"Lady Iris. Lady Iris!"
Iris was jarred awake by the urgent voice calling her name "Hm? What?" She mumbled, rubbing the heel of her hand into her eye.
Her driver was motioning toward what appeared to be a blockade set up on the "My lady, we are still several miles out, but something's wrong at the Citadel, there are imperial soldiers directing traffic away, they aren't letting anyone pass."
Iris was instantly awake "What? Why would they keep people out?"
"I don't know, lady Iris, but it looks like we won't be getting into the Citadel today."
"That's bullshit!" Iris cried as she opened her door and hopped out, ignoring the protests of her driver. "Excuse me!" she called out to one of the guards at the blockade "Why aren't you letting people through? Has something happened in the Citadel?"
"That's none of your concern," the guard answered, "turn around and exit the area or you will be removed."
Iris felt her anger rise at the guard's attitude; standing as tall as she could, she put her hands on her hips and fixed him with a narrow stare "I am Iris Amicitia, my family serve as shields to the Lucian royalty, you need to tell me what's going on here."
The guard looked her up and down and laughed before deliberately turning on his heel and walking away.
"I need to get to the city, something bad is happening, I know it." She glared at the retreating soldier and then started walking back to the car where her driver had gotten out to follow her. She had only made it halfway when a deafening blast thundered across the landscape, forcing her to instinctively drop to the ground.
The scene was one of instant chaos. People who had been loitering and others who were in the process of turning back began dashing in all directions, screaming in panic, while the guards protecting the blockade drew their weapons and shouted orders for the crowd to stay back.
Iris' ears were ringing from the blast and the cacophony of terrified voices around her. When she finally lifted her head, an involuntary sob of horror leapt from her throat. Thick black smoke was billowing up from the Citadel, right where she knew the palace was located; that sight alone was devastating enough, but what truly made Iris' heart cry out was the fact that she could see it so clearly at all, "The crystal barrier! It's collapsing! What happened? What's going on?!" her brain screamed "This was supposed to be a peaceful discussion, what went wrong?!"
As she shakily got to her feet, Iris saw her driver running over to her. Her ears were still ringing, so she couldn't make out what he was saying to her, but surmised he was asking if she was alright. Nodding dumbly, she looked around at the mayhem, trying to decide what to do. The imperial guards were corralling people and trying to keep them under control, and had turned their focus from protecting the blockade. In a snap judgment, Iris darted back to the car and jumped into the driver's seat; she could see the instant panic on her chauffeur's face as he saw what she was about to do, but she ignored him. Throwing the still-running vehicle into drive, she slammed her foot onto the gas pedal and sped straight toward the blockade, smashing through the lightweight barrier that had been erected, and flying toward the Citadel.
"I'm going to find out what's going on for myself," she thought as she raced along, "I've got to find Ravus and make him tell me. Thank gods Gladdy and the others aren't in the city anymore."
By the time Iris arrived at the city entrance, it looked like half of the giant gate had been blown off its hinges, and people had already begun fleeing, by car, on foot, and by any other means possible. The flood of people was so great that Iris was forced to pull the car over and continue on foot herself. Grabbing her chakrams from their case, she clipped them to her belt and set off at a light jog, unsure of what she would find, but determined to reach her goal.
When she finally fought her way through the crowd and past the gate, Iris saw that the explosion had indeed come from the palace; smoke poured from a giant hole in one of its spires. As she drew closer, she could hear the sounds of fighting, and instinctively drew her weapons, continuing her approach with caution. As she entered the large, circular drive at the palace entrance Iris was greeted by the sight of her father's Crownsguard battling Niflheim soldiers, on the palace steps, as well as…
"No!"
Kingsglaive- Iris knew them by their black uniforms trimmed in silver- were fighting alongside the imperials. She was witnessing treason: King Regis' own personal guards were fighting as allies to his- the kingdom's- enemies. As horrified as she was, Iris set aside her own feelings "If the Kingsglaive have turned traitors, that means the King is in serious danger," Iris spoke aloud "I have to get into the palace."
Concealing herself behind a pillar, Iris watched the battle, waiting for the opportunity to dash through the melee and into the palace. She quickly spied her chance when the fighting shifted to one side of the area. It would be risky, but Iris knew if she ran fast enough, she could make it through before any of them could reach her. Taking a deep breath, she gripped her chakrams in both hands and took off at a dead sprint toward the palace stairs.
When she had reached a point about three quarters of the way across the yard, Iris heard a shout,
"That's Clarus' daughter! She could be valuable to the Empire, grab her!"
Out of the corner of her eye, Iris spotted two of the Kingsglaive break away from the fighting and head straight for her, weapons drawn. Without a second thought, she gripped her weapons tighter and poured all her strength into her legs, flying up the palace steps as fast as they could carry her. Once she was through the door, her first plan had been to get to the throne room, but now, with two traitorous soldiers hot on her heels, she couldn't risk bringing more enemies closer to the king. With that thought in mind, Iris plotted a course for the residential wing of the palace, knowing that even though the Kingsglaive were familiar with the formal areas, only the Crownsguard were permitted access to the private living quarters.
The normally quiet palace halls echoed with the din of panic as the residents and staff fled the place, snatching up as much as they could carry in their escape. Iris dashed through the palace, bobbing and weaving down random corridors, the only direction of her path being to lose her pursuers as quickly as possible. She had just ducked into a low doorway near the laundry rooms, and thrown herself down next to a cart of clean sheets to take a break, when a voice at her elbow almost made her jump out of her skin:
"Iris! Is that really you?!"
Looking around wildly, Iris saw the pile of sheets start to move and shift, until a familiar face came into view.
"Talcott!" She yelled as she began digging him out of the mountain of linens "What are you doing here? Where's Jared? Where's your grandpa?"
"I don't know," he answered, reaching his arms out to her so she could lift him out of the cart "he went to the treaty to be with your father, but then something bad happened and people started screaming and running. Maggie told me to hide in here while she went to find one of the Crownsguard to get me out of Insomnia."
Iris hugged the boy tight, "I'm sure she just got held up," she told him, doing her best to keep the fear out of her voice "but you've got me now, I'll keep you safe and get you out of here." She said it as confidently as she could, silently praying to anyone who was listening that she wouldn't be made a liar.
After making Talcott promise to stay as close behind her as possible and run and hide if an enemy showed themself, and making sure the hall was free of Kingsglaive, Iris carefully stepped out of the laundry room. The noise of the conflict raging outside was still going on, but that wing of the palace had quieted a bit, and once Iris was confident that she had lost her pursuers, she picked up their pace.
Talcott, having been raised by his grandfather, her family's retainer, followed Iris's orders explicitly, sticking to her like glue and matching her pace despite his small stature.
"Iris?" Talcott whispered when they had reached a junction just outside the foyer of the palace entrance "I can wait here if you want to go look for your dad and the King. I know you're worried, and I don't think anyone would find me for a while."
"Talcott!" Iris scolded. She turned to him and crouched down, so they were eye to eye and laid her hands on both of his shoulders, "I'm not going to leave you anywhere. I told you I'd get you out of here safe and sound, and there's no way I'm not keeping that promise. My dad can take care of King Regis and himself, you know that, right?"
The boy nodded and gave her a small but hopeful smile "Yeah. No one can hurt the King as long as Ser Clarus is around."
"That's right." she squeezed his shoulders and gave him a confident grin "Now let's get out of here."
They clasped hands and hurried quietly through the last chamber to the palace entrance. Iris couldn't ignore the sounds of battle coming from the throne room, and it took all her self control to focus on her goal of getting Talcott out of danger and keep from charging into the fray. Peeking around a corner, Iris could see that the fighting had moved beyond the courtyard and it was clear for the time being. Motioning for Talcott to stay close, she led them out of the palace, being careful to stay close to the wall and avoid open areas to reduce their risk of being seen. The going was slow, but the pair was able to get out of the courtyard and head for the main part of the city without being detected.
Iris didn't have much of a plan, but she knew that if she could just get a hold of a vehicle, she'd be able to get Talcott out of the city and take him to Hammerhead where she knew he'd be safe. Just as the pair was about to cross a street that led to the marketplace, the sound of tires screeching behind them made them both whirl around in surprise, with Iris grabbing Talcott and shoving him behind her.
"Iris! Talcott!"
The door flew open and Talcott's grandfather Jared jumped out.
"What are you doing in the city, Iris?!" He demanded as he grabbed them both into a tight hug "You're supposed to be at the estate, what happened? And how did you find Talcott? I was just going to the palace to get him and take him out of here."
"I wanted to be here for the treaty." Iris answered, letting go of Jared and following Talcott as he climbed into the backseat of the car. "Where are you heading from here? Back home?"
"No." Jared shook his head, a look of worry etched on his features "The estate is known by the empire, it wouldn't be safe to take Talcott back there, they might try to use him against the prince. Lestallum is far enough away that it should be safe for now. Aren't you coming with us?" The worry was audible in his voice as Iris shut the car door behind Talcott.
"I have to get back to the palace," she answered, "I need to see if my father is OK and find out what went wrong with the peace talks. Get Talcott out of here, I'll come join you as soon as I can."
"Your father would never forgive me if I let you go running off into danger like that, please leave with us now."
The concern in his voice made Iris' heart twinge with guilt, but she shook her head, "I'm sorry Jared, I have to go back. If there's anything I could do to help my father or the King, I'd never forgive myself if I ran away now." Without waiting for him to answer, she turned and took off toward the palace at a run, tossing a wave at Talcott through the car window as she passed it.
As she jogged along the streets back toward the castle, Iris was grateful for the sound of the car driving away instead of following her, "He knows getting Talcott to safety is the most important thing right now." she told herself.
By that time, the streets were at the height of their chaos, the majority of the Citadel's citizens having realized the danger and begun to flee, slowing Iris down as she fought her way through the crowds. As she got closer to the eye of the conflict, Iris could feel her heartbeat quickening; scared as she was at the prospect of a real fight, she didn't want to actually kill anyone, and was terrified of what she would find when she got to the councilroom, but her warrior's blood sustained her, and she pressed onward.
The way into the palace was now littered with the bodies of Crownsguard, Kingsglaive and Magitek alike, as well as civilians trying to escape, a sight that further ignited Iris' sense of urgency, and she broke into a run as she passed the palace doors. Reaching the throne room, she found it empty; King Regis and her father had undoubtedly met the Empire's entourage there, but the actual treaty would have taken place in the councilroom beyond.
Iris could still hear the sounds of fighting, up ahead, but didn't let it draw her attention away from her surroundings, knowing that any failure to notice an enemy could mean death before she even reached her goal. The din of combat, amidst the popping sounds of gunfire, and the crash of explosions echoing through the palace, seemed to move as she did, never growing closer, and always just down the next hall. She was almost there now; just a few more doors left, and it felt like every cell in her body was humming with apprehension.
Crossing the final threshold, Iris stopped dead in her tracks and froze, standing transfixed in the doorway. It was all so much to take in that she was overwhelmed, and nothing she saw registered at first; but as she emerged from her shock, she started to take stock of her surroundings. The great meeting table, crafted from an ancient tree of the Tenebraen forest, was broken in two and scorched black, embers still glowing in its once-beautiful wood. There were blast marks all over the floor and walls, with more bodies littering the floor, some of them Iris recognized as members of her father's personal retinue. And then, next to the doorway that led separated the councilroom from the hall that led to insomnia's crystal…
"No!"
Iris scrambled over the corpses and debris, her heart refusing to accept what her brain was realizing.
"Dad?!" Dad!"
Clarus' body was slumped over on his side as if he had been shoved out of the way of the door, his skin a deathly shade of pale that Iris had recently become all too familiar with.
"Dad, wake up! Who did this? Where is King Regis?!"
It took all of Iris' strength to drag him to a sitting position, where she shook him and patted his face, doing everything she could to try and rouse him.
"Come on, Dad! Get up, we have to help the King!
It was too late. Somewhere deep inside, Iris knew it. She knew it from the moment she spotted his armor amidst the bodies of his men. Perhaps that realization shocked her so, that- in outright denial- she convinced herself that he could still be alive. But no matter how she shook him or screamed his name, his empty, unseeing eyes merely stared past her into the depths of the void his spirit had departed to.
"How?"
Iris finally let her own body slump against the wall and slide to the floor, next to where she had propped Clarus up.
"How could this have happened? And to you of all people."
She knew he was gone, but didn't want to believe or admit that something so permanent could happen to her stern, indestructible father. Unable to even summon the tears to mourn him, she just sat there in stunned silence, as a profound numbness crept over her. Iris' own eyes ceased to perceive the world around her as she stared off, her only movement the tiny flinches she gave in response to the repeated explosions from off in the distance.
Iris had no way of telling how long she sat there next to Clarus' body; not once since she watched the Citadel go up in smoke, had any inkling of this possibility occurred to her, and now the unthinkable had happened. Try as she might, she couldn't summon a single memory of when she felt warmth or affection from her father, but she still felt the emptiness of his absence, as a bird would feel the sudden loss of a great tree: vulnerable and susceptible to predators and the elements alike. Despite the lack of love he had shown his daughter, Clarus had always protected his family; and now, without Gladiolus near, Iris was truly alone and unguarded.
Continuing to let herself drift deeper into shock, Iris wondered if any of what she was feeling was even real. She'd had dreams like this before, how did she know this wasn't more of the same?
"I just have to wait until I wake up," she told herself "these dreams don't last forever, even though it feels like it while I'm in one. Everything will be fine in the morning."
The morning.
.
.
.
"I wonder if Noct stayed the night? He usually does this time of year. Maybe Iggy will help me make crepes for everyone for breakfast. And if Noct isn't training today...I'll ask him if he wants to go play on the swing down by the river. He lets me sit on it all by myself when Gladdy isn't around. Gladdy says I'm not tall enough yet, but Noct says I'm big and strong like him and I can do whatever I set my mind to."
Iris could still feel a dull ache in her heart, but she could no longer remember why it was there. Her memories shifted again; she was twelve and her father had just caught her trying to pick up his sword and wield it. The weapon was massive and she had only been able to get it down from its place next to his desk- its home when he was- before promptly dropping it, its weight dragging her to the floor with it. Clarus walked in just as the hilt hit the floor with Iris' hands still clutching it. He hadn't exploded at the sight, or even shouted at her; he merely gazed down at her with a look of supreme disappointment and annoyance. Every word of the following lecture was seared into her memory: he told her she would never be a Shield of the King, reminded her that her duty was to support her brother and stay out of the way, and made sure she knew that he wasn't amused by her 'antics'.
After that, her hope of becoming a second shield to Noctis was dead and she never spoke of it again; but her father's words, instead of extinguishing her ambition as he intended, lit a fire inside her to become as strong as she could, strong enough to lift his sword and protect the ones she loved. But she looked at her father differently; his words had changed her idea of him, and the role he played in her ideals. He was just as strong, but aloof, more of a concept of a man rather than a person and her father.
Drifting again, Iris found herself in the palace dojo. Noctis had just finished his sparring with Gladio, and Iris was begging to go next, just like usual. There were few things Gladio could deny his little sister, and there was nothing he loved better than an eager student, she knew that.
After several bouts, in which Iris got knocked down countless times and Noctis wandered away for a snack, Gladio sat down on one of the nearby benches and began unwrapping his wrist tape, indicating for Iris to sit next to him.
"I hear pops really gave it to you, huh?" he asked, his tone gentle "Trying to wield his sword? You really got balls."
His chuckle assured Iris that he wasn't angry, and she sat down next to him and leaned against his shoulder.
"Yeah, he was pretty pissed." she mumbled.
"Here's what I think;" he tossed his used tape into the trash and ruffled her hair "you and dad clash all the time because you both expect the other to be something they aren't or can't be. He wants you to be quiet and supportive, and satisfied with the role he gave you. And you want him to be warm and fuzzy and let you do whatever you set your mind to. I won't say either of you is right or wrong, but you guys have butted heads since forever. My advice to you is to keep fighting. And I don't mean go attack dad, I mean become who you want and don't let him discourage you. Always keep fighting for yourself."
Iris stared down at her hands; she knew her brother was right, that she couldn't expect something from her father that he wasn't capable of giving, and though that gave her some sadness. Gladio's confidence in her and his encouraging words however, meant much more to her than that realization. Feeling grateful, she moved to bump her shoulder against him, but toppled onto the floor when she encountered nothing but air. Sitting up and looking around, she was bewildered to find the dojo empty.
As Iris sat there trying to figure out what was going on, she felt a wave of heaviness envelope her being. The sensation was so strong that she almost let out a sob, but stopped herself. The feeling confused her; there was no reason for her to be sad, at least not one she could remember.
"I was just talking to Gladdy about dad; I know this is a dream, but a conversation shouldn't make me feel this way."
"Dad."
As the emotions grew, the image of her father lying lifeless on the floor of the councilroom started coming back to her.
"No! That was a different dream! I'm going to wake up and he'll be alive and everything will be fine. I just have to wake up."
With that conviction, she began to struggle against the weight of her subdued consciousness.
"How did I even get here?" she wondered, pushing against the fog that had settled over her mind "I was in the palace looking for my dad, how did I get sidetracked? This is the worst time for sleeping, I really need to get my shit together."
But Iris' mind didn't want to wake up, and it seemed that the harder she struggled, the further she was dragged into the fog, her thoughts slowing.
"I...need...I need to get out of here."
As she was slipping further and further from reality, her older brother's words came drifting back to her in an echo barely strong enough for her to hear:
"...keep fighting. Always keep fighting for yourself, Iris"
With every last bit of effort she had left, Iris shoved hard against her own self-preservation, not giving any quarter until she clawed her way back to that cold floor, her eyes opening with a gasp as she resurfaced.
She almost collapsed again at the effort she exerted, but Iris had been taught about energy conservation, and she took a moment to take several deep breaths, in through her nose and out through her mouth, feeling her body release some of its tension. She was just about to get up, when something made her look to her side, and the sight of her father hit her all over again.
"It wasn't a dream."
Her voice cracked as she said it aloud, but still no tears came. All she felt was a cold, heavy emptiness inside her.
"Where was Ravus?!" she wondered "He would have done something! He wouldn't have let this happen."
She was convinced of this, but Aranea's words from the last time they spoke came up, unbidden:
"...you are not Lucis in his mind. Just because you matter to him, doesn't mean your country does."
Unease spread through Iris' body, adding to the burden of exhaustion and making her lean forward to cradle her head in her hands.
"What if he was here? What if he did this?"
Despite her faith in him, her doubts were multiplying beyond control.
"No! He's a good person and he's my friend. I won't believe that he was here until I have undeniable proof that he was."
Pushing her doubts to the back of her mind, Iris struggled to her feet and stood there for a moment, breathing and steadying herself. Once she felt somewhat balanced, she picked up the discarded Crownsguard cloak and draped it over Clarus' body, not wanting him to be so vulnerable, even in death. As she did so, she was alerted by the sound of metal scraping on the marble floor, and sprang to her feet, whirling around to confront it.
A wounded Crownsguard was lying on the floor not far away. Iris had initially thought they were all dead, but he had just propped himself up on one arm and was struggling to take off his helm.
Iris approached the man cautiously; for all she knew, there were traitors among the Crownsguard, same as the Kingsglaive, though her father wasn't one who would be deceived by his own men.
"Here, let me help you."
Deciding to go with her intuition, Iris crouched down next to the wounded soldier and helped him unfasten his headgear and lift it off his head.
"You-you're Ser Clarus' daughter," he spoke as he took gulping breaths of air "what are you doing here?"
"Shh," Iris soothed "save your strength, it doesn't matter why I'm here. As least not anymore. What happened? This was only supposed to be a peace treaty, what went wrong?"
"The Empire had no intention of peace." he spat, both out of scorn and to rid himself of the blood that was filling his mouth "They attacked us. Kingsglaive turned traitor and joined 'em. We had no chance." He lost his breath quickly, and had to take big, gulping breaths of air, putting a temporary halt to his account.
Iris couldn't believe her ears. "Did dad know this was a trap?" She wondered, but quickly dismissed the idea. Clarus was the type to maintain constant vigilance, so If he had any inkling of the Empire's intentions, he never would have allowed the treaty to move forward.
"Where the hell is Ravus?" Iris muttered under her breath
"Did you say Ravus? The Empire's general, you know him? He's lucky if he's alive right now."
"Wait, was Ravus here?" Iris' voice carried a tinge of panic that she hadn't intended, but at that point she didn't care "What do you mean he's lucky if he's still alive?!"
The soldier winced as he shifted his weight to sit up "The fool tried to wear the ring of the Lucii. Must have thought he could wield it, but it consumed his whole arm in flames."
Iris stared at him, gobsmacked, unable to believe what she had just been told. "Are you sure of that?" she finally asked "Ravus Nox Fleuret, he put on the ring of the Lucian kings?!"
"I know what I saw." he responded, his voice serious "I hate the Empire and anyone who works with them as much as any Lucian citizen, but that…" his voice trailed off as he shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of the memory "It was horrifying to watch, and the pain, I can't imagine it. The man's screams will stay with me forever."
He was taken by a fit of coughing and couldn't say more, but what he had told her hit Iris like a freight train. She stared at the floor in front of her, trying to sort through the profound emotions that were now throbbing through her brain. She had begun slowly clenching her fists as she listened to the man recount the attack, and now they were balled up so tightly that she was starting to lose feeling in her fingers.
"Ravus never once mentioned the ring of the Lucii," she thought "he didn't even talk about the treaty and what he expected from it. I thought he was just there to make sure Luna was safe, why did he try to attack dad and the king like that?"
Thinking it out didn't do much to provide clarity; Iris was still baffled and desperate for answers. Not only that, but she wasn't inclined to believe the word of a stranger about someone who she felt close to. But still, she had questions.
"What happened to King Regis?" she asked "Did he escape?"
"The King? I don't know what happened to him. Once Ser Clarus was down, that's when Ravus put on the ring. After that, I got knocked out, I don't know where he went. What I do know is everyone was gone when I came to again."
Iris looked over to where her father's body lay "They killed him and tossed him aside" she said bitterly "but it looks like he was trying to keep them back from going through there. That passage leads to the great crystal, I'm sure that's what they were after." She rose to her feet "I'm going through there to see what happened. I'll be back to get you out of here though." Without waiting for the soldier to respond, Iris took her weapons from her belt and headed for the passage.
The way wasn't long; only a short corridor separated the council room from the chamber that held Lucis' crystal. Iris had just reached the last door before this chamber when there was a great sound of cracking and shattering, and she crossed the threshold just in time to witness the crystal being torn from its platform as a huge Imperial ship departed. The crystal was tethered to the ship by cables, and swung through the air, narrowly missing the shell of the destroyed palace spire that once protected it.
Iris only had a fraction of a second to take it all in, before her eyes fell on King Regis sitting propped up by the platform that had previously held the crystal.
"Your majesty!" she cried out, running to his side "Are you alright?"
The King's eyes fluttered open and he stared at Iris for a moment, as if trying to discern whether she was real or not.
"It's me, it's Iris! Please say something."
"I-iris? But what are you doing here?"
"I saw the explosion and I couldn't help it, I needed to come, even if there was nothing I could do!" she was almost sobbing, but she choked down her emotions and forced herself to stay calm. "But you're here and you're alright! Dad–he–I already found him, he's gone. Please allow me to get you out of here!"
"Iris, stop." his voice was almost a whisper as he held his hand up to keep her from helping him to his feet "It's too late for me now, the only thing you can do is stay alive and leave the Citadel. Go help Noctis."
Iris let out a whimper and scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand "No! You're fine, how could I tell him that I left without you?!" she was almost frantic "He loves you so much, he'd never forgive me if I abandoned you, don't make me do that to him!"
There was another explosion that rocked the palace, causing stones from the walls and ceiling to fall around them.
"We have to leave, NOW!" Iris shouted as she yanked on Regis' arm, vainly trying to drag him up.
"Iris–Iris!" his tone was mumbled but urgent, forcing her to crouch down to hear him. "Iris, go–go help my son...help him...Noctis…" his voice trailed off and his eyes slipped closed as the last of his breath departed.
"No! No no no no." Iris shook Regis' shoulders with all her strength to no avail; the King was dead.
Determined not to give up, Iris seized his arm and crouched beneath it, wrapping an arm around his torso and gritting her teeth together as she stood, hauling him up.
"I might not be able to bring his father back to Noct, but I'll be damned if I leave the King in a place like this." She thought. The palace around her continued to shake and tremble as the Empire continued to bombard it as they departed.
Iris had barely gotten Regis' body to the door, when a particularly powerful blast knocked her off her feet, forcing her to drop him and fall to her knees several feet away. She was just about to dash to him again, when another hit, this one even more powerful than the previous one, causing a cascade of rubble and debris to fall from the ceiling, completely burying Regis' body. Panicked, Iris dug her hands into the rock, stone and gravel until her fingers were bruised and bloody, and she was no closer to finding him than before.
Iris would have died there, trying to dig the King's body from the rubble, but his words rang in her ears, almost like he was still right there next to her.
"Iris! Leave my body and go! Go find my son!"
Staggering away from the mountain of debris, Iris stared around, half expecting Regis to be there, but there was no one. She hesitated, but the message had been so clear that she dared not disobey. Turning to the door, she found it partially obstructed by the collapse, but there was still an opening just big enough for her to get through. Taking a deep breath, she sent up a small prayer to anyone who might have been listening, and dove through the hole. It took some wiggling, but she made it safely with minimal scrapes.
Heading back to the council room, Iris went to look for the soldier she had left behind, but found him unresponsive, a trail of blood running out of his mouth and his eyes empty. Another one dead. This time it barely registered for her; she got to her feet and ran out of the palace as fast as she could.
Iris' boots pounded the pavement as she ran, the sound drowned out by the fighting still going on between the remnant of loyal Crownsguard and Imperial army. She couldn't see any of it, all she cared about at that point was getting as far from Insomnia as possible.
"Hey!"
A voice rang out not far away, causing Iris to skid to a halt; something about the voice was familiar. Turning, she spotted a Kingsglaive with longish hair and a beard nearby, waving and jogging toward her.
Not immediately recognizing him, Iris drew her weapons and took on a defensive stance, raising them as he got closer.
"Hey, hey! It's OK, remember me?" he held out his hands to show her he was unarmed, "It's Libertus, you used to hang out in the Kingsglaive training dojo with your brother and the Prince. You're Iris, you were always asking to spar with them, and I would give you candy sometimes, you gotta remember."
Iris kept her chakrams up "Yeah, and? The Kingsglaive turned traitor and attacked the Crownsguard and the King, how do I know you're still loyal?"
"I know, I know," he answered "but I'm not with them. Here, look." he motioned behind him, and as Iris followed his line of sight, she was shocked to see Ravus' sister, Lunafreya, standing next to a car nearby.
"Is she with you?" Iris asked warily "By choice?" she added the last question accusingly.
"Yes, I'm not kidnapping her. She was there at the treaty, and she saved the King's ring. I'm getting her out of here and taking her to Altissia, come with us."
"I'm not going to Altissia." Iris scoffed "I'm going to Lestallum with some of the only family I have left."
"I'm sorry, I know your father is dead," Libertus said quietly "but I can't leave Glasio's little sister out here alone, even if you have become as badass as you look. Please just come with us."
"Fine."
They all got into the car just as several Imperial ground transports came screeching around a corner and spotted them.
"Shit!" Libertus yelled "This might get hairy."
The ensuing car chase was tense, and Iris stayed quiet, not wanting to take away from the man's concentration as he drove. Several times, Iris was sure they would crash, and she held tight to her seatbelt and shut her eyes as they careened around curves and dodged around the wreckage of the city. Libertus was a good driver, and he quickly dispatched their tail, his skillful maneuvering causing their pursuers to crash and explode in flames.
Iris watched grimly, taking a dark enjoyment of watching anything associated with the Empire be destroyed.
Afterwards, it wasn't long before they were out of the city and on the open road, watching the Lucian landscape fly by.
"Can we stop up there?" Iris indicated the hillside coming up that provided a vast view of Insomnia.
"We can't, there's no time." Libertus answered.
"Please?" she pleaded "I want to see my city one last time. I'm never coming back here as long as I live."
He hesitated; Iris could tell that he wanted to grant her request, but was also worried about escaping.
"I think we should stop."
Both Iris and Libertus turned to stare at Lunafreya, who had broken her silence for the first time.
"I'm sure it won't take long, and it can't hurt."
Libertus only nodded as he pulled off the main road and turned up the hill.
When they stopped, Iris got out and walked to the peak, standing there for a moment and staring at her beloved city before sinking to her knees, tears flowing down her face. She couldn't put names to the emotions she was feeling, there were too many. But she knew the strongest one, and knew it well: rage. Rage welled up inside her, threatening to tear itself from her body. The injustice of everything she had witnessed that day stoked her anger until she could barely see.
"But what do I do?" she asked herself "I was useless today; not fast enough to save dad, not strong enough to get the King out of the palace. I couldn't even help that soldier, what good am I to anyone?" Her despair threatened to choke her as she wracked her brain for meaning amidst it all.
"I wish I could kill them all."
The thought rose unbidden in her mind, and she was shocked at it, but she clutched onto it.
"I'll just have to get stronger until I can hurt them in a way that matters."
The epiphany struck Iris so strongly, that her tears were halted instantly.
"I have no other choice." she told herself as she got to her feet and wiped her face off, "No more tears." she vowed as she went back to the car.
