Growing Wings - Epilogue - Journey's End
[<- Chapter 11: Growing Wings]
What a wonderful day to be back in Limsa! Has there ever been a better one?! Certainly not in the few days she had been here lately, that was for sure! And Isabelle enjoyed every last bit of it, every ray of sunshine she could get!
Just a few moments later, Isabelle spotted her first target!
“Fooorwin! Heeey!”, she shouted while waving at the old fisherman. He hadn’t changed a bit, as she saw it from the distance, except for some signs of the coming age.
“Oh that’s a surprise. Isabelle!”, he immediately responded before even turning around, as he knew only one girl with such an enthusiastic voice.
“And I thought you might have forgotten me, after Luca and Miara have told me that you have returned to them”, he laughed and stepped out of his boat at the pier.
“Whaaat? How could I eeever forget about you?! I could neeever forget about the saaails and the rooopes and the fiiish!”
“Right, right. Ah, don’t look so sulky, Isa, that was just me teasing you a bit. I- Really, it was a joke, okay? Got all your letters! Thank you, for all of them!”
Isabelle immediately stopped sulking and showed her beaming smile once again.
“You diiid? Yay! I did nooot know how to address them weeell enough, but the moooogles did a greeeat job, yes!”
“They sure do, even though nobody can see them… Anyway now, come here!”
He gave a big hug, to which she responded likewise. How many years had it been? About six years? A lot of time had passed since then, that was for sure.
“Looook! I stiiill got the peeendant you gave me!”, Isabelle said and very proudly showed off the little seashell that was decorating her neck.
“Ohh, yeah, you are right. Seems like it protected you well.”
“It diiid!! And it wiiill protect me even longer!”, she responded with a happy grin.
“So, how have you been? Your parents haven’t told me yet, besides some major things. Like… magic? For real? And an own shop?”
“Mhm!! Looook!!” Proudly, Isabelle concentrated on her magic and formed a little ball of light, which rose slowly above them, just to explode in a warm shower of sparkles.
“Isn’t it greeeat?!”
“Uhm… sure, it looks great, but-”
“It iiis great!”, Isabelle insisted - what else was magic good for if it did not look, like, magical and sparkly?! “And besiiides that I can mooove things and clean my hooouse and my dreeesses and fight eeenemies and-”
“Okay okay, I got it, I was wrong”, Forwin laughed. “So you have become a great magician, I can see that. No need to show me all of it. But how? Tell me, how was your journey?”
“Oookay!” Her voice certainly carried some sort of disappointment with it - after all, showing of her magical skills was something she was very proud of - but she also knew that Forwin was right. She could also show off later, when the time was right.
“Sooo, wheeere to start…? Riiiight, Uuul’dah!”
And so, she started telling him about her journey.
The one year in Ul’dah. The people she met, like Nalama and Tion - even though she had no contact with him anymore, she might need to change that. The weavers guild. About Ricky, her very own (red!) Chocobo. And the thaumaturges, of course.
About Gridania. The druids and the leatherworkers. About all the trees, how it felt to be so far away from the ocean.
About her journey to Ishgard, her hatred for cold and snow which nearly got herself killed. The man that saved her life and became her first love, the man she married - Forwin was shocked by that one - and how much she despised him now. A despicable man that had only been interested in her body and in acquiring women!!
How Azura and Wickid met her in Ishgard and introduced her to the free company. All the adventures she lived through, how they ventured to the far far east where the free company resided now.
And of course, how she had started her own shop in Kugane, about two years ago. Oh, and all of the things she knew about the city. The harbor, the hot springs, the market, especially all of the clothes there, and how tasty all the meals were.
And how the meeting between her and Iana ended. She sniffed a bit while telling Forwin the story, calmed down by some strokes over her head. Forwin knew about Ianas death. Luca and Miara had already morned a lot while also being overjoyed by Isabelles return. It was a hard time for them, for sure. Scars would remain, but until then he would be there for them. And Isabelle as well, he was sure of it. Or else, she would have not returned, after all.
“What a journey”, the fisherman concluded as the barrage of words had finally come to end. “So I assume it had been a good one?”
“The beeest!”, the catgirl responded immediately.
“No regrets?”
“Hmmm… sooometimes. But I would stiiill do the same! Nooot change a thing!”, she answered truthfully. Lies were bad, after all! Most of them, at least.
“And now? Any new plans?”, Forwin laughed, expecting the most surprising things, just like it was usual with Isabelle.
“Uuuhm… for nooow I will take care of my shop! Aaand train and try new enchaaantmens!”
“Oh, enchantments? Is there something you can’t do?”
“Flyyy! For nooow!”, she chuckled together with Forwin.
“Well, that’s a matter of time, isn’t it.”
“Mhm!! But for nooow…”
“The rogues?”
Nodding showed he was right.
“Well, great Namo from me! And your parents, if you visit them today.”
“Wiiill do! And take caaare of you, Forfor! Bye bye!”
“Oh Isa, don’t ca- there she goes. Whatever…”, he sighed and had to laugh. Some things never changed.
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“Can’t let you in without the password, sorry.”
“Oswin, you knooow me! Come ooon, how can I knooow it?!”
“How do I know you are not someone else?”
“Looook at me! Hooow many girls do you know that have suuuch fluffy taaail, sooo beautiful red haaair, are sooo cute… and have suuuch a deep cleavage?!”
With the last words, Oswins eyes twitched for a moment, but he kept his mouth shut and stood still, which annoyed Isabelle even more.
"Oooswin! If you dooon't let me in, Namo will be sooo furious! You wiiill regret it, and she will nooot apologize!"
That was the last straw. He knew R’namo, and even though she had grown to be nicer to him - or anyone, on that matter - in the last… ten years? Well, he sure knew he did not want to be the one to tell her he did not let in her beloved pupil daughter. Who knew what she would do to him, and he wasn’t eager to find out.
“Fine. Here, go in. But if you are an imposter-”
“Thaaank you! I will tell her how niiice you were!”, Isabelle said as she darted in.
Honestly, it sounded like a threat. At least to Oswin. Probably his imagination. Isabelle wasn’t like this. Instead, she would tell the whole truth, which was bad enough for him.
Hopefully, R’namo had some mercy on him.
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Tip Tap. Tip Tap.
She was wide open, and could have never been prepared for Isabelles assault. Well it wasn’t like nobody was watching - A'nissa was sitting in the corner and was overjoyed to see one of her missing friends being back. But she wanted to see the chaos unfold as Isabelle flung herself onto her victim. It was far too much fun to watch it!
“Goootcha!”, Isabelle shouted as she threw herself onto R’namos back, resulting in the most violent and soft hug the rogue has gotten for quite a while.
“WHA-?!”, she almost screamed as she felt the catgirl on her back. “ISA?! You damn- Where-?! How-?! OH COME HERE!”
In a matter of seconds, the one sided hug was changed into a consensual one.
“I am baaack!”, Isabelle laughed and smiled.
“Thanks, I have noticed”, R’namo tried to hiss, but just had to laugh as well.
“Damn, I thought you would never come back here. After your letters stopped and so on.”
“I was buuusy Namo! I am sooorry!”
“Busy with what? Sewing new dresses?”
“Yeees! That takes some tiiime, you know?”
“So you were busy with dresses and distract boys and men alike with that cleavage you are sporting”, A'nissa darted in, still cackling from the assault she had witnessed.
“It’s a diiirndl, it haaas to be this way! And it looks greeeat, right?”
“Well if you say so…”
“R’namo please, look at her, it looks great! Especially on our Isa here, in contrast to you if you would wea-”
“Oh shut up Nissa, as if anyone could challenge her on that!”, R’namo hissed at the laughing Miqo’te.
“Mhm!”, Isabelle agreed with a good deal of laughter from herself. “Told you I am going to become sooo big!”
“That’s not what you mea- oh, whatever. You seem very confident about that now, so do you-”
“Knooow why people liiike them?”, Isabelle interrupted her old mentor. “Well becaaause-”, she started to talk and somewhat demonstrate her gathered knowledge about this topic.
Which made A'nissa laugh, as she loved how confident Isabelle spoke, while it made R’namo blush ever so slightly - which in turn made A'nissa laugh even more. Isabelle, however, proudly grinned at her friends. She had learned a lot, after all, and every bit had to be shared - even such things like this!
“Gods, okay, guess you know”, R’namo sighed. “Well, good that Jon wasn’t here…”
“Oh i could get him, should be around somewhere.”
“Oh should i tell him-”
“NO!”, R’namo shouted at Isabelle, making both other girls laugh. “Oh you- You have grown into a fine yet mischievous woman, have you?”
“I leeearned from the best!”
That left R’namo speechless. Especially as Isabelle wasn’t completely wrong, after all. Plus the other girls had helped at that as well, to be fair, but still.
“Whatever”, R’namo sighed. “Don’t want it to be any other way. That’s our Isa.”
“Hehe!”, Isabelle chuckled with a grin. “But I stiiill want to meet Jon again!”
“Well of course, let’s find him. Just keep those things for you, kay? Having both of you tease me like that is more than enough.”
“Oookay!”, Isabelle chuckled. “Prooomised!”
“And I shall find Agness, I think she is somewhere on the market. Shouldn’t be hard to find her”, A’nissa threw in.
“And what about Leeena?!”, Isabelle asked, worried about the lalafell.
“Oh, uhm, she… is gone”, R’namo told Isabelle. For a moment, the red girl was shocked about this news, until A’nissa stepped in.
“She stopped being a rogue and now works in The Bismarck. Wanted to become a chef. Stabbing people wasn’t for her, so now she stabs fish I guess.”
Outraged, Isabelle stared at R’namo, who in turn grinned at her. “Ha, gotcha!”
“Ruuude!”
“Could say the same about you!”
“Pah!”
For a moment, everyone kept silent, but it didn’t last long until they burst out in laughter.
“I was wooorried, okaaay?”
“Yeah, sorry. Thanks for clearing that A’nissa. Oh, what about we meet up there, in The Bismarck? Yeah, let’s go there and eat together, and talk about the past years!”
“Oh I would looove to! Let’s search for the others and gooo! Jooon, where aaare you?!”, Isabelle shouted and dashed through one of the doors.
“Isa, please, stay- you know where we meet, A’nissa. I’ll have to catch this whirlwind here. And have to ask her how she got through Oswin.”
“Right right! See ya later!”
“Yeah, bye!”
With that, they parted ways, just to be reunited later.
An evening full of stories was about to start.
And surely, she had made them proud.
All of them.
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(To everyone who has read the whole thing: Thank you so much!! I hope you enjoyed the ride! <3 This has been on my mind for quite a while, and I am happy to be able to share something about my girl! So, every reader: You get the best hug Isabelle can give! You earned it! <3)
(If you are interested in some other stuff i wrote or want to know more about Isabelle, you may want to take a look at Isabelles story page!)
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@necromycologist #👀 prev im begging you to elaborate on your vision for them
oh my god. im so sorry. I have can't shut up disease. so many series spoilers here we go
for context, these were my tags on user cemeterything 's post featuring this gem:
#nick & sam mutually in the trilogy postcanon I made up in my head #shut up you're not transmuting into a sword and/or stone and I'm not becoming primordial destructive light let's think this through #very much IF I CAN'T NEITHER CAN YOU
ok I gotta bring up Nehima
The ancient Clayr made sure that the sword Nehima and the Dark Mirror found their way to Lirael. Lirael in turn will find Sameth, who passes the bells and the Book on to her. Eventually, she passes the panpipes and then Nehima on to him so that he can forge what they will need to defeat Orannis. This sword bears the inscription: 'Remember the Wallmakers. Remember me.'
Now, here's this passage from the very beginning of Abhorsen, which has been the rock in the shoe of my brain since I read it:
"He was a Wallmaker as well as a royal prince, but what did that mean? The Wallmakers had disappeared millennia ago, putting themselves into the creation of the Wall and the great Charter Stones—quite literally, as far as Sam knew. For a moment he wondered if that would be his destiny too. Would he have to make something that would end his life? At least as a living, breathing man? For the Wallmakers weren't exactly dead, Sam thought, remembering the great Charter Stones and the Wall. They were more transformed, or transfigured, not that he fancied that either. In any case he was far more likely to simply get killed..."
Nehima made something that ended her life, at least as a living, breathing woman. 🤷♀️
With Sam's canonical fear of capital D 'Death' Still Very Much Existing, I feel like the best course re: future character development would have been to dig into the tension between immortality as a construct/weapon vs. accepting death and deciding to be fully human. Is that very narrow eternal life as a part of the Wall, or a weapon to be wielded, or a Charter Stone… tempting? terrifying? Does he feel becoming some kind of weapon or tool is inevitable? Has he ever wondered what the inscription on whatever remains of him should be? Has he written it somewhere and burned it like all those letters to his parents he was too afraid to send?
Time and again in the books, Sam thinks to himself how glad he is that he's not the Abhorsen and how happy he is to be able to make things, to be Of Use to the Abhorsen/the Kingdom. He feels awful about what he considers his moments of cowardice and his abandonment of his responsibilities. I think he's in the perfect pressure cooker to be an enormous idiot about what duty calls him to do, while also struggling internally with his own fears. 'I can make this ultimate sacrifice... and also not die.... am I being a coward.... no one has to know.... is this a fate worse than death?... maybe I deserve that. maybe what I deserve has nothing to do with it, and this is simply what I must do, just as the Abhorsens must walk in Death...'
I think Nick needs to kick him in the shins about it (ughgbhfhfhh there's that part in one of the later letters Nick writes in the books that's like 'come here and tell me I'm being a stupid asshole so I stop being a stupid asshole'... fave. this vibe, both ways.) Sam never got to see Nick possessed by Orannis so I feel like Nick should get to deal with Sam, sometimes unsettling conduit for The Charter's intent. ('I Didn't Get Possessed In His Place And Temporarily Die For This!')
and Nick!!! arghhh WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE THE SURVIVING VESSEL OF ORANNIS?! his skeptic's worldview is shattered! he's traumatized! he's IRRADIATED! he has sooo much to feel guilty about and thinks he has to make up for, especially with regards to what he thinks he owes the Kingdom and the survivors of Forwin Mill.... but his very existence disrupts the Charter. Not too long ago, he was walking talking anathema to life itself. also he has these weird temptations to shuck off his mortal body and become a being of pure Free Magic??? Is it worse that he's still alive, because he's so dangerous? He came back from Death, why him when so many others died? Shouldn't he have just taken what was left of the hemispheres' powers to the grave with him? I'm sure he gets in his head about 'I need to do something with this life I got to return to because otherwise...'
obligation v. guilt v. desire. basically so much trauma and also Need To Make It Right. Sam would kick him in the shins about it except then he'd have to recognize the self in the other and 😬 he's probably still emotionally recovering from Nick saying those exact words to him and coughing his dying blood on his face. I digress
I think too that even though nick's irradiated and the Charter goes all wonky around him, the fact that the baptism took and the mark stays Means Something, and I choose to believe that in this strange way Nick is the new walking talking Destroyer, and that remnant of the Destroyer which exists as Nick wants to be a part of the Charter this time around, and with Sam having so many of the bloodlines it's just.... the most bizarre mutual understanding of what being alive means, as kids who used to vault desks at boarding school and also as... living manifestations of the cycle of creation and destruction. and they both have to constantly grab each other by the scruff of the neck to remind each other they're allowed to live too, not just throw themselves "into the making" like the Bright Shiners
(at my Most Bittersweet I think about how maybe it's Sam who passes away first, and until the very moment he goes, Nick can't quite believe he actually decided to die a man and not forge himself into some other thing. they had of course talked about it before but there was always a part of Nick that wondered...
and when he does cross into the River, Nick is the one to perform the final rites and burn his body so it can't be used because oh boy he Gets It)
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