#But I tried to use this prompt to fit the HW plot a bit

[avirael]

FFxivWrite 2024

Day 27 - Memory

Today they would finally meet the dragon Hraesvelgr. Finally they would see if this long journey had been worth anything. The day where the future of this war, the future of Ishgard and the dragons alike could be decided.

Nonetheless Estinien hadn’t spared A’viloh his daily dragoon training session after their breakfast. The later had been less meagre than before since the moogles had provided them with some food. The sooner was slowly improving too due to Estiniens patient explanations.

Slowly A’viloh began to feel like the Elezen was not just holding back half of his skills and power against him but like they were almost equal opponents instead. A’viloh had certainly not thought this possible after their first training fight, which had been horribly embarrassing for him.

Now, as they lowered their training spears, and caught their breath for a moment, Estinien reached out to him and patted him on the back, with almost the hint of a smile on his face.

“You’re getting really good at this! I am impressed how fast you learned!”

A’viloh was not good at accepting praise like that but it nonetheless made him feel incredibly proud. “Thank you… But that’s only because you are such a good teacher. My old teachers would certainly have disagreed with your opinion…”

“Don’t think I was born the fighter I am today. When I first trained with Alberic, not matter how motivated I was, I was a complete amateur too. I barely could tell the front and back end of a spear apart. Getting good takes time and training. And sometimes a proper motivation…”, Estinien said thoughtfully and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Suddenly A’viloh remembered something the Elezen has said the day before. Estinien most of the time was a quite distant and harsh man. His only motivation some days seemed to be protecting his home and the wrath he felt for the great wyrm Nidhogg. But slowly A’viloh thought he started to understand him.

“Last evening, by the campfire…”, the Miqo’te started hesitantly, uncertainly if it was too intrusive to ask such a question. “…you said Nidhogg killed your family?”

The Elezen turned his face towards A’viloh and for a second he said nothing. Then he slowly nodded. “He did. And I will never forgive him, for as long the memory of this day still haunts me in my sleep… Like I said, I was not always a fighter… When my hometown was burned to ash by Nidhoggs flames I was the only one who survived, because that day I tended our sheep outside of the village. I saw the giant black monstrosity swoop down on my village and I could do nothing to stop it. When I arrived everything was too late already. My home, my parents, my little brother… all gone…”

“I’m sorry to hear this…”, A’viloh said and guiltily looked to the ground for having brought this topic up again.

“Don’t be.”, Estinien disagreed. “It made me who I am today, a fighter, Azure Dragon of Ishgard. What is the life I would have had in Ferndale against that?”

He said this with a firm tone but something in his voice gave A’viloh the impression that the Elezen did not quite believe his own words.

“You know…”, the Miqo’te offered weakly. “My family was murdered too. Not by dragon, but monsters nonetheless. They still scare me to this day but at least for the Amalj’aa I can say, that not all of them are bad…”

Estinien shook his head. “I am not claiming that all dragons are bad - by Halone! I can’t believe I just said that! - But Nidhogg. Nidhogg and his brood are! Everything he has done cannot be forgiven and I will not rest until I have my revenge for what he did…”

“I see…”, A’viloh nodded. “But let me tell you one thing… I took revenge on my families murderers. Twice even. I will not tell you now that this was a mistake I regret or that it will not make you feel better… But I can guarantee you that it will not heal your pain.”

Silently Estinien nodded and turned to return to the others. Then he paused.

“Maybe it will not heal my pain…”, he said. “But at least it will spare many more people the same fate.”