"Pray help me understand this."
The commissioned group finally returned under the guise of night, bringing with them the sour news. Although the information was sought to pass with caution, the whereabouts of the leading General managed to leak through the masses. No sooner were did the untimely demise of Lord Dignitas' daughter stain the lips of every soldier. It'd only been a matter of time before it reached her ears.
Several soldiers stood herded together, visibly apprehensive to the reprimanding that awaited them.
"You means to tell me that when your gods forsaken General went missing with nary a word, you all deemed it appropriate to just return as if nothing was wrong?" Ultimately a rhetorical statement, they remained silent. They hadn't even met her gaze, as if it'd deflect even a fraction of her ferocity.
"Of all the spineless, good-for-nothing, idiotic pieces of shites that could've possibly been assigned to her..." The insults she spat out began to mesh together into an torrent of seething rage. Every word began to lose its focus; it became venom spewing forth at all who heard. And by the looks of the trembling within the crowd, it hit its mark several times.
The crowd remained silent, opting instead to absorb all of the verbal punishment sent their way. It'd been an absolute err of judgement on their part. Too immersed in restoring their cruiser, they hadn't realized their General had slipped away. And by the time anyone realized, their Tribunis Officer had returned by himself, giving the order to retreat. If only the mistake hadn't proved fatal.
At this point, signs of remorse grew along all of their faces.
Except one.
One pair of eyes hadn't ever left hers whatsoever; a fact the Auburn-haired female quickly picked up on.
She pointed a finger into the crowd, singling out one man in it. "You. You authorized their retreat, hadn't you? What have you say for yourself?" The crowd instinctively broke apart, isolating the male in its center. He didn't respond, instead just maintaining eye contact.
"Tribunis Blacke, answer me when I talk to you! I don't give a rat's arse if you're all buddy-buddy with Lord Dignitas. So help me if Commander Hitocillia isn't returned here safe and sound, no amount of pleading will save you when I wring every last bit of air out of your-"
"Commander Erilvia, please," her interrupted. He spoke with a blank monotone. "I understand how you feel."
"Understand," she repeated, exasperated. "Understand?! You've naught to even scratch the surface on how I feel, swine! You abandoned your own on the field of battle! No burden carries greater than desertion. Even one of the Lord's thumbs should know this."
His eyes never detatched from hers. If anything, he now focused with hollow coldness. "The Lord's daughter very well understood the dangers in wandering off on her lonesome. It was her folly. Fate simply replied. With a Behemoth, no less. The land demanded blood, and she paid its fare with her life."
"Do you even hear yourself right now?! It's like you don't even care!"
He cut her off. "Listen."
"I take full responsibility for my actions, and lack thereof, in the heat of the moment. Had I been a moment quicker, possibly a little more cunning with my council, we would've avoided this all. That, I will admit."
"I also admit to playing part in the retreat once I stepped foot onto the shuttle. Our men had no say in the matter. They simply followed the order they were given. The order she gave them."
He paused for moment and took a deep breath. It also served as an invitation for her to deny his account. She didn't.
"What I will not do, however, is sit here and allow you to tarnish my name by accusing me of willingly leaving her. That is a mark of disgrace that I refuse to don. Her mind was made up, and I simply acted on her will. Nothing more."
For the first time in the last few minutes, Freya was silenced. She had been trying to process all of this information. It didn't add up. None of this did. She'd already felt uneasy with allowing her to leave, but this was simply... beyond her expectation. Her body physically rejected the idea of Hitocillia being...
The air around her grew heavy. As much as she inhaled, she hadn't felt any oxygen enter her lungs. She had to move. She didn't bother dismissing any of them and instead just walked away from the grounds. She didn't even bother to look behind her to see all the looks sent in her direction.
She walked. And walked. And walked. She was numb. What was she supposed to feel at a time like this? The truth that was presented hadn't cared for her well-being, so why should she? She needed to sit down. Take a small breather. That's all.
She hadn't even realized that she unconsciously led herself to Hitocillia's chambers. And, to her unkempt bed. She took a seat anyways. So soon was its owner released from this world. She croaked out a bitter chuckle. She wouldn't even be able to chastise her on keeping her living arrangements neater. What a cruel punishment.
A knock on the chamber door momentarily interrupted her bout of loathing. A large figure emerged through the entrance. However, it was clear he struggled to shimmy himself inside, due to an arm being in a cast.
"Is 'tuh news true? Ol' lass bit the dust, eh?"
Even through the tears Freyalizabeth wasn't aware she'd shed, she was able to contort her face with enough scorn to kill a baby elephant. "Why exactly would you care? If memory serves me, you tried the deed it yourself.""Oy', do ya' really take me to be 'dat 'eartless?"
"Don't know. Ask your broken arm."
He chortled. "Sure, she was a pain t'uh arse. But, I ain't put a death wish on 'er. She bested me fair 'an square. Gotta respec' dat."
"Yeah, whatever. What exactly are you doing here?" She was beginning to amass quite the headache. And, quite frankly, he wasn't helping.
"I mean, I 'eard a little of your speech earlier. Then 'ya stormed off here on y'ur lonesome. Shame on me f'ur carin' a little."
She didn't respond. This left the two in an awkward silence for a little while. Finally deciding to break the tension, he continued.
"So, uh... Did 'ya figure out wut done 'er in?"
"That damned reconnaissance went awry. I knew I shouldn't have let her go."
"Oh, on the way to that encampment, right? Hells know w'ut they went diggin' there for. Whole place is crawlin' with some nasty buggers, last I've seen."
Her eyes shot up at him. Last he's seen?
"What do you mean by that?"
"Mean by what?"
"Don't play dumb!" She lunged straight towards him, as if about to pounce. "You knew the dangers of where she was headed?"
"Relax Freya, 'dis was years ago. It was a while back and me memory's a bit fuzzy. We were in and out, there was this lil' girl, and..""Stay on topic," she interrupted. "You're telling me there actually is something out there?"
"Was," he corrected. "There's no way they su'vived after all 'dis time."
"And you're basing this on...?"
"Just a hunch, lass. Nothin' more. I don' understand why he bothers sendin' any of us out there. The Lord probably gots' a screw loose! It's like he's searchin' for somethin' that just ain't there, I tell ya'!"
Fordwin's prattling died out in her ear, drowned out by her gradually speeding heart rate. It was unlikely, and all evidence pointed against it. Hitocillia should be dead. But, what if, by some miracle, she...
The thought was interrupted by a sudden buzz resonating in Freya's left pocket. It caught both of their attentions. She reached for her communicator and placed it against her ear.
Disappointingly enough, it was only static. Damned thing must be acting up. Maybe she should just end the transmission...
For whatever reason, however, she didn't. She couldn't explain it, but the hiss peaked her curiosity. She held it against her ear for several minutes. And then, for just a mere moment, a voice leaked out. In that fraction of a second, she felt a lump once again form in her throat.
She recognized that voice. No matter how short it was. She recognized it. There was no denying it. Her eyes widened and mind racing, she turned back towards Fordwin.
"You hadn't heard anything of Hitocillia's possessions being returned, have you?"
"Doubt it. The caravan up an' left pretty quick, didn't it?"
That's all she wanted to hear. That one fraction, that one sliver of doubt was all she needed to act on her hunch. Whatever this intentionally botched mission was set to accomplish, and whatever role Hitocillia served in it, she doesn't know. What she does know, is that she wasn't as dead as everyone else is led to believe. As little of a chance it is, had she managed to find her way to this supposed village? There'd only be one way to find out. But first, preparations had to be made.
"Fordwin, you've mentioned having surveyed the landscape before, haven't you?"
"Aye, but that was years ago. I hardly even--"
"That's good enough for me. We're going on a little trip."
"A trip where," he inquired. What was up with with her sudden shift in mood?
"To get our General back."
YOU ARE READING
Final Fantasy XIV- A Dream Untold: Hitocillia's Story.
FantasyTaking place in the outskirts of Ishgard, this story tells the story of the Garlean General Hitocillia. It all began with a dream. A mysterious voice tells her that answers start with someone's she never met. These answers will turn her entire world...