Chapter Text
Really, the fight had been going so well. Nyx was never one to go down easily even before she took up the mantle of a Dark Knight, so it's not like she had to worry about herself in the event of an enormous bat-thing breaking out of a long-sealed magic cage.
But then she heard a sickening crack and a cry of pain. Nyx made the mistake of taking her eyes off the enemy to see who had been hurt, and in that moment she understood that the worst had come to pass.
"Y'shtola!"
She didn't know if the voice was her own or someone else's, but it didn't matter. Nyx abandoned the fight and sprinted across the cavern floor to reach Y'shtola, only to realize that her haste would come at a cost. A shadow loomed over Y'shtola, poised to end her life for certain. Nyx raised her greatsword, and braced for impact before everything went dark.
Some unknown time later, Nyx opened her eyes and saw nothing but darkness. Or, so she thought at first before she noticed torchlight and a gentle green glow at the peripheral of her hazy vision. When she spoke her voice came out hoarse, as though her throat rebelled against every word said.
"Y'shtola? Urianger? Minfillia?"
The green glow flickered for a moment before she heard a familiar voice.
"Nyx! You're awake!"
Nyx looked towards the source of the voice and saw a Miqo'te woman with silver hair and eyes, and dried blood caked to the right side of her face.
"Y'shtola...Are you alright?"
She nodded her head gently.
"A stray piece of debris caught me. Urianger had me up and going quickly enough, but I..."
Y'shtola looked down.
"I would not have been there to be healed had you not protected me."
"Hah...I suppose I did my job well enough then."
Through the haze, Nyx could swear she saw Y'shtola's brow furrow for a moment, but she then redoubled her healing efforts, so Nyx assumed that part of the conversation to be over. Better to re-assume the old personage of stoic hero that everyone seemed to find so comforting, then. Although, to be honest, Nyx wasn't really feeling particularly stoic. Perhaps it was the painkilling aspects of Y'shtola's magic or perhaps it was the near death experience or the way the light of her spell played upon the reflections in her eye, but Nyx was...utterly transfixed by her in this moment. A single word slipped out, unbidden.
"Shtola..."
That soft green light flickered for a bit longer than it had before, signaling Y'shtola's surprise. When she spoke immediately after, her voice had a small edge to it.
"You should remember by now that the Night's Blessed are to be referred to by an alternate name when not in private."
Ah...Nyx had made her mad. It's not like she minded being called Y'shtola before now, but she supposed that referring to her without tribal moniker was a bit too familiar.
"My apologies, Master Matoya."
Y'shtola seemed to turn her head away slightly, and she spoke somewhat softly now.
"It's...Quite alright. Like I said, you may call me by my true name in private. If it pleases you."
Nyx chuckled. She should have guessed.
"Then...if it pleases you, Master Matoya, you may call me by my true name in private as well."
There was a pause as Y'shtola processed what Nyx had just said. The green light completely shut off and pain crashed through Nyx's body as the numbing effects of Y'shtola's magic wore off.
"Ah! I'm sorry!"
Immediately she was casting the spell again, and the pain slowly receded.
"It's...quite alright...I'm fine."
"You're not. Once Urianger and Minfillia return from slaying that beast we'll need to give you a more intensive treatment than this."
"Oh, well that's just wondrous isn't it?"
Y'shtola snorted. Silence took the air again, aside from the distant sounds of battle. Once again, Y'shtola saw fit to break the quiet.
"What did you mean by your true name?"
Nyx stayed silent for a few moments still, before slowly admitting the truth.
"To be completely honest...Nyx is just a nickname I took up when coming to Eorzea."
Though the spell did not flicker this time, Y'shtola looked directly into Nyx's eyes now, a small bit of annoyance marked across her face.
"Hah...I thought that might make you a bit mad. To be honest, I wasn't sure how to approach the topic at first, but now...I think it's somewhat comforting to me. To be Nyx instead of myself."
Y'shtola looked down, her eyes tracing Nyx's body as she seemed to shift focus to her hands.
"If you would like me to call your true name in private, then, I would be glad to. But no more secrets, alright?"
"You have my word...Shtola."
The haze around Nyx's vision had cleared up just enough to see a smile play across Shtola's face.
"So, I suppose I'll just tell you, then?"
"That seems apt, doesn't it?"
"Hah...Alright. My name is Rose Nyctus A'kan, and I'm glad to meet you, Master Matoya."
"Honored to have met you...Rose."
Rose and Shtola smiled at each other, until a look of confusion crossed Y'shtola's face.
"Wait...Is that why you laughed when you learned the scions' password was 'wild rose'?"
Rose burst out laughing.
"If I told you the answer was yes, would you promise not to tell the others?"
"I would not. We've just promised no secrets, after all."
"...Then I will tell you, the answer...is yes."
Finally, Urianger and Minfillia returned, though slightly scuffed by an enormous batsquatch. Nyx's treatment concluded with Urianger chastising her for risking herself so heavily, and the four of them went on their way to slay the third lightwarden.