The Things that Shaped Us
Nidhogg was dead; slain by the hands of Ser Estinien and the Warrior of Light after the talks with Hraesvelgr had ended in failure. But it was not just tidings of triumph that returned from atop of Sohm Al. With them came the shocking truth about the war that has lasted for a thousand years.
None of us could believe it, most of all Ser Aymeric who had almost immediately rushed off to confront the Archbishop. With the lord commander all but assuredly being declared a heretic, there was little choice than to gather forces for the inevitable attack on the Vault.
In need of allies, the Warrior of Light and her companions ventured into the Brume in hopes of contacting the revolutionaries' leader: the Mongrel.
Her shoulders slumped a little as she stepped back into the Forgotten Knight, partly glad to be out of the cold evening air, and partly frustrated by the lack of information she had acquired. Heading up the stairs from the entry that connected the tavern to the Brume, she didn't take long to spot Alphinaud and Tataru, sitting at one of the tables.
"From the look on your face, I take it you didn't find out much?" was the first thing Alphinaud asked when she approached.
S'eni simply shook her head, sitting down next to Tataru. The Lalafel reached out a tiny hand and gave her arm a reassuring pat.
"Don't worry, I'm sure eventually they're bound to reveal some information."
"I know, it's just that time might be running out." Being the Archbishop's son would only give Aymeric so much protection, after all.
"At the very least he should be safe for the night," Alphinaud reassured them. "Either way there's nothing we can do now but to call it a night and try our luck tomorrow."
"Yeah." She nodded.
Hearing footsteps approaching, the three of them looked up to find Gilbrillont heading towards them.
"I'm afraid we're closing for the night," he told them.
"I see. We'll take our leave then," the young Elezen replied and rose to his feet, shortly followed by Tataru and S'eni doing the same.
The proprietor inclined his head towards them. "But please do come back tomorrow, there should be more mulled wine by then."
The last he said while giving S'eni a pointed look that made her frown. She had already suspected that there had been more to the little errand he had sent her on earlier.
A Hyruan girl that fell in love with the Elezen baron she served, but got thrown out when she became pregnant and died soon after giving birth, she thought to herself while they left the Forgotten Knight. It wasn't much, but it was a lead, and one Gilbrillont was subtly supplying her with without breaking his rule of discretion.
So she would have no other choice than to return here as early as possible tomorrow.
The walk back to the manor passed in relative silence, each of them being engrossed in their own thoughts. This entire situation had grown much more complicated than either Alphinaud or her had expected, and even if they wished it was not the case, they were completely alone in this endeavour.
Their allies in the Alliance weren't able to lend them a hand, as this was an internal issue, and that didn't even include the fact that they had their own problems to deal with; first and foremost Ul'dah, which was seeing the return of their Sultana to her rightful place and had all their hands full with rooting out the last of the conspirators, with the help Lolorito of course, the conniving snake that had gotten away with it all.
But such was politics. In the end, what mattered was that Sultana Nanamo was alive and well.
As they returned to the manor, they were immediately ushered inside by the knight on guard duty. Silence greeted them as the doors closed once again, the light inside the room dimmed aside from a few lamps that were kept on for their return. With the fireplace not burning, the air was only marginally warmer than outside, urging the three of them to hurry towards their rooms and under the safety of their beds.
After bidding her friends good night, S'eni headed into the direction of her room, eager to dive into bed, under thick layers of warm blankets.
On her way, she spotted some light coming from one of the rooms, its door ajar and illuminating the otherwise dim hallway. Curiosity getting the best of her, she walked over and peeked inside. There she found Haurchefant, sitting in front of the room's fireplace and staring into the flames, deep in thought.
S'eni watched him for a moment, her eyebrows drawn into a frown as she mulled over what to do. Eventually, she raised a ginger hand and rapped her knuckles against the doorframe.
Turning his head, he looked in her direction just as she was opening the door further to reveal herself, a smile crossing his features. "Ah, you're back."
He made to get up, but she gestured for him to remain seated and walked over to him instead.
"Can't sleep?" she asked.
"Let's just say I found it rude to go to bed while you were still out there," he said as she sat down in the armchair next to him. "How did your search go?"
"Not as good as I hoped, but not as bad as I feared, I guess."
"Hm." He nodded.
"Alright," she then said, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. "What's really on your mind?"
Haurchefant chuckled. "I guess I can't get anything past you."
"Had to happen after all the times you've done it to me. Now come on, out with it!"
She watched him look back at the flames, their rhythmic motions reflecting in his eyes as they danced to a silent song. "I'm thinking about Lord Aymeric. Not about his well-being, although that does concern me as well, no it's about what Lucia said. That he's the Archbishop's illegitimate son."
He became silent for a moment, then continued after a sigh passed his lips.
"Him and I, we're not so different. Two bastards of highborn fathers. Not even remotely a novelty in Ishgard," he said. "Yet somehow we had the fortune to become more than the circumstances of our birth."
Hearing his words, S'eni's mind immediately went back to the story she had heard earlier; of another bastard child that the father would rather have starve in poverty instead of taking responsibility like Count Edmont had done. It could have easily been the other way around if his father had been a different man.
"I'm sorry, that probably must sound silly, especially in the current situation," he said, looking back at her with a crooked smile.
She shook her head. "Not at all. If you think about it, I'm a bastard too. At least from Ishgard's perspective."
"Oh?"
"I have fifteen siblings. Almost all of us come from a different mother, and our father wasn't married to a single one of them. So if we want to get technical we're all bastards since we're all born out of wedlock."
"But that's normal in your culture, isn't it?"
"It is. My point still stands though."
"I see. Well, I suppose looking at it that way we both are indeed bastards." His brows furrowed then. "But fifteen siblings? That sounds..."
"Strange?"
"I was thinking more along the lines of 'strenuous'."
S'eni stared at him for a few seconds, a dumbfounded expression on her face, before bursting into laughter.
"It's true!" she exclaimed after her laughter subsided again. "There's a reason a tribe Nunh has to be strong."
"And I take it your father was more than up to the task?"
"He was," she said, a fond smile forming on her lips. "Not only strong but honorable as well. In his own rogue-ish way."
A chuckle passing her lips, she leaned back into the backrest. "He wasn't one to ignore someone in need. A bit like your father in that regard."
"Father..." Haurchefant said. "Never made me feel less than his son. He raised me, fed me, and gave me the chance to be who I am today."
"You mean a weird guy helping a random adventurer and her friends whenever possible?"
Now it was his turn to laugh, full and clear.
"I suppose that too," he admitted. "Just like yours taught you to go out of your way to help all sorts of people with their problems."
"I guess we both lucked out, didn't we?"
"Indeed."
In the end, they were both shaped by their father's actions.
Neither of them said something for a while, deciding to instead simply enjoy the company of a friend on a cold night. Eventually, though, Haurchefant broke the silence.
"S'eni..."
"Yes?" she asked, turning her head.
He looked at her, eyes harboring something intense that she couldn't fully identify, and his lips curled into that genuine smile that was just so him. "...I think it's best if you go to bed. A lady needs her beauty sleep."
She couldn't help but grin. That was also so very much like him. She could tell that he wanted to say something else, but he was right in that she was starting to feel pretty tired, so she decided to drop it. For now.
"Alright," she said, rising to her feet and stretching herself a little. "Good night, Haurchefant."
"Good night, S'eni. And thank you."
"Anytime." She reached a hand out and squeezed his shoulder, then left.
As she walked back to her room, she couldn't stop wondering what it was that he had actually wanted to say to her, but nothing came to mind.
I'll just have to ask him when this is over, she thought and entered her room.
The next day found S'eni and the others back inside the Forgotten Knight. While Alphinaud and Tataru were discussing their next steps, she headed over to Gilbrillont who, like always, was tending to the bar. Behind him she saw a pot resting on the stove, clouds of steam rising from it and filling the tavern with a pleasant aroma.
"Need some more mullet wine delivered?" she asked, giving him the same pointed look he had given her yesterday.
"That I do," he said and went to fill up a bottle. After corking it, he returned and handed her the bottle, its warmth even radiating through her battle-worn gloves. "As it turns out, even a penitent can appreciate a fine wine. There's a man named Gerraldieux, tending to the poorest in the Brume. Please be so kind and bring this to him."
"Will do," she promised, giving him a nod, before heading down the stairs leading to the Brume. As soon as she had stepped outside, S'eni took a deep breath and looked down at the bottle of twice mullet wine in her hand.
Let's see how the actions of your father have shaped you, Mongrel...
Man, Haurchefant really is a great guy, isn't he?