CONTENT WARNING: Body horror, animal death, and gore in this chapter, folks, as well as a lot of skeletons!
Stayed with me - so violently
Played all your games on me
Broke all the chains just in time
A leap of faith made me fall back in line
-Black Box Messiah, Diablo Swing Orchestra
It happened faster than Elpis could think. One moment, Ardyn was several feet ahead of her, and the next he was close enough that she could smell putrid flesh and blood.
She saw his claws sharpen, knew they were headed for her throat, and knew at the same time that she had no chance of protecting herself.
Something yanked her back, hard, eliciting a yelp from Elpis. Ardyn's claws sank into the ground, pieces of concrete flying through the air. Elpis tumbled to her back in a bruising landing and scrambled to her feet.
"You okay?" Gladio asked as he stood as well, greatsword in hand.
A purple arrow shot through the air and found its mark in Ardyn's shoulder. He yowled.
"This is why we don't approach daemons!" Laelia yelled, aiming another arrow.
"No!" Elpis yelled, but it was lost as Ardyn roared again and charged for her and Gladio. "Ardyn, please, stop!"
"I don't think he hears you," Noctis said as they all backed away from the raging daemon. He summoned his Armiger and took up a sword.
"You swore," Elpis hissed, turning on Noctis. "You swore to me that you would let me handle Ardyn."
"Look out!" Laelia's warning came in time for them to all dodge another swipe of Ardyn's claws, which found purchase in the Citadel wall and became stuck. He struggled to pull them free before a large, popping crack was heard, and his arm detached from his body. Ardyn left it there as bile rose in Elpis' throat.
"Holy-" Prompto gagged.
Elpis heard the growl before she saw Vincent bolt past her. "No," she gasped.
If the daemon heard her, he chose not to listen. Vincent's center jaws clamped down on Ardyn's thigh while his other two tried to reach his arms. Ardyn let out a growl of his own and picked the dog up by the neck before throwing him high in the air and, once he fell down enough, slamming his elongated foot into Vincent. The daemon let out a heartrending cry as it flew through the air and crashed into a marble wall. Elpis heard Vincent's spine snap as he fell to the ground and dissipated into darkness.
Her heart cracked further.
"Use your common sense, should you have any," Ravus said as he took up a position in front of Laelia. "He is past saving."
"Hey," Laelia snapped, "don't talk that way to her!"
"Focus," Ignis said, his tone tight.
Leaving a trail of Starscourge in his wake from his missing arm, Ardyn regained his footing. Then darkness grew from his torso and took the form of a new arm. The sight was horrifying, yet Elpis couldn't look away.
This, then, was how the gods tried to force the prophecy to come true. If Ardyn couldn't regain his senses, then he would die fighting all of them, and maybe kill Noctis in the process.
Even if they all hacked him apart, the chances were likely he would just reform. She had to stop them before any of them got hurt.
If I have any power left in me, Elpis thought as she searched for an opening, then please, let me have it now.
"What are you-hey!" Noctis yelled at her as Elpis ran towards Ardyn, who saw her with all his numerous, terrible eyes, his long tongue slavering.
Elpis took her stave and pinned it into the ground. Please, she begged, just for a moment, give me a wall of my own.
She hadn't expected anything to happen. But it did: A wall sprang up, thick and bright, between her and the rest of the group. The strength of it took her aback. There was no time to wonder about it as she heard Ardyn's low growl.
"Ellie, no!" Laelia brought her bow down on the wall, which shuddered but held.
Elpis let go of her stave, which held firm to the ground. She spared one glance to Noctis, who looked back at her with growing fear-but maybe also understanding.
And then she turned to Ardyn.
He growled, heading lowering as he prepared to charge.
"Ardyn," she said, quietly. "Please. I know you can hear me."
Maybe she imagined it, but she thought she saw him pause, just briefly, just enough to give her a glimmer of hope. It was that hope that made her hold out her hand to him, palm up.
"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner," Elpis said. "I know that's why you're lost now. But please, please, hear me. Come back to me."
A soft whine escaped from Ardyn as he shook his head, his eyes losing focus. He backed away from Elpis while she stepped forward.
"It's okay," Elpis said, soothingly. "It's me. It's your El. Wherever you are in there, I can find you. Let me find you."
She heard her wall crack and knew she was running out of time.
Ardyn stood stock still, watching her as a feral animal would, his gaze stuck on her hand. He didn't move away when Elpis approached him, her steps soft on the ground. He tensed but did not move.
"Death didn't keep me from you," Elpis said as she carefully placed a hand on his chest, where his heart was. "This can't keep you from me, either. Whatever they've done to you, you're stronger than it. I know you are. Come back to me. Come back to your El."
Another whine escaped from him as his eyes rolled in different directions. He shook his head again, huffing. Without any fear, Elpis reached up for his cheeks, not even cringing when her fingers found the cold touch of the eyes in his jawline.
Should she have been disgusted, or maybe terrified, of touching such an eldritch beast? She couldn't be. Not when she knew it was Ardyn beneath the façade.
"I love you," Elpis whispered, then pulled him down into a kiss.
Nothing happened for a moment. Then Ardyn recoiled with a gasp, pulling her hands from his face and holding on tight to them as he began to change. He fell to his knees as the bones in his body split, cracked, and shifted back into the form they'd once been. The horns fell away from his head and his skin closed up over the eyes. His claws withdrew, his fangs once more became human in a normal mouth.
Elpis joined him on the ground and held him close as he continued to shudder and gasp. She could feel the muscles beneath his skin moving. The taste of rot still lingered in her mouth, but she couldn't bring herself to care.
Ardyn wheezed, then let out a quiet, "El."
"That's right," Elpis said, closing her eyes as tears slid down her cheeks. "It's your El."
Shakily, Ardyn wound his arms around her, holding on to her tightly. Behind her, Elpis heard her wall finally fall away. Her stave clattered to the ground. Even when the others cautiously approached, Ardyn kept his grip on her tight. She might have been the only thing keeping him from sinking back under.
"I saw it," Ardyn mumbled against her body, "you, and Somnus, again and again and again, and Aurea-"
"Shh," Elpis said, stroking his head as Noctis came to stand beside her. "It was a nightmare. That's all."
She would end Bahamut for this.
Ardyn shuddered hard once more, then pulled away from her, gazing up at her face. Trails of Starscourge still stained his cheeks and mouth, but otherwise he appeared human. Slowly, he took note of everyone who had gathered around them, gaze lingering on Noctis.
Then, that smile Elpis so adored appeared on his face as he said, "A welcoming party, just for me? You shouldn't have."
A small laugh escaped her as she threw her arms around his shoulders once again and hugged the man she had missed for the past five years. Ardyn gave a small 'oomph' before hugging her back, pressing a kiss to her hair.
Elpis helped Ardyn to his feet, his body swaying slightly until he caught his balance again. The weight of him, the solidity of his body, made her want to weep. For five years, she had missed this. She had missed his presence, even if his body was cold as death, even if she couldn't hear a heart beating in his chest. She missed his clever eyes and sharp smile and his gentle hands.
She had missed the way Ardyn made her feel whole. It was as if a piece of her soul had been torn from her when they'd been separated. Now it was back and Elpis swore to herself, to the gods, to the stars themselves, that she would never again feel that way. She would never let Ardyn fall through her fingers like sand again, to be used as a plaything of the gods.
"I take it none of you are here to kill me?" Ardyn said idly as he wiped the black Starscourge from his cheeks. "If you are, do give me a moment. I would hate to temporarily die without looking my best."
"We're not," Noctis said, crossing his arms over his chest. Ardyn could tell from his expression that the little prince-or was it king, now?-was not pleased to see him. The boy looked older to Ardyn's eye, and he realized that he had no idea how long he'd been in his cursed slumber. In fact, everyone looked older - including Elpis.
"Speak for yourself," Ravus muttered, and Ardyn glanced at him. The glare Ravus levelled at Ardyn was strong enough to cause lesser people to soil themselves in terror.
Ardyn, not being a lesser man, only widened his smile. "Ravus! What a pleasant surprise. How very good it is to see old friends."
"Friends might be overselling it," Gladio said.
"Accomplices?" Prompto suggested, putting a hand to his chin, pretending to be contemplative.
"Temporary allies," Ignis said. "Reluctant allies, for lack of any better candidates."
"Truly," Ardyn said, pressing a hand to his heart, "you wound me."
"If only," Ravus deadpanned.
Noctis cocked his head in Elpis' direction. "We're only putting up with you for her sake. Don't let it get to your head."
"Too late," Ardyn said brightly, gazing down at Elpis. The smile she gave him was small and tired. Her whole body suggested a fatigue of the sort that settled in the bones. How long had he been chained? How long had Elpis had to fight by herself?
Ardyn kept his arm around her, holding her close, because if he didn't, Somnus would-
No. Somnus was dead. The gods had placed him into a deep sleep and had made him see things: Things that had been, and what might have been, once upon a time. Somnus, his sword through Elpis' heart. Her blood staining Somnus' robes. Ardyn as King, Elpis as his beautiful Queen, and their daughter.
If he didn't know any better, Ardyn might have thought he felt his heart crack at the memory. He'd never gotten to see Elpis' visions of their daughter. He hadn't known what she looked like, past what Elpis described. Now he knew. He could picture her face clearly, and for a brief moment, the loathing of Somnus he'd held for two thousand years threatened to swallow him whole again. His own brother had taken that life from him. Somnus had taken the life of Elpis' child, and Ardyn did not know if he could ever forgive it.
But no, in the end, Somnus was not entirely at fault. The blame lay with the gods and their Crystal.
Once, Ardyn had sworn to cleanse the world. Once, it had been by healing, with the light gifted to him and Elpis. Later, it had been with fire and blood and death and destruction.
The only way to avenge Aurea now was to cleanse the world. This time, with the blood of gods.
"So," Prompto's voice brought Ardyn out of his thoughts. "What do we do, now?"
"Wait," said a woman that Ardyn didn't immediately recognize as Laelia, "you were serious about not having any plans?"
Elpis snorted, then pressed a hand to her mouth. "Sorry," she said when everyone turned to look at her. "It's not funny. But yeah, we're kind of winging it."
"We have to get to Bahamut somehow," Noctis said, turning to look at the palace.
"Or he has to come to us," Gladio said.
Ardyn turned to look at Ravus. "Might you share your sister's talent for calling the gods?"
The tip of a sword pointed at his face was his answer.
"Keep her name out of your filthy mouth," Ravus hissed.
Ardyn pushed the sword aside. "I didn't say her name, if we were to be technical," he said.
"Ravus," Laelia said, pulling the little puppy away, and wasn't that an interesting development? "Come on. He's not worth it."
"She's correct," Ardyn agreed affably.
"I'm starting to regret coming out of the Crystal," Noctis said to his three friends.
A blood curdling scream stopped anyone from responding. Elpis cringed in his arms, hands going to her ears, as the others snapped from their relaxed postures to fighting stances. The fire that had been burning around the palace burst to life once more. Laelia pulled the string on her bow, a purple arrow appearing between her fingers, and Ravus took up position behind her.
"Is it daemons?" Prompto asked, scanning their surroundings.
"No, you fools," Ardyn said, already staring up at the sky. "It's far worse."
Above the palace, a long, blue-green body covered in scales circled the towers. Lightning cracked in the sky and thunder followed as an old man used his staff to gather stormclouds above the palace. Long fissures appeared in the ground and Ardyn only just pulled Elpis away from one that opened up between her feet as a figure loomed over the courtyard from behind a nearby building.
"Seriously?! All of them at once?" Prompto said, then yelled as he dodged falling rubble.
"We have to find cover!" Gladio said, pulling up a large shield to protect himself and Noctis from the water that the Leviathan whipped at them.
Elpis held tight to Ardyn, even as she looked around wildly for her sister. Laelia was sheltering in a small alcove, Ravus' body blocking the worst of the wind from her.
"There is nowhere to go," Ardyn said, his voice lost to the cacophony of sound. "They'll only destroy whatever building we hide in." He let out a grunt as something slashed across his back, felt the Starscourge soak into his clothes. Pain, bright and searing, bloomed up and down his spine.
Titan broke a skyscraper in two and hurled it towards the courtyard. Ardyn pulled Elpis into his arms, intending to shield her with own body and the Starscourge, even if he should die in the process.
"Ardyn," he heard her gasp.
And then he felt the world go bright as the roar of the Astrals suddenly disappeared. The hit from Titan's attack never landed. Water fell from the sky uselessly, and even the rumble of thunder was faint.
When he looked once more, a figure all in white stood in the courtyard, trident in hand. Sylleblossom petals fell from the sky as Lunafreya took a step forward, then another, looking up at the sky.
"A path the True King and the Lady of Hope need," Lunafreya said, "to cleanse our star of darkness' blight. Hear me, O Gods, and know this: The War God's reign ends with the dawn."
Lunafreya raised her trident and brought the end of it down before her. Light poured from her, growing and rising, until it formed a wall. It covered the Citadel, Leviathan's water whips hitting it uselessly, lightning striking it to no avail. Only when Ardyn was certain that the gods could not penetrate the protection did he let go of Elpis, who stood still in shock as she stared at Lunafreya.
"Oh, please," Ardyn murmured. "You've done far more impressive."
She elbowed him in the stomach, though not hard.
Noctis and Ravus both approached Lunafreya's spirit. She gave Ravus a small smile, approaching him to lean up and whisper something in his ear. He went still, gaze on the ground, as she went over to Noctis.
"Go, my King," she said. She then looked to all of them, her gaze resting briefly on Ardyn before moving back to Noctis. "All of you. Though the Crystal sleeps, it is there you must go, to find the path to end this darkness. Bahamut compels his brethren to attack the Citadel, but they will not pass."
"Luna," Noctis said, his voice quiet, then he slowly reached for her.
Her expression broke minutely. She hoisted her trident once more and tilted it towards the Citadel. "You must hurry," she said. "Every wall will eventually crumble."
Ardyn thought he should feel some sort of guilt at the stricken expression on Noctis' face. As it was, he was all too willing to listen to Lunafreya's sensible advice and, most importantly, get Elpis out of the line of fire.
"How long can she hold it?" Elpis said quietly, casting a nervous look at the wall.
"Let's not find out," Ardyn said as he pulled her towards the grand entrance.
"The gods are going to tear Insomnia apart trying to break past the wall," Laelia said as she and Ravus joined the others on the stairs. "There won't be anything left to save."
"Buildings can be rebuilt," Gladio said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "But only if someone's able to rebuild them."
"I wouldn't worry too much," Ignis said. He tapped a finger to his ear, and it was then that Ardyn saw he was wearing an earpiece. "Aranea and the rest of the Hunters have been waiting for my signal. They'll keep the gods busy while we finish this."
"Hah!" Prompto said, shoving Ignis happily. "We shoulda known you had at least one plan up your sleeve."
"I do hedge my bets," Ignis said, a hint of smugness in his tone.
Ardyn turned to find Noctis with one foot on the first stair, his gaze still on Lunafreya as she stood sentinel in the courtyard. With a small sigh, Ardyn said, "Come along, Your Majesty. History waits for no one. Least of all Kings."
Noctis took a shuddering breath, squared his shoulders, and turned away from Lunafreya. He came up the steps and didn't spare Ardyn a glance as he walked past them all into the palace.
"Ardyn," Elpis said quietly, taking his hand in hers. "Whatever happens in there, do not sacrifice yourself for me again. Swear to me you won't."
"Now, darling," he purred, "that's hardly sporting of you. How else can I be your knight in shining armor?"
The look she gave him was the furthest thing from amused that he could imagine. Ardyn kissed her hand and said, "I cannot make that promise, El, so do not ask it of me. All I can promise is to stay by your side, no matter what, and if it comes down to a choice between your life or mine, then yours is the one I will choose. Always."
What exactly did royalty need with so much space?
As they made their way through the palace, their footsteps echoing in the empty corridors, Elpis tried to imagine living in a place that had a hundred rooms and failed. None of the elevators worked, and so they were reduced to making their way to the throne room through endless corridors and stairways and servant hallways.
Which meant that they couldn't avoid the skeletons that littered the floors in places. Some still held their weapons, their Imperial or Lucian military garb flat and beginning to fall apart. Old blood had long since dried on the marble.
Laelia stared at one pile of skeletons before shooting Ardyn a dark look.
A hush had fallen over the group. Bruises had begun to form on Elpis' body, and the adrenaline was beginning to wear off, leaving a shake in her fingers and knees. At times the Citadel would shake with tremors, hard enough that she feared it might crumble, but it always held. The gods seemed far away behind the marble walls.
At one point, Laelia had gently asked Ravus what Lunafreya had said to him. He had stopped and, with a calmly resigned tone of voice, said, "She bade me to return the sword that once belonged to the father. A father who so loved the world that, though it ended him, gave his only son to protect. A son who had proven himself worthy to wield it."
Noctis had blinked at that, whether from surprise or because he was trying not to cry, Elpis wasn't certain.
In the future, parents would not be forced to choose between their children or the world. Fathers like Regis wouldn't have to live with the knowledge that their child would have to die to fulfill a prophecy. Whether a king or a commoner, no blood would have to be shed.
Elpis didn't know how she would make certain it would happen. All she knew was that she would. Whatever it took, she would see an end to the whims of gods.
In the end, Ravus had handed King Regis' sword to Noctis and had inclined his head in deference. Noctis had taken it in silence, staring at it for a long moment, before quietly saying, "Thanks."
It was not meant for Ravus. Briefly, Elpis felt eyes on them, and knew that Regis looked upon his son once more.
For once, Ardyn kept his thoughts to himself. He had yet to let go of Elpis' hand. She was more than fine with that.
All too soon and yet not soon enough, they came upon the double doors of the throne room. Ravus, who'd had to carry Laelia up the rest of the stairs as her leg wouldn't allow her anything more, carefully set her down. One by one, as through some unspoken understanding, they came to a stop.
Noctis turned to them. "Last chance to turn around," he said.
"Never," Ignis said.
"C'mon, buddy," Prompto said. "Not after we came all this way."
"End of the line and beyond," Gladio said. "Make sure you make it worth our while, got it?"
"Do get on with it," Ardyn drawled.
"Shut up," Noctis said. He looked to Ravus and Laelia, but before he could say anything, Laelia spoke up.
"I mean, I'm more here for Ellie's sake than yours, and Ravus'," she said. "No offense."
"None taken," Noctis said drily. He seemed to decide to not even given Ravus a chance to say anything sarcastic. Instead he turned to Elpis, and the trust she saw in his blue eyes nearly overwhelmed her. "Are we ready to do this?"
Were they? Elpis couldn't say. She didn't think they could be prepared for what might lie beyond the doors.
She offered him a steady smile that did not reflect the growing anxiety in her heart. "Ready when you are, Your Majesty."
He nodded once, then twice, and took a deep breath.
And then he turned and pushed open the doors to the throne room. They all followed Noctis in, their footsteps overly loud in the cavernous room. Years of dust left everything in a grey sheen, and a hole in the wall let in what minimal light there was to be had. Debris and rubble was spread across the floor. And yet, the throne itself remained untouched.
Behind it, hanging from chains that were stuck to it by lances, hung the Crystal. The unearthly blue glow that Elpis remembered was gone; it seemed only a lifeless rock. That did not stop the shiver of trepidation pass through her.
Ardyn squeezed her hand, to remind her that he was there, and she took comfort in the feel of his skin.
"What now?" Prompto asked, when several minutes had passed in a strange reverent quiet.
Ardyn waved a lazy hand. "I assume they await the King to take his rightful place," he said, and if there was a note of venom in his tone, no one called him out on it.
Noctis hesitated before beginning to climb the stairs that led up to the throne. Something glittered in Elpis' eyes, drawing her attention down to the marble floor. Through the grime and dust, she thought she saw a pattern in the floor, lines that she couldn't quite make sense of. Some of them were obscured by debris. Idly, she kicked away a small rock that was beside her boot, trying to uncover more of the pattern.
She stopped when Noctis' footsteps went silent. When she looked up, he was on the throne. He looked small against the towering figures behind him, and Elpis wondered at the palace Somnus had built, at the throne he'd stolen. It looked big enough to consume the person who sat on it. It looked monstrous.
A moment passed. Then another.
Ardyn smiled. "Performance issues, perhaps?"
Noctis looked like he wanted to throw Ardyn out through the hole in the wall. Elpis did not entirely blame him.
As everyone besides herself, Ardyn, and Laelia began to speculate what might need to be done, Elpis found her attention wandering back to the floor. There was something familiar in the pattern that nagged at the back of her mind. The lighter colored lines on the dark marble that formed hard lines of triangles and squares that she could swear she'd seen before.
Then it came to her: The cavern in Somnus' tomb. The Sun sigil etched into the floor.
Elpis moved more debris until she had cleared away the picture on the floor. She stood, breathing quick, as she took in the large Sun that rested on the floor of the Lucis throne room.
"El?" Ardyn asked, coming up beside her. He followed her gaze and frowned.
"I..." Elpis shook her head. "I've seen this before. And I think it's meant for me-"
A choked gasp cut off the rest of what she'd been about to say. Elpis and Ardyn both spun around as one, Ardyn's Armiger spinning around them, Elpis realizing she'd left her stave back in the courtyard. Laelia cried out as Ravus fell, a hand to his throat, blood gushing down his front and staining the white of his robes.
"Ravus!" Noctis yelled, then stopped in horror as something darted between Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio.
Slashes appeared across all of their throats. Blood sprayed, staining the steps of the throne, and they fell, choking and gurgling on their own blood.
Like a nightmare, Elpis ran for Laelia, reaching for her, only to watch in horror as an identical slash appeared across Laelia's throat. Her sister fell to the floor beside Ravus, body twitching for eternity, then falling as still as the others.
"No," Elpis whispered, then let out a guttural cry. "Laelia!"
"And that, dear children," a familiar voice said, "is why we always wear protection on our necks."
Alexus stood on a statue behind the throne, hair blazing like fire in the dark. Blood dripped from their claws. They bowed theatrically and cut a sharp grin at Elpis.
"Miss me, Ellie?"
Lots of updates this week, but that's because it's my birthday this Sunday, and I'm not sure how much I'll be able to get online over the weekend.
The title was taken from "Der Tod und das Mädchen", or "Death and the Maiden", which was a common motif in Renaissance art. However, since I'm white, I asked a Black friend of mine, De'Sias, before committing to the title. He asked a friend of his, and with both their advice, I changed it to "Lady". It's not my place to reclaim "maiden" for a Black woman like Elpis, and the connotations of the maiden being weak weren't welcome. Lady has the same gentle connotation as maiden but with more strength, I think. If that makes sense. Thank you to De'Sias and his friend for helping!
Just a little further to go, now...