Summary: General Hogan finds out Magister Violyste has been experiencing nightmares ever since she entered the Hypogean rift.
Word count: 726
Content/Warnings: Nightmares, hurt/comfort, bittersweet ending, female Merlin, Hogan x Merlin
A/N: I have been quite inactive but! Here is a little ficlet I threw together ft. Violyste and her favorite General <3
Nightmares
Hogan was used to nightmares. Being a knight of the Heroic Order didn’t come without a few grueling battles and close calls that came back to haunt his dream realm. They came semi-regularly, but he managed to develop his own way of coping over the years.
But seeing Violyste struggle with them was new.
He was used to her insomnia. She’d told him about it when they’d first met, and he chalked it up to decades worth of magic flooding her head. Often on their travels, back when she still remembered every detail of their conversations, she ended up sitting with him on patrol instead of sleeping, talking absently about a random hobby she’d picked up (her origami phase was particularly detailed) until she finally drifted off. More recently, it had been worse, and he assumed it was due to her most recent amnesia attack.
But ever since the Hypogean rift opened and she’d begun fighting whatever was in the abyss, any sleep she caught seemed to be plagued with nightmares. Chippy had mentioned it absentmindedly in concern. Valen had reported it when he caught the magister in a nap while visiting the Mystical House to drop off a message. Hogan didn’t realize how bad it’d gotten until he and Violyste were back on the road, together again to investigate a minor disturbance in Southville.
The first night, Violyste tried to go without sleeping at all. Hogan knew something was off, but didn’t push it. The second, he heard the whimpering.
Tonight was worse.
Her outcry had him at her side in an instant, in case some unknown danger had gotten past his watch. Instead, she was lying under her blanket, thrashing and calling out in pain.
“Violyste.” Hogan tried to touch her shoulder without getting hit. “Vi, wake up. Magister. Magister Merlin.”
Her eyes flashed open. They both froze before Hogan was blinded by light and felt himself fly backwards.
“Hogan!”
He heard her distantly as he stared up into the night sky, pain flooding his back as he struck the ground.
“Hogan, are you alright?” His magister’s face entered his vision, strands of her white hair tickling his face. “I’m so sorry…”
He tried to speak, but found himself coughing.
“Oh no, please…I’m sorry…”
“I’m alright,” he finally managed, pushing himself onto his elbows. “You have to do more than that to be rid of me, old friend.”
She didn’t take the joke. Instead, she bit her lip as her eyes watered.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…here, let me use a healing spell for you…”
Hogan grabbed her hands. His chest burned, and he knew he would feel that old shoulder injury in the morning, but both would eventually fade. His concern was growing instead for Violyste’s increasing panic.
“Violyste, stop. I’m fine.”
She finally met his gaze, lip quivering. Hogan could almost see the near-century of battles in her eyes. He knew some of them he was part of and hoped the rift hadn’t used his image against her.
“You’re alright,” he continued. “You’re right here. With me.”
Time seemed to pause. He stared at the white freckles that littered her face, the ones he knew the pattern of so well. Her lip quivered, and in the next instant, she was in his lap. She clung to him, sobbed. If magic leaked out of tears, she would be emptying herself of every spell she knew.
He wrapped his arms around her and let her cry.
“It’s okay. I’m here. I’ll keep you safe.”
It was rare to see Violyste cry, and he hated to see her so upset.
After about twenty minutes, the sobbing stopped, the woman’s breath slowed, and Violyste was asleep. This time, peacefully. For a minute, Hogan could imagine he was twenty years younger, once again with the woman he loved in his arms, the moment entirely their own. It faded as he recalled what led her to this position, and he knew that when she woke, there would be none of the familiarity he knew and so secretly longed for.
But until then, he had now. He brushed a stray hair off her cheek, sighed, and vowed to keep her from the rift and the shadows haunting her dreams.
“Sleep, dearest star,” Hogan whispered. “I’ll protect you, just like before. I always will, until Dura pulls me away from your heart.”
"Lavinia, I see you have been quite busy. Unfortunately, I'm here to add to your already heavy workload, I need you to lead a patrol group towards the west just for a few minutes, and report back what you see. I know it isn't quite what youre used to, but I trust you deeply."
The General seems to be herding an already rattled group of the local farmers, hands full.
(@general-hogan)
General! *Lavinia salutes immediately, the files in her arm notwithstanding.*
Of course! I can always make time for your orders. I shall take these papers inside and then be on my way. Guywin and Joey are on back-up, I will take them with me.
*She nods but before she turns to get ready, she asks one or two more things.*
General, is there anything in particular you need me to pay attention to?
Summary: ~20 years prior to in-game story, then-Captain Hogan of the Heroic Order has been assigned as a personal guard to protect the great Magister Merlin following an assassination attempt...if he can find the mage he's supposed to protect.
Word count: 2347
Content/Warnings: Mentions of death, allusion to assassination attempts, Merlin is a cheeky trickster, Female Merlin
A/N: My first AFKJ fanfic I'm posting here! Hogan and Merlin are established good friends...so here's their initial meeting in the universe of my Merlin, Violyste. She's a little cheeky...and I think this meeting really sets the stage for how close they become. It was also super fun to try aging him down for a cute lil sketch of them. Enjoy! <3
The Mage and the Captain
Captain Hogan had never been to Holistone. His entire life, from his enlistment to now, had been spent in the bustling capitol, the heart of the Lightbearer Empire.
At first, he’d been a bit put out by the assignment. While the nobility of the capitol weren’t his favorite people, he was used to city life. Going to a small village known for its wheat production wasn’t exactly the exciting adventure that would get him promoted in the Heroic Order. It almost felt like his General was trying to get rid of him.
Then he found out the nature of the mission, and he’d become intrigued.
Several attempts had been made on the life of an important mage. The greatest in his lifetime or his parents, a woman who supposedly had power beyond anything seen in decades prior and had been granted the title of Merlin. For her safety and that of her students, she’d stepped away from the Serene Lyceum and effectively vanished. For added security until the threat was neutralized, the Holistone branch had requested a soldier specifically for her protection.
Hogan wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass him by.
At least, once he found Merlin.
It took an hour to find the house his Holistone superior directed him to. It was small and unassuming, and Hogan circled it twice to ensure he had the right place. When he knocked, the door opened to an empty room, no evidence of any person there to open it.
“Come in!” Came a high, feminine voice.
Magic, indeed.
Hogan stepped inside to a small sitting area, a bar located off to the side. It was cozy, with dark wooden floors and stairs. Still, there was no one in sight.
“I’m in the library!” the voice called again.
Hogan followed the sound into another room and immediately froze. Space augmenting magic must have been at play, because the library was nearly as large as the one in the capitol. Wall shelves reached to the ceiling, filled with books and busts and papers. Light streamed in from a skylight window, illuminating stacks of books about the floor like statues of knowledge. A chaos of unity was about the room, and the aroma of the paper mixed with what the captain thought to be coffee. This job would be an indulgence if he got to spend time here.
A scattering of pages caught his attention at a table in the corner. A young girl, not older than fourteen, was busy arranging papers. Her hair was bright red and pulled into pigtails, her violet eyes bright with wonder. She looked up and gave him a dimpled grin.
“Hi! Can I help you?”
Hogan was expecting an elderly woman. Not a child. He wondered why the girl was here in the Magister’s library and if the legendary mage knew about it.
“I’m looking for Magister Merlin. I’ve been assigned by the Heroic Order to personally guard her and ensure her safety.”
Something in the girl’s eyes twinkled, but Hogan didn’t have time to register it before she bounded to him. She entered his personal space, close enough for him to make out light brown freckles scattered over her face.
“You must be Captain Hogan! It’s so exciting to meet a real knight from the Heroic Order!”
Hogan forced a smile. “Thank you. Can you show me to Magister Merlin?”
“Oh, of course! But let me introduce myself first. Lysta, Magister Merlin’s dear apprentice at your service!” She gave an awkward curtsy and a wink.
His orders hadn’t mentioned an apprentice. To the best of his knowledge, Merlin had left all students behind in order to remain anonymous in Ryeham. Hogan swallowed his caution to not tip off the girl, but made a mental note that she might be his first clue to the assassin. A large promotion would be waiting if he caught the culprit on his first day.
“Magister Merlin went into Holistone this morning,” Lysta was saying, pulling a white mage’s coat over her blue shirt. As she did so, Hogan caught a glimpse of strange white freckles on her hands. Before he could ask about it, he registered her words and froze.
“What?” Hogan gaped. “Alone?!”
“She said she had an errand to run. But I can take you to her!”
She was out the door before he could reply, leaving him scrambling to catch her.
“Wait!” He managed to snag Lysta’s shoulder before she was out of the house. “Hold it. We can take my horse. It’ll be faster.”
She smirked, and the same mischievous glimmer flashed in her eyes. “Not faster than a Waystone.”
He cocked his head. While he knew of Waystones, he’d never seen one, let alone used it.
“You can use them?”
“Of course! I am Magister Merlin’s apprentice, after all.”
It felt like a trap. But her eyes were bright and her smile so eager that Hogan sighed and acquiesced. He couldn’t bear to disappoint the girl, and if it was a trap, his sword rested heavily on his back, prepared to slice through danger at any moment.
She chattered along the way, frequently asking about his trip, the capitol, how he liked Ryeham, and more. He politely obliged, allowing her to laugh at some of his jokes and laughing back at hers. If this wasn’t a trap, he could tell why the magister had allowed Lysta to be her apprentice. The girl’s energy was bright and easy, with a clever wit that surpassed her years. It passed the time well, and with a touch of the Waystone she located, they arrived outside Holistone.
“Alright,” Hogan said, trying to sound commanding. “Take me to the Magister.”
“Of course! We just have to find where she went…”
“You don’t remember?!”
“She didn’t tell me! Just that she had to get some supplies!”
Hogan rubbed his face. If this mission kept on like this, he’d be leaving it with gray hairs and wrinkles in his forehead.
“Lysta, I don’t know what the Magister told you, but it’s a matter of life and death for your teacher. I have to reach her as soon as possible.”
Her face softened. “Is it that bad?”
Hogan gave her a nod, hating that he had squashed Lysta’s mood. “I’m afraid so.”
She sighed and looked off, looking older for half a second before it passed. “You’re really brave to come here and protect her then.”
“It’s just my duty.”
“Will you protect me, too?”
Hogan was taken aback by the question. There was no question about his willingness to protect anyone in the Lightbearer Empire. It was the thing that had made him join the Heroic Order. But he’d never had someone directly request his abilities as a civilian, questioning his commitment. His next words, he knew, would bind him not only to his own honor, but to the confidence of this girl for the rest of his life.
“I will, by any means. I promise.”
She grinned and bounced back from the solemn moment. “Then let’s go find the Magister!”
Unfortunately, Hogan’s good nature towards Lysta faded as she drug him around Holistone, asking shopkeepers if they’d seen a mage. She was easily distracted by various shops and minstrels and insisted on getting breakfast from the local restaurant, the Traveler’s Light. While it was good, knowing the individual he was supposed to be guarding was currently Dura-knows-where gave a bitter aftertaste.
“Lysta.” Hogan put his hands on his hips as they stopped at a storefront.
“Huh…?” She looked back from the window where she was admiring some books on display.
“The Magister clearly isn’t here.”
“Oh…oops.”
“Oops is right. My job and your apprenticeship are on the line. We have to go back in case the Magister returned.”
Lysta bit her lip, then nodded. “Let’s walk back. Maybe we missed her on the road.”
Hogan sighed, but agreed to the logic, allowing the girl to lead the way down the path he’d passed hours before. She talked again, but his engagement was noticeably muted, wracking his brain for how he was going to find the mage or explain to his General how he’d failed before even starting.
“Are you mad at me?”
Hogan started at the question. He was angry, but he couldn’t blame Lysta.
“No. I’m mad at myself for being distracted and failing the Magister…and the Lightbearers.”
“Captain Hogan, you shouldn’t be upset with yourself.” Lysta’s voice was deeper, full of the weight of someone twice her age. “I can tell you’re a great knight. You have a bright future ahead.”
“You’re an optimistic one. I hope you’re right.”
“Of course I am. I’m the mage here.”
“Apprentice mage.”
“About that…”
Before he could register the change in her demeanor, Hogan saw the glint of an arrow behind Lysta. He threw himself in front of her. With a sweep of his sword, he deflected the projectile.
“Stay behind me!” Hogan yelled.
A slew of bandits burst from the treeline. Hogan braced himself, gripped his sword, and willed his body to stay calm amid the attack. Though there were ten of them, he knew he could take them. This was what he trained for.
He leapt forward, sliced his sword through the air. Right. Left. Sweeping and clanging swords in time with his footwork, as natural as a dancer on Empire stages. It was home.
Two fell to the ground, and five of them fled down the road. The last three ran at him, two with swords and one with an axe. Hogan grinned. Swung. The clang of metal rattled the trees as he locked all three weapons against his own, their eyes filling with recognition that they were outnumbered by one knight’s skill.
A twang of bowstrings sounded behind him. Hogan glanced behind to a thunderstorm of arrows. If he pulled away, the bandits would finish him. If he didn’t move, he’d become a pin cushion.
A flash of light shot through the air. The arrows vanished into starbursts of flames. Hogan stared and weakened his grip. Lysta stood beneath them, her freckles glowing and magic seeming to burst from her very being.
The distraction gave the bandits the upper hand. They shoved against Hogan, unexpected force throwing him to the ground.
Before he could stand, a wall of blue flew up around him and Lysta like a shield. In the next, beams of starfire flew up around the bandits. Hogan could smell the burning flames as Lysta walked towards the shield, her hands orchestrating the blaze and her pigtails flying behind her. The bandits ran down the road and vanished. Once they were out of sight, Lysta removed the shield with a wave of her hands and called the flames back into her hands.
Hogan stared, his mouth dry from gaping.
Lysta turned to him. From his angle on the ground, she looked taller, or maybe it was the fading light of her magic. She came to him and offered her hand. Her eyes seemed to glow brighter than the stars as he allowed her to help him up.
Maybe she didn’t need his protection after all.
“Are you alright?” Lysta asked, her voice deeper again, more adult.
“I…yes…” Hogan stood and replaced his sword into its sheath. “I’d ask you that, but you seemed to have things covered.”
She shook her head. “You saw them first and did most of the work. I just helped.”
“You must be joking. That was…”
Lysta held up a hand to stop him, and he noticed the white freckles seemed to be glowing. “It was nothing, really, Captain.”
“If that’s what you can do, I can’t imagine Magister Merlin’s magic.”
Lysta looked up at him and blinked before giving a shy smile. “That’s what I was about to tell you.”
Hogan cocked his head. Fear gripped him. In an instant, he could imagine a million things she could say ranging from Merlin being out of town to already being dead at her own hand. He couldn’t imagine a stronger magic than what he just witnessed. Before he could panic, a burst of light covered Lysta. The Captain shielded his eyes, and when he looked again, was met with an entirely new person.
She’d transformed into a young woman of his own age, with white hair pulled away from her face and the same deep violet eyes, looking as though they could read his soul. White freckles shaped like stars littered her face and trickled down her neck, vanishing beneath the simple robe and cloak she wore.
“I’m sorry about lying to you, Hogan. But I’ve been wary of things ever since the incident. Now that I can trust you, let me introduce myself.”
Hogan stared in disbelief as she smiled gently and offered her hand. “I’m Magister Merlin. But you can call me Violyste. It’s an honor to have you as my guard.”
“You’re…but…?” He accepted her hand as he stuttered and could practically feel the pulse of magic. “I was expecting someone…”
“Old?”
Hogan felt sheepish. “Yeah.”
Violyste laughed. “I get that a lot. I can tell you the whole story over tea. We shouldn’t stand out here waiting for more trouble anyway.”
Hogan cleared his throat and nodded. “I’m happy to escort you back home, Magister.”
Violyste grinned. “Let’s go then. You can meet my familiars.”
Hogan agreed and followed alongside her, still processing the revelation that Merlin had been with him the whole time. She quickly began conversation with him again, and soon he was telling her all about his travels and hearing of the time she’d accidentally turned the Serene Lyceum pink and wishing he could know more. As they crossed the bridge back to Ryeham, a feeling overcame him that this wouldn’t be the last time he stayed here. It might not be the bustling city, but somehow, he didn’t think he’d mind exchanging nobility and cities for quiet legends with a mage full of surprises.
“You know, Hogan” said Violyste, “I think we’re going to be great friends.”
