Alexander looks out to Ishgard from atop a cliff, reminiscing. It is night time, with the stars clearly seen in the sky above. This takes place during ARR.
While Alex lived comfortably as a servant of the Renaux house, one day everything came apart. Having returned home from an errand, Alex found the mansion eerily quiet. Upon entering Drevax's office, he found a horrifying sight; the matriarch of the house, Alvette, was found dead, having been stabbed by a knife that happened to be lying on the floor nearby. In her hand was Drevax's journal, where he laid out a terrible plan to rise through the ranks in the Inquisition; he would have lowborn citizens taken off the streets, accuse them of heresy, and then have them jailed or executed to "rid this city of undesirables and make it a holy ground for those deserving of Halone's presence." But Alex would find himself ensnared in a trap; Drevax had arrived with some knights, and accused Alex of attempted robbery and murder. It was in that moment that Alex knew that Drevax was responsible for all this.
The Hyuran boy would be thrown into a cell, shared by a older Hrothgar man. Alex would be visited by Drevax some time later. Drevax revealed that his wife had found out his plans, and was going to report him to the Temple Knights. But an opportunity rose to kill two birds with one stone; he had killed Alvette and frame the murder on Alex. Drevax also revealed the truth about what happened to Alex's parents; in a cruel twist of fate, it was his home that the Laguoires tried to rob, and for that, they were jailed and executed. Alex had been living with the man responsible for his parent's deaths the whole time. This naturally left Alex enraged, but being in a cell, he was unable to do anything to Drevax, and was left to stew in his fury...
Another angle of Alex. Sion and Juno are behind him, ready to tell him they're prepared to move on to Whitebrim Front. Juno looks uncertain about what to do, as she and Alex had an argument earlier.
Alex would befriend the Hrothgar he shared a cell with during his imprisonment. His name was Donovan Astolla, and was a former member of a group called the Blades of Gunnhildr before being forcibly drafted by the Garlean Empire. He was on an operation in Nagxia when he learned that his wife and child had been killed during a cataclysmic event that wiped out his home of Bozja. Since making his escape, Donovan has been living as a vagabond until he arrived in Coerthas, where he was arrested and thrown in a cell for "being an abomination and a possible heretic."
Cosette would later arrive, having snuck away from home, giving Alex much needed relief from his anger. He explains what has happened, and Cosette, horrified, no longer felt safe living with her father. With very little options left, Cosette suggested trial by combat. Alex, having seldom wielded a weapon, felt it was risky, but Donovan offered to be his champion, which Alex accepted.
That night, during his slumber, Alex would have a strange dream about a meteor shower...
The day of Alex's sentencing, Drevax sentenced him to execution. However, the young man invoked the rule of trail by combat with Donovan as his champion. Annoyed, Drevax would accept, but on one condition; Alex must fight in a 2-on-2 battle, and should they win, they are both set free. Seeing no way out, Alex and Donovan accepted the terms.
However, their opponents turned out to be two very formidable knights hand-picked by Drevax; Grinnaux de Dzemael and Paulecrain de Fanouilley, both who would later become members of the Heaven's Ward. Alex was worried, but Donovan assured him that, as long as he held his ground, they can both make it through the battle.
A closer angle of Juno and Sion. Juno is thinking about what to do, while Sion looks towards her.
Alex, despite having hardly wielded a spear, was miraculously able to hold his own against Paulecrain while Donovan fought against Grinnaux with an unusual weapon; a gunblade, as the Hrothgar explained. Having dispatched Grinnaux and joining Alex to defeat Paulecrain, the duo emerged victorious, much to Drevax's fury. With their names cleared, Alex and Donovan, along with Cosette, plan to leave Ishgard, fearing the wrath of Drevax should they stay. Donovan would secure an airship out, while Alex and Cosette return home to quickly pack for the road ahead, as Drevax had needed to handle legal affairs regarding the trail.
Unfortunately, while packing to leave in his room, Alex was ambushed by Drevax, who had been waiting, intending to murder Alex with a knife. As the fight dragged on, Cosette had entered the room, horrified by the situation. At that moment, Alex pushed Drevax off, having been distracted by his daughter. But as Drevax lunged at Alex, Cosette ran in between them... and would get stabbed in the heart by her own father. Cosette would die in her beloved Alex's arms.
Alex was distraught by having his childhood friend and lover die before his eyes, and Drevax was horrified by what he had done. But regardless of his actions, Drevax blamed Alex for Cosette's death, which sent the young man over the edge. In a blind rage, Alex attempted to strangle Drevax to death, and had nearly done so if not for a group of Temple Knights arriving after hearing the commotion. Alex let Drevax go, and seeing as he was unarmed and outnumbered, he jumped out a nearby window, and escaped Ishgard with Donovan alone...
Returning to Coerthas had brought back memories of Ishgard. Some happy, but most were sad. While it was his home a long time ago, Alex came to resent Ishgard, and hoped he'd never have to return...
Sion assures Juno to step forward and apologize. Juno looks a little uneasy.
Earlier in the day, Alex and Juno would end up bickering again, this time on the topic of women. Juno had thought of Alex as a serial womanizer who only cares about getting in bed with as many women as possible. Alex, however, was unbothered by the accusations, as his time spent with women were all in good fun for both parties involved. Alex assured Juno that a lot of women loved him, but she rebuked him on this opinion.
"Sure, you claim they love you, but do they really? Have you ever actually felt some sort of actual connection with someone instead of just... going around, messing about, jumping from girl to girl?! Honestly, I don't think a single woman has ever actually loved someone like you your entire life!"
The remark hurt Alex deeply, as if Juno was somehow acutely aware of his insecurity. He had been doing just that just to stave off the pain of losing Cosette, the one woman who did actually love him. He gave Juno a look of smouldering anger, and she realized she had genuinely upset him. Before Juno could apologize, Alex brushed her off brusquely, and went off on his own.
After preparations were made to move on to Whitebrim Front, Alphinaud requested to Sion and Juno that they go and find Alex so that they can continue their search for the Enterprise. The twins would find Alex past the Steel Vigil, on a cliff overlooking the Holy See of Ishgard, looking at the city with some contempt. Sion told him that they're ready to head out to Whitebrim, and then suggested to Juno that she apologize.
#FebHyurary Day 25 (catchup!) - Home pt. 1/2
Alex looks out towards Ishgard, his old home. He had hoped to never return to Coerthas, yet Alphinaud and the Esperan twins needed to find the lost Enterprise...
#GPOSERS #XIV_PICTCLIP #Hyur #SionPose
