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savage-rhi · 1 year

Note

Friends to Lovers prompt with who other than the Beloved Ardyn!

Sharing clothes in a friendly way.

If you Ardyn lovers say you haven't thought about stealing his coat and wearing it, you're lying. I have had so many people come to the same consensus. We all think about it, HA!

@sillylittlevulpine Okay...I indulged A LOT on this one (in my defense, I needed it as much as it was requested). Hope you like it!

Y/N had been staring at Ardyn’s long coat for what seemed like an eternity, debating with themself. The article should’ve been put up a while ago. Instead, the coat was laid out on the floor along with other garments that had been cleaned and mended.

Curiosity and resentment had built up in Y/N ever since they were assigned to this task. Folding and tidying up the Chancellors' wardrobe was not what they signed up for. Come to think of it, Y/N believed Ardyn didn’t make the request in the first place. From previous conversations, he seemed to pride himself on taking care of most of his personal items. The only time Y/N had encountered behavior to the contrary, was when Ardyn wanted to indulge in food and wine, especially when he wasn’t in the mood to make anything himself.

This had to be the Imperial Keepers' idea…Y/N thought bitterly to themself. It made sense the longer Y/N thought it through. If Y/N didn’t know better, the Imperial Keeper probably did it to add further insult to injury them, on account they had come down with a nasty cold during the week and had been slow with duties. There was also the spat that happened between Ardyn and the Keeper. The latter having been slighted, purposefully by Ardyn to prove a rather crude point to his colleagues. In all honesty, with the rotten attitude the Imperial Keeper had that day, Y/N thought he deserved it.

“The jerk weaponized me as a biohazard to the Chancellor,” Y/N muttered to themself, letting their conclusion sink in. It made sense. Why else send an obviously sick attendant to take care of a higher-ups personal items even though it was out of character for those services to be requested?

“I should leave. Have someone else do it. Screw points getting docked.” Y/N said aloud, but then they found themself back in the conundrum that had them stuck on Ardyn’s living room floor in the first place. The resentment had come and gone, now curiosity came flooding back.

Y/N’s tired eyes combed over the material of the jacket, admiring the stitchwork and the different textures complimenting each other. They recalled Ardyn telling them long ago that it was customized just for him. He certainly wasn’t lying. The tiny details here and there was evidence that whoever made it had very careful hands and machine-like focus.

The coat wasn’t the most expensive thing Y/N had come across while being in service to the empire, but the reputation it got from its owner was enough to make Y/N scared of ruining it by touch, even though the poor garment had seen better days. Y/N lost count of how many times Ardyn had to get the coat mended because he got into an altercation, or didn’t bother to take it off when going into hostile land. One would think he didn’t care much for it, but Y/N remembered Ardyn’s wrath when someone tried to pawn it off for gil after stealing it. He was stuck in his chambers for two whole days while people searched for the thief. It was quite the tantrum over a material good, however, Y/N figured it held some strong sentimental value. Plus, it looked warm and inviting. Something Y/N desperately needed at the moment.

Y/N’s body shuddered from the fever they had been enduring. They hated this. How one moment their body would feel boiling hot, then would feel so cold it was as if Shiva herself resurrected and brought another age of ice upon Eos. The goosebumps down their arms felt like tiny mosquito bites, and they coughed into their arm horribly as their temps began to cool off once more.

Ardyn and the rest of the Imperial Council were currently in session. Those meetings tended to last several hours. There were still two hours left before Y/N’s next assignment would be put in place by the Imperial Keeper, so they had plenty of downtime. Maybe…Y/N thought to themself. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt anything if they put it on for a bit, just to get warm again.

“Gods be damned,” Y/N sighed, closing their eyes and bitterly huffed before grabbing the coat.

Ardyn let out a deep breath when he approached the doors to his chambers, rubbing his eyes for a moment. After enduring a half hour of old men fighting over scraps when it came to the war budget, he promptly conjured a tall tale to get out of staying put. Somehow Aldercapt approved and he made a beeline for the doors.

“You are not leaving me alone with senile degenerates,” Verstael whispered with contention as Ardyn walked past his chair. The infighting was so loud, that no one paid the side conversation any mind.

“My dear friend, you're an old-timer among the flock yourself!” Ardyn mused, putting a hand on his peer’s shoulder, earning a raised brow from Verstael as he looked up to meet Ardyn’s mischievous grin. “You might as well be insulting the years of wisdom that show decadently upon your wrinkled face!”

“Hmpf,” Verstael narrowed his eyes, shaking his head and he slapped Ardyn’s hand away. His right eye twitched from the chuckle that escaped his colleague. “Funny you call me such a thing when you should be dust at this rate.”

“True as that may be,” Ardyn began. “Between the two of us old men, I’m the better-looking one.”

“You better leave before we not only have a mutiny among the council, but a homicide as well.”

“And I’m off!” Ardyn chuckled, giving a sarcastic wave with his right hand before departing.

The memory had Ardyn amused for a time in the present. It was enough to pull him out of his negative thoughts from before, now focusing on things that gave him pleasure. Taking a nap after nursing a bottle of wine was starting to become more enthralling by the second, and he wasted no time venturing into his abode.

Ardyn had done this so many times, that he didn’t initially know he wasn’t by himself. He started going through his routine; taking off his vest and discarding it followed by his red scarf. He hung them up on a hook nearby, then started thinking about his jacket; wondering if it had been returned from the cleaners yet. That’s when Ardyn stopped midway taking off his hat, hearing a noise coming from his television set in his living room. He put his hat back on, and cautiously began to tiptoe toward the noise, bracing himself for the possibility of a fight.

To Ardyn’s surprise and shock, he saw Y/N sitting on the couch, leaning forward toward the TV. His coat snugged around their body like an oversized blanket, as if he had never been its proper owner. To say he was speechless was an understatement. No one ever had the gall to get this comfortable in his personal quarters and he became greatly amused at the sight.

Ardyn decided to let the silence play out for a little while, making observations while he ventured close without making a sound up until he cleared his throat.

“I see you’ve made yourself at home.” Ardyn sarcastically stated, making his presence known upon arriving at the back of the couch.

“Shit!” Y/N exclaimed. They attempted to scramble off the couch, only to fall over themselves in a clumsy fashion, while quickly grabbing for the remote and turning the television off. Panting heavily, they quickly spun and looked up at Ardyn. Y/N watched him raise a brow, smiling like he caught someone red-handed while he crossed his arms.

“I--can explain this,” Y/N gestured at the coat. “I promise I wasn’t going to steal--”

“My attire looks rather fetching on you,” Ardyn interrupted. His eyes scanned Y/N over and his smile grew. “I’m almost jealous you’re outperforming me.”

“What?” Y/N flatly blurted and furrowed their brows. “You’re not upset?”

“Far from it,” Ardyn smirked. “Of all the things I could’ve come home to, I’d rather deal with an Imperial Help trying on my clothes for kicks than an assassin wanting to present my head to the King of Lucis. Although I’ve grown fond of our conversations, Y/N, I don’t recall requiring your services for the day. Come to think of it, I don’t believe we were to see one another until the weekend. Did you miss me that much?”

"You wish..." Y/N rolled their eyes playfully and sighed, feeling relief wash over them at the fact he wasn’t enraged. Had this been Verstael, or anyone else, the consequences would’ve been costly.

“The Imperial Keeper said you needed help with your laundry today. I figured he was lying, but I came out of obligation.” Y/N shrugged.

“How dutiful of you,” Ardyn quipped. He briefly glared, making a mental note to have a word with the Keeper at a later date. Ardyn focused suddenly on Y/N’s features, noting their color looked more dull than usual, followed by their body tremoring under his coat.

“What’s wrong?” Y/N asked, breaking Ardyn out of his observations.

“You’re unwell.”

“Am I that obvious?” Y/N teased, then sniffled and almost felt themself sneeze.

“You’d certainly give a fresh corpse a run for its gil.” Ardyn chuckled darkly, enjoying the brief glare Y/N shot at him before they began coughing, and instinctively he took a step forward. Ardyn only stopped when Y/N gestured with their free hand for him to halt.

“I don’t want to get you sick,” Y/N said in between fits. “I can take your coat to the cleaning center, and get it decontaminated.”

“There’s no need for such hysterics,” Ardyn waved them off and approached Y/N’s personal space. He didn’t give them any time to react before he felt their forehead and then checked their pulse. “I don’t get sick easily like most. However, I am curious as to why the Imperial Keeper would send someone of your ailment my way. Feeling hot and cold?”

“Uh huh,” Y/N nodded, recoiling a little from Ardyn’s touch due to sensitivity. “I think he wanted me to get you sick if I’m being honest. He didn't take too kindly to being thrown under a bus at the emperor's reception.”

“Well, he’s going to be in for a rude awakening,” Ardyn said as a matter of fact. His tone was bordering between sinister and playful. He took note of Y/N’s fear, and his expression softened after he finished assessing. “Do you have other obligations today?”

“I have a councilmen’s filing cabinet to clean out, and a few beds to make.” Y/N breathed. “Why do you ask?”

“I must implore you to stay and rest here.”

“Here?”

“Why not? You seemed to be getting on quite well making use of my home for your own enjoyment.” Ardyn said playfully with a shrug.

“The Imperial Keeper--”

“Can kiss both our asses for all I care,” Ardyn finished, leaving Y/N speechless at his bold proclamation. “I’m not sending you away when you clearly have a fever. That wouldn’t sit well on my conscience.”

“I thought you didn’t like people. You said so yourself a few days ago that company drains you.”

“That remains true as ever, alas,” Ardyn paused and he smiled while his right hand cupped Y/N’s face. His thumb carefully stroked over their cold skin and his eyes sadly glanced over their features. “You are in no such category.”

“Oh…”

Dumbfounded didn’t quite capture how Y/N felt at the moment, but it was close. The only thing Y/N could really focus on was how warm his touch was, and how their pulse seemed to skyrocket at the act. As soon as it began, Ardyn retreated his hand away and took a step back, and Y/N foolishly found themself missing the contact.

Their eyes focused on Ardyn as his right hand began rubbing at his chin. His gaze became scrutinizing as if he was judging a piece of art. Y/N didn’t know if they should’ve felt flattered or scared. Maybe both.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s nothing too drastic I assure you, but I am finding that although my coat suits you well, it’s missing something that ties it all together,” Ardyn said as a matter of fact. He wasted no effort in taking off his hat, and with care, he placed it on top of Y/N’s head.

“There we go! The wardrobe crisis has been averted!”

The hat sunk a little on Y/N initially, and they used their left thumb to prop it back up. They laughed, feeling their face turning red at Ardyn’s action. He too chortled, looking impressed with himself up until Y/N appeared to be frightened.

“You look as if the Gods will smite you at any second.” Ardyn pointed out.

“You're more open minded to classes mingling than others. I think we both know had this been any other councilmen or the emperor, I wouldn’t be standing. Especially if I was caught trying on their clothes.”

“True,” Ardyn nodded. “Yet here you are.”

“Here I am.”

A calm silence fell between Y/N and Ardyn as they fondly looked upon the other. It was only when Ardyn guided Y/N to the couch did both break away from the spell. He lay down and got comfortable, and calmly guided Y/N to lie against him. He could sense their apprehension and spoke up.

“I can run cold unlike most people,” Ardyn paused, reminding himself not to get too comfortable revealing his secrets. “Between the coat and myself, you’ll have an easier time resting.”

“Isn’t this overstepping several boundaries?” Y/N murmured against his chest. Sure enough, he was true to his word: it was as if on cue, Ardyn had gone from feeling like a warm furnace to a cold sheet that had been left to dry in the bitter wind. It was eerie, the whole thing, but their mind and body were too tired and miserable to think any deeper about it. The exhaustion from the long day, on top of the excitement from earlier, had Y/N feeling drowsy.

“Yes as a matter of fact,” Ardyn murmured and closed his eyes. “Alas, no one’s here to bear witness so it doesn’t matter. What happens in my chambers, stays in my chambers. However, if you’re uncomfortable, you can retreat to my room. I won’t disturb you while I remain here. I was planning to take a nap anyway.”

“I can’t hog your bed,” Y/N’s eyes fluttered open and closed. Their mind was being lulled to rest by how cool Ardyn felt, and how cozy his jacket felt against them. “What about the Imperial Keeper?”

“I’ll deal with it. You won’t receive consequence, I assure you.”

“What about--”

“Y/N,”

“Yes?”

“Be a dear and hush. You're not the only one who had a long and dreary day dealing with men who are vultures.” He commanded bluntly.

Y/N’s eyes finally gave into the weight and shut, all the while their lips smiled so big from his remark it began to hurt for a time. The last thing they could recall before drifting off into unconsciousness, was the rumbling of Ardyn’s chest when he laughed at their weak chuckle.

As soon as Ardyn felt Y/N fall asleep, he opened his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose. Frustration graced his amber hues while his right arm wrapped around Y/N’s body. This little friendship wasn’t supposed to get to this point. Ardyn had a feeling Y/N thought the same thing. He wondered how much longer it would be before someone in court caught onto the special treatment he freely gave to them. He also wondered how long it would be before Y/N would discover what he really was. That made Ardyn more uneasy than the former and his mind began to travel. All it would take is one slip-up, one mistake to undo his mask.

It became clear that Ardyn wouldn’t get that nap he yearned for after all, and he resided himself to his fate.

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itsgeecheebitch · 7 months

Text

TITLE: Until Darkness Descends

CHAPTER: 39/?

RATING: Explicit

FANDOM: Final Fantasy XV

MAIN PAIR: Ardyn Izunia x Reader

SEC PAIR: Gladiolus Amicitia x Reader

SERIES: The Fall PT 1 of 4

Anger seethed out of your pores, suffocating your organs and leaving your body shaking. The only thought on your mind was the betrayal that battered your insides and made them bleed. He lied to me. All this time Ardyn was never a traveling performer, he never graced faraway countries and foreign cities with his magical feats. He never turned a raven into a rabbit and he never pulled a cone of cotton candy out of his sleeves. A metallic tang dripped onto your tongue with how hard you were gritting your teeth. Every story he ever told you withered in smoldering flames, leaving only his lies to swallow your belly whole.

You and your friendships were currently on his airship, tucked inside a cramped dimly lit room like a dirty little secret. The seatbelt groaned within your tightening grasp. He was their chancellor. The thought brought another searing line of fire across your chest. No matter where you looked, the mark of the Niflheim empire was everywhere, from the gray color scheme, to the insignia of a clenched fist that branded the door, mocking you with the revelation that turned your whole world upside down.

Dropping your eyes to the floor did nothing to quench the burning agony that roasted your insides. You watched helplessly as those greedy flames devoured the memories you held so dear. It was all a lie. Not just his nomadic occupation but the friendship he built with you over the course of your whole life. Ardyn never cared about you. You were nothing but a means to an end, a way for a Niflheim politician to infiltrate the city.

Like a fool, you offered yourself as an excuse on a silver platter. A hair's width of fissures cracked along the surface of your heart till your blood oozed from the cracks. Your stupidity placed everything in danger, your friends, the king…you swallowed…your home. Horror rained down onto the smoldering fire like shards of glass, cutting you from the inside out. You did this. You caused Insomnia to fall.

You looked down at your hands, expecting to see your palms smeared in the blood of the people that died that day. Despite its absence, you could still feel the sticky wetness of crimson against your skin, marking you as a killer, as the ignorant accomplice to Ardyn's diabolical plan. Your fingers flexed then curled till your nerves rattled from the bite of your nails into your skin.

What would your friends think if they ever found out? Your gaze drifted to the four boys who sat huddled together, exchanging whispers you weren't privy to. The sight of it forced a blade through your throat. You would no longer have a place among them. You would be sitting on the outside looking in, much like you were doing right now. It wasn't fair. Tiny tremors shook your fingers till they rattled your entire body. It wasn't fair that Ardyn would do this to you, someone who was supposed to care about you. He didn't care that he robbed you of your home, robbed you of your king that saw you as more than just a tool to be used. Now he was about to take your friends away from you.

There was no way they would accept you ever again once they found out. A cry bubbled in your throat but never breached the air. You refused to let him get away with it, refused to allow him to wreak havoc upon your life and not answer for it. The seatbelt flew off of your lap with a loud zip and you jumped to your feet. You were done withholding your questions, done withholding your suspicions. He will answer to all of them today and so help him gods if he tries to lie. Your hands practically crackled with tension, demanding a violent retribution that turned your knuckles white.

Footsteps clapped against the tiles, your focus on the door that cut you off from the rest of this god forsaken airship. Someone cleared their throat just as the door slid open from your sensed approach. "You okay over there?" Jaw clenched, you turned around to find not only your boyfriend staring at you, but the rest of your friends as well. A ball lodged in your throat. Soon to be former friends.

"Yeah." You said as nonchalantly as you could muster. "Just heading to the bathroom."

"Oh, tell Ardyn to drop us off at the Chocobo Ranch if you see him!" Prompto perked up in his seat. His cheerful energy was a warm sunny day to the thunderstorm in your core.

You turned around before he could see the darkness swallow your eyes. "Yeah, got it." You were out of the door before they could say another word. The airship was a labyrinth of sharp corners and long hallways. You don't know how long you spent searching, only that every empty room you found chiseled at your angry resolve.

Spending too much time searching led to thoughts, that led to excuses, that led to a hope you tried to smother in your core. Hope that maybe this was all just a big misunderstanding. Ardyn didn't deserve your excuses or the hope that dangled your righteous ire on a thread. He was responsible for so much carnage, so much misery, you could feel it carving at your bones. But you couldn't help that tiny voice in the back of your brain that insisted there was more to the story.

You tortured your bottom lip, gripping your hands in a futile attempt to silence that traitorous thought. But by the time you found Ardyn, your anger was already in shambles, falling like debris into your trembling hands. As much as it sickened you, you did truly hope that there was more to the story, that you weren't just some useful pawn in his schemes, that he wasn't a part of the plan to destroy Lucis.

The door slid open upon your approach and a stream of dull gray light flooded your eyes as you entered the enormous room. Despite its space it was scarcely filled, with only a few MT soldiers scattered about. At the front of the room stood two pilot chairs, one occupied by an MT and the other holding the man you were looking for. Like a phoenix rising for the ashes, your anger spiked, burying your previous sentiments under an ocean of fire.

You charged towards his chair just as his head turned to notice your approach. "Ardyn, we need to talk. Now!" You bit out through gritted teeth.

Discarding the headphones that were previously on his head, he rose from his chair and met you halfway. His eyes were in a state of calm that made your blood boil. "I suppose you are here about the news of my affiliation."

To have the revelation thrown back at you caused the tiny fissures on your heart to crack into a gaping chasm. "You lied to me," you seethed. Your throat was laced in a fiery thread that made the words choke out of you as you said them. "And not just once, but for years! You made me look like a fucking idiot! What else have you been keeping from me, huh? Is Ardyn Izunia even your real name?!" The venomous stream trickled to a halt and you looked at him with eyes that were quickly filling up with tears. "I don't even know who you are anymore."

"My dear." He drew closer to you, his nearness prickled your skin. "I am the same man today that I was yesterday. The same man who guards your secrets, who comforts you when you need it most. My allegiance does not change what share, Aera."

Liar. "And what exactly do we share, a friendship built on lies?" Memories, better left forgotten, lodged in your throat, taunting your tears to fall. Your next words came out as a pathetic whimper, "do you even care about me?" Or was that a lie too? The question sat heavy in the air, making the close distance between you feel miles apart. Even after all the lies your throat still became raw at the thought of Ardyn using you, never truly valuing you. He was the only person in your life who showed you affection that never, at least you thought, depended on what you could do for him.

Your parents' love, if you could even call it that, was as fickle as a child's appetite. Every scrap of affection, every rarely spoken word of praise, depended upon how much Gil you brought home to their grubby little hands. The late king, although he treated you well, only kept you around so long as you benefited his son. A sour tang swept across your tongue and you bit your bottom lip. Even your friends…

You weren't delusional enough to believe they would be in your midst if it weren't for your powers. Everyone in your life was only there because of what you could do for them. But then there was Ardyn. A man who befriended you before you came into your powers. Someone who was there for every high and low. Your eyes burned painfully as the memories flew through your mind, only to burn to ash the moment they drifted too close to the flame. You should've known his affection was too good to be true.

Sorrow marred the gold in his eyes as he searched your face. "Aera, look at me." His voice caressed your ears and you flinched away, eyes lifting to meet his. "Of course I care for you. You are the apple of my eye, the promise after long hours spent tucked away in my office." Snaking his hand around your waist brought you even closer to his body heat. You frowned, hating the way your muscles relaxed under his hand. "I always looked forward to seeing you whenever I could, and the long weeks spent away from you made me long for your presence even more."

A million butterflies took flight in your chest. You wanted to take comfort in the sincerity in his tone, but it could easily be an act. Lies came easily to Ardyn. Apparently, so did acting too. Your skin froze over, causing the butterflies to fall to the ground where they withered to dust.

"Am I supposed to believe that?" You countered. "After all the lies you've told."

He pulled you closer till the coarse fabric of his coat tickled your form. "I have never lied about what you mean to me, my dear. lies are easy to tell, but a facade is not so easy to maintain. think back on all the memories we share, can you remember a time where my actions did not appear genuine?"

Your throat bobbed with a swallow. "Maybe you're just a good actor." Pulling away, you fought against the sense of lost that made you miss his warmth.

Ardyn gave a despondent sigh. "Ask me anything, I am an open book to be read. If you suspect deceit then you may slay me where I stand. I will not fight you if you do."

The promise should've called to your earlier desire for retribution. All it did was freeze the fire under your skin. "I don't want to kill you, Ardyn. I want the truth."

"And I will give you the truth, but only if you allow me."

You stared at him for one second. Two seconds. You couldn't believe you were actually considering his offer. There was nothing stopping him from telling another lie. As your history with him revealed, you were never good at detecting deceit. You frowned. You should just leave. Leave him be and never talk to him again. But the thought of cutting him out of your life felt as painful as severing a limb. So where did that leave you? Your fingers pinched into your covered biceps.

Would it be wrong to hear him out? To feed that tiny glimmer of light that hoped for an explanation to wash away all the wrongs? Yes, yes it was. But as your history taught you, you were never good at making the wisest decisions. Your chin raised with a confidence you did not feel, you stared at him with a challenge. Lie to me and we're done.

Returning the silent gesture, he nodded in acquiescence. You rolled your lips together as you considered the question you should ask first. They waved in your head like the frantic hands of children trying to get their teacher's attention. But one stuck out from all the rest.

Ardyn didn't seem surprised when you asked him if he knew about the plot to betray Lucis. Yes. He said.

"Did you help create that plan?"

Again he admitted it without a fuss.

"Why?"

A long exhale blew out of his nose and he clasped his hands behind his back. "To prove my loyalty to the empire." He stated dryly. That glimmer of light just about flickered off. Your anger returned with a vengeance, webbing under your cheeks like a parasite reclaiming its host. "The emperor is a paranoid shell of a man, mere words are not enough to assuage his fears. I needed to give him what he wanted most. In doing so I was able to bring Noctis where he needed to be."

Your eyes narrowed. "Which was where? Homeless, on the run, constantly fearing for his life?!"

"On the path to becoming the chosen king." He remarked. You were stunned into silence for a moment until that raging fire burned in your molars.

Did Ardyn even care about the magnitude of what he had done? The amount of people that were displaced, the piles of bodies that no doubt littered the streets? You weren't there to see it but you could only imagine the terror, the absolute horror of that day. The mental image seared your brain and clogged your nostrils with imaginary soot. You could even imagine their screams, see the buildings crumble into the hungry fires and tinge the sky pitch black with ash. A shiver rolled through you. The survivors barely escaped with their lives and he had the audacity to blame it on a legend.

"The prophecy." The words tasted like dirt in your mouth. "You did all of this, caused all this suffering, for a fucking story?!"

He had the nerve to not even look regretful over it. "It is no mere tale, my dear. The gods you serve have chosen your prince to be their champion. They are a stubborn lot, once their minds are made no amount of resistance could keep their plans from falling into place. As the former child of light you should know this." Ardyn said.

You swallowed as his words slapped you across the face. He was right. You spent enough time at the temple to know that the gods' decrees could never be challenged. If it was written in stone then it would always come to pass. But was this their bidding? The Lucis Caelum bloodline had always been faithful servants to the gods, second only to the Oracle. So why would the gods allow calamity to storm upon their shores?

It didn't make sense. You were familiar with the prophecy. Knew it spoke of darkness and a king chosen to usher in the light. Could that king really be Noctis? You thought about your friend, of his air of nonchalance and cold disinterest. He was a grown man but in many ways he was still just a boy. There was no way he could be the king the prophecy spoke of. But in many ways it made sense. The kingdom fell and Noctis was the last of his line. Even if the empire never descended upon Lucis that reality would remain, unless Noctis married and had an heir. You shook your head to quiet your internal musings. None of that mattered. Even if Ardyn was right it still didn't change the fact that the fall of Lucis was on his hands. He forced fate, that much was clear.

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ahdenyadahling · 1 year

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Final Fantasy XV - Fate & Destiny

note: mild language/trauma

Chapter Eleven, Part Two

The ground below Noctis gave way and he fell, sliding down the smooth embankment. I watched with horror and a bit of pride as Gladio went after him, as was his duty. Just in front of them, the Titan rose.

The Titan, one of the Six Gods of this world, the Star of Eos, was also one of its greatest saviors. As I said, when the Meteor was about to crash onto our Star, large enough to cause worldwide destruction, the Titan caught it on his back, holding it aloft to this day. The impact still left this crater, the Disc of Cauthess, and in places, the Meteor still burned and lava flowed at the Titan’s feet. Weary with exertion over his accomplishment, the Titan slept, the Meteor still resting on his shoulders, until he could regain his strength and do with it as he saw fit, whether that be set the Meteor down or hurl it back into space. But now, his gaze was set upon Noctis. One eye was, anyway; there was a shard of the meteor through his right eye.

From above, watching Noctis and Gladio disappear from view, I clung tightly to each of the remaining boys shoulders.

“Noct, you okay?” Prompto sounded scared.

Ignis, as usual, was more level-headed. “Is there any way back up?”

“No,” came Noct’s voice, and we each breathed a sigh of relief to hear him, “you guys just look for a safer way down.”

The three of us broke into a sweat as we made our way down turning paths, with pockets of rock which fumed heat and sometimes molten rock. It was an arduous process, and our breathing was labored, both by the workout and the excruciating heat. We met Noctis at the bottom just as he was dodging the Titan’s sweeping left hand, which was twice as large as Noct’s entire body. My heart leapt into my throat, noticing Noct fought alone.

“Where’s Gladio?” I shouted.

“On his way,” His Highness assured me, slicing at the Titan’s stony hand as it made to knock him over again.

We were also quite surprised when several Magitek Engines appeared above us, distracting the Titan and allowing us to fight. It wasn’t until Ignis ordered me to take aim at the Magitek soldiers that I realized what the Empire was really trying to accomplish: to take down the Titan themselves. With my whip, I knocked away pull lines they tried to hook into him while Noct and the others continued their fight. When the Titan fell forward and the fight appeared over, the Archaean revealed to the prince that his betrothed, the Oracle, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, had begun to convene with the Gods. This meant she was asking for their blessing in supporting Noctis as the Chosen King. This fight was simply to prove Noct’s worth, and with the Titan’s support, he was one step closer to his title. At this point, the Titan had had enough of these Imperial Warships buzzing around his head. He smashed what ships he could reach, causing an earthquake which tore another hole in the earth. Lava began to pool around us, leaving us scrambling for higher ground as the earth under our feet melted.

And to our perturbation, one more ship appeared, with Ardyn bestowing his ‘kindness.’ We were loathe to trust this man, but this time, Ardyn properly introduced himself as Ardyn Izunia. The name meant nothing to me, but Ignis questioned, “Imperial Chancellor Izunia?”

“The same. Come aboard, I guarantee safe passage. Or die in the rubble. It’s all the same to me.”

Ignis made a fair point, saying how we couldn’t die here, we had no other option. And so we were brought aboard the Imperial Warship. We were rescued by the same man who may or may not have had a hand in the attack on Insomnia that ultimately killed Noctis and Gladio’s fathers.

We sat on the floor of the Imperial machine, quietly discussing our options for when we landed. Where was he even going to let us out? It turned out, not too far from my home in the forest of Duscae. But we had a bigger problem- the Regalia was missing. The Empire had clearly ‘taken it for safe keeping’ during the Titan fight, but it was not returned to a specified location.

Under the authority of the High Commander, the Imperial War Strategist, most of the road blockades had returned ‘for public safety.’ Ignis suspected it was a tactic to keep us under surveillance, or at least keep us locked down to this region. In the meantime, Noctis had called Cindy, asking her to keep an ear out for the car, and of course, to my annoyance, Prompto was bouncing over his shoulder just to hear her voice.

Without the car, I made a suggestion. “If we kill Deadeye, we could start using Chocobos to travel.”

“Oh dude!” Prompto grabbed onto my shoulders and kicked his feet in the air, “I do love the way you think!”

“I suppose you do make a convincing argument,” Ignis acknowledged, his gloved fist on his chin.

We walked up the winding road toward Wiz’s Chocobo Races, a road I knew by heart, and although I was excited to see Wiz, my pace slowed. Gladio put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close.

“Worried about your mom?” he asked.

I nodded, and he smiled down at me, promising, “I’ll talk to Noct. See if we can stop by between missions, alright?” He kissed my cheek and encouraged me to jog alongside him. We passed by the others, running faster than them, and found that although the race track was closed, there were still people milling around the premises. A few rows of Chocobos were out in their pens, enjoying the sunlight, and Prompto was the first one over to pet them. While he took pictures of and with them, Noctis, Ignis and I spoke with Wiz Forlane, the owner of the racetrack and issuer of the Deadeye bounty. I had known Wiz for many years, and he was like an uncle to me. He was proud to see my Crownsguard uniform and that I had taken up the hunt like my father. I could see he was apprehensive about my fighting abilities, but when Gladio approached and set a strong arm around my waist, saying he’d watch out for me, Wiz nodded and gave us directions on where Deadeye was last seen. My heart was pounding in my ears, but like every other matter in my life, there was no turning back.

#final fantasy xv #ff15 #finalfantasyxvau #fate and destiny #final fantasy #ignis #noctis #gladio #prompto #crownsguard #action #chocobros #ardyn #noctis lucis caelum #no turning back

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followthestars · 3 years

Text

I have had this idea for a while, but am not sure it’s gonna go anywhere.

Noctis as a baby, was kidnapped by a Niflheim spy and brought to the empire.

They planned to use him to make MTs with magic, perhaps even turn him into one later.

Ardyn, curious, goes to see the baby, knows this is the chosen king.

Noctis is a cute baby. A cute baby that’s looking up at him with sleepy eyes and making grabby hands. A baby that is smiling at him.

He’s a bit reminded of when his brother was an innocent baby.

Ardyn is in a daze as he picks up the tiny prince, who happily cuddles into his chest and goes straight to sleep.

Well, he’s lost, the baby has won him over.

Besithia makes a comment of him to please stop messing with his experiments.

We now have a dead scientist.

Ardyn decides, he’ll just get the little one back to Lucis, as he’s tearing apart the entire laboratory and picking up a second baby.

He’s walking right past Cor, armiger circling when he pauses, goes back to the shell shocked man, and hands over the second baby he picked up, then goes back on his merry way.

He’s in Tenebrae when he realizes he just openly defected from the empire. He forgot about Cor, and the second baby.

Regis is informed of Ardyn having magic, so there’s a discreet search being started to find this previously unknown LC that the Niffs had.

Sylva is now sure how to handle the Accursed in her city, with a baby.

Where did he even get a baby?

Ardyn, as a joke, is calling Noctis Somnus for now, just until he finds a way to sneak the child back into the Citadel.

He is very attached to the little one by now though.

Sylva is curious on if she can remove the scourge from Ardyn herself. She has to stop after a short while, he carries too much to remove.

Ardyn did warn her.

He ends up wandering to Accordo before Cor and some glaives arrive looking for Noctis.

Sylva realizes that the baby Ardyn has was Noctis and tells them as such. Sadly he hadn’t told her where he was going.

Ardyn is having a nice train ride though, Noctis seems to like staring out the window or napping when not needing a diaper change or bottle.

Anyone that asks for Noctis’ name is given the name Somnus.

He enjoys his little joke of using his little brother’s name to keep the prince hidden from anyone that might take him back to Niflheim.

He discovers Noctis is oddly obsessed with fish in Altissia. His armiger now has a lot of stuffed animals shaped like different fish to entertain the little one.

He eventually heads to Galdin, and gets an idea.

Screw the Prophecy, he’ll just stop spreading scourge and raise a little prince. It’ll be fun to spit in Bahamut’s face doing this.

Plus Noctis is an adorable baby that isn’t scared of him.

He finds a nice place to live in Galdin and just works as a hunter. He can’t let his skills with weapons get rusty, and he will need to train Noctis in the future.

He needs a new name, Somnus was funny, but he’s not going to raise a baby using his brother’s name.

He doesn’t want to make it obvious he’s got the prince... Sol is a good name. No one will realize a child named Sol was Noctis!

Ardyn isn’t really thinking things through in this, but going with his first impulse. He really needs someone to be his impulse control.

#ardyn izunia #noctis lucis caelum #cor leonis #verstael besithia #prompto argentum #starry thoughts #Screw the Prophecy au #Giving this a name even if I never continue it #I just like the idea of Ardyn slowly learning #He has no idea how to raise a baby #While Regis is panicking over an unknown relative having been the chancellor and his son having been kidnapped #Noctis getting all the fish plushies #He will be even more spoiled than in canon honestly #Ardyn can't tell the little guy no #Babies usually have an instinctual fear of him but little Noctis decided he was his favorite person isntantly

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tsukuna · 4 years

Text

Assistant to the Chancellor

Summary: “An outsider with no reason to be given the hefty task of dealing with the Gralean Empire’s flamboyant chancellor has ended up with just that. She’s willing to put up with all the antics, but is there ulterior motives for her obedience that none are privy to? And can they compete with the grim secrets of Chancellor Izunia himself?”

No True Rating Yet • Female Reader • Before the Events of XV • Under the Cut

A couple weeks had passed since you had begun working for Chancellor Izunia and you found yourself growing more comfortable with his flamboyant personality. If nothing else, you could tolerate it. There were even moments where you found yourself giggling at his little antics, to which he’d react with a self-satisfied smirk. You were grateful that these flirty gestures and comments were at least coming from an attractive man, not someone slimy and entirely not your type (which you weren’t quite sure what would even constitute as “your type”). You shuddered to imagine Besithia acting as Ardyn does.

It had taken a couple days and evenings, but you finally finished the paperwork--sifting through what you’d bring to his attention, throwing whatever out, putting official seals on anything that required it. All simple things, but it seemed far too much for someone who didn’t even appear to take the politics seriously. Though who were you to judge when you hardly took the work seriously yourself?

A sigh passed your lips, knowing that it would already be dark outside and thus you would need to go sleep soon after. You placed a soft knock on the Chancellor’s office door.

“Come in, love,” he invited with a sing-song voice.

“Ardyn,” you gave a short bow, “everything you need is ready for you.” You explained the gist of what you completed, hoping it’d make his busy work easier.

“Thank you. You continue to impress me everyday,” he said your name with a warm expression.

“That’s the goal, right?” You offered up the same energy. “I know it’s a bit late, and I wouldn’t want to keep you any longer, but is there anything else you’d like from me before I take my leave?”

Ardyn closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat, obviously considering your request. “Dinner!”

“Eh?” There was no chance of you holding back the shock on your face.

“Your boss is requesting that you share dinner with him,” he chirped. All you could do was blink at him for a few moments.

“I actually had some leftovers I have to finish so they don’t, uh, go bad,” you made an excuse.

“Hm, quite a predicament we find ourselves in,” Ardyn stated, scratching his stubble. “How about this then!” He excitedly put a finger up as if having an ‘Aha!’ moment. “Tomorrow is our day off, yes?” You slowly nodded your head with a quirked eyebrow. “Then we will go out for dinner, a nice dinner tomorrow night!”

“I…” You had no excuses to deny the Chancellor this time, and his satisfied expression indicated he was well aware. “If you truly wish to share a meal with your humble assistant tomorrow night, I shall accept.”

A sly smile graced Ardyn’s lips, “Wonderful, I haven’t had anything to look forward to in quite some time. We can meet here in the evening.” He laughed before waving you away, “That’ll be all for today, my dear. See you tomorrow,” he winked.

You bowed before bidding him goodnight and rushing to your room. Non-work related conversations with the man always left your brain feeling drained as you tried to ascertain what motivations he had under that carefree facade. You crashed unceremoniously onto your bed, not bothering to eat anything, though you technically did have leftovers that were going to spoil.

What were you to wear tomorrow? What conversation points did you have to discuss? Where were you even going to eat? Such questions eventually lulled you into a sleep.

Though not a very satisfying one. You woke up in the late afternoon to a mess of rat’s nest of hair and dried drool caked to one side of your mouth. ‘Maybe I should show up like this,’ you snorted but your better judgement told you to clean up. It wouldn’t be any good to lose your current position, it’s already difficult to get the information you’re looking for as is. You slinked off to the showers, making sure the temperature was as hot as your skin could take before stepping in. The shower routine you had wasn’t too long, yet you still sat there in contemplation long after you were done.

Travels all around Eos led you to no further information on what you were seeking--information about the lost and long-forgotten Astral you heard stories of as a child; stories that were deeply rooted in your existence. Eventually, the only place you hadn’t checked was Niflheim. And so here you sat, in the last place you could hope to check.

Your skin was raw from the hot water by the time you finally exited, but hey, at least you were clean now; however the clock was ticking against you, you slept in far too late and showered far too long. “Ah shit,” scolding yourself, you quickly got to work on finishing up your appearance.

It was nothing special, frankly speaking. You didn’t want to look like you tried too hard for your kinda-but-not-really dinner date with your superior. Donned in a black, sleeved, and laced dress accented with gold, you accessorized only with your pendant. The only styling your hair received was a decent blow drying. Nodding as you checked the mirror last time, you headed towards the office, but not to work this time.

Truthfully, you expected the Chancellor to be late like he often is at work, so your heart skipped a beat to see him waiting. “Apologies for making you wait for me,” you bowed once you finally reached him.

Taking you by the chin, Ardyn lifted your head up and gave one of the signature smiles, “Not a problem. I would be happy to wait a thousand years for a beauty such as yourself,” he kissed the back of your hand with a wink. Though it was nothing out of the ordinary for him to say, there was something about it that felt chilling. “I see you’re as lovely as ever,” he offered as a compliment.

“I see you’re looking… the same as ever,” you quirked a brow. He wore his typical dark, layered outfit, though you were a bit relieved to see that he ditched the fedora for the night. ‘I quite prefer his wine-red hair uncovered,’ you admitted to yourself.

“Apologies,” he chuckled, “Believe it or not, I don’t own very many outfits.” Seeing how eccentric Ardyn was, you did believe him and nodded as confirmation. “Well then,” he said your name in a rather sultry way that made you blush, “shall we get going?” The chancellor offered his arm to you, which you timidly took.

The two of you shortly arrived at a low-lit, rather intimate restaurant. It was intimidating to an extent, you’d never bothered to go somewhere nice. Your life had been about eating quickly, eating cheap, and only eating when necessary. “I don’t know if I belong at a nice place like this,” you remarked with a laugh as the two of you were seated.

“Nonsense, it is my duty to treat my ever faithful assistant to something out of the norm,” Ardyn gestured around the room.

“Treating?” You opened your eyes wide. “That won’t be necessary. I can pay for it. Though I appreciate the thought,” you put on a smile.

“Absolutely not! I am the one who invited you after all.”

“Well then next time I have to pay!” You quickly smacked your hand over your mouth, realizing what you said and the implications of it.

“You are one of the most entertaining humans I have ever met,” Ardyn stifled a laugh. “But fine, if you are to ask me out, I will allow you to pay.”

“Ever the gentleman.”

The chatter the two of you kept over dinner was rather innocent and not professional, but not overly colloquial either. There were, however, multiple incidences of him reaching over the small table to get touches of your hand in. To be honest, you weren’t too shocked at the gesture, but it did garner a bit of surprise out of you when he instead clutched your pendant between his fingers.

“Such an interesting little thing,” the Chancellor pointed out. “Such an interesting little gem.” He examined the green crystal, the designs within, and the metal twining with fervor. “You wear it daily.”

You nodded. “It is very special to me, it is all I have of my parents,” a soft smile came to your face. “It was actually an anniversary gift to my mother, but after their death, it ended up in my hands.” You paused before continuing, “It is the only earthly possession I truly care for--my most precious treasure.”

“To care for something is quite a gift,” Ardyn spoke absentmindedly almost as if you weren’t there, but you hummed affirmatively anyways. The waiter brought the check, breaking the man out of what appeared to be deep thought. It was a fast transaction, and finally, the night was winding down to an end.

Ever the chivalrous man, Ardyn walked you to your living spaces. “Thank you for tonight,” you bowed deeply. “It was an honor to spend alone time with the Chancellor,” the pleasantries slipped from your lips. It was a shock to find his fingers flicking your forehead, and you recoiled at the slight sensation.

“I thought I told you long ago not to act so, hmm, how to say… kiss-assy with me just cause you work for me,” the man rarely swore so you couldn’t fight the full smile and laugh that was drawn from you. He seemed pleased to have garnered such a reaction. “Sorry,” you managed to get out after another laugh.

“Well, dearest, it appears the night out is over. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.” You nodded in agreement. “I shall see you once the work week begins,” the ever cheeky Ardyn leaned down to give a kiss to your forehead where he had previously flicked it before quickly turning and waving goodbye.

As you tried to sleep, your face heated every time you thought of the peck. You were aware that the majority of his flatteries were empty, but it still gave you butterflies. You had never let anyone share contact like that with you after all. A deep sigh rose out of you, you had to brush off all the strange feelings before work began as usual; however, you didn’t know if Ardyn would ever let you do so. The man certainly knew how to press buttons you didn’t know existed.

‘What a pain.’

#ardyn x reader #also posted to ao3 #find me on ao3 as Adagium (Chxltxn)#Self Insert #female reader #ardyn izunia #ardyn lucis caelum #final fantasy xv #ffxv #ghuoligans #multichapter #oops 2 years later #ardyn/reader #still love my boy though #slow build

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imaginefan · 4 years

Text

Between Princes

Noctis Lucis Caelum X Reader

Word Count: 1090

Requested: @thatcucumberwhore

Request: Noctis Lucis Caelum x male reader. Reader is the heir to the Empire and the secret lover of Noctis. Noctis and reader want to start a coup so that reader can replace his father and so the world of Eos knows peace. Fluff if possible aswell. (And no prophecy and no Ardyn please, just happy stuff)

Some would say being a Prince was hard work and you'd be inclined to agree with them if your father actually trusted you to make any decisions on your own, you found that when you made a decision he's swop in out of literally nowhere and change everything to better fit his image of the world he wanted but much like the world you had tired of war and everything it involved, you didn't see a point to the war that you were fighting you could easily live in peace with the leaders and people Lucis but your father didn't want to share, he wanted to own everything.

That was where the plan to overthrow him came from, you had decided that you had enough of it and you approached the prince of Lucis, Noctis Lucis Caelum about your plan and it would have been harder to convince him if you weren't already dating, your plan was to convince your Dad that you should marry into the Lucis family so that when Noctis became king you could be able to kill him and take the kingdom for yourself. This was accepted on most fronts, you marrying Noctis you'd both been dating since you were young and had even thought about making it public (since you were in a position of power in The Empire Noctis could marry someone that he wanted to and still make a political move) before this plan was brought forward and everyone wanted to trick your father into giving up everything, Noctis had spoken to his father and had come to one conclusion that there was no guarantee that he was going to hand the Empire to you before you were married, you needed to find a way to get your father to give up the Empire.

You walked knocked on the bedroom door of the Oracle smiling when she opened the door "Oracle." You greeted her with a smile and she rolled her eyes. "Don't start that (Y/N)." She said as she pulled you into the room "how are you and Noctis?" "Good, that's actually why I'm here." You answered. "Oh, are you going to go public?" She asked with a smirk on her face. "Sort of but we need you and your brother to help us before that." You explained. "Ravus?" She asked. "You two could convince my Dad to give me the Empire." You answered. "Why do you need that?" She asked. "Don't pretend that you don't hate the way that my father runs this place, we are going to change it but the only way that this is going to work is if we can get my Dad to give me the power that he has." You explained. "We should talk to my brother," Luna said and you nodded.

You knocked on Ravus' office door and opened it before he granted permission to do so "Hello Ravus." You smiled as his sister walked in behind you, staying by the door to make sure that no one else tried to interrupt. "What do you want?" He asked. "Is that any way to talk to your prince?" You asked, he only glared at you and you smirked. "So you know how you hate my father... You want to help me overthrow him?" "What are you up to?" He asked. "I'm sick of meeting my boyfriend in a dark corner, so we're going to get married." You answered. "And this is going to overthrow your father?" He asked. "No, you are. I have to take a trip to 'convince' them to take on this plan." You explained putting quotations around the word convince. "You are going to come with me and when we come back you are going to tell my father that they will refuse the marriage unless there's something more in it for them."

"So you convinced him?" Noctis asked as you both laid in his bed at the Citadel. "Not yet, Ravus is going to do that for me." You answered. "Ravus? Are you sure?" He asked. "He's a very good actor and if all else fails he'll do anything to give his sister the best life." You answered. "No offence but a loveless marriage for peace is not the best life." You muttered as you patted his cheek. "Are you sure that this will work?" Noctis asked as he turned over to look at you. "I'm sure that Ravus is going to make it work." You promised pressing a kiss to the top of his head as you pulled him into a hug.

When you got home you weren't expecting what Ravus had planned, your Dad didn't say anything when you walked into the throne room "I think it went well." You shrugged, his eyes moved to Ravus. "It went terribly." He corrected "they are now demanding that we give them something more worthwhile." "Worthwhile?" He asked. "They described him as a petulant child, if this marriage is to happen they want something more," Ravus answered. "My lord if I may." Luna stepped forward. "There is still time to get what you want, we all know that your son is not fit to lead so instead you give the impression that he leads, you perform the ceremony to hand over the Empire and he will the empire to you in his absence and then once he gets Lucis he gives it all back to you." "Mmm." Your father hummed as he looked at you. "Don't mess this up." He warned.

Everything moved quickly from there two ceremonies, two fake deaths and an invitation later and your father genuinely thought that he had won, he walked into the large throne room, you sat on the throne leant back relaxed. "Good work son." He smiled as he walked towards you but before he could get to close you gestured for the Glaive to take him. "You're under arrest for crimes against the crown," Noctis said as he appeared next to you. "You can't arrest me, I'm the Emperor!" He yelled. "No, I'm the emperor, remember." You smirked. "You betrayed me!" He glared. "That would imply that we were on the same side once." You shrugged "Bye."

"A lot is going to change now." You mumbled as you sat on Noctis' bed cross-legged. "Second thoughts?" Noctis asked as he stood in front of you. "Never." You smiled as you pressed a kiss to his lips. "We'll do this together." He promised and you nodded. "For now, we have time to make up for."

Requests and general question!

#final fantasy 15 #final fantasy 15 imagine #final fantasy 15 oneshot #final fantasy vx #final fantasy vx imagine #final fantasy vx oneshot #Noctis Lucis Caelum #noctis lucis caelum imagine #noctis lucis caelum oneshot #imagine #oneshot #one shot #reader insert

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starpierced · 4 years

Text

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF PROMPTO ARGENTUM

below is a comprehensive list of the timeline of prompto’s life, both before and after canon. information is taken directly from either the official timeline on the ffxv wiki or from my own personal headcanons.

OCTOBER 25TH, M.E. 735 - PROMPTO ARGENTUM is born in niflheim, a clone of the mad scientist verstael besithia, and designed to be a magitek trooper for the empire. he is given a serial barcode for identification and inventory purpose.

MAY 3RD, M.E. 736 - PROMPTO ARGENTUM is taken by lucian spies from the magitek trooper creation facility. he is given to a family in insomnia, and raised as human for the rest of his life. with absentee parents, the boy is often left to his own devices, and wonders if it was his fault they’re never around. although he doesn’t remember his origins, he’s always been cognizant of his barcode, taking special effort to hide it. he was painfully shy and lonely as a child, and his appearance never much helped in that regard, being overweight and wearing glasses.

UNKNOWN DATE, M.E. 748 - LUNAFREYA NOX FLEURET sends her dog pryna to find noctis, but instead, PROMPTO ARGENTUM wanders upon the injured animal. taking care of the dog’s injury, it is later sent back with a letter for him from lady lunafreya. she asks that prompto become noctis’ friend, as he doesn’t socialize much with his peers, asking that he remain ‘ever at his side’. this jumpstarts prompto’s desire to change, and so he does, forming an over-exaggerated personality, eating better, and going for runs more often. he keeps her letter as motivation, wanting to be worthy of being noctis’ friend.

UNKNOWN DATE, M.E. 751 - NOCTIS LUCIS CAELUM befriends PROMPTO ARGENTUM in high school. they’re fast friends, and stay friends for a long time.

MAY 16TH AND 17TH, M.E. 756 - NOCTIS, IGNIS, GLADIO, AND PROMPTO set out for altissia to bring noctis to his marriage of LUNAFREYA NOX FLEURET. however, insomnia falls that night, and the headlines break the news the next morning. they stand over the hill looking on the smoking ruins of insomnia, the crown city.

JUNE 27TH, M.E. 756 - LADY LUNAFREYA NOX FLEURET is killed following the summoning of the leviathan in altissia. ignis has gone blind from using the ring of the lucii. hope seems to be lost to most everyone.

JUNE 28TH-JUNE 31ST, M.E. 756 - PROMPTO ARGENTUM is pushed off of the train heading through imperial territory. he is brought to the magitek facility where he was created, and comes face to face with horrors unknown to man. he meets his creator, verstael, and kills him when he begins to transform into a daemon. after fleeing, he struggles with his newfound knowledge of self. wanting to rid himself of his barcode, prompto burns his wrist with a log from the fire. aranea is able to reverse some of the damage with a curative, but it leaves a nasty scar. after defeating verstael’s machines, he makes his way to gralea, intent in reuniting with noctis and company, only to be captured and tortured by ardyn as bait.

JUNE 31ST, M.E. 756 - NOCTIS LUCIS CAELUM is taken into the crystal to absorb its power, IGNIS, GLADIO, and PROMPTO are left behind for the next ten years.

NOVEMBER 2ND, M.E. 766 - NOCTIS LUCIS CAELUM sacrifices himself to defeat ardyn and dispel the starscourge he created. IGNIS, GLADIO, and PROMPTO defeat daemons until the sun comes up again.

DECEMBER 10TH, M.E. 766 - THE CROWNSGUARD AND KINGSGLAIVE are formally disbanded, as there is no need for a royal guard with no royalty. lucis mourns, and so does prompto. he fulfills his dream of becoming a profession photographer.

MARCH 23RD, M.E. 768 - PROMPTO ARGENTUM’S first photography exhibit is held in insomnia. it draws a large crowd, as he’s become known for his skill and passion with photography. many shots feature the sights he saw before the world went dark, nature, towns, various areas of lucis. he garners quite a name for himself.

AUGUST 29TH, M.E. 770 - PROMPTO ARGENTUM’S body and health begin to fail him in subtle ways. he has known since gralea that he was expendable, and designed to be that way. finally, he is able to visit noctis’ tomb on his own. he leaves flowers often, and stays in contact with ignis and gladio. he is never quite as happy as he was all those years ago.

NOVEMBER 2ND, M.E. 771 - PROMPTO ARGENTUM visits the tomb of the last king of lucis. he’s created a scrapbook of the pictures and memories he made with his best friends. IGNIS and GLADIO receive a copy, too. the only picture he never duplicated was the one noctis took with him five years ago. he leaves the photo album near noctis’ grave, and thanks him for all the memories they’ve shared. over the years, he grows in his noteriety as a photographer, and has several more exhibits over the next 11 years. his works are often bought by the rich of lucis, and he’s able to pursue his passion in comfort. due to growing aches and pains, he falls out of the habit of his daily runs, and begins to experience growing fatigue, as well as the occasional seizure.

OCTOBER 27TH, M.E. 782 - PROMPTO is doing well for himself in photography, he’s had several famous exhibits, and has made quite a name for himself. he makes time for his friends, he visits those who don’t linger in insomnia, and moves on as much as he can. his health is waning, he’s been stricken with arthritis in late years, and finds it hard to do the very thing he loves. if it came to it, he’s made enough selling his works to life whatever remains of his life in peace. for the next few years, he travels as much as he can, dedicating whatever remains of his life to the creation of his final photography exhibit. he retires at age 47 to his apartment in insomnia, and remains relatively quiet for the whatever remains of his life. the seizures continue, and as often as they can, he meets up with IGNIS and GLADIO.

NOVEMBER 8TH, M.E. 787 - RENOWNED PHOTOGRAPHER PROMPTO ARGENTUM FOUND DEAD IN HIS APARTMENT, the headline breaks a few days later. he died in his sleep, a seizure, the coroner said. his expendable life had reached its limit, he was lucky to get the years he did, all 52 of them. he died with no regrets, and was proud of the life he lived. he is not survived by any children or lovers, or any remaining family. he was a beloved friend, crownsguard, and icon with the world of photography. he is buried in a quiet graveyard, and his life is left to history.

#「 ☆ . › headcanon . 」 ── 𝒊 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅.#death //#seizures //#:^)

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avianscribe · 4 years

Note

If you still have a slot for your adjectives prompts, how about "clever"?

Aaaaah I’m so sorry it took so long to write this! I intended to have all my prompts done in June, but alas >_< Still, here it is! And this one went a bit angsty! I hope you still enjoy. Thanks so much for the prompt!

Warnings for psychological torture and physical abuse and Zegnautus vibes in general, flavored with Ardyn...

----------------------

It was his nth day here.

Prompto didn’t know the actual number (he might have, if his hands had been free to scratch tally marks into the metal frame of this cursed torture tree) but it was a new day nonetheless.

He thought. There weren’t any windows, and he couldn’t see the sky to know for sure… but he’d slept. Sort of.

He took as deep a breath as he could. Hanging here, every breath hurt. Breathe too deep, and his diaphragm (or whatever that muscle was; Ignis probably knew) would just… spasm. And stop. Shallow and slow was the key. Too quick, and he’d hyperventilate again, and that was another fresh hell.

For now, he could only wait for Ardyn to come. It was always Ardyn. Prompto never (hardly ever?) saw anyone else. He wondered what would be different about today. If he’d be fed intravenously or if he’d actually get some dry bread this time. If he’d get water from a bottle -- or if Ardyn would let his arms down so he could feed himself.

If he’d drag him off to that other room with the metal table and the lights.

… At least it’d be different.

A clang echoed down the cell block. Someone was coming.

Prompto steeled himself. Ardyn always brought pain with him, but sometimes he also brought food, water, and relief.

What Prompto didn’t expect was a patter of feet, lighter than the sounds of Ardyn’s heavy boots. He didn’t expect the patter to come to a sliding stop. He didn’t expect the breathless “There you are!” of Noct’s voice.

Anxious relief washed over Prompto in a rush, and he raised his head. He tried to blink his eyes into focus on the dark blur. “N… Noct?” he rasped.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” Noctis said, as he came closer. “Let me look at you.” A hand took Prompto gently by the chin and turned his face this way and that. Noctis tutted. (When had he ever done that before?) “You’re looking rather worse for wear.”

There was something… off… about the cadence of the words, but Prompto couldn’t help the tears that started down his cheeks. “I knew you’d come,” he whimpered. “I knew…”

“You’re so trusting,” Noctis murmured. Then, louder, “I’m sorry it took so long. Royal business. You know how it is. But I’m here now.”

Prompto tried to swallow, but his throat only clicked. He needed water badly, but Noctis was here -- Noctis was here, but something still felt funny -- and not in the “haha, very funny Noct” way. “Royal business?”

Noctis let go of Prompto’s chin. “Not something a civilian needs to worry about,” he said dismissively.

That rubbed Prompto wrong. It didn’t matter how royal the things were that Noctis was doing; he’d never treated Prompto like he was beneath anything. It was… more like he didn’t want to trouble Prompto with things he didn’t have to worry about. And Royal Things were things to worry about.

And for all that… Noctis was his friend. If he knew Prompto was in trouble, he’d stop at nothing to save him.

Maybe. Prompto would have thought that, anyway, before Noctis had shoved him off a train.

“They've got you in here pretty tight, haven't they, " Noctis was saying. Prompto felt a tug on one of his wrists. His skin crawled. This was wrong.

"Where's Gladio?" Prompto asked. Then with a snap Noctis released the binding on that wrist. Prompto's arm fell, painfully jolting the rest of him, and he yelped.

"Oh, he's around," Noctis said.

That wasn't right, either. Gladio would never in his life let Noctis just waltz around this place crawling with the Empire's invented soldiers (and no, Prompto was not unpacking that right now -- he'd save his panic attack about his origins for another time).

Now Prompto was dangling from the metal frame by one wrist and it hurt, and even though Noctis was fiddling with the other binding, Prompto wasn't quite ready when his other wrist fell. Noctis made no move to catch him, and his face smacked against the floor when he landed. He groaned and made no move to get up.

"Sorry," Noctis said, but he sounded more amused than sorry.

Noctis had not once asked if he was okay. (He clearly wasn't, but.)

Noctis would at least have asked.

A hand slid under Prompto's arm and levered him so he could sit -- and now that he was closer, he searched Noct's face.

Noct's eyes, cold and amused, peered back at him half-lidded.

The last of Prompto’s faint relief drained away and horror flooded in. “You… You’re not Noct.”

The thing that wore Noct’s face smirked (Noctis never smirked like that) and raised a hand to his head -- and between one blink and the next, Noctis was replaced by Ardyn, doffing his hat in a mocking bow. “Clever boy,” he said.

#final fantasy xv #prompto argentum #ardyn izunia #zegnautus #avianscribe's writing

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sparklecryptid · 4 years

Note

Hi! I left A Thing in your Ao3 inbox. Royal bastard au pt 1. Enjoy! ❤️ IgnisFelicis

Whenever she cannot stand to look at Titus anymore without doing him harm, she takes solo missions or holiday time to go wreck some of Niffs plans. Drautos tries to tag along whenever possible and follow after her like a kicked puppy despite the fact that she is likely to run him through with her spear.

The Marshal starts getting more and more suspicious at the data he is getting from an anonymous source and seeing wrecked bases all over Lucis without being personally responsible for said destruction.

And then comes that day in cleigne, on the arches across the river.

And she refuses, completely refuses to let it happen as it did in the previous life. The deaths they prevented won't matter, if Niffs crush them now. She saw the mages falter. The Glaives fall, injured or dead. Something in her blood boiled over. Ramuh's magic, his covenant unlocked something deep in her soul. The foreign magic's seared away as her body was filled with newoldstrange power to the brim.

"Titus, get them out of here. Now." She growled with that otherworldly tone that characterised those favoured by a god, Bahamut especially. Drautos could do no more but obey. He was beholden to her, the magic that brought them back tied around his soul.

She walked across the battlefield, calmly compressing her rage and using its cold edge to hone her instincts even as retreat was called. She saw Nyx flit around the battlefield saving anybody he came across, even moving towards her. He only fell back when Titus ordered him away under the threat of locking him in a box until the next deployment. And even then he only left after he cought a glance of her golden eyes and lightning flashing across her body. It spoke of fury about to be unleashed. "Ulric! Get back here this instant and leave. Wyrmwood to her insanity!"

She unleashes a lightning storm that only grows worse once Ramuh unswers her demand. Enemies fall under her hand by the dozen.

And when the Empire tries to deal away with the Storm Father like they did Shiva, Morgan unleashes the weapons that slumbered in her soul, blades much less ornate than those used by the Caelums but no less deadly. A rain of crimson ghostly weapons sent tearing through the Omega and the infected or demonic creatures left no survivors.

When she came back to the camp - dirty, drained almost dry and exhausted but oh so viciously satisfied she was met by wide eyes and pale faces.

It makes her snort.

"Titus. I'm not going anywhere before getting a decent night of sleep, taking a long shower and eating something that is not rations. You can drag me before the King after."

With Regis, after a gruelling series of questions.

"With all due respect, Majesty" her tone made it clear that there was not a lot of it. It made Cor bristle. "your magic always felt wrong but I had none of my own until Ramuh decided to meddle and toss me and Tito, here, back in time."

The accusations of trying to work against Insomnia, she just laughed derisively in the faces of the nobles.

"Why would I want to destroy Insomnia? I have already seen it razed to the ground. I've seen the shield fall under the blasts from a godkiller, full of demons prowling through the rubble, Glaives killed by traitors and King run through by a blade of a false ally. Yes, sure, I'll turn traitor to all of my values, let my family, my clan, my people suffer even more than they already had." She stares them down with her unearthly gaze, full of magic about to be unleashed. All the nobles avert their eyes, the cowards. When she reaches the King he holds her eyes even as it pains him.

"It's true, I hold no love for the Caelum line. The traitor Kings of Insomnia have failed me and mine more than enough. The Galahd has been betrayed by You and left for your enemies to destroy. Just like most of Lucis - only we would never roll over and present our bellies to the Niffs." She smiled maliciously at the King, her gaze accusing him of things that had yet to happen. Who looked pained and guilty rather than indignant like most of his council.

"I am here and work for Lucis, because my people were allowed to come here. And despite the insulting conditions they gave I'll keep doing that as it keeps my family safe."

Eventually, the two of them were allowed to leave.

"Your Majesty, may I ask a question?"

"Yes, Glaive Wyrmwood."

"Haven't you ever wondered why holding the Wall up is so hard, even with a focus? Why it drains you, your life, vitality and magic so much that you aged fourty years in a third of that time? Were the chains on the Crystal there to make it easier to control or to hinder the dragon that dwells within?"

She walks away leaving him with that to ponder.

A few days later, Morgan sneaks in to Cor's office while he is there. He almost skewers her for it. She parries his attack and dumps a pile of papers, freshly taken out of the Armiger on his desk. He dismisses his katana with a glower and starts looking through it when the woman vanishes. Monica, concerned by the noises opens the door just as he starts swearing.

"Marshal? What happened?"

"It appears" - he answers without taking his eyes off the documents - "that the ghost decided to stop hiding."

Monica almost chokes on her saliva. What?

"Find Wyrmwood and tell her to get back here ASAP!"

The news about a red Armiger wielding Glaive gets to the Empire as well. Ardyn cannot help but investigate.

He finds Morgan.

And ends up summoning the Infernian.

Her eyes turn golden as her magic gets free of restraints and starts sparking gold and red as she focuses on fighting the demonified Astral. And cussing them both out.

Her dual magic and the fact that Ramuh appears at her request end up breaking the forced bond between Ardyn and Ifrit. It clears the infection and makes even Ardyn stagger as some of the hatred that completely overwhelmed him gets simply taken away.

Ifrit gives her the mark of his covenant.

Oooooooooo thats an interesting idea! I do like the idea of Ifrit giving her the mark of his covenant actually! It’s really interesting! And while this doesn’t exactly fit into the lore i have planned it was a delight to read! Thank you for sharing it with me!!!!

Morgan: I am not a troll, i do not take joy in frustrating others.

Also Morgan: ;)

I love the bit about Titus wanting to follow her but respecting her boundaries all the same.

Also! For future reference, I do have my submit open and it should allow you to send stuff like this in? Even if you are on anon.

If its not on rn then I’ll activate it when I’m on an actual computer.

#ignis felicis #toward daylight verse

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a-world-in-grey · 4 years

Text

Take My Breath au - Roadtrip (Duscae)

Some bad, some good, some cute - and some of Sola terrifying the shit out of Ravus. @secret-engima because hey, we get to see Ardyn and Sola exchange words!

-Sola has to admit that helping Uncle Cor take out the Norduscaen blockade was cathartic (though the exasperated why me look he gave her after she walked in the front gate with the rest of the Retinue, glaive across her shoulders and she cheerfully announced that being the distraction was fun was completely unnecessary) and she’s in a much better mood as they wander through Duscae looking for more royal tombs.

-They pick up a couple hunts - including a damn behemoth so Prompto can ride Chocobos, but in the face of Prompto’s delighted expression no one can begrudge the blonde - and Sola heals a few people from what looks like poison. Black crawling through their veins that feels like a smothering, choking fog as Sola pulls it into herself. She frowns as her magic fights off the poison, but sluggishly, taking hours, even days where normally she’d be fine in a manner of minutes.

-It’s odd, but her magic beats it off as it does everything else, so Sola simply keeps her gloves on and jacket sleeves down to hide the black creeping up her hands and wrists. The others would only worry, and she’s fine.

-Until she’s not.

-Until the poison in her veins are creeping up her forearms, up her arms, and she’s vomiting up black goo almost every night. Fortunately, she has her own tent - as big as Gladio’s is, there’s no way to cram four people inside when three of them are six feet tall, and Gladio is... Gladio - and a decade of having hanahaki has taught her how to hide the fact that she’s getting sicker every day.

-In Lestallum, Sola crashes hard when they reach the Leville. She sleeps in later than Noctis even, and wakes up after Noctis has left with Iris to tour Lestallum. Ignis returns first, and it turns out that Pelna and Axis are in Lestallum and Sola takes the chance for an update.

-She even waves off the Chocobros when they go to find the next Tomb, instead going out to get takeout and finding a discreet place to have lunch and talk about glaive operations.

-Then lunch gets interrupted by that same silky tone Sola is coming to hate. She’s not the only one to react violently, weapons whirling through the air. Ardyn casually sidesteps them all. His casual remark that Sola’s finally found herself a Shield is met with a snarl from Axis, but Sola waves both Pelna and Axis down. They cannot afford to start a fight here - too many civilians, too many refugees that cannot afford Imperial attention turning to the city - no matter how much Ardyn deserves a knife to the kidney.

-Then Ardyn grabs Sola’s hand, pushing her sleeve up and revealing the black poison stark against pale skin before Sola can wrench her arm away. But Ardyn knows what this is, mentions that it is the Scourge her little brother is fated to defeat, even if at this rate Ardyn doubts Sola will live to see it. Pelna and Axis still dangerously, and Adryn leaves with a vague comment of wondering how Sola will go.

-Sola, Pelna, and Axis return to the Leville, where Sola pulls Jared aside and asks him to look into the Starscourge - and what happens to those who are infected with it. It means revealing her infection to Jared and making the man promise not to tell the others, because Sola can feel it now. She’s dying, and unless they miraculously find a cure, Sola won’t survive.

-Pelna and Axis are not happy. They argue with Sola when Sola refuses to divert Kingsglaive forces to researching the Scourge. She tells them that they don’t know if there is a cure, and it’s more important that they continue to fight the Empire. Pelna is named Second, and if when Sola dies, he will be Chief.

-Unfortunately, Iris overhears enough and bursts into the room to confront Sola about it. Sola sighs and lets Iris look at her arms with trembling fingers. She has Iris promise not to tell the others, because they need to focus on protecting Noctis, not her. Iris nods, and Sola kneels down to wipe away Iris’ tears. Especially because Iris sniffles that she’s going to leave her Shield all alone. The glaives blink down at Iris, and Iris sniffs again, this time in part offense and says that she’s not blind. Axis is Sola’s Shield, and... Iris hesitates before she quietly adds that he’s family too, isn’t he?

-Axis is still as a statue, and Iris babbles that he looks a bit like her grandmother, and he acts a lot like Gladdy and her father around Noctis and the king. Iris shuffles when Axis still doesn’t react, and she asks why he never said anything. Axis, faced with a crying kid, immediately switches over into dad mode, and he gently tells Iris that he’s a bastard. It would’ve brought too much scandal for both Lord Amicitia and Axis’ family if Axis came forward. Iris pouts, but she grew up in Insomnia and while she wasn’t involved in court, she was still trained, and so she doesn’t try to argue against what she knows is true.

-But Iris is also whip smart for being only 15, and Iris asks if they were worried about the Council forcing Axis to be Sola’s Shield. Axis blinks, but Sola smiles at Iris and confirms it. It’s why Sola helps Axis hide his ties to the Amicitia, because both Axis and Sola wanted it to be their choice. Iris nods, hugs Axis tight, before scampering off to help Jared and Talcott with their new research project. Because she doesn’t want either of her older brothers to lose their King/Queen.

-Sola is out with Pelna and Axis, finishing up reports and orders and plans (and telling them to send some of the Ornata over to Galdin Quay to find one Dino Ghiranze) when she gets a text from Ignis that they’ve returned from the tomb and are going to check out the Disk of Cauthess. Sola texts back and tells them to be careful of the Imperial presence in the area. Sola doesn’t worry when they aren’t back by nightfall - Ignis texted her to tell her that they’d rented a caravan for the night.

-Axis and Pelna, being absolute shits, stick Talcott on Sola babysitting duty before they leave. A duty little Talcott takes to with enthusiasm. Sola sighs, flips her two glaives the middle finger where Talcott can’t see, and proceeds to bow to Talcott’s every whim. Because she’s always been a sucker for kids. (Iris, the traitor, hides giggles behind her hands and cheerfully waves as Talcott drags Sola to wander around Lestallum. Sola won’t admit it, but the sunshine hurts on her skin, hurts her eyes and she makes sure to buy sunglasses. Sola refuses to give up sunlight, even if it hurts.)

-Sola abruptly worries a lot more about her little brother when Titan wakes up and throws a fit. Lestallum isn’t too damaged in the resulting earthquake, but the sight of the giant Astral is... an eye catching sight to be sure.

-Then the Chocobros return to Lestallum by Imperial airship, and Sola learns that they’ve been interacting with Ardyn. Sola snarls, because herself is one thing, but he is not allowed to meddle with her little brother!

-Without the Regalia, the group is forced to rent Chocobos to get around. Fortunately, the birds can cover more terrain than the car, and it allows them to avoid the sudden Imperial blockades that have cropped up. Sola splits off from the group in order to organize and lead glaive operations in blowing up the blockades and bases.

-And, well, Sola’s seen the way Ignis keeps glancing at her, and she’s worried that he’s starting to suspect that she isn’t as well as she pretends.

-Sola gets a call from Cindy pointing her towards Archeole base, where the Regalia has been impounded and waiting for shipment to Niflheim. Sola leaves Pelna in charge of wider operations, and takes Axis and two other glaives with her to meet up with the Chocobros just outside the base.

-Sola does not step into the Haven. She tried that a couple days back and it was not fun, Sola does not recommend. It means she’s now running mostly night shifts so she can sleep during the day, but she’s managing.

-Instead, Sola leaves the two glaives to coordinate with Ignis and the others while she and Axis sneak around to scout out the base.

-Night falls, and Sola and Noctis’ group infiltrate at separate points. They proceed to sneak around and murder their way through the base. Sola’s group focuses on taking out as many MTs and imperial forces as possible, while Noctis’ group heads for the main generator and the Regalia.

-At several points, Sola calls forth bursts of sunlight to disorient the mech sensors. It sears through her veins like nothing has before, but it’s the best option she has so Sola forces herself to continue through the pain.

-Frankly, Sola thinks Noctis calling down Ramuh to smite the generator is overkill, but the glaives are an Awe.

-Ravus has just pushed Gladio back against the Regalia when about two dozen weapons materialize around him. And Sola slinks out of the shadows, all predatory grace and lethal smile. “Hello, darling.”

-Ravus doesn’t dare move. Not with the blades pressed against his throat, against eight different spots that will kill him instantly if Sola wills it. With the two blades pointed at his eyes and the gun against the back of his head.

-He’s seen the power of a Lucis Caelum armiger. It’s not something he ever anticipated being on the other end of it.

-Sola’s almost a foot shorter than him. That doesn’t stop her from using the tip of her wickedly sharp blade to lift his chin. “Tell me, darling,” And Ravus has never heard an endearment sound so threatening, “why I shouldn’t cut you down where you stand?”

-He says nothing. There is nothing to say, no convincing reason he can give for Sola to spare his life. And Sola knows it. Her smile widens until it’s less a smile and more a snarl of bared teeth.

-“I’m afraid I will have to protest, dear Princess.” Sola twitches as Ardyn materializes behind them, but her glaive doesn’t move as she turns to glare at the High Chancellor. Thank the Six, that blade is uncomfortably close to his throat. “Lady Lunafreya will be most put out if her brother dies.”

-Out of the corner of his eye, Ravus sees Noctis wince. Sola however, is unmoved. “This is war.” Sola drawls, “Lady Lunafreya will understand.”

-“Let him go, and all of you will be allowed to walk free with your Regalia.” Ardyn promises.

-“Please, I’m not that stupid.” Sola scoffs. “I let him go, you’ll kill all of us.”

-“You have my word, you will not be harmed.” The Lucians give Ardyn dubious looks, and Ravus honestly agrees with them. After Insomnia, what Lucian would trust anyone from the Empire?

-“Your word means nothing.” Sola counters with a vicious smile, “Try again.”

-Ardyn tilts his head thoughtfully. “Oh? It almost seems like you want a reason to spare him, dear Princess.”

-Sola laughs. It’s the most chilling thing Ravus has ever heard.

-“Hardly.” Sola says. “But your attempts amuse me.”

-“Sola,” Noctis intervenes, voice quiet but firm. “Withdraw. We’re leaving.”

-A breathless moment where Sola is utterly still, before her weapons shatter into shards of golden magic. Her hand forms a shape, and Ravus suddenly spots the three figures waiting in the shadows when they move, forming a formation and waiting for Sola to join them.

-“As my king commands.” Sola intones. She fades back into the shadows with inhuman ease, sparing a moment to send Ravus a smile that sends shivers down his spine. “Until next time, darling.”

-Those words are going to haunt his nightmares. And Ravus prays to the Six that there won’t be a next time. He’s not certain he’ll survive it.

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itsgeecheebitch · 11 months

Text

TITLE: Until Darkness Descends

CHAPTER: 6

SERIES: The Fall Part 1 of 4

FANDOM: Final Fantasy XV

PAIRING: Ardyn Izunia x reader

RATING: Mature

AUTHOR'S NOTE: this chapter was originally almost 5,000 words, which is way longer than my usual chapters. So I'm just going to release this scene in bite sized chunks. It's much easier to edit and proofread 1,200-2,000 words versus 5,000. Hopefully me separating the scene this way wont cause any confusion. The scene starts in the present before going into the past. The next chapter will pick up in the past before returning to the present.

The world swished by him at a rapid speed, causing the naked arid landscape to careen past his car. The warm afternoon wind felt good as it combed through his auburn hair and kissed his cheeks. It was going to be a long drive to Insomnia but Ardyn didn’t mind. Usually his preferred mode of travel was teleportation, but there was a sort of mundane charm to driving. It gave Ardyn the time to think and he had much to think about.

Eight years have passed since your arrival to Insomnia and you are now 18 years old. He failed to visit you on birthday last week but it couldn’t be helped. There was only but so many times he could forsake his duties as chancellor before the bill came due. He had to spend the last six weeks catching up on paperwork, attending tedious court meetings, and voting on frivolous empire laws and legislation he had little care or interest in.

He hoped you didn’t miss him too much but Ardyn supposed you were used to his unannounced disappearances by now. Sometimes he would disappear for months before showing himself again. He still had plans to execute and events to set into motion after all. Whenever he would return he would always come bearing gifts.

At first, the gifts were a means to placate you, to keep you from asking too many questions or bemoan his long absence. After a while, Ardyn started to look forward to the way your face would light up whenever you were presented with a gift.

Ardyn looked over at the glossy pink box that was tied in a perfect bow in his passenger seat. This time he splurged a little and got you something better than a trinket. A necklace with a delicate silver chain and red ruby in its heart shaped center. The perimeter of the heart was bedazzled in tiny diamonds, as were the heart shaped earrings that came with it. A smile graced his face at the thought of seeing your eyes brighten in delight.

The moment the smile registered in his mind, he immediately pulled it down into a scowl. He was not enchanted by you by any means. Your smile did not cause his heart to stutter, or his cheeks to hum with a foreign warmth. It most certainly did not make his skin itch with the need to be near you.

The gifts, like everything else he did for you, was just another means to an end. Another method that would bear fruit in the end the moment it came time to usher in phase two of his plans for you. For some reason the reminder of his plans brought a foul taste to his mouth but he ignored it.

He continued to drive down the lonely meandering road with nothing but his thoughts to keep his boredom at bay. As fate would have it you remained in Insomnia and adjusted to your new life as the prince’s personal healer. Your shoulders seemed lighter every time he came to see you, and you smiled more freely.

You spent less and less time around your parents and more and more time at the citadel. But your busy schedule wasn’t enough to completely free you from their cruel clutches. Ardyn had to do that himself. It was four years ago. He came to see you a little after your 14th birthday and planned to take you to see the circus. It had been a few years since you last beseeched Ardyn to spirit you away, although your desire to see your circus family never wavered. In order to keep you happy, Ardyn started to take you to see them a couple of times a year.

At first, the idea went smoothly. Ardyn would take you to see them every couple of months and the same song and dance would commence at every visit. They would greet you, exchange heartfelt hugs, give Ardyn a questioning, wary look, and then ignore him for the rest of the night in favor of talking to you. For years nothing came of those visits, until it did.

He remembered teleporting into your bedroom. Being a member of the court had been kind to you, bestowing you with riches that washed away your old life. Your room was as pristine and luxurious as the last time he saw it.

A plush pink and white rug laid underneath his boot clad feet and was swallowed by the presence of an enormous queen sized bed. Translucent pink curtains tumbled around the bed from the canopy, giving the room a true princess feel. And no opulent bedroom is complete without a chandelier.

It dangled above the bed and shed soft white light upon the vanity table. Ardyn walked over to the table, his curiosity piqued at the array of makeup and perfume bottles that littered the table’s surface. That’s when he heard it, the sharp piercing sound of skin hitting skin, followed by a cry and the loud crash of someone hitting the ground.

Anticipation was hot on his heels as he stormed towards your bedroom door. He didn’t even need to press his ear against the wood in order to hear her venomous voice stab through the wood.

“How is it my fault?!” Came the shrill voice of your mother.

“How is it not your fault?!” What Ardyn assumed was your father, replied.

He heard your mother scoff. “You honestly think it's my fault that she’s out there chasing after older men? You’re more stupid than I already thought you were.” That made Ardyn pause. They weren’t talking about you, were they? You weren’t the type to entertain the lecherous whims of men. And besides, you were still just a child. What gave them the impression you were seducing older men?

Venom dripped from your father’s words when he replied, “you watch your fucking mouth.

“Please, just stop already-”. Came your mousey plea. Your voice sounded wobbly and stripped bare as though you were fighting a losing battle with your emotions.

“Did I tell you you could speak?”

“No, let her talk.” Your mother’s voice bled through the door. “Let her tell you all about why she has a taste for older men. Who knows? You just might learn a thing or two about yourself.”

There came another loud smack followed by your rushed desperate words. “Please just stop! I’m not doing any of those things, Ardyn is my friend”. Oh, so this was about him. Ardyn remembered feeling confused. How did your parents know about him? They never saw him. To his knowledge you never spoke a word about his existence to them so how?

Your father gave you a humorless chuckle, “I’m s’pposed to believe in that crap?”

“It's true!” You cried. “He is my friend and we never did any of those things. He’s not like that”.

“Why do you think a grown man would wanna hang around a little ass girl like you? So you could braid each other’s hair and go shopping? Is that what you believe? Huh? You’re as dimwitted as your mother.” Ardyn remembered hearing your father snarl. He learned a lot about your parentage over the years, some from your tales of woe, and others from his own research and observation. It turned out their marriage wasn’t one born out of romance and desire, but out of responsibility and duty.

Your mother was a prostitute whose services were highly favored by your father, a lonely circus performer. He used her services for a few months before she fell pregnant with his child, you. After that they eloped. The house of cards that was their situation collapsed the moment they said ‘I do’. Since then they were at constant war with each other, yelling, slapping, biting, and fighting one another. So much so that they relied upon their circus friends, your beloved ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle�� to raise you during the first few years of your childhood.

As repulsed as they were by one another, it didn’t stop them from constantly fucking like rabbits. Perhaps that was what kept them off the brink of divorce for all these years, that and the profit they leeched from your talents.

Your mother’s voice was the next one he heard. “I ain’t the one who gave her daddy issues, hun. This is all on you. As for you,” thwack! There was a familiar feminine cry, yours. She raised her hand at you. Blistering hot rage scorched the inside of his body. It snarled and seethed like a rabid beast out for blood. The grip he had on your doorknob was white knuckle tight. He remembered seeing black veins branch over the surface of his skin like webs, threatening to conquer his already fracturing mind.

Ardyn inhaled deeply and washed away the rage with his breath. The action only took some of the edge off but at least the black web was gone and he no longer felt the scourge wiggle and squirm inside of him. He didn't have time to question his reason for getting angry on your behalf since your mother began to speak again.

“Did you think we really wouldn’t find out?” Your mother continued.

“I wasn’t keeping him a secret!” You said, your voice heavy with tears.

“Oh so sneaking behind our backs to go visit the circus with him for all these years was just your way of introducing him to us? You’re fucking him?” So that’s how they found out about him. Your dear old auntie Maggie and uncle Renji spilled the beans. He had a feeling they would eventually notify your parents of his involvement in your life but he wasn’t sure. There had been radio silence between them and your parents for years, so Ardyn had no reason to suspect they would break the silence over this.

“For the last time, no!” You said.

“Honestly, I don’t really give a shit what you do but you better not fuck this up for us.” Your mother replied. Her apathetic words, coupled with the arctic chill in her voice, only excited Ardyn’s anger even more. “You really think King Regis would let you continue to play healer with his son while knowing you spread your legs for older men? Gods forbid you end up pregnant. So you’re going to stop seeing this man. You’re going to keep your legs close and not give king Regis any reason to toss you out of his court. Do you understand?”

“B-but I’m not-”

“Do you fucking understand?” Your mother shouted. Darkness branched across Ardyn’s vision. The acidic taste of anger soured his tongue and vibrated in his molars. The hand that wasn’t holding your doorknob twitched. It suddenly became harder to ignore that insufferable itch, the bloodlust that came with being a daemon. The urge existed just underneath his skin, kept under control by spreading the scourge. As he witnessed the healthy hue of his skin melt away from his limbs, he knew the itch would require way more than a simple spread of the disease to quench it. He needed blood and it was your parents' blood that filled his nostrils with the phantom scent of iron.

“Yes!” You cried.

That seemed to satisfy your mother, but your father’s disgruntled voice suggested otherwise for him. “That ain’t fucking good enough” He snarled.

An exhausted sigh seeped through the door and into Ardyn’s ears. “You brought this onto yourself.” Your mother said. Ardyn heard the soft jingle of metal, followed by the soft clap of leather.

“Come here.” Came your father’s voice.

“But daddy-”.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Ardyn remembered hearing your broken sob. Your soft footsteps whispered across the floor before they stopped and were replaced by the thwack of leather hitting skin. Your cries were nearly drowned out by the thunderous strikes. They were hitting you, beating you. He balled his hand into a tight fist. He could kill them. That was all Ardyn could think about at that moment, how sweet their blood would taste on his tongue, how beautifully they would decorate his palms.

If you weren’t in the house, Ardyn would’ve thrown the door open by now and slaughtered them. But he didn’t want you to witness their demise. Seeing Ardyn hurt someone could ruin the relationship he carefully cultivated between you. He needed it to remain strong. That meant he had to wait a while. Fortunately for Ardyn, he was a master at waiting.

He remembered waiting for about a month before an opportunity presented itself.

#fanfiction #fanfic #a03 fanfic #ardyn lucis caelum #ffxv ardyn #ffxv fanfic #ffxv #ffxv fic #ardyn x reader #ardyn izunia x reader #ardyn izunia #ff15 ardyn

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sir-adamus · 4 years

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if you don't mind me asking, who's Lunafreya Nox Fleuret (aside from someone with a great name)?

Luna is a character from Final Fantasy XV (also appearing in the prequel movie Kingsglaive, where she was more involved in the events of that story due to the main game primarily being a roadtrip while Luna is elsewhere doing other things), betrothed to protagonist Noctis (which is why hes on the roadtrip) - its a political wedding as Noctis is the Prince of Lucis and Luna is the worlds Oracle (and Princess of the formerly independent nation of Tenebrae before it was taken over by the Niflheim Empire - the wedding is part of the negotiations for a ceasefire - though this was actually just a ruse in order to destroy the Lucian capital and kill the King) though they have known each other since they were kids and communicate through a notebook that is ferried between them by Umbra, who is one of the messengers of the gods that takes the form of a dog

Luna is 24, actually making her a few years older than the protagonist Noctis (who is 20)

Luna’s role as Oracle is to travel around as a healer for those suffering from the Starscourge, a disease that transforms people into daemons if given enough of a foothold, and form covenants with the Astrals (the gods, effectively) so that Noctis can call on their powers - the toll this takes on Luna’s body is significant and shes on her last legs by the time Noctis catches up with her in the city of Altissia, where the two were to be wed (she also has to pass on the Ring of the Lucii, entrusted to her by Noct’s father before his death - its a magic ring that allows the bearer, be they of Lucian royal blood, to call on the powers of their ancestors. others can use the Ring, but its a costly exchange if they can survive putting it on at all). unfortunately, this is when the Empire shows up, leading to the destruction of the city (thanks to the Astral Leviathan being summoned and her being very pissed off) and Luna’s death at the hands of the Imperial Chancellor, Ardyn Izunia (who is the main villain of the game)

Luna’s spirit still aids Noctis where she can afterwards, and in the end of the base game where he has to sacrifice himself to end the darkness that the world has been plunged into (because Ardyn is immortal and killing him in the waking world wouldnt stop him, Noctis had to go into the Beyond and destroy his soul, and he has to die to do that) following the ten year time skip, the two are seen happy and together in the afterlife

in the Dawn of the Future book (which is a novelisation of the planned second season of DLCs for the game that we unfortunately didn’t get), we are given an alternate ending, where Luna finds herself revived ten years after her death - and has to figure out whats been happening while she was gone, and deal with the new powers she now has (she can draw the Starscourge out of daemons and absorb it into herself, a power once wielded by Ardyn in the backstory). she goes on this journey, gets to show off her combat prowess (as well as some cool new abilities), initially believing her role is to stop Ardyn who is now apparently too powerful for Noctis to defeat (thanks to a vision from the Astral Bahamut, who is like, the big cheese of the gods), and meets Solara Aldercapt Antiquum, bastard granddaughter to the former emperor of Niflheim who has been raised in this world of darkness since she was 8 years old. they strike up a friendship, and Sol gets Luna to question what she wants out of life beyond the role thats been given to her, as well as making her question whether the gods are really all they’re cracked up to be

good thing too, as along the way Luna receives a vision from Gentiana - the humanoid disguise of the Astral Shiva, who practically raised her - warning her that the role Luna has been given is part of Bahamut’s plan to try and wipe out the planet and humanity (as he had once tried to do in the backstory). Luna is infuriated by this and goes to confront Ardyn, not to defeat him, but to ask him to help (because she knows he has good reason to hate Bahamut too, as it was his “calling” to be the monster of this story, despite that he was once a noble man who just wanted to help people and Bahamut manipulated events to turn him into the villainous monster he became), her plan being to trick Bahamut into firing his destructive spell early, get the other Astrals to stop the attack and save the world by exhausting Bahamut too much to try again

unfortunately, Luna had absorbed so much daemonic corruption at this point that she was overtaken by it just before Noctis showed up from his ten year power nap, allowing Bahamut to swoop in and start enacting his plan as intended

he casts his Teraflare spell to wipe out the planet, using Luna as the caster (because the Starscourge she absorbed is effectively the fuel for it), and the other five Astrals did come in to stop it (they were partially successful, a huge swathe of land was destroyed but nowhere that had been populated as the ten years of darkness had brought daemons, leaving many places abandoned and the remnants of humanity holed up in a select few strongholds), but Bahamut wasnt exhausted by it, and was ready to go again

Noctis and Ardyn do have a bit of a fight but Noctis doesnt kill him (as at this point his goal is to save the world, which killing Ardyn wouldnt accomplish), instead giving him the Ring of the Lucii so he can make the sacrifice this time around, as Bahamut has to be killed both in the waking world and the Beyond - Ardyn gets to stand by his brother one last time as they destroy Bahamut in the Beyond while Noctis saves Luna after Bahamut discarded her and proceeds to fight Bahamut, destroying him and ending the reign of the Astrals in the process

as her last act, Gentiana heals Luna’s body before she fades away

the book then skips ahead a bit, the last section narrated by the spirit of Noct’s father, describing the world healing after everything, and ending on Noctis and Luna finally getting married in the rebuilt Altissia

#FFXV #long post #Anonymous

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storysavedarchive · 4 years

Text

CANON DIVERGENCE: LUNA SURVIVES

lunafreya still makes her way to altissia, her ultimate goal to forge a covanent with the hydraean that sleeps there. she hopes to call the leviathan forth with the hope that she will give noctis her blessing.

she holds her own on the altar of the tidemother, demanding that the goddess hear her call and stand with the chosen king.

ardyn attempts to strong-arm luna into handing over the ring of the lucii, but she refuses, standing her ground and affirming her allegiance to the true king of kings. he makes an attempt on her life, but luna manages to fend him off with the trident, unskilled though she may be in combat.

she survives, and the covenant with the hydraean is forged. altissia lay in ruins, and the supernatural power he was granted takes a toll on noctis’ body, along with his injuries. without help, he would die.

luna races to find noctis before ardyn can, stumbling through the ruined altar and city as the archaen rages in defense of the oracle and king. although the act exhausts her greatly, luna summons her strength to heal noctis, collapsing alongside him when his friends make it to his side. she entrusts the ring of the lucii to noctis, slipping it into his pocket.

she follows gladiolus, ignis, and prompto back to a standing resting place, where she waits for noctis to wake up. in that time, luna, in a first act of self expression, cuts her hair just above shoulder length. she no longer wants to be seen as just the oracle, as a girl who cannot protect herself or the ones she loves. when noctis awakens, she asks to join him on the rest of his journey, unable to bear the idea of being so far away from him, not knowing whether he will live or die.

luna learns to fight alongside them, but tries to help out in other ways. she is a healer as well, and often takes it upon herself to help out around camp, whether it be setting up the tent or helping ignis cook.

when the train rolls through tenebrae, luna is unfortunately powerless to help noctis break free of ardyn’s spell, nor is she able to help prompto. she feels utterly helpless in a way she never has. neither luna nor the oracle can help the people she cares about, and luna has never been utterly helpless. she is able to heal prompto’s wounds, but she feels even more helpless when noctis is taken into the crystal in the keep.

even in the long night, luna doesn’t abandon her duties as oracle, though she is unable to heal those afflicted by the starscourge any longer. general healing, she can handle, and she tends to linger in hammerhead when not alongside ignis, gladio, or prompto. if not in hammerhead, the oracle can be found aiding in lestallum or on hunts, doing everything she can until the king returns.

she is present to see noctis retake insomnia, claiming his birthright as the king of kings, meant to banish the scourge from their star. her heart aches, and although she doesn’t want him to, luna lets him go, she calls on the gods to dismantle the barrier around the citadel, allowing noctis and his friends to challenge ardyn. the summon drains her, and she rests with what is left of the glaive at their base, waiting for dawn. when the first dawn comes after ten years, luna’s heart breaks for the man she loves, and vows to see him again some day.

with the ending of the lucis caelum bloodline, and the scourge defeated, the world has no more need for an oracle to commune with the astrals, and as such, her connection to them is severed. nevertheless, luna persists, aiding in the efforts to rebuild insomnia and other parts of lucis ravaged both by the empire and the long night. unless plotted, she never marries, nor does she have any biological children. she is, however, known to adopt any children who were left behind or abandoned in the last 11 years.

when she dies, not so young but nevertheless beautiful, luna is buried in the sylleblossom fields of tenebrae, alongside her mother, and where ravus will eventually join her, revered as the last oracle and praised for her humanitarian efforts throughout her life. lunafreya nox fleuret is 70 when she dies, the strain of the rites she performed finally catching up to her. she passes in her sleep peacefully, and lunafreya, alongside noctis, ignis, prompto, and gladio, becomes a figure of myth and fairytales, the last king of lucis who brought the dawn, the brave men who fought by his side, and the girl who moved heaven and earth for him.

EPISODE IGNIS, VERSE 2

luna is still able to make it to noctis’ side before he’s killed, using her powers to heal his injuries. she reunites with her brother for a brief moment, making her support of noctis and his friends quite clear, that she is joining them, although she cares deeply for her brother. she wishes ravus well, and hopes that they will meet again.

she spends the long darkness alongside ignis, prompto, and gladio, doing all she can as oracle to help the people afflicted. she is a healer, and takes up combat training as much as she can, cutting her hair as a symbol of the change in her life. every day that passes, she prays that noctis will return to them soon.

due to her connection to the gods, noctis, and by extension of that, the old kings, luna is aware that ignis struck a sort of bargain with the old kings of lucis: one sacrifice for another. noctis would not need to die to bring about the dawn.

when retaking insomnia, luna still summons the astrals to bring down the wall around the citadel, and recovers with the glaive in their base below insomnia. when the dawn comes, the first dawn after ten years,luna races to the citadel despite her exhaustion. the man she loves has lived to see another day. without a need to call upon the gods, she has no need for her powers, and still aids in the rebuilding of insomnia and lucis, under the caring and watchful eye of noctis. she is proud, and finally able to stand beside him just as she wanted. unless plotted, she does nothing about her own feelings for noctis. above all else, she would want him to be happy, whether that be with her or someone else.

plot/relationship depending, she is buried either in tenebrae after a viewing in fenestala manor, or in the royal tomb after a memorial in the citadel. her life is celebrated, and lunafreya is revered for all her humanitarian work in her life. long after their time on eos is done, she, noctis, and the others eventually become that of myths and fairytales, of the king who brought the dawn, of the men who fought beside him, and of the girl who moved heaven and earth for him.

#╰ ✰ * ⋆ ° ❮ headcanon. ❯ ─── lunafreya nox fleuret .#me crying over this #╰ ✰ * ⋆ ° ❮ verse. ❯ ─── final fantasy xv .

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echoes-of-the-clockwork · 3 years

Text

Book One: Gold (Prompto x Reader) Chapter VI

The next morning, (Y/n) wandered into the convenience store. She offered to do some shopping for the boys and stock up on supplies for their dangerous trip ahead. She looked around at the items on display, wondering what all she should buy with the gil Ignis gave her. While staring at a few potions on the shelves, memories from the past filled her mind. She remembered the time when they were only 12 and Prompto was living with his adoptive parents. They didn't know about her due to the blonde keeping her hidden in the gemstone whenever they were around.

When his parents went to work one day, they left a sick Prompto behind. She took it upon herself to take care of him while they were gone. She was forced to head to a nearby store for some medicine and was gone for almost an hour due to not being familiar with human remedies. By the time she got back, he was crying. Tears were streaming down his face as he wailed at the top of his lungs. A sniffle came from him every now and then. She learned he was crying because he couldn't find her and thought she'd left him for good. The spirit reassured him before showing him what she bought at the store to help with his cold.

Suddenly, (Y/n) was torn from her thoughts when Ardyn strolled over. She tried to ignore him, but it was futile when he blocked her from grabbing some potions. She kept calm and did her best to be nice. "May I squeeze by and get some potions?"

"Why, of course." He stepped aside. "My apologies, (Y/n)."

She grabbed a few potions and elixirs, ignoring the man when she noticed he was staring at her. She headed to the counter and paid for the items, but she was once again stopped by Ardyn when he blocked the entrance of the store. She looked up at his face, seeing his somewhat unsettling smile. "What?"

"I must say, young Prompto truly is fortunate to have you by his side," he said.

Her eyes narrowed. She wasn't sure what made him say such a thing. "And what brought this up?"

"A mere observation on my part, is all." He sighed dramatically. "Oh, if only Callyx was as dedicated."

"Maybe it's not him, but you. Now if you'll excuse me..." She pushes past him to exit the convenience store and returns to the caravan. She handed the curatives to Ignis, who thanked her.

Once they were all ready to ship out, they left the caravan. Noctis begrudgingly spoke with Ardyn inside the store to tell the man they were ready to leave. Callyx told (Y/n) she no longer had to ride with them before entering the red car alongside his auburn-haired man. The girl didn't complain and sat in between Gladio and Ignis in the backseat of the Regalia. Noctis started the engine once everyone was inside the car.

Like the day before, Noctis followed a safe distance behind Ardyn's car. After leaving Cauthess Coernix Station, Gladio glanced at their destination that loomed in the distance. "Whoever thought of tapping into the Meteor's power was a genius."

Prompto glanced at the Disc. "Can you even go near that thing?"

"They harvest fragments found nearby-pieces that broke off when the Meteor fell. Almost fell, I should say, for the Archaean caught it," Ignis explained.

"And he's still there, holding the thing up," Gladio added.

"Guess he never misses leg day," Noctis commented.

"Or any day for that matter," Prompto said.

"His unceasing toil and the Meteor's might form the tenets of worship for the locals of Duscae," the advisor stated.

"Makes you wonder what it's like down there at his feet," the shield voiced his thoughts out loud.

"Speaking of gods, that Callyx guy seems to know a lot about an Astral that's supposedly forgotten," Noctis said.

"It's possible Callyx has access to ancient texts that mention Brahma. He did tell me a little more about the seventh Astral," (Y/n) chimed in. "The creator god's consciousness resides within the Celestial Crescent."

"You mean that cluster of stars you told me about?" Prompto asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. Callyx even asked me if I was hearing voices coming from it."

"Are you?" Gladio inquired.

"Well..." She clasped her hands together in her lap. "I'm...not sure. I think I hear a voice, but I can't say for certain."

"Eh, don't worry about it, (Y/n)," Prompto said. "Let's tackle one all-mighty being before worrying about another."

"Couldn't agree more," Noctis stated.

Ignis, after a couple minutes of silence, spoke up and discussed another topic. "So you know, it's hot where we're going. Will the camera fare all right?"

Prompto lifted up his camera, examining the device. "As long as I avoid open flames, it should be okay. I think."

"We don't have a spare if it breaks," Gladio said.

"Leave it in the car?" Noctis suggested.

"Oh no, I'm taking it. Not every day you get up close and personal with the Archaean. I'd kick myself if I missed the photo op," Prompto replied.

"Spoken like a true photographer," the brute remarked.

"As they say, "Better to try and fail than never to try at all"."

Noctis grinned. "Look at you."

"Well, they say that, not me," the blonde said.

"Well, you just do what you gotta."

"But in all seriousness, try not to break it. It was expensive," (Y/n) chimed in.

"I'd never break it! It's very precious to me, especially since you're the one who bought it for me," Prompto stated.

"You bought it? With what money?" Gladio questioned, glancing at the girl sitting beside him.

"I used to work in a small boutique in Insomnia. It was run by a spirit like myself. I worked hard for every yen I spent on that camera." The guardian leaned back in her seat. "She was the first spirit I met. Callyx is the second."

"Wow. Are spirits really that rare?" Noctis asked.

"Yeah. It'll take some serious dedication on the empire's part if they want to wipe out all the spirits on Eos."

The group, once again, fell silent. Noctis kept his attention on road to ensure he wasn't too far or too close to Ardyn's car. Prompto glanced into the backseat at (Y/n) before looking towards Ignis. "Hey, Iggy. Can your glasses take the heat?"

At the mention of his glasses, the strategist adjusted them. "Well, I don't see why they shouldn't."

"Even if they couldn't, he'd still be all right," Noctis commented.

Gladio nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Iggy's eyes ain't that bad."

Prompto was flabbergasted at the news. "Oh, really?"

"My vision is passable without corrective lenses," Ignis explained.

"Then why not take 'em off sometimes?"

"Well..."

Noctis snorted with laughter. "You don't get it, huh?"

"Ignis likes his world to be crystal clear," the shield said.

"Indeed. I've never been one for ambiguity," the advisor claimed.

"Ah. I think I'm getting the picture now." Prompto sat back down, turning to face the front.

"What if they were to break? Do you have a spare pair?" (Y/n) questioned out of curiosity.

"I'm afraid not," the bespectacled man answered.

Drawing closer to the Disc of Cauthess, Prompto has one more question to ask the strategist. "Hey Ignis, how's it feel being away from the wheel?"

"Positively frightening," Ignis responded honestly.

Noctis glanced at him in the rear view mirror, eyes narrowed. "What're you sayin'?"

"That I'm no stranger to His Highness' driving habits."

"'Preciate the confidence."

"Wait," (Y/n) sat up slightly. "Is he really that bad of a driver?"

"Morosely, yes," Ignis replied.

"I mean, he can't be that bad...can he?"

"Trust us, short stuff, he's the worst driver you could ever meet," Gladio said.

"I'm not that bad!" Noctis shouted.

"But you admit you're bad," Prompto cackled.

The prince rolled his eyes. "Ugh..."

After another minute or two, they arrived at the Cauthess barricade. It was sealed tight with imperial troopers watching the perimeter. What shocked the group the most was the lack of hostility from the enemy soldiers.

"We're here," Ardyn chirped.

"Better not be a setup," Noctis commented.

The auburn-haired man glanced over at him. "Have I given you reason to doubt me?"

"You don't exactly inspire confidence," Prompto answered.

Gladio was in agreement with the blonde. "Yeah, not very straightforward."

"Neither of you are," (Y/n) mumbled, eyeing both men in the car beside the Regalia.

Ardyn looked away from the group and shouts over the wall. "Hello! It's me! Be so kind as to open up!"

At his lighthearted command, the gates open. Prompto gasped in shock at how easy it was for the man to gain access to the Disc. "Wow, that worked?"

"I may not look like much, but I do have some influence. Aren't you glad we came together? Your audience with divinity lies ahead."

"You're leaving?"

"I drop you at the Archaean's open door, and with that, bid you farewell."

As Noctis drives the Regalia through the open gates, (Y/n) spared one last glance toward the red car. Her golden eyes locked with Callyx's emerald ones for a split second before they were too far apart to see each other. Even with his stoic expression, she could sense something much more sinister under the surface.

"I've met some weirdos..." Gladio mumbled.

"I hope we never meet those two again," Ignis remarked.

"Whoa! Little harsh there, don't you think?" Prompto asked.

"There's something off about those two..." (Y/n) muttered.

"Glad we agree," Noctis said.

The prince continued to drive the car down the dirt path until they came to what appeared to be a dead end. The five hop out of the Regalia and located a narrow pathway to the side. They follow the path and eventually stumble upon a stone sarcophagus. Prompto recognizes the design and asked, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Didn't expect to find a royal tomb here," Ignis expresses his own bewilderment.

Gladio elbowed the prince. "Would be a shame not to grab that power, eh, Highness?"

"Let's grab it and go," Noctis blandly stated.

As the raven-haired boy walks up to the sarcophagus near the ledge, (Y/n) heard a voice again from above. It was the same one she heard yesterday. Looking up at the sky, her golden-slitted eyes focused on the Celestial Crescent. She felt as if someone had put her under a trance. Unconsciously, she walked forward a few steps and came to a halt when the disembodied voice addressed her.

You...the...

"Are you...Brahma?" The girl whispered.

Vessel...mine...

(Y/n) was still in a dream-like trance when the ground begins to shake dramatically. She managed to keep her balance while all the boys weren't so lucky. Prompto and Ignis fall down while Gladio and Noct just barely manage to keep themselves upright. "Here we go again," Prompto said, bracing himself.

"This one's huge!" Gladio bellowed over the loud rumbling.

That's when Ignis notices the ground beginning to crack underneath Gladio, Noctis, and (Y/n). "Get away! Quickly!"

The spirit's gaze was still locked on the sky. She failed to notice the danger and hear the painful cries of the prince as he was overcome by another headache. She reached out a hand towards the sky just as the ground beneath her feet crumbled. She gasped when feeling a plummeting sensation in her gut, snapping out of the trance as she began to fall. The sound of Prompto shouting her name echoed in her ears.

(Y/n) feared for her life, but her fall was short-lived. A hand wrapped around her wrist and ceased her quick descent. "I've gotcha!" Her savior shouted. Looking up, she saw it was Prompto who grabbed her.

"Prompto..." The guardian whispered.

"Just hold on!" He shouted. Using his strength, he struggled slightly to pull her up. When he managed to pull her up onto solid ground, he sighed in relief. "Whew... That was close." He wiped the few sweat droplets off his forehead before gazing towards the girl. "Are you okay, (Y/n)?"

"I'm fine thanks to you," she smiled.

Just then, the Meteor begins to rise before them, revealing Titan. The Astral who has been holding the chunk of space debris on his back for many years makes his presence known. Prompto and (Y/n) stared in awe and fear at the sight of the mighty god. They both flinched when the Archaean's booming voice resounded out.

"So this is Titan..." The guardian mumbled.

Prompto, remembering Noctis and Gladio had also fell, peers over the ledge to check on them. He shouts when seeing they were both on a lower ledge. "Noct! You okay?!"

Ignis stood by the blonde and was relieved to see the prince and his shield were in one piece. "Thank heavens you're safe. Is there a way back up?"

"No, but there's a path. Gonna see where it leads," Noctis replied.

"You three try to get down," Gladio said.

The strategist nodded. "Very well. We'll look for a way. Be careful, now."

"You, too," the prince retorted.

"What? We're going where?!" Prompto shrieked.

"No time to dawdle," Ignis spoke up. "We must make haste."

(Y/n) wandered a little ways from the crumbling ledge and spotted a narrow, rocky path nearby. She noticed it went out of the way, but it was the only route leading down. "What about this path?"

"It's our only option," the advisor said.

"Then down we go!" Prompto cheered.

The trio wandered down the path, watching where they stepped. It was narrow and littered with jagged stones. Prompto slipped a few times due to being distracted by the rumbling caused by the Archaean. Luckily, (Y/n) caught him every time he stumbled. She sighed when he nervously laughed and thanked her every time.

They continued to listen to the Astral slam his mighty stone fist into the cliffside. They weren't able to see what damage the Titan was causing, but they were able to deduce who he was trying to reach-Noctis.

Ignis, Prompto, and (Y/n) soon arrived at a dead end. They looked around for another path, but they couldn't find one. When they walked over to a cliff, they saw a path below. Carefully, they slid down the small rocky slope and land on the path. As their feet landed on the ground, they spotted the Archaean's fist strike across the way. Ignis ushered them to move quickly.

All of a sudden, (Y/n) heard a faint humming. She looked around before glancing upward. Flying overhead were imperial drop ships. Seeing the empire had arrived, Ignis pulled out his phone and tried to get ahold of Noctis. When he managed to get ahold of the prince, he was relieved. "You're safe. Good. Listen, imperial troopers are near."

Morosely, that was all the advisor got to safe before the signal was lost and the call dropped. "Bloody hell," he hissed, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

Prompto was about to ask Ignis about the call, but his attention was drawn to their left when he saw movement in his peripheral vision. "(Y/n), Iggy, we've got trouble!"

The advisor and spirit looked in the direction the blonde was. Their eyes widen when seeing Titan's open-palmed hand heading straight for them. The girl was the first to react. She shoved Ignis and Prompto to the ground just as the Astral tried to grab them.

When the Archaean's hand wrapped around (Y/n), she cried out in pain at how tight the god was gripping her. She could barely breath and only managed to gasp as Titan retracted his hand.

Prompto heard her painful wail and scurried to his feet. "(Y/n), no!" He summoned his pistol and aimed, but he was afraid of hurting her if he pulled the trigger and missed. He watched helplessly as she was dragged away by the god.

The guardian squirmed in Titan's grip. She lifted her head just as she realized she was at eye level with the Astral. She winced the moment the Archaean's booming voice echoed out. She couldn't understand what he was saying and could only stare into his eyes. Feeling the god's grip lighten, she gasped when she could breathe again.

Suddenly, her attention was drawn away from Titan when she heard the voice in the sky speak to her.

Chosen...one...

My...vessel...

(Y/n) blinked in surprise. "Brahma, are you the one talking to me?"

Yes...

You...are...my vessel...

She shook her head. "Please, don't choose me. I-I wouldn't even know what to do as the conduit! There's no way I could become your vessel!"

You are...worthy...

Child...of Pneuma...

Heed...my call...and do...my bidding...

Fear not...

I...shall...guide you...

(Y/n) gasped in pain, shouting at the top of her lungs when she felt an intense heat radiate in her chest. She clawed at her chest, the gemstone on her arm pulsating with a brilliant golden light. Blood trickled from her eyes and nose. She released one final bloodcurdling scream before falling unconscious. Her body went limp in the Archaean's hand.

Before the Astral could place the girl down, Noctis appeared out of thin air. He warped and struck the god's hand, forcing him to drop the guardian. The prince caught her and grabbed his sword. He warped them down to the ground near Titan's feet where Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto were waiting.

Once landing safely with (Y/n), that's when Noctis saw her bleeding eyes and nose. Prompto rushes over while Gladio and Ignis provide protection from the Astral. The blonde carefully took the girl's body out of the prince's arms and pulled her into his. His heart was racing with worry after seeing the blood and seeing she was unconscious. He quickly picked her up and carried her away from Titan as Noctis parries the god's fist. He gently placed her down on the ground, glancing between her and the others. Seeing they needed his help, he reluctantly left her side to rejoin the fight.

As the royal retinue continued to fight against the Archaean, more imperial drop ships arrived. The group was ready to deal with the empire, but they were relieved when Titan swatted away some of the ships before they could attack. With the imperials now disposed of, they continued to deal damage to the god.

Eventually, Noctis built up enough energy to activate the armiger. He dealt blow after blow before performing a joint attack with his companions. They dealt heavy damage, causing the Astral to lose his balance and fall to a single knee. After attacking, Ignis then hurls a Blizzard spell at the god's arm. "The game's up!"

Gladio and Prompto follow the advisor's lead and hurl yet more Blizzard spells at Titan's arm. "You're out!" The blonde shouted. The Archaean's left arm freezes from the elbow down.

"It's over!" Noctis swings his sword down into the arm, shattering it all the way up to the elbow. Titan then collapses. The prince turns around to face his friends. "Hey, we all still here?"

"Yep, still here," Gladio replied.

"If a little battered," Ignis added. "How is (Y/n)?"

Prompto gasped, eyes widening as he ran over to the girl. Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis stood behind the marksman as he tended to her. He fell to his knees beside her and used a potion. He wasn't sure if it would help, but he knew it wouldn't hurt to use one. Prompto cups her cheeks in his palms and wipes the blood off of them. He stared at her with a saddened expression. "(Y/n)...?"

He received no response.

Ignis checked on her and was able to tell she was physically fine on the outside. His only concerns were her bleeding nose and eyes, which could be a result of internal injuries. He assisted Prompto by helping him put the girl on his back. When seeing she was safely onto the sharpshooter's back, he stepped away.

Just then, the tremors resume. The ground shook violently. The group's gazes fell back on to Titan. "What-what is it now?" Noctis asked.

Ignis' eyes narrowed, watching the Astral closely. "What is he doing?"

"He's winding up!" Prompto shouted. His grip on (Y/n)'s thighs tighten and he took a few steps back, readying himself to run.

"For the big one!" Gladio bellowed.

Titan roars, his booming cry echoing all around the royal retinue. Gold lights begin to emanate from his body, some of which coalesce around Noctis, showing him the god's memory of Luna standing before the god. Once Luna fades, he watched another memory of the god fighting a cosmic being. Titan, although bigger than the cosmic being, fell to his knees after being defeated.

When the god's memory fades, Noctis blinks in surprise. "That was...Luna. You spoke with her. That's why... But what was with that other memory?"

Titan and the Meteor suddenly discorporate in a powerful flash that sends all the imperial ships in the vicinity crashing to the ground. Lava spews from the earth as the Disc of Cauthess crumbles around the boys.

"Doesn't get much worse than this," Gladio commented. The four find themselves trapped.

Suddenly, an imperial drop ship descends to their location. Ignis grew tense as the airship closed in on them. "The empire! Now?"

The drop ship's door lowers, revealing Ardyn and Callyx. The auburn-haired man smiled at them. "Fancy meeting you here!"

Noctis and the others stare at the two men in stunned silence. Callyx crosses his arms with a sigh. "Maybe they didn't hear you."

Ardyn continues. "It occurs to me I never formally introduced myself. Izunia. Ardyn Izunia."

Ignis was shocked at the revelation. "Imperial Chancellor Izunia?"

"At your service. And more importantly, to your aid."

None of the boys move, instead offering only uncertain stares. Prompto glared up at the two, remembering what the empire's plans were. He couldn't believe Callyx was working for the empire knowing they were hunting down and killing spirits.

"I guarantee your safe passage. Though you're always welcome to take your chances down there," Ardyn spoke up. He glanced around at the faces of the royal retinue after receiving no response. "Buried among the rubble, is it?"

Ignis looked away from the chancellor and guardian, eyeing the prince. "Dying here is not an option. We have no choice, Noct."

Noctis met his advisor's gaze. "I know."

Reluctantly, the boys board the airship. As the hatch closes behind them, Prompto placed (Y/n) down. He then sat down and pulled her body into his arms. He rested his head on top of hers, ignoring Ardyn as he tried to speak to the others. He closed his eyes, holding her tightly against him.

It wasn't long before Prompto's eyes flew open at the sound of approaching footsteps. Looking up, he saw Callyx and glared at him. He watched the emerald-eyed guardian kneel in front of him. The moment he tried to touch (Y/n), Prompto summoned his pistol and aimed it at the man's head. "Don't touch her."

Callyx retracted his hand before raising it as a sign of peace. "I only wanted to check on her. What happened?"

Prompto lowered his pistol slightly, but kept it aimed at the spirit. "I-I don't know..." He looked down at the girl slumped against his chest. "Why're you working with the empire? Aren't you the one that said they were killing spirits?"

"I made a deal with them a short while ago. They allowed me to keep my life in exchange for loyalty. I'm using my position to warn any guardians I come across. (Y/n) is the first guardian I've met outside the empire."

"Won't they kill you once they learn you're protecting other guardians?"

"Most likely, but I'm willing to risk my life to protect my people."

Even at Callyx's declaration, Prompto didn't trust him. He dispelled his pistol and chose to remain silent. The spirit walked away after taking the hint and rejoined Ardyn and the others.

Now alone, Prompto buried his face into (Y/n)'s (h/c) hair and whispered, "Please wake up soon..."

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#ffxv #ffxv x reader #final fantasy xv #final fantasy xv x reader #prompto argentum #prompto x reader #prompto argentum x reader

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autumnstwilight · 5 years

Text

Dawn of the Future summary- Aranea

So, Aranea’s section is the shortest of the book, and you can kind of tell that it was a story intended to be presented in game format. I had to put the book down and sigh in frustration a few times from reading a description of a huge set piece boss battle that could have been really cool. IF THEY MADE IT.

-Our story begins with Aranea sleep-deprived and eating a bag of popcorn she found in a destroyed and partially flooded store, which tastes bad but she doesn’t want to throw out. She’s in the cockpit of her airship returning to Niflheim after a 35 hour no-breaks shift working on recovery and cleanup in Altissia, along with Biggs and Wedge, and the 86th Airborne Unit, which she commands. -Musing over her bag of gross popcorn, she thinks of how there are no facilities such as amusement parks or movie theaters in Niflheim, there were in her childhood, but as the Empire expanded its war effort and territory, the lives of the citizens became more and more bleak as funds and real estate were devoted to the military. -She’s also frustrated by the poor treatment of human troops as opposed to Magitek infantry or daemonic weapons, as half her unit was lost in Altissia. -They’re about to land in Gralea when her ship is fired upon by Diamond Weapon (the giant daemonic weapon used to attack Insomnia in Kingsglaive), which is loose in the city and being fought by the army. -A lot of Aranea’s story is essentially about pursuing and taking down Diamond Weapon (while also contending with flying daemons and rogue Magitek troopers), which probably would have been an awesome multi-part boss battle to actually play but is a little meh to just read. -She calls the Weapon デカブツくん (slang term for something large which I can’t think of an English equivalent for as my brain keeps providing “chonk” or “absolute unit”). She also tells it, “Now, it’s punishment time,” if anyone would like to imagine her saying that. -The Weapon heads for Zegnautus Keep, and Aranea enters and fights her way up toward the roof. Meanwhile, Biggs and Wedge help some kids evacuate. -Ardyn begins speaking over the city PA, “Ladies and gentlemen of Niflheim, thank you for your presence. The Empire ends today.” He then mentions that the Emperor has no successor. Aranea recalls that the Empress died soon after giving birth, the Emperor never remarried, and their son died in battle several years prior. The public believes that the Empress’ death is the reason for the Emperor’s personality change, but Aranea thinks it was due to Ardyn’s arrival. -Ardyn explains that the Emperor pursued “magic” as a path to immortality, intending to remain emperor forever, and look where that brought them to. He then allows a dying Iedolas to speak, “Sol… heim… The sun of Solheim… will rise again…” -Aranea finds Zegnautus empty of people and Iedolas dead of Starscourge on the throne. When she gets to the roof, she sees an airship carrying away Diamond Weapon. Ardyn is there eating an apple and watching the Empire burn, repeating his もったいない line (“Oh, what a shame…”) from when he was watching the destruction of Insomnia in Kingsglaive. She realizes he is the one who set the Weapon loose and made the Magitek troopers go out of control. -She tries to attack Ardyn, but her spear hits empty air and he counters, sending her flying and leaving her on the ground wracked with pain and coughing violently. She recovers enough to ask what he’s doing with the Weapon, and he says he plans to let it rampage in Tenebrae. -”You want to destroy it?” -”All of it. Everything.” -After this Aranea’s internal narration switches from calling Ardyn “the Chancellor” or “that man” to, essentially, “goddamn idiot lunatic” (イカレてる大バカ野郎) -Biggs radios Aranea to let her know he’s just put the refugees on a train to Tenebrae. Ardyn is amused. -”It’d be really nice if I could stop the daemons by kicking your ass.” -Ardyn offers her his half-eaten apple if she can beat him. -Instead, Aranea tells him that she’s quitting her job, giving “I hate you” as the reason when requested, then jumping off the roof with her spear. -At this point, she runs into “the most annoying man out of anyone she knew”- Loqi Tummelt, in his Magitek Cuirass. After a fight, he opens the cockpit to reveal he is transporting an eight-year-old girl on special request from the Emperor. The girl says that she wants to fight too- Aranea tells her she’s ten years too early, then reflects on her own childhood. -When Aranea was around the same age her village was attacked by daemons and she was ordered to take the younger children to the basement of the church and hide while the adults fought. She had the same “ten years too early to fight” exchange with her father before both her parents were killed. -Loqi entrusts the child to her and quietly says thank you as a swarm of daemons approach. As Aranea heads for the train and Tenebrae, she watches him fight in his Magitek armor, and hears him announce “Glory to the Niflheim Empire!” Aranea tells her Airborne Unit that their final mission is to protect Tenebrae. -They run out of bullets trying to shoot down the airship carrying Diamond Weapon, succeeding in damaging the airship enough that it crashes, but the Weapon is still active. Aranea takes her spear to fight the Weapon alone. -[insert boss battle sequence of her destroying Magitek cores on the giant daemon accompanied by Biggs and Wedge in Magitek armor that sounds like it might have been fun to play] -The Weapon is destroyed, the refugees get to Tenebrae safely, everyone is alive, etc, etc. -except then a bunch of flying daemons arrive and they have to take those out too. -Aranea finally talks to the girl, who turns out to be Sol Antiquum, the secret child of the Emperor’s deceased son. She comforts the girl and hugs her, again remembering herself as a child. -Ten years later, during the World of Ruin, Sol has grown up and learned to fight, raised by Aranea, and is now a rebellious teenager. Aranea tries to send Biggs and Wedge with her on missions, but Sol insists she doesn’t need to be treated like a child. Biggs and Wedge are apparently even more overprotective. Meanwhile, Aranea cooks a meal with canned food while waiting for her to return.

#ffxv #ffxv dotf #dotf spoilers #dawn of the future spoilers #ffxv dawn of the future #aranea highwind

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