#I ACTUALLY HAVE A WORKING THEORY FOR THE STARSCOURGE AND SUNLIGHT

[a-world-in-grey]

Sunshine Never Stops au hcs

Because this au is All The Fluff and bby!Sola is giving me cavities.

-Ardyn helps Sola pack her things - cheerfully abusing his armiger to pack up all Sola’s stuff - while Sola writes a note for her parents explaining that she’s with Uncle and she’ll be back as soon as she cures him.

-Sola No. (Sola Yes.)

-Ardyn keeps Sola firmly away from the public for the next seven years, teaching Fiercest Niece pretty much everything he knows. Sola’s not a genius, but she’s stubborn and determined and soaks everything up as fast as she possibly can.

-This includes Science. Sola is Not A Fan Of Science. But if Science will cure Uncle, then Science she will learn.

-This leads to Sola meeting Besithia and following him around and asking Questions about the Scourge. Besithia is Offended when the six year old calls his research unoriginal and vows that she’ll find a way to do the so called impossible.

-The day Sola actually manages to come up with a working theory on why the Starscourge is vulnerable to sunlight is the day Besithia is Offended, and when Sola’s work with a medical task force to create a viable treatment for the early stages of vanishing sickness building off of said theory is published world wide is the day Besithia declares the twelve year old a Rival.

-Sola adds insult to injury by blowing a raspberry at him.

-Of course, now that his darling niece (Ardyn is so proud) is firmly established as his niece Alata Mederi, Ardyn decides it’s the perfect time to advance Alata’s lessons by introducing her to the Niflheim Court.

-Alata is distinctly Unimpressed. The Court collectively decides that Alata is going to be a nightmare when she grows up and can’t decide if it would be better to ally with or try to eliminate her. And Alata meets one Loqi Tummelt, all of eight years old, when Ardyn intervenes on behalf of Prince Icarus before Alata decides to go from considering to actually disemboweling the twenty- going on twenty-one year old Imperial Heir and shoos Alata off.

-Unfortunately for Loqi, Alata decides that anyone who so clearly admires her Uncle Cor is clearly her best friend, and neglects to give Loqi the option to refuse. Also unfortunately for Loqi, his family is of more minor nobility and all but leap at the chance to forge a connection between their family and the High Chancellor.

-Which means Loqi, brilliant Loqi who is genuinely smart if not quite on Ignis’ level, gets to join Alata’s lessons, martial and academic. Where Alata proceeds to bruise him and his ego, and completely shatter his worldview on Niflheim’s superiority to the Lucian savages.

-Due to the events that lead to Alata getting her Giant Death Cat (yes, I’m absolutely giving her Abyssus in this au as well, because it’s going to drive Loqi up the wall) and tearing the Kings of the Lucii a new one, Loqi learns that a) his best friend is King Regis’ eldest daughter, and b) his best friend doesn’t have two Braincells to rub together.

-Yes, he’s calling his best friend a dumbass (shut UP Alata you know I’m right-)

-And that’s how Loqi receives the dubious honor of becoming Alata’s Shield (even if the new magic lessons are cool). Ardyn claps Loqi on the shoulder and wishes him good luck. Alata flips her Uncle the middle finger.

-This means Loqi is witness to the regular debates between Alata and Prince Icarus, who despite being nine years Alata’s senior did not learn at Ardyn’s knee, and as such regularly loses to Alata. And if it weren’t for the fact that Loqi knows Alata is loyal to both Niflheim and Lucis he would wonder if Alata is attempting to sow dissention among Niflheim’s Court.

-She’s not. Alata just thinks Iedolas is a horrible ruler and thinks Icarus would make a better one if the Prince would dislodge that stick he welded to his spine. Even if it takes coming at it from a less moral and more practical argument. Like if your population catches the vanishing sickness from the miasma powering your MTs, soon you won’t have a population because they’ll have vanished.

-Then fifteen-year old Alata catches wind of rumors to assassinate the Crown Prince of Lucis (elder heir missing, the younger but a child, vulnerable, the courtiers whisper) and eleven-year old Loqi sees his Queen furious for the first time.

-And well, he’s not letting her run off to Lucis on her own, no matter how much distaste the thought of wandering through such a climate inspires, so he simply packs his own bags and meets her at the secret tunnel she doesn’t think he knows about.

#Sunshine Never Stops au #ffxv #Sola Lucis Caelum #Ardyn Izunia #Alata Mederi #Loqi Tummelt #Verstael Besithia #Icarus Aldercapt #I ACTUALLY HAVE A WORKING THEORY FOR THE STARSCOURGE AND SUNLIGHT #THANK YOU SCIENCE FRIENDS #Also Loqi I am apologizing in advance #you did not sign up to Braincell a Lucis Caelum #whatever plans you thought you had for the future #are now firmly out the window #never to be seen again #on the bright side #Loqi will get to meet Cor