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Veni Vidi Vici	By : Saber007 Category: Final Fantasy Games > Final Fantasy XV Views: 1504 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XV, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
I thought I would provide a guide of translations for a few quotes that pop up in the story. I'm bringing in the headcannon that there are multiple languages spoken in Eos. The major ones are as following:
Niflheim- Latin
Tenebrae- French
Accordo- Italian
Lucis- English
The phrases that appear in this chapter and will probably be reocurring, are:
Aeternum Vale- Farewell, farewell forever. Used in the story as an honroable send off to the fallen.
Veni, Vidi, Vici- I came, I saw, I conquered. The family motto of the Aldercapt dynasty.
XV
"How far are we from civilization?" Nyx groaned, swatting at his sweaty neck, drawing his hand back, and finding a squished insect on his hand.
It was unbearably hot despite the area being tame in forestry instead of dry, barren, land like the first stretch of their journey on foot.
Imperatrix stopped walking, withdrew the map and compass, and examined their position. "Another three days at this pace and we should reach Coernix Station. Though, as I pointed out-"
"No. No way are we stopping at a Niff base!" The glaive interjected and regretted the harshness of his words when the princess stiffened. "H-Hey, that came out wrong…"
She folded up the map and slowed her pace to walk beside the lagging Lunafreya and dogs.
Umbra's return lifted the oracle's spirits at the beginning of their long march, but the novelty of the reunion wore off after the third day of walking. The airship's core finally overheated and no amount of improvised maintenance from the princess could bring the ship back online.
They'd been forced to continue on foot.
The princess and glaive were more accustomed to these kinds of setbacks, but Lunafreya was struggling to keep up. It was obvious the girl was miserable from the blisters and sores she gained from trying to walk in heels and the mild sunburn coloring her now tanned skin.
Imperatrix did what she could to mitigate the problems, switching the heels for flats, applying creams, and providing an ear should the oracle want to talk.
The mindset of luxury and comfort was something Lunafreya was going to have to get over since she insisted on reaching Altissa.
By the time they reached the city of water, all thoughts of a wedding would probably be forgotten, unless the prince waited for an uncertain bride to appear...
"Are you alright? Do you need water?" The princess reached out to keep the girl from tripping over her feet.
At this point, the girl was on automatic.
Their supplies were running low. They needed to be carefully rationed, but...that mattered little if the main component of the group dropped dead.
This was Lunafreya's quest and she needed to see it through.
"I am…fine…" She said softly.
"Drink this." Imperatrix offered her canteen since it probably contained more water.
The oracle accepted it after a few moments and weakly raised it to her lips.
"T-Thank y-you…"
An entire two weeks of walking, fighting, more walking, making camp, eating, and then finally sleeping, only to repeat the cycle had chipped brutally at Lunafreya's dignity and will.
Never before had she wished so strongly to return to the place she viewed as a prison for so many years...
At night she longed for the comfort of her bed and the familiarity of the stars shinning outside her window. A pitiful part of her even missed Ravus's smothering habit of pestering her on her health and making sure there was nothing or anyone to cause distress.
The elder Fleuret wasn't the kindest brother and Fenestala Manor hadn't felt like home since their mother's death, but in this burning heat and with aches throughout her body, Lunafreya could admit that she was decidedly homesick for both.
The oracle prayed that her brother was alive and that his tortured soul would someday find catharsis...
"Is something wrong? I heard Nyx shout at you." Lunafreya handed the canteen back to its owner and quickened her pace, shelving further thoughts on Ravus.
"Merely the same argument we have been having for the past two days." Imperatrix sighed.
The oracle winced for her part in the dispute, like Nyx, she didn't wish to visit the military base.
"I understand his reservations with my suggestion. He is a soldier, of course he would not be on board with venturing into enemy territory." The princess chose not to mention her previous conundrum with Galahd to the two, knowing the hotheads wouldn't appreciate it. "You stand a civilian and a citizen of the empire, there is no reason for you to expect hostility."
How could Lunafreya explain her reasoning without sounding childish?
In her most assured voice she uttered. "I sense ill tidings from there. Were it not for my premonition I would trust your judgement."
The oracle hadn't dreamed of anything specific in regards to the Norduscaen Base, but her intuition sang of danger and destruction. She didn't wish to ignore senses bestowed to her by the gods, not when they hadn't led her astray.
"There is danger all around us, shall we cower in fear for the duration of our lives? We cannot afford to pass up this opportunity." Imperatrix tried not to lose her temper, persuading Lunafreya was the first step to changing Nyx's mind.
As if to prove her earlier point, the glaive rounded back with the dogs, shouting for the princess to prepare.
A swarm of bees appeared in a symphony of noise.
"Stay back, focus on defense." She ordered to the girl, drawing her sword.
Imperatrix ran into the fray, swinging her blade to cut down a cluster of bees. Nyx fired off arrows, weakening the creatures, but not killing them. He took care of those maimed strays by stabbing them with a dagger when they flew low enough for him to reach.
"What the hell?! How many are there?!" The glaive shouted after five minutes straight of hard fighting.
He and the princess ended up back to back.
"We must have attracted a hive." Imperatrix flinched from a stinger tearing her blouse. She sliced the offender in half and checked the cut on her arm.
No discoloration.
"Damn it! I can't see Lunafreya with them swarming like this." Nyx switched to using his bow as a club to ward off the bees.
"We have to break through!" The princess ducked a stinger aiming for her head and the glaive stabbed it with an arrow before using it to shoot down another bee.
They fought harder to break through the cyclone of bees. For every one they killed, it felt like two replaced them.
The bees abruptly let up the assault and the noise died down enough for them to catch the scream of Lunafreya. The creatures flew higher, departing from the battle and leaving the fighters frantically searching.
"Where's my other princess?!" Nyx's head whipped around the empty field.
"Where are Pryna and Umbra?" Imperatrix joined in the search.
Furious barking caught their attention.
They spotted the dogs jumping and chasing after what was undoubtedly the Queen Bee. What fried their brains was what the creature carried.
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing, Imperatrix?" Nyx rubbed at his eyes, dumbfounded when the same scene greeted him after opening his eyes.
"I…I am and I do not understand..." She swept her hair back, staring dubiously. "They are not carnivores, so why?"
The Queen Bee flew off with a shrieking Lunafreya.
The girl was lobbed the broken pipe Imperatrix had given her at the kidnapper. The creature didn't retaliate from the strikes, nor did any of the bees, rather they were flying in a protective formation around the queen and her.
"We shouldn't be standing here staring…" Nyx pointed out.
"We should not."
The two shared an incredulous look, simultaneously thinking how one girl could get into bizarre situations.
They took off after them, shrugging in resignation. It didn't take them long to catch up since the queen's size made her slower than the workers.
"How are we going to get her down?" Imperatrix shouted over the noise of humming bees and barking dogs.
"I wish I could say with magic. Warping would've taken care of this." Nyx cursed his loss and came to a halt.
"Why are you stopping?" She called from ahead.
"I've got a plan!"
The princess doubled back and caught her breath. "Let's hear your suicidal plan."
The glaive braced himself for an outburst. "I'm gonna shoot the thing down and you're gonna catch her."
Absolute silence and a deadly glare was her answer.
"C'mon! They're too high for us to reach and if we don't do something they'll get away!" He got his bow ready and counted the arrows left. Four would have to bring the queen down. "A fall from that height with a body cushioning shouldn't kill her…"
"Did you not see how ineffective your arrows were on the bees?! Why would they be any more damaging to the queen?" The princess argued, appalled at the faulty plan.
What made him think she would be able to catch a grown woman in free-fall and both of them not come out with broken limbs?!
"Do you have a better idea, Princess? Unless you'd like to try chucking your sword at them?" Nyx gave her a patronizing look.
She sighed, exhaling all her irritation with his god-forsaken arrogance and downing the urge to punch him.
"Don't I just love the sound of you conceding."
"Nyx, I swear if this fails, I will punch you back into a coma." Imperatrix ground her teeth and ran.
"The way you threatened me was very entertaining, come back here and do it again. I'd love to see you brawl like a common thug!" He yelled teasingly.
His bow took aim.
"Shut up and do not miss!" She shouted back.
Imperatrix didn't understand why the glaive got under her skin so much...
He evoked explosive behavior from her with his infinite cockiness, competitive need to best her, general bull-headedness.
Making everything doubly unbearable was his damnable flirting, because she could acknowledge that Nyx was eye-catching. Were he not Lucian with ingrained hate for her, Imperatrix might've found herself one day pursuing him.
Her temper was also all over the place from hunger and dehydration, but that was still no excuse for a princess to behave like a hormonal teenager. She was twenty-eight for the love of Eos!
Damned Nyx, making everything worse!
"Lunafreya!" Imperatrix screamed after an arrow imbedded itself in the queen and it almost dropped the oracle.
"Imperatrix!" She cried back, fruitlessly trying to dislodge herself as the creature staggered in the air.
The staff slipped from Lunafreya's grasp as pain registered in her arm.
"Do not worry, we will get you down!"
"How?!"
"Nyx is working on it!" As soon as the princess said that, another arrow hit the queen and they descended enough for Imperatrix to jump.
The oracle grunted from the downward tug on her middle from the woman and the sharp squeezing on her arm from the queen.
A final arrow and the combined weight of the girls made the monster relinquish its hold.
They fell, screaming murder at Nyx and the bees. The landing impact was mitigated by Imperatrix and she held back tears.
Sharp shoots of pain went up her spine.
"Are you alright, Lunafreya?" The princess blinked to clear up her vision.
"Yes, I am." She slid off Imperatrix and was bombarded with slobbery kisses from the dogs. "Thank you, thank you! I am quite fine, you two."
Satisfied, Umbra moved his kisses to the princess still sprawled out on the ground.
"Ack! Not in my mouth!" She shuffled away.
The black dog climbed on her and rubbed his nose all over her face.
Lunafreya laughed at her predicament. "He does the same to Furia."
"Stop it, Umbra!" Imperatrix pushed against the canine.
"Hey! Look out for the swarm!" Nyx boomed, jogging to their position in spite of the increasing pain in his bad leg.
The oracle scrambled for her staff, holding it in the basic stance taught to her by Imperatrix. She wouldn't run from this, nor would she be caught off guard again.
"Again?" The princess grunted, rolling away from Umbra defending her from a bee. She panted at how much it hurt to move, but grit her teeth, reclaimed her sword, and faced the incoming battle. "I won't be beaten!"
The group re-engaged the swarm.
Umbra and Pryna assisted by mauling bees that came within jumping range of them. The females handed off their daggers to Nyx since his bow was useless at close-range.
Together, the three began a calculated strike on the queen.
"I'll clear the way!" Lunafreya twirled her staff to ward off attackers and found herself amazed at how in control she was.
In practice she couldn't keep a firm grip on the staff.
"Good technique, Luna!" Imperatrix passed her with a smile. The queen was within her sight. "Nyx, give me a boost!"
He groaned but complied, clasping his fingers together and throwing her into the air after her foot landed in his hands.
The princess swung her blade at the queen, cutting off the wings. The creature sank to the ground. The glaive finished it off with a stab.
The queen screeched as the life left it.
"Gah!" Lunafreya covered her ears at the high-pitched buzzing coming from the workers.
The dogs whined as well, sinking to ground with ears flattened against their skulls.
Imperatrix and Nyx remained on guard for further attacks. Without a controller, the worker bees flew off.
"Damn, that was obnoxious. If I had my magic I could've lit them up." The glaive collapsed to the ground, squeezing his aching leg.
The princess leaned against her sword, breathing once more through the pain scratching up her back. It wasn't as forceful as before. Bruising would be the worst of the fall versus a cracked spine. "My Borealis was deeply missed as well. I wouldd even settle for Australis."
What was a soldier without her sword and shield?
"Bora- wha?" He scrunched up his face at the imperial names.
"Aurora Borealis, my magitek sword. Aurora Australis, the accompanying magitek shield."
"Oh, those." A pained grimace passed over him. "Shit, I've heard stories about that set! Did you really take down a Griffon with them? Did they really cost millions? Do they glow?"
She blinked. "How do you know all that?"
Lunafreya ran to them. "Are either of you injured? Do you require a potion?"
The princess sheathed her blade and approached the oracle. "I should be asking that. You are the one in need of a potion."
She took ahold of the girl's arm.
"Did the queen try to eat your arm?!" Nyx blurted out upon seeing the mauled and bloody flesh of Lunafreya.
"I do not know. I am not familiar with the anatomy of a bee. It could have been her mouth that did this… I am not sure if bees have mouths…" She flinched during her rambling from the princess's prodding near the sensitive skin. "Imperatrix, may I ask what you're doing?"
She let go to retrieve a potion out of her pack.
"This injury can be healed, but if you contract poison then we will have a problem since we do not possess an antidote."
Lunafreya sighed in relief at the cool touch of the healing liquid. Her skin knitted back together, leaving only the excess blood as a reminder.
"Luckily, I did not detect any coloring associated with venom." Imperatrix wiped off the blood with a handkerchief.
There went the last potion.
Any more encounters would have to be approached with delicate caution.
"Do you need healing as well? I imagine my weight did no favors for your back." The oracle's eyes flittered over the princess.
"Do not mind me. The pain has faded." She smiled. "I am pleased you remembered your forms. They served you well in the fight."
"Until she got kidnapped." Nyx jested.
Lunafreya blushed, lowering her head in mortification.
She would work harder at the drills Imperatrix put her through. Constantly being helpless was an embarrassment to her role as oracle and princess of Tenebrae.
"Thank you, Nyx. As always, your opinion is greatly appreciated." Imperatrix brushed her hair back with an eye roll.
"It generally is." His smirk widened.
"How fortunate your ego did not take any damage during the battle."
"Princess, I really enjoy these talks of ours. They bring us together."
Imperatrix gave up on winning a verbal spat with the self-assured man. Silence was her best option. She pulled the map and compass out.
Nyx nudged Lunafreya. "I was kidding. You did alright for your first battle. No shaking hands, freeze ups, or vomiting."
"Do you mean that?"
"Yeah, yeah. Any fight you walk out alive is a well fought one."
She clenched her staff closer. "I wanted to do more. You and Imperatrix took on the whole swarm by yourselves."
"A couple weeks of light training isn't going to make you a star on the battlefield. The princess and I have been fighting half our lives, we're not a good comparison to make." Nyx turned serious. "Your role is support anyway. What kind of oracle is knee-deep in a fight? If anybody should be disappointed, it's me."
"Whatever do you mean? You were a flurry of skill!" Lunafreya recoiled, baffled by his derisive admission. "My enchantment with your and Imperatrix's fighting styles are…it's embarrassing to say…what led to my capture."
"It looks that way to a novice. In reality, my form was disastrous." He cheered up from her sincerity.
His shots maimed instead of killed. His movements and reflexes were slow. The way he fought would've been a disgrace to the Kingsglaive.
Nyx didn't have that honor anymore.
The Kingsglaive was dead. No more obnoxious smack talk from prickly glaives.
Should he be happy or disappointed?
"Any fight you walk out alive is a well fought one." Lunafreya recited, smiling kindly.
Nyx laughed. "Throwing my words back at me? Aren't you crafty?"
"I am learning to be." She wiped at her dirty face. The oracle learned a lot of things by the day. "Also, what did you mean by light training?"
"Do I really need to answer that?" The glaive scratched at his growing beard.
Lunafreya gave him the "serious" look which made him want to pull her cheeks just to be annoying. That standoffish quality had worn out after the drinking debacle.
She was lucky he finally stoped sporadically laughing at her.
"Kid, it's no secret that Imperatrix is going easy on you."
"How do you know this? I am sure the methods between Insomnia and Niflheim are very different."
"Normally, I'd agree…" Nyx scowled. He could feel the burning circulating from the tips of his fingers to his skull. "...But...we were trained...by the same person."
"That is not…" The oracle trailed off as comprehension dawned on her. "Glauca and Drautos were the same person."
He nodded. "That man sent us home with bruises and exhausted bodies on a daily basis. Believe me, if Imperatrix was using his actual methods, you wouldn't be able to walk. Be happy for the regimen she's created for you."
She shivered at the straightforward account of physical labor beyond acceptable means. "Is that so…"
"Yup. Those meager drills she's got you doing are nothing. Your average citizen could keep up with it."
Lunafreya deflated more and more as Nyx dryly answered her. She...struggled to keep up with what little was asked of her...
"But…Imperatrix said she would not coddle me…"
"It's impossible not to coddle you. I mean, look at that face!" Nyx jokingly swiped at a missed spot of dirt on the oracle's cheek. "Everything about you screams protect me! It's hard to see an innocent face like yours in pain."
"I'm sick to death of people judging me on my looks. I'm not a child nor a delicate flower!" The girl distanced herself from the laughing glaive. "What will it take for me to be seen as I am, Oracle and Princess of Tenebrae?!"
"Might want to calm down with those titles. Don't want Imperatrix to get huffy."
"The empire may have stripped me of my sovereignty, but that doesn't change my birthright."
"Wow! Even you have moments of entitlement. Shocking."
Imperatrix joined the two with an air of confusion over Lunafreya's glaring and Nyx's restrained laughter.
"We are not far off course, it will be sunset when we reach the haven. Pressing on further than that would not be wise." Lunafreya nodded to the princess's advice, vexed expression not wavering in the slightest.
"Let's get a move on then. Last person there has to cook." Nyx brushed past one fuming princess and one bewildered princess.
The dogs yipped, racing happily after him.
"This is not a competition and you do not know where you are going!" Imperatrix kept the map gripped safely in hand and rushed after the glaive.
"I'm going north, aren't I? Same way we came." He rasped out while jogging beside the princess.
"Nyx, you're heading east."
"No way! This is north." The glaive stopped.
The princess spun him in the correct direction. "This is our destination!"
"No, no. North is this way!" He took the map from her and turned back around. "You're confused."
"Really? Then why does the compass say where I am facing as north?"
Nyx leaned over her shoulder and saw the dial pointing at the "N" for north. "What did you do to it?"
"Honestly?!" She moved back from his close proximity. "Rather than admit you are wrong, you throw baseless accusations? How could I have tampered with a Galahdian compass?!"
"I'll give it to you, you've got some engineering skills. It's not that far-fetched, Imperatrix."
"Temptation is telling me to leave navigating in your hand just to prove you wrong, but we cannot afford to wander."
"Is that the only thing temptation is telling you? I still haven't gotten my kiss for rescuing you." Nyx jested and went so far as to tug on her white hair.
She slapped his hand off. "You'll get one when you actually rescue me!"
"I practically did."
"Libertus did."
"Oh, so you'd rather kiss that oaf, but not me?!"
"I am undecided."
Lunafreya sighed heavily as her companions bickered, flirted...or whatever they called it. It took Umbra and Pryna nipping at their legs for the two to stop lashing out.
Since the compass proved him wrong, the princess was placed in charge of navigation.
The glaive grumbled about the change, thinking Imperatrix might lead them to the base and insisted on checking their position on the map every hour. He kept his misgivings to himself, but the princess could tell what he was doing. She chose to stay silent about it.
Imperatrix pondered over Nyx's mishap. It wasn't the first time the he'd gotten confused with the map.
When they landed, he swore up and down that they were a few miles from a rest stop and went quiet once the map was flipped in his hold by the princess. She initially blamed the mistake on his lack of sleep.
With him now repeatedly making mistakes and periodically falling into trances, Imperatrix had to wonder if more was at play.
How could a seasoned warrior have trouble with simple directions? Added to that, Nyx grew up as a hunter, his senses had been honed to a higher degree and he shouldn't have any problems with finding his bearing.
Foolish mistakes weren't in his nature...
Imperatrix would have to observe him further to determine the issue.
The group arrived at the haven a little before sunset. Enough light was left for Nyx to hunt a stray Garula and with Imperatrix's help, lug it to camp for skinning and cooking.
Since meat wasn't an option for the princess, she set out with the oracle to find berries and fruit. When they returned, Nyx had the meat cut up into pieces and was roasting them by the fire on sticks.
The dogs licked their lips hungrily at the pit.
"It is not that funny." Lunafreya stiffly handed Nyx the seasoning bottles he requested from his bag.
Her stomach chose that moment to rumble, eliciting a gasp out of the girl.
The glaive's laughter doubled. "You are too much!"
"Nyx do be careful." Imperatrix cautioned him.
The man was inches from rolling into the pit.
"Don't pretend! I know you're holding back, Princess. Let those giggles out!" He wheezed, laying flat to catch his breath.
"It was an…honest mistake…" She pointedly avoided the knowing grin, grinding her teeth in an effort to hide her mirth from Lunafreya.
The silly girl attempted to eat berries know for causing rashes.
Imperatrix had to slap the fruit out of her hand and was on the receiving end of a frosty glare for it. The ill look transformed to horror, and then gratefulness, after the princess described the difference between the berry Lunafreya almost ate and the ones she was familiar with from Tenebrae.
The mixup was understandable due to the slight color difference.
"Ah, Luna!" Nyx wailed, leaping at the falling sticks of meat.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" She drew back form the pit, lamenting over the food being consumed by fire.
"Goddammit!" The glaive gasped from the fat catching fire and hitting him on the arms as he failed to save the food from burning. "The Oracle Special: charred food."
Lunafreya hung her head in defeat.
"Take responsibility. You're eating it."
The stick of charred meat was thrust in her direction without a second thought.
"That is fair..." The oracle grimly accepted her dinner.
Nyx snorted, holding out a stick for Imperatrix while he watched Lunafreya nibble at her food. The girl was disgusted but ushered no complaints.
"No thank you, Nyx." The princess lightly pushed his hand from her.
The smell of meat was making her nauseous.
"Don't trust my cooking? I'm loads better than blondie." He smirked at the sharp exhale of the oracle.
"That is not it..."
Nyx finally looked at Imperatrix and winced from how it looked like she was holding back on gagging.
"Whoops, my bad. I forgot you don't eat meat!" He tossed the offering to Umbra and another to Pryna. "I cooked way too much then..."
There were enough sticks to circle the pit and the slabs were thick.
Slaying a Garula was overkill.
Nyx offered a silent prayer for the beast and gave thanks for its contribution. His mom would have tanned his hide for being so wasteful.
"I think the four of you will be able to finish off that meat. If not, what's left can be eaten in the morning." Imperatrix finished her own prayer before picking at her assortment of fruits.
She'd offered some to the others, but they declined, seeing as it was the only thing the princess could eat besides more rations or dried foods.
"You're right." Nyx chuckled at Lunafreya eating more heartily at a new stick than the previous charred one.
Her eating style was reflected by Pryna, both owner and dog had prim etiquette down to a tee. Umbra behaved like a true dog, energetic and messy.
The oracle's personality was a weird mix between her dogs.
Night came swiftly as dinner concluded. The leftovers were wrapped up to be consumed in the morning.
Imperatrix chose to turn in. Tomorrow she would press her case again.
The princess dressed down to her training bra and shorts, uncaring of the stare she could feel penetrating her back.
While it could get cold at night she was used to the freezing temperatures of Gralea. There was also the matter of limited clothing and the necessity of keeping them clean until the group reached a town.
Her impropriety around an unfamiliar man could be waved off.
Lunafreya set her sleeping bag next to the princess's after returning from changing into her nightgown. The dogs curled up on top once she was inside.
"Imperatrix?"
She turned to face the girl, smiling softly at the timid scrunch of her eyebrows. "Yes, are you cold?"
There wasn't much else Imperatrix could think bothered Lunafreya enough to speak up.
The oracle was used to colder weather as well, but some nights it proved too much and she snuggled as close to the princess as she could in the sleeping bag.
Or…maybe their sleeping arrangements got to the girl and she was experiencing trouble dozing without a companion next to her.
"No…I wanted…" Lunafreya clammed up and reached over to pet Pryna to gather her thoughts, eventually muttering. "Do you believe Ravus is alive?"
Imperatrix was struck speechless by the question, both because of her distant attitude towards Ravus and the length of time it'd taken the oracle to inquire about her brother. "He is the most resilient and stubborn person I know. Probably on bed rest at home."
"All of that is true." She didn't add anything further.
"Would you like to hear an embarrassing story about him?" It could be called meddling, but the princess was determined to thaw some of the ice surrounding the Fleuret siblings.
"I am listening."
Imperatrix shared the story of how a flustered Ravus called her midday, distressed out of his mind, because he took leave of his post after hearing of his sister's failing health and got home to find out the episode caused by the transition of Lunafreya's body from that of a child to a woman.
She had to calmly explain to him how to handle a girl during her time of the month and repeatedly talked him down from doing anything drastic, like having Lunafreya taken to a doctor to stop the bleedings permanently.
Him not wanting to see his sister in pain wasn't reason enough to stop the body's natural functions.
The next time Ravus came to Gralea, he was taken on a shopping trip by Imperatrix and her sisters to purchase items for alleviating symptoms of periods.
The elder Fleuret hated when any of the princesses brought up the experience.
"Goodness! I remember how uncomfortable we both were when he gave me those items…and the awkward talk that ensued…" Lunafreya cringed, face flaming a bright red, indiscernible in the darkness.
"Flawed though he may be, never think that your brother does not love you, Lunafreya. Not many men are willing to purchase feminine products for women." Imperatrix burned to tell her more stories of the man that went out of the way for his sister's affections, despite how those efforts usually blew up in his face on account of Ravus's mercurial attitude.
She held off though, knowing it would take time for the preconceived feelings of frustration and betrayal between the siblings to be resolved.
"Who bought them for you then? Servants?" The oracle deflected, not acknowledging the twinge she felt in her heart.
"The first time, my father and uncle. Unsurprisingly, the trip made the paper."
"That cannot be true."
"It is. Father did the same for my sisters, making the paper each time. If you ask him nicely, he will even show off the paper clippings he kept of the newspapers." Imperatrix's smile went lopsided. "Never fails to get a laugh out of him."
"I…I am having a hard time believing this…"
"I have a hard time believing the ridiculous qualities of Father, too. Though he is less of a jester without Uncle…"
A lull in the conversation brought a state of pensiveness over the girls.
Further talking didn't occur and eventually Lunafreya drifted off to sleep with the dogs snoring loudly.
Sleep eluded Imperatrix.
"What's wrong, Princess?" Nyx said and startled the princess.
The glaive elected to take first watch, even when not needed.
Daemons couldn't approach havens. The enchantments provided the group a respite, but Nyx insisted on keeping watch.
The paranoia clearly stemmed from the proximity of the Norduscaen Base.
"What gave me away?" She sat up.
He leered for a few seconds before answering with a slight hoarseness. "The teeth grinding and the tossing."
She was grateful for the combination of the darkness and her bronze skin tone disguising her blush. "My apologies, it is an unfortunate habit I cannot break."
"I've noticed you do it when you're frustrated. What's bugging you?"
The princess could give the immediate, obvious answer, but something closer to her heart slipped out. "I cannot turn my mind from Father."
Nyx stiffened.
He'd heard the girls talking, but hearing directly from Imperatrix about the man responsible for the fall of Insomnia angered him. "Why? He wanted you dead."
"I…he is…" The words became tangled on her lips.
In spite of the harsh truth given to her, the princess's mind returned often to her father's well-being and the conversation with Lunafreya brought fought those concerns full-force.
Did he make it out of Insomnia uninjured? Was he handing the nation without her assistance?
The time for retirement neared a long time ago for him, but he couldn't stand handing off the reigns to his daughter when the country was still at war. The airs he put on for the world could fool others, but she knew the stress and workload of the crown overwhelmed him.
He should have been spending the rest of his years at one of their manors, enjoying the peace and quiet, or sailing around the world like he used to do in early years of his reign.
From there, her thoughts descended into fretting for her sisters. Those worries didn't alarm or frustrate the princess, the girls hadn't ordered her death.
Furia would be inconsolable with both her husband and sister indisposed, left all alone in Tenebrae.
Euphemia was old enough to be expected to forgo her artistic pursuits and assist in governing as a princess, but Imperatrix couldn't imagine her mustering much enthusiasm for the responsibilities.
She prayed Venus wouldn't slip back into her shell from her absence, it took time and effort to get the child to involve herself with people.
"Don't get offended by this, but your dad's a major dick."
Imperatrix jerked out of her thoughts, hissing at Nyx. "Mind your tongue!"
"If you're going to snip at me then come over here. A disturbed princess is a bratty princess." He waved her over hurriedly at the mumbling of Lunafreya.
The girl became exceedingly cranky if her sleep was interrupted, making her a nightmare to rouse in the morning.
"Why are you getting upset? He tried to kill you!" Nyx grumbled again when Imperatrix was seated beside him. "Not to mention the other lives he's ruined..."
"You wish to spew more enmity at me? I understand your feelings, I do, but…I do not wish to hear this…" She lowered her head onto her knees. Dredging up wrongs committed at war wouldn't benefit either of them. "He is my father, I am his daughter, worrying is in my nature. Please do not turn this sour..."
He acquiesced by switching topics. "Aren't you cold?"
"Not at all. The weather in Gralea is much colder." She appreciated the turn in conversation and said nothing to him scooting closer to her.
"Must be an icy wonderland if you're okay in shorts and a bra in this cold." Nyx furtively eyed the extra skin on display.
He'd changed from the leathers into sweats and a t-shirt for the night and was a little chilly. They were a breath away from their arms touching.
"Not that I'm complaining about the view."
"In some parts, frozen wonderlands have developed. We have the slaying of the Glacian to thank for the paradoxical weather of tundras and desserts in our empire." The princess disregarded the nervousness circulating in her from Nyx's proximity and the heat radiating from him.
"Everybody was sure the empire would be struck down by lighting from Ramuh or get swords rained down on you all from Bahamut. When nothing happened we were in shock."
"Why should we be punished for defending our homeland?! Shiva attacked us without warning and we suffered insurmountable losses from the battle! I have fought many battles, but that one…" Imperatrix shivered, images flashed in her mind.
A field of white snow drenched in bodies and blood. Airships painting the sky with explosions. She sat amongst that chaos, numb with absolute defeat...
"I learned true fear and felt the full measure of failure that day..."
"You were there?! Why the hell would your father force you to fight?!" Nyx's veins felt like they'd been shot up with ice.
He remembered how awed and terrified he felt in the presence of the Lucian Kings fighting off daemons. Those feelings couldn't measure up to facing a god bent on destroying a country.
"He did no such thing! Father insisted on me staying in the capital, in the event of his death. For that very reason, I joined my legion without his knowledge." She lifted her head, banishing the terror. "We are Aldercapts, we do not rule from the safety of a castle. If there is danger to be faced, we are right there beside the people. We conquer the trials before us!"
Veni, vidi, vici.
Their dynasty would outlive every disaster through its valiant members.
"Not a bad mindset to have." A smile broke out on Nyx's face.
"It has served us well for many years." She returned the smile with a soft one.
"Is that battle why you all switched tactics from attacking with humans to cyborgs?"
"Yes, Father was horrified at the death toll and he faced a lot of backlash for the result of the battle. Civil unrest was at its peak…the nobles in particular were…" Imperatrix's throat seized up and she couldn't go on.
"That's when your sister and stepmother were killed."
"We…all pretend like it never happened...most days. Like Pompeia was never our sister…" Tears gathered in her eyes and Imperatrix covered her face with her hands. "It's swept under the rug, moreso than Mother's death…"
Ander Zamia had been wrong! The princess lost her fair share in this waking life.
"You guys could turn some areas into amusement parks with how crazy your weather is. Think of it, Iceland in one section, Desertland in another!" Nyx joked weakly to comfort the woman he upset with his nosiness. Losing a sibling was no joke. "The weather is probably another reason why so many of you have split personalities."
"What?" She sputtered, lifting her face.
"Hot one minute, cold the next. It represents you Nephilim spot on."
"Are you including me in that statement?"
"Duh! One moment you're the biggest pushover I've ever seen, the next you're snappish as hell. Split personalities to a tee!"
Imperatrix couldn't help laughing. Her tears dissolved. "Pray you never visit my court then. The nobles' split personalities would drive you to insanity."
"Hmm, I think I could deal with it for a chance at the imperial women."
She muffled her giggles with her hand.
A dog was a dog.
"The empire dishes out fine women. And not just in looks.." He admitted without thinking.
"How would you know? I was under the impression that you did not like us. Then again...you are very knowledgeable about our history..."
Nyx scratched at his beard, weighing if he should reveal his secret. "Tv and tabloid magazines. I probably know more about your family's business than I do about our prince's."
She scrunched up her eyebrows, analyzing the unkempt looking ex-glaive.
He hadn't shaved off the stubble when they were in Galahd, instead giving the beard a nicer look. His hair was growing back in on the sides of his temple as well. Nyx appeared more warrior than politician.
Why had he been interested in enemy politics that weren't foreign policies? Tabloids served no purpose.
"I didn't care for it until I got put on guard duty for the prince once. His advisor was the one with dozens of articles about you and all your good deeds." The glaive answered what ran through Imperatrix's mind.
"What was the royal advisor trying to accomplish? Early conditioning?" She could see the Lucians feeding their citizens propaganda meant to incite, it was sound tactic to use, especially with how isolated Insomnia was from the rest of the world.
The cloistered people would be easy to influence.
"Wrong! Poor Ignis was trying and failing to motivate our prince to take on more responsibilities by using you as an example. Didn't really work and ended with the two getting into an argument." Nyx smirked mischievously and nudged her shoulder. "I think he might have a crush on you, too. You're basically everything he expects out of royalty. The stickler probably has secret posters of you in his room!"
"It heartens me to hear there was one Lucian that did not hate me." She smiled derisively, inwardly chuckling at the young prince tuning out paparazzi accounts of her deeds.
"Don't be ridiculous you had at least two. Drautos sang your praise all the damn time."
"Drautos?" Imperatrix was confused until memory caught up to her. "Glauca…"
"Woah, you did the same thing Lunafreya did!" Nyx shook his head, moving onto what he wanted to ask. "What happened to him?"
He didn't know how to feel about the captain.
All along Titus Drautos lived a lie.
Did his double life negate the man's accomplishments with the Kingsglaive? It was thanks to him that Nyx achieved acclaim in the citadel and became a force of nature.
"Do you…truly wish to know?" Imperatrix cast a worried glance his way, specifically at his healed, but still, discolored arm.
"Yeah, I asked, didn't I?"
She breathed in deeply and looked Nyx straight in the eye with solemnity. "Lunafreya and I found you both among the rubble. Glauca was conscious, you were not."
The princess recalled how overwhelmed she became when able to finally look her mentor in the eye.
"Princess Imperatrix…you survived? Why are you here?" Titus wheezed out, shuffling painfully on top of the destroyed rubble.
He couldn't believe that the girl he attempted to murder was kneeling beside him without a single look of disgust.
No.
There was the soft sadness she was known for in Imperatrix's eyes. His own eyes burned from both blood and the radiance of the princess bathed in sunlight after a night of dark horrors.
"How did it come to this, Glauca?" Imperatrix took his hand, marveling over the end of a long mystery.
He was younger than she imagined. No less severe looking though...
The great city of Insomnia was destroyed and its king dead in a corridor. Thousands had died in the crossfires.
The balance of nations overturned in one day...
The princess felt such shame and regret for how the war came to an end. This wasn't victory to her.
"The war created monsters out of many. I became the worst of them after the loss of my home." Titus was in immense pain.
Everywhere ached from the fight with Nyx. His chest hurt worst of all, due to the woman beside him. He wanted to choke that wretched look off!
"Turn those miserably, kind eyes towards someone else! Monsters don't deserve tears."
A mixture of a gasp and broken chuckle was exhaled from Imperatrix.
"Acerbic as always. You behave the same without armor, it is slightly comforting..." She kept hold of his hand, turning it to examine his pulse. "Would you…really have killed me, Glauca?"
Titus couldn't answer.
Blood obscured his view of the princess.
"Should I be proud that your loyalty to the empire extends to carrying out orders you despise...or…disappointed that our years of teacher and student meant so little?" Imperatrix looked down at a cut in her dress. A second slower and the blade would've spilled her blood. "Your swings were true and quick, meant to instantly kill. That is answer enough for me."
She was aware of how the general liked to toy with his prey before killing them. King Regis was a prime example.
Glauca could've killed the old man swiftly, but taunting him proved to be more amusing before he stabbed the man in the back, digging the blade in further with each cling of breath from Regis as he reached for Lunafreya.
The general would've spared her that agony...
"You are too emotional. Stop shedding tears, girl!" Titus yanked his hand from her. "I would've killed you! Look upon me with revulsion!"
His furious rant drew Lunafreya from Nyx.
"It is alright." Imperatrix assured the girl before she could come closer.
The oracle glared at Titus and returned to the glaive.
"That was how you are supposed to look at me." Titus sneered at the teary princess.
"I cannot stop my tears! It is human nature to cry in the wake of sadness." Her tears lessened, but didn't stop. "With no armor to hide behind, I can see all the self-loathing you hold. You are of two worlds, Glauca and Titus Drautos. I do not know which has more hold over you, but your outburst has made something clear." Imperatrix's shoulders sagged with the expulsion of her tension. "You would not have killed me."
Titus scoffed, looking up to the sky. "You've gone deaf."
"From the moment you approached me on the balcony, you lamented over your actions, bemoaned my robbed future as empress, and scolded me at every opportunity. Till the end...you were my teacher."
"Don't infer things that aren't present."
"And now, at your lowest, you are still lashing out at me about the costs of kindness." Imperatrix frowned tiredly. "If you are hoping I will kill you for following orders, then disappointment is yours."
"What is wrong with you?! You don't let attempted murder go unpunished. Death is the only way to settle this!"
"I imagine death is what you have been seeking for many years." The princess continued on her own wavelength, paying no heed to her general's arguments. "I will not give it to you…"
"Fine. I don't require your blade. Etro shall come for me soon…" Titus laid back, feeling the stones dig into his back like blades. His ruined clothing stuck uncomfortably to his skin.
His last moments on Eos would be spent in agony. How fitting.
"I will not let you die either!"
The man had no warning before the princess tugged him to his feet.
The change caused him to teeter to the side and Titus was caught by Imperatrix. She grunted from his weight as she supported him.
He was too stunned to protest and automatically followed her lead.
"What're you doing?!" Lunafreya exclaimed, dogs growling protectively at her heels. "He is not coming with us!"
"He will die if left here." Imperatrix said quietly.
The oracle's grievances with the general were known to the princess.
General Glauca killed Queen Sylva right in front of Ravus and Lunafreya. Added to that bitterness, was the recent regicide of the Lucian King.
Callous words were on the tip of Lunafreya's tongue. Years of etiquette training kept the boiling rage at bay. "He's tried to kill all of us multiple times! What is to stop him from trying now?!"
Titus commended the oracle on her scrutiny. Imperatrix should follow that hostility.
"I know you heard him. Is a man begging for death really a threat to us?"
"It could be an elaborate act!" The princess's tranquility was making the oracle angrier.
"I assure you, Glauca never hides his feelings towards things. If he wanted us dead, we'd be dead!"
"I do not need to be told that. I'm well aware of how he deals with people!"
"Lunafr-"
"No, he's a murderer! First my mother and then Regis. I don't trust him!"
Titus almost wanted to roll his eyes at the girlish bickering. Fed up, he shoved Imperatrix in the direction of the oracle.
The girls collapsed in a tangle of limbs.
"Killing both of you would be absurdly easy right now, and would save my ears the disturbance!" He grabbed Nyx.
"Get your hands off him!" Lunafreya forced the princess off, leaping to the glaive's defense before he could be taken from her.
The general slapped her away and ignored the dogs biting at his legs in retaliation. He threw his previous subordinate over his shoulder and began walking.
These three defied all odds, escaping daemons, outsmarting turncoat glaives, and surviving against himself.
Titus grudgingly admired their grit.
The princess's fortitude was no surprise, he'd seen first-hand how a slip of a girl that cried over the silliest things, transformed into a steely sword master.
How Imperatrix cried during their preliminary training sessions...
Titus was the first to be utterly brutal on the girl. He didn't hold his punches or wait for the princess to reach landmarks in skill.
The general demanded and pushed for excellency, it was this mania that convinced the emperor to put a known terror in charge of his daughter.
He would get results quicker than anyone else...
Battering the imperial princess into the ground, day after day, felt cathartic to the man, who'd lost everything to the empire.
Striking her felt like striking Iedolas.
The emperor had to know of his contempt for everything imperial, yet he raised no objections to Titus's methods with the princess.
Now, Titus realized the emperor played a long game with him. The doting father knew his daughter could, and would, win over any that hated her. The general was no exception to that rule.
Somewhere down the line he stopped viewing Imperatrix as an outlet for his rage.
It must've been the girl's obstinacy...
Where nobles spat at her gender, she endeavored to prove them wrong, to prove she could be the heir.
She joined council meetings, involved herself more with nobles and commoners, contributed to the welfare of the country with her philanthropy. She cut her long hair and learned the sword as a male would, fighting through her tears and pain.
Each day of being broken by Titus, he expected to see a familiar gleam in her eyes, the gleam he saw in his every reflection, hatred.
But not once did Imperatrix look at him with loathing for his bruising her. Not once did she speak to him disrespectfully for reprimanding her worse than her father would. She looked to him as not as one would their tormentor, but their teacher.
He lost the will to hate her when his rage hardened her body and not the heart. He couldn't break that part of her.
She became…
"You will take this." Imperatrix pressed the medical supplies into the general's hands. "You will not die, forgotten among destruction. I forbid it!"
"What does it matter? Here, there, today, tomorrow, we all die eventually..." Titus stared uncomprehendingly at the medicine.
Why prolong his monstrous existence?
"Will nothing I say convince you?!" She ground her teeth, twisted by the situation and the argument with Lunafreya.
The oracle was waiting in the airship for her. Nyx's injuries needed to be treated.
The girls had been saved the struggle of carrying the glaive by the general. His life was now in their hands and dwindling by the minute.
But the princess couldn't abandon another comrade that needed her help...
Leaving Ravus behind was hard enough. Now she had to do it again with Glauca.
"Go already, Imperatrix!" Titus commanded.
She looked between him and the airship.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
"I will leave you with these parting words in hopes you choose another course." Imperatrix met his gaze boldly, conveying a multitude of sadness, anger, admiration, betrayal, and forgiveness.
"As I told you before, I protect all citizens of Niflheim regardless of any ills. I still breathe, because in your heart, my death was not your wish." She graced him with a sad smile and clutched his arm in farewell. "Titus Drautos or Glauca? Until you know which is the answer, you will find no peace. When you have an answer, I would like to hear it."
Titus brushed her off, showing his back in a rare display of insolence.
"Aeternum Vale." He muttered his final words to the princess.
Imperatrix let him walk away, shedding a few more tears at the vagueness of his farewell.
Was he saying it to mean the end as most soldiers did upon death? Or was he simply saying goodbye with an intent to return?
She could only pray that a defeated man walking among wreckage wouldn't be the last image she had of General Glauca.
"So we don't know if he's alive or dead?" Nyx scuffed his foot against the ground, finished drawing the tribal patterns of his home.
The doodles kept him grounded during story time.
A part of him wanted to be like the captain and scream at Imperatrix for sympathizing with enemies, but he knew that wasn't right.
The three of them wouldn't be traveling together if the princess held grudges. Shit, bodies would've dropped in Galahd if she did.
"Do you wish him dead as well? Lunafreya was furious afterwards. The flight was silent as a grave for two hours."
He laughed without meaning to.
For all the oracle's talk of being a grown woman, she threw tantrums like a child.
"I understand your animosity but I could not in good conscious kill him, nor could I leave him with nothing..." Imperatrix mistook the meaning behind his laughter. The somberness deepened in her voice. "My actions most likely amounted to nothing. I do not see how he could have survived on his own with those injuries."
She left him to die...just like Lunafreya wanted.
"I was laughing at blondie, not you." Nyx wrapped his arm around the princess, recognizing that their talking had been consistently depressing.
He wasn't usually one to persist in heavy talk with women but she made it easy to bring up things he normally wouldn't.
"He was half-dead by the time I lost consciousness. I'm not surprised you couldn't kill him. Hell, I found it hard to be mad by the end of it..."
Imperatrix trembled from the contact and resisted her urge to pull away. Nyx wasn't family or a friend. He was a stranger breaching her personal space. "Crossing blades with someone can reveal things that communication would fail to convey."
The glaive was also her companion.
She had to make an effort with him. The princess would have to get used to another person with a hands-on approach...
"Yeah…I don't think Drautos would have ever told us he was a shell of a man." He became immersed in his thoughts.
Imperatrix chose not to interrupt him.
They stayed in the embrace until the princess became drowsy. Nyx let her go with minimal teasing.
XV
"Will you two get up already? This is worse than dealing with Nebula and Tempesta!" Imperatrix vigorously shook the glaive hiding in his sleeping bag and groaning for five minutes like a child.
Lunafreya hadn't stirred either, but Nyx was the easier one to wake in the morning.
Umbra trotted around the meat from yesterday, eagerly waiting for his portion. Pryna remained relaxed by her master, sniffing pretentiously at the noise.
Imperatrix was the only human wide-awake for the day.
"Leave me alone! I'm unemployed now, there's no reason to be up this early." Nyx turned on his side.
"It is nine in the morning. How is that early?" She'd already done her morning workout and stretches, foraged for some more fruit, had breakfast, counted their supplies, and mapped out their destination once more.
They were wasting daylight at this point!
"Are you serious?! Normal people don't function till at least ten or eleven!"
"Ten?! That's a sloth's awakening! I have only ever slept in that late when I was sick."
"By the Six, woman, leave me alone! It's barely been an hour since we switched shifts, I'm exhausted!"
"You are a soldier, as am I. We live off five hours of sleep and you have had six. Get up already!"
The glaive curled up in response.
"Very well, Nyx. I gave you the opportunity to rise voluntarily." Imperatrix sat on top of the lump and unzipped the sleeping bag.
"Damn, stop it! If you wanted to jump me so bad, all you had to do was ask!" He fought off the woman straddling him, now fully awake, and experiencing a manly dose of arousal for their positioning.
It would've been better if the princess were still in her night wear...
"Lewdness will not distract me. Rise, Nyx Ulric!"
"You asked for it, Princess."
Imperatrix blushed scarlet and shrieked indignantly as the glaive lifted her up.
She latched onto him from the uneven distribution of her weight. His arms kept her aloft from the middle of her thighs and the princess was awkwardly lumped over his shoulders, grasping around his neck.
"What did I say about man-handling me?!" She drew back from the grinning imbecile.
"What do you call what you were just doing?" He fired back, grin stretching at her flushed appearance. "Gotta hand it to you, a woman on top of me is a great way to wake up. Do it more often!"
She scoffed and wiggled out of his hold, unsteadily landing on her feet to point threateningly at him. "Stop trying me, Glaive!"
He raised his hands placidly and backed up. "Sorry, Princes. I'll keep my hands to myself."
A huff later, Imperatrix approached the second late-riser.
A gentler method was used.
"Lunafreya, did you sleep well?" The princess laid her hand where she assumed the oracle's head was inside the sleeping bag.
The girl didn't respond or move. Worried, Imperatrix unzipped the sleeping bag and shook the oracle's shoulder.
"Lunafreya?" She laid still and the princess called out more frantically, turning the girl onto her back. "Nyx!"
He jumped out his skinned, almost falling over in the middle of switching out his pajamas for traveling clothes. "What's wrong? She ignoring you, too?"
"This isn't a joke!"
Nyx raced over at her seriousness and kneeled beside the princess. She showed him Lunafreya's arm.
"Holy Astrals! I thought you said there was no poison?!"
"I did not see any and poison is known to be fast acting. I don't know how she contracted it!" Imperatrix's stomach lurched at the purple and green overtaking the oracle's veins.
She checked for a pulse and found a slow, but steady one.
"Oh, gods. What have I done? There are no antidotes..." Her hands cradled Lunafreya's head close to her chest. "I should've checked on her instead of doing conditioning!"
"Shit, shit, shit..." Nyx entered his own state of panic, pushing the dogs off Lunafreya's stomach. He scooted closer, inspecting the girl's pallor and breathing. "Should we cut open her arm and suck it out?"
"Little good that will do when it's been in her bloodstream for a day."
Not to mention they could contract the poison as well...
"How do we fix this?"
"We are too far from the rest area…"
"There has to be something!"
"Nyx…" Imperatrix set Lunafreya down gently and brushed through the girl's fair locks that appeared to be losing shine. "There is…one option open to us…"
He quickly caught on to the silent suggestion and glared at her. "No, no, no! Screw that Niff base! Did you plan all this?!"
"Are you out of your mind?! How could I have planned this?!" The princess stood up, outraged at the thoughtless accusation.
"Pretend like there was nothing wrong, and then the next morning act concerned before you run off to order our death warrants?!" Nyx went on, standing toe-to-toe with Imperatrix.
Gone was the woman and in her place, a nameless Niff to blame.
A fist collided with his jaw and he reeled back, more from shock than the impact.
"How dare you! I have put up with your heinous disrespect long enough! I have done nothing but help both of you since the fall. I am trying to…" Imperatrix choked on her words as the bottled up regret, shame, and sorrow hit her.
So many lives had been lost for a damned crystal!
For power that they didn't need!
How dare her father damage their reputation, their honor, all for a useless piece of stone! How dare he toss her aside after years of toil on his behalf and behalf of their country!
How could she have become such a failure as a daughter?
How could she not have known what he would do?!
"Imperatrix…" Nyx balked at her uncontrollable bawling, reaching out to remedy the scene. "Hey, I didn't…"
He felt like a complete asshole.
"I am not heartless, Nyx! If someone needs my help I will give it!" Imperatrix caught her breath unsteadily. "If you cannot see past my origins, then at least trust that promise. Trust that I will do the humane thing and save this girl's life."
"Go to the base then..." The glaive pulled back his hand, feeling it would be unsuitable to touch her. He nursed his aching jaw instead. "You're her only shot at recovery. I'll stay here, do what I can to stop the poison."
"Your faith isn't misplaced, I swear it!" Imperatrix smiled in a manner meant to comfort but it did the opposite, twisting Nyx's self-disgust further. "I will return with an antidote..."
"I…don't doubt that…" He finally raised his eyes to meet hers. "Don't let her die, Imperatrix."
"Poisoned is not how the oracle shall pass. Old age is."
The princess emptied her bag to include only necessities and grabbed her sword. Nyx saw her off with a grim look.
Whatever lingering reservations he had towards her and the empire, Imperatrix would lay them to rest with her return.
There was good in her people.
Niflheim could save lives as well as it took them. It could!
XV
"Open the gate, it's the imperial princess!"
Imperatrix stood tall and composed as the Norduscaen Base opened its doors to her. She entered with no signs of her distress for Lunafreya, her exhaustion from running for miles without stop, and her sadness over Nyx's insults.
"Hail, Her Imperial Highness, Princess Imperatrix of the glorious white empire!"
The soldiers kneeled with their fists enclosed over their hearts, lifting their heads in wonder to gaze upon the legend. Imperatrix was too fixated on the scene behind them to properly address the men.
Damaged machinery littered the area.
"What has happened here?"
"Brigadier General Loqi Tummelt was notified of your arrival and is on his way to receive you, Your Highness." One of the soldiers spoke up hesitantly. "He asks for your patience. A report will be personally given by him."
"It must have been a serious breach…" She remembered that the men were still kneeling in deference and kindly smiled at each one of them. "I thank you for the warm greeting. You may return to your stations, soldiers."
They stood, gave a salute, and returned to their posts.
The princess could hear some of them whispering about her miraculous survival from Insomnia and how amazing it was to meet the princess.
"Who could have done all this…and why?" Imperatrix wandered up a ramp to get a better view of the main courtyard.
Dozens of cyborgs were in varying stages of disfigurement. A few airships had crashed into the wall, leaving a gaping hole in the base's defense. Blood could be spotted in random areas. In the middle of all the destruction was a lone magitek armor slumped in defeat with the cockpit destroyed and its leg severed with sparks still emitting from the wires.
"Who could do this?" Imperatrix repeated unbelievingly.
She hadn't spotted signs of an army on her trek. The grass held no footprints. There weren't any vehicles in the region. An aerial attack was the last logical conclusion, but their airships should've been capable of defending the base.
"Prince Noctis and his retinue laid waste to the base."
She gazed to her side.
"Brigadier General Loqi Tummelt at your service, Princess Imperatrix. I'm relieved you didn't perish in Insomnia." Loqi introduced himself, bowing and lifting his hand to receive hers to bestow a kiss, as was customary when greeting royalty. Instead, Imperatrix took his hand and pulled him up, keeping a firm grip on his arm to make sure he didn't fall.
"Brigadier General, you are injured! Why are you not in bed?!"
The young noble Furia used to giggle over was wrapped in bandages covering half his face and entire upper body. His military coat hung haphazardly over his shoulders and his hair was messily combed.
Clearly, Loqi rushed irresponsibly to meet her.
"No injury would keep me from welcoming our crown princess." He scoffed haughtily, enthused at her concern over him. "These burns are nothing! I only regret that I stand before you out of uniform and not in my usual ornateness."
"Do not trouble yourself over such trivialities." Imperatrix waved off his sulkiness.
He was still in the early years of his military career and hadn't come to understand that ninety percent of the time soldiers were the opposite of elegant, due to the dangers of the job.
"I will, however, insist that we relocate to the infirmary. Standing on ceremony is not conducive to your health."
"As you command, Your Highness." Loqi led her down the ramp, dismayed that he wouldn't get to entertain royalty in the command center.
He did perk up instantly when the princess offered her arm for him to escort her. He understood that her actions were out of consideration for his slowed gait and preened under the attention.
A mere brigadier general being dotted on by the crown princess? He'd have bragging rights for days among the men!
"Where are all the soldiers?" Imperatrix questioned as they passed the hallways with no one in sight.
"Sadly, a large portion of our forces were killed. The men serving as lookouts are all that I currently have. Well, besides the doctor."
Her stomach dropped at the thought of Noctis killing citizens of the empire. The thought didn't sit well with the princess.
From Lunafreya's descriptions of the boy of twenty, he didn't sound like the type capable of murder, particularly since he hadn't been engaged in a real fight his entire life, walled off in Insomnia.
Sparring matches in the citadel with comrades amounted to little when faced with a living, breathing, target with the intention to kill you. Imperatrix learned that lesson at fourteen.
She didn't want to think of Noctis as a threat, but his actions couldn't be seen as anything else if he had the power to take down an entire base on his own.
The bloody magic of Lucis was an eyesore!
"Do you know why the little king attacked? This base is fairly new and its purpose is for redevelopment and protection of towns in their infancy. He could not have known about it." Imperatrix quizzed Loqi as he settled back into bed.
The doctor went about his work quietly as the two talked.
"The Immortal must have told his liege it'd be a good idea to stop us from getting a foothold in Duscae. Cor and Noctis did the most damage. They defeated my Cuirass with ease!" He scowled heavily with his fingers pressing into his cheek. "My success here would've been a stepping stone for our great empire. Those wretches will pay!"
The doctor chastised him for aggravating his wounds and asked the young man to calm down or he'd be put under again. Loqi petulantly snorted, laying back on the bed as instructed, only after the princess intervened.
"Why am I not shocked? Cor Leonis is often the cause of headaches. Meddling in things he should not!" Imperatrix had a more personal dislike of the man due to an incident years ago.
Lucky for him, their paths never crossed. The princess hadn't gotten the chance to punish the man for his horrid transgression.
"More importantly, are you still capable of managing Saxham in spite of these losses, Tummelt?"
"With great shame, I admit, I cannot." Loqi balled his fist, wrinkling the military coat in his grasp. "We lost equipment and soldiers. The majority still living have been re-stationed at Saxham, but the situation there isn't ideal."
The princess crossed her legs and reclined on the armrest of the chair.
Bad news rained supreme today. Lunafreya hovered between life and death. Now an entire town was in peril.
"Have you contacted the commander in charge of this region?"
"I have. Shipment of supplies and recruits are still being decided. I was told a special force would be provided in the meantime to assist with fortifying the town." Loqi's grimness abated marginally. "In fact, they're expected to be arriving shortly."
"What of Senator Ortho? This settlement is his responsibility. Has he sent guards?"
"No. The senator doesn't wish to lend his personal guard until the daemons are taken care of, or the lighthouses are completed. We haven't made headway with either."
Imperatrix's foot rolled in irritated circles.
She focused on breathing to prevent an Aldercapt outburst from happening. Once ignited, their tempers ran explosive and hot.
There was a reason red stayed the color of their house. The family dwelled deep in passion and sometimes it could consume instead of invigorate.
"I will get in touch with the senator, he is the one with immediate capability of providing aid and it is his responsibility to maintain Saxham." The princess rose from her seat. She softly pushed Loqi back to his cot when he tried to stand in deference to her. "Rest, Brigadier General. You are no help to your soldiers if you collapse."
"Princess Imperatrix, forgive my impertinence, but I won't rest while the crown salvages my failure!"
"Then delegate. The doctor made it clear you are in no state to be moving around." She cut off anymore of his proud refusals and gave the doctor permission to sedate Loqi if needed.
That order shut him up and got an odd observation from the brigadier general.
"Less threatening than Furia but still effective…they're both so marvelous it's hard to pick a favorite!"
Imperatrix hid her chortle as she stepped into the doctor's office for the item she requested.
"Apologies, Your Highness. We're out of antidotes and I used the last high potion on the brigadier general."
"And he still looks like that?"
"Believe me, Princess, he looked much worse before. An elixir would have better served his injuries." The doctor paled at the memory of Loqi being dragged out his unit, body burned beyond recognition and delirious.
Wherever Lucians went, they left flames in their wake.
"Give me the statistics of the garrison." Imperatrix drew the man back to the present.
"Our garrison consisted of forty soldiers including the medical staff. Fifteen survived. Including myself, six of us are on base, the rest as Tummelt said, were sent to Saxham." The doctor sighed. "No one expected this base to be attacked so soon. Nor so savagely."
"You all are greatly stretched thin..."
An injured leader, a senior medical officer, three watchmen, and a communication officer were all that consisted of the Norduscaen Garrison.
The commander wouldn't be out of line for considering the base a lost cause and that was most likely the reasoning for the delay of resources...
Someone new would be sent to replace Loqi for the massive failure.
"Does Saxham posses more medical supplies?"
"It's possible they still have some antidotes. I sent most our supplies with my subordinates." He examined the princess inquisitively. "Your Highness, may I ask why you need one? Besides dehydration and relative exhaustion, you appear in good condition."
"One of my companions was poisoned by a Killer Bee. The infection has spread through her arm."
"Could you explain it to me in detail? I might be able to make a remedy to lessen the poison."
Imperatrix went into full detail about the attack without mentioning the identity of Nyx and Lunafreya. With the world believing her dead, that gave the oracle a blanket of safety for travel.
By the time she reached the end of her explanation, a soldier announced the arrival of the chancellor over the intercom.
"T-The chancellor?! Why on Eos is he here?! This day is full of unexpected surprises!" Loqi scrambled out of bed, drapping his coat back on. "I meant no offense to you of course, Your Highness."
"The chancellor makes it his mission to catch people unaware..." Imperatrix waited by the door for the young man. "Do you mind if I join this meeting? I have words to exchange with him and would like to know why the right-hand is here and not in Gralea."
"I'd be honored, Princess."
Imperatrix and Loqi hastened to the command room after being notified by intercom that was where the chancellor had been escorted.
Sitting at the head of the long table was Ardyn, looking mildly indifferent, until the princess stepped into his line of sight and he brightened considerably.
"Princess, praise be that you are alive and well! Words can't express how relieved I am to see your face." He shuffled past Loqi to stand before Imperatrix, giving one of his playful bows.
She didn't offer him her hand for a courtly kiss as she was supposed to.
"Imperial Chancellor Izunia, to what do we owe the pleasure? I was under the assumption that soldiers would be arriving." Loqi questioned, annoyed by the blatant brush-off. "You have no military jurisdiction, as I recall."
"You are right. I've no control over the military, but I am here on official business. I left your special forces in Saxham."
"I'm the brigadier general, they're supposed to report to me! How am I to coordinate defenses for the town if the soldiers are acting independently?!"
"Well, they're not soldiers, and they wouldn't take kindly to you ordering them around." Ardyn chuckled at Loqi's rising dissatisfaction. "They're professionals, you needn't worry about them mucking up your operations." The next part he muttered lowly for only the princess next to him to hear. "Not that they could make this situation worse."
"I won't stand for your shenanigans, Chancellor Izunia! I take my responsibilities seriously and that town is under my jurisdiction. Failure isn't an option!"
"Failure has already transpired, it's why no one's jumping to your aid."
Loqi bristled.
Imperatrix stepped in before things got out of hand. "Brigadier General, would you give us the room? I will call you back in shortly."
"Yes, Your Highness." Loqi sneered at the chancellor and grudgingly stepped outside.
The red-head was as close to the emperor as an outsider to the family could be. He, alongside Imperatrix and Iedolas ran the empire.
Loqi longed to reach a position of power and acclaim like the chancellor.
Ardyn Izunia was a nobody risen to great heights. The seat of chancellor had been unfilled for decades and the man claimed it in three years of service to the emperor.
He would've been a beacon to many wishing to rise on merits and not lineage, if his personality weren't so bothersome! The man was even more aggravating than rumored, making him look foolish in front of the princess!
Loqi decidedly didn't like him. Accomplishments be damned, the chancellor had earned his ire!
"Where were we, my dear?" Ardyn pulled out a chair for Imperatrix and gestured for her to sit.
She crossed the distance to him in record speed.
Even with height and weight on her, he was still harshly slammed into the table with a vexed, barely-restraining-herself princess balling up his scarf and leaning over him.
"Now, now, Impera, lets not be naughty! Anyone could interrupt and get the wrong idea." He clicked his tongue teasingly from beneath her.
"Enough of your games!" Her accent got thicker as her temper flared. "Answer me plainly, Ardyn."
If she pulled any tighter the scarf could become a noose.
"Did Father order my death for the purpose of seizing Insomnia?"
"That was actually my doing, but our dear emperor did sign off on the plan." He replied casually, unmindful of the choking gasp.
More troubling was the young woman pressed against him and causing jolts throughout his body.
"It was you?!"
"Ah, Impera, dear…lean any closer and you'll cross into impropriety." The chancellor drummed his fingers on the table to stop his twitching hands from touching her.
She was practically laying on top of him...
"How dare you treat me so insignificantly! What right do you have to gamble my life?!" Without realizing it, she drew the dagger from her belt and plunged it next to Ardyn's head, severing a few strands of red hair. "What right do you have to betray me?!"
First Glauca and now him, people were stomping on her trust at a fast rate!
"As chancellor, my duty entails maintaining the dignity and prosperity of Niflheim. Your death brought a justified end to the war and has united the empire. Moral is higher than ever!" Ardyn's voice lowered and he lost some of the theatrics, gazing deeply at the princess.
There was hardly any space between their faces and her hair was tickling his nose.
So close...
"I had absolute faith that you would prevail. Greater odds have been stacked against you, and like a true conqueror, you've stood victorious."
The red-head's logical simplification of martyrdom for her kingdom's benefit cut through Imperatrix's haze, leaving behind the hurt.
Her father and Ardyn used her in an intrusive and belittling manner that one would with an insignificant pawn...
For all his games and political maneuvering, the chancellor had never blatantly put her in mortal danger. Had her worth diminished so greatly that she was better off dead?
What had she done wrong?
How had she failed?
"There, there, my dear... I know it's been a trying month for you. Lost and isolated in the cold world..." Ardyn's hands ghosted over Imperatrix's head before settling in place to comfort the distraught woman shaking with pent-up tears.
How amusing she could be, going from strangling him and stabbing a dagger near his head, to weeping on chest.
Aldercapts were fickle creatures.
"It's your fault!" She hissed bitterly, appalled with her emotional transparency.
The princess acknowledged that the resolve needed to hide weaknesses of the heart hadn't been a strength of hers.
Push the right buttons and breakdowns weren't uncommon for Imperatrix. Somehow, the chancellor managed to be present for many of them...
How she loathed displaying tears to Ardyn and being comforted by him. Moments like these made it hard for her to dislike him and resurfaced things she didn't want to acknowledge.
"I'll not deny that. I've been ever so cruel to you." Some of the impishness returned to Ardyn's lilt and he stroked her head, admiring how long the strands of white had become. "Alas, I shall make it up to you by way of a gift, Dearest Princess."
Imperatrix laid still for beat, momentarily relishing in the soothing embrace after being alone for a month.
She sighed after lingering for too long and dragged herself off the chancellor, falling into a chair to cover her face with a hand, emotionally spent.
"What is it?"
He made her wait by fixing his attire, dislodging the dagger and then taking the adjacent seat. He spun the weapon to hold it by the blade and playfully offered it to her.
An answer to her question didn't come until she took the dagger. "Behold, Princess!"
With a flourish his car keys were held aloft.
"Your car? I know how much you love that red devil, your parting with it, even for me, is inconceivable."
"You are most right. I would never give it to you. The Vixen would be destroyed in minutes with your driving!" The teasing increased at her exasperated frown. "No, the gift is in our destination."
"Have you arranged for something special in Saxham? Matter of fact, who came with you? They have to be someone you are familiar with if they are not military. Skills on par with soldiers..." The princess's mind whirled with possibilities. "And they have to be familiar to me, otherwise you would not present them as gifts..."
Ardyn smiled in that mocking and complimentary way of his. "You are so astute...it almost takes the fun out of it."
"Chancellor."
"I'll give you three guess, my dear."
"Chancellor Izunia!"
"Oh, fine, twist my arm!" Ardyn whined, twirling his keys lazily to entertain himself instead. "A squadron isn't necessary when your retainers mean business. They can handle daemons better than the common soldier."
"Nebula and Tempesta...came with you?"
"Yes. It was agreed that I was better suited to do the talking and they stayed at Saxham. You know how your Thundercat hates boring discussions."
Tempesta did hate listening to people drone about things she held no in interest in. Sadly, she had no aptitude for politics. Though her intuition on people tended to be correct.
"How did you know I would be here? This is all…too coincidental..."
"That's a secret I can't tell." Ardyn tapped his lips mischievously. "Shall we let Tummelt back in now? There's much to discuss before we depart."
She straightened into a picture of regality, fixing her hair, fixing her clothing and wiping at her face. Once finished, Imperatrix bore holes into the enigma before her. "You have found yourself on thin ice, Chancellor Izunia. Tread lightly."
"I will sincerely endeavor to win back your favor, Princess Imperatrix."
This would begin another cycle of Ardyn stepping on her toes, lavishing her with gifts and attention until forgiveness was granted, then stepping on another toe, bringing the cycle to a new start.
Complication rolled in secrecy was Ardyn Izunia.
Imperatrix wasn't sure how much more she wanted to put up with.
XV
"You've got to be kidding me?!" Nyx ran his hand through his hair, fidgeting like a jittery cat.
"The chancellor is an ally of the crown. We will be safe in his company." Imperatrix wanted to hit him again for his continued arguing and foul language towards her. "More importantly, he can get us to Saxham much faster than we could walk. This brew moderates the fever, it will not cure Lunafreya."
She in no way planned for Ardyn to become involved with them this early. Nor did she conspire the events hassling the town.
"That asshole waltzed into Insomnia like he owned it and gave us a goddam ultimatum like it was a favor! You want me to get in a car with that lying bastard?! The whole fake-peace-treaty was probably his idea!" He glared at the man below.
The chancellor was leaning on his car without a care in the world.
"I do expect you to get in the car." She replied bluntly, delicately holding Lunafreya's head back so she could pour the remedy into the girl's mouth. "Her life depends on it."
The oracle guzzled down the drink and opened her eyes to stare at Imperatrix. The princess was relieved that the girl had regained consciousness, even if Lunafreya was delirious.
"Mother…mother is that you?" The girl weakly lifted her hand, but gave up once she couldn't get it higher than a foot off the ground.
Imperatrix froze.
"Mo…ther…mother, will you not answer?"
"Shh, shh, Luna." The princess stroked the feverish girl's cheek, heart filling with tenderness when she leaned into her palm. "Everything is going to be alright."
"I have missed you, Mother…"
"I know. Can you drink the rest of this for me? It will help your fever."
"Okay." The oracle drank the rest of the medicine.
Nyx groaned in resignation at the scene. He couldn't stay paranoid with the princess treating Lunafreya with such care. "I don't like this one bit."
"You do not have to, but you must bear through it, as I did when we ventured to Galahd." Imperatrix helped the freezing girl sit up and buttoned her up into a coat.
"I can see how that was a huge leap of faith now. Walking willingly into enemy territory isn't easy…" The glaive moved to help by putting the sleeping bag up and cleaning the area up.
"Can you walk, Luna?" Imperatrix kept the oracle pressed into her side, supporting the girl's weight.
"Yes, Mother. Do not let go." She laid her head on the princess's shoulder and clung to her clothes.
"I will not."
One step forward and Lunafreya wobbled. She leaned more into Imperatrix, wrapping her arm around the woman's shoulder when she felt like falling.
"This will not work…" The princess tugged a little on Lunafreya's arm to free up her breathing.
Decision made, she picked the oracle up.
The girl giggled. "I am too big for this, Mother."
The protest didn't stop the oracle from cuddling into Imperatrix with her arms locked around the princess's neck and their heads knocking against each other.
"Woah, are you going to be able to carry her?" Nyx skeptically eyed the two, lugging all their bags with ease.
"Just like before, she's not giving me a choice!" The princess threw her load up a bit to adjust and make the task easier. "The piggyback ride was less challenging..."
"All in a day's work, Mother." He quipped, emphasizing "mother" with a wink.
"Does that make you the father? You spent the morning cutting into her arm and draining out poison. We have both been taking care of her." The princess threw back as she gingerly went down the circular path of the haven.
Umbra and Pryna trotted after her with their heads down.
"We did agree to joint custody, so yeah. Didn't think I'd become a dad so soon." Nyx shrugged, watching carefully if Imperatrix looked like she was about to drop her load. "Wait till Ma hears."
"She will beat you. I recall her warning you to keep your hands to yourself, which you failed."
"Ugh, you heard that?!"
"I can tell her how ungentlemanly you have been."
"Coming from you, she might encourage me."
Imperatrix settled for giving him a dirty look since she was quickly running out of breath.
"Princess, shall I assist you?" Ardyn offered once they were near his car.
Umbra and Pryna blocked his approach with aggressive snarling.
He smiled sardonically at the dogs. "Or not."
"They've got good instincts." Nyx dropped the lighthearted attitude.
"You are…" Ardyn tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"Ny-"
"The glaive who fought alongside giants and daemons." The chancellor continued over Nyx. "What a show it was for the emperor and I!"
"A city being destroyed was amusing for you?!"
Imperatrix coughed loudly to prevent a quarrel.
"How rude of me! Let me get the door at least." Ardyn held open the backseat door for Imperatrix to put down Lunafreya.
"Mother, where are you going?" She wouldn't remove her arms from the princess's neck though.
"I am not leaving, I will be in the front." Imperatrix assured, gently tugging the girl off.
"You promise not to leave?"
"Yes, I am not leaving, Luna."
"Okay." She fell backwards onto the seat and the princess maneuvered her legs inside.
Imperatrix took a moment to catch her breath. Her arms tingled from the exercise.
Nyx loaded the bags into the backseat floor after Ardyn announced the trunk was full.
The dogs jumped into the car before the glaive could and sat on the floor with their heads propped on Lunafreya's stomach. He ended up by the window seat with the girl's head in his lap for him to keep tabs on her temperature.
"Princess?" Ardyn indulgenlty waited for her to climb into the front before gliding over to the driver side.
It felt like old times...
Imperatrix comfortable in the passenger seat, raising the hood in favor of the air conditioner, and scoffing at the song playing on the radio.
She really didn't like anything regarding chocobos. One bad fall when she was a child completely turned her against the animals.
The tragedy!
His adoration for chocobos couldn't be shared with her. In fact, she wouldn't hear anything of the creatures.
The chancellor could almost imagine he was driving her to a meeting or taking her on a much needed excursion. The glaive's ferocious glaring, the oracle's breathy mumblings, and growling dogs, however, ruined the daydream.
After an hour of tense driving and Ardyn playing it off, Imperatrix felt a minuscule amount of pity for the red-head.
Being on the receiving end of overt loathing was uncomfortable. While she was sore with him herself, she wouldn't make the issue apparent to others.
The royal family and the chancellor worked too closely together, they had to show a united front.
"How is…Father?" Imperatrix threw him a bone to alleviate the negative energy.
He stopped humming along with the classical selection she chose over the other ridiculous cds he'd been gifted with by different members of her family.
"Iedolas has gone into seclusion, mourning your absence. Euphemia and Venus have started helping me in his confinement. It's a slow process with one of them stuck in daydreams and the other falling back on shyness." Ardyn sighed mournfully. "Truly, your presence has never been more missed in the homeland! I count myself the most devastated next to the emperor. There's so much paperwork and dozens of meeting to handle! And the run-around for every noble is grating! Did I mention the paperwork?"
"Unbelievable. You have the nerve to complain to me!" She raised an incredulous eyebrow.
"The fact I'm complaining should be telling. Clearly, my job was only so easy due to the diligence of the emperor and princess."
"Serves you right." The reminder of why he was in this position was implied by her snarky smirk. "Drowning in paperwork is an app punishment. I will be sure to stop doing yours in the future."
"Now, now, cruel doesn't suit you. Paperwork just isn't my forte, diplomacy is."
"Yes, that is why I get so many people visiting my office to complain about you."
"Nobles don't like being corrected by a commoner is all. I'm a model of good manners in all my interactions!"
Imperatrix laughed, his politeness could be as deadly as swords at times.
Nyx felt like he was having an out-of-body experience with the front-row seat to the princess and chancellor's glib conversing.
They were off in their own world with him and Lunafreya as intruders.
Was this what the oracle complained he and Imperatrix acted like sometimes? Did the princess just have this effect on people?
"Your Highness, would you be a dear and do me a favor?" Ardyn smiled charmingly at her.
"You have overdue paperwork in here, don't you?" She guessed right-away what the man wanted.
"Sharp as a whistle!"
"Unbelievable." She reiterated, popping open the glove compartment where she knew he kept them.
Stacks of folders and clipboards were inside.
"Ah...I mentioned it's a slow process with your sisters, correct? And I've been all over the place making arrangements for them to go on royal progress." The chancellor hurriedly explained himself in the face of her deadly displeasure.
Imperatrix huffed and held out her hand.
Ardyn dutifully reached inside his coat to hand over his official seal. "Stamp away, Impera."
"Dispense with the familiarity. I made it clear that I am not Impera to you. Most especially, when you dump all this work on me at a moment's notice!"
"Apologies, my dear. I mistakenly believed we were friends again." He tilted closer to whisper. "Princesses don't embrace strangers though."
"A lapse caused by you and not likely to occur again." She pushed against his arm to re-establish space. "Pay attention to the road, Chancellor."
"If I can't be familiar with you, can't you be a little less frigid with me? I get tired of 'Chancellor this' and 'Chancellor that'." He whined in faux misery. "One longs for the old days of conversations without titles."
"I could address you by less favorable nicknames that circulate around court, if it pleases you."
"No need for childish name-calling."
"Why not? You have a love for melodrama." She smiled icily. "Some of them are quite funny."
"You view me so unfavorably. It's heartbreaking!" Ardyn sagged, but the effect was lost with his mirthful grin.
Nyx's testy exclamation startled Imperatrix. "Will two speak English so I know if I need to punch him?! Why even switch languages in the first place?"
He was annoyed with feeling like a third-wheel and the language barrier was nudging his aggravation towards anxiety.
What could they be talking about that they didn't want him to hear?
"There is no need to punch him." Imperatrix said, back to speaking the common tongue.
She hadn't realized their conversation slipped into empire's language of Latin. The paperwork must've automatically caused her to switch and Ardyn followed along.
Latin should've been a requirement for the military of Lucis to learn.
How would they know what their enemies were saying if they didn't know the imperial language? What good would stolen information be if they couldn't read the documents?
Truly, Lucian isolationist policies were damaging to the citizenry.
How many of the immigrants failed to integrate simply because Insomnia cared little for the cultures of other country's, finding its own superior to others?
Lucis was no longer was the dominant nation, English wasn't the only major spoken language in this day and age.
None of those thoughts mattered now...with the city destroyed…and they were insensitive.
"Shame, shame! Harming the person lending you aid isn't polite." Ardyn smirked disdainfully into the rearview mirror. "I can see where the princess's increased aggression has stemmed from. Did she do that to you?"
He pointed to his chin.
"It's none of your business." Nyx grumbled, actively not reaching for his bruised face.
"She has a severe right hook." The chancellor hadn't been on the receiving end of a punch, but the few times he caught her training with Nebula made him wince.
Their fighting was still no where near as brutal as Tempesta's. She broke bones with one hit.
"She punch you too? Wish I could've seen it."
"Oh, nothing so crass as that." Ardyn mussed over the strangulation, receiving a fresh wave of chills that had nothing to do with the ac.
Very scandalous behavior from Imperatrix.
"How did she come to be in such violent company? A princess and former Kingsglaive is an odd mix." He added.
"Nyx is Lunafreya's retainer. They are a packaged deal." Imperatrix hardly looked up from the documents, intently reading a missive regarding Ravus's temporary medical leave from the military and stationing at Tenebrae for the duration of his recovery.
She remembered a charred stump and mad rantings.
Ravus being dotted on by his wife would greatly benefit his health.
"Uh, when did I get hired as that?" All the irritation was wiped away to express Nyx's befuddlement.
"When King Regis tasked you with her safety, making you her first retainer."
"Congratulations! From glaive to retainer, what a transition." Ardyn drawled, stage-whispering to the princess. "His former colleagues will be jealous."
"What? What happened to them?!" Nyx launched forward, knocking Lunafreya off his lap and abruptly waking her. The dogs yapped at him for the mistake. "Calm down, my bad!"
He shoved Pryna out his face and set the sick girl back on his lap.
"Hard to recall off the top of my head. There's so much swimming around up here." The chancellor tapped the side of his head, privately chuckling at the hidden meaning that no one else would get.
"I don't believe that! Quit yanking my chain, you bast-"
"Maybe the answers lie in the black folder." He cut in before the glaive could hiss out a curse.
The princess shuffled the mountain of work around, extracting the specified folder and flipping through it.
"It is a list of Kingsglaive members and their immigration papers."
"Let me see that!" Nyx demanded.
"Those are confidential documents. Not for-" Ardyn pouted as Imperatrix handed off the folder. "Unless you have the favor of a princess..."
"You better uphold whatever deal you cut with them." She scoffed at his put-out countenance.
The princess shouldn't advocate for the turncoats...
No one in the capital liked a traitor, and they tried to kill her, but a deal had to be upheld. Their word was given in good faith and besmirching that would damage their image in foreign affairs.
"Of course, I'm a man of my word. All those that pledged their allegiance to the empire have been pardoned for their previous affiliations and returned to their home countries. I even added the proviso that their countries would receive benefits when I made the deal."
Nyx almost crumpled the paper with Luche's name and the bright red "deceased" at the top corner.
"Guess it was worth it for them..." He growled lowly.
Talking became scarce the rest of the way.
Nyx brooded in the backseat with Umbra whining at him and being ignored.
Lunafreya occasionally mumbled for her mother or for Ravus. Pryna licked at her face, sniffing when she got no response.
Imperatrix drowned herself in the files relating to reconstruction efforts in Insomnia.
Ardyn went back to humming in tune with his cds.
When Saxham came into view the princess leaned out the window. Apprehension grew in her chest at the sight of unfinished construction of the lighthouses.
Without those pillars the town would eventually fall...
The princess would preform her duty and protect the citizens. She would do everything in her power to prevent a repeat of the Saxham Incident.
- 6
- 7
- 8
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