Stories primarily surrounding my character, Cordelia Makalt, and her partner Broil Makalt who belongs to my friend DB. Other characters owned by one or both of us will probably also make side appearances/mentions.

Trigger warnings; assault/general violence mentions

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Titan was slain, and it should have been a time for celebration. Y'shtola told Cordelia to head back to the Waking Sands for now, to tell Minfilia. But as soon as she arrived in Vesper Bay she knew something was wrong, the air felt heavy with death as she rushed into the building. Tataru was nowhere to be found, and the lights had been dimmed, and the bodies...

Rage began to well up in her, but Cordelia took a deep breath before continuing forward. She had to take stock of who was there and who wasn't. Thancred, Minfilia, Tataru...

Broil

The panic rose as she rushed to the solar to look around, finding the sylph that had been helping them. Alive but barely clinging to life...

"Garleans..." The little creature spoke through labored breaths. "Killed...And captured..."

"Broil? Were they here? Did they get captured too?" Cordelia looked down at the sylph in her arms, but it was too late. With the message delivered what little life the sylph had was spent and they were just limp.

Now there was nothing to stop the rage. Cordelia set the body down carefully before standing, drawing her axe and screaming. All the pain, the anger, the stress...and she fell into the darkness. The inner beast took over and she let it without hesitation. There was no point anymore anyway, those that were captured would be impossible to rescue and there was nothing to be done for the dead. Better that she die too, rushing in to try and take as many Garlean bastards with her as possible.

The door opened and Cordelia swung around, not coherent enough to see who it was. Her axe came down hard and hit a shield, knocking her stumbling back into Minfilia's desk. Whoever it was said something but she didn't hear it, rushing forward again only to be thrown back again. Her axe flew out of her hands and before she could go in with fists she felt arms wrap around her waist and a familiar warmth that slowly began to flow through her.

Elli!

Broil's voice called out, and Cordelia stopped in her tracks. She slumped into that hold, falling to her knees and feeling that Broil was crying too. They were saying something about finding peace in the chaos, and how they didn't want to lose her after they'd lost everything else too, but she couldn't quite hear all of it. She blacked out, waking later in the church near Camp Drybone. Broil was nearby, she could hear their voice...and when the memories came flooding back and her inner beast threatened to take hold again she was able to push it back. As long as Broil was alive they could figure it out, and she could handle anything.

"Cordelia, you're awake!" Broil rushed over as soon as they saw her sitting up, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder.

"And you're a fool." Cordelia chuckled. "I nearly took your head off, didn't I?" She shook her head, fighting back the pain.

"You did, but you weren't yourself. I can't blame you for being lost after what happened."

After a moment of silence Cordelia looked up at them, a small smile twitching at the corner of her lips.

"You called me Elli."

"I....Did I?" Broil blinked, almost taken aback by the fact she remembered.

"You did. That's what broke through, because it wasn't my name but the way you said it..." She looked down again, fidgeting almost uncomfortably. "No one's ever called me anything but my full name before. It felt...nice."

Broil tried to hide their blush as Cordelia said that, not really sure how to respond for a moment.

"Will...Will you say it again?" Cordelia tried to hold the tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Any time, Elli. Just ask." Broil reached out and took her hands in their own, a reassurance that they were there and they could get through this.

******

"Well aren't you a pretty thing?" The male Viera eyed Cordelia, dressed in light clothing for the hot season.

"If you say so." Cordelia rolled her eyes, trying to keep her focus on the practice dummy.

"Come on, I'm giving you a compliment."

"And I'd be grateful if you didn't." The axe swung, missing the man's neck by inches before Cordelia planted it in the ground. She didn't back off when he took a few steps forward, unwilling to submit.

"A spirited one, huh?" His hand reached out, gently brushing a bit of Cordelia's hair out of her face.

"Don't touch me!" She slapped his hand away, then reeled as his other hand hit her. She could feel the blood trickling down, and her left eye welled with a reddish tint.

"You think you're better than me, but you're not. You're just a pretty face. Or you were, anyway." He sneered, reaching out to grab Cordelia's arm.

She would bruise herself wrenching out of that grasp, then ran. Where to didn't matter, she just ran until his voice calling after her faded.

Broil blinked, then stared at Cordelia. She rolled over and stared back, taking a moment to process the way they were staring at her.

"What?" She asked.

"I'm sorry." Broil murmured, feeling the tears in the corner of their eyes. "I'm so sorry you had to endure that."

Cordelia processed that information for a moment, then sighed and shook her head. "It's fine, really. A past mistake that eventually worked itself out."

"At least it didn't leave a mark." Broil resisted the urge to reach out and touch her face after what they had just seen, and saw that was the right move with the expression Cordelia made.

"One should only hope." Cordelia reached for a rag by the bedside, turning away as she wiped her face. The makeup she usually wore brushed away, revealing a set of scars on her face that lined up perfectly with the way she had been hit. "He ruined my face for turning him down. Bastard."

"I'm so sorry Elli. But for what it's worth, I think you're still beautiful." Broil meant that too. The man who hurt her made a pathetic attempt to diminish her beauty, but he failed. To Broil she was just as beautiful with the scars, though they understood why she wanted to cover them.

******

A warm bath had done little to soothe Cordelia after everything that happened. She wiped the steam from the mirror and stared at herself, makeup washed away and hair still a wet mess. Grabbing the hairtie from the sink, she pulled all of her hair into a ponytail before going over to her clothes and taking out a small knife s he kept just in case she needed it. Pulling her hair taut the blade cut right through, severing her long locks and the hairtie with it. She left the hair in the sink, taking a few minutes to sit down and calm herself so that her tears wouldn't ruin her makeup again.

Once the sobbing had stopped and her face was dry Cordelia set about covering up her scars, as always. Then she looked at the purple lipstick, picking it up before throwing it into the trash. The same went for her eyeshadow compact, full of the bright pink powder that usually accented her eyes. There would be time to check the markets in Ishgard and get something new later, but for now she could not bring herself to apply those colors again. Not after everything that had happened.

Slowly she dressed, throwing the towel in a laundry bin and returning to the room she and Broil shared. They were asleep, for now, and Cordelia crawled into bed and just held them.

"Elli?" Broil murmured, rolling over and blinking up at her. "What happened to your hair?"

"I cut it." Cordelia bit her lip a little, closing her eyes. "I just....I can't. I can't."

Broil said nothing, moving to sit up and pull Cordelia with them. The two just sat like that for a while before Broil got up to rummage around in their bag. The scissors were normally for use in crafting projects, but they would suffice for now as Broil returned to Cordelia and shifted around so they could sit behind her. Slowly they evened out the hack job, blending things a little better so at least Cordelia looked somewhat presentable.

"We'll get new makeup tomorrow." It hadn't escaped Broil's notice that aside from concealing her scars she had not donned any of her usual makeup.

"Something dark. I can't wear bright colors anymore." Cordelia stifled a sob, pulling her knees to her chest.

Broil left her like that for a few minutes as they cleaned up and put the scissors away, returning to the bed to lay Cordelia down and hold her. Neither of them were taking it well, but at least they still had each other and at least there was some hope that the other Scions had escaped.

******

Broil rolled over, and Cordelia looked at them before staring back at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep despite the hour, and despite how much her whole body hurt. A deep breath in stifled a sob, not wanting to wake the other Viera next to her, and then she finally pulled herself up and started quietly gathering things to leave. The darkness closed in around her as she trekked into the snow of Coerthas, an incoming storm covering her tracks and biting at her skin despite the thick layers of clothing.

The whole scene just replayed in her head as she put one foot in front of the other. Broil on the ground unconscious as she stood side by side with Haurchefant. They split, trying to pin the Temple Knight between them, and Cordelia braced for the incoming hit as the knight ignored Haurchefant in favor of taking her down first. Sword met axe in a clash that seemed to vibrate down to her bones, her heels digging into the stone of the Vault floor before she pushed back. The Knight staggered and Cordelia rushed in....

A blow meant to kill her had struck Haurchefant instead. Ripped through his shield, right into his chest. She didn't remember much after that except holding onto the Elezen, squeezing his hand as tears ran down her cheeks. Help was coming, and she begged him to hold on, but with Broil down and unable to heal him it was just too late. By the time anyone else who could help caught up he was just...gone.

First Moenbryda, now Haurchefant. Broil was the reason she had been able to control her inner beast for so long, but now it was eating at her. Two people she cared about now dead because she wasn't strong enough to save them. That beast clawed at her, threatening to overtake her, and this time...This time she let it. She didn't want to come back.

Broil would wake alone and confused, she knew, but she didn't want to risk hurting them or anyone else. She didn't know how long that would last, how many days and nights she spent in the ice of Coerthas. Wolves that tried to hunt her fell before her axe, their pelts wrapping her body to keep her warm and warning away others that might think to try it. Other animals became the meat that fed her, their raw flesh filling her like the rabid animal she was. Yet through it all she never strayed far, keeping an eye on the various settlements where Broil was and always letting them know she was there; bloody footsteps that could only be hers circling the walls, winds in snowstorms cut through with a howl that wasn't quite a wolf. Even in the deepest depths of her despair she couldn't quite bring herself to go far from them.

Then Nidhogg and his brood finally began to invade. Estinien was possessed, and as the great wyrm marched upon the gates of Ishgard she knew she couldn't stay away any longer. Clad in the skins of wolves, covered in blood and ice, Cordelia walked out of the raging blizzard with her axe drawn. Red eyes flashed as she roared, drawing the attention of the nearby dragons. They tried to swarm her only to fall with each swing of her axe, hacking at necks and wings and anything else that would leave them dead or dying. Slowly she marched forward, killing dragons until she came upon the army trying to hold Nidhogg back.

"Elli?" Broil stared in shock, distracted in that moment. Then they were on the ground, Cordelia's axe blocking a swing as she stood over them. The rage swelled as she fell deeper to the beast, pushing back against the wyrm.

The fight ahead was not easy, but Cordelia fought with a ferocity that scared even her allies; for were they really? Would she turn on them once the dragons were dead, and would they stand a chance against what seemed to be a one woman army? Or would she disappear back into the snow once more? The answer seemed to come when Nidhogg finally lay dead Cordelia turned, giving one last look at Broil before staring to walk off. But this time arms wrapped around her waist, the beaten and bloodied Viera holding her tight.

"Elli, come back. Please." Broil pressed their face into her shoulder, ignoring the stench of wet pelts, the blood and viscera, the uncomfortable cold. Anything to have her back. Anything.

Cordelia's body slowly relaxed, then slumped in Broil's hold. She fell to the ground and sobbed, each one shaking her as if the wolf fur that she clad herself in were rippling. The red glow of her eyes faded with her consciousness, all her energy spent as the inner beast retreated in Broil's presence. Broil held her for a long moment before hauling themselves up with her, accepting the help of the Knights that cautiously approached.

There would be no memory of being brought back into Ishgard, stripped from the clothing she had made for herself over those long weeks and having her wounds cared for. Broil washed her carefully, feeling the mix of relief that she was safe and sorrow that she was in such a bad state; her body reminded them of the frozen mummified corpses they had fought in Stone Vigil, and it was a wonder she managed the strength to fight. But such was the inner beast, driving her to ignore pain and keep going to the last.

Days passed as Cordelia remained asleep, slowly recovering. Broil would not leave her, and no one sought to make them as Ishgard recovered from the assault and their sister Valour led most of that particular effort. Despite her own suffering Astraea, the chirurgeon woman that had been helping them fight, checked in every now and again as well. Broil had to admit her talent for healing was unusual for it seemed she could tell what was happening in her patients with a simple touch, but as that ability was helping Cordelia they were not going to question it too much.

Eventually Cordelia woke, though Broil only noticed when they felt her shifting in the bed as she wrapped her arms around them. The book they were reading was put aside and they rolled over to wrap their arms around her too.

"Broil." Cordelia whispered, her voice hoarse from disuse aside from feral screams and howls.

"Elli." Broil ran a hand through her hair, letting her know that this was real and she was safe.

After that Cordelia would be in and out for a few more days before she was well enough to give an account of what happened...except that she couldn't remember anything. Just Haurchefant's death, and then waking up in Broil's arms later. Everything else was blank, and upon hearing that she had apparently up and walked off into Coerthas and was gone for so long in such a state...

"I'm so sorry Broil." She sobbed, leaning against them and feeling their warmth and heartbeat.

Broil said nothing, just embracing Cordelia and letting her be there. They could talk more later, they could work it out in due time. For now she needed the stability and comfort to help keep the inner beast under control and Broil would provide it as long as she needed.

******

Cordelia all but dropped her axe, trying not to double over as the taste of blood filled her mouth. It poured from between her lips as she coughed, one cheek swelling from where she'd been hit. Maybe a tooth had been knocked loose? She tried to run her tongue along to feel, but the thickness of the blood obscured her senses.

"Here, let me see." Astraea knelt beside her, reaching out a bare hand to gently touch the other side of Cordelia's face before the woman could protest. "I don't think you've lost a tooth, feels like a cut maybe. And...." Her eyes went wide. "How long have you known?"

"A few....months." Cordelia spat again, trying to clear the taste from her mouth before it made her puke.

"And you've been fighting all this time? Damnit Cordelia." Astraea wove a bit of magic in her fingers, directing it to the source of the bleeding to get it to stop.

Before Cordelia could respond Broil ran over, just in time for Cordelia to actually puke as the metallic tang of blood and the acidic bile rose up in her throat. She felt Broil's hand on her back, their soothing presence as she spat a few more times.

"Elli." Broil looked horrified, and Cordelia knew that there was no hiding it anymore.

"I'm sorry, Broil." Cordelia let her hair hang in front of her face, hiding her expression. "I didn't want you to worry. And I didn't want to be pulled out of battles when I could still fight."

"Cordelia I cannot even begin to tell you how reckless that is. Putting yourself and our child in danger like that..." Broil felt tears in their eyes, pulling Cordelia against them.

"I know. Guess I just get to sit back now huh? Maybe go hang out with Rhys and the twins on the island?" Cordelia tried to joke a little bit, hugging Broil back.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea."

******

"Okay Cordelia, just breathe." Astraea put a cool rag on the other woman's head, holding her hand to keep contact. "I need you to push, okay? Come on, you can do it."

Cordelia screamed, her body pushed to the brink by the effort. She was sweating, shaking, and an absolute mess. Broil held her other hand, Frederick behind them just in case. They couldn't be objective in this situation, and their healing would be too wild and dangerous. Even when it seemed like Cordelia's grip would be so tight as to break fingers Broil didn't let go, they were there for her as always.

"I know it hurts, but you need to breathe." Astraea said again, trying to hide the worry in her voice. Something was wrong, she could feel it just as she knew Cordelia could. "Broil, I need you to distract her before she passes out."

Broil moved a bit, gently running a hand through Cordelia's hair. Whatever they said was lost to the haze of pain on Cordelia's end as she pushed again before falling limp against the bed. Astraea cursed loudly before looking at Frederick.

"Keep them in check, I'm going to have to cut her open." It wasn't what anyone wanted, but if Cordelia wasn't conscious she couldn't push and if she couldn't push then that child was not coming out of her, and that meant death for them both.

Frederick nodded as Astraea pulled out several medical tools, doing her best to steralize and numb the area before she made the first cut. Despite how painful that had to be and the blood that poured out Cordelia remained unconscious, and Broil tried to focus on holding her hand and watching her face for any signs she was waking up. Their attention was only pulled away by the crying of the newborn as Astraea handed her over to Eros before focusing her healing efforts on closing Cordelia up so she wouldn't bleed to death. Astraea was sweating enough to soak her shirt, pale and in pain the whole time thanks to how her Echo powers worked, but when it was done she stepped back and gave Frederick and Broil a nod.

"I'll check again after I've had some time to rest, but I'm fairly certain she will be fine." She took a deep breath, stepping back before all but collapsing in a nearby chair.

"You focus on her, I've got the baby." Eros chimed in, already having calmed the newborn as it slept in his arms.

Cordelia woke later, the bed having been changed and Broil curled up next to her holding her hand. What woke her was the quiet sounds of her daughter, nearby in a little crib, and despite the aches in her body she shifted to get a better look.

"Elli?" The movement had woken Broil, and Cordelia settled back down with them.

"Sorry, I just...I wanted to look at her." Cordelia smiled despite the exhaustion that washed over her from just that little effort.

Whatever Broil said next she didn't hear, falling back into the darkness. The path of recovery would be a slow one, but she would recover. With Broil and their family and all the friends she'd made along the way to be her support system she would be just fine. And Nefra would live, just as they'd promised her all those years ago in the First.

******

"Mommy and daddy are asleep, so it's just you and me big girl." Eros adjusted the sling a little bit, whispering so as not to wake the infant that snuggled against him.

He was used to being up all night anyway, a habit that never really went away after it was so ingrained in him from his youth, so taking care of his niece overnight wasn't the biggest deal. It let Broil and Cordelia get some rest as well, which given how hard the pregnancy and labor had been on Cordelia she needed it. The bag he shrugged on was packed with everything he needed to look after Nefra, including the music box that helped calm her when she was super fussy.

From the living room Eros teleported out, somewhere in La Noscea. Limsa Lominsa was visible in the distance, but where they were it was quiet. Eros set up his rod, watching the little glowing bob as he sat down on a little folding chair with Nefra still snuggled against his chest. She woke a few times through the night and Eros fed her and changed her and turned on the music box when she fussed beyond that. He did managed to catch a few fish, but that wasn't the point and he quickly threw them back and reset his rod.

When the sun began to rise on the far horizon Eros packed up and teleported home. Nefra had just been fed and slept peacefully while Eros made breakfast for everyone, the smell of coffee bringing Broil out into the kitchen with a groggy expression.

"Here you go kiddo, breakfast for both of you." Eros motioned to a tray that had been set aside on the counter, a full pot of coffee and two plates of breakfast laid out. "I'll keep her until you guys eat and are more awake, don't worry about it." He smiled, letting Broil take the tray and go off back to Cordelia. They could wake up and eat in peace, and Eros would change Nefra before handing her back to her parents and going off to get some sleep himself in the daylight hours, as always.