#charlemend

If losing Ursielle was one of the worst events and pains Felixient had endured since losing his mother and Vielle nine years ago, then having to notify Quentenain and Ivaurault of her death was the second worst event. He dearly wished to have been there in person, to have held them as the pair finally understood the terrible news, and to be there so that the trio could comfort each other, as they had done so nine years past when they lost their mother and their youngest sister. He could hear Quentenain barely able to keep himself together, as Felixient also struggled to keep himself together as he relayed to Quentenain when Ursielle’s remains were to arrive in Ul’dah and who to speak to about claiming them. He promised to make arrangements on the Ishgardian side, and the transportation details. It was all he could do to distract himself from her death, to do something lest he himself succumb to despair.

The Alliance and Resistance forces were only given a couple of days to find survivors, patch up the injured, and mourn their dead. Ala Mhigans and Garleans were buried in Gyr Abania, while Alliance soldiers were repatriated to their Grand Company’s city states. Felixient stood by Charlemend and Eilis as the trio watched over the coffins of the rest of their squad, Felixient offering prayers to Halone, beseeching the Fury to accept their fallen brethren into Her Halls.

“Wish I could stay on an’ finish the fight. Kick those Garlean bastards for what they did” Eilis said, soon after Felixient finished. “Hate that I’m gettin’ sent back”

Through the Fury’s grace, the skills of the chirurgeons, and sheer luck, the hyuran woman had managed to live, but had deemed too wounded to continue to fight in Gyr Abania and was being sent back to Ishgard with the dead and other wounded. Charlemend was upset at having none of his squad in Gyr Abania, yet he was still relieved that Eilis also did not perish on that hellish day.

“As am I. Would it that you and Solelle could return and fight, yet the chirurgeons have their orders. Leaving just the two of us. It will be awfully lonely” Charlemend agreed. “And I wish greatly to be able to notify Ursulin and Janremi’s families of their deaths myself, yet I must remain here. I would assume that Felixient and myself will be absorbed into another squad who have incurred heavy casualties as well”

“I wish you could take my sister to Ishgard, but the Flames have their protocols and she’s needed to go to Ul’dah first. My brothers are en route now to collect her, and I’ve made arrangements in Ishgard for her” Felixient explained, voice low as he tried to keep it steady.

“I’ll be there to receive them, an’ help ‘em out” Eilis offered.

“You needn’t burden yourself-”  Felixient started, before Eilis cut him off.

“Look, you may have started out in our squad as a stranger, but you’re one of us now, and I’d do this for anyone else. You can’t be there for your brothers, but I can at least be there, I can help out with everything in Ishgard” She insisted.

“I-” Felixient started up in protest again, before bowing his head and shaking it slightly. “You have my thanks. A friendly, and in Ivaurault’s case a familiar face, would not go unneeded for my brothers.”

“With everythin’ you’ve done for our squad, it’s the least I can do. I’ll see that your brothers are able to bury your sister, you’ve my word” Eilis promised, “An’ don’t try an’ pay me back or nothin’, we fought side by side for moons now, as far as I care, you’re one of us, even if you’re a terrifyin’ terror of an inquisitor”

“Not that it will stop me from trying once I am done here” Felixient replied, a small, yet empty smile tugging at the sides of his mouth.

“Buy me a drink at the Forgotten Knight an’ I ‘ll call it even. No more’n that”

Charlemend watched the exchange, his expression level yet within feeling nothing but concern and grief for Felixient. He was putting on a good front, yes, but there was still a deeply (understandable) powerful pain and grief which the Inquisitor was hiding from Eilis. Charlemend did not blame him, Eilis was guilty enough that she had survived Specula Imperatoris, even Charlemend himself felt that selfsame grief, yet on top of all that Eilis was being sent back home. The war for her was over, for now, and she was forced to leave behind to men that she knew and trusted, and who needed their comrades and allies now more than ever.

Once everything was loaded and the carriages sent away, the knight and the inquisitor made their way away from the main host, the pair just standing and watching the landscape. Charlemend knew things would be incredibly difficult for Felixient, it was hard enough for himself to give his final farewells to his squadmates, the heartbreak over losing his friends already agonising enough, but to be farewelling a sibling and being unable to be there as they were laid to rest? Charlemend was unable to imagine the pain Felixient was in but resolved to be there for him until the end. And maybe then some.

“Felixient, are you in need of anything? You need only ask, I’m here until we see this out” he said.

He tried vainly to not notice the shaking of Felixient’s shoulders, as silent sobs wracked his body. He tried to not notice the tears that fell, no longer hiding and being contained while Eilis was around, Charlemend guessed that Felixient did not want Eilis to worry or feel more guilty about being sent back than she already did.

Felixient let out a contented groan as he left the inn he had been sequestered in since the Alliance reclaimed Ala Ghiri. A bad bout of food poisoning had laid him out and it was only now he was well enough to be out an about. A few friendly greetings and shouts were delivered his way, from Alliance, Resistance and Ala Mhigan civilians alike, the locals being more than happy to help out with food and medicine for injured and ill Alliance and Resistance fighters, eager to repay their liberators.

He noted the lack of fighters around considering the time and location, and wandering about the aetheryte plaza, he spied a pair of Ishgardians and approached them, the pair giving him a brief wave as he approached.

“Afternoon Inquisitor, you’re looking better today” one of them called out.

“I’m feeling a lot better now, still not entirely recovered, but I no longer feel like death warmed up” Felixient replied as he reached the pair.

“Aye, a few have been affected by food poisoning, probably a bad batch of food that managed to escape notice, though thankfully not too many have been affected, and it’s not proven to be fatal so far, thank the Fury” the other said.

“Speaking of others, our numbers here are rather…sparse, would you think not?” Felixient ventured.

“Ah, you have been out of it for a while Inquisitor” one of the Ishgardians said. “There’s an operation going on at this moment, Ala Ghiri is too far to hear the fighting, but the Alliance and the Resistance are currently attempting to take Specula Imperatoris from the Garleans”

“Already?” Felixient asked, surprised written across his voice and features.

“Aye, with how easy it was to take Ala Ghiri the Alliance, after some careful planning of course, decided to press on to Specula Imperatoris” the other Ishgardian explained “Mind you with how the Garleans have been lately, I don’t expect them to put too much of a fight up for it”

“I see” Felixient mused, “is Ser Charlemend’s squad still here?”

“Nay Inquisitor, despite losing Etgar at Operation Rhalgr’s Beacon and Ser Solelle being too injured to fight on, and with you down with your illness, his squad was still assigned to fight” an Ishgardian explained.

“I guess it shows even the leadership isn’t too concerned with the Garleans putting up much of a fight” the other said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Hmmm, maybe” Felixient said. “In either way I shall leave you two be” he finished, giving a small wave before setting off towards where the Alliance and Resistance had made their headquarters in the town.

As he neared the area, he spied one of the Immortal Flames, a woman he knew of in passing from Ul’dah and began to approach her.

“Sergeant Bull” he called out as he neared the roegadyn woman, “I hadn’t known you were also in Gyr Abania”

The roegadyn turned and cast an appraising stare at Felixient. “Shite, it’s uh, what’s-his-name, Ursa’s big brother” she replied, struggling to remember Felixient’s name. “I only just got here myself, one of the replacements for those killed or too badly injured after Rhalgr’s Beacon” she explained. “What brings you here?”

“I see,” Felixient said, offering her his warmest smile. “I was just wondering where Ursa was, I understand there is currently an operation to take Specula Imperatoris from the Empire”

“Yeah, I guess the Alliance and the Resistance have figured that they’ve got a good momentum going and so have pressed on to take the place, would be real boon for our side when we grab it” Sergeant Bull explained.

“I take it my sister’s unit is there currently?” Felixient asked “I know my squad is up there now, despite being down three of their number and no replacements yet.

“Aye, Ursa’s been assigned to there, she seemed pretty eager to go as well, a lot of people have. Guess they’re all on a high after so many successes or something” the roegadyn explained.

Felixient chuckled and shook his head. “And here I was under the impression all my life that Ursa was the responsible one in our family” he replied, “I guess even now my dear little sister can surprise me.”

“Heh, siblings can surprise us in varying ways” the roegadyn agreed, giving a small chuckle of her own.

“Do you-” Felixient started before he was cut off by a resounding boom, as if a cannon had gone off and hit something large. All around, people in Ala Ghiri began panicking, Alliance and Resistance forces attempting to calm them down, despite being spooked themselves.

“What in the hells was that?” Felixient asked, “are there any cannons being used by our side at Specula Imperatoris?”

“Buggered if I know” the roegadyn replied “but that must be one bloody big cannon and explosion to be heard from here”

“I-it must have been Castrum Abania” one of the Resistance fighters ventured. “It has a large cannon, I suppose it’s there in case of an air attack or some such, big targets” he explained.

“The Alliance didn’t bring any airships though” Sergeant Bull said, “and we’re too far out from Castrum Abania, not unless…”

“Oh Fury” Felixient replied, his voice going soft as he was filled with dread, a sick feeling gnawing at his stomach “the target was Specula Imperatoris”

“Wait, you can’t be swiving serious, are you certain?” the roegadyn asked, “hey wait! Where are you going?”

Felixient didn’t bother to answer as he ran towards Specula Imperatoris, skirting around long-ruined buildings and hostile wildlife, ignoring his own body screaming in protest as he pushed himself farther than he should, especially after being bedridden with illness. But he didn’t care, he pushed himself, ignoring his own body as lungs and legs screamed in protest, hearing only the wind rushing in his ears and the heart pounding in his chest as he prayed to Halone that his sister, Ursielle was safe.

As he approached the Imperial installation, he could smell smoke and other less than savoury smells, and he could hear the shouts of survivors and the creaks and groans of metal threatening to fall over. He pushed open the gateway, pushing with all his might against the great, heavy door, just making enough room for him to squeeze through.

The scene before him was eerily similar to sights in Ishgard and Coerthas after dragon attacks, ruined buildings and ash strewn people, survivors looking around them with that thousand-malm stare, trying to comprehend what had happened. Bodies of the dead and dying simply laying where they fell, surviving chirurgeons and soldiers trying to do what they could to save the lucky. In these few moments, all were brought together to try and find survivors and recover the dead, Alliance, Resistance, even a tiny few Imperials, all searching through the rubble, hoping and mourning.

Felixient stood there, dumbfounded for several moments, only snapping out of it when he saw someone in the Immortal Flames uniform lying facedown on the ground. He approached them, and seeing that they were not Ursielle, he moved on, hurrying to try and find his younger sister. Many others tried to call out to him, but he simply ignored them, as he searched among the dead and dying and the rubble, trying to see if she was somehow buried.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime of searching, he reached the central courtyard of the installation he spied a flash of familiar red hair and bolted towards it. “Ursa!” he called out as he approached her, partially buried underneath some rubble and unresponsive, her gold eyes staring out, yet unseeing. “Oh Halone Ursa please speak, please respond!” he begged as he reached his sister, falling to his knees and trying to shift the rubble off her. “Answer me, please. I’m here, your big brother’s here, please just talk to me, you’re ok now, you’re going to be ok now” he continued, tears spilling down as the realisation hit him like a punch to the gut and a single, raw scream of anguish filled Specula Imperatoris and beyond.

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When he awoke, he felt as though he had been trampled by Vishap himself, not just physically, but emotionally. He felt utterly exhausted, struggling to even open his eyes, though was greeted by the sight of Ser Charlemend when he did so, the man looking so utterly defeated, and as though he too had been trampled by Vishap.

“Ye look like shite” Felixient croaked, so exhausted that his Brume accent was slipping through, and not even caring that it was”

“You’re one to talk” Charlemend replied, sounding as bad as he looked, “how are you holding up?”

The realisation of the events earlier hit him as he recalled what he had seen, who he had found, broken and unresponsive under the rubble of Specula Imperatoris. His face twisted into a grimace as tears welled up. He reached up with his arm to try and wipe some of them away, though was too exhausted and grief stricken to do so, instead just covering his eyes with his arm as his body shook with silent sobs.

“Yeah, it’s been that kinda of day” Charlemend replied despondently. “Do you…remember much else?” he softly asked. Felixient shook his head.

“Just remember findin’ her, then nothin’, just wakin’ up here”

“I see” Charlemend replied. “Well get some rest, I think we all can do with it. No one’s really doing much for now, just counting our losses and asking if capturing Specula Imperatoris was really worth it”

“What happened after…after I…” Felixient began to ask, trailing off as the subject of Ursielle came up.

“You really want to know?” Charlemend asked, giving a sigh when Felixient wordlessly nodded. “We had to have a sleep spell used on you, so we could get to yourself…and your sister. You lashed out at anyone who came close to either of you. I believe at last count it was seven broken noses, three broken hands or wrists and a broken arm” he explained.

“I see” Felixient murmured, voice on the edge of breaking.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Charlemend finally standing up, unsure of what else to say “I should probably get going” he said, only stopping when Felixient’s spare hand grasped at the edge of his shirt.

“Please, stay” he begged, “I don’t want to be alone right now”

Charlemend could almost feel himself break at the other elezen’s word, his tone full of pain and grief, so lost and broken. He sat back down and took Felixient’s hand into his, to comfort and reassure, that yes, he was still there.

“How many?” Felixient croaked out. “How many made it?”

“Out of the Alliance and the Resistance?” Charlemend asked.

Felixient shook his head “Yer squad…our squad”

“It’s just you, me and Eilis” Charlemend replied, his voice low and heavy “And Eilis might no make it, chirurgeons are still working on her”

“Do ye wanna…” he started to ask, trailing off unwilling to finish the question.

“I’d be in their way, and there’s naught else I can do but wait, and pray to the Fury” he explained, shaking his head. “’sides, I’m needed here for now, where I can make some difference”