Willows: Chapter 5
Jan. 3rd, 2025 11:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gaiagesWillows - Chapter 5
Fic Table of Contents
Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV
The princess takes on a different persona.
CWs: none
Finally back at this AU :D I've changed a bunch of things around, so the previous chapters have a few edits (nothing major though). I'm excited to keep working on this!
Other links: Tumblr | AO3
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Reyna walked into the tavern, eyes scanning the area. Gemna said Eir would be here, but… The tavern wasn't exactly dingy, but it certainly wasn't a place a princess would frequent. I suppose if she was in some highborn estate it'd be harder to hide her identity.
"What can I help you with, son?" The bartender looks up at Reyna with a level, neutral expression.
"Ah…" Reyna walks up to the counter and clears his throat. "I'm looking for Kris."
"Who's asking?"
Reyna raised his eyebrows at the response. I wasn't expecting a response like that—
"You here with a request or something? Kris comes by and takes care of some jobs for folks around here. So…?"
"Right. I have a request." Reyna clears his throat. "…Name's Laurent."
"Weird name. You not from around here?"
Gods... "Ask my mother why she picked it. Is Kris here?"
"He's over there." The bartender tilts his head to the corner near the fire, and Reyna nods before walking over.
Wait, did the bartender say he? I hope I don't have the wrong person… Reyna silently slides into the booth, and 'Kris' looks up from her meal.
"Do you have a requ—" Eir narrows her eyes. "What in the seven hells are you doing here?"
"Me? What are you doing here!?"
"Taking requests."
Reyna pinches the bridge of his nose. "You know what I meant. Why aren't you at the castle?"
Eir sighs in frustration. "Keep your voice down." She waves to the bartender and puts two fingers up, and he brings over two pints of ale. "Stop acting so… weird."
"I think it's normal for any knight to feel weird about a situation like this."
"I can't believe my precious guardian is so snarky outside the castle walls. Turns out you have a personality after all!" Eir laughs loudly as Reyna's face turns red. "Clearly, Gemna told you I was here. So, why?"
Reyna frowns. "Apparently… some noble…" Hells, I forgot his name already… "…is making a surprise visit and you need to come back."
"Some noble? How… descriptive." Eir taps a finger against her lips. "Well, it can only be the Kludens, or else everyone would have the sense to not bother me during my… studies." The princess lets out an annoyed growl. "That family could not be more insufferable—but if I must be there, I must be there."
"Are you heading back, then?"
"I need to finish something, first." Eir smiles at the bartender as she stands up. "I'll be heading out here with my newfound associate. He agreed to help me with the problem ravaging the village's fields. How kind of him." Eir smirked at Reyna. "It may be a bit before I'm back in these parts, so take care."
The bartender nods. "Take care then, Kris."
"Always." Eir promptly heads out of the bar, not waiting for Reyna's response.
…Hells, she's going to send me to an early grave…
** **
"Wait!" Reyna rushes to catch up to Eir, already halfway up the street before he leaves the bar. She looks back but doesn't stop and turn toward him until they're both away from the center of the village.
"Stop yelling. I'm not exactly trying to broadcast my identity to the world." Eir sighs, then continues her trek out of the village.
"But, Prin—"
"Kris."
"…Kris…" Reyna tries unsuccessfully to hide the agitation in his voice. "Our destination is in the other direction."
"I'm not daft. What did you say your name was?"
"Laurent."
"I'm not daft, Laurent. I need to finish this request before returning to the castle. The one I literally just mentioned?" Eir's eyes stay locked onto the path ahead. "I'm simply not going to let a monster destroy people's livelihoods."
Wait… did she say monster? Reyna picks up his pace and steps in front of Eir, forcing her to stop. "Wait! I can't just let you fight a monster! What if you get hurt? O-or something worse!" He steps closer to Eir, dropping his voice to a whisper. "You're the heir to the throne! Please, let the knights handle this."
Eir gives Reyna a mischievous grin. "Well, good thing I have a knight here with me, ready to face down the monster and save the townspeople!" Her expression suddenly turns bitter. "About time one of them showed up, after all. I suppose all those weeks of writing to the King, asking for help, finally paid off!"
The princess roughly pushes past Reyna, who stares at her back in shock. Are the knights not helping the townspeople…? Reyna thought back to his training and realized that while he did do field requests as a recruit, the higher he rose in the ranks, the less he left the barracks. I hadn't thought about it before, but that is strange… and the highborn knights never joined us, even as recruits. Odd—
"Are you coming or are you just going to stand there brooding?" Eir was staring at him, arms crossed. Reyna couldn't help to think she truly looked like the mercenary she was pretending to be. What did Gemna even teach her?
Reyna shakes his head. "Lead the way, Kris. Let's get this over with."
Eir lets the shadow of a genuine smile cross her lips, then nods. "Very well. The fields aren't too far from here…"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Fic Table of Contents
Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV
The princess takes on a different persona.
CWs: none
Finally back at this AU :D I've changed a bunch of things around, so the previous chapters have a few edits (nothing major though). I'm excited to keep working on this!
Other links: Tumblr | AO3
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Reyna walked into the tavern, eyes scanning the area. Gemna said Eir would be here, but… The tavern wasn't exactly dingy, but it certainly wasn't a place a princess would frequent. I suppose if she was in some highborn estate it'd be harder to hide her identity.
"What can I help you with, son?" The bartender looks up at Reyna with a level, neutral expression.
"Ah…" Reyna walks up to the counter and clears his throat. "I'm looking for Kris."
"Who's asking?"
Reyna raised his eyebrows at the response. I wasn't expecting a response like that—
"You here with a request or something? Kris comes by and takes care of some jobs for folks around here. So…?"
"Right. I have a request." Reyna clears his throat. "…Name's Laurent."
"Weird name. You not from around here?"
Gods... "Ask my mother why she picked it. Is Kris here?"
"He's over there." The bartender tilts his head to the corner near the fire, and Reyna nods before walking over.
Wait, did the bartender say he? I hope I don't have the wrong person… Reyna silently slides into the booth, and 'Kris' looks up from her meal.
"Do you have a requ—" Eir narrows her eyes. "What in the seven hells are you doing here?"
"Me? What are you doing here!?"
"Taking requests."
Reyna pinches the bridge of his nose. "You know what I meant. Why aren't you at the castle?"
Eir sighs in frustration. "Keep your voice down." She waves to the bartender and puts two fingers up, and he brings over two pints of ale. "Stop acting so… weird."
"I think it's normal for any knight to feel weird about a situation like this."
"I can't believe my precious guardian is so snarky outside the castle walls. Turns out you have a personality after all!" Eir laughs loudly as Reyna's face turns red. "Clearly, Gemna told you I was here. So, why?"
Reyna frowns. "Apparently… some noble…" Hells, I forgot his name already… "…is making a surprise visit and you need to come back."
"Some noble? How… descriptive." Eir taps a finger against her lips. "Well, it can only be the Kludens, or else everyone would have the sense to not bother me during my… studies." The princess lets out an annoyed growl. "That family could not be more insufferable—but if I must be there, I must be there."
"Are you heading back, then?"
"I need to finish something, first." Eir smiles at the bartender as she stands up. "I'll be heading out here with my newfound associate. He agreed to help me with the problem ravaging the village's fields. How kind of him." Eir smirked at Reyna. "It may be a bit before I'm back in these parts, so take care."
The bartender nods. "Take care then, Kris."
"Always." Eir promptly heads out of the bar, not waiting for Reyna's response.
…Hells, she's going to send me to an early grave…
** **
"Wait!" Reyna rushes to catch up to Eir, already halfway up the street before he leaves the bar. She looks back but doesn't stop and turn toward him until they're both away from the center of the village.
"Stop yelling. I'm not exactly trying to broadcast my identity to the world." Eir sighs, then continues her trek out of the village.
"But, Prin—"
"Kris."
"…Kris…" Reyna tries unsuccessfully to hide the agitation in his voice. "Our destination is in the other direction."
"I'm not daft. What did you say your name was?"
"Laurent."
"I'm not daft, Laurent. I need to finish this request before returning to the castle. The one I literally just mentioned?" Eir's eyes stay locked onto the path ahead. "I'm simply not going to let a monster destroy people's livelihoods."
Wait… did she say monster? Reyna picks up his pace and steps in front of Eir, forcing her to stop. "Wait! I can't just let you fight a monster! What if you get hurt? O-or something worse!" He steps closer to Eir, dropping his voice to a whisper. "You're the heir to the throne! Please, let the knights handle this."
Eir gives Reyna a mischievous grin. "Well, good thing I have a knight here with me, ready to face down the monster and save the townspeople!" Her expression suddenly turns bitter. "About time one of them showed up, after all. I suppose all those weeks of writing to the King, asking for help, finally paid off!"
The princess roughly pushes past Reyna, who stares at her back in shock. Are the knights not helping the townspeople…? Reyna thought back to his training and realized that while he did do field requests as a recruit, the higher he rose in the ranks, the less he left the barracks. I hadn't thought about it before, but that is strange… and the highborn knights never joined us, even as recruits. Odd—
"Are you coming or are you just going to stand there brooding?" Eir was staring at him, arms crossed. Reyna couldn't help to think she truly looked like the mercenary she was pretending to be. What did Gemna even teach her?
Reyna shakes his head. "Lead the way, Kris. Let's get this over with."
Eir lets the shadow of a genuine smile cross her lips, then nods. "Very well. The fields aren't too far from here…"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
