#so arsay chooses to believe in her friends and her friends believe in her!

[wildstar25]

MiqoMarch Day 26 - Faith

Though she is constantly reminded of her status being blessed by the goddess- Hydaelyn's chosen, as they called it - Arsay maintained a reluctance to allow her fate to be subject to the will of any higher being. Instead it is her friends, her family, whom Arsay puts her absolute faith in. Their bond is the greater gift by far.

[wildstar25]

Since im now reminded of the au I did almost finish writing this big thing for it but its not done, im not going back to it, and its not proof read. here.

In a world where the G tribe could not secure passage to Sharlaya for G'raha before the Imperial Army came knocking at their door for conscripts; and where Arsay's parents take her on their adventures through Orthard, only to find themselves in Doma just as Garlemald invades. Both get taken to be raised in the barracks. After all, what better way is there to reduce the chance of a revolt, than to mold the impressionable minds of the newly conquered in favor of the Empire?

They are the best of friends, G'raha and Arsay. Two peas in a pod. G’raha dreamed of becoming a Legatus. He wanted to be the respected commander who saved the day and was recognized for his tactics and bravery. Arsay shared his dream, she would happily be his right hand man. The first one G’raha would call for, the person he could always rely on. Until one day where G'raha is re-assigned to a base in Mor Dhona; a desperate attempt to maintain a foothold in the area after the destruction of the praetorium. He promised to keep in as much contact with Arsay as he can. She held him to that promise.

As he got closer to Syrcus Tower, G'raha's mind was flooded with knowledge and memories of eras long past. A strange force pulled him towards the looming spire in the distance. He recalled something his father once told him before Garlean forces raided their home. Something about his eye and his bloodline. G'raha Tia left camp in the dead of night, his curiosity guiding him.

It is wandering near Revenant's Toll that G'raha found himself in the company of the Scions of the seventh dawn. The terrible liar that he was, there was little point in hiding his identity or intentions. Luckily, they were sympathetic to his plight and escorted him to the study camp. He involved himself in the investigation, got inspired by the one they call "the champion of Eorzea", and was about to choose to seal himself in the tower as a way for atoning for all the harm he had done as an imperial soldier. The thought of breaking his promise to a dear childhood friend, however, stopped him. He couldn't very well write to her, as he was now a defected agent; but he also couldn't live with himself knowing she was missing out on such a wondrous life outside of the empire. That everything they've been taught to think has been baseless propaganda.

He instead petitioned the hero for an entry into the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. They accepted him with open arms. Never having trained in magic, G'raha obtained a fragment of crystal from the tower. With Allagan royal blood now awakened in him, the shard would act as a conduit to channel powers he once shunned. During the events of the bloody banquet, the WoL did not make it out of the tunnel. They sacrificed themselves to push G'raha out of the way of some falling debris. Thus, G'raha Tia takes on the responsibility of the WoL, even going so far as to manifest the echo. He learned what it is to be a Dark Knight in Ishgard. He put an end to the Dragonsong War, defeated the Griffin, lost another friend and mentor, and resolved himself to aid in the liberation of Ala Mihgo.

On the border between the Black Shroud and The Fringes, the two reunited at long last. It does not go nearly as well as G'raha imagined it would.

Arsay greeted him with an ambush; calling him a traitor from the tree tops before she lunged at him with her katana. G'raha grabbed a hold of his blade just in time to stop the blow. When he realized who it was in front of him, G'raha lit up with naïve excitement. "I can't believe it," he exclaimed, "Arsay! Arsay, it's really you!" Arsay snarled at him before she launched herself backwards with a flip, "Oh, so now you remember me? How convenient!" With a growl, she sprinted towards G'raha once more and swung at him furiously. G'raha desperately blocked each attack as he begged her to stop, but Arsay would not listen.

---

It was a month after G'raha's departure to Eorzea. Arsay had gotten fed up with the lack of communication and reached out to the unit he'd been transferred to. The news that her only friend, the person she planned her life with, was a deserter crushed her. She couldn't help but feel utterly betrayed. The one person she felt like she could trust had made a fool of her. He abandoned her the first moment he could; was he ever even really her friend to begin with?

News of a red-haired Miqo'te defeating The Legatus of the VIth Imperial Legion spread and eventually found its way to Arsay's ears. She was consumed by rage. It was one thing to up and disappear; it was something else entirely for G'raha to have made himself an enemy of Garlemald. To shove it in her face that he left and made himself a new life, all without her. She made it her mission to one day track him down and make him pay for this hurt he had inflicted on her. In order to gain such freedom, she would need to be more than a foot soldier. Thus Arsay worked twice as hard, became ruthless on the field and in training. Whispers of her vindictive behaviour spread through the chain of command. Her blood lust peaked the interest of a certain Legatus, "It would seem we are after the same prey... A contest, then, of who is the better hunter." With a simple nod of her head, Arsay was granted the power she dreamed of. The next day she made for Baelsar's wall.

---

No matter what words G'raha said, Arsay continued to slash. Sparks flew as metal clashed against metal. A moment of hesitation from G'raha gave Arsay the opening she needed. She drew her blade back in one smooth motion in preparation. Her ears twitched. Arsay leaned back to narrowly avoid the fist flying at her. Arsay clicked her teeth and flipped backwards. Lyse clumsily adjusted herself to regain her footing beside G'raha. The other Scions too ran to gather around him. Each drew their arms and readied their spells.

"So these are my replacements," Arsay hissed, "what a pathetic lot." She lifted her arm to point her blade at G'raha. "To think you've become so cowardly, Raha. Hiding behind your new 'friends' won't help you. I've fought larger foes without breaking a sweat." 

" 'Raha'?" Lyse frowned, "G'raha, do you know her?" G'raha nodded. The seeker opened his mouth to reply before Arsay cut him off,

"HA! I should have guessed; never even bothered to mention me once, did you? Of course not. Why would you? I obviously wasn't important to you."

Despite the smirk on her face, Arsay's anger was clearly visible through the ferocity in which her tail whipped back and forth. She took a moment to scan the group. For a moment G'raha swore he saw sadness behind her piercing red glare. He thought perhaps this was his chance to break through to her.

"Arsay, you don't understand. I-" "Oh, I understand everything, Raha. You saw the chance to escape and took it. Got yourself a new life; a new eye too. You're even taking the chance to relive your childhood. I heard you're having lots of fun playing 'Hero', hah. … Y'know, I suppose I should be a little flattered by just how many toys you had to find to replace me." With that, Arsay sheathed her sword and leapt into the air, landing on a nearby branch. She called down to her former friend, her voice echoing through the forest.

"Enjoy your little fantasy while you can, Raha. Soon enough it'll end with my blade at your throat."

She jumped upwards once more to grab hold of a magitek drone above the treetops. The machine whirred as it flew Arsay towards Castellum Velodyna. G'raha yelled out to her as loud as he could, desperate to chase after her. The scions held him back, demanding an explanation. "She's my friend," he told them. "At least, she used to be..."

The scions continued their journey into Gyr Abania. G'raha learned Arsay isn't the only Garlean hunting him down. Their party split after tragedy struck Rhalger's Reach; the remaining and un-injured scions head east by sea in search of aid. At the ruby sea, G'raha bore witness to Arsay aiding in Yostuyu's rain of terror on the fishing village. He took notice of how she hesitated oh so slightly before carrying out the brutality requested of the acting viceroy. When the scions interfered in the display, Arsay took no time at all for her to trade blows with G'raha. He tells her she's gone too far, she retorts that he's just grown too soft. She and Yostuyu flee when they find themselves out matched by the confederacy's arrival.

After G'raha won the title of Khagan, Arsay appeared again. This time with a sloth of magitek weapons, enough to keep all of "Raha's friends" occupied. The two fought once more, both bosting new skills and tactics. G'raha attempted to appeal to the Arsay he knew all those years ago. To prove to her he never forgot their time together. Unable to see past her resentment, Arsay refused to acknowledge his words. A yard away, Sadu blew up some Magitek Armor which sent heaps of metal cascading through the air. Noticing from the corner of his eye, G'raha dove at Arsay to shield her from an oncoming shard of flaming debris. They both crashed to the ground, Arsay pinned under G'raha in a daze. The two stared at each other wordlessly as the fight around them continued. Just as Arsay was about to move, G'raha wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

"Please, Arsay, you can stop all this! We can go back to how things were, we can be friends again! I miss our time together more than anything else!" G'raha buried his face into the crook of her neck. Arsay's eyes widened. Slowly, she made movements to hug him back. "So... you'd come back with me?" A cautious optimism carried through her tone. Her hands rested gently on G'raha's arm. The way his muscles tensed at the mere suggestion told her everything. "I... Arsay, I can't, but- Ahg!!" Arsay dug her nails into his bare skin and dragged them down his arm in one swift movement. G'raha recoiled at the scratch which gave Arsay enough room to move. She delivered a forceful kick to his chest which knocked him back. Arsay scrambled to her feet as G'raha feebly attempted to catch his breath. "You will not fool me again. I won’t let you" She snarled. 

The tide of the battle had changed; the many clans of the step rained victorious against the mechanical weapons of Garlemald, and G’raha’s friends were quick to rush to his aid. Arsay lingered, looking on as Hien helped G’raha to his feet. There was a longing in her expression. G’raha clutched his side with one hand and reached out to Arsay with the other. Any attempt to call out to her came out as labored wheezing. Arsay walked backwards a few paces before she turned tail and ran as fast as she could. When G’raha finally caught his breath, all that remained of her was her katana, abandoned in the grass of the Azim Steppe. 

Hien was brought back to the people of Doma. His presence alone was enough to ignite enthusiasm throughout the House of Fierce. G’raha wished he could share an ounce of their excitement. Instead, he sat at an empty table, gloom hung over him like a cloud. In his hand was Arsay’s forgotten weapon. G’raha took notice of how pristine of a condition it was in; the blade had been recently sharpened, the metal polished to a perfect shine, and the cord wrapping had not a single stain. Were it not for the familiar scratches on the hand guard, we would almost believe it to be brand new. G’raha still remembered the day Arsay received the sword. They had finally graduated from training onto a real unit and were outfitted with their gear. Arsay had been given a sword that was comically large for her stature. Dumbfounded, Arsay requested a more suitable weapon. The Decanus did not appreciate the lip, calling her request “ridiculous” and “typical laziness suited to a non-garlean”. Their unit was punished for her “outburst” by way of forfeiting their meal privileges for the day. Arsay hung her head low, doing her best to avoid the seering gazes of her fellow soldiers. It was later on that G’raha approached her for a trade. The katana he had was issued for Arsay’s odachi. Arsay protested at first, the odachi was a bit too big for G’raha as well. G’raha assured her he’d grow into it eventually. He also insisted It was more important that they look after each other, since they were all the other person had. 

All the fondness he felt for that memory was now replaced with guilt. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was responsible for how things turned out. It was obvious they still cared for each other; the way Arsay treasured this sword G’raha gave her was proof enough. What he couldn’t understand is why she still clung to the Empire. If only he could show her how much better it was on the other side. Countless potential arguments ran through his head. Surely he’d come up with something that could convince her. His thoughts were cut short, as it didn’t take long for Alphinaud to approach him with a task. G’raha did his best to hide the turmoil in his heart and accepted the job with a smile. He was going to make things right between himself and Arsay, but the goal of liberating Doma could not become an afterthought. 

After all the preparations had been made, the time for action was upon them. The siege on Doma Castle was a difficult endeavor to say the least. Countless magitek automatons and Garlean forces barred their path, but G’raha, along with Hien, Gosetsu, and Yugiri, broke through every obstacle. They ran down the scarlet halls as fast as they could, all acutely aware of the impending collapse of the foundation. The midday sun shone through from the eastern windows, the gilded accents and marble floors shone brilliantly. It was no wonder why Hien’s plan to flood the Castle had shocked so many; this place was a marvel to behold. As the kingdom's prince said in his rallying address, however, Doma was a people above all. They would not beholden to any one building, no matter how great. Unable to sleep the evening prior, G’raha reflected on that sentiment for a time. He wondered if his friendship with Arsay could be  like that. If it too could live beyond its ties to the past. If G’raha could wash away the years of pain and anger, could he and Arsay build something new - something better- together? He would soon find out the answer to his question. 

The team stopped in their tracks at the Halls of The Scarlet Swallow as a figure cast in shadow approached them from down the hall. The scrapping of a blade’s edge against the floor pierced G’raha’s ears. 

“Hey Raha.” 

A cold voice echoed throughout the caverness room. G’raha narrowed his eyes. 

“Arsay.” 

He had hoped she wouldn’t be here, of all places. Arsay emerged from the shadows wielding a silver gunblade unlike he’d ever seen before. This would not be good. G’raha turned back to Hien and the others. All it took was a nod for them to understand how to proceed. The three rushed forward. As expected, Arsay let the Domans past her without so much of a bat of the eye. With a burst of aether, Arsay launched into the air and aimed herself  towards her true target, G’raha, his sword at the ready. Sparks flew as metal clashed against metal. G’raha grit his teeth, using all his might to stop his legs from buckling under the force of her attack. He knew Arsay to be strong, but not this strong. He noticed her finger squeeze back the trigger of the gun mechanism, the cartridges spun with a faint blue glow. Reflexively, G’raha shifted his weight to change the angle of his great sword. BANG! A bright flash of heat flew past G’raha’s head leaving the tips of his hair singed. He felt the hot hair on the back of his neck as the shot hit the wall behind him with a loud boom. G’raha looked over to see a huge mark in the wall, about the size of a moogle. The stunning red paint around the impact zone was now covered in black soot. Had she honestly tried to kill him just now? He turned to look at Arsay, who had been sent back from the force of her own blast, in shock. The hateful glare on her face twisted into a grin. 

“What’s the matter, Raha? I thought you’d be used to seeing aether manipulation by now.” She taunted. G’raha’s suspicions had been confirmed, that the bullet was more than just Ceruleum and blast powder. Arsay swung the gunblade around with a chuckle. “Pretty cool, right? It’s okay to be jealous, not every day you get to see the newest magitek hot off the workbench. Leagues better than that dingy old katana. Honestly, I should have ditched that thing years ago.” 

“We both know you don’t mean that.” G’raha frowned, cutting right through Arsay’s posturing. He saw her tail twitch in annoyance. She adjusted her grip on the blade and fired off another shot mid swing. The charge flew clear over G’raha’s shoulder into a decorative pillar. His ears folded back instinctively at the loud impact. Arsay curled her upper lip in a growl. 

“No, you don’t. You know nothing about me!” She pressed down on the balls of her feet and rushed towards G’raha. The Keeper swung her blade but G’raha pivoted in time to dodge. Arsay twisted to face her gun’s barrel at the Seeker, finger already squeezing the trigger. G’raha recognized the delay between her pressing the trigger and the shot firing - time needed for the prototype’s mechanism to activate, he hypothesized- and used that moment to knock her blade upwards with his own. Dust from the ceiling danced in the air, making its way down. At the same instance, the ground beneath their feet shook. G’raha furrowed his brow; he had to put an end to this, and soon. Arsay paid no mind to the rumbling, unaware of the revolutionary’s plans, she attributed it to her attack. She pulled back her arm to ready another swing. Meanwhile G’raha spun himself around, the tip of his sword aimed low in an attempt to catch Arsay’s feet. If he could incapacitate her, just for a moment, that would be enough to drag her out of here. The sound of G’raha’s sword etching the tile gave his attack away. Arsay jumped just in time to avoid the cutting edge and landed on the flat side of the blade. She used the surface like a spring board, and flung herself into the air. Caught off guard by the extra weight and force, G’raha lost his footing. He stumbled, almost tripping to the ground as Arsay spun over him. She shot her gun once more. The blast hit right in front of G’raha. The flash completely dazed him; all he saw was white, all he could hear was a high pitched ring. He felt a force coming towards him, but had no sense of direction. The blunt side of the prototype gunblade connected with G’raha’s side. He did his best to absorb the hit and regain composure. G’raha straightens himself out, keeping his head up though the world still spun around him. BAM! Another shot goes off. Then, just as suddenly, Arsay’s feet hit him square in the chest. She had used the recoil to strengthen the power of her kick. It was enough to send G’raha down to the ground with a thud. He gasped, breathless from the fall. A weight on his chest prevented him from taking a full lung of air.

His vision began to clear; on top him was Arsay, her knees on either side of his torso which kept him locked in place. She stared at him with cold eyes, waiting for him to regain his senses. She raised her arm, her gunblade pointed heavensward. The weapon which she had been wielding so effortlessly now looked heavy in her hand. Her finger pulled down on the trigger, the mechanism whirred. The glow it had emitted before was barely visible. G’raha winced at the flash, a second later the contents of the ceiling rained down on them. Flecks of gold paint sparkled as they were caught by the sunlight.From G’raha’s perspective, it appeared as if Arsay was floating above him surrounded by stars. As he cursed himself for even daring to think of such poetic imagery at a time like this, the ground once more shook. 

“Arsay…” G’raha coughed out. He had to warn her before it was too late. The feeling of a sharp edge digging into his neck stopped him. 

“I told you your game of “Hero” would end with my blade.” Arsay hissed out. Her chest heaved with every breath she took. She looked exhausted, much more tired than she should be. G’raha wracked his brain for an explanation. His mind went straight for the gunblade, how every shot seemed less and less potent. Was it possible they designed it to consume unsustainable amounts of aether? That would be absurd! It would take only a few shots each for the empire’s frontlines to find themselves completely depleted of energy and at the mercy of their opponents weapons. Though he supposed, if those few shots were able to wipe out full units of alliance soldiers, and their frontlines were composed of a majority of those without pure garlean heritage…. G’raha clicked his teeth. They would be that cruel, he concluded.

“Arsay,” G’raha locked eyes with her, “whatever the Empire has promised you, It’s not worth your life. You have to see that! Their ideals are faulty, their method of creating peace hypocritical. No matter how much you do, how many ranks you move up, you’ll never be more than a tool to them! I do know you, Arsay. I know you have a big heart. So, please, before we run out of time, find that part inside of you that wants to put an end to all the pain and suffering Garlean rule has inflicted on this land!” 

G’raha hoped with all his heart that he would finally get through to her. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to catch any change in expression. Arsay sat silently, she closed her eyes and her ears turned back. Her tail swatted from side to side as her lips cracked into a smile. A small chuckle escaped her nose before she tilted her head back into a full cackle. G’raha watched, completely vexed by her reaction.The laughing stopped. Like a marionette whose stringers were cut, Arsay’s head dropped forward. Shadows casted over her face, occluding every detail. Something fell from her face, catching the light with a glint. G’raha’s breath caught as he felt the sting of cold steel sink into his skin, drawing blood. 

“... You think I give a damn about the stupid Empire!? That I would care enough to throw my life away for them!?” Arsay’s neck snapped up as she snarled at him. Tears filled her eyes and overflowed over her cheeks. “The only thing I ever wanted to be important to someone, anyone! I thought I was important to you… you were the only one who ever treated me with respect, who made me feel like I could be something more; but, it was all an act! You didn’t care! It didn’t even take a week for you to forget about me… you didn’t even try to send word to me!” With her free hand, she pounded her fist into the ground beside G’raha head. “I would have left for you, y’know- If you had asked- but you didn’t want me; you had already replaced me like I was nothing! Because that’s all I ever was to you: A nobody. A character from one of your fairytale books. The one who’s just there to make the hero feel special, designed to be forgotten the moment you turn the page. Abandoned by the narrative.” Arsay’s posture dropped, crumbling under the weight of her own misery. “A tool for the Empire or a plaything to a boy acting out fantasies… What's the difference? At least this way I die making sure your story has a terrible ending.”  

G’raha didn’t know what hurt more, the bitterness in Arsay’s voice or the way the gunblade shook against his flesh. He swallowed. “If you really wanted to kill me, you would have done it already.” Slowly he moved his hand and grabbed the sharp side of the blade. The leather of his gloves protected his palm as tried to push it away.

“Shut up!” Arsay pushed back. Beads of blood  began to pool from G’raha’s neck onto the steel’s surface. The sound of gunfire echoed in the distance. Followed by the cracking of rock, the splintering of wood. The castle began to crumble around them as the two remained in their stalemate on the ground.

“It’s true; you can’t bring yourself to do it. Deep down you know that’s not what you want. You know that everything you’ve been telling yourself isn’t real.” G’raha glanced up at the ceiling, the smallest cracks began to show in the corners.. Gritting his teeth, he pushed on the blade again. He could feel it  pushing through his glove. “ I won’t deny what I did to you was terrible. For that I apologize from the bottom of my heart. I am sorry, Arsay, well and truly sorry. I owe you a proper explanation for my actions, but we’ve not the time. Please, understand that It was never my intention to hurt you.” G’raha looked back at Arsay, tears stained her face and her eyes were red and weary. “I have always admired you, Arsay. Your tenacity, your strength, the way you will always say what’s on your mind regardless of who you are talking to, how you will do all within your power to achieve your goals. I dove head first into battle countless times knowing you would have done the same. Even though we were worlds apart, I would feel your presence in those moments and it would grant me immeasurable power. Never once had I given up on hoping I would one day see you again. I dreamed of the day I could take your hand and show you a  life outside of the Empire. I wanted to introduce you to my friends- for them to be your friends too! I wanted us to have a future together, just as we promised. One where we would ever be side by side doing everything imaginable to make the world a better place- though more cooperative means than that of the Garleans. A life that is more than fighting for our right to be seen as an equal. I want you to feel the freedom I’ve felt, to partake in the wonders I’ve experienced. I want to see it all again -as if it were the first time- with you!” 

—-

So as it turns out you cant just always go back to something you were writing months before and expect to remember what it was you were going to write. 

I think it was going to be like: 

Arsay is moved but she’s in too deep now. She doesn’t think shes good enough for anyone and definitely not graha. If he was the hero, she was the villain. She cant see herself past that role anymore. But god she is just so sad about it. She stops trying to slice g’rahas throat and just cries on him for a bit. He hugs her, maybe gives a little kiss on her poor little head. A comforting kiss not a romantic one. She needs it.

Then the castle starts shaking for real. The bombs went off and the place is collapsing. G’raha pulls them both off the ground and they start booking it to a window to jump out of. They can land in the water below and itll be fine. Garlemald will think arsay died in the building and she can start a new life once they emerge from the river. Happy ending is that they both jump and arsay redemption arsay begins from that point in stormblood through whatever the hell shadowbringer would be and cap off in endwalker. Bad end is G’raha feels at the last second that arsay let go. He turns as he falls to see her with a regretful smile and then the building crumbling with her in it. She later comes back in endwalker in zenos’s place and their big fight at the end of the universe resolves with them finally making up for real and also making out and the power of love saves all of creation. the end. 

wolgraha week 2023 - Day 6 : Au

GrahArsay AU in which they both end up being child soldiers in the the Garlean Empire's Army. Only to later in life find themselves on opposing sides.