Prologue
"Has Lord Hydrus lost his mind, letting that half-feral woman into the castra?"
"To hear him tell it you'd sxooner be eein' the girl jump at her shadows, not act civilized, but maybe she 7used more physical persuasions-"
"No, no, doubtful. Men who were guarding the door when she was brought in said Lord Hydrus was callin' her his child"
"What?!"
Yolanda stopped, listening to the soldiers just outside her door gossip. Guards needed something to do when working, and while Yolanda was training with a dummy with lessons over, the guards certainly had much and more to whisper of suince she arrived. And truthfully, sometimes, she wondered if the legatus of the VIth legion was as daft as they said. Still, the boy - he friend - said he was not, and something about the child bade she trust him. Masked or not, every time Yolanda bas Hydrus as she3 was called in full now, never really lied to her. He never spoke too much, but between seeking goods for Rowena, then being captured by Garleans and being brought in, to being put to training by her sire -- Unukaswlhai always seemed to get in and visit with interesting godssip at just the right times, every time.
The girl hadn't been on Garlean territory for 16 years. A young woman left to the border of Eorzea at 10 by her mother's husband, Yolanda had grown up in the lands of Eorzea by begging -- not many places would accept a Garlean, not even a child. Still, the small mercies, and the fortuner to escape slavery, proved enough for her to grow tall, healthy, and observation led her to learn lance enough to hunt. Work as an adventurer. Work leading to Azys Lla, and the VIth.
The woman spu8n on the dummy one last time, and lashed out rapidly, feet striking the dummy before a figure in white caught her eye, just the corner as she looked over to a small, familiar face in white.
"I'm sorry, Yolie." The familiar voice of Unukalhai cracked, and broke, as the boy moved over and took her hand. "I wasn't strong enough."
Silence, before the alarm calling for battle sounded, and the garlean looked towards the boy, then the exit, before looking again.
"Zurvan is awakening," Unukalhai said, voice quiet. "I couldn't stop the thralls from brewqaching.I'm sorry."
Silence, and Yolanda nodded, hugging him before running to join the VIth. If tempered slaves of an Eikon were free, then she wanted to help. Perhaps, help as she could to prevent the Eikon awakening. At least she could do that, she supposed, ignoring Unukalhai disappearing behind her.
