xoanffxiv

[xoanffxiv]

Xoan Grahm - Beginnings X

   Martin stood outside the door to the The Black Wing trading company's main warehouse, Grant had already taken the girl inside.  He looked over at his partner, the slender Miqo'te male with blue eyes watched the road intently, as Martin was supposed to be, but he found his thoughts drifting. This girl was a fine catch, young and blonde, and quite pretty.  He smiled a little, wondering if Grant would let him take a turn beefore they handed her over to the boss man.     He stroked the mace hanging on his thigh, a gesture that brought him some comfort as he played through the possibilities in his head. He was about to turn and say something to the man next to him when he heard something odd.  Laughter, and not any sort of regular laughter, but something that seemed more befitting comming from the mouth of a high voidsent than a man.      Two sets of eyes turned down the street and Martin felt his blood run cold.  The Highlander boy stood at the end of the street, his eyes replaced by two orbs of fiery crimson aether.  He was taller than he seemed in the alley when they had him and his girly pinned down and helpless.  That laugh though, hollow and malicious, inhuman, kept rolling between his lips.    "Bugger me!" His companion shouted, reaching for his crossbow.  He let fly with the bolt, the barbed piece of metal shrieking down the alley to carve a gash on the massive Highlander's arm.  Swearing the Miqo'te began to reload as Martin stepped forward, pulling the heavy mace free. He barely registered the movement at first, the kid was fast!  He barely got the face up in time to stop the heavy blow that would have taken him in the jaw.    Xoan howled, pulling the arm back as motes or aetheric fire swam frenziedly in the air around him. Martin's eyes widened as he felt the sheer heat coming off of him, it was like standing under the full force of the Thanalan sun at noon.  The big man tried to backstep, but his opponent was faster, one too large hand closing over the head of his mace and yanking forward.    Martin tried to hang on, contorting himself as the momentum of that tremendous jerk carried him closer to the dangerous Highlander. His companion finished reloading his bow and leveled it at the pair, Martin throwing himself backwards just as he fired.  The bolt buried itself in the heavily muscled abdomen of their berserk attacker, but if he felt that barbed bolt he gave no sign.    The roar that followed shook the seasoned fighter, rattling his teeth in his head from the sheer volume of it as his companion dropped the bow and turned to flee.  Martin tried to call after him but his voice caught in his throat as the large man turned, throwing his hand outward as those motes of aether solidified into a long chain, catching the Miqo'te around the waist and binding his arms to his sides.    With a great heave Xoan pulled backwards, stopping the running man fast and snapping his neck forward with the force of it.  Roaring loudly he pulled on that chain, immediately pulling the man off his feet and swinging him like some grotesque ball and chain.  Martin swung, the heavy head of his mace connecting with the man's shoulder with a crack before Xoan's spin brought him around.      He saw for a dizzying moment, the other guard fly through the air, then crash into the door hard sending splinters flying and causing the heavy oak to shatter inwards.  Xoan released the chain, turning his full attention to Martin. The veteran combatant swung again, aiming for the temple, anything to bring this monster down.  His blow stopped short as a massive hot forearm blocked it, the last thing he saw before the world went dark forever were the too sharp canines and trail of steam coming from the man's lips.  

   Grant heard the crash, and was already ordering the others to to front of the warehouse.  There wasn't supposed to be a raid on their warehouse today, the boss had paid their dues and the Blades were supposed to look the other way.  Taking his bow from a nearby alcove, he did a final check to make sure the girl's chains were fastened, then bolted for the front.      As he arrived, all he could see was chaos, and at the center of that maelstrom, the berserker from the alley.  He quickly fumbled in his pockets, looking for the flash of the aether dampening poison.  As he found it and pulled it free he saw the broken body of Martin, even with his face reduced to a bloody mound of bone shards and flesh he recognized the man's large stature and his blood ran cold.      Quickly Grant unstoppered the vial, pouring the remainder of the expensive concoction on the head of a readied arrow and lined up his shot.  In that short span of time he watched as the frenzied assault worsened, Xoan ripping a large axe from the hands of one of his men and in a single swing removing the head from another, slicing clean through a support beam in the process.      He wiped the panicked sweat from his forehead and took aim carefully, he couldn't afford a miss here.  His count made made for three dead, including Martin and the other guard.  He held his breath for a heartbeat, then two, then loosed.  The arrow streaked through the air, stopping an ilm from the 7 fulm Highlander's face.  Grant's look of disbelief turned to horror as he realized the man had caught it mid air.  Burning baleful eyes turned on him, and the stolen axe swung once, and then again, felling two more of his men in fantastic sprays of blood not unlike one would see from fountains in the Sultan's garden.    The man waded through the dead before him, literally carving a path as those tiny cinders of aether surrounding him began to condense, running over his body and igniting into crimson flames covering him.  The half-Elezen turned to flee, dropping the bow in favor of his family longsword he ran back towards the girl.  His only way out of this that he could see.    Her eyes were shining with hope, she knew who had come to rescue her, and he needed to be quick.  The bellowing roar behind him drove that point home and he caught the girl by the arm.  She fought, clawing and scratching at him until he thrust the cross-guard of his blade forward, splitting her lip and causing tears to well up there again.  He could hear that roar coming ever closer, and now he could smell smoke and feel the heat of the big man's body.    As the hulking man came into view, his blood ran cold.  A dozen cuts lined his body, but even as he watched he could see all but the more serious ones closing, knitting together with crimson threads of wild aether.  The man's face was inhuman, his grin more demonic than anything Grant could remember seeing.  Twin balls of flames regarded him as he opened those blood stained lips to reveal teeth far to bestial to be human.      "What the fuck are you!" The half Elezen shouted, holding the girl in front of him, sword to her throat.  What answered him, chilled him to the bone despite the insane heat filling the room.  He could hear the crackle of fire behind the too large man, a knocked over lantern had started a blaze among the flammable goods stored in the warehouse.    Xoan growled, a low rumbling noise starting low in his chest and then rising and contorting into a hideous laugh that burst through his lips.  He raised the axe high, taking a step forward as Grant held the blade even tighter, a line of red appeared on I'meri's white throat, and with another roar Xoan dove forward, axe driving downwards at the pair.  Grant screamed as I'meri gasped and then the world went black.

   He blinked, his vision blurry, his whole body hurting as he looked up.  The world spun on its axis and it was all he could do to not be sick.  The last thing he remembered he was laying wounded in the alley after I'meri was taken.  The pain on his arm from a fresh wound stun, but not as much as the deep horrible burn in his muscles.  He could feel a weight on top of him and began to struggle until he heard a gruff voice.    "Don't make me kill you boy.  Someone needs to stand trial for this!"      Xoan looked around, trying to get a look at who said it, and noticed that the weight pressing in on him were a trio of Brass Blades. The strong sent of smoke caught in his nostrils and he coughed, sending flecks of blood onto the stones of the Ul Dah street.  He felt his head swimming, like he might loose consciousness at any moment, but the last words he heard before everything around him faded into a haze would haunt him for the rest of his life.    "We count eleven dead inside, ten of them members of the trading company, and one Miqo'te girl of unknown origin." He heard a soldier give his report to the officer. "This one killed them all, that much is plain."      The horrible howl that escaped the boy on the stones echoed even over the crackle of the fire burning the warehouse down as Xoan succumbed to the exhaustion that extreme use of his aether cost him and passed out on the stones.

[xoanffxiv]

Xoan Grahm - Beginnings IX

   Xoan blinked his eyes, the sounds of shouting outside mixing with the smell of cinders in the room he and I'meri shared.  He sat upright quickly, the darkness slow to release its hold over his vision.  He shook I'meri, her sapphire blue eyes blinking rapidly as she came awake.    "What's wrong?" She whispered.      Xoan looked around, telltale floating bits of crimson let him know that their building was on fire and he helped her to her feet. Not bothering to look for a clothes, he wrapped his arm around her and ran from the building. He shouted for Marie, but it proved unnecessary as the Elezen girl came into view ahead of them, sitting outside the hovel, her head in her hands.  As he looked back he would see the fire rapidly spreading, thick oily smoke beginning to boil rapidly out of the boarded windows.      "Well, well... I gotta give you credit Martin.  That worked a treat." A reedy voice rang out from the end of the alley.  The three youths turned towards the sound to find four men standing, watching them with bared steel.    The man that must have been Martin moved forward, soot darkening his bandaged hands as he held a heavy looking mace. His crooked teeth shone yellow in the light of the growing inferno as he gave a loud bellowing laugh.  Behind him stood a tall and thin man, likely some Elezen blood in that one, holding a crossbow leveled directly at Xoan. The other two wore the same black and crimson garb as the first, but held well made swords, razor sharp blades glinting in the early morning air.    Xoan could feel the fire rising inside himself, these men had almost killed him, almost killed I'meri.  Pinpricks of red light began to form in his eyes for a moment before he felt a white hot pain in his thigh.  The fire died out nearly as fast as it had ignited as he looked down to see the tail of a bolt that had sprouted from the muscles in his leg.      "Aye.. we thought you might be like that." The tall man laughed, "took a special precaution I did.  That bolt's soaked in a poison that stops the flow of aether through the body."    He looked at him in disbelief, a creeping cold numbness spreading rapidly through his limbs as his leg gave out beneath him and he crashed to the stones of the alley floor.  I'meri cried out, reaching for him as the two swordsmen advanced.  They came closer and closer, easily sidestepping the weakened man's attempt to grab one of them before grabbing I'meri by the arms.    The highlander teen tried to stand, but his leg wouldn't hold his weight, her best friend and lover screamed and kicked and clawed at the men, but was pulled away to rejoin the others where the bulky man with the torch wrenched her arms back behind her and rapidly tied them off with practiced movements.    "You see, this one's father owes us a fair bit of gil he does, so he offered his little one as means of payment." He looked over at I'meri, the disgusting look in his eyes made Xoan one again try to rise, pushing through the pain to get to his feet as the tall man rapidly reloaded the crossbow.    "Now now, none of that.  I'm no killer, under normal circumstances, but don't you force my hand."  He said with a steel cold glare.      A growl rose in his throat, as he reached down and yanked the bolt free, screaming as the barbed tip exited muscle and collapsing again to the floor as he head a deep booming laugh from Martin.  His vision blurred for a few heartbeats as he clawed his way forward.  In the haze he heard I'meri cry out again and then a new voice.    "Ok Grant, you have her... we're square then?" A blonde Miqo'te man lurking near the end of the alley asked, his fingers obviously broken and bruises and cuts clearly visible on his face.  The thin man gave him a tooth smile and a nod, dismissively waving the man away as he and his companions began to drag I'meri away.  Xoan would never forget those pleading sobs, begging her father to help her.    He woke there some time later, his blood filling the gaps between the stones as he felt the first bits of fire rising again, the poison worked it seemed, but not for long.  Marie sobbed and moved closer to him, he felt somewhere impossibly far away her hand on his shoulder.  The wounded Miqo'te walked closer, his blue eyes, the same eyes his daughter had inherited, filled with tears.    "I'm... I'm sorry... they would have killed me and I had nothing else.  I had to" He said to the pair of them.  "You understand, I had to!"      Marie watched, horrified as Xoan's body contorted beneath her hand. With a yelp she pulled her hand away, looking down at it in shock as the red skin began to blister.  She fell back as Xoan rose, seeming now unhindered by his injury and towering over the man who had sold his first love to these men.    Blue eyes widened, and the man tensed as if to flee, but Xoan was to quick, his massive hand closing over the older male's face and slamming him into a wall.  Marie gasped as she looked at the change that had come over him, his body was larger, towering over what even an Elezen could reach.  The muscles under his skin tightened and bulged, seeming like living things below rapidly reddening skin.   Most shocking though, and an image that would be burned into her nightmares for the rest of her life, were his eyes.  Where had been two lively dancing green orbs now there was nothing but a deep crimson flame.  Those burning eyes made every line on his face stand out, twisting his features into something more befitting a voidsent than a man.      "Then you should have died!" he roared, the windows of nearby houses rattling with the force of that too deep voice.  Xoan thrust the man backwards against the wall once more, a loud crack rang out in the quiet morning air.    "Who are they!" Xoan roared, Marie shrinking back at the volume of the cry. "Where can I find them!"    The Miqo'te man stammered, terrified and trying to find words until eventually giving in. "The Black Wing Trading company!  They have a warehouse, its not far from the Quicksand!" He cried out. It was enough, Xoan released him, letting him fall to his knees and weep into his hands.      "Please... I had to... I had to..." He sobbed out, "You have to understand!"    With a tremendous roar Xoan turned back to him, hand cocking back and driving forward with the force of a Magitek hammer.  Marie screamed as the man's head connected with the wall and then liquefied against the wall under the berserk man's open palm.  Her scream echoed in the tight hall as the headless corpse tumbled to the ground.      Paying her no mind as she vomited over the rapidly staining stones Xoan walked over and sniffed the air, small motes of red aether dancing around his body.  His burning eyes snapped wide open as he caught a scent. One final roar broke the morning air as he charged off down the alley in pursuit, leaving the sickened Elezen woman behind.

[xoanffxiv]

Xoan Grahm - Beginnings VIII

 The pair walked through the streets of Ul'dah, talking freely as they watched the crowds part around them.  The past few months since the incident in the Bloodsands had been kinder to I'meri than to Xoan.  She smiled up at him, her blue eyes shining brightly in the midday sun.  He had put on more muscle, and looked far older than his 17 summers.  The cut on his face had left a scar, and he touched it every once in a while while they walked.  I'meri noticed the self conscious gesture and slapped at his hand, she thought the mark made him look more dashing and had told him so repeatedly.  She knew he blamed himself, and the guilt he felt had bled into every other aspect of their relationship. He treated her gently, as if always afraid to break her. She had forgiven him, he couldn't control himself in that state and she understood that, but it seemed as though he didn't. As they walked past another vendor she clung to his arm, tail swishing happily.  It wasn't until they hear the chorus of raucous voices that she finally managed to pull away.  "Oh look at this now!" A boy a few years older than them dressed in finely tailored clothes called out. "Seems the little kit likes it a bit rough!"  I'meri blushed, and she felt Xoan's muscles stiffen next to her.  The tall Highlander moved a step forward, using his impressive height for intimidation. The wealthy boy laughed as he jumped down from his perch atop a pile of crates.  Another two boys came around from the back, dressed in equal finery.  One of the two wore more jewelry than Xoan had seen on most women, even those that advertised the various pillowhouses within the city.  "Hey now, I'm just tellin in like it is, arn't I boys?"  One of his companions nodded, while the bejeweled teen leaned heavily against a wall, one hand staying close to his side ready to draw the slender dagger at his hip. I'meri gave a little tug on Xoan's arm, urging him to let it go. he turned to her, green eyes softening as he looked down into hers.    "Looks like your kitten needs some alone time with you, a bit more of the rough stuff is it then?"  The second boy chimed in.  "Oh aye, but if the lass needs someone to put her in her place we'd be happy to oblige" The first said with a lewd grin, his eyes roving over I'meri's body.    Xoan turned back again, his mouth opening and closing more than once as I'meri heard his teeth click and grind together. She felt it, the first little spike of heat running through his body and she put a hand to his arm.  "It's ok, these boys are just being stupid, you don't have to hurt anyone.  Let's just go, ok? Come on Xoan." She tried to calm him.    The trio laughed, the decorated male drawing his dagger and taking a step forward. "As if he could stop us... maybe we should show him eh?" He said, his nasal voice raised.    The other two began walking forward, spreading out to either side as the armed youth stayed in the middle.  She could feel the muscles in Xoan's arm begin to writhe beneath her fingers as his skin began to burn hers.  She pulled her fingers back, the shock making her take a panicked step away.  She bumped into the first boy, and immediately felt a hand firmly squeeze her backside.  With a cry she turned and slapped him, her palm turning his head to the side as the two other boys began to laugh.  Xoan took a step towards him, bringing that impossible heat along with him. Before he could get close the boy with the knife stepped forward, waving the tip of the blade in his face as the first boy caught I'meri's wrist and pulled her in close to him.  She could feel his hands running over her body through her clothes, and her skin crawled as she tried to pull free of his grip.  She felt another blast of heat behind her, and hear the curses from the other boys.  Turning her head she saw Xoan standing there, his skin turning red in the midday light, eyes burning with ethereal flames.  The boy with the knife tried to slash at him, but one large hand caught his wrist and in an instant I'meri heard the telltale snap of a bone breaking.  The second boy screamed and turned to flee as Xoan hoisted his attacker up, lifting the boy fully off the ground.  With a howl of rage he tossed him behind him, launching the heavily ornamented teen across the alley to collide with a merchant stall.  The scream of panicked pain ended abruptly as the airborne man impacted and the entire thing collapsed in on him.    Xoan turned baleful eyes on the man that had been touching her, and he rapidly stepped forward, moving too fast for someone his size.  The boy released her and managed a single step before Xoan was on top of him.  Large hands, just starting to develop callouses from his training and matches in the sands wrapped around a thin neck.  I'meri screamed for him to stop, but if he could hear her he didn't show it.  The boy clawed at the Highlanders hands, trying desperately to break that killing grip, but he might as well have been trying to move the walls of Ul'Dah themselves.    "Xoan stop!  Please... you don't have to!  Please just stop!" I'meri tried to reason with him.  Her pounded a fist of her own against his arm, trying to stop him from doing something terrible. As the young man's eyes began to roll up in his head, she heard a faint word in her lovers snarl. A single syllable that gave her a moment's hope.  "No...."  As suddenly as it had come, the rage was gone.  The boy to much weight for Xoan to hold as he fell heavily from stiffened fingers.  The boy sucked in a deep gasp, trying to swallow all the air in the marketplace it seemed as he crawled away from the pair backwards.  "You'll.. I'll... I'll get you for this!" The boy coughed as he found his feet and ran away down the alley.    Xoan turned eyes to I'meri, those familiar green eyes soft with worry and regret. "Are you ok?" He asked quietly.  She gave him a nod, not wanting to talk about what happened and putting a hand gently on his arm. On impulse she leaned forward and gave him a kiss before urging him down the street.  Even as they cleared the area they heard the cries of the Brass Blades as they arrived.  Quickly I'meri lead Xoan back home, his skin cooled back to a more human temperature by the time they made it back to the boarded up hovel.  Before she pried back the barrier and let him enter, she leaned in close, whispering softly in his ear.  "I love you..." He turned to her, pulling her into a long kiss before finally reluctantly releasing her. "I love you too." He answered.

[xoanffxiv]

Xoan Grahm - Beginnings VII

 I'meri looked down over the Bloodsands, her blue eyes locked on the door she knew Xoan was behind.  She could hear the crowd beginning to get riled up as the bookies began closing down their bets.  She had placed a large wager on Xoan, as he had asked, and the corner of her lip twitched into a smile. The odds against him were getting lower and lower each match, which meant less money for her bet, but Xoan's wins pulled in more each time as the crowd began to know him by name. As the last bets were taken, desperate people shouting and pushing over each other to get them in, she could hear the announcer begin.  "Welcome to our fine pre-show on this fine day.  Is everyone enjoying themselves?" He shouted, playing to the crowd. The thunderous roar that answered him widened an already impossible smile from the flamboyantly dressed Midlander. I'meri cheered along with them, she enjoyed watching these matches, and secretly she enjoyed watching her man so dominant. "Our first competitor today, a second generation contender. Xoan Grahm!"  She felt the happy little swell in her chest as she looked down and saw the door open.  Xoan walked onto the sands, sword already raised high as he scanned the crowd for her.  She cheered and waved, trying to catch his attention.  The smile he gave her showed her success even as he reached the middle of the arena and gave a now practiced flourish with the long slender blade. He had filled in quite well, no longer the skinny tall teen he had been when they met, six months on the sands had helped him build muscle, and the first bits of a bread had began to come in.  She felt a hot blush creeping up her cheeks as she thought about it, that slight beard and its whisper on her face just as she kissed him. Her ears pivoted back for a moment, her tail giving a happy swish as she tried to conceal it.  Thankfully no one around her was paying attention, to engrossed in the anticipation of the match to come.  The announcers clarion call rang out again.  "His opponent, in this very special starting show grudge match.  A name familiar to any long time viewer of these tests of skill.  Ghislain, the Silver Blade of Ishgard!"  Even as he said the words, I'meri felt her heart drop.  They couldn't do this, it was cruel, it was beyond cruel.  The crowd shrieked and stomped their feet as the other set of doors opened and a fair haired Elezen walked out, chainmail shining brightly in the harsh light from above.  The look on Xoan's face broke her heart, the look of confusion turning to horror and then to rage.  Even from here she could see his jaw set, the muscles so tense it seemed as though he might break the bones their on his own. Before the announcer could even continue, she saw his feet moving.  He crossed the arena in three long strides, blade slicing up through the sand and aiming directly at the man's face.  The Ishgardian threw himself back, the sudden assault taking him by surprise.  His feet pivoted in the sand as the crowd shoot the arena with applause. I'meri gasped as the seasoned fighter thrust towards Xoan but her man had already gotten inside the shocked fighters guard.  Metal shrieked against metal as their weapons collided and she could hear Xoan scream with rage as he forced the man back another step.  Ghislain turned his body to the side, providing a smaller target for the enraged younger fighter, twisting his body and flashing his blade up to dodge or redirect killing blows.  Xoan continued the assault, now over extended, as the practiced swordsman managed to reverse the flurry of blows and begin striking back.  The crowd roared with approval as a flash of steel drew blood, thick droplets flying high in the air as Xoan recoiled, one hand clutching at his face. I'meri's hand found her mouth and she sucked in her breath so hard one might have wondered how she didn't swallow her tongue. Xoan had to yield now, he had to, the blow had left a long gash on his left cheek and blood flowed freely from under his open palm.    What happened next Xoan wouldn't remember for more than a decade, and not without help.  Those who had attended the arena that day, I'meri included would never forget it.  It started small, something not noticed right away, a rush of hot air from the floor of the arena far below.  I'meri's wide eyes saw it first, her gaze only on her man as the taller Elezen male took a step back, waiting for the yield.  The muscles in Xoan's arms and back grew taut, seeming to grow and stretch at the same time as the heat radiating from the arena floor, from him, began to increase even more.    The announcer began to call down, trying to get the younger man to yield but his voice was lost in an unearthly roar.  A sound more akin to the wail of a wounded voidsent than to anything a human could produce.  That roar that silenced the crowd was coming from Xoan, his whole body shaking as wisps of red and black aether began to swirl and dance over his body. In the eerie silence I'meri heard the Ishgardian swordsman swear under his breath as he retreated more and more.  His 7 fulm frame dancing backwards to gain some distance.    Xoan's hand fell to his side, the other gripping the sword in his fist with white knuckled determination.  His eyes opened to reveal a swirling vortex of crimson fire where had once been the green eyes I'meri was so fond of.  A line of steam issued from his mouth as the heat from the arena made people shy back from the rails above, as Xoan dove forward.  He was fast, much faster than his opponent expected and it was all Ghislain could do to get the sword up to block in time.    The cry of steel as their blades collided shattered the silence, and those above watched the screaming highlander drive that blade forward again and again, each time only to be met at the last second by a frantic parry.  I'meri could hear the announcer calling for the Brass Blades, not to stop the fight, but to stop Xoan once it was over.  With another cry the towering Highlander, now seeming taller than his gaunt Elezen opponent swung again.  This time the collision of steel on steel brought with it a horrible shattering sound.  The crowd watched with their breath held as the Ishgardian's silver sword snapped in half, the long blade flying across the arena to bury itself in the sand.  All of them could hear the Elezen shout "Yield!" as he backpedaled, throwing himself away from Xoan frantically, calling it out again and again. I'meri panicked, not knowing what to do, on impulse running towards the fighters entrance and down into the depths.  Her feet moved rapidly over the cool stones as she found her way to one of the doors.  As she burst through she saw a haunting sight, Xoan, mouth open as he exhaled more steam.  She could see his teeth now, somehow twisted with canines far larger than even her Miqo'te Keeper cousins. Xoan had pursued the man, his blade punching deep holes in the sandy floor of the arena.  As she began to near them, she heard his blade shatter, the force of his blow breaking the sword on the stone beneath the layer of sand.  "Xoan!  Xoan you have to stop!" She shouted, running against her instinct, directly towards the rampaging giant of a Highlander.  The heat radiating off him from this close was unbearable, and the closer she got the more it seemed it would sear her skin.  She reached him, just as a punch made it through the Elezen's guard and knocked the man flat onto the sand.  She could hear gasps from the crowd above, just as many anxious as excited.  She reached him even as he bent over the Elezen, lifting the limp man up to look at his face.  She placed a hand on his arm, again calling for him to stop.  She saw it coming, much as Xoan had when his father had died, the world slowed down as a hard backhand from the man she had taken in and came to love knocked her world upside down. She remembered distantly, faintly, hitting a wall of the arena before sliding down to the floor.  More gasps from above as the towering man turned to her in full.  As the world began to fade away to darkness, she heard the shouts of Brass Blades as they flooded the arena.    Xoan awoke later, left in a holding cell, his whole body soar and hot as if he had spent a day walking the deserts of Thanalan. He looked around, the cool air of the room stinging his skin.  The last thing he remembered was the flash of silver and a burning bite as it hit his face.  He must have lost, he swore aloud, he missed his chance to kill the man that had taken his last bit of family from him.    He didn't have to wait long before a tall narrow man casually walked into the room.  The man pulled back a hood, revealing the face of one of the games masters.  "Feeling better?" The man said, his interest obvious.  "What.. what happened?" Xoan asked, touching his cheek, he had been stitched up, but he was sure that would still leave a scar.  "It seems you've been holding out on us!"  The man said, his hands clapping together "I have so much planned for you, its so... marketable... The Berserker of the Bloodsands!  I love it!!!" He laughed.  "I... I don't remember anything... What are you talking about!" Xoan exclaimed, trying to stand but the ache in his body caused him to nearly double over.    "Oh..." The gamesmaster raised an eyebrow "Well, nothing to worry about then, nothing to worry about" He said with a crooked smile.  Xoan eyed the man warily, not knowing what to say or what had happened.  The man clapped him on the shoulder roughly, a move that once again nearly caused him to double over in pain, before standing and beginning to leave.    "Oh, right... I nearly forgot" He said, turning and tossing a heavy purse to him. "Your pay, plus a bonus for the good show."  Without another word the man was gone, the door left open wide for him.  He slowly, painfully, made his way above to head back home.  The long walk took even longer as the burning from within made even breathing near agony.  As he made it to their home, wondering why I'meri hadn't greeted him, he found Marie waiting for him.  She tensed up immediately, watching him cautiously.    "What are you doing back here!" She shouted, looking around for a guard as if frightened. "I'meri is hurt because of you...  get out of here, get out of here now or I'll call the Blades!"  He stood dumbfounded, looking at her as though she had grown another head.  "What do you mean I'meri is hurt, what happened!"  "Get out! go away!" She shouted.  Not wanting her to call the guards, but still concerned he began to back away.  "Just... just tell me what happened?"  He watched her edge farther away from him, but she did explain, the look of horror on his face growing worse as worse with each new bit of information.  Thus began the struggle within himself to contain something uncontainable. Despite this, the gamemasters of the Bloodsands continued to market him under his new title, and the crowd he drew continued to grow.  I'meri would forgive him in time, understanding what happened, despite Marie's protests.

[xoanffxiv]

Xoan Grahm - Beginnings VI

 Xoan took a deep breath, the smell of dried blood and grit and sweat heavy in the air around him.  The room was dark, a sputtering torch the only source of light in the narrow hall leading to the set of heavy wooden doors banded with iron.  He took a deep breath, the humid air heavy in his lungs as he adjusted the unfamiliar wright of his borrowed armor.  A rack of weapons sat nearby, and in the moments he had he looked through them.  A heavy axe caught his eye, long and wrought of steel, but he dismissed it in favor of something faster.  His body was toned, running from guards and hours in the practice hall had seen to that, and he picked a slender longsword from the displayed arms.  A shield sat not far off, and he knelt down to take it hesitantly.  The disk was large, enough to cover a good portion of his 16 year old frame, but a crack ran the length of it down the middle.  Some damage from a previous battle, he though.  A long sigh escaped his lips, he would have to make due without it. He could hear the cheers now, the clapping of hands and stomping of feet as the announcer walked to the podium to begin.  The man's words were lost on him as his mind raced through a hundred thoughts at once.  Real fear gripped him as memories of seeing his fathers last match welled up and eroded his confidence.   He heard his cue, and as if by magic the heavy doors swung open and his feet began to move on their own.  The light streaming down from above blinded him for a moment, the heat of the summer and the crowd clinging to him even below the stands.  He walked forward and tried to win the crowd with a familiar flourish, one he had seen his father do many times, but his own awkward limbs were not practice enough for.  He heard the jeers and laughter that followed it and he turned his face down to the sand to hide his embarrassment.    A voice carried down over the mockery of the crowd, a small bit of joy in a sea of heckling.  He turned his eyes back up, looking through the crowd as the announcer began to speak again.  Once again he didn't hear the words, to caught up in looking for her.  At last his green eyes met a pair of sapphire stars and the grin that spread across his face showed I'meri he had heard her.  He heard the booming voice of the man at the podium finally cease as the doors across from him opened.  His first opponent stepped out, a male Miqo'te a few years older than him dressed in rags and mismatched armor like his own.  The man raised a sword of his own in salute before walking forward, Xoan's own hand copying the gesture as he stepped in.    The pair circled each other, the crowd mercifully silent as he tried to size up the man facing him.  His arms were longer than his opponents, and he had the height advantage, his own six fulm, four ilm frame towering over the other man. He caught the faintest hint of motion, a subtle shift in the other man's stance and lifted his sword to block.  Steel grated against steel as their swords collided, Xoan still having to turn himself to the side to avoid the stabbing point of the weapon.  He countered with a long sweeping strike, trying to force the man back, but to his surprise the lithe Miqo'te ducked it and stabbed in again.  This time he couldn't twist himself enough, and the line of fire that seared his hip betrayed the hit.    He kicked out, a heavily blow that caught the man off guard and sent him sliding back in the blood stained sand.  He heard the cheers of the crowd as they saw the slowly spreading pool of red as it slicked his tunic underneath the leathers.  With a loud cry he rushed forward, trying to catch his opponent by surprise.    The man danced back, twisting his body to avoid most of the blows, but parrying one at the last moment that would have cost him the use of his arm otherwise.  He saw the man's ears go back, a soft hiss of an angry inhale as he backpedaled further.  More noise from the crowd above at the upset, cheers and cries of outrage from those who had bet on the older boy.    He saw a chance, a way to push him back to the wall and took it, launching into a thrust that if it had hit would have certainly killed the Miqo'te.  Tail flicking wildly the older boy dove backwards, loosing his footing and crashing into the grit of the arena floor.  Not wanting to risk allowing him to get his footing, Xoan followed, blade leading the way.  He turned it aside at the last moment, using his weight to pin the shorted man to the floor as the tip of his blade bit deep into the sand beside his head.  He paused, looking down into a pair of frightened brown eyes, the humid air stinging his lungs.    "Yield!" Xoan demanded, his voice more of a growl than anything recognizable as human.    He saw the man's hand relax its grip, slowly and cautiously releasing the blade to fall to the sand.  Satisfied he rose, taking his knee from the prone Miqo'te's chest and offering a hand.  The other boy slapped his hand away, rising to his feet on his own amidst the boos and catcalling of the crowd.  He left the blade in the dirt and returned to his entrance, leaving Xoan standing, winded and bleeding before a uproar of cheers and applause.    His eyes tuned up again, looking for I'meri, and he found her in the same spot, her beaming smile making his heart soar.  As he began to move back to the holding area, he raised the blade again, giving a salute to the crowd, who answered with a thunderous wave of cheers.  Later, after the healers had tended and wrapped his wound, he headed back home.  A short Lalafell in a white robe approached him, handing over a purse as he exited the arena.  His winnings, and if I'meri had done as he asked, there would be much more.  He found her waiting outside, sitting on a bench watching the fighter's exit of the Bloodsands.  "Xoan!" She shouted, beaming as she ran up to him.  "Your leg, are you ok?"  The concern in those bright blue eyes made him sad, and with a comforting smile he acted on impulse, leaning in and kissing her hard.  At first she jerked, her ears going back immediately at the surprise.  He started to lean back when he felt her arms wrap around his waist and she returned it.  As he finally, hesitantly, pulled back, she saw the red creeping into her face as she gave him another smile.  "Took ya long enough to get around to it!" She said teasingly, turning her head a little in an attempt to hide the blush.  "I..." He stammered, not sure what to say.  But it didn't matter. She turned back with a wide smile, eyes sparkling as she leaned up to kiss him again, arms giving his waist a little squeeze.  Together they walked back home, their closeness drawing an amused look from Marie.  Lear however, eyed them suspiciously.  Xoan had suspected for some time that the fair haired Midlander had feeling for I'meri as well, it seemed he was right.  That night they ate better than they had in months.  Xoan's winnings along with I'meri's for betting on him in the match giving them enough to live on for a couple weeks.  This would be the first match of many for Xoan, and the first of many nights spent sleeping with I'meri tucked against him under a blanket in the corner of the shack the four of them shared.    Lear however would not spend another night with them, he was gone by morning when they woke.  I'meri questioned the departure, but Marie is seemed thought much the same as Xoan did, and it wasn't likely they'd see the boy again.  

[xoanffxiv]

Xoan Grahm - Beginnings V

 The streets of the Sapphire exchange were quiet, all save for the most determined shoppers driven inside by the pounding rain.  Xoan sat with his back against a wall, eyeing a nearby stall as the merchant packed it up for the day.  His stomach growled as he saw the man pack away loaf after loaf of bread that had gone unsold, but a quick shake of his pocket reminded him that he didn't have the Gil for it.    He let out a long sigh, soaked through from the downpour.  At least though it spotted him from sweating in the normal heat of the Thanalan summer. Green eyes scanned the street, catching a bit of movement coming his way.  A slim Miqo'te girl about his age, long blond hair combed straight back ran down the street covering her head with a wrapped package.    He watched her approached, he had seen her before he thought.  Her bright blue eyes swept over him and he remembered, she had been at the sands when his father had died a few months back.  He had lost track of her after that, and in the time that had followed, he had wound up living on the street, not a Gil to his name.  He turned his head away from her, trying to not stare at her slender body as the rain made the simple garb she was wearing cling to her.  He heard the splashing footsteps slow as she approached, finally stopping just near him as he continued to stare at his waterlogged boots.    "Are.. are you ok?" She asked, voice lyrical as she looked him over.    He felt glad for the rain, he might look like a drowned marmot, but at least he wasn't filthy.  Eventually he turned his eyes upwards, seeing the feline slits in her bright blue eyes.  Even then he could see a bit of gentle kindness in those eyes, and he'd remember them always.    "I'm fine..." He tried to brush her off, turning away again from her.  "Your the boy from the Bloodsands right?  Your father..." Her voice hitched a little, not wanting to finish the sentence.    "What do you care." He said brusquely, keeping his eyes turned away from her to hide the bits of moisture forming in the corners of them, despite the rain doing a fine job of that already.  "I just.. where is your mom?  Why are you all alone out here like this."  "She died.." he said softly, so quiet he wasn't sure she heard.  He wasn't even sure if he wanted her to hear.  He waited in silence for a long time, it seemed like days, or weeks, before suddenly he  sense motion, and before he knew what had happened, he felt lithe arms around him, hugging at him tightly. The girl presses herself against him, the wet clothing making his teenage body acutely aware of every small and subtle curve of her as she held him.  His hands raised, unsure of what to do, and hung in the air.    He could feel his heart hammering away, the little Miqo'te lass still hugging him, her arms barely able to fit around his shoulders.  Eventually his arms acted on their own and wrapped her in a hug in return.  She stayed like that for a dozen heartbeats, ones Xoan would remember for a long time going forward.  As she pulled away, he got a good look at her.   She was his age, of that he was sure, and small, even for a Miqo'te.  Her angular face stayed close to his for a moment, sharply pointed nose inches from his.  She was pretty, that much he didn't need his bodies repeated reminders of, and she looked as though she might cry as well.  "My name is I'meri" She said, giving him a charming little smile.  "I'm an orphan too"  He attempted to say something, tongue butchering it repeatedly until it came out as a stutter.  "Xoan" He finally managed.  She gave him a little laugh, smile still wide as she pulled away and stood up.  She reached a hand down to him, as if to offer him help to stand despite her small stature.  Slowly, cautiously, he took her hand in his and stood.    "If you want, you can stay with me.  Its not a lot, but a few of us orphans stick together in a abandoned house not far from here."  He looked at her, sure this had to be a trick of some kind.  She caught that incredulous look and laughed, cheery smile still ready on her face as she started to pull him along.    "You'll have to meet everyone of course, and you need to eat, are you hungry? I'm not much of a cook, I try though, me and one of the other girls.  What kind of food do you like?  I don't see a lot of Highlander Hyur around here, unless they're refugees, are you from Ala Mhigo?"    She merrily chatted as she pulled him off the main street and into one of the alleys, never stopping even for breath it seemed. Before long they came to a boarded up house, I'meri looked around for any sign of the Brass Blades before pulling the lowest of the wooden barricades away and slipping inside.  Xoan followed, his much larger frame having a harder time of it.    The inside was dry and cozy, a small fire burning in the long abandoned hearth.  A lithe Elezen girl with dark hair poked at it. Nearby a wiry Midlander ate from a chipped bowl, taking spoonfuls of soup and shoveling them into his mouth.  I'meri gave them both a cheery wave, blonde tail swishing happily.  "This is Marie and Lear" She said, motioning first to the Elezen, then to the Midlander that gave a grunt of acknowledgment.  The Elezen girl eyed him suspiciously, walking over and extending a hand in greeting.    "And this, is Xoan." I'meri said happily. "I told him he could stay with us."    The cocked eyebrow from Lear and the soft momentary frown from Marie told him all he needed.  They didn't trust him, fair enough, but they trusted her.  He watched as Marie turned and moved back to the heart, picking up another chipped bowl and filling it for him before tearing off a hunk of bread and bringing it back.  He gave her a smile, accepting the plate gratefully as he found a place to sit. I'meri collected a portion for herself and sat next to him, happily chattering away as he began to eat. He was much hungrier than he thought, as he ravenously finished his portion.  He looked over to his new friend, seeing her beaming smile as she offered her bowl.  "Here, you were so hungry, you need it more than I do.  Tomorrow you can help Lear hunt some more meat." Her voice was soft as she pressed the bowl into his hands.    He hesitated, but she held a finger to his mouth to stifle any protests and sat back against the wall again.  His eyes moved over her face again, then lower to linger overlong on her body in the soaked clothing.  If she noticed or minded, she gave no sign.  He fell asleep not long after, belly full as he curled up in a set of blankets I'meri had brought him.  

[xoanffxiv]

Xoan Grahm - Beginnings IV

 The crowd cheered, a roar that shook the walls of the stands above the Bloodsands.  Xoan snuck closer to the edge, trying to get a good look down into the arena.  He slipped beneath a portly woman's arm to find a place at the rail.  The Bloodsands had earned their name, a wide expanse of sand, stained with the blood of victor and fallen alike.    He could see his father, long hair pulled back into a tight pony tail, one hand resting on his hip, the other holding a sword aloft in victory.  It had been three years since his mother had passed, and Xoan had returned to a somewhat normal life.  He was being tutored by a old scholar, and after his lessons he would sneak away to watch his fathers matches.    Albion Grahm as it turned out, had made quite a name for himself on the sands. His dazzling swordplay and natural flair for combat enticed the crowds, and his matches paid better now than ever before.  It was because of this that they had been able to afford a proper home in the Goblet now.    He smiled as he watched the man celebrate his victory with the crowd, the cheers and shrieks of excitement lighting his blood on fire, much as it was his fathers.  He stayed close to the railing as the onlookers rushed to place bets for the next match, or recounted the events they had just witnessed.    As Albion left the field, Xoan looked around, seeing a few other unattended children nearby, a Miqo'te lass about his age, as well as two other Hyur vying for her attention.  He smiled, eyes darting over her body in the loose fitting clothing she wore, then wrenching his eyes to the side when her sapphire orbs turned to his.    He kept his eyes on the floor, trying hard not to blush and failing.  The warmth spread over his face and he turned farther away, not wanting the girl to see.  Thankfully, the announcer began to speak again.  "You all know him, you all love him!  Please welcome back to the Arena, Albion Grahm!!"  A deftening roar shook the walls of the arena again as his father reappeared on the sand, lifting his sword in salute to the masses.  Steel eyes scanned the crowd, making it seem to each of them that he was looking right at them.  Xoan ducked down a little, hoping that his father wouldn't catch him here again.  He had been told multiple times not to attend these bouts.    "And his opponent, the Silver Blade of Ishgard!"  Xoan looked back over the rail, seeing a tall Elezen man walk out onto the sands opposite his father.  With a smile and a sweeping swing of his sword he gave a salute, his chainmail glittering brightly in the torchlight below.    He watched, entranced, wanting to see his father best the taller man as he heard the announcer call for the battle to begin.   The pair of swordsmen circled each other, a few testing thrusts and swings as they tried to feel each other out.  The crowd above was silent, watching like a hungry dog at the dinner table.    As the two men came together, a series of blindingly fast flashes and the sound of bare steel on steel rang through the stands.  The two appeared evenly matched, and Xoan held his breath as he saw them circle and parry and thrust at each other.  Gasps and roars of approval echoed from the crowd as each man scored a hit, a long line of blood dancing freely in the air before being drank up by the hungry sand.  The pair continued, neither man wanting to give ground as the audience began to clamor rabidly above.  Xoan cheered as his father landed another blow, opening a long gash on his opponents arm.  He's won, he remembered thinking, the man would have to yield now.  But instead the taller Elezen attacked again, a flurry that caused Albion to backpedal rapidly.  Xoan's eyes widened as he saw it, the opening in his fathers guard, his side exposed as he tried to fend off the furious assault.  The crowd cheered louder and louder, he tried to call out a warning, but his voice was lost in the cacophony of voices all hungry for blood.    As if the world itself slowed down, he watched with painstaking clarity as a feint became a thrust, a blow that would open a gash on his fathers side and likely cost him the match.  The tip of that sword inching closer as Albion stumbled, his body twisting to try and recover but too late.    The boy, only fifteen summers old now watched as the tip of that silver blade kissed the armor above his fathers heart, and slid through.  He screamed, his voice raised in denial and pain as his fathers eyes widened and the crowd gasped.    The world sped up, the fingers of his fathers hand slowly opening, the blade rolling free to impact in the sand.  The Elezen froze, a look of horror and disbelief on his face.  Albion collapsed onto the sands, the blade tearing free of the shaken Elezen's hand as he landed facedown, his lifeblood feeding the ever hungry sands.  Xoan screamed again, tears running down his face, but this scream was drowned out by the cheers and cries of elation from the crowd.  They had seen what they wanted to, one man taking the life of another, rare on the sands now.  Xoan sank to his knees, sobbing wildly as the last person in his life, the only other person left that he loved died quietly on those devouring sands.

[xoanffxiv]

Xoan Grahm - Beginnings III

 Xoan paced back and forth in the small shack that he and his parents called home outside the walls of Ul'Dah, the sickly scent of medicinal herbs hung thick in the air.  He looked around nervously, small hands clenched at his sides until his knuckles went white.  The staccato rap of a hand on the door nearly made him jump out of his skin, despite awaiting this very arrival.    He pulled open the door, coming face to face with a Lalafell dressed in black robes.  The man's red eyes swept over the room as he breezed past the boy who had just celebrated his twelfth nameday a month past.  The little man pulled a leather pouch from beneath his robes, looking back to the flap that separated his parents room from the living area where Xoan slept, those nights that he could sleep.  "Where is the patient?" The lilting voice of the apothecary grated on him for some reason, though he couldn't think of why.  "She's back there" He pointed to the flap at the back of the room as his mother gave a long groan as if to answer herself.  The man stepped quickly to the back of the shanty, pulling aside the curtain and then stepping back quickly to pull a scented red close from beneath his robes and lift it to his face.  He turned back to the boy, long since hardened eyes growing just a touch softer.    "Its the wasting disease... she's being eaten from the inside out..." The little man said softly. "There is nothing I can do... nothing anyone can do."  Xoan's look of hope faded in an instant, the lalafell confirming what the other healers and sages had told him and his father.  He nodded somberly, opening the door for the man before muttering a quiet "My father will see to it you are compensated."  The man nodded as he walked through the slums and back to the Alchemists guild.  Xoan closed the door, letting out a deep breath as he tried to calm himself.  Tears stung the corners of his eyes as he slammed his fist against the frame of the door.  A raw burning told him he'd drawn blood, but he didn't care as he tried to breath deeply, another groan echoed from behind him as he started to prepare some lunch for her, a thin broth, all they could afford, and his stomach growled, but she needed the meal more than he did.  Carefully he took the tray and meager meal and lifted the curtain.  Elaine lay as she had for much of the last year, pale and thin and coated with a fine film of sweat.  The room itself smelled strongly of herbs, but stronger still was the smell of vomit and unwashed bodies.  He sat next to her on the bed, carefully taking a spoon and giving her some of the broth.  Her eyes scanned the room, he wasn't even sure if she saw him anymore as he let the warm liquid run down her throat.  She groaned again, fingers clutching at the threadbare sheets as he fed her.    More than once he wiped tears from his eyes with the back of his hand, and he fed her until the bowl was empty and sat there stroking her hair.  He whispered to her softly, trying to be some comfort, but if she heard him she gave no indication.  As night fell, he heard his father arrive home and before long Albion joined his son.    "What news?" A hint of hope in his voice made Xoan all the sadder as he turned to his father.    Albion held up a hand, already knowing the answer in the tear filled eyes.  Tired steel colored eyes closed softly as his father repressed the sorrow of his own and embraced his son firmly.  He held him a long time before finally letting him go, Xoan's tears moistening the man's shirt.    "She'll be with Rhalgr soon..  You should get some rest."  Xoan nodded, not knowing what else to do as he padded into the main room of the shack.  He laid down, his eyes still burning, the cold night of the desert nipping at the moisture on his face as he eventually drifted off to sleep to the sound of his father whispering to his bedridden wife.    It was months later that Elaine Grahm passed, wasted away from a disease beyond magical curatives, and together father and son rose at dawn to build a funeral pyre.  They sat together, Xoan crying into his father's shirt, Albion staring deeply into the flames.      Xoan would remember that night forever, the strength of the man as he sat, unmoving, watching the love of his life burn away to nothing and join their god.  His fathers face lined with years of pain and regret, his long black hair just starting to show the first hints of grey, the beard he had grown suited him well, framing a strong jaw.  Albion had taken the only work he could find to provide for his family, fighting in the Bloodsands for the amusement of the people of Ul'Dah.     As the last embers died and the ashes of the pyre fell in upon themselves, the pair began the walk back to Ul'Dah in silence.  Xoan could remember a thousand questions he wanted to ask, but he couldn't find the words. For the two of them, on that night, the silence was enough.

[xoanffxiv]

Xoan Grahm - Beginnings II

 The caravan had stopped, the long and dusty road through the deserts of Thanalan had taken a toll on the beasts that drove the carts forward.  The sun had mercifully began to dip below the horizon as Xoan looked out the cloth tarp that served to hide the passengers from the heat.  His mother sat nearby, coughing slightly into her hand as Mira played with a doll one of the older women traveling alongside them had made for her.  Albion had signed on as a guard for the merchants on their way to Ul'Dah and hadn't returned to check on them in a few hours, Xoan had asked to ride or walk alongside him, but the stern man had flatly refused.  As he jumped out of the wagon, eager to stretch his legs and find his father, he saw several of the guards and merchants already beginning to set up tents against the wall of a nearby cliff.  He wandered nearer, hearing a chorus of swears and chatter from the older men as he looked for his father.  After what seemed like and eternity, he did find him, knelt down, steel colored eyes boring into the ground as a muscled arm brought a hammer down and drove a spike deep into the earth.  His fathers long hair was tied back, a little scrap of leather holding it off the back of his neck.  Albion spared his son a gentle smile, his beard dotted with sweat and dust as he returned to his work.  Xoan could tell the man had been wearing something over his face to block the chocking sands, the top half of his face much darker both from the airborne grit and the unrelenting sun.  "Can I help?" He asked, wanting so badly to do something, anything, after the long days ride inside the veiled wagon.    His father shook his head, looking more tired than Xoan had ever remembered seeing the man.  He motioned to a barrel of water and a ladle off to the side, and the boy scrambled to get hi ma drink.  As the older man took a long swallow he gave his son a smile, tossing his black hair as best as he could through the sweat.  He stood slowly, lifting himself off the ground and brushing off what he could of the desert that had coated him.    "Lets go get your mother and sister." He said, leading the way back to the wagon where Elain and Mira waited outside looking around.    As the family made its way back over to the tent so they could rest, Xoan caught a whiff of meat roasting over a nearby fire, the communal meal that the merchants provided from their own stores each night to the families of the guards.  He licked his lips in anticipation as he guided his sister into the tent, his eyes fell on his mother then, travel didn't seem to agree with her, in the few weeks the caravan had been moving, she'd lost a lot of weight, and she was never particularly full bodied to begin with, and she had been sleeping a lot.    "I'll go get you some food mom." He said, hoping to let her get some rest and maybe she would start feeling better.  He left to collect food for them when he noticed something wrong.  He felt it, deep down, though he couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was.  His eyes darted around, looking for something he couldn't place, when he saw it.  Not far from the camp, just near the wagons, he could see them, dressed in sandy colors, steel ready in their hands.  "Bandits!" he heard the call, and before he could react, his father was out of the tent, weapon drawn and moving.  All the men took whatever they could find, spears, pitchforks, cooking knives and cleavers and those not assigned as guards circled protectively around their families.  Elaine came through the flap next, softly urging Mira to stay inside and keep quiet. She looked around, and without a thought picked up a long butcher knife and came to stand protectively near her son.  "Get inside, protect your sister." She commanded, steel in her voice.    He didn't want to go, but he obeyed, slowly crawling back inside the tent and moving to Mira's side, her green eyes wide with fear, she had heard the call, and more than a few stories about desert bandits had reached her ears in their time they had been traveling.  He wrapped and arm around her and tried to give her a smile, trying to stop himself from shaking.  He wanted to be out there, to help, some feral instinct in him screaming to go and find the bandits.  The sounds of battle reached them, even tucked away in the tent as minuted dragged on.  He gave Mira a little squeeze, before pulling away from his crying sister to peak outside the flap of the tent.  He saw his mother brandishing her flaying knife at a disheveled man, the brigand spouting off something very crude sounding that Xoan didn't understand as his mother took some swings at the air before her, circling to keep his gaze away from the tent.    Before he even knew what he was doing Xoan was moving, little legs carrying him fast at the man.  He saw his mothers eyes widen as she let out a cry of protest just before he crashed into the mans knees from behind. He felt the weight of the armored man come down on him, and he kicked and struggled to get free.  With a swear the man grabbed at him, only to scream out in pain as the point of a knife sprouted from his chest.  His mother stood behind him, blood spraying over her as she panted, the knife sheathed entirely in his back.   Xoan's eyes widened, he'd never seen a man die so close to him before, and had certainly not felt the hot spray of lifeblood on his face as he did now.  His mother wrenched on the handle of the knife, finally pulling it free as the big man collapsed in a heap, his blood being hungrily drank by the parched soil. Elaine looked at him, and without a word pointed to their tent even as Xoan spotted the other pair of brigands behind her.  "Mom! Look out!" He tried to cry out, and she spun, but too late as one of them rushed forward and knocked her to the dirt.  The other, laughing hard, turned to Xoan and reached out to lift him off the ground by his arm.  "Oh for sure, you'll want to see this boy!"  He laughed again, his breath rancid and hot in Xoan's face as his companion knelt down over his mother, rough hands clawing at her clothing and tearing.  His mother screamed, trying to claw at the man, but that just drew another backhanded slap.  Her head snapped to the side, green eyes dotted with tears as he she sobbed.  Xoan struggled, trying to bite and kick, anything he could do to stop them from hurting his mother, but a heavy fist caught his jaw and the world became a jumbled mess of stars and red.  Suddenly, he felt himself hit the dirt, released suddenly as the man holding him swore again, reaching for a blade.  He didn't even draw it, a sharpened sword took the top of his head off at the jaw.  Albion turned to the man hovering over his wife, now scrambling to reach a weapon, his trousers half undone as his hand closed over the hilt of a sword, then released as a viscous thrust severed his spine.    "Elaine!" His father shouted as he knelt next to Xoan's mother, "We need to go, now, there are too many of them."  She didn't respond, instead laying sobbing, her hands over her face as she cried. Albion turned to Xoan, his eyes full of anger, and fear, as he asked a question.  Over the shock and the smell of blood, and the cries of pain, it looked as though his father's mouth moved, but he heard no sound.  Albion moved over, taking him by both shoulders and giving him a shake, this time repeating himself.  "Where is your sister!" He shouted.  Xoan turned, eyes slowly rolling over in the direction of their tent.  He turned white, the entire tent was engulfed in flames, one of the bandits must have put a torch to it.  He saw his father moving, but it seemed as though in slow motion, he squeezed his eyes closed, tears running down his face as he heard his father calling his sister's name over and over.    He didn't remember much after that.  Just running through the freezing desert, his father carrying his mother in his arms, tears and blood streaking the tall man's face.  The next morning they would find others who survived the attack on the caravan, and they would reach Ul'Dah, though his mothers condition worsened daily. The stress of the trip, the attack even with Albion's timely intervention, and most importantly, the loss of her daughter leaving her bedridden.  Albion never spoke of Mira again, though sometimes Xoan would wake in the night and hear him sobbing quietly.

[xoanffxiv]

Xoan Grahm - Beginnings

 Xoan woke to the smell of oil and smoke, sitting up quickly in the dark and looking around with wide green eyes.  He rushed across the room, putting his hand to the solid wood first and making sure it didn't hold any heat before opening it, as his father had taught him.  He moved down the hall, he could already hear his father's deep voice as the man shouted to his mother. "Get the kids, get we need to go now Elaine!"  He moved forward as his little sister Mira opened the door to her room, dressed in her nightshirt still.  His mother moved to them, her long raven hair fluttering behind her as she wrapped them in a hug and pushed them back to their rooms to dress.  She quickly shushed any questions from either of them, waving Xoan to his room as she helped get the younger girl dressed.  He did as he was told, finding a pair of trousers and a black shirt that his father had given him, trimmed in silver.  He caught a bright flash outside his window, and curiosity got the better of him.  He crept forward, looking out into the ear hours of the morning before the sun had made its way over the horizon.  He could see them, the men dressed in black, the massive machines he would come to know as Magitek Armor.  The people were fleeing, war had come at last and Ala Mhigo was loosing.    A hand on his shoulder spun him around, the deep steel colored eyes of his father staring back into his bright green ones. Albion Grahm, a man who had long served as a guard in the Royal Palace, looked at his son with regret, but most importantly, with sadness.  He had wrapped himself in a long cloak, sword in easy reach in case he needed to defend himself. and he had wrapped his face in a thick piece of black cloth.  Xoan followed his father and mother into the darkness of the night, his little sister's hand clutched in his as he stayed close.  As they came to an opening in the alley his father motioned for them to slow, and he caught his mother's gaze for a moment as she tried to soothe the children. They had both inherited her eyes, though hers now were clouded with worry as she tried desperately to hide it.    A soldier in black passed by the alley, and with a quick motion Albion fell on the man, his sword hissing softly as he drew it and then again as it found a gap in the mans armor below his arm.  The steel bit deep, and the invader didn't even have time to open his mouth, though the large hand covering it would have made that for naught.  Xoan copied the motion in part, quickly covering his little sisters mouth to stifle the young girls outcry.  The nod of approval from his father was enough to reassure him as they continued through the darkened streets of the residential quarter.    Before long they reached a set of double doors, normally guarded at all times of day by a pair of soldiers, but left abandoned and open now.  Albion led them inside, and down a set of winding stairs to a great open well.  With a look at his wife he leaned down close to his children.   "We are going to go for a little swim, I need you both to hold your breath as long as you can.  Can you do that for me?"  Xoan nodded, and Mira gave a little sniffle before she eventually did the same. Elaine pulled at her clothes, ripping the long dress she had worn so it wouldn't tangle her legs as they dove together into the chill water that would lead them out into the Lochs.  Their father reached out and had Mira cling to his neck to better keep her close before calling for them to take in a deep breath.  As they dove below the water, the door above opened, Garlean soldiers searching the building for any trying to flee.    They swam on, for what felt to Xoan like an eternity, he could feel his lungs burning as he tried to keep up with his fathers powerful strokes, Mira clinging to him with her eyes closed.  They passed an open gate and the first rays of sunlight lit the surface of the water above.  He felt the burning in his chest, the need for air as he swam furiously for the air so far above.  Even as the edges of his vision began to blur, he broke the surface and gasped, coughing from the strain of it.    He looked around, not seeing his family at first, until he noticed his Father's head surface, along with Mira, and a moment later Elaine came up gasping.  The looked at each other, one set of sharp steel eyes meeting three matching pairs of green orbs before they swam for the shore. They pulled themselves up, and Xoan couldn't help but look back, the city, their home, all of it sat broken and smoking below a great black cloud.  The smell of gun oil and hot iron rose above the salty scent of the lochs to sting his nostrils as his father turned him back again.   "Don't ever forget what happened here.  Don't ever forget what the Empire does, and what this means for our people."  The ten year old boy nodded, a lump rising in his throat, wanting to cry but not being able to find the tears.  Carefully his father led them away, leading them to a safe place not far from the Saltery.  There they met up with others who had fled, and together they began to make their way to Eorzea.