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the-dragons-knight · 3 years

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FFXIV Write 2021

Prompt #18 - Perspectives

Devil’s Advocate - ‘a person who advocates an opposing or unpopular cause for the sake of argument’

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“Katsum, you must remember. These men have lived far longer in a world where every dragon they crossed tried to kill them and everyone around them,” Aymeric chided, gently setting down the cup of tea on the table in front of her, “I too came from the same outlook though not as long as most of these men have lived, and we simply did not have the same upbringing with the truths and stories as you did.”

Katsum sighed, shaking her head as she lifted her tea cup and looked down with a scowl at the dark drink that had a little heat still steaming off of it, “I know that, I do…or I try to,” She meet Aymeric’s gaze as he sat in the chair beside her, “It’s just after all that’s happened since the end of the war…and even during like Vidolnir saving Maelie and Raihogg threatening Nidhogg’s shade when he attacked the peace conference! Surely they should be able to see. You do!”

Aymeric sighed gently, “You must look at it from their perspective, Kat. To you, you could see their intentions. You could understand their motives. To the others gathered, it was a beast they were taught to fear being far closer than they believed they ever should be.”

“Then why not just hear what I have to say and try and see through my eyes as well?”

“Because they are old men stuck in their ways and incredibly stubborn.”

“I am stubborn as well—”

“Yes, my love, trust me I know,” She frowned at this and he quickly retracted, “I-I mean that in the best way, kat. You know that right?”

“I think so…,” She looked down at her hands again, “Sorry, yes, I’m just…frustrated.”

Her ears perked as she watched his hand move to rest on hers, softly caressing it with his thumb, “If only it were that easy, Kat, yet you yourself have seen how they are. Indeed, those actions helped them see that the dragons were not of the mind to fight, yes, they still needed time to see the full truth within their hearts. While many have come to see it, others still need time to. And while I agree that yes they should just listen to us, especially with your loving heart only hoping for peace and the harmony you’ve heard of all your life, they are just far more headstrong and unwilling to compromise than you could ever be.”

The miqo'te blinked before she huffed and shrugged, “I don’t know about all of that but…I’ll try to not be so quick to snap, ok?” She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye as she took a long sip of her tea. She knew he was right, yet her patience was always tested when one of said stuffy nobles tried to talk down to her about her dragons and the ‘blight it brought their proud history’. How she wished she could freely control and share the echo so that she could show them the real truth, just to silence their petty rambling.

Aymeric’s chuckle broke her from her trance as she looked up at him, blushing slightly at the intensity of his smiling eyes.

“What?”

“Nothing really. Just admiring you,” He lifted his own tea cup to his lips without taking his eyes off of her as he grinned and added, “And whether you believe it or not, your kind and caring heart is beautiful, and a shining ray of hope.”

Her blush darkened as her ears fell again, “T-Thank you, Aymeric.”

“Of course, my Kat.”

She smiled sweetly at him and they took another sip of tea together, soon finishing their first cups. Aymeric moved to pour himself another and filled Katsum’s again as well as she set it on the table.

Katsum chuckled pitifully as she dropped another cube of sugar in her cup, “If only I was better at politics and speaking with them lik you are.”

“By the Fury, do not wish for that,” Aymeric laughed tiredly as he sitrred his tea, “It is utterly draining, always speaking with them about the same matters every few days, and they are hardly ever up lifting their decisions. Oftentimes, we do not settle a matter, but rather postpone it before it comes to blows. It was worse in our first few discussions, but the slight issue of it is still present,” He raised his cup to her, “Thank the heavens I have your loving arms to come home to and rest my soul within.”

The knightess smiled, “Happy to be of service, my lord.” She raised her cup to tae another happy sip of the delicious tea.

“You’ll still accompany me on this last meeting, yes?” He asked softly, an apologetic tone to his voice and a pleading look in his eyes.

Katsum nearly spit out her tea, “Another meeting? I thought we just finished the last one!”

“We did, yes…and there is one more.”

Katsum groaned, “Aymeric, I cannot handle another meeting today…I don’t know how you can stand so many!”

“I can because I give myself something to look forward to after it is over. For example, I often just remind myself I shall be home and spend time with you as soon as it is over. So, I offer this,” He leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, “We will spend the rest of the day laying in bed and cuddling. What say you to that?”

She grinned and looked up at him, “We would have done that anyway, Aymeric.”

“Yes, but now you are looking forward to that more, yes?”

“…Touche.”

“So?”

“Alright, very well, you have convinced,” She leaned her head on his shoulder, “Can’t have my knight suffering alone after all.”

He smiled warmly and leaned in to peck her lips sweetly, “You have my deepest gratitude, my love.”

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the-dragons-knight · 3 years

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FFXIV Write 2021

Prompt #15 - Conquering The Storm

Thunderous - ‘relating to or giving warning of thunder’

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The heavy feeling of charged energy made Katsum’s fur stand on end as the light falling rain pounded against her armor plating. The thunderous rumbling through the air around them excited her, and she held tightly to Raihogg’s scaled back as his wings fluttered to push them higher into the air, his glowing blue and yellow eyes locked on the storm clouds above them. He told her many times how he and Bridgette would fly into thunderstorms together, weaving through the strikes of lightning and bathing in the rain, and how he had adored those flights. The more he spoke of it, the more fascinated she became until finally, she asked to fly with him through one such storm.

He had hesitated for a moment and confessed, “Forgive my hesitation. I only fear I cannot keep you as safe as I could Bridgette as I am no longer living and breathing in my own body. For without the aether I draw from you and the necklace, you would be falling through the sky alone…”

Katsum had honestly been a little surprised by this answer, but she understood his meaning and it warmed her heart that he worried so. Still, she smiled at him and said, “Then let’s try a smaller storm first and go from there. You’ve gotten me so fascinated with the idea of flying through a storm I can scarcely forget about it so I would still like to try it one day if you’ll allow it.”

The great red dragon had thought for a moment before he nodded with a chuckle, “Ever as Bridgette was, haha. Very well, we shall soar through the thunder and conquer the storms together.”

And today was the day they would conquer the largest storm so far.

The skywatchers had spoken of a very large mass of thunder clouds hanging over the Black Shroud that was moving northward towards Dravania, a strange phenomenon as normally the storms moved away from the mountains, not towards them. This caught Katsum’s curiosity, and when she spoke of it to Raihogg, they both agreed that this would be the storm.

Thunder rolled in the distance as the sky grew darker as the clouds grew thicker, sparks of light flashing ahead of them. Katsum leaned close to the red dragon and shouted over the wind, “Are you ready for this, Rai?!”

The dragon glanced back at her with a small chuckle, “Am I ready? Art thou prepared is the better question. ‘Tis your aether after all.”

She rolled her eyes with a bright smile, her eyes wide with excitement as she looked at the cloud, “I am!!”

The dragon’s wings sliced through the air as he pushed them up into the air to gain a bit of speed, flying a bit higher than the clouds and out into the clear night sky above. Katsum shook the rain from her face and looked down at the flashing cloud below them, the rumbling thunder echoing without ceasing around them. Raihogg hummed and took a deep breath, “Hold fast to me and lean close. I’ll not have you become a lightning rod.”

Katsum lay down on his back, tightening her grip on his scales, yet she patted him softly as well, “You can do this, Raihogg. I believe in you.”

The great dragon chuckled again and smiled at her, “Thank you, Katsum.” She nodded and they turned their eyes to the cloud as Raihogg pushed his wings down and then folded them close as they began their dive into the heart of the storm, “Now let us fly!”

Katsum’s fingers tightened on his scales as the black clouds grew nearer and the heavy electricity in the air grew thicker. The miqo’te pressed herself lower against him as they breached the cloud, surrounded by nothing but blackness for a moment, yet when they broke through the other side, Katsum’s jaw dropped in wonder.

The hollowed insides of the storm cloud were filled with infinite lightning strikes, the streams of electricity striking every inch of the cloud and moving through it like living, breathing creatures swarming within their hive. Raihogg unfolded his wings to soar on the charged winds, his eyes following each strike closely as he dodged them. The knightess watched a charge of lightning flutter over them and hit the wall of the cloud, a stream of bright energy striking afterward and filling the trail the charge had left behind, “This is amazing!”

“Careful now, remember to stay—” Suddenly a charge shot down towards Katsum, and Raihogg shifted quickly to dodge it. Yet the charge would not be so easily shaken and struck the horns of his tail. Raihogg roared as the lightning streamed and Katsum braced for the pain she knew she would feel…yet it never came. Raihogg too seemed surprised as they both glanced back to see the horns of his tail now glowing red with energy, small sparks of lightning popping off of them. As if remembering some lost forgotten memory, Raihogg’s voice rumbled excitedly, “Ah yes….how could I forget. Hold fast to me, my queen. I shall show you how we shall conquer this storm!”

With a roar, Raihogg turned to charge as a bolt of lightning, slicing his wing through the energy so the charge struck the talons on the edge of his winged arm. The lightning flashed as the charge was absorbed into his horns and they too began to glow. He did the same with his other wing and with the horns on his head. His eyes glowed red he slowed and hovered in the middle of the cloud and sucked in a deep breath. Suddenly all the charges of the cloud changed course and shot towards them and Katsum ducked again as they struck his glowing horns. The sky grew dim as the electricity was drawn out of it and into Raihogg’s body until there were no more strikes of lightning and the only source of light inside the dark cloud was Raihogg himself. His red glow made the cloud look rather eerie, yet slowly the cloud began to dissipate, the storm itself no longer able to hold itself together without the charges of thunder and lightning. They hovered there as the cloud broke apart and Raihogg breathed slowly, waiting and he held fast to the sparking energy on its leash, waiting for just the right moment. As the moon and stars came into view again, Raihogg sucked in a large breath and all the glowing light shifted, flowing through his veins and scales to his jaws where it gathered into a great ball of sparking lightning. With one push of his wings, the red dragon turned his head to the sky and shot the ball of lightning into the heavens above them where it flew straight up and then burst into a million streams of lightning, both red and blue, as she spread across the empty starlit sky and vanished.

Katsum sat up and laughed in amazement, “Raihogg! That was amazing!”

The tired dragon fluttered his wings nervously for a moment, breathing heavily as he very carefully started to descend, “A moment if you please.”

He fluttered down to a tall spire of rock that gave him just enough room to land on and dropped heavily onto the stone as he breathed heavily with Katsum. Her heart was racing with excitement as she smiled the biggest smile and patted him, “You did it! You actually did it! That was…that was more amazing than I could have ever imagined!!”

Raihogg chuckled amidst his gasps for breath, but he nodded, “I did not think myself capable of such powers anymore, yet I seemed to have doubted myself far more than I should have.”

Katsum shrugged, “Don’t I know all about that kind of thing myself. Still, don’t push yourself now. Let us rest here for a while until you can breathe normally again before we head home, yes?” She excitedly swished her tail as her ears wiggled happily, “I cannot wait to tell Aymeric about this!”

“You may not want to, for I am quite sure he will go mad with worry for the next flight.”

“….You do have a point there.”

#katsum almor #ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #aymeric x katsum #aymeric x wol #aymeric de borel x wol #aymeric de borel x katsum almor #katsum almor x aymeric do borel #raihogg #dragon rider #the dragons knight #lady of dragons #queen of draic #queen of dragons #thunderstorm #flying #ffxiv writing #ffxiv write 2021 #ffxiv writers

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the-dragons-knight · 5 years

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Prompt #3: Lost Within His Mind

Entry three for the FFXIV Write 30 day writing challenge hosted by @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast

Prompt: “Lost”

Rating: E

Relations: None

Warnings: Some Heavensward MSQ spoilers

For the first time, Katsum sees the dragon within the necklace. She sees him not as a legend, but as the Dravanian that has lost so much that he lost himself, just as she almost did.

And she finally learns the dragon’s true name.

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The moment their eyes met, Katsum had seen all.

She saw the echoes of his past, of things she knew to be true and some thing she didn’t. She saw the peace between man and dragon, the bitter betrayal, the battle between Nidhogg and him, the Prince of Crimson Thunder, as the people fled. She watched as Nidhogg struck him down and left him to die where Bridgette found him and they made a pact. She watched them flee to the isle of Esk Dran, the isle of his nest, where they built the kingdom of Draic, the dragon’s kingdom; Katsum’s home. She watched the histories unfold before her and knew it all to be true. These were the stories she grew up listening to, yet still something bothered her. If the stories were all true and this was the Dravanian the resided within her necklace, why was he so...beastly?

All the stories she had ever heard had painted the Prince of Crimson thunder to be a kind dragon, one that sought to protect her people from destruction, yet there was only fury and rage in his blackened eyes now. He never spoke a word to her either, not even when he had chosen her to rule. She’d only seen him in a flash when he’d protected her in the past, but never for very long and he had never answered when she called. What had made him lose his mind to where he was more beast than dragon?

“Bridgette...”

Suddenly, a voice echoed in Katsum’s mind, one that spoke in a Dravanian language.

“Bridgette...my friend where have you gone…? Why can I not find you…?” The angry beast before her suddenly looked more frantic than furious, like he was looking for her and trying to find her, “I will find you, Bridgette. I will bring you home and keep you safe as I promised...as I promised...but where have you gone and why...can I no longer hear you…?”

Now she began to understand. No one ever spoke of the day Bridgette died though it was known that she passed of old age, surrounded by her children and with her husband beside her. It was a peaceful passing, one that everyone always wishes to have, yet it broke the hearts of all in the kingdom for their beloved queen and savior was gone.

A great roar split the silence and made the Miqo’te jump. Never had she heard a more heartbroken sound, yet she had felt it once before as it had been her own not long ago. Now she understood. He was lost in his own mind, driven to madness by his grief when his dearest companion faded and disappeared from the world. It was why his eyes were black, devoid of the life and color they held when he knew her. So lost was he that even his soul had surrendered to a beast of rage and primal nature, fighting only to survive and destroying anything that woke it from its slumber. It was why she only saw him when she was seconds from death because she was his charge, the one who had a pact with him because unlike the last king, she did not force him to appear. Not until now.

As the echo faded, Katsum found herself kneeling on the ground, looking up into the dragon’s blackened gaze. She stood slowly to her feet and he hissed and crouched low, lifting his wings in a most threatening way, promising death at every angle.

Yes, she could see just how lost he was, how alone he was.

And she knew that only she could bring him back.

“Can you hear me, o Prince of Crimson Thunder?” The dragon growled in response, swiping his tail around as she dropped her sword and shield beside her, unclipping her cape and removing her cornet too and laid them down.

“My name is Katsum Aurora Almor, a descendant of your beloved Bridgette,” She expected some kind of response to her name, but he offered none and she sighed, “I know you are still there, and I intend to find you again...one way or another.”

Fighting with force would not win this battle. No, she would need other means of awakening his lost soul.

And the only way she knew to tame a dragon...was to ride them.

“I know you are lost, so allow yourself to be found now. It’s time to wake up now, Raihogg.”

- - - - - - - - - -

A look into when Katsum and Raihogg officially meet and when Katsum learns the truth of the Prince of Crimson Thunder and awakens him and his true power to what he once was. I’ll probably look back into this at some point and rewrite it, but got a good start into things! A good start here! :3

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #katsum almor #final fantasy #warrior of light #FFxivWrite2019 #wol #Heavensward #Heavensward Spoilers #ffxiv writing challenge #ffxiv writing #dravanians #the dragons knight #queen of draic

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the-dragons-knight · 3 years

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FFXIV Write 2021

Pormpt #11 - Of the Same Mind

Preaching to the Choir - ‘to speak for or against something to people who already agree with one's opinions’

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“In our scoutings, many of them returned with news of abandoned camps and villages. Some for quite a while, but others looking like they had only recently been lived in,” Raubahn looked between the group of Seeker miqo’te that stood across the table from him with Katsum at the head of them all, “They all shared one similar thing though,” He laid out a small red scrap of cloth on the table, and on it was a hastily drawn Draic symbol of the dragon, the crown, and the shield, “They all found this symbol somewhere within them. Some small like this one and others were drawn where they covered the walls. Yet all bear that symbol.”

Katsum reached over and picked it up and looked closely at the sigil, taking a deep breath as she handed it to the dark-red-furred miqo’te man that stood beside her; Rune, her father.

“And you didn’t find anyone left behind, correct?” She asked the general, “They took everyone with them?”

Raubahn nodded gravely, “Those that lived, aye. There were a few corpses found, and they buried them with proper respect afterward.”

Katsum bowed her head, “I thank you for that.”

“Of course,” Raubahn nodded.

“Bloody imperials…Always one step ahead…” Rune growled, his tail lashing as he closed his fingers around the cloth and held it to his chest, “They ‘eard we were coming and ran like the rats they are!”

“At least they know we’re comin’”, One of the other miqo’te men standing behind him hissed, “Would be a sham’ if we we’re ta sneak up on ‘em!” The other man and the woman sneered with him in agreement.

General Aldynn looked between them all, “It does indeed appear they know who and what we are looking for. How I cannot say for certain.”

“I can imagine that it’s the shado’ of the queen and ‘er dragon,” The woman replied with a grin as she looked over at Katsum, “I know I’d be worried after seein’ those two diving in on the battlefield at the Ghimlyt Dark.”

Katsum was silent, staring down at the map in front of her in thought.

Rune answered for her as he noticed her silence, “Did we learn anything of any of the other locations of their bases? Of where they are going?”

Raubahn shook his head, “Not any definite locations, no, but we have an idea of the direction they went,” He looked down at the map with them all and pointed out a route through the mountains, “We think they might be taking them through this path here. It’s highly unlikely they are headed to the capital after all the fighting that’s been happening there, and with many legions striking out on their own under the rule of their commanders, we can only assume this faction has done the same.”

Katsum studied the long path through the mountains, knowing it could only be a treacherous path as her flight over them had been just as dangerous, “It will not be easy cutting them off or pursuing them there…”

“Indeed, yet it is not impossible. Which is why I now ask you all,” The miqo’te all turned their eyes up to him, “I’ve a plan to do just as you’ve said: to cut them off at both ends and leave no room for escape. My guess is the commander of this division means to keep your people alive for soldiers and subjects, so there is little reason to believe they’d hold them all at the blade when we move in to attack. Yet if the “enemy” they move against bears the colors and the flag of their homeland?”

Rune’s eyes lit up, “You think they’d ‘ave the courage to turn against ‘em then?”

“You’ve said you people will rally to the call to fight, yes? Sounds like the Ala Mhigans to me, and I mean to help them fight as much as I can. Yet I will still need your help and support to make this work. I suspect the Empire has tested their trust in just colors and banners before, fooling them to question everything, but you and your dragon, Katsum, are not so easily replicated.”

Katsum nodded, “This is true.”

Raubahn nodded, placing a hand over his heart in a salute, “You’ve done so much for us, for Eorzea and Ala Mhigo both. If you would allow us, we would fight with you to bring your people home as well, Katsum. What say you?”

Rune and the other miqo’te looked at Katsum as the blonde furred queen smiled and stood up straight.

“You needn’t try to convince us, General. We have always been of the same mind. Any help to bring our people home safe is dearly welcomed. So the only real question is when do we start?”

#katsum almor #ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv writing #raubahn #stormblood #post stormblood msq #post shadowbringers msq #shadowbringers #ffxiv write 2021 #queen of dragons #queen of draic

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the-dragons-knight · 4 years

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WoLtober 2020

Day #10) The Legend of Bridgette and the Dragon

Legend - ‘a story handed down by tradition from eariler times and accepted as historical though it may or may not be entirely accurate.’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

“Please, Mama, pleeeeease?” The little Miqo’te looked up pleadingly with her ears and little tail wiggling excitedly as she watched a gentle smile spread across the face of her Hyur mother.

“You were supposed to be asleep long ago, Katsum dear,” Her mother’s gaze turned to the male Miqo’te whose lap Katsum was sitting in, “And you were supposed to make sure she got to sleep Rune.”

A sheepish grin spread across her father’s face as he chuckled and dropped his ears, running a hand nervously through his rust-colored hair, “Eh heh heh...yeah, I know...BUT,” He scooped up a giggling Katsum in his arms and held her close, “Come now, Lavena, could you ‘ave said no to this face?”

Katsum put on her best pouting expression, dropping her ears against her head and pouting her lip while her eyes sparkled sadly.

“See? I know I couldn’t as she looks just like you do, ‘aving the same hair and eyes,” Rune said before joining Katsum and making his own pouting face.

Lavena rolled her eyes, yet her smile betrayed her annoyance. She set down the blanket she was folding and moved over to her daughter and husband and sat beside them, “Alright, alright. ONE story, and then you go to bed.”

“Yay!” Katsum flung herself from her father’s arms and scrambled over to where her satchel hung by the door to the parlor. She reached in and pulled out an aged tome that she clutched to her chest and ran back to the bedside and slid in between her parents and placed it in her lap. She pointed at the title written in runes on the cover and read out, “The...Leg-end...of Saint...Bree-get...and the...Dra...Dragon.”

Lavena ruffled her daughter’s hair and corrected her, “‘The Legend of Saint Bridgette and the Dragon’...Where did you find this…?”

Katsum looked up at her and grinned, lifting a finger to her lips, “It’s a secret.”

Lavena looked up at Rune who only shrugged as she pulled the book out of Katusm’s hands to open it, “Alright, a secret then. I suppose it is time to tell you the story. Are you sure you are ready?”

Katsum’s eyes sparkled like sapphires as she nodded vigorously, “I’m ready, I’m ready!”

Lavena chuckled as Rune lifted Katsum into his lap again and they all looked into the book together, “Alright, then let us begin…”

‘This is the story of how our history began, where the roots of all the Draic people come from.’

‘Thousands of years ago, man and dragon lived together in harmony. A harmony bought by the sacrifice of Shiva to the love that she shared with the great Wyrm Hraesvelgr. From this act came peace over the skies and floating islands of Dravania that all manner of life could see. These years were prosperous.’

‘In these years a colony was built high above the clouds in the realm of dragons, the Mists, where the three great Wyrm siblings ruled. With the help of Ratatoskr, the Wanderer, and her children, the people of the colony and the dragons that lived there with them all worked together as one. Dragons shared the skies with their earth-bound brethren and people helped build great castles and nests for the dragons. They learned to share the lands and its fruits equally and protect its young ones together too. In times of holiday or harvest, they would all gather together and celebrate, dancing and feasting all day and night, and Ratatoskr herself would lead their voices in song. After a time, the colony became known as ‘The Dragonsong Colony’ as only these people knew what was truly sung in the songs of the dragons.’

“Dragons really sing, mama?” Katsum’s eyes sparkled.

Lavena shrugged in reply, “I suppose they do. I have never seen a dragon myself, let alone hear them sing.” She saw Katsum’s expression fall and she gently prodded her shoulder, “Listen, now, and you’ll understand why.”

“I’m listening! I’m listening!” She hopped lightly on her Father’s lap and made both of her parents laugh.

‘For many years, this peace lasted, and many friendships and companionships were forged between dragon and man in this colony. However, this peace was not to last as many hoped it would for some sons and daughters of man are greedy creatures, seeking power and status by some of the most misled.’

‘One day, the Mists were filled with the sounds of battle, a great dragons roar and the shouts and cries of men. All the people of the colonies listened in fear, as they did not know what was happening, only saw the flashes of lightning and magics far to the north, towards the colosseum of Tharl Oom Khash. Then, the great wyrm, Nidhogg, brother of Ratatoskr, flew down from his nest in the Aery to her aid and his voice too joined in the chorus of battle. It raged for a while and then all sound ceased. The colonies waited to see their friend, the great red dragon herself fly overhead, but instead, suddenly the black wings of Nidhogg darkened the skies over Zenith. His roar shook the mountains and the floating isles of the Mists as he sped towards the Rookery, and he spoke with such rage as he screamed, “Children of man, murderers of my sister! Tremble and know my WRATH!!”’

‘Nidhogg set upon the Rookery breathed a great flame upon it and all the people within tried to run, yet Nidhogg’s children followed his rage and set upon them with him. Terror filled the hearts of those who lived in the Dragonsong colony, watching the tower fill with flame and crumble under the heat. Some dared to try and plead with Nidhogg, that they had no part in harming their friend, the singing dragon, but Nidhogg would not hear them and their bravery ended in death.’

‘It seemed that doomsday had come for the colonies as the people cried, “What shall we do?! We cannot flee he will catch us!”’

‘And then a voice rang out among them, the voice of Bridgette, she who communed with the dragons on behalf of the colonies, “My people, fear not! We have committed no such wrongs as he claims, yet it is clear he will not hear us, so we must try and save as many as we can. If not for yourselves, then for your children!” She rallied so many of the people of the colonies she could, gathering them together to take what they could and flee towards the summit of Sohm Al, moving before Nidhogg could set his eyes on their colony as he burned those far to the north to the ground.’

‘They were nearing the mountain’s peak when his terrible voice filled the air, “None may escape mine wrath!!”’

Bridgette pushed her panicking people forward as she stood between them and Nidhogg and raised her arms out. Then, a bright flash of red light lit up the skies as it flashed down upon the black dragon and he sputtered in surprise, hissing at the new assailant that now struck at him. It was the dear friend of Bridgette’s, the eldest son of Ratatoskr, the prince of Crimson Thunder. The red dragon fought with the great wyrm, wrestling with him until he fell to the ground and his fiery breath faded.’

‘The young red dragon landed between man and his fiery end, his wings spread out as a shield to those behind him and called to Bridgette, “Go quickly and descend the mountains!” Nidhogg rolled to his feet again and shrieked as he breathed a bolt of flame and shot it at the prince, yet the red dragon shot a bolt of red flame and electricity of his own and the clash of the bolts created a sheet of smoke between them. The Dragonsong people continued on their way to the mountains summit under the cover of the smoke, yet Bridgette’s eyes remained behind her on the battle between her dear Dravanian friend and the fiend he fought. When the majority of the people had entered the pathways down into the mountain and volcano, she stopped and looked back. Her people called to her to keep going with them but told them to go on as she turned to hurry back to her Dravanian friend’s side as she would not leave him behind.’

‘Yet by then, the battle was over. Nidhogg struck the red dragon out of the air and followed him down as he grabbed the young dragon and slammed him down into the ground with the force of his entire weight. The prince had surely lost the strength to fight on as he lay still. With a roar of rage, Nidhogg hissed down at the dying dragon, “You shall not know peace again, traitor. Lie in agony until thy heart can no longer bear the weight of thy guilt.” The dreadwyrm lifted into the air and flew into the clouds, leaving the prince to his fate.

As the beast of rage flew away, Bridgette came out of hiding and fell at the side of the red prince’s head, tears falling at the sight of the long gash where his right eye should have been. The dragon stirred from his dazed state and spoke in a weak voice, “Bridgette, is that you?”’

‘“Oh, my old friend,” She cried, “How bravely you fought. Thank you for saving us...but you are hurt, and your eye...”’

‘The dragon weakly lifted his head to look at her with his remaining eye, “My young friend, I am only glad thou art safe.”’

‘Bridgette shook her head, “Please, do not leave us. I know not where we shall go for surely he will find us. How do I save my people? Where will we be safe?”’

‘“In a place he would never think to look, for the nest of a dead dragon is always quickly abandoned, so he would never look on the isle where I’ve made mine home,” He shifted to turn his eye toward her, a shining glow beginning to emanate from it, “And I shall not leave you, so listen well. Take mine eye and make a pact with me. I shall save all that I am within it and shall be with you and your people always.” And so she did. She took the eye of the red dragon and his body faded into light that joined with his eye, sealing his very soul within it. Their pact made, the Prince then appeared before her, healthy and whole with only a long scar over his eye and the Elezen woman was relieved. She returned to her people with him and together, they all descended the mountains and made their way from the lands of Dravania.’

‘For many months, they traveled, moving quickly from valley to forests to desert, never staying in one place too long, for a dragon’s rage could follow for thousands of malms. On their journey, Bridgette glamoured the dragon’s eye into a gem that she placed within her golden necklace so that no dragon nor man that saw it would know it was a dragon’s eye that she carried. Only she and her people knew the truth and they never spoke of it to anyone on their travels, for a dragon’s eye is most powerful indeed and must never fall into the wrong hands. The Prince guided Bridgette to what paths to take, and she led her people to the sea where they boarded ships and sailed into the Sirensong Sea. And there, in the midst of a torrent of storms and rough seas lie the lost isle of Esk Dran, the nest of the Prince of Crimson Thunder.’

‘It is here, the kingdom of Draic was forged, where our great castle was built and where our people now thrive. Here are we safe from the prying eyes of a greedy, power-hungry world, and from the Wrath of the dreaded Nidhogg.’

‘Bridgette’s necklace still stands to this day, carrying the soul of the dragon, and its place rests in the hands of the ruler of Draic, as they must keep their people safe just as she did long ago.’

Lavena turned back the pages of the book and closed it, sighing softly and looking down at her young daughter, “And that’s the story of Saint Bridgette. The end.”

Katsum was quiet, her ears twitching in thought.

“What’s on your mind, Kit?” Rune asked, turning his head to look down at her.

She blinked and looked up at her parents, “What’s the dragon’s name?”

“The one who attacked the colonies?”

“No, the red one. The Prince one,” Katsum opened the book again and flipped some of the pages, pointing at one of the paragraphs, “See? It calls him ‘red dragon’ or ‘the Prince’, but what was his actual name?”

Lavena blinked, surprised by this question as she narrowed her eyes in thought, “I...I don’t know actually. None of the texts actually say.”

“So no one remembers? That’s sad...” Katsum’s ears fell back as she dropped her head, “He sounds so cool. I wish I could have met him.”

Rune tickled his daughter, making her giggle, “A big scary dragon? You want to meet a big scary dragon, ‘uh!? Don’t you’d think ‘e’d eat you?!” She squealed as his blew into her neck and Lavena smiled and chuckled.

“Alright, time for bed now. You’ve been up far later than you should.”

“Hehehe! Okay,” Rune let go of his daughter as she hopped down to her feet, turning to head to her room when she suddenly stopped again and turned to run back to her mother and lay her hands on the book, “Can I keep this? I want to read it again.”

Lavena again blinked in surprise, but she smiled, “Very well. Just be careful with it. It is very old.”

Katsum smiled and nodded, taking the book and hugging it close, “I will I promise! And one day, I want to be just like Bridgette and have a dragon friend!”

Her parents laughed and Rune ruffled the little miqo’te’s ears and hair, “We know you could, Kit. Now go sleep and we’ll talk more about tha’ in the mornin’ ok?”

“Okay! Goodnight!” The little blonde miqo’te skipped away to her room, her father watching with a smile.

As she disappeared up the stairs, Rune turned to his wife, taking her hand and wrapping his tail around behind her, “Are you alright? You look lost ‘n thought, love.”

Lavena met his worried gaze and smiled, shaking her head, “It’s nothing, really. She just made me realize...I’ve never heard anyone speak the Prince’s name. I wonder...I wonder what his name was...”

#katsum almor #ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv writing #warrior of light #final fantasy xiv oc #wol backstory #woltober2020 #woltober #wol #pre a realm reborn #pre arr #before the warrior #before the fall of draic #before she was crowned queen #childhood #oc childhood #raihogg

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the-dragons-knight · 3 years

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FFXIV Write 2021

Prompt #4 - The Queen of Draic

Baleful - ‘menacing; threatening harm’

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(Used some in game cutscene text for this one just cause it writes the scene so well and sets up my idea so perectly)

Silence swallowed the room with the weight of Emperor Varis’s words. The Garlean Empire was created from the beginning by Ascians, and in truth, Katsum could not say she was surprised with the chaos the Garleans had always created, the pain and suffering they had caused based on her childhood memories alone. She felt the hand holding hers under the table tighten slightly as Aymeric felt her body tense through her fingers. Hien had been gracious enough to let her dear husband sit beside her, and she was glad that he had for there were a few times that Varis had targeted Aymeric’s and Ishgard’s sorrows specifically and it had only been his quick catch of her hand that kept the seeker from launching herself over the table. She took a long breath and squeezed his hand gently in response.

“Your ‘prize’ is a lie. It would be foolish to even wonder if you would have the upper hand in such an agreement. We would all die before peace is even a thought.” She answered, a bit to her tone as she scowled at him. Again she felt Aymeric’s fingers squeeze her a bit, and she felt his heartbeat quicken with worry.

The Emperor stood then, and spoke with a strange kind of fervor, “I come not to conquer but to liberate—to free man from the prison of divergence. Imagine a world united, and one perfect race beneath a single standard! We would be masters of our own fate! We would be far too strong for the servants of Darkness and Light to dare trifle with!” He held out his hands and grinned smugly, insanely, “I bid you join me! Not as a subject of Garlemald, but of a new nation! And together we shall win true freedom for ourselves and generations yet unborn!”

Silence returned for a moment, just for a moment, and then Lyse jumped to her feet, slamming her hands down on the table, “You want to trigger another half-dozen calamities!? You can’t be serious!”

“Have you forgotten how many died!?” Raubahn hissed, “There will be no one left!”

As he and Nanamo stood to their feet, so did Merlwyb, “Did you truly imagine we would aid you in your bloodletting?”

“It is unthinkable!” Katsum wasn’t sure she’d ever heard Kan-E-Senna raise her voice, but as she stood next to the other leader that had been there that day at Carteneau, it only made sense why. Alisaie looked to Lord Hien and Aymeric, and she and Hien stood to their feet. Katsum stayed seated as Aymeric let go of her hand to stand too, watching her out of the corner of his eye as she stayed still and stared angrily at Varis.

“And what of the other worlds? The ones we “rejoin”?” Alisaie finally broke her silence to shout, “Every calamity means you obliterate a star and every soul that dwells upon it!”

Varis frowned and grimaced in annoyance, “We are all but tiny specks in an indifferent universe. We cannot hope to oppose them until we have been made whole once more.”

“Odd, the same could be said about the many small countries and cities you forced under your rule in your…‘liberation’,” Katsum said softly, a clear edge to her voice.

He did not answer her.

Instead, Nanamo spoke then instead to fill the silence, “Are these truly the words of Garlemald’s ruler?” She did not give him the time to answer as she narrowed her gaze and continued, “The flaws which you so abhor are what make us who we are. Every nation─even yours, Emperor Varis─is made whole through the combination of these imperfections, the strengths of one compensating for the weaknesses of another. While it is true that man succumbs all too often to anger and avarice, he may yet overcome his baser instincts through the forming of bonds with others, fostering community and cooperation. That the protector of an empire should not only reject these fundamental truths but seek to change them at so dear a cost to life is indefensible,” She leaned forward and very nearly whispered, “Such a man is not fit to govern.”

The power in such words could shut out even Katsum herself she believed, and so Varis of course had naught to say to retort. He drew back to stand straight as a deep frown crossed his face, his eyes narrowed with the slightest hint of Katsum thought might be defeat. Then his gaze met her, “And you, Warrior of Light? Would you refuse me as well?”

Katsum was quiet, looking down to the table and closing her eyes as everyone else’s attention turned to her. Long had she carried this secret, keeping it safe from the knowledge of their enemy, but now, after these many long years, she was ready to bear her fangs.

“Tell me, Lord Varis, do you remember an island kingdom that your armies laid siege to some years ago? It was a small island that floated on the stormy seas of Sirensong, just to the east of Ul’dah’s shores. Do you know it?”

He tsked, “I remember some report of it, of mass destruction and nothing to gain from it. A waste of resources.”

Katsum’s fingers tightened into a fist, “A waste of resources…” She hissed this under her breath where only she and Aymeric heard before she continued, “Really? I thought you knew all of our histories and the flaws we sew into our nations.”

He growled, “Get to your point, girl.”

Katsum moved to slowly stand to her feet, feeling the eyes of the others as she stood tall and narrowed her sapphire gaze threateningly, “You call me ‘Warrior of Light’, ‘Defender of Eorzea’, ‘Liberator of Doma and Ala Mhigo’, and ‘Knightess of Ishgard’. All of these titles and more I now carry, but there is another title I have borne for far longer than any other. Do you know what it is?”

It seemed it took him a moment before his eyes widened, “You can’t be…”

“I am the Queen of Draic.”

Suddenly, the Draic necklace around her neck began glowing brightly, the eye of Raihogg burning into the red jewel. To the amazement of all, a deep rumble echoed behind her as she felt the dragon summoning his form, his wings spread out in his ghostly shade behind the other alliance members and hovered his head over Katsum’s like a shield, his glowing blue and golden eyes burning into Varis. The red dragon hissed lowly, making the emperor take a step back and his guards take a single step forward, but neither Katsum nor her dragon made a move to attack. The miqo’te stood tall as the confidence she had never known flowed into her veins. Still, she reached out her hand to the Elezen man beside her, wrapping her shaking fingers in his as he took her hand to ground herself and to keep her from going too far. He gently squeezed her fingers and it gave her the assurance that she needed.

“That ‘momentary’ island was my home and its people, my family. You reduced it to rubble for nothing and killed my people without remorse. Even now, you have no thought of sympathy,” She spat these words before she retracted and spoke sickeningly sweet, “Yet that is the past, right? A chapter for the history books, written and forgotten. Yet now you ask me as us to join this cause of yours, this movement of death and chaos and insanity. The same cause you forced upon my people,” Katsum’s eyes darkened angrily then, slightly baring her feline fangs as she hissed with her Dravanian companion, “If you truly believed we would join you in such madness, then you are far more a fool than you are a TYRANT!!”

Not so long ago, she would have denied this title and its weight, but at this moment, after so many years, finally the queen had come to rule.

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the-dragons-knight · 3 years

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FFXIV Write 2021

Prompt #6 &7 - A Single Spark

<Warning: Major Shadowbringers Spoilers!>

Avatar - ‘an icon or figure representing a particular person’

Speculate - ‘form a theory about a subject without firm evidence’

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Though it had been Emet-Selch’s own idea to try and cooperate with the fragments that were these “Scions”, that did not remove the tediousness of watching them go about their lives with nary a thought of the lives that once led. Though had far more patience for it than that of Lahabrea, it still grated on his nerves the longer he watched. It made floating in the rifts far more entertaining. These mortals were about the same, the same setup of the group of heroes he had seen time and time again. He hadn’t decided yet if they would be more useful than they had been, but so far, nothing had shown him any reason to think they would.

Their champion was the only one to show promise, but that certainly was only because of ‘the Mother’s beloved Blessing’ that she possessed. Said champion came into view from where he was resting in the shadows. He shifted to make sure he was hidden well as to not be caught spying as he watched her cross the courtyard of the Crystarium with the small Dravanian, Midgardsormr, on her shoulder like usual, chatting idly with him before a fiery pixie appeared before them, and the warrior stopped to speak with them. Emet’s gaze grew curious, tilting his head ever so slightly to look her over.

Katsum’s blonde furred ears and tail twitched slightly as she spoke with the pixie and dragon, her red and gold platings on her dark-blackish under armor along with the sword secured to her hip and the shield on her back. She appeared far more comfortable and open in her conversation speaking with the two of them, more than she ever appeared in the other situations he'd seen her in. The miqo’te was the stoic sort, not at all uncommon for vaulted heroes, but it was interesting that it was hard for him to get a good read on her.

The lost Queen of Draic, the child that had somehow escaped the siege of her kingdom alone, vanishing without a trace. He remembered Lahabrea had been furious, nearly going mad trying to use some of the others of the Draic bloodlines to emulate the power of the Dravanian of their kingdom, all to end in failure. Well, save the one he had been led to believe was the queen, but now Emet knew that she was not now. He wondered if in his battles with the paladin of light that Lahabrea might have realized near the end? Maybe, maybe not. Katsum had grown farther than any of the rulers before her, he had noted, learning to awaken her dragon and fight with him, not flare into a great strength for a while and then flicker and fade. And when she and that dragon fought together on the battlefield, it was quite a force to be reckoned with.

Whether she had grown any as a queen, he could only guess, though from what he heard Varis mumbling about after the Parley, perhaps she had. A queen was always a good pawn if they could be made into one.

While he was thinking over this, the fiery pixie conjured a beautifully sealed envelope and handed it to Katsum, which she took graciously and eagerly opened it, reading the letter within. Ah, it must have been from that noble of Ishgard, the man she’d been holding close to at the parley Varis mentioned. A love letter of some sort or something, how charming…and old. He rolled his eyes slightly at the action, yet was caught off guard by the love that appeared in her eyes as she read, a warm smile spreading across her face. He watched the pixie draw her attention again as the fae summoned a small sparkle of light through which a royal blue rose appeared and floated down to Katsum which she happily took. She held the flower before her, tenderly turning it slightly as she smiled brighter.

Like a spark of lightning, something changed.

He had only blinked for a moment, but the miqo’te woman was gone and in her place…was someone he knew was not there. A short elezen woman with long blonde hair dressed in a dark red robe that was lined with black fur and gold accents and she wore a red and black mask to match. The elezen held a similar rose in her hand as her red lips turned up into a smile and she lifted it to breathe in its lovely scent.

Emet finally pulled his eyes away to shake his head, looking back up to find the vision of the woman gone and the Warrior of Light returned, holding the flower close as the flower had a moment ago.

Emet-Selch was stunned. It couldn’t be that she…Could it…? No, no, it wasn’t her. It was a trick of the light, a wandering thought from his tired mind.

Even after all these many years, he had never met a shard of Aurora, of Azem. He had searched endlessly for a time…he hadn’t had a breath of a chance with her true self because of Noctem, but perhaps…yet he never found her.

And he refused to believe that he had found her now.

He scoffed and moved to return to the rift in his cloud of shadow, “Even if she was, she’s but a single spark. A candle flame compared to the sun. Nothing more.”

Little did he know. Little did he know.

#katsum almor #ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv writing #aymeric de borel #aymeric de borel x katsum almor #aymeric x katsum #aymeric x wol #wol x npc #emet selch #hades #ascian #ancients #aurora azem #azem #ff14 azem #ffxiv write 2021

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the-dragons-knight · 3 years

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FFXIV Write 2021

Prompt #1 - Queen…?

Foster - ‘to bring up(a child that is not one’s own by birth)’

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The charred ground beneath her greaves crunched as Katsum wound her way through the debris of fallen magiteks and resistance weapons, her eyes searching the wreckage for any survivors. The sky was clouded with the smoke trails from the fires, nearly blocking out the sunlight from shining down upon the now quiet battlefield. It had not been a long siege, but it was a hard-fought one to be certain. The Garleans were not wont to give up their castrums so easily, but this was no secret to the Bozjan Resistance forces. They had fought on regardless, and in the end, their resilience paid off and won them the day.

The blonde miqo’te knightess watched the resistance soldiers running in all directions around her, securing the perimeter of their newly captured base. Some still bore wounds from battle, yet still, they moved quickly about, following their orders and refusing to rest until everyone’s safety was secured. There was a kind of calmness in the urgency of their marching, a kind of moment to breathe before the next fight broke out. Perhaps it was her own odd kind of calm having borne witness to so many battles and fought in so many wars. You weren’t waiting for the armies to arrive and start firing, nor were you trying to find a way to sleep the night before. In the wake of the battle, only two paths remained: survival or death. And when you were still standing as she was, there was naught else to fear or prepare for. At least for this moment.

“Ah, Katsum, there you are. Good to see you are unharmed,” The sapphire gaze of the warrior turned to see Bajsaljien and a few of the Blades walking towards her.

She offered a soft smile as she came to a stop before him, “Will take a bit more than a few magitek colossi to take Raihogg and me down. How fare you and the rest?”

He grinned slightly at her comment and crossed his arms as he looked at the companies of soldiers moving about, “We suffered some few casualties, though we had more wounded than dead. That alone is a reason to celebrate.”

Katsum nodded, “Any sign of the holding cells?”

“We are searching for them now, and rest assured that you will be the first to know should we come across any of your people as well. We will keep our eyes open for the dragon sigil you spoke of,” His eyes narrowed slightly as his voice became grave, “Though you should know, after exploring what little bit I have of the castrum, I have reason to believe this place was more than just a prison.”

Her heart dropped at this, “You don’t mean…”

“Unfortunately, I do…we’ve already found signs of experimentation in some ruined areas. To make even more unsavory, I believe more civilians were held here rather than prisoners of war or freedom fighters.”

“So innocents then?”

“Yes…” He responded gravely. Katsum closed her eyes, her ears twitching back a bit as she took a deep breath.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out across the field from them, drawing their attention as a panicking soldier ran up to Bajsaljien, “Commander, we need help!”

“What’s happened? Is there an ambush?”

“No, sir, but we found a young girl. She was hiding in the shadows until we passed by and she ran past us out into the yard. Marsak saw her and tried to speak with her, but…the child doesn’t seem to understand us. She’s fled into a corner and won’t let anyone get near her.”

Bajsaljien looked to Katsum, “Seems like something we should look into.”

She nodded and followed the soldier as they turned to lead them to the girl. The voices grew louder as they drew closer, and Katsum could hear the voice of the child shouting in terror. She could hear her above all the rest of the people, her voice carrying and bouncing off of the walls of the buildings. Suddenly, she recognized the syllables in her words, and the words formed in the air and her steps quickened.

“Doh ehs an! Doh ehs an!” She heard her cry, shouting at the soldiers, ‘leave me alone’.

Dragonspeak. She was speaking the language of dragons.

The ancient language of the Draic kingdom; of her people.

Another voice rose over the noise then, “Come on, it’s alrigh’! We’re here to help ya, not to hurt ya!”

They rounded the corner quickly and into the crossway between two buildings, finding a large group of soldiers already gathered to see what the commotion was about. Bajsaljien shouted for them to clear the way and let them through and they waded through them. Katsum pushed past the remaining soldiers to see a resistance soldier holding on to the little girl’s arm, trying to calm her down as the girl thrashed against his grip wildly. She was covered in bruises and scrapes, her tattered tunic and pants looking far too big for her. Her dark brown hair was matted against her face and in her eyes, clinging to the tear stains on her tan skin and framing the terrified look in her amber-colored eyes. She was so small, looking only to be about five or six years of age, and yet with the furious movements as she fought against the full-grown Hyur soldier, it was clear she was no stranger to the horrors that must have occurred here.

The little girl thrashed against, screaming in frustration as the soldier grabbed her other arm, “Come on then, let’s go and—”

Suddenly, the little girl’s fist struck out and punched the soldier at the junction of his thigh and pelvis, making him flinch and fall to his knees after he let her go, allowing her to turn and run until she hit the wall at the end of the alleyway, pressing herself against it as she turned her wild gaze upon the rest of them.

The soldier seethed, “Bloody little—”

“I suggest you not finish that sentence,” Katsum snarled, a dark glare on her features as she stepped forward, “She warned you, yet you kept holding on.”

“I was trying to help her! It’s her fault for not listenin’ to—”

“Can’t you see she’s terrified!? She doesn’t understand what you are saying and trying to force her to listen is only making it worse.” Katsum’s tail lashed in anger, her hands shaking as so many emotions fluttered through her mind. A girl speaking her language meant there had been others here and they had to still be close. That thought alone was hard to contain as it made her want to frantically ask the child so many questions about where they were or where they had been taken, but by the fright, the girl already showed, it wouldn’t do anyone any good to be so frantic in looking for answers.

Bajsaljien raised his hands then, “It’s alright, let’s all calm down. Our frustration is only going to upset her more,” The Hrothgar commander looked at Katsum and nodded to her, “You know her words and what she is saying, yes? I would say it best for you to speak with her.”

The Warrior of Light nodded, “We are of the same mind. Thank you. Could you give us a bit more space though?” He nodded and they all stepped back as Katsum turned her eyes to the child who was now huddled in the corner, her knees pulled up to her chest as she hid her face behind them, only her shining yellow eyes visible amidst her dark hair. The sight was enough to almost make Katsum cry so she took a deep breath and stepped forward into the center of the alleyway and sat down on the ground, taking her sword off of her belt and setting it far to the side to show she meant her no harm.

The young girl watched her move, her wild expression never changing as Katsum took another deep breath and spoke in the dragon’s language, “It is alright, little one. No one here wants to hurt you. You are safe.”

The girl’s eyes widened as the words left Katsum’s lips, lifting her head a little. Hope flashed through her gaze for a moment before it fell away just as quickly, “I am scared. I want my mother. They took her. She told me to hide. Loud noises happened after.”

The girl spoke in a kind of broken way, speaking the literal words of the language and not through a true fluent manner, meaning she was taught quickly and no true formal learning had been given to her. Katsum could only guess her mother had taught her Dragonspeak instead of Garlean or Eorzean so that she alone could communicate with her and they could speak without anyone understanding them, though that now made it difficult for anyone trying to help to be able to speak with her.

Katsum blinked the tears out of her eyes and tried to smile for her, “We have driven the bad men away and we will help find your mother. You have nothing to fear, little one.”

“Queen…?” Suddenly the girl spoke in Eorzean a single word, staring at Katsum, “…Queen…?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Queen will save us. My mother said this. Are you the Queen?”

Katsum’s heart shook, no longer able to hold back her tears then. They had been waiting for her. They had known that she was coming to save them, and they had held so firmly to that hope that this child’s mother had even taught her only the word ‘Queen’ in Eorzean, perhaps in hopes that if they were separated, Katsum would find the girl then. Her ears fell back against her head as she smiled sadly to the girl and nodded, lifted her hand to the Draic necklace that sat atop her armor, “Yes…yes, I am the Queen she spoke of. I am Katsum, the last queen of Draic.”

The girl still looked warily at her and Katsum sniffed as she looked to her right and said, “Raihogg, do you think…? Just a shade maybe? I don’t want to scare her.” The dragon hummed in her mind as a ghostly image of the great red dragon appeared there beside her, his glowing golden-blue eyes softly looking between them as his throat rumbled with a kind of quiet purr.

The girl gasped and drew back in on herself for a moment when he appeared, yet she slowly relaxed as the sound he made seemed to calm any fears she might have had. She stared for a moment before she began to speak again as she began to cry, “The Queen has come…the Queen has come, the Queen has come!”

With tears streaming down her face, the girl stood and ran to Katsum, throwing her arms around her as she sank into her lap and cried. Katsum wrapped her arms around her in return and hugged her tight, “You are safe now, child. We won’t let anyone hurt you!”

“Please find my mother. Please find her.”

“We will, we will.” Katsum wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she sniffed and looked back at Bajsaljien, “I’ve got her. I’ll take care of her. She says her mother was taken shortly before the battle began. They can’t have gone far. Please, find them.”

He nodded and turned to the other soldiers, “You all heard her, move out!”

The crowd began to disperse as Katsum turned to look down at the girl again, petting her knotted hair as she sobbed into her shoulder. Raihogg made himself fully visible and curled himself around Katsum and the girl, laying down as best as the dragon could and continuing to purr to help calm the child. Katsum closed her eyes and held tightly to the child as she shaking said, “We will keep you safe now until we find your mother. I promise.”

#katsum almor #ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv writing #ffxivwrite2021 #bozjan southern front #ffxiv bozja #bozja

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the-dragons-knight · 3 years

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FFXIV Write 2021

Prompt #17 - The Castaway Queen

Destruct(Destruction) - ‘to brake/destroy beyond repair’

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“Run! They're coming! Save yourselves!”

“It is the end of us all!”

“Momma!? Momma, where are you!?”

“Savior, help us!”

Katsum ran through the burning streets of the castle town, struggling to keep a hold of her long skirt so as to not trip her as she ran and holding her crown in her hand, searching for a way out of the burning city. Helplessly, her wide and tear filled eyes took in the burning homes around her, the screams of the villagers filling her feline ears. No matter where she turned, fire filled her vision and the sounds of battle and cries of fear echoed in the chaos. She could see twisted shadows moving in the distance, moving in rhythm to a kind of death dance as they slowly moved closer and closer to her, making her desperate to escape. Katsum coughed as she got too close to a window where smoke was rolling out of it, the soot filling her nose as she moved away and covered her face with her arm. It was getting harder to see where she was going as her vision was blurred by tears and the fatigue of running.

“Katsum!”

Then a voice reached her ears. The voice of her father.

“Katsum, where are you!?”

And then her mother’s voice.

“Mom! Dad! I’m coming!” A renewed strength filled her heart as she ran through the alleyways and streets towards their voices, praying with all her might that she would find them. They would keep her safe, they would calm this nightmare. If she could just reach them…

Finally, the winding streets gave way to the large plaza of the castle market place and she finally caught sight of her mother and father across from her. She nearly felt relief flood her veins as she took a step towards them, only to shy away as the scaffolding of a market stall fell between them, leaving no clear path for her to run to them with. Ash flew into her eyes and she desperately wiped it away as she craned her neck to see over the debirs where her father and mother were. It was then she saw the soldiers, the men clad in thick black and red armor with a diamond shaped symbol on their helmets. Her father was fighting them back, keeping them from getting too close to her mother while she was firing arrows into the ones that got past him. Her father’s leg and forehead were bleeding and her mother’s clothes were covered in ash.

“Mom!! Dad!!” Katsum screamed over the noise, her voice trembling as her tears flowed.

Her parents glanced over, still fighting as her mother cried out, “You have to run, Katsum! You must survive!”

“No, I won't leave you!”

Suddenly, a loud crack echoed from the castle behind her and she turned to see the tallest tower spire was crumbling, the stones giving way as it twisted and fell from its place at the top of the castle, crashing down towards her.

“Run, Katsum!!”

Yet her body would not respond, and she was left to stare at the slowly falling tower and wait for it to end her. This is until the burning around her neck began and she cried out. She heard the dragon within starting to growl and a rough pressure on her neck, like something was tugging at it.

“…No wonder…sleeping well…necklace…so snug…”

A strange voice filled her mind as the pain around her neck grew and she clenched her eyes shut at the pain. It grew and grew until she could no longer stand it and she reached up to her own neck.

And she was finally startled awake when she found another person’s hands there around her neck.

In a panic, Katsum’s eyes flashed open as she locked her grip around the wrists of her attacker, and she stared up at the dark-haired, tanned-skin miqo’te girl that was hovering above her, her hands being the ones that Katsum held tightly. The girl’s lavender colored eyes widened as she let go of the necklace and tried to pull away, but Katsum was stronger. She waited until the girl too was in a panic and trying to pull away, only letting go when the girl was pulling backward so that she lost her balance so that Katsum could reach back to the pillow behind her head and swing it around to hit the girl with it. She sprung off of the bed at that same moment, moving away until she was pressed against the wall.

“Ow! Hey!” As the girl was trying to get back to her feet, Katsum wildly looked around her, trying to figure out where she was only to guess she was on a ship judging by the sway she felt now that she thought of it. She was in the passenger’s quarters of a ship judging by the bed she had been laying on, though a very low classed one at that. Piles of ropes and timbers were stored against one wall as well as a few rolls of sails and barrels filled with things that Katsum could only wonder about. She could smell the salt air now and hear the lap of the waves against the ship’s thick hull, yet still, she was not calmed. Her sapphire gaze frantically searched about her for a sword, a staff, anything to defend herself, yet she found nothing.

“Ranaa? Is everything alright?” A voice from above caught Katsum’s ear and her panic increased. A light appeared from the dark hallway that led to the main deck as the door opened and shadows were cast by someone descending them. Katsum’s heart leapt as finally, she saw a weapon she had never seen before that the girl seemed to have dropped; a circular blade with a thick cording wrapped around one edge where she guessed the wielder would hold it. She quickly leapt forward and grabbed ahold of it before returning to her place against the wall. She watched a silver-haired woman appear from the hallway, seeing her eyes widen as she saw her. The girl too was moving to her feet and turned to face Katsum.

“Stay back!” Katsum lifted the curved blade as if she were pointing her sword threateningly and spoke in the Draic language. The confused looks on the faces of the two, however, told her that they did not understand what she had said, not that that had surprised her, but the words spoken in the dragon's tongue were far more threatening than just on their own, and she needed that edge in her weakened state right now.

The woman held up her hands then and spoke calmly in Eorzean, thankfully the language she too spoke, “It is alright, child, you are safe here. We are not here to hurt you.”

Katsum looked between them wildly as her hands shook, trying to speak as sternly as she could, “Where am I?” Her voice shook far more than she would have liked it to, but there was nothing she could do to change that.

“You’re on our ship,” The miqo’te answered, “We found you on a piece of debris floating in the water. You’d come from the same direction as a great storm, so we can only guess your ship sank, and you somehow survived.”

Katsum froze as the realization of everything hit her. The fires, the soldiers, running through the streets with her father pulling her along to the shore where her mother had waited. She remembered the tear-filled farewell as they pushed her alone onto the small sailboat as a group of soldiers was closing in, and she remembered watching the burning silhouette of her beloved island, her kingdom, disappear behind the stormy sea clouds as the sea swept her away…and then the storm that had wrecked her bost and knocked her out. The nightmare she had witnessed was real. Her kingdom was attacked…and she alone survived as her parents had saved her. She was alone with the Draic necklace that still hung around her neck.

Her threat with the blade faltered as her heart broke and she dropped it to clatter to the floor. Her breathing grew heavy as she fell to her knees and tears spilled from her eyes. She flinched when she felt someone touch her shoulder, pulling away from the woman and the girl who had drawn closer and crawling away into the corner of the room.

“It’s alright! We aren’t going to hurt you! You have been through something terrible, it is clear, and we just want to help,” The woman said softly.

Katsum shook her head, “Please…I wish to be alone right now…”

The miqo’te looked her over, almost speaking again but the woman cut her off as she picked up the fallen blade and took it with her as she stood, “Come on, Ranaa, she asked for some space.”

“But Nashmeria, we don’t even know her name!” The girl cried, looking back over her shoulder at Katsum as she followed her up the stairs.

“I’m sure she will tell us when she is ready, but for now, let’s leave her be like she asked.”

She listened to the sound of the door shutting softly and the fading footsteps before Katsum buried her head in her arms and cried. She had never felt so alone, and so guilty. She failed to keep her kingdom safe, and her people had suffered for it. Their young queen had fled while they fought to survive. That thought dug into her heart like a dagger. She’d left her parents behind too, though she had tried to pull them onto the boat with her, but they wouldn’t, not with a party of soldiers so close where they would see them and sink their boat before they could escape. So she had been alone, and she wished she had stayed.

Katsum reached up to the dragon necklace around her neck, feeling the dragons aether that flowed within it waning from when it had awoken her and sobbed without end.

#katsum almor #ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv writing #before arr #before the warrior #ffxiv write 2021 #wol backstory #before a realm reborn #warrior of light

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the-dragons-knight · 4 years

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WoLtober 2020

Day #6) Common Ground

Revenge - ‘to take vengeance for; inflict punishment for; avenge’

<Warning: Some Heavenward MSQ and Shadowbringers MSQ spoilers>

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

“Do you really expect us to believe that your objective has suddenly changed?”

The tension was thick about all of them as the Scions and the Warrior of Light stared at the Garlean founder, the Ascian, Emet-Selch, that stood before them. Katsum had been the first to since him, yet even so, she had not said a word. Only a deep glare spoke of what she was thinking, and the twitch of the muscles in her hands. So much sorrow had been wrought by the hands of this man and his empire, and to think he was standing as if he were superior to them as he was now. It made her blood boil. She steeled herself however and let the others speak as she wanted a reason to strike, an opening that gave no question of why she moved. The miqo’te would not give him the pleasure of acting without cause and mindless violence. It would only make everything the Garleans said of her true.

Emet-Selch turned to Alphinaud and shrugged nonchalantly, “Nay, our objective is ever the same. Though I dare say you do not know our motive,” His gaze shifted to Thancred who was still poised to attack with his hand on his gunblade, meeting the white-hiared Hyur’s glare with a tired sigh, “A war waged without knowledge of the enemy is no war—it is mere bloodletting. Just once...may we not seek to find common ground?”

Common...ground...

The words echoed in Katsum’s ears as her fur stood on end.

Common...ground…

Memories flooded her mind of her home in flames, of the night her island was lost to her forever. She could still hear the screams of her people as her father rushed her through the castle town square, could still feel the heat of the burning houses and see the Garlean soldiers in the distance, growing ever closer as they laid waste to the kingdom. For an instant, nothing moved, like the world had frozen in time, and then in the next moment, Katsum stepped forward.

SMACK

The blonde miqo'te blinked to find herself standing in front of the Ascian now, her hand raised in front of her while Emet-Selch’s head was thrown to the side, his cheek beginning to glow red from the blow of her slap. Her eyes widened as he lifted a hand to his face and looked back at her with wide eyes of his own, probably wondering as she was how she had moved so quickly where he didn't have time to fade away.

“Don’t...you dare...speak of common ground to me...” Katsum’s body shook with rage as she forced the words through her clenched teeth, her ears folding back and tail lashing as she hissed, “Did you speak of common ground to the Draic people that night? As they screamed and ran from their burning homes, trying to escape the approaching soldiers? Were they offered the same corporation when the airships and magitek descended upon them to destroy their beloved homeland all for the sake of conquest!? Where was their common ground?!”

The paladin’s voice echoed about the plaza, rendering all into silence. Katsum’s lungs heaved with her rage, her muscles and fingers trembling. She had only known such anger once when Aymeric had nearly been assassinated, and even then, it was more fear she’d lost him than true anger, but this...this was pure and unbridled rage. She could feel Raihogg’s aether beginning to brighten the gem of her necklace, her anger unconsciously calling the dragon to her side.

Emet-Selch watched her, looking her over carefully as he took a step or two back away from her. When his eyes settled on the dimly glowing dragon’s eye gem around her neck, he seemed to understand, “The child queen who escaped the siege...so this is where you have been all this time.” He stood straight again, he face blank as he added, “Lahabrea had been so sure he would succeed, and to think you slipped so easily right through his fingers.”

The knightess bared her fangs as she started to move, but a card flew over her shoulder and hit the Ascian before her, the clone disappearing in a cloud of shadow.

Urianger’s voice rang clear in her ears, “Thou hast delivered thy proposal, and we would not dismiss it outright. If I may offer thee counsel, however: to make thy case via a clone of illusion reflecteth poorly upon thy sincerity. Let alone to upset the warrior of light.”

“My apologies,” Her ears perked to hear the Ascian speaking from further behind the Scions, “You will forgive me if I am not entirely at ease in the presence of a famed Ascian-slayer. I felt it only prudent to take precautions,” Katsum refused to turn to look back at him, yet she felt his gaze burning into her skin, “And it seems that I made a good choice. ‘Twas quite an unexpected surprise for you to move so quickly and manage to strike me, yet now knowing who you are, it does not surprise me. The Draic people always were quite the strong-willed and unexpectedly talented sort.” Katsum glued herself to the floor, closing her eyes to try and calm the raging storm in her heart.

“Nonetheless,” Finally, she felt the burning of his eyes leave her back as Emet continued, “Your counsel is duly noted. I take my leave, friends. Rest assured...we shall meet again soon...” And with that, she heard him fade into the shadows and disappear.

While she was glad he was gone, Katsum felt no relief as her body trembled, a few warm tears trickling down her face as they had escaped the corners of her eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped, her eyes turning to see Alphinaud looking at her sadly.

“A bloody Ascian speaking of common ground like equals when he speaks so nonchalantly about the destruction of someone’s homeland and people,” Alisaie fumed behind her brother, shaking her head with a glare of her own directed at the floor, “It’s sickening.”

“Indeed, however, I am afraid there was some truth to his words,” Urianger mumbled.

“We will talk on that later,” Thancred mused, coming into Katsum’s view as he laid a hand on her other shoulder, making her look up at him to see him smiling a little, “For now, you must rest. I am sure your battle with Titania has left you exhausted, and this encounter surely did not help.”

While her body still shook, the mention of tiredness reminded her of the fatigue she felt on the way back from Il Mheg, where she almost faltered and fell into the twins, “Yes...yes you’re right.”

Alphinaud nodded, “Come, Alisaie and I will make sure you get to the Pendants without faltering.” Katsum nodded to him, unable to bring herself to protest tonight.

“Rest well, Katsum,” Minfilla peeked around Thancred’s side, a sad smile on her face, “May you have sweet dreams.”

Katsum weakly smiled, “Thank you, I will try.”

With a tug on her gloves from the twins, she followed their pull, letting them walk on either side of her to make sure she made it safely to her chambers for some well deserved rest in hopes to forget about a certain Ascian at least for now.

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the-dragons-knight · 4 years

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FFXIV Write 2020

Prompt #12 - Together Again

Tooth and Nail - ‘with all one’s resources or energy; fiercely’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

The island of Gangos was truly a beautiful sight. The alcove where the Bozja Resistance made its headquarters reminded Katsum so much of her island that she found it rather restful to come and rest by the water’s edge sometimes whenever she visited. This afternoon was one such time, and Katsum stood on the sands watching the waves crash against the rocks. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in the salt air and just listening. She could almost imagine it, standing among the cliffs on the shore of her island, the water and sand tickling her feet as the waves flowed in and out around her. She could hear the gulls as they flew overhead, and perhaps the distant should of the castle town that she knew so well. A sense of peace emanated from everything around her, and she found daydreaming of what that island must look like now...after so many years.

“Miss Katsum,” Katsum opened her eyes at the sound of the voice, turning to see a Hrothgar clad in resistance armor speaking to her, Bajsaljen, “It is good to see you again.”

She smiled, stepping over to him until she stood before him, “It is good to see you too, Bajsaljen. How are the affairs of the resistance?”

“Slowly, but the progress shall be worth the wait. Though we did encounter some refugees from another fallen province of the empire’s.”

“Refugees? Really?”

He nods, “Some of them were injured, and so we brought them into our camp. After hearing the stories they told, it would seem the castrum fell in flames.” He grunted with a stren nod, “One less fortress to demolish ourselves.”

Katsum’s ears twitched in thought, “Could I bother you to introduce me to these refugees?”

“Bajsaljen!” Both of them turned to see another soldier waving over to them, “Our scouts are returning!”

“Good, I shall be right there,” He bowed to the blonde Miqo’te, “You’ll have to excuse me, Miss. I can point you in the right direction though,” He turned towards the back corner of the camps, pointing towards a campfire where she could just make out some people sitting at through the tents, “You will find them there more than likely. ‘Tis where they often gather. Until next time, be well, miss.”

She nodded her thanks with a soft smile before setting her eyes on the campfire in the distance and moving towards it. The camp was as busy as ever with soldiers moving here and there, making her have to weave through them on her way to keep her eye on the fire. As she drew nearer, she could swear she heard the sounds of voices raised in song, yet she was sure it was just her imagination. However, the closer she got, the louder it sounded. She couldn’t make out what was being said though, and no one else seemed to be listening. A large group of soldiers started marching in front of her, causing her to stop and wait for them to pass, and it was then that the breeze carried the voices to her ears and heard them more clearly.

‘Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows…

Fair is the lilly of the va-lley…

Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne…

But my love is fairer than a-ny...’

The words caused her entire body to freeze. She knew those words, knew them by heart. It was a song from her home, from that island so far away. If they knew then...they were her...her people…!

Before she knew it, she was sprinting past everyone between her and that campfire, her heart racing at the very thought that someone from her island was so close. Perhaps they knew who still lived? Perhaps...perhaps they knew of her parents fate…? As if the Savior had been right beside her listening, a single voice raised above them all then, singing alone with the words:

‘‘Twas down by Killanery’s green woods that we strayed…

When the moon and the stars, they were shi-ning…

The moon shone its rays on her locks of golden hair…

And she swore she’d be my love fore-ver..’

Tears fell from Katsum’s eyes. She knew that voice, heard it in her dreams and her memories of her childhood. The voice she pretended to hear in her darkest times in her travels, encouraging her to press on and to keep fighting. As if she could move any faster, she sped past the soldiers around her, letting the sounds of the song guide her. Finally, she came around the tent that had stood between her and those gathered there and when she saw them, again she froze, her eyes landing on the dark-red haired male Miqo’te that sat with his back to her. Before she could speak, they all raised their voices together:

‘‘Twas not for the parting that my sister pained…

‘Twas not for the grief of my mo-ther…

It’s all for the loss of my boony Draic lass…

That my heart is breaking fore-ver…’

‘Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows…

Fair is the lilly of the vall-ey…

Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne…

But my love is fairer than a-ny...’

As they finished their song, they all raised their mogs to the air in a silent toast before taking a drink. Katsum’s hands trembled as she watched them, her eyes focused on the dark-red haired man. He was just as she remembered, a strong man sitting with an air of a calm fury, his red hair styled back and his tail curled neatly around behind him. She nearly sobbed as she shakeningly stumbled towards them and called out, “Dad?!”

The group froze as they turned to look at her in shock, all but the man she was looking at. She watched him very carefully set down his mug and then look up at the other Miqo’te men, “Did you hear what I did? Is that why you all look so shocked?”

The one sitting next to him just stared at Katsum yet answered him saying, “Rune...it’s her...”

Her father’s ears lifted, and he nearly fell over himself turning to look at her. Sapphire met emeralded as their eyes met and she cried, “Dad..!”

His face broke out into a relieved smile, “Katsum...! Oh, Katsum, my sweet girl…!” He rose to his feet, moving at a hobble towards her as she rushed to him, throwing her arms around him before he could fall. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and she buried her face in his shirt as she cried. She felt him pet her head and laugh through his tears, “Thank you, Savior. Thank you, Heaven...for bringing her back to me...”

“I missed you so much...I thought...I thought and Mom...”

“I know, I know...we thought you were gone too. Your ma, she’s so very strong...she promised to find me again when we were separated...made me promise to find her and come find her once I did.” He pulled away from her and held her face in his hands, his face stained with tears like hers was, “You’ve grown to look so much like her...You’re beautiful, my dear girl. Your mother will say the same, I know it!”

Katsum held tightly to her father’s hands, helping to keep him steady on his feet, “How did you escape? How did...” She looked down to notice the way he was standing, how it seemed he could not stand on one leg much at all, “How were you injured?”

Rune laughed sheepishly, a sound that made her smile as she knew it so well, “That is a long story, but we fought tooth and nail to break free from our chains, brought down the castrum with us as we did.” The men behind him cheered at that and Katsum smiled as he grasped her hands then tightly, “Nothing was going to keep me from finding you and your mother again. If it took all my strength, we would be together again. I swore it.”

She pulled back a hand to move her shirt collar to show him the Draic necklace around her neck, “And Raihogg is still with me. The dragon is with me.”

He sighed sadly, “You’ve carried that burden all this time?”

“No, no! I have so much to tell you about him, Dad, he’s so much more than any of us ever knew!”

“I can’t wait to hear it all!” He then noticed the ring on her left hand, staring at for a moment before his smile seemed to brighten, “Wait, sweetheart! You’re married!? Oh, wait wait. Is he a good man??”

Katsum nodded happily. “Yes, Dad, of course he is. I'm sorry that you and Mom couldn’t be there at the wedding...”

“Oh, dear, that alright. As long as you are happy and well taken care of. Well, that’s my opinion anyway. Your ma will have a much different one though..”

Katsum chuckled and nodded, “We’ll have to find her first though.”

He smiled so big and warm, “Right! Right!” He turned to the others and shouted, “Our Queen has returned!”

The men cheered and Katsum shook her head, waving at them to settle, “Please, I am not looking for a crown. I am just...so happy to see you all again…and that you are all safe.” She looked back at her father, smiling brightly, “I have so much to tell you.”

“Come then, sit with us!” One of the other men gestured to the log Rune had been sitting on, “We’ve all night to share stories!”

Rune nodded, shifting and almost falling as Katsum caught him, laughing as she helped him back over to her seat and sitting beside him, “As long as you can spare the time that is, Warrior of Light?”

She scoffed, “They will have to make the time. The world can wait for an evening for me. I have much to tell my father and his tribe brothers.”

“Hear hear!” They all cheered, and Rune grinned at her, “So shall we start with...Raihogg was it? Tell us about the dragon...”

#katsum almor #ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv writing #warrior of light #ffxivwrite2020 #wol backstory #original characters

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the-dragons-knight · 5 years

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Prompt #21: Make Him Talk

Entry number twenty one for the FFXIV Write Challenge by @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast.

Prompt: “Crunch”

Rating: PG

Relations: Aymeric de Borel X WoL OC(Katsum Almor)

Warnings: Stormblood content as this takes place in the war camp beside the Ghimlyt Dark. No spoilers to really note though

A captured Garlean knows something about Katsum’s people, yet no seems to be able to make him talk. She knows a way she can though.

- - - - - - - - - -

Katsum stood with her arms crossed, looking across at where the Garlean soldier was being held, her gaze narrowed, “Have you been able to get anything out of him?”

Aymeric stopped shuffling the maps around as he noticed she was no longer paying attention and leaned on the table instead, looking over with her and sighing, “No, he has said nothing. You would have been the first to know, love.” She felt his eyes turn to her as he stood up straight, “He has barely spoken his own name, let alone any information he might have.”

“He had that banner in his pocket. He knows something about my people.”

“And we will find out what he knows in due time.”

“How long will that take though?”

“Kat-”

“I need answers, Aymeric,” She turned and found him standing beside her next, taking her hands in his, “They could be out there, alive. I must know...I need to know. And they are alive, I will seek them out as we push back Garlemald and free them.”

He searched her eyes, trying to give her a gentle smile, “I cannot imagine how this must feel, but please give them some time. I am sure they will get something of him eventually.”

“Do you really believe that?”

Before he could answer, the interrogators stepped out of the tent and started towards the leader’s tent where they stood, very annoyed expressions on their faces.

“We shall see now,” He nodded to her as he moved back to the table to stand by the other Grand Company leaders that gathered. The two interrogators stopped before the table and Katsum watched them curiously.

Raubahn spoke first, “What have you learned?”

“Nothin’, sir,” The soldier replied, “He’s not breaking at all, won’t utter a word anymore.”

The other soldier hissed, “It’s because you keep asking the same stupid questions.”

He looked over at her, “You can’t just yell and scream at someone to talk-”

“That’s what you have to do sometimes to get the information! You’re to nice about-”

“ENOUGH,” The two quieted at Raubahn’s outburst, “You are relieved of your duties as interrogators. Return to your posts. Now.”

The soldiers quickly scurried away and Katsum frowned deeply.

Merylwyb sighed, “After that display, I am sure we appear to be nothing more than the savages they all believe us to be.”

Raubahn leaned on the table and sighed, “You have my apologizes, Katsum. I thought them better suited than that.”

The warrior of light shook her head, “It’s alright,” She stood up straight again and made her way around to the front of the table, “‘Tis probably only something i could do myself anyway.”

“So you mean to try and speak with him yourself?” Kan-e-senna asked.

The Miqo’te woman nodded, glancing around at all of them as she replied, “If I have the permission to, yes.”

“What is it you plan to do?” The leaders all looked at her in question, though Ayermic’s showed his concern too.

Katsum turned to see her Calvary Sundrake where he was lying across a rock, sleeping soundly as he baked in the sun, “I will make him talk.”

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The Garlean soldier sat before the leaders in front of the tent with two soldiers standing on either side of him. He looked around at all of them, smiling amusedly, “Well, this is interesting. Tired of not getting anything out of me?”

“You’ve been brought here to answer questions still,” Raubahn gruffly answered.

“Oh, the same two from before? Lovely two, always fighting amongst each other I couldn't even answer.”

“No, they will not be asking the questions,” Raubahn gestured to Katsum, “She will.”

The Garlean turned and his eyes widened when it saw Katsum and the drake she had walking beside her.

“Oosh,” She said to Draco and he hissed, walking towards the soldier with his head low. The two alliance soldiers stepped back as Draco circled him, staring at him with his yellow eyes. He stayed at a distance, letting Katsum keep the closer circle as she stepped up to the man and bowed slightly, “Indeed, I, Katsum Almor, shall be asking you the questions now.”

“The W-Warrior of Eorzea...I thought you were supposed to be nothing but a grunt. A savage-”

“You believe just about anything you are told to believe then?”

He glared up at her and opened his mouth to spit back an insult, but Draco hissed and drew his attention.

“W-What...what is he here for..?” Katsum lifted a hand to calm the drake as she paced around the man herself.

“Simple,” She pulled the helmet from the soldiers head so that she could all see his face completely and tossed it to the drake who caught it in his jaws, “You tell me what I want to know, and he is but a harmless pet will all bark and no bite. But...if you refuse to speak with me or if you lie to me...” She looked at the drake, “Eehs.”

Draco stared into the Garlean’s eyes as him closed his jaws and crunch the helmet into pieces with minimal effort, spitting it out into the dirt and he hissed and stared at the man.

The expression of fear is all Katsum needed when it looked between her and the dragon, “W-Who are you?!”

She stopped in front of him, narrowing her gaze, “I told you. I am Katsum Almor, Warrior of Light and Defender of Eorzea...Lady of Dragons...and Queen of the Draic kingdom.”

His eyes widened when she said “Draic” and she knew she had him. She glanced at Aymeric and he looked at her firmly, as if to say ‘please stay calm.’ She nodded once, then continued.

“I was led to believe they had all been killed and then I found something in your pockets that tell me different. Now I am normally a very kind soul and would speak to you without trying to threaten you, but you have forced my hand, and I am very protective over my loved ones and my people. So tell me,” she pulled the banner front her pocket and holding it out to show the sigil of the crimson dragon, crown and shield, the symbol of her people, and leaned closer to him as she spoke lowly, “What do you know of my people...and where are they?”

#FFxivWrite2019 #ffxiv writing challenge #ffxiv writing #ffxiv #katsum almor #aymeric de borel #aymeric de borel x wol #aymeric x wol #wol/aymeric de borel #wol #aymeric x katsum #raubahn #kan-e-senna #merylwyb #stromblood #Heavensward

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the-dragons-knight · 5 years

Text

Prompt #2: What Promises We Keep

Entry two for the FFXIV Write 30 day writing challenge hosted by @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast

Prompt: “Bargain”

Rating: E

Warnings: None

This mainly takes place Pre-ARR, so back in Kat’s backstory before she came to Eorzea. A peak into some of the things I have in mind for the life Katsum had before she became the Warrior of Light and began the journey through Eorzea.

- - - - - - - - - -

“You don’t want to be queen, do you?”

The young Miqo’te girl sighed, and shook her head, staring down at her shoes, “Grandfather wants me to, but no, I don’t want to rule.”

“But why not, Katsum? A ruler gets to do whatever they wan, whenever they want,” The boy spoke with wonder in his voice, with a blind fascination of a crown, “That’s what you’ve always wanted, right? Just to do whatever you want whenever-”

“A ruler is a servant to its people, Criston. It’s not freedom to do whatever, its a responsibility to lead the kingdom to a better future and keep everyone safe.” The young Hyur boy went silent and turned back to look out at the sky and the water with her. Katsum was quiet too, her eyes trained on the sea and the horizon beyond.

“So...it’s freedom then that you want…?” Criston asked after a few minutes, “Freedom from...what exactly?”

“From responsibilities I feel I am not ready for...from things I “must” do rather than want to do.”

“Hah, said every heiress and princess ever,” She glared at him and he faltered a little, “Sorry…that was rude of me...”

She didn’t answer and just turned back to the waves. Behind them, the festival was continuing on just as joyous as before, the laughter and the merriment of the kingdom of the coming of a new ruler, the one the dragon in the necklace would choose, was almost deafening in the quiet of the night. There was no joy in Katsum’s heart, only fear of the unknown, worry of what was to come. Fear that it would be her and she would be thrown into the lair of a beast she did not know how to control or handle.

“Wait! I’ve got it!” Criston’s outburst startled her as he turned to face her again, a broad grin on his face, “Make a bargain with me.”

Bewildered and confused, she asked, “What?”

“You don’t want to be a ruler, but I can be, and when I’m ruler...I-I can make you my queen!”

“Huh…? Is this some odd way of saying you…?”

“What!? N-No...just...just listen! Ok? If I am the chosen king, I hold the responsibility of leading the people and the kingdom. Anyone I chose to stand beside me doesn’t have to worry about all of that, yes?”

She narrowed her eyes in thought, “I suppose…?”

“Then make this deal with me: Tomorrow when we come to offer a pact to the dragon, don’t offer your hand.”

“What?”

“Don’t offer a pact. You can’t become ruler if you don’t offer your hand.” Her eyes grew wide, but he continued, “What I’ll do is offer a pact and surely, the dragon will choose me. And when he does, I’ll make you my queen...and you can have that freedom that you’ve always wanted. The freedom to go and explore this island and maybe even beyond the horizon if you wanted. Beyond the storms and the raging sea to worlds we can only dream of and hear stories about. We’ll be happy together forever and ever, and never have to worry about anything. What do you say to that?”

Katsum was speechless, a thousand thoughts buzzing through her head as she tried to picture what he was saying. To not offer her hand and pact meant she couldn’t be made queen, that made sense. And even then, he was right of course. Who else would the dragon choose but Criston? He was the best of the heirs of the four houses, the strongest, the bravest, the most cunning. Of course the dragon would choose him, so why was she worried?

A look of relief came over her face and she smiled at him, fluttering her eyes playfully, “Very well, Ser Criston. I accept your bargain and shall be your queen. I shall take it as a declaration of your love as well.”

Criston sputtered, “T-That’s not...I mean i-it’s not wrong but...AHH! Kat, why!?”

She laughed so loudly, it matched the sounds of the festival noise, a happy sound of being set free from her worries and fears. Yes, she would agree with this, and her wanderlust could be set free and charted forth with this.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

“You broke your promise, Katsum.”

“No! No, I didn’t! I was only trying to stop you and Jonath from fighting in front of the people over the crown! I reached out only to-”

“It doesn’t matter what you reached out for! You still reached out and the dragon chose you! You took what you said you didn’t want. You took my dream from me!”

Katsum is speechless, tears rolling down her face, but Criston’s angry expression does not falter this time.

“Well done, stupid girl. Now you’ll never be free. Serves you right for breaking your promise.” He then turned away from her, but stopped to add, “Don’t ever speak to me again, your majesty. We’re no longer friends.”

And he left her there in tears, wondering why and what she had done to deserve this...

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Katsum reached up and ran her fingers over the necklace of Draic, the necklace where Raihogg’s being resided, the dragon who had chosen her to be queen. Even now, as she sat in a place far from her island, amidst the snow and ice of Coerthas in the Ishgardian nation, she still knew one thing to be true.

“I never broke my promise, Criston,” She whispers in the silence, “But I have new promises now...and they far outweigh anything you ever offered me.”

#FFxivWrite2019 #katsum almor #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #warrior of light #ffxiv writing challenge #ffxiv writing

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the-dragons-knight · 5 years

Text

Prompt # 14: Out There Somewhere

Entry number fourteen for the FFXIV Write Challenge by @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast

Prompt: “Scour”

Rating: PG

Warnings: None really, takes place during Post Stormblood Main story, but there is no spoilers written in here

Finding one clue after another, Katsum searches for the truth of what happened to her people the day the Garleans attacked her kingdom.

- - - - - - - - - -

The howl of the wind and the beat of Raihogg’s wings slicing through it were the only things that Katsum could hear as they flew high above the clouds. Above them, the sky crackled with electricity, the dragon's power calling forth the thunder and lightning to provide cover for them once they descended to the world below. The red dragon hissed as a strike of lighting surged past them, yet Katsum did not even wince. As he glanced back to look at her, he saw she had her eyes trained forward, the icy blue light of them reflecting the sparks in the clouds around them.

“Art thou certain that this was was a smart idea, Katsum? We are flying behind enemy lines after all.” The dragon’s voice traveled through her mind rather than through the air, ensuring that she would hear him over the wind.

The Miqo’te woman tightened her fist on the cloth that she held, and nodded.

“I must know, Raihogg,” She shouted as she leaned down closer to him so that he could hear, “And the only way to know is to search for the signs.”

The dragon sighed, “Very well. I am with thee until the end. As always.”

“Thank you, my friend.”

“And am I to assume we shall not speak of this in front of Ser Aymeric?”

“Yes...he will worry to much if he knew...”

“Very well. Thou should tell him at some point, however. ”

She only sighed in response.

The thunder around them sputtered as Raihogg gathered it close, the strikes of light burning brightly around them as they prepared to dive. The dragon slowed and lifted himself higher a bit before looking down and making his descent, the thunder and lightning following closely behind. They drove through the clouds and then broke through them, looking down on the darkened world of a refugee camp below. Below the clouds, the rain fell generously, soaking both the Warrior of Light and her dragon companion. As they plummeted towards the ground, Katsum’s eyes scoured the ground for any signs of the sigil, of the white banner with the red symbol she knew so well. When she saw none, she narrowed her eyes, noticing she saw no lights or fires lit either. It was dark with no signs of life at all.

“Do you see anything, Raihogg? I can’t see anyone.”

The dragon took a moment to look, his glowing eyes flitting about as he did, and a very confused tone filled his voice, “I see...no one at all.”

He angled his wings to pull up, the lightning behind him breaking off behind him and striking the ground below. Katsum held her ears as the sound was deafening, looking back as his turned them back to fly over the seemingly abandoned camp. Drawing nearer, she saw it was true. There were no people, no campfires or any sign of a living being. Yet thankfully, no sign of any death either as there were no bodies either.

“Can we land for a moment? I would search around for anything that could be of use in our search,” He nodded and flew down to the earth and landed softly. He lowered his head to allow her to slide off, looking around them with wary eyes.

“It looks as if no one hath been here for quite a while,” He mused, smelling the air as Katsum looked around the tents.

She agreed with him as she looked through the tents. It had been at least a few weeks since anyone had been here, so whoever she’d hoped to find here had been long gone. She stepped up to the bigger tent with Raihogg following close behind. A fluttering paper caught her eye and she reached out and caught it before it could blow past her, looking down at it and reading:

To anyone who reads this,

The dragon’s lady lives on and we of her fallen kingdom must rise to be ready to join forces with her when she arrives to free us all. Remember your loved ones that fell that day, remember the sacrifices we have made and rise.

For the Queen rides onward, and we must rise to be ready to help her claim our home once more.

Katsum’s hands shook, making Raihogg look down at her curiously. A tear rolled down her cheek as she read over the paper again, loosening her fingers on the white cloth to hold up the sigil of the dragon, the shield, and the crown, the symbol of the Draic kingdom that she had found at the last camp they’d found that led them here. They were alive after all...her people weren’t gone. They lived and they searched for her, had seen her somehow riding Raihogg into battle. And they rallying under her name…

“ ‘The Queen rides onward’...they live, Raihogg...and that means...we can find them…”

#FFxivWrite2019 #ffxiv #Final Fantasy XIV #katsum almor #aymeric de borel #raihogg #ffxiv writing #ffxiv writing challenge #stormblood

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