New Heavensward Short Stories!

[Ronove]

I didn't get Francel was jealous or angry at the WoL, just in the anger part of grief. Or...

If anything, I can see that Francel wanted more out of their relationship than knight/Lord, but his desires were not returned in kind.

Angry that his desires could never be returned now because Haurchefant died.

Though I don't see at all Francel turning against us especially after what we as the WoL did for him. You saved him from that heretic and inquisitors stuff. I don't think he'd be so quick to forget that and turn against you. Like yeah maybe jealous cause you the WoL got to spend a lot of time with Haurchefant but to the point of turning entirely against you? I don't see it.

[Ayuhra]

Francel might yet be visited by Ascians offering him a way to get his dead friend back.

I mean...everyone is predicting the next Primal will be Ice/Lightning and we haven't seen hide or hoof of Ixion yet.

It would also echo Tiamat's story.

[myahele]

I can see Francel doing something against the WoL, but nothing too crazy.

He's of the Nobility, 4th son of the head of House ___

There's going to be political turmoil now that the truth is out; those who more or less want thing the way it's always been under the 4 Noble Houses/Church vs. many changes under the Lord Commander

[Clawtooth]

The anger Francel takes out on the flowers is definitely directed at the WoL. I get the feeling that he thought that if Haurchefant died as a knight, it would have been in his defense...not some foreigner freshly come to Ishgard (even if you did save his life, and would have stopped the Dragonsong War if not for Estinien). He's definitely jealous that you became so highly regarded that he gave his life for you, and that his House saw you as worthy enough to be gifted his shield.

Where in the text are you getting this though? Like, Francel is really civil to you if you go and visit him in Skyfire Locks either immediately following Haurchefant's death or after the ending of 3.0.

The exact text says:

All too soon, he arrived. As he knelt to replace yesterday’s offering, Francel's eyes drifted to the shield leaning against the marker. A red unicorn, erased and wreathed in thorns. And below...

He shuddered, and looked away. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" he muttered through clenched teeth, twisting and crushing the flowers in his hands until there was nothing left.

To me, this is his anger at Haurchefant for "leaving him", i.e. giving his life to save someone else - which is according to the phrase echoed throughout the story - a knight's duty. Notice that at the end of the passage he is smiling while he is crying - perhaps his reminiscence allowed him to reconcile with his feelings of anger before.

I just think saying he's angry at the WoL is going a bit far, considering that the WoL is never mentioned in the story.

I'd also find it odd if Francel became a recurring villain in 3.x or even a villain at all because you have no obligation to even speak to him once after the Coerthas story in 2.0 is memory serves. All the interaction you can have with him is great and really fits in with the character but it's all entirely optional and if you never find your way into Skyfire Locks again then you might forget he exists.

I dunno I just think it's a bit of a stretch - I think his anger is directed at Haurchefant if anyone, he's grieving so it's natural for him to have bouts of anger about it, that's part of the process.

[PArcher]

Francel might yet be visited by Ascians offering him a way to get his dead friend back.

I mean...everyone is predicting the next Primal will be Ice/Lightning and we haven't seen hide or hoof of Ixion yet.

It would also echo Tiamat's story.

Yeah, I was toying with that. Imo, he's now the top-choice Npc for summoning him.

And I do feel that he could easily turn against us; yes, we saved him from the heretic, but in return took his best friend from him, in more ways than one. He's still young (22 right now!) and probably not thinking straight at all; if the opportunity to hurt us presents itself, I'm sure he'll take it.

[Ayuhra]

Trying to get Haurchefant back into his life through a ritual taught to him by Ascians (who could well take on Haurchefant's body and wear it to make things SUPER messed up if they wanted to) wouldn't make Francel evil. If people turn on Haillenarte after the inevitable incoming political upheaval he'll be desperate. And I'm sure if someone who radiated power came and said he'd only need crystals or some kind of aether and intense prayer and Haurchefant would come back he'd take that person's words into consideration.

It would also echo Tiamat's story and this game seems fond of repeating themes.

We abided in peace, and all was well...until the men of Allag came, some five thousand years since. They slaughtered my children in droves, and took from me my beloved Bahamut. 'Twas then, when I had fallen into the depths of despair, that black-robed men came unto me. The Ascians. They offered to resurrect Bahamut through their dark arts, and I, in my grief, accepted─a decision which I shall regret unto my dying breath. For what they brought back was a mockery of my beloved.

[Dalvy]

I'll play devil's advocate here.

Francel clearly brought the lilies to pay respects, but crushing them instead is obviously a sign of grief and rage. Then there's the smiling while crying; not everybody who smiles feels happy on the inside. I'm certain he's upset that Haurchefant 'left him'. Whether or not it's because Francel had feelings for him, or if he was left behind while Haurchefant went elsewhere with the WoL, that is uncertain. But this story is not a take of a happy Francel, and I don't see this ending well for the WoL--the player is going to get dragged into something down the road. Maybe it'll be fighting Idiom, maybe not.

[Anonymoose]

Is there any chance this could be a sometimes the curtains are just blue moment?

As far as the erotic subtext goes, I could almost see it if it weren't for the fact they were children for the whole story. At that point, it starts to look a lot more two unlikely friends that would never have positively impacted each others' lives if they were wiser in "the way things were" in Ishgard when they first met.

In the first story, Francel is six years old and thinks that everyone loves pomp and circumstance but him, so when he escapes the politics of his first banquet, he's happy to see someone else avoiding it, too, entirely ignorant of why Haurchefant has been excluded. He doesn't know what bastards are or why they're different from him, a fourth-born heir. He just sees an interesting older kid who wants to avoid festivities and become a knight, and Haurchefant takes a liking to the kid who, in spite of everyone else treating him like crap, comes outside and offers him dessert.

Their friendship continues, but is weird to everyone else. The bastard brawler and the trueborn bookworm don't even have anything in common. They don't see how much it means to Haurchefant that someone not only wants him to just be himself, but admires him for who he is and shows him warmth for it, or how much it means to Francel that Haurchefant takes the time to understand and look out for him.

Skip to Francel, age 11. Count Haillenarte "gifts" him a falconry lesson, since a valuable sociopolitical skill for nobles and knights. The only reason the kid can even ride a chocobo properly is because of Haurchefant spending time with him, but he doesn't want to let his father down so he rushes off alone and ends up getting kidnapped. Haurchefant had volunteered to be a tracker for this hunting party specifically to keep an eye on him, and ends up putting his martial skills to use killing the three kidnappers - and in the process, he dives in front of an arrow to save Francel, joking that he should have brought a shield. For this deed, Haurchefant's ambitions are realized, and thanks to this friendship he becomes a knight.

Flash back to present day.

Francel has been bringing flowers to his friend's grave every day ... and today, where yesterday there was nothing, someone has left his shield.

With a magicked-arrow hole blasted through it.

And suddenly everything is more real, because he knows exactly what happened and exactly why Haurchefant did it.

And he's so sad he crushes his flowers, but realizes that, even in the end, Haurchefant wasn't just his friend, he was a knight.

I'm not saying it's not more than that, but is it more likely than not to be more than that? I mean, Haurchefant didn't look my secret lover is about to die worried when they were going to execute Francel for heresy, he just knew it was chocobosh[KUPO!]t and wanted you to help put an end to it before a good man died. And, for all his excitable, pansexual, hero-worshipping antics, Haurchefant didn't seem to have anything deeper going on. And Francel is still in the game (Coerthas Central Highlands, X24 Y24)

Francel (Post 3.0)
He was rather fond of those cliffs, you know. On a clear day, they offer a fantastic view of the city.
The way he would look at it, with a smile that wasn't quite, and eyes that held the whole of the world...
I would give anything to know what he felt in those moments.

Am I missing something? Something, like, "Ixion confirmed! Haurchefant becomes the steed he always wanted you to be!" obvious?

[Ayuhra]

I'll play devil's advocate here.

Francel clearly brought the lilies to pay respects, but crushing them instead is obviously a sign of grief and rage. Then there's the smiling while crying; not everybody who smiles feels happy on the inside. I'm certain he's upset that Haurchefant 'left him'. Whether or not it's because Francel had feelings for him, or if he was left behind while Haurchefant went elsewhere with the WoL, that is uncertain. But this story is not a take of a happy Francel, and I don't see this ending well for the WoL--the player is going to get dragged into something down the road. Maybe it'll be fighting Idiom, maybe not.

How is that Devil's Advocate? So far we're all scratching our heads wondering if Francel is going to do something crazy that will kill us all (either intentionally or in an attempt to get Haurchefant back or possibly both).

[Dalvy]

How is that Devil's Advocate? So far we're all scratching our heads wondering if Francel is going to do something crazy that will kill us all (either intentionally or in an attempt to get Haurchefant back).

Because it's been a touchy topic elsewhere, that nothing was wrong concerning francel and haurchefant, everything is The lack of interaction after saving him and up to 3.0 made some question it.

At least now there is an answer. I'd rather see it develope into something, rather than this story being one and done.