The weather was not in her favor that evening. For the last part of the day Coatleque rode westward trough the mountain pass to Falcon's Nest, fighting near blizzard conditions the last third of the way. It was nearly the 4th bell of the day when she arrived at the fortress and was able to stable her bird to rest under a large blanket. She watched him curl up under the care of the stable hands and for a moment felt pity for the creature she had dragged away from Thanalan back to this harsh wilderness. An odd feeling to her, as she was never very fond of chocobos.
She had no rest herself, however, setting straight to questioning the night's watch. The blizzard worked against everyone that night however. Nobody had seen him leave the fortress at least. It was somewhat comforting to know he did arrive. Perhaps he was still here somewhere, though inquiries at the inn turned up nothing.
As the snows began to relent again near dawn, she found herself standing in the courtyard overlooking the aetherite staring off to the horizon. The quietness of the early morning combined with the softening snowfall offered some reprieve from recent stresses. A gauntleted hand was laid atop the snow-covered crenelation of the upper court and she leaned forward, trying to ignore the frigid wind that whipped her hair from behind.
The silence was broken by the beating of large wings and the hallow voice from behind. "I recognize your hair, Ser Crofte." Her hand gripped the stone before she reeled herself around to face the newcomer who hovered above her. A man clad in white armor on griffon back. He bore a large shield bearing a golden lion's head.
"And I recognize your voice, Chosen of Halone." She replied in an almost biting tone. The beast landed then but the rider did not dismount. He slowly twisted upon the saddle so the darkened eye slits of his helm remained pointed at her.
"You look cold." he said with a single nod.
"It is a cold land." Coatleque spoke in her typical measured voice. "And steel does little to keep such at bay." Her eyes flitted between the rider and the beast. She could not hide a twinge of envy at him. They remained at a respectable distance, neither one daring to move against the other. "You have come far," she remarked with more than a singular meaning. She knew who this man was, after all. "Have you declared this your realm now?"
"All realms belong to Halone, and She tests every one of us." His voice bore as little emotion as hers. Speaking behind the visor as he chose to only gave it an eery echo as if talking to a phantom. "I come in search of a boy. A Midlander, male, tall with ginger hair. He was seen riding through this gate some two days past. A concerned member of High House Haillenarte has offered to... tithe... a respectable sum for his safe return."
She pulled her cloak around her as the winds picked up again. This was so very coincidental in her mind. First she spies that strange priestess she always seems to run into, and now the 'redeemed' lapdog looking for the same mark. It did not sit right in the pit of her stomach. "Have you perhaps questioned their reasoning for wanting him found?"
"He is their adopted kin. What other reason should there be?"
Her brows furrowed at the question and she mulled it over for the moment while the wind whistled over the wall behind her. "It seems you and I have two pieces of a puzzle." She said at length. "We are after the same boy at least."
"Truly?" The figure asked as his head tilted. A cold metallic creak accompanied his every move. "The Sultana is gracious indeed."
"I am not here on her behalf, Champion" Coatleque snapped. Her voice lowered afterwords. "Though I do not doubt she would approve of the aid I proffer. I have promised to keep the boy safe, yet he seems to have wandered off again. Would that the storms had let up sooner, this task might have been over by now.
"Little and less has been seen of him. I go in search with the coming dawn."
She shivered and gripped the cloak about her as her teeth began to chatter. "These l-lands are no place for one of his ilk." The cold of night was sinking into her core now, no number of layers would stave it off. How this so called Champion remained unaffected she could not begin to guess.
"I was told he is a green boy, and newly-minted Flame." The armored figure shrugged. "If the cold takes him, that is Halone's will." He paused. His head slowly tilting the other direction though his eyes never left her. "You are the second person I encountered seeking the boy. Perhaps he was found and you simply do not know."
Her heart fell at the prospect. The thought of Dheres already being in the enemy's hands made sense given the lead they had on her now. So much time already wasted. The fear of returning to Jameson empty handed only added to he growing knot in her stomach. "W-who?" She chattered. "W-who else s-s-shows such interest?"
"I do not know, though some of the soldiery might. They played dice with him last night. A tall Elezen, dark of hair. Perhaps a ... mercenary." The last word was spoken with distaste as if the very thought was unclean to him.
Coatleque's head turned with closed eyes as another gust of wind took her by surprise. She forced a slow, shivering breath and looked back to him only when it had passed. "I w-will ask. If-f you do f-find him first, what t-then?"
"Then I return him to his family."
"For the coin?"
"For the tithe. You would have me return him to you?"
"What would you have me say to that?" she snapped again. "That I will r-rip him f-f-from your hands by force if n-necessary?!"
He laughed. An empty, mirthless echo within his helm. The griffon was nudged a few steps closer to the paladin, it's beak now just out of range. The beast towered above her looking down with a cocked eye but made no move to lunge. She did not flinch or shy away, but stood her ground at the edge of the courtyard for all the night's watch to see if necessary. "You suggest we are at opposing ends." He said evenly. "I have told you my end desires the safe return to his family. If that places you on the opposing end, well..." His voice lowered, still hollow. "Perhaps then you will have opportunity to become the Champion."
She glared up at him from her stance. "I have no desire to claim your title, nor your tithe!"
"But you oppose his return to his family."
"I do! You may be saving him from one death to deliver him into another!"
"Death comes for us all, Coatleque Crofte."
Her hand moved to her sword in that instant as she considered whether she would be able to fend off the griffon and him together. Something stayed her hand, though, as the dawn began to rise over the horizon behind her. "I go to scout the land," he continued. "I will give the boy a choice of returning with you or with me. If he is a corpse... he goes to his family."
"Acceptable." She only half nodded in agreement.
With that he reeled the beast backwards causing it to flap its wings and slowly rise, kicking up grime, slush, and wind from the ground beneath them. Her hand slowly moved away from her blade as she watched him go, not caring about the mess whirling about her. She watched as both rider and beast flew off towards the sunrise. When her strained vision could no longer make him out among the sky, she turned and made for the garrison commander's post.
She had no rest herself, however, setting straight to questioning the night's watch. The blizzard worked against everyone that night however. Nobody had seen him leave the fortress at least. It was somewhat comforting to know he did arrive. Perhaps he was still here somewhere, though inquiries at the inn turned up nothing.
As the snows began to relent again near dawn, she found herself standing in the courtyard overlooking the aetherite staring off to the horizon. The quietness of the early morning combined with the softening snowfall offered some reprieve from recent stresses. A gauntleted hand was laid atop the snow-covered crenelation of the upper court and she leaned forward, trying to ignore the frigid wind that whipped her hair from behind.
The silence was broken by the beating of large wings and the hallow voice from behind. "I recognize your hair, Ser Crofte." Her hand gripped the stone before she reeled herself around to face the newcomer who hovered above her. A man clad in white armor on griffon back. He bore a large shield bearing a golden lion's head.
"And I recognize your voice, Chosen of Halone." She replied in an almost biting tone. The beast landed then but the rider did not dismount. He slowly twisted upon the saddle so the darkened eye slits of his helm remained pointed at her.
"You look cold." he said with a single nod.
"It is a cold land." Coatleque spoke in her typical measured voice. "And steel does little to keep such at bay." Her eyes flitted between the rider and the beast. She could not hide a twinge of envy at him. They remained at a respectable distance, neither one daring to move against the other. "You have come far," she remarked with more than a singular meaning. She knew who this man was, after all. "Have you declared this your realm now?"
"All realms belong to Halone, and She tests every one of us." His voice bore as little emotion as hers. Speaking behind the visor as he chose to only gave it an eery echo as if talking to a phantom. "I come in search of a boy. A Midlander, male, tall with ginger hair. He was seen riding through this gate some two days past. A concerned member of High House Haillenarte has offered to... tithe... a respectable sum for his safe return."
She pulled her cloak around her as the winds picked up again. This was so very coincidental in her mind. First she spies that strange priestess she always seems to run into, and now the 'redeemed' lapdog looking for the same mark. It did not sit right in the pit of her stomach. "Have you perhaps questioned their reasoning for wanting him found?"
"He is their adopted kin. What other reason should there be?"
Her brows furrowed at the question and she mulled it over for the moment while the wind whistled over the wall behind her. "It seems you and I have two pieces of a puzzle." She said at length. "We are after the same boy at least."
"Truly?" The figure asked as his head tilted. A cold metallic creak accompanied his every move. "The Sultana is gracious indeed."
"I am not here on her behalf, Champion" Coatleque snapped. Her voice lowered afterwords. "Though I do not doubt she would approve of the aid I proffer. I have promised to keep the boy safe, yet he seems to have wandered off again. Would that the storms had let up sooner, this task might have been over by now.
"Little and less has been seen of him. I go in search with the coming dawn."
She shivered and gripped the cloak about her as her teeth began to chatter. "These l-lands are no place for one of his ilk." The cold of night was sinking into her core now, no number of layers would stave it off. How this so called Champion remained unaffected she could not begin to guess.
"I was told he is a green boy, and newly-minted Flame." The armored figure shrugged. "If the cold takes him, that is Halone's will." He paused. His head slowly tilting the other direction though his eyes never left her. "You are the second person I encountered seeking the boy. Perhaps he was found and you simply do not know."
Her heart fell at the prospect. The thought of Dheres already being in the enemy's hands made sense given the lead they had on her now. So much time already wasted. The fear of returning to Jameson empty handed only added to he growing knot in her stomach. "W-who?" She chattered. "W-who else s-s-shows such interest?"
"I do not know, though some of the soldiery might. They played dice with him last night. A tall Elezen, dark of hair. Perhaps a ... mercenary." The last word was spoken with distaste as if the very thought was unclean to him.
Coatleque's head turned with closed eyes as another gust of wind took her by surprise. She forced a slow, shivering breath and looked back to him only when it had passed. "I w-will ask. If-f you do f-find him first, what t-then?"
"Then I return him to his family."
"For the coin?"
"For the tithe. You would have me return him to you?"
"What would you have me say to that?" she snapped again. "That I will r-rip him f-f-from your hands by force if n-necessary?!"
He laughed. An empty, mirthless echo within his helm. The griffon was nudged a few steps closer to the paladin, it's beak now just out of range. The beast towered above her looking down with a cocked eye but made no move to lunge. She did not flinch or shy away, but stood her ground at the edge of the courtyard for all the night's watch to see if necessary. "You suggest we are at opposing ends." He said evenly. "I have told you my end desires the safe return to his family. If that places you on the opposing end, well..." His voice lowered, still hollow. "Perhaps then you will have opportunity to become the Champion."
She glared up at him from her stance. "I have no desire to claim your title, nor your tithe!"
"But you oppose his return to his family."
"I do! You may be saving him from one death to deliver him into another!"
"Death comes for us all, Coatleque Crofte."
Her hand moved to her sword in that instant as she considered whether she would be able to fend off the griffon and him together. Something stayed her hand, though, as the dawn began to rise over the horizon behind her. "I go to scout the land," he continued. "I will give the boy a choice of returning with you or with me. If he is a corpse... he goes to his family."
"Acceptable." She only half nodded in agreement.
With that he reeled the beast backwards causing it to flap its wings and slowly rise, kicking up grime, slush, and wind from the ground beneath them. Her hand slowly moved away from her blade as she watched him go, not caring about the mess whirling about her. She watched as both rider and beast flew off towards the sunrise. When her strained vision could no longer make him out among the sky, she turned and made for the garrison commander's post.
