Alphinaud has just lost all his friends, from what he might know the Crystal Braves might of gotten to his sister, he has failed Eorzea, he has failed the Scions, and now he wanders Coerthas and Dravania in an attempt to save Ishgard from its hundred years of war. With every step, he follows in your wake. But he worries, he will lose you too. But, you go all the same. You go to fight Ravana, the Onemind's God of War. An undocumented and unknown primal, the other primals have history, have knowledge, other adventurers had gone before to fight Ifrit, Titan, Leviathan, Garuda, Ramuh. Though many hadn't returned, they brought back intel the Scions and the Eorzean Alliance could use to give you an edge. And even though you were a young adventurer, at least the echo protected you from the influence. But there you go, stripped of your blessing of light to fight Ravana all the same. And he worries about you, he worries for your safety, you've reassured him, he wants to believe, but he cannot help but fret. Ysayle returns worse for wear but you return triumphant in your victory over Ravana. Estinien jokes that he fretted over your return. But it goes deeper than that. Alphinaud puppeted you around, used you as a tool in both propaganda and as a hero of the realm to further his goals with the Braves. He has no right to tell you what to do, he tore away your victory from you, all you worked for, all you gained in your combat against Gaius and your work with the Braves. You should be furious with him, you should be chastising him, you should of abandoned him. But, you didn't. You stood by him and Tataru. You wandered into the Lion's Den. Fought the Knights of the Heavens' Ward for him and Tataru. And now you're following his fool's errand to attempt to make peace between the Holy See and the Dravanian Hordes. You will not turn on him, you will not abandon him, and you will not yell at him for his reckless arrogance. You keep walking forward through the snow and facing dangers ahead. You still believe in him. And in turn, he eventually returns that faith with companionship and unwavering loyalty. No longer to the ideals of his grandfather but his ideals and belief in you. Slowly, he breaks apart the legend, the myth, the stories of the Warrior of Light. And gets stronger not to further his goals but to stand on near equal footing and support you. No longer would he be a burden. No longer will he sulk and wallow in his misery. You inspire him and are his dearest friend.
