A proper post for my Heavens' Ward carousel standee! Along with notes on each character and which dragon they are riding. ^^ The top of the standee is inspired by the knight's round table along with the chair inserts. The bottom of the standee resembles the floor of the Dragonsong ultimate arena/Thordan fight. The poles that the dragons are attached to are even inspired by the designs of the Allagan tech in Azys Lla!
ughhhh crap now dsu is bringing up old haurchefant feelings i thought i successfully repressed
remember how he rode in on chocobo to aid you in fighting the inquisitor even though he had no idea what was going on?? he just trusted you more than the inquisitor? remember that lodestone story where he killed a bunch of grown men with his bare hands when he found out francel was kidnapped???? and how he was ready to do the same to all those temple knights that held him back when he found out you were fighting a primal alone (even tho this was occasion number 5 or so that this sort of thing happened)
he was the first to really like you. and i mean really like you. everyone else kind of looked at you and went “ah yes, a powerful ally we can sic on primals” (looking at you, arr alphinaud, mr “pull out my trusty warrior of light to box their ears”)
and i know his character analysis has been done to death, but just 😍😍😍😍😍😍
the man had been through absolute hell throughout his childhood, thanks to being effectively isolated from his family bc to his origins, and in spite of that pain, he found it within himself to love and love dearly. he wore his heart on his sleeve when ishgard would rather you cover that up. he had fire within him, and while the other ishgardians you meet had their own passions, his was a special kind that came out in unique and interesting ways.
he wasn’t afraid to be the knight in shining armor. he dreamed that’s what he would be. he worked hard to become that. he had this image in his mind of what makes up a noble knight, and whether that image is accurate to what most knights are, he knew in his heart of hearts that he wanted to be that image.
and his sacrifice is what i think fulfills that dream for him.
he said it over and over. he’s a proud knight, he lives to serve. in the case of what happened in the Vault, he served you. he sought to protect you, because he knew deep down that you needed to move onward, and a spear was going to stop you from saving the world as he knew you were capable of doing. perhaps in a roundabout way, he saw it as his duty to ishgard to let the person who would be it’s savior move forward. he called us hope incarnate to Edmont, and I’m sure in the stories he told of us, he said the same thing.
However you might think of him, however you might see his death, he did what he did for you. because he cared about you and loved you (and the thing i love is that you can see that love in whatever light you wish- platonic, romantic, sexual, there’s no bounds. he just loved you, and the drk quests kinda confirm that) and wanted you to live. he went out doing what he did best.
and as much as i hated to see him go, there’s no better way for him to have left.
G’raha: Wol, please take caution I saw an Ascian spy in Coerthas. This is probably a very personal loss to you thus do not rush in. It was sir Haurchefant of house Fortemps.
Wol: Raha did your memory got scrambled during the vessel transfer? Haurchefant only had a NEAR death experience in the Vault. Still it’s a shame he’s too busy with his post to visit often. Reminds me I should check how Ysayle fared dealing with primals alongside Arenvald when I was gone.
G’raha: W-what do you mean Lady Iceheart is alive AS WELL?! She perished taking down an Imperial warship in Azys Lla!
Wol: I mean sure she got her butt handed to her trying to solo Zurvan but she got better. Let’s get you to bed grandpa.