Summary: Since Nyx Ulric has started his training as one of the King's Glaives, he's been hearing a voice in his head. And when he understands who it is, he realizes that every wall left between him and the empire will fall. Unless he takes the situation into his own hands and warn the crown prince of his suspicions.
This is intended as a Kingsglaive retelling – changing one single thing in the movie. Noctis stays in Insomnia. Action and drama will be the main genres for this one. I guess I shouldn't be writing another fic for FFXV until I finish one, but honestly, the ideas just keep coming. There is only one pairing here, NoctxLuna, but you can expect major character's death for reasons that are far too obvious…
It should be shorter than the monster Unexpected is turning into, but I wouldn't set anything in stone yet. I've decided to write in character's pov for once and will be switching povs between three characters over the course of this story (maybe more) but for now, we will be either in Nyx, Noctis or Lunafreya's mind. I hope you'll like it!
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Crystal's ties: Insomnia's last stand
Prologue – Father knows best
"King Regis Lucis Caelum, 113th ruler of Lucis," the herald declared.
We saluted, head and upper body bowing as the royal highness rose from his throne. Salt and pepper hair, regal beard, eyes too keen. I tried not to compare him to the man who'd saved me as a kid. The man who could call upon flames, lightning bolts and the harshest cold. Magic used to belong to royals, no one but royal.
Now the same magic was in my reach. I just needed to pass the last test, as did my fellow aspiring Glaives. Crowe stood in front of me in the line. Ladies first. Libertus wasn't too far and we'd made a few bets for the outcome of the crystal review. There were over 40 of us, all from Galahd, all comrades in arms in a sense, potential magic soldiers for the king.
If the magic could take and root deep in our veins. It would mean extending Regis's powers, giving him more arms and legs to defend a country already dying.
All I wanted was the strength to finally make a difference. I had enough of being the kid needing to be saved. Enough of bowing and begging for a job, a place to stay or even the right to order something in an Insomnian restaurant. When you grew up outside of their precious snow globe city, you were as good as the daemons hunting their nightmare. Maybe even worse.
People always fear what they don't know. If we listened to Libertus, we should beat some sense into them, but there wasn't enough of us to sustain any confrontation.
"At ease," Regis offered. "I will ask you to come up one by one. The process is taxing, so you can expect a few side effects for the first few days, whether it works or not."
The king didn't have to add that if they wanted to turn down this offer, it was now or never. Crowe walked up the stairs confidently when her last name was called. I was too lost in thoughts to follow the light sway of her hips and barely notice the whimper that escaped from her when Regis ran the small crystal of his ring over her eyelids. A stroke of cold and it would be over, side effects be damned. I'd be a soldier, I might be able to warp at the speed of light like that man could, able to take care of coeurls and daemons alike.
"Thank you," Regis told the only woman in our rank, giving her the time to be halfway down the stairs before to call: "Ulric."
His eyes fell on me and I wondered if he remembered that visit to our isles. How he saved me as a boy and let his wife, the very queen herself, tending to my wounds? I tried to swallow back the questions coming to me with my first step. Why had he stopped saving us? Where had he been when Galahd needed help? How could he let the wall falter even for an instant? He had to know what Lucis looked like outside of these walls. Had to know that us—uncivilized, countryside people—were barely making ends meet.
I hurried up the stairs, back straight, wondering if my training as a hunter and my will could suffice to make me a soldier. His eyes pierced me like daggers until recognition dawned. We were over 30 years later and he remembered me?
He gently pressed the ring to the middle of my forehead, before drawing a line over both of my eyelids. I expected an ache or even a burn, but instead, I heard him talk.
*Kids really grow too quickly.*
"What?" I blurted out.
Eyes snapping open, I saw the confusion on his face and wondered if I hadn't imagined those words.
"Is something wrong, Ulric?" Drautos asked.
Something bubbled inside me and for an instant, the blood in my veins was like champagne. Too light, ran over by electricity. A wave of dizziness ran over me when I shook my head in answer.
*Good. The magic is taking root.*
What was that voice? It sounded just like the king, but his lips hadn't moved, I was left there, frowning at him.
"Thank you," Regis told me.
*If only I was strong enough…*
Awesome, Nyx. You're going crazy. Of all the side-effects you might have, you'll lose your mind before to even use any of that magic.
I had a dozen questions to ask, but I went back in line, knowing from the inquisitive look Libertus was throwing my way that I wouldn't hear the end from it anytime soon.
…
Over the course of one month, after learning how to warp around properly and use magic shields, I was convinced the voice popping every now and then in my head was my own, personal side effect. The others had puked for days, felt disoriented, been covered with rashes, burns or dreamed up nightmare, but my symptom had no precedent as far as I could tell. And surely our beloved king wouldn't call it that.
*Where is he now? Does he even have an idea of what's going on?!*
Exasperation, huh? You might as well be fed up about that guy you're always wondering about. When was he going to stop whispering in the back of my mind?!
I brought up a magic shield to stop the daemons' charge, warped away, readying myself to leap into the air and back at the enemy with one dagger throw. Slashing one tentacle off, drawing fire from my veins. If it wasn't for that voice, magic was pretty darn cool. And the rush of power was still as strong as day one.
I've been fighting monsters most of my life. Keeping up that bar with Libertus brought in money, but killing beasts and daemons roaming in our isles was good for business. And for my family. On any battlefield, adrenaline is a good friend to have. Kicks in to give you that lightning-quick reflex, reminds you of how good it feels to be alive. Falling, rushing, running, dodging, warping. Legs burning, lungs aching, heart pounding. Slashing through daemon's flesh is different from ripping through a coeurl or your everyday sabertusk. It's like killing a nightmare while wide awake. Fulfilling and still, sound impossible to achieve.
For, even when you get that strong, Etro has a way to kick you back to Eos. For Libertus, it's the constant reminder that we don't belong here. For me, it's that worn-out voice monologuing in my head.
*Clarus needs a day off. Hell, we all need time off. What did I forget again?*
When I blinked, I could almost see him thumbing through an electronic agenda. Struggling with his wounded leg. Cane ringing on the floor, a third leg, another sign of weakness. I didn't have to ask him any question anymore. Whatever the king was thinking, whatever he was feeling, I could hear his voice. His thoughts. I lacked the half of every conversations he held with people. Sometimes, our nightmare would mix together at night. He lacked even more sleep than I did. And as much as I tried to tune it out, it was hard to focus sometimes.
Remember where you are Nyx. Battlefield. Daemon all over this town. Should call it a ghost town, really. Stupid wall that can't protect more than one city.
How I wished he could hear my thoughts back and know how much I resented him and his ancestors for their poor work. Not that I blamed them for it all. Well, maybe a bit.
The fire burned my daemon as a dropship swooshed a few feet above my head. A look around and I spotted my friends and comrades scattered all over the place. This was our second mission. We were slowly growing more organized, and Drautos had already claimed the command of our forces, but we needed to get better. Our efficiency was just enough to get by as it was.
"Fresh metal meat, guys!" Lucche called out.
We taunted the MTs, staying scattered, Crowe starting up a fire spell that would hopefully take down the ship. Collect some intel and gather information on those flying barrels of enemies.
As the first magiteck soldier dropped, we threw our daggers in the air. Our hoods stayed on despite the wind. Daggers against steel, blue blurs hitting hunk of metal and flesh. Their red eyes reminded me of the fire back home.
*Words from the empire… That Izunia acts as though… Oh, for the love of Etro!*
I internally cursed and kick-warped one MT before to dive towards another one. Couldn't he think full thought? Let me know what was really happening? Or was this weird link going to be turn into my own curse?
…
Dear Noctis,
I hope this letter finds you well. It's been some time since we've exchanged news. I have been quite occupied as of late. My prayers still work, but the scourge seems to grow stronger every day. There are a lot of people in need of my light.
A light that might be graced by your smile in the future if I'm not wrong. The circumstances won't be ideal, but the ghost of peace is on the horizon. I don't want to be naïve or to believe peace is the only potential outcome, but one of their conditions gave me hope. I don't know if your father already told you of it, but for peace to be signed, Aldercapt wants our lines tied.
As overwhelming as this may sound, it gave my heart great joy to think I would get to see you again. To actually see you!
I really wonder what you think of this… marriage arrangement. In the name of peace, I would happily marry anyone, but the fact it's you... makes it a lot easier on my mind. I feel presumptuous for jumping to the heart of the matter before even hearing your thoughts on it. It's always been easy to talk with you in these letters, but I wonder how it will turn out in person. Shiva knows you're my best friend, and I hope I never lose that. The next few months are going to feel far longer than the past years.
Stay careful, dear Noctis,
Always yours,
Lunafreya Nox Fleuret
…
I had to fight the blush on my cheeks at those last words. Luna. Mine. Oh gods. Peace was the last thing on my mind and I tried to stifle the longing I felt. I missed her so much sometimes, and at other moments, it felt as though she was just a dream I had. Like Carbuncle.
Umbra gave me a playful look and I scratched his ears.
"How was she when you left? What is she hiding from me this time?"
I had been notified—that is right "notified", my father didn't have time for an audience with me yet—about what the peace treaty entailed. Then, I sat down with Ignis to get things straight, because I was a bit angry with the situation. Luna and I were pawns, mere symbols to paint the treaty with bright and sweet colors. She knew that, but as always, sounded ready to make the most of things.
There is a war out there. A war we're losing.
It felt so surreal. Everyone in Insomnia was running about with their lives. I could hang out in cafes or arcades with Prompto and if it wasn't for Ignis showing up every day with words from the Citadel and the news I kept checking…
Umbra climbed on my lap, licking my face to help me out of my daze.
"Come on, Umbra, don't…"
It tickled and I didn't want to laugh. I wanted to scream or to sleep off the stupor. But Luna was waiting for an answer and I owed her something big. We never used the l-word. We were friends, really good friends and I couldn't say I was unhappy with the prospect of marrying her. It might just be a bit soon, at least… Had I grown enough for her to see something else than a child in me?
We were mostly looking out for each other and this correspondence had kept me sane while keeping her real. She was happy to see me, happy that her marriage could bring peace, but did she want to be my wife? How did that even work?! My thoughts couldn't focus.
I grunted, gently putting Umbra back on the floor to sit at my desk and consider my answer. My mind called up a picture of Luna, dressed in nothing but white, pale hair, bright blue eyes. I had seen pictures in newspapers and on a few websites, but the quality was always low, too low.
She refused to send me pictures, explaining she hadn't taken one in years. Something told me it was more because of the state she was in. The people she kept healing. The prison her home had been turned into. I might be younger and out of the loop, but I wasn't blind.
Grabbing a pen, I took out some scrap paper to draft an answer. I wasn't going to lose space in our notebook now, not for something like this.
Dearest Luna…
Was that too cheesy? I knew she liked cheesy, but she would also tease me endlessly about it. With a sigh, I forced myself to just write down whatever came to my mind. Best way to stay truthful.
Dear Luna,
I'm doing fine. Most of my times is spent in training and revising my studies. I wish I could see you right now and get a better idea of what you mean when you mentioned being busy. If things get settled with the empire, I should be able to move around instead of staying cooped up here. Being the chosen king means I can do something about the scourge and take off some of the pressure on your shoulders. Forgive me for saying it that way, but it's about damn time.
I wasn't surprised at the mention of an arranged wedding, though I'm glad Iedolas Aldercapt is not pushing a stranger on me, like a daughter or something. To be honest, I am overwhelmed by the idea the next time we meet, we might get married instead of just sitting down and catch up. I'm glad it's you.
"Oh gods…" I whispered to myself.
She knew, Luna had to already know, but it felt terrifying to open up like this, when all I had of her were words and a bunch of photograph.
Umbra barked happily, making me jump and I only managed to pull away my pen before scratching the paper. I had switched back to our notebook out of pure reflex. No taking back any words now.
"Ignis?" I asked.
My advisor—and eternal babysitter—walked into the room, Umbra instantly rushing to his legs.
"I brought food. And news. There's a kingsglaive who insisted on meeting you."
"If it's for training, I already…"
I should have known Ignis wouldn't bother me with a request I had already turn down or refuted. Ignis knew when he stood in front of a lost cause. Makes you wonder why he hadn't given up on me somewhere along the way.
"Noct, listen. The man had information about your father. Information he shouldn't have. And a story you might not believe right away. But he already knew the empire demanded that lady Lunafreya and you get married three days ago."
I blinked at Ignis, hands turning cold.
I hadn't been notified of it until yesterday. How could a Glaive know of it before me?
"When did the chancellor visit my father?"
Ignis's left eyebrow twitch with annoyance. He didn't like this situation either. He wouldn't have mention it unless he considered it of the utmost importance. Etro knew how many people tried to get to me through him. He turned them all off usually.
"Three days ago. Nyx Ulric wrote to me about it on that very day, right after he'd finished a mission in the south of Leide."
I struggled to see how the guy could have known. Cameras planted in the audience room? Technology seldom worked in the Citadel thanks to the interference from our powers. And Clarus would have found any camera or mic planted. The man was close to paranoid.
"Could he be a spy? What would be his aim?"
"While this is the most probable scenario, I personally doubt Ulric works against us."
"Why?!"
I didn't mean to snap and Ignis was too preoccupied by the problem at hands to mind it, thankfully.
"It's not the only thing he knows that he shouldn't. He told me a set of things, facts and… If I wasn't your advisor, I wouldn't know them myself. He encrypted the mail quite strongly. I believe he's well-intentioned. While remaining cautious, I'd suggest you start by meeting him in person. With Gladio and myself around."
Ignis had made a few private comments about sharing the king's powers with the Glaives. How it was a precarious, dangerous situation. He was right, and my father knew he was taking a wild gander. But we barely had any local soldier left. The glaives were the next best thing.
I had followed their training, even teaching them a few things to better use their magic during the first two weeks. Nyx Ulric hadn't exchanged more than a smile with me. Why was he trying to talk now, when it was harder to see me? What information could he have to make Ignis believe him so strongly?
"You got that message with you? When should we…?"
Ignis looked at me with a hint of surprise, which made me wonder if I had said something wrong. I paused, expecting an explanation, but all he gave me was silence, his surprise turning into a smile.
"What?"
"You sound a lot more mature than usual, you know. Thinking things over for once. Are you trying to make up for lost time?"
"Ignis…" I started, a warning in my voice.
A warning he couldn't care less about. The man had been looking after me before we could even call him a man.
"After all, you'll be meeting a certain Oracle pretty soon…"
"This is hardly the time for…"
His smile drifted off and he squared his shoulders again.
"Apologies. I simply think you shouldn't try to rush anything. Ulric will be back in Insomnia tomorrow night. I have the message and we'll consider it together with Gladio. There's no need to take a decision right away."
"Is my father in danger?" I insisted.
"Nowadays, everyone is in danger. But Ulric doesn't mean the King any harm."
Umbra walked up to me, a light whine coming out of his throat. He was worrying too, but mostly because of my own panic. A brief look in Ignis's eyes told me it was I he worried the most about.
"Let me read that mail. I hope we're eating something good tonight."
"It shall be nutritious and delicious in equal part," he mocked me as we walked into the kitchen.
A stew was already steeping on the oven.
"I don't want to know what's in it," I sighed.
The idea of anything green made my stomach lurch.
Ignis didn't give me much time to ponder on the foot, lending me his phone, but warning me some part of the mail would shake me. I scoffed at him, rolling my eyes at the first lines. Then I sat down to try and process the message.
This will sound crazy, but I know a man of logic like you will read this entirely and consider every alternative. Thanks for being curious, Scientia. I thought I was going mad at first, but ever since I received powers from the king, there has been… a connection. I hear things said by his voice. Today, I learned of that wedding between the prince and a lady Luna… I didn't catch the last part of her name, he called her Luna most of the time. A peace treaty is in talk and the wedding is one of the conditions the empire set.
But that doesn't prove much, so how about all the rambling I've been getting lately?
I know you've been working as the prince advisor for the last 15 years and that his majesty feels awful for taking over your life with that role he gave you. I know he gave a Carbuncle charm to the prince in hope a guardian spirit would look over his son when he couldn't. He's been worrying about the prince an awful lot when he's not thinking of the state of the world. I could go over a lot of memories he revisited lately, but that would take up too much time.
I know Regis sleeps less than two hours a day and needs too much medication for the pain in his leg. He spends hours with the crystal, hoping for a sign from his ancestors. I could go on, but to sum things up, the king isn't doing well. I hear it running in the back of my mind. And as much as I try to tune it off, I'm starting to wonder if this connection couldn't help instead of pestering me. We're out fighting because there's still hope for Lucis. If the king himself doesn't think so, I'd rather hear what the prince believes.
"How in the hell…?!"
"This is why I said there was no need to rush ahead," Ignis explained. "It's a lot to take in and it does sound impossible. But who apart from me knows about Carbuncle? About the moment I started working for you?"
I was looking for my breath as I wondered in what other ways my dad was hurting. Why did I need someone from the king's glaives to learn these things about my own father?! But the idea Regis had already given up. That was…
"I want to see him right as he arrives in Insomnia," I told Ignis.
He nodded, arms crossed, leaning just a bit on the counter in the center of the kitchen.
"I know this might be distressing, but I thought you ought to know," he admitted.
I wondered why I didn't feel anger at him. Usually, whenever Ignis forced me to look at the harsh reality or my responsibilities, I would do everything in my power to look the other way and get him off me. But that was before. I had to change. Peace treaty was just another name for surrender in this case and surrender might not save our country.
"Thank you, specs. I… We just need to find a way to explain whatever is going on and see… Shouldn't we warn my father?"
Ignis pulled a face, which was something really rare in itself.
"I don't know. Until we confirm it, bringing this "connection" into the light could mean that his majesty will cut it off."
It clicked in my head and I gaped at him before to collect myself. I used his words to make sure I was understanding things correctly.
"If what Ulric claims is true… For once, we have a way to know every variable of the equation. Without the cuddling Regis would use since I'm involved."
"Precisely. Not to say I appreciate the idea of working in your father's back. But the information we usually get has always been… softened. And if Regis is pushing himself…"
He was just as worried about him as I was. And with how things were going, could anyone blame us?
…
I'm glad it's you, Luna. More than glad. I wish Umbra could just take me with him instead of this notebook.
Lately, I've been wondering if peace is what the empire truly has in mind. We almost never talk of politics. But there's no need to go easy on me. Not anymore.
I'll write more soon. Take care,
Yours, heart and soul,
Noct
-To be continued…-
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
So here is the prologue of this alternate version of Kingsglaive. We will get to Kingsglaive's events in chapter four or five. I first need to set things up a bit more. Luna's pov should appear in next chapter.
I'm really curious of what you think of this. Please review to let me know what you'd like to see. The rating shouldn't change, I expect to write violent action scenes, some rushed fluff here and there, a few character's death and titanic battles. The chocobros will appear and I'd like to bring Cor up for some action, or at least, give him a role throughout the events. Also, exploring Drautos turning to the empire.
On a side note, Ravus will show up in this, but I'm going for a different Ravus than the one in my other fics. This Ravus should be a full-on jerk. XD