Once a month, Annshera visited Haurchefant’s grave with her son Florian. Most of the time, her baby boy was falling asleep on the road but it was important for her to take him there along with her. It gave her the feeling that Haurchefant could see Florian. She told him much about her baby, all his habits and how in a way Flo was already much like him. Florian woke up when they approached Ishgard. He vehemently agitated his legs, sign that he was willing to walk. Annshera giggled and delicately put him on the ground. Before reaching the Steps of Faith, Florian asked for a snowman. Focused on their built, neither of them noticed they were surrounded by thieves.
“Give me all your gils ! Now ! “ shouted the presumed leader of their group.
Terrified Florian started crying. Annshera initially ignored the thieves and cuddled her son.
“It’s okay my love.”
“Make him stop or I’ll do it myself.”
“Don’t you dare touching my son !”
“Seize them !”
One of the thieves drew his knife. Panicked for her baby boy, Annshera jumped back too abruptly, she hit a branch and fell off on the ground. The thief was about to draw a second blow when an unknown person threw away his knife with his katana. The tall man stood up between Annshera and the group of thieves. Promptly, he overpowered them and they ran away. Still on the ground, Annshera couldn’t help but being impressed by that man skills. He observed her with non dissimulated attention while cleaning his katana.
“Are you hurt ?”
“No, thank you for my son.”
“Yeah, you’re welcome.”
She was confused by this man familiarity. Normally she would thought that was very rude of him but since she was speaking with Florian’s savior, she wouldn’t quote it. She watched him heading to Ishgard with his confident gait. That mysterious man caught her curiosity. She decided to hurry up and come back to Ishgard as well.
Who was that man ? He wasn’t leaving her thoughts. She had to inform herself about him. Once she safely brought her baby home, the Viscountess left the de Borel manor and asked around the city about this unknown swordsman. Fortunately for her, a Ishgardian man indeed crossed his path. She found him alone, lost in his thought, around the Last Vigil.
“Found you.”
He turned to Annshera and smiled to her tenderly, his eyes were full of intensity which disturbed her a little.
“I like this place. I used to go there often with my mother.”
“You’re from here ?”
“I was born here yes.”
“You’re born here ? Then who taught you to fight with a katana ? Definitely not someone from Ishgard nor Eorzea.”
“An observant hmm… I learned in Hingashi. My parents have a vacation home there. I spent every summer in Hingan territory, I grew fond of this country.”
“Funny… So did I !”
Annshera took a closer look at her son’s savior. He had greyish short hair, green eyes, black skin but lighter than hers. He was good looking. Around her age maybe a bit younger. She noticed his ears weren’t as long as elezen ears.
“Your ears, you’re mixed.”
“Yes, I’m a half-elezen. My mother is a hyuran.”
“You’re close to her ?”
“Yes. We used to spend a lot of time together, I miss her.”
Mummy’s boy, how cute, he reminded her someone she knew to well.
“I understand. My mother, she died when I was a child. Suicide. I resented her for long but she was too soft for the violence of this world.”
Why did she say those things to a stranger ? She barely talked about her mother, not even to Aymeric. It was a very sensitive subject for her. Her suicide had been a tragedy very difficult to overcome for her and her little sister. She resented her mother many years before finally relate to her feelings when Annshera herself considered taking her own life.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
There was a silence between them. Annshera was starting to be cold which made her savior awkwardly smile. She wanted to go home yet she was yearning to get know more this mysterious half-elezen man. She had the feeling that if she let him go, she would never see him again and somehow it was out of the question for her. She felt a unexplainable connection between them. Nothing romantic or anything of the sort but she felt in her guts she had to explore this bond between her and this young man.
“Hey why don’t you come home ?”
At your place ? Hmm your husband will be okay with this ?”
Annshera never mentioned anything about Aymeric. Sure her marriage was public knowledge, not a surprised someone born here knew about it.
“How do you I have a husband ?”
“Because you have a son.”
“Maybe I’m a single mother.”
“But you’re not, are you ?”
“Indeed I’m not. Does my savior have a name ?”
“Julian.”
“Nice to meet you Julian, I’m…”
“I know who you are.”
He abruptly interrupted her, quite coldly which surprised her. He softened his face and smile to her. She gave his smile back and they marched together to the de Borel manor.
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