#those feelings of how he didn’t do enough for minifilia. the letting her down the feeling like he didn’t do enough for her l

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FFXIV Write Prompt #13 - Hide

Althea had just put the last remainders of their dinner away, getting ready for a good night’s rest, when she heard the unmistakable sound of armour next to her.

“Thea, a word?”

Estinien didn’t really wait for an answer before turning and walking away. After a brief moment of indecision, Thea shrugged, and with a glance towards the peacefully grazing chocobos, she followed him.

“What’s up?” she called out the moment she had caught up with him. “If this is about anything plan-related, you might want to talk to Alphinaud instead, I’m afraid I don’t even remember all the details of what he said earlier,” she admitted with a loop-sided smile but the man next to her only shook his head as he kept walking.

“No, we need to talk. But not that close to camp,” Estinien grumbled. It was only now that Thea noticed just how far away from their camp they had already gotten with the tempo he had set. 

“Alright,” she shrugged again, managing to fall into step next to him. “We are keeping secrets now then?”

It was supposed to be a light remake, but the grin froze on her face as Estinien let out a small growl.

“I’m not the one with the secrets,” he said lowly, finally stopping. She could only see half of his face, but it was enough to know he didn’t share her lighthearted mood at all. His lips pressed into a thin line as he turned around.

“You changed both your armor and your weapons when we went up to the aery,” he said without further ado. There was something in his voice she couldn’t quite place. Anger? Was he upset that she changed her fighting style so shortly before an important mission?

“Look,” she began slowly, “if you are worried that I would jeopardize a mission just for some passing fancy, you are wrong. I thought it was the right call. You said you needed someone to have your back so you can get close in without much resistance, and I knew I could provide it this way.” She could see from the way he held himself, that he was not entirely satisfied with what he was hearing. “I assure you, I knew what I was doing. I’ve trained with heavy weapons and armor long before I ever took up any magical arts.”

She hadn't expected the scoff at her words.

“That much was obvious.” Estinien’s voice was dry, and Thea felt confusion wash over her. 

“Then what is the matter?” Her question sounded almost daring as she straightened up. “I obviously knew what to do and we obviously managed everything just fine. So what is your problem?”

Thea had to force herself to stand still and not flinch when Estinien suddenly stepped closer. She was used to tower over most people she met, but he was still a good bit taller than her, and the heavy armour he wore only emphasized the difference.

“My problem?” His voice was still low but now it held an underlying tension in it that gave her pause. “My problem is that I’ve watched you fight. I’ve seen the way you blocked all those attacks meant for me. The way you pull your shield up in the last possible moments. The way you hold your sword in that special grip that leaves you enough flexibility to flip your weapon if needed. I’ve seen it all.”

Thea felt only more confused than before after his accurate description of her battle style. “So what?” she asked, “you think my style is not secure enough? Not good enough somehow?”

“No, your execution was absolutely perfect.” The laugh that accompanied his words didn’t sound humorous at all. “Your style is flawless.” He took another step closer towards her. “It is also distinctively not the style taught by the Gladiator's guild of Ul'dah.”

Althea felt something in her tighten, as an uncomfortable feeling settled in her stomach. 

“I never said I trained as a gladiator,” she said slowly. “It’s quite a difference to the several schools of paladins and I…”

“A paladin trains for protection first,” Estinien interrupted her sharply. “The untrained eye might believe that is what you are doing, but your focus on your sword, your stance, the way you move your shield… You never trained as a paladin either. You fight like a hoplomachus.”

Thea felt like his words had driven all the air out of her lungs. Hastily she tried to think of something to say. Anything really to dissuade him from the notion, but the more she tried the more all her words seemed to slip further out of her reach. The silence between them stretched on, her absence of words confirming his thoughts. 

“So I am right then,” he finally said before demonstratively looking her over. “Even though you look decisively not Garlean.”

She could only scoff at his remark. “The Empire is surprisingly non-discriminating, as long as you can fight for them that is.” She could see him tense up at her words and she hurried along to hopefully dispel any further misgivings. “It’s not what you think. I was adopted as a child, but I am not…” Thea sighed. “I am not here to cause any trouble. I left my home behind many years ago and my allegiance is to the Scions first and foremost.”

Estinien looked into the direction their camp lay for a moment. “They know then?” he asked, and Thea nodded.

“Some of them do,” she admitted. “Alphinaud knows. And Minfilia does but she said…” Thea paused briefly, trying to quell down the feelings thinking about Minfilia brought up. They still hadn’t found any trace of their missing companions, despite Tataru trying her best to find every bit of information she could. But it was of no use to dwell on it right now, and she took a deep breath to center herself instead. “Minifilia said that not everyone would understand, so I keep it to myself most of the time.” 

“Alright then.”

Thea blinked at his short declaration. “Alright?”

Estinien only shrugged. “What did you expect me to do? Duel you right now after you’ve played such a vital part in all this?”

“Well, you got me away from camp to confront me and…” Thea’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t appreciate being made to feel unreasonable, and Estinien certainly had a knack for exactly that.

He sounded surprisingly open though, as he answered, “I just had to know. And I had to hear it from you.”

He had to? She wasn’t quite sure what to make of this. “From me?” 

“You know, we’ve had spies from Garlemald before,” Estinien said almost nonchalantly. “People trying to infiltrate the knights, the high houses. Someone specifically sent to keep an eye on Aymeric…”

Suddenly, the extra tension she had felt earlier started to make even more sense. “You were worried I might be just that? Sent after Aymeric?”

“It crossed my mind. You got into his good graces quite quickly. And when I saw you fight…” Estinien spoke much more relaxed now, but Thea had no doubt that he was deadly serious about this.

“So if I had given you real reason to believe I could be a spy…”

At that, he let out a dry chuckle. “As you said, we are away from camp for a reason.”

Despite the humor in his voice, Thea was well aware of the not-so-hidden warning. Yet it didn’t seem to be an outright threat, a nuance that still confused her.

“Yet you decided to believe me? To trust me?” she asked carefully.

“For now.” Estinien sighed as he turned away, looking over the plains of Dravania beneath them. “I will still be watching. It’s my job to protect and ensure the soul and the future of Ishgard first and foremost.”

There was something in his voice, in the way he said those words that made Thea smile to herself. “Protect the future of Ishgard, or rather Ser Aymeric himself?” she asked, barely managing to hide the grin from her voice. She hadn’t been prepared for the seriousness on his face as he turned back around and calmly spoke.

“They are one and the same!”

#FFxivWrite2020 #FFxivWrite #ffxiv #Estinien #the tiniest implication of Estinien x Aymeric if you squint #oc: Althea Wright #Kunstpause writes stuff