The Greatest Challenge
Things came to a head soon after as not only this so-called Shiva was summoned, but the other Beast Tribes had summoned their own primals as well, almost as if it was their very intention to spread everyone as thin as possible, leaving the Scions open enough for a surprise attack by a lone Ascian that was only defeated by the great sacrifice by one of their friends.
Then came the Dravian horde, attacking Ishgard with such ferocity that for the first time in decades the Holy See was forced to accept outside help, led by none other than our brave heroine.
After the horde had been repelled, hopes had been ignited that perhaps Ishgard might yet still re-join the Alliance, so a grand feast was to be held in Ul'dah, in celebration of this victory...
The streets of Ul'dah were as busy as ever, or perhaps even more so, as the royal banquet that would soon be held had brought even more merchants from far and wide to peddle their wares.
A time for celebration indeed, as Ishgard had answered Sultana Nanamo's invitation as well. But celebration couldn't be any further from her mind right now. The guilt over Moenbryda's death was still gnawing at her.
If only she had...if not for Midgardsomr...
"Could it be, thou thinkest her special? Hydaelyn, thou wishest me to grant her power?" she heard the ancient dragon's voice echo in her mind. "Very well, then I shall test thee!"
He had taken away the blessing Hydaelyn had bestowed upon her, leaving her unable to summon her powers and strike down Nabriales on her own.
All that just for a test!
"Make thine destiny, special one. Break free from mine claw with thine own strength. If thou truly hath special power, thou can end the battle of judgement. This shall be thine trial. I shall watch...listen...and wait."
Curse that damned dragon! Even now she could feel his gaze burning in the back of her mind.
Watching her.
At least she still had the Echo and her regular powers, she doubted that she would be of great use to everyone with only her fists at her disposal.
You could always use your feet too, if all else fails, the little cynical part of her mind told her.
"Eni?" A familiar voice shook her out of her musings, making her look up into the mint-colored eyes of Y'shtola sitting opposite of her. "Are you alright?"
S'eni shook her head with a sigh and looked around. They were sitting at a table in front of a small restaurant, having met up earlier for lunch. Her eyes landed on her food, looking inviting, yet barely touched, bar a few prods with her fork.
The sound of a cup being placed on the table made her look back up. Her friend's eyebrows were drawn in concern. "Is it because of Moenbryda?"
"Partly," S'eni admitted.
"I see." Y'shtola crossed her arms and went silent for a moment. "You know nobody blames you for what happened."
Even though they should. Urianger and Yda had lost an important friend, yet neither even thought of blaming her.
"Moenbryda..." the other Miqo'te said. "She made a choice at that moment. She knew the price and paid it willingly, just like Master Louisoix did. She would not wish for you to be sad, but rather to continue on the path ahead with your head held high."
Sighing, she finally speared some of the food with her fork and put it into her mouth. It was delicious. "You really think so?" she asked after swallowing.
"Well I might not have known her as well as Urianger, but I can assure you he would tell you the same," Y'shtola replied, raising the cup back up to her lips. "Just more flowery."
She felt the corners of her lips crack upwards. He would, wouldn't he?
"I just don't...feel very much like the Warrior of Light right now," S'eni said.
"Says the woman that defended Ishgard not too long ago," her friend pointed out.
"Which I didn't do alone, thank you very much."
"She talks back!" Y'shtola exclaimed dryly.
Shooting the other Miqo'te a glare, she was met with a small, encouraging smile that made her release a sigh and take another bite. Y'shtola was right. She wouldn't get out of this mess just by moping.
"You're right. I need to look forward," S'eni said, offering her friend a full smile.
"Good, then you can look forward to the actual reason why we're here while you eat."
S'eni blinked once, twice, before groaning. She completely forgot about that!
"I've changed my mind, I'd rather curl up in my bed and pretend the world doesn't exist!"
"That won't do. You're the guest of honor, and I'm afraid a special pair of earrings won't be enough this time."
"I never asked to be the guest of honor!"
"You probably should have thought about that before saving the realm twice," Y'shtola said, amusement clear in her voice. "Now eat up, that dress won't fit itself for you."
Grumbling under her breath, S'eni put another bite into her mouth. After they were done with their meal, the two of them made their way towards the Steps of Thal. As the guest of honor, nothing but the best would do for the Warrior of Light, so the Sultana had arranged for her to be fitted with a suitable dress at the famous weaver's guild.
The sound of weaving and sewing pervaded the air as the members of the guild worked tirelessly to provide the citizens of Ul'dah, and beyond, with the highest quality clothing that was sought even in the far east.
With a sigh of resignation that earned her an amused look from Y'shtola, she stepped up to the reception.
"Greetings, welcome to the weaver's guild," a young Lalafel woman greeted her politely. "What can we do for you?"
"I'm here to get my dress fitted," she said. "The Sultana's orders."
"Ah!" the receptionist smiled. "So that means you're the Warrior of Light. It truly is an honor. Please follow me."
Walking out from behind the corner, the smaller woman led them to a man standing in one of the corners and overseeing everything from afar. He was a Roegadyn and dressed in some of the finest clothes S'eni had ever laid eyes upon. On his head rested a weird-looking hat.
"Redolent Rose," the receptionist called out, making him turn towards them. "The Sultana's guest has arrived."
"Thank you," he said to her, before turning his gaze towards them, eyes landing on Y'shtola first. "Would that be you? My, your style is a little...average, but I have to admit your taste in shoes is impeccable."
"I'm afraid my friend here is the one," the other Miqo'te said evenly, leaning against the railing separating the work area from the visitors, brushing the man's comment aside.
He then looked at S'eni. In less than a second, he had crossed the distance between them, belying his huge stature and making her jump in surprise. His eyes narrowed for a moment as he sized her up. "You...what's your name?"
"S'eni."
She watched him take a step back, staring at her with now widened eyes, releasing a breath as he did so.
"Incredible..." Redolent Rose then shook his head. "No no no, that won't do. That won't do at all!"
S'eni was about to ask the Lalafel woman if he was alright, but only found an empty spot where she had been just a moment ago, then glanced at Y'shtola, who simply shrugged, before focusing on the Roegadyn again, who had started pacing up and down.
"Uhm, excuse me?" she asked, furrowing her brows and putting a hand on her hip. "Can we just get that dress fitted?"
Upon hearing her words, he snapped around and pointed at her. "I'm sorry, but that won't be possible."
"Come again?"
"When I was told a guest of the Sultana would arrive, I had picked out an exquisite dress, but now that I'm seeing you in the flesh I've realized that I had been wrong to choose beforehand, and that simply. Won't. Do." He snapped his fingers and two female members of the guild, a Hyur and Elezen, practically appeared out of nowhere and flanked her on each side.
"What in the—" S'eni exclaimed as she was grabbed by them and dragged off into one of the separate rooms. "Hey! Let go of me! Shtola!"
But her friend only chuckled under her breath and followed idly after them. Once the door was closed, the ladies started to undress her.
"Fashion is an art. A lovely dress, a stylish ensemble, it all can make a difference not only for oneself but for others as well," Redolent Rose said, walking around the room like he was an actor on a stage. "But to create art, one must suffer. Tell me, are you prepared to suffer?"
"No!" S'eni exclaimed, her ears pulling back against her head while trying and failing to get rid of the seamstresses as their dexterous hands moved all over her. She was just about to give them a piece of her mind when one of them silenced her with a well-manicured finger and a "Tut tut".
She looked towards Y'shtola for support, only to see her sitting on a very comfortable-looking chair with a subtle smirk on her face. Realizing that any battle was now futile, S'eni released another sigh.
"Fine, fine," she said and stopped her struggling, standing completely still so the women could do their work. No need to extend her suffering beyond the absolute minimum.
It didn't take long until she was dressed down to her underwear and standing on a stool, squirming a little under all the eyes focused on her. The guild master stared at her, his eyes roaming her body, yet there was no desire in them. It was more like a painter staring at a canvas.
"Now what should we go with?"
The young Hyur woman was the first to reply. "Something clean perhaps?"
"No, no. Cotton won't do!"
"Something that's soft and shiny?" the Elezen asked.
"Hmm." Redolent Rose rubbed his chin. "Satin..."
"No, it needs to shimmer," the Hyur then threw in.
"Shimmer. Yes! That's it!" the Roegadyn exclaimed and clapped his huge hands together, before pointing at two of the guild members.
"Get me the Nagxian silk dress! The red one with the white inner lining!" he told them. Like soldiers following the orders of a beloved commander, they headed off and returned shortly thereafter with the desired dress.
Redolent Rose inspected it for a moment, shooting S'eni a few glances in-between, then nodded. "Let's see how it fits," he said, sending her a smile.
Putting on the dress with the help of the two ladies, she was then asked to turn towards the large mirror to her left, and what she saw made her jaw go slack. The dress lacked sleeves, showing off her shoulders, and flowed down to her ankles, with slits on both sides of the front, revealing her legs in a way that was elegant yet sensual at the same time. A gold trim adorned its seams and white silk adorned the inside of the skirt.
She looked...nice, she had to admit.
"Yes, I knew it! Almost a perfect fit," Redolent Rose said as he approached her. "We need to adjust it a little bit, but that's child's play."
As the two seamstresses approached her once again to take more precise measurements, S'eni turned her gaze towards Y'shtola, who was walking towards her.
"What do you think?" she asked the other Miqo'te. "Too much?"
Her friend looked at her with a thoughtful expression, before smiling. "It looks good on you."
"Really?" lowering her gaze to look at herself, she felt a little self-conscious all of a sudden. "You're not just saying that?"
"Am I the type to dispense pointless flattery?" Y'shtola asked right back, earning herself a short laugh from S'eni.
"No, I suppose not," she replied, mirroring her friend's expression.
"It does miss a nice pair of shoes."
"Good thing I know someone with impeccable shoe taste, right?"
After they were done checking what adjustments needed to be made, S'eni was allowed back into her regular outfit.
"It will take a few days, but I'll be making the adjustments personally so there's no need to fret," Redolent Rose assured her. "Come the night of the banquet you will look absolutely stunning, everyone will have eyes only for you."
"Lucky me," she replied dryly as they headed back to the front. Saying their goodbyes, the two of them left the guild. Once outside, S'eni released a relieved sigh, letting her shoulders slump a little.
"Was it really that bad now?" Y'shtola asked.
"How about we get you a dress too?"
"I believe I shall pass."
"Figured as much." They both chuckled. Straightening her shoulders again, she tilted her head. "So...shoes?"
The smile on the Miqo'te's lips became noticeably wider. "Are you sure?"
"No, but better to get it all over with."
"Alright, follow me then."
As they made their way towards the Gold Court, S'eni closed her eyes for a moment. Despite everything that happened, despite still blaming herself for Moenbryda's passing, a tiny part of her was actually starting to feel a little excited about the banquet.
It might actually turn out to be an enjoyable evening!
Getting there...
Also anyone that can guess the dress gets an imaginary cookie.