Aurelia Fay'ne
Warrior of Light, defender of Eorzea, saviour of The First
Story
"Aurelia? That's a girls name isn't it?""Aye, but it belonged to my best friend, I took it so she would never be forgotten."
Gallery
"Portraits to immortalize my likeness? Are you sure this is necessary?"
References
Directory for artistic references and other media links.
Shadow of Privation
Prologue
“Ferin? Ferin! Come out now please, you’re scaring me!” the little girl cried out, ears flat back and tears forming in her eyes. She knew he was good at hiding, he won their games almost every time. She stopped for a moment waiting for the forest to fall silent, only village activity could be heard in the near distance, hoping she could sense a sign of where he could be. Her ears may be attuned to the sounds of the forest, but not a hint of rustling in the leaves could be heard. He always knew when it was time for his tricks to stop, he hated seeing her cry after all, so he would usually give little hints towards his location to ease her mind and continue their games.Of all the times they played, this one the boy managed to fall asleep in his hiding spot. High up in the forest branches, the breeze swept through his tousled hair and long relaxed ears. The rustling of leaves, the sweet bird songs, the creatures going about their lives in the wild space in which he occupied. Nothing but peace in this moment caused him to doze off in the late morning. In his dream state he began to hear a voice, calling out to him closer and closer.“Aurelia?” he whispered, still drifting in his subconscious. He was confused, for this voice was lower, more mature, almost maternal in nature. “Mother?” he asked this time, “wait you’re not my mother, who are you then?” The voice manifested into a pure white form before him, he did not recognize her, and yet she seemed familiar, like he had known her his whole life.“Ferin, my child, do you hear me? Can you feel the shadow of danger approaching? There is a journey for you that lies ahead. You must think about the meaning of this world and who lies in it. There is someone you want to protect, but are you prepared to do what you must when the time comes?” She reached out a gentle hand as if to touch his face but he flinched. What was she talking about? Who was she and why the ominous foretelling? She retracted her hand and gave a sweet smile. “I will be with you the whole way, no matter what path you choose.” With those final words she dissipated, leaving his dream as mysteriously as she appeared.The young girl’s cries drew closer to his hiding spot, rousing him from his slumber. He opened his eyes to a small opo-opo sitting on the end of his branch snacking on a round fruit that grew nearby. With a loud rumble his stomach reminded him of what time it was, alerting his friend nearby.“Ferin! You monster, I heard that! Come out right now or else I won’t talk to you ever again!” she cried out.“Aurelia, I’m so sorry I fell asleep by accident,” he leapt from the branch in a swift, elegant motion landing before her, “The storm last night must have kept me up more than I thought it had.” He reached out and held her shoulders, trying to help her relax. Her face was scrunched into a pout, her eyes were red and her nose brown from rubbing it with her dirty hands. She pulled him into a hug, wiping her face in his dark clothes.“I know you’ve heard the adults talking about the kidnappings in other villages, I was afraid they had gotten you too,” she sobbed.“You know how word travels quickly in the forest, that’s so far away from us we’ll be fine, they won’t come here,” he replied.His confidence was shallow. Deep down he knew the dangers of venturing out alone. Whispers travel through forest as if carried by the leaves themselves. The trees speak of the dark army which infests the land. The village elders know it, the neighbouring clans know it, the children know it, the mysterious white woman from his dream knew of it. Yet he wanted to reassure her they would be safe. The wood warders surrounding their region were the best, nothing gets past them without being tracked back to their origin point, not without word being advanced to the villages and various lines of protection. He was confident in their skill, he had to be because that would be his duty one day as well.Muuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg. The boy’s stomach pulled them out of the moment, the two looked at each other and laughed. “It seems we have a bigger problem at hand,” he chuckled. They headed back towards their village, guessing what the mid-day meal would be, blissfully unaware of the storm approaching.
