiled brightly, when she bestowed a bold grin upon him.

As the two went into the direction Honoroit was vanished, Midgardsormr glanced at the maiden.

Still, he was abashed, that she had played yesterday into the hands of the wicked plan he had eavesdropped before... Handing these seven heretics directly out to the Durendaire-knights could either cause an endless imprisonment for the 'traitors' OR a short, violent judgment – and the Au Ra knew this pretty well. Albeit he hadn't given her the information he knew...

Considering the fact, how she had told four heretics, they wouldn't die by her hands, the Methuselah found her mercy rather cruel than laudable. Perhaps she would have shown more sensitivity – rather more pity for them via a quick end instead of this false benignity...

But on the other hand... She had not stopped Ysayle. Lady Iceheart was yet free.

It was hard for him to understand Cecilia's motivation. Why she had made a difference...

Was it just empathy? As the heretic's leader was a gifted child, too? But Cecilia was no awestruck, god-fearing mortal who would easily follow an unwritten order... That much he had grasped about this strange archmage. She would not jump just because a higher force wanted this.

The two companions encountered three patrolling Haillenarte-knights.

Haurchefant explained quickly the situation – afterwards, one of the Elezen noted, that he supposed to have seen a boy running into the direction of the nearby Vanu-settlement. Mistaking the view for a hallucination, however, he had not informed his allies. The Fortemps-son ground loudly his teeth; stated, that he had feared this possibility. But it couldn't be helped anymore. Honoroit was not able to rescue Emmanellain alone, wherefore the child needed support.

Laniaitte's soldiers aggreed to the mission, albeit they wondered about Haurchefant's little brother. Snorting, the Fortemps-knight replied, that his brother would deserve the Vanu's judgment for waltzing into their domain, if he wouldn't be just an innocent head-in-the-clouds-personality.

Together, the five mortals traveled to the frontier of the beast-tribe's area.

Avoiding a few of the birdmen, they stopped next to a long bridge made of wood.

"From here on, we have to operate fast and goal-orientated. Behind this path lays their settlement, so we will fight them no matter where we go. The Vanu are strong combatants despite their clumsy dancing around within a battle." the largest knight stated. "And they do not accept compromises..." a child's voice added suddenly.

"Honoroit! Praise Halone, you are save!" The Fortemps-son went to the guilt-consumed boy and knelt down in order to examine him. "Are you not hurt? Is everything alright?" Haurchefant asked worried, but no answer followed. The child stared motionless down at his feet; the eyelids did only constrict themselves a little.

Sighing, Cecilia stepped closer to them.

"Considering his expression, I would say 'No.' – although it's rather emotional than physical ache." Her audible pity made the pageboy look with purest grief at her: "I... am sorry, that my master causes trouble for you all. Please do forgive me..." The Au Ra chuckled lightly and patted Honoroit's head gently. "You shouldn't place the fault on yourself. Nobody can blame a servant for his master's missteps." "Lady Cecilia..." the boy whispered awestruck.

One of the Haillenarte-knights breathed loudly in – ready to say something, but the maiden reacted instantly to that. She glanced at the Elezen with harsh eyes, which seemed indeed intimidating. And when Haurchefant joined the evil staring at once, the foreign soldier lowered ashamed of himself the head. Watching this moment, it was in the eyes of the Methuselah almost like beholding two mortal parents defending their child.

Honoroit hadn't noticed this occurring, wherefore he said determined: "The Vanu want to execute master Emmanellain, but their judge has not yet arrived. If we are quick enough, we can rescue him before too many of the birdmen gather around the plaza where they keep him." "Sounds like an unique chance." ,Haurchefant uttered with a serious face, "We should take it as long as we can. Let's save my brother." The Haillenarte-knights and Cecilia nodded resolute.

~C~

The six mortals stormed into the settlement.

Crossing the bridge, they knocked three guards out; four other Vanu followed along the trail.

While the knights attacked the foes with their swords, shields and bows, Cecilia healed her allies whenever it was necessary. Albeit she let no chance pass by to prevent the enemies from causing any harm. The Raen threw her magic like tiny meteors – never missing her targets. One should get accustomed to this aggressive Astrologian quite quickly, as she acted like that also as a Whitemage. In other words, she was famous for shielding her companions. But...

It was still strange to behold a healer who was so... ruthless in such a specific manner. Midgardsormr wondered, if the humans were nowadays all like that when they decided to become a Conjurer or something similar... Because in the past – when he was still cherishing his relations to mortals – none would have used offensive spells in the role of a healer on such dicey missions...

Emmanellain was fettered when the men reached him.

Sitting helpless on greenest grass, the Fortemps-son was sentinelled by two Vanu-mages. Two brave Thaumaturges with strong magic. Yet, they did not know a single healing-ability. It was therefore an easy task for the knights to take the watchers by surprise. All their following spells were ineffective because of Cecilia's presence, so they couldn't backfire the intruders.

But despite their defeat, they were smart birds. They had taken Emmanellain's weapons away, wherefore the young man was unarmed except the armor he wore. Even unshackled, the defenseless of a child hung over his head. And he lowered aforesaid one – demonstrating how ashamed he was. Surely he owned not the courage to fight with bare hands... At least in this case, one must marvel the Warrior's leader, as Erik would even bite opponents if nothing else worked anymore.

"Haurchefant, Cecilia, Honoroit... I... I am sorry..." the spoiled boy uttered. "You have later time for apologizing properly." ,his older half-brother scolded with a severe expression, "For now, we all must get away from here! The Vanu have already noticed our presence." "Yeah... And you can rely on their superior-number. They crush us if we dare to stay." the Au Ra added icily.

Midgardsormr raised his brows when he recognized the harsh, foreign pitch in her voice.

He was even more surprised, when she grabbed Emmanellain's wrist; dragging the Elezen with her as she went ahead. The adults and Honoroit caught easily up, albeit one of the Haillenarte-knights tried to keep a few Vanu in the distance at bay. It was the same with Cecilia, who fired yellow stars with her free hand. Swift magic that did not need a moment of casting. In her doing lay anger...

Somehow, she appeared frustrated. Her eyes had this stinging expression...

Albeit he tried to grasp it, the dragon on her shoulder possessed no knowledge about the cause for this sudden change of mood. He felt only – like he did now at a few times – that he was missing many details of her personal background. Aspects of her past, in other words. Reasons for her to act the way she did. Thus, he wondered, if their situation was maybe the other way round... Not he, Midgardsormr, the one, who distrusted at the most...

Until the bridge, the mortals could gain a bit space to their haunters.

But then, the untrained Emmanellain lacked noticeably stamina. Hence they lost speed as they went over the wooden object. And when Honoroit became slower, too, the Vanu came once more closer. Amongst them was a birdman dressed in the garment of a summoner... He was obviously the one who leaded the other Vanu. The sachem of this tribe...

Suddenly, the floating island on which they all stood trembled remarkable.

Plus, as if that alone wasn't enough, a huge whale emerged from the mists beneath them.

"Bismarck, white god, lord of the clouds!" the chief said reverential. Gazing skeptical at the being, the humans seemed to be aware of the possible danger. "Is that... a flying whale?! Don't tell me... He's a Primal?!" Haurchefant asked with a serious expression. A short side-glance at Cecilia seemed to be enough explanation for him, because he frowned after he had seen her angered face.

Emmanellain gulped: "How are we supposed to fight the Vanu and that... THING!?" "At any rate: Not at all when you act like a fraidy-cat." the Raen hissed and stepped before the Fortemps-son. This seemed to impress the Elezen a lot, because pure surprise glided over his face.

She was willing to shield once more somebody- Midgardsormr was still not used to that. A healer. A magician. A being without an armor. Acting like a defender. Like a tank. Could it be, that she was not as fragile as he thought since the moment she had woken him up...?

Without a warning, the gruff sound of a familiar male voice cut into the tense atmosphere: "Again, so damned typical! Okay...! Biggs, Wedge – we go down!" Looking up, the dragon and the mortals discovered an airship flying into their direction. The Enterprise. Dodging Bismarck, Cid Garlond piloted the vehicle to them – close enough, that a simple jump was enough to reach safe ground.

"Come on! Go aboard!" he called severely like an old man, as the Vanu were already recovering from their first confusion. Nodding, Haurchefant and Cecilia dragged Emmanellain with them, while Honoroit as well as the three Rose Knights made it by themselves to leap onto the ship.

Right in the moment their feet landed, Cid and his two assistants were already making sure to leave the Vanu's area. The Enterprise turned around smoothly like a cat; not even shaking a little when Bismarck jumped right over the mortal's heads.

Flying away, the airship was chased for a moment by the Primal. But in spite of his huge shape, which could have easily been used to throw them into the depths, the whale wasn't a pure danger. As his territory seemed no longer threatened, Bismarck stopped abruptly the hunt. Just as quickly as the creature had aimed for the intruders, he lost interest into his targets.

He must still possess the nature of a harmless sea-creature...

At least this impression was hard to deny while the whale ate peacefully a bleak sky-island.

"Do you see that...?" Haurchefant whispered disbelieving, while he and Cecilia gazed at the Primal. Before she could answer, Emmanellain stated: "I'm glad we didn't encounter him earlier. Imagine, how this meeting could have ended without the airship. I- uhm, we all would be fish-fodder now." "Hehe, well, you recover still quite swiftly, don't you. For acting before like such a bunch of nerves. Can we count on your big mouth to be alright, too?" the maiden asked amused.

Clearing his throat, the snobbish Elezen nodded. "I was only impressed by Bismarck's appearance. It's the first time I see a Primal with my own eyes." His older half-brother constricted disgruntled the lids: "Teh, 'of course' that's the only reason why you were paralyzed..."

Midgardsormr frowned as this trivial fact triggered something in his mind. Rather, as realization caught his awareness... For him, it had been the first time to see a modern Primal.

~C~

Smoothly, the Enterprise docked close to a ledge.

"My lady and fellow gentlemen, next stop: Camp Cloudtop!" Cid called gladdened.

The Haillenarte-knights were the first who left the vehicle; followed by Emmanellain and Honoroit. Both pageboy and Haurchefant gave their polite thanks to the three soldiers as well as engineers, while the spoiled Fortemps-son did not really showcase an authentic apology for his mistake. Leaving now the ship, his half-brother admonished Emmanellain for demonstrating bad manners. Thus, the young man tried once more, albeit his action lacked still sincerity.

The Astrologian laughed muted while she beheld the spectacle.

Cecilia stood on the airship, yet, and seemed to wait for something. Leaning slightly against the railing, she resembled the patience in person. And quickly, the dragon on her shoulder understood, why she did not walk to the others. It was for the Hyur-engineer, that she wasn't joining a lecture Haurchefant gave his sibling. When Cid was no longer distracted by the six armored Elezen as well as his two assistants, he turned instantly around to her. A big smile all over his face.

Being in the mood of a rascal, he kept his joy noticeably down when he stated: "Ha, that was again a close-run thing! And not to forget the Primal... Absolutely matching my preferences!" After this, he spread slightly the arms – but not as some kind of shrugging. While Midgardsormr was irritated, Cecilia chuckled. She seemed to decode this odd movement... It was an invitation, apparently, because the Raen stepped closer to her ally.

A wide grin appeared on their faces, when she stopped right before Cid.

Appalled, the dragon hovered into the air, when she jumpily hugged the engineer.

Eyes widened, he examined speechless, how the two embraced each other like a pair of siblings. Was Erik not the only mortal, who she considered as a family-member...? Plus, to which generation belonged this mature man here with that white hair and short beard? Was he not too old for acting like a big brother...? His wolf-like presence matched rather the status of a father...

Gently, the Hyur spoke: "Good to see you again, Cecilia. When we had met each other in Thanalan, the atmosphere was too tense for fooling around a bit. I honestly apologize for that. While rescuing you Warriors, I should not have been that harsh to my favorite." She shook smiling her head; enjoying the reunion clearly a lot. Their hug became tighter as she leaned her weight onto the man. Something, which didn't seem to bother Cid... Holding her close, he swayed their bodies kindly from left to right and vice versa.

Midgardsormr could hardly swallow the wave of jealousy down which crawled through his corpus. How was it possible, that mortals with a stronger bond to her often caused him to feel that way...? She wasn't his property... And he had not declared to guard her. He was just a watcher. Not more... Also, it should be a relief for him, when at least ONE male mortal was close to her who did not count to the Elezen-species. Additional: Who was not Erik.

"Above all, I had not expected to meet you today." ,Cid added casually, "We were asked to help Ishgard's engineers out. That's why we are here in the camp. You see, it's about their airship, Protector. They need help with the completion – better yesterday than tomorrow. But that's the point with all customers: They can never get something fast enough."

A soft chuckle rolled in her throat, when she withdrew minimal from the wide shoulder her cheek had been occupying. "Hm, you rarely take a break from your employment, right? But that's okay... Who wouldn't do that in your shoes. When one would have lost his memories for such a long time. Five years spending in a church without a single airship in close reach... That must have been vacation for a few decades." she uttered softly; earning a brave smile of the Hyur.

Patting her spine, he uttered: "When I eavesdropped, that you're here in Abalathia, I had the feeling something must be wrong. As some knights spoke about a missing child of your benefactor's family. And just look, we found you right in time – the specialty of the Garlond Ironworks."

She laughed blithesome, when Cid suddenly lifted her into the air.

But for Midgardsormr, on the other hand, it was partly abashing; partly upsetting.

The Hyur sighed when he placed her back on the floor: "I fear I must return to my job. Gil won't fly into my pocket for doing nothing. We'll chat later a bit, if you have time left. The Machinist's Guild was so friendly to give us shelter at night." Nodding, she left the airship: "I'll visit you for sure. Biggs, Wedge, let's talk then also a bit, okay?" The assistants agreed before they said goodbye; calling her their fellow craftswoman. They returned afterwards to their defined places on the airship with jolly smirks on the lips. Both Roegadyn and Lalafell modest souls.

It took just a blink of the eye for the engineers to navigate the Enterprise away.

~C~

Haurchefant appeared mentally defeated.

Sending his brother back to the manor in Ishgard, he made a tired face as the boy was gone.

But he didn't rest maugre the exhaustion. Albeit he was finally 'alone' with the maiden, the Elezen acted dutyfully: "We should report the occurrences primarily to Laniaitte. I might have convinced the Rose Knights, that it would be my task to explain them for her, but... When it comes to Primals, you are the expert here. So, I hope you can still lend me a bit of your time..."

She giggled lowly in regards to his nervousness – the dragon floating next to her hissed.

"Of course I can. Do not worry. And as I told you before: I gladly accepted your offering to do something together. My decision hasn't changed so far." she replied smiling. The knight studied her with loving eyes: "Thank you, milady... That means a lot to me. But if I am allowed to be serious... My brother really can't let a chance to pass by, when it comes to disgracing himself... I just wish father wouldn't have requested Emmanellain's attendance. At least since the 'happening' I do so... We all would have payed this time the price for my brother's naivety."

As they started walking to the place where Haurchefant's friend was stationed, the maiden sashayed in front of him while she responded: "I have no legitimate siblings, wherefore I shouldn't tell you my opinion. But... If you ask me, your brother was simply too often treated like a charming prince. Too much spoiled, in other words. And without experiencing a few mature problems as well as dangerous situations, he won't grow out of his childish ignorance."

Like a butterfly, she practically danced along the path while the man reflected on her words. Midgardsormr would lie, if he pretended to disdain her movements. And the knight seemed also captivated by her doing – his mien demonstrated no longer guilt or exasperation. Indeed mortifying, how they shared the fascination for this odd woman.

Reaching the Rosehouse, Laniaitte was already waiting for them.

The Haillenarte-daughter listened patiently to the report; only moving her head in order to shake it whenever the name of Haurchefant's sibling fell. It was hard to believe, but her antipathy for him exceeded the despondency which Emmanellain had earned so far from his brother. Nevertheless, obligation was the woman's first priority, which her words reflected: "Bismarck is the legendary white whale of the Sea Of Clouds... The Vanu summoned him as a Primal? Unbelievable."

Sighing, Haurchefant said: "I know... And I do not understand it. We had originally a good relation to the Vanu Vanu. Our first contact had been peaceful. When they became suddenly aggressive, keeping distance to them hadn't helped to ease the situation in the last weeks. Therefore, today was like the spot on the i because of their evocation. Why did they change their mind? I really wonder about that... Is the Primal himself the reason for that?"

Cecilia closed her eyes, when the two Elezen looked at her. And albeit the dragon was soaring over their heads, he was barely ignoring the interest which had developed in his corpus. His ridiculous long ears winced, when she inhaled the air. "Primals CAN manipulate their believers. But that is in Bismarck's case only a theory – because of the way how the Vanu behave. I have seen humans and members of several beast-tribes standing under the hex of their gods. For me, our chubby birds here do not resemble such brainwashed zombies."

Haurchefant asked curious: "So, you assume they were persuaded by something or somebody else to declare us as foes?" "Maybe." ,she replied and opened partly the lids, "The Ascians interfere whenever we mortals are not sufficient in causing trouble. Limsa Lominsa is surely blameworthy for breaking the promise they had given the kobolds, but you knights were only exploring the area as much as I understand. If you haven't accidentally tramped their rites, the Vanu had no reason to experience any anger considering you."

"What is your first impression regarding Bismarck?" Laniaitte wanted to know.

Leaning her mouth against the left fist, Cecilia mumbled: "He's quite animalistic, I would say. Because of his appearance, I had expected him to have a personality similar to Leviathan, but... Maybe that whale can't even speak. Of course I have no proof for this thought. For an accurate idea, I simply need more details about Bismarck's history. Yet, I experienced him – despite the grave fact, that he eats islands – as a pacific creature. He simply guards his territory. Not more."

The two knights nodded and decided to browse the information they had about the Vanu once more. But as Haurchefant felt guilty for 'stealing her time', he begged Cecilia to take the rest of the day off – something, which she seemed to mind. Complaining, that she loved reading coverages, the Raen sulked a little to be excluded from the research. However, her mood didn't seem to be seriously darkened when she saw the knights off; seeking the way back to Camp Cloudtop.

~C~

No hurry lay in her calm movements as she stepped over the beaten-path.

Therefore, Midgardsormr flew slowly by her side – floating in the gentle breeze that brushed currently over Abalathia. Perhaps it was a fresh wind, yet not as cold as in Coerthas thanks to the shining sun. His sensitive corpus didn't shiver like a leaf while the air ran over him. He could even close the lids now and then peacefully under nature's touch. And as he wasn't fighting the weather, he felt a little bit more talkative than usual.

Still influenced by his jealousy, the Methuselah barely kept his disfavor for Cecilia's closeness to the Hyur down: "Thy engineer-friend... Is he not too old for thee? Thou two act like real siblings..." She furrowed her brows when she payed now attention to him. The crystal demonstrated slightly indignation as he gazed at her left side of the face. But then, Cecilia shook amused her head. "Sheesh, Cid isn't old. Don't let yourself be fooled by his beard- and hair-color. Just like Alphinaud, he naturally owns white strands. And we get pretty good along – even when he suffered under amnesia in the first moments we had spent together, we were buddies. I enjoy his presence a lot, which he seems to share. We're good friends who are not ashamed of showing our sympathy."

The dragon gazed disgruntled at the ground.

He wasn't happy to hear this... Not, that the dragon minded Cid on a personal level.

He was rather crestfallen, because Cecilia preferred already somebody else... At least as a favorite; unimportant if this was not in a carnal manner. She held Alphinaud in her heart on a level of such dear admiration, that one as a watcher couldn't be fond of it. Even, when the child did not experience any open demonstration of sympathy like being hugged... She fancied him. A lot. Thus, how could in her heart exist so much free space for another male creature? Above all a man, who she didn't treat politely like the teenager, but who dealt with the familiarity of a closest friend.

Admittedly, Midgardsormr wasn't glad about Haurchefant, neither...

Yet, the knight was another case. First of all, that man was a general fan of the Warriors of Light. He caused less annoyance for the dragon than Alphinaud or Cid via this honest excitement including the complete group, while the other two seemingly had a preference for the maiden. Secondly: Albeit the Elezen possessed for Cecilia a pure emotion his interactions always revealed, the Raen did not respond to it. At least Midgardsormr didn't see this.

"You really think it's inappropriate that Cid and me are so close to each other."

It wasn't a question. Raising his head, Midgardsormr examined her mien with lifted brows.

Deliberating his words, he answered slowly: "I have never seen mortals acting like that when they were not related by blood or... marriage. Thou art allowed to call me old-fashioned as a punishment, because I fear I have become that on the day I gave hope for humankind up. But... Although I know I might overreact, this knowledge does not prevent me from feeling irritated."

She widened her eyes for a moment. Stared at him, as if he had exposed a forbidden secret.

Then, she suddenly giggled with muffled amusement. He cocked his head to left side in perplexity about her doing. Before he could ask, how to understand her merriment, she explained unheedingly: "The age of a person does really not matter when it's about being friends with people. And if you're not narrow-minded, the same counts for couples. You would be surprised how many young women prefer older men – and how many older monsieurs appreciate younger mademoiselles. Additional, the other way round works sometimes, too. So, even IF Cid would be old enough for being a dad or a grandpa, you can bet I wouldn't retire from our friendship."

Inhaling the air, Midgardsormr tried to consider her opinion. But that was hard...

She placed her hands onto the hips; eyeballed him with a sulking expression. The pursuant reproach was quite reckless: "You, mister, could be my great-great-great-grandfather multiplied by infinity. And that would turn you into somebody I should not have befriended – exactly your opinion! Hence, it wouldn't hurt you to come a little bit out of your snail-shell."

Midgardsormr smiled a little, but it didn't last long.

"I have trouble to adopt myself to thy mortal's customs. This has never been different. In the past, perhaps I was a little bit more flexible, but nowadays I practically seem to be frozen in place. I am... an antiquity." he shrived and lowered head plus ears. "Hmmm... I see..." she murmured empathetic. With folded arms, Cecilia came closer to him while they still went back to Camp Cloudhead. Irregular, her strands of hair brushed over his wings as they danced in the wind. They were smooth like finest silk... Simultaneous, the maiden answered his helpless gaze with soft eyes.

"I fear..." ,she began gently, "...I have to shock you. In an unorthodox way. Better now then later. Because I do not want you to be unnecessarily over-strained in the case it comes again to THAT." He narrowed the lids in confusion. Which kind of secret could an innocent girl own, when she was obviously worried to overtax his mental strength?

~C~

"You see, Midgard... I may have my personal favorites here, who are all male beings, but there, where my actual home is located... I was never part of a solid relationship. Especially not with boys. Not a single boy, to more directly. As a teenager, I had several dates with other girls. You could say, I spent a few months with one girl just to get another after the former 'friend' lost my interest. Not, that I broke so any hearts... I was dating girls who were not seeking for an honest partnership. Yet... the same counted for me. I wanted nothing serious. And probably I will sooner or later end up dating people again without a deeper connection to them."

She patiently looked at him while he let the amount of information settle down in his brain.

However, Midgardsormr let one knowledge wander through his consciousness for several times... She had been dating females. Other females. A girl who showed affection for another. Perhaps, Cecilia had been kissing and hugging them... Doing even more than innocent activities, maybe... Depending on the meaning behind the phrase 'nothing serious'...

As if this was not enough, she was not detesting men. He should be appalled to hear, that she cared for both genders... Because he had noticed in the near of modern mortals, that bisexual beings earned the reputation of disloyally creatures... He should really be worried... If it would just be easy to ignore the allurement... To decline the fascination he felt for her a fortiori there were simply more and more things to experience about her personality.

He could not deny the pull. Not therefore.

"Thou want to express... that thy love-life is not the one of a naive mortal. That thou art an adult and no little child. Am I grasping thy words correctly?" he asked carefully; seeing how a calm smile spread over her face. "Not sure, if I would call people 'naive' who wait for Mister alias Miss Right, but yeah... Albeit I do fancy romantic stuff." she admitted open-hearted.

Shrugging, she added: "I think – in case I ever date a man – I want to have a real romance. A true, sincere relationship. Being with girls is always a cute thing, but for me it lacks a specific sweetness I see in usual man-woman-couples. Hehe, that's surely odd in the eyes of somebody like you. Women must appeal to dragons much more than men. They are prettier and not so aggressive. Still, I could not live forever in a same-sex partnership. Maybe that's because I feel like the male part while being with a girl..."

His brows twitched a few times when he tried to imagine this scenario.

Was she hinting at this side of hers, which he found to resemble the behavior of dragons?

Leaning his head backwards and looking up to the sky, he murmured: "Thou art a pure soul... Notwithstanding thy private preferences. It is not my right to judge thy own search for happiness." A sad smile flitted over her lips. "Unfortunately, Midgard... Since I have so far not dared to attempt one partnership in Eorzea, I can't promise to match your opinion about me. No matter if with a man or another woman... And that's not even the biggest problem in my eyes."

She stopped walking, so the dragon paused his movements, too.

Floating in the air, he studied the maiden unsettled when he recognized affliction in her mien.

She sighed, before she stated upfront: "I am not sure... if I can love somebody with my whole heart. If I could dedicate myself to somebody as a partner – forever... Can I even admire somebody more than anything else in the world...? My current self might be romantic, yet that seems to be not much. I hold my friends dear, but that isn't the same thing. It's not the same kind of love."

Midgardsormr stared overwhelmed at her face.

He hadn't expected her to be lacking any for mortals important traits.

Chuckling lowly, she made a confident step forward. "Don't let it bother you." was all Cecilia said when she passed the dragon. Gazing over her shoulder at him, she continued her way, so he couldn't do anything else but following her. Midgardsormr felt like hanging upside-down in the air – he had the impression to be missing something... He was just unable to ask her about it...

Cecilia's left hand glided cautiously over his long ears.

She sensed obviously his concern. So, the maiden bestowed a soft grin at him: "No pity necessary. My heart belonged once to a special being. Or rather, my entire soul did that. Long ago... I was told, that a former existence of mine loved purely and with deepest passion. Unconditionally. Therefore, I'm the reincarnation of a person who could cherish. And that's why I count on being able to love when I meet the right person for me. This, I think, is one of the good aspects about being a mortal. We can be reborn over and over. We have endless chances."

Midgardsormr sighed and nodded. The immortal souls of mankind were indeed a miracle.

He had witnessed in the far away past, how reborn people yearned unknowingly to fulfill the wishes their former selves had been keeping. It was part of the natural spiral of life. Some souls might become corrupted by the flow, but others lost in return their darkness and became bright. Frightening, wondrous, yet gorgeous process of nature...

Just like the maiden who caressed now his corpus.

Letting his system catch fire with her beauty.