Hello, all. Welcome to Chapter 20 of Frozen Heart. Sorry about the wait! I know it's been a while. This chapter was tough for me, and I ended up rewriting parts of it a few times. It's still not quite what I wanted it to be, but I got tired of screwing with it. So I hope you guys get some enjoyment out of it nonetheless.
As I promised a couple months ago, this is a chapter fully dedicated to Ardyn/Lydia history. Unfortunately, what I wanted to do here ended up being a bit too long, so I've split it up. This will be the first half of this little flashback storyline, and there will be another chapter in the future that covers the second half. Not necessarily the next one - but within the next two or three, I would guess.
In any case, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own FFXV.
Chapter 20: The Starscourge
The Summer of the Starscourge... Many, many years ago...
Ardyn held out hope for as long as he could that Viessa might appear at the last moment and accompany him, Somnus, and their insufferable escort to Cleigne. But when she didn't arrive by the time of their departure, he had no choice but to endure disappointment.
It was a long and dull journey. Gilgamesh, who Mother had hired to protect them from danger, was entirely humorless and cold. Meanwhile, Somnus appeared more nervous than usual despite their extensive training. If they were to be kings one day, their parents wanted them to be prepared for any eventuality.
They must have been so disappointed—one son lacked confidence, and the other lacked motivation. What a pair they were.
Ardyn and company rode into the village of Cleigne on a warm, dry summer morning. He had visited this part of the continent before, but something about it seemed distinctly different from what he remembered. The last time he was here, he explored a village filled with people bustling about—socializing, shopping, and tending to their gardens. Instead, he was shocked to find a village that appeared—at least to his eyes—almost entirely devoid of life.
"Not a person in sight," Somnus murmured as they tied up their chocobos nearby.
"It certainly doesn't bode well," Ardyn added. "Perhaps everyone is inside." Then, with a tired sigh, he murmured, "Let's get this over with, shall we?"
There was an eerie silence as Ardyn and his companions made their way into town, creeping along as though they were intruders afraid to be caught trespassing. Among the still silent buildings were other structures that had been torn down or destroyed, as if by some natural disaster or a gigantic monster. The hair stood on the back of his neck, and a feeling came over him that he'd never experienced before. Although he couldn't quite describe it at the time.
They tried knocking on a few doors to no avail. Either no one was home—or for some reason, no one wanted to see them. It took a solid twenty minutes of knocking on doors throughout the village before one person finally responded.
"Um... can I help you?" The elderly woman had opened her door just a crack, and they could barely see her whole face through the opening. Ardyn had never seen anyone look so nervous.
"I—Hello, madam," he said softly, caught off-guard by her strange disposition. "My name is Ardyn. My brother, escort, and I come from House Caelum. Our presence was requested on account of a threat that needs to be addressed. If you'd be so kind..."
The old woman started shaking her head feverishly, and he trailed off. "No, no..." she whispered in a frantic voice, "You shouldn't have come here. You must leave. You aren't safe. If—if the village elders asked you to come, they made a terrible mistake."
Ardyn sensed Somnus stiffen at his side, but the elder brother did his best to remain composed. "We have extensive experience with monsters and invasive wildlife. So I'm certain that if you simply tell us—"
"My dear boy," she interrupted in a trembling voice. "Just by coming here, you've already been exposed! If you could stop this curse, there would be no words to express the depth of my admiration—but as it stands, I suggest you lower your expectations and simply pray you survive your stay here."
Before Ardyn had the chance to ask her what she meant, a blood-curdling scream cut through the air and sent a chill down his spine.
"What in the name of Bahamut was that?!" Somnus gasped.
Ardyn looked away briefly toward the scream and then glanced back at the door, only to find that the woman they'd been speaking to slammed it shut. The screaming continued, so Ardyn forgot her and started running toward it. However, Gilgamesh quickly caught up and blocked him with a long blade. "Don't be rash," he instructed.
"Someone could be dying!" Ardyn hissed.
"My concerns are you and your brother," Gilgamesh said in a dry tone, despite the screams erupting not far away. "Until we have identified the threat, I cannot let either of you rush into danger. I will go first."
Ardyn didn't like to be coddled, nor did he appreciate condecending tones. But he also knew the man was only doing his job, so he gestured in the direction of the cries. "By all means, then."
And so Ardyn and Somnus remained behind Gilgamesh as they approached the source of the cries. They eventually came to a building—too large to be someone's home. But when Gilgamesh reached out to open the door, the sound of another voice stopped them all in their tracks.
"Please don't go inside!"
It was a woman, perhaps in her late forties or early fifties. She was small and fair-skinned, with her hair tied back in a long braid. But what struck Ardyn about her was the agitated expression on her face when they locked eyes.
It was Somnus who spoke first. "What's happening in there?"
Lifting up her skirts slightly to keep them from brushing the ground as she approached, she said, "That's the hospital—and only certain individuals are allowed entry at this time."
"Shouldn't someone be helping her?" Somnus asked, horrified.
The woman shook her head ruefully. "They are helping all they can inside. Please—let's not discuss this here. You—are representatives from House Caelum, are you not? "
Ardyn nodded and turned back toward the building before stepping closer and peering into the window. "I think perhaps we're due an explanation," he said softly, the color draining from his face when he saw the woman writhing inside, held down by two other individuals. As she cried out in pain, he observed unusual dark spots covering her skin. The woman looked almost as if her body was on fire as the spots expanded, and oozed some type of strange, dark energy. He had never seen anything like it.
"Come with me, and I'll tell you everything," the lady said, beckoning them to follow her. Meanwhile, Somnus came to Ardyn's side to see what the elder brother was looking at so intently. He wasn't sure what came over him—perhaps some kind of protective impulse. But that instant, Ardyn grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him away so he couldn't see, and they left the screaming woman behind.
"My name is Mira," their new escort said as they followed a path up the hill toward a small cottage. "My husband and I govern the social affairs of this village. We sent the letter to your family requesting help for our people. I see your Mother and Father were unable to be here."
Ardyn frowned. "My brother and I have fought and eliminated many threats across the continent. However—respectfully, I'm starting to feel this maybe be more serious that you let on in your correspondence."
He saw the muscles in Mira's jaw clench. "Yes..." she murmured. "Well, we feared what might happen if word about what was happening—began to spread."
Gilgamesh made a sound behind him, and Ardyn turned his head thinking the man might have something to say. But instead, he stayed silent and looked off as if deep in thought. Meanwhile, Mira refused to say anything more of the matter until they were all tucked inside her cottage. She fetched them each a drink, and the husband regarded them all critically, as if he wasn't sure what to make of them. Whatever this threat might be, was there a chance that it was truly beyond them?
Once they were all settled in, Ardyn decided to cut to the chase. "Would you mind telling us what we're up against?"
Mira and her husband, who identified himself as Ariel when they arrived, exchanged glances. "Well..." the woman said softly, "It's difficult to say—since we don't quite know ourselves. It began quite suddenly."
"Yes, about a month ago," Ariel said with a nod. "One of the villagers fell ill. We thought he would recover, but... these—these black blemishes began forming on him. And he began emitting this dark, terrible energy."
"And then after the seventh night of his illness, he simply vanished," Mira added.
Ardyn started. "Vanished? What do you mean?"
"He vanished," she repeated. "Into nothing. Everyone who has contracted the illness so far has also disappeared. It's only a matter of time before that poor woman in the hospital..." She shook her head vigorously as if to push away dark thoughts.
"And at night..." Ariel added with a shudder. "The creatures. Horrific creatures have been devastating our crops—destroyed several of our villagers' homes. Several of the best-trained fighters in our village went out to face them one night and... never returned."
Ardyn remained silent as an uneasy heaviness settled upon the group. This was unlike anything he'd ever heard of, and for a moment—he did consider whether it might be better to leave and come back with his parents, or at least more people and resources. If it was still unknown how this illness could spread—perhaps they were all at risk as they spoke.
"So, does this illness have something to do with the creatures?" Somnus asked. "Perhaps they're somehow causing it."
Mira shook her head. "Perhaps," she said. "But we don't know."
"All we know," Ariel said, "Is that if something isn't done, we'll lose not only our homes and food supplies, but our lives as well. We've considered fleeing, but we fear that anyone who is infected might spread the illness to other villages and cities."
"How many people have taken ill so far?" Ardyn asked.
"Eleven of us," Mira said. "We've ordered everyone to stay inside in hopes that it might slow the spread. But it's impossible to know as of yet whether or not it's having any effect."
Ardyn cast a quick glance over at Somnus. He suspected his brother might have been on to something, and that these creatures Mira and Ariel spoke of were related to this strange disease. But for once—while on most days, he could talk a good game—he couldn't even get away with pretending he knew how to proceed.
After looking back at Mira, Ardyn stood up and asked, "Would you excuse my companions and me for a moment? We would like to discuss."
Mira and Ariel bowed their heads in a agreement, letting Ardyn and company head outside to talk amongst themselves. But as he glanced back and forth between Somnus and Gilgamesh, he felt at a loss. "Perhaps it's too soon to say—but I'm beginning to wonder if this is beyond our skillset."
"Then what can we do?" Somnus asked, looking up at their bodyguard.
Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed as he looked down on the younger brother. "I wasn't hired to be your counsel, Young Lord."
"No," Ardyn said, jumping to Somnus's defense. "We should each have a say in what happens from here forward. This affects all three of us."
Gilgamesh's expression didn't change in the slightest, and Ardyn hadn't a clue what he was thinking. But after a few seconds of what seemed like deliberation, their escort replied, "Very well. If you're so adamant about hearing what I have to say. I'll tell you this—since I was a child, I have fought in many battles, and I have faces scores of unknown enemies. I have been both a leader and a follower—I have succeeded and failed in many aspects of my life. But one thing I have never done is deflect responsibility."
Ardyn's face fell. Somnus looked down at the ground as if in shame, but Ardyn refused to do that. Instead, he looked Gilgamesh squarely in the eye and gave him a dry smile. "So you say you weren't hired to counsel us, and yet you lecture us on responsibility."
"You wanted my opinion, didn't you?" Gilgamesh asked.
"I asked you because I respect your insight and your right to be a part of this decision."
"No, you asked because you would prefer someone else to hand you the answers to this dilemma. Look at you both..." His eyes flickered toward Somnus. "You were born to be Kings. Yet you are both too afraid to lead."
Ardyn laughed humorlessly. "You think you know us so well, don't you?"
"Brother, let's not fight," Somnus said softly.
In response, the elder Caelum boy turned and raised and eyebrow. "Who's fighting?" Then, looking back at Gilgamesh with cold eyes, he added, "I mean, aside from our bodyguard who clearly has nothing more pressing to do than judge us."
"Well, if you're so sure I'm wrong," Gilgamesh said, "Then prove it."
Ardyn was losing his patience quickly. And because he was very nearly as tall as the steely-eyed bodyguard, he felt no hesitance stepping forward until they were only inches apart. Then, letting his lips turn up at the corners in a dry smile, he whispered, "I have nothing to prove to you. And neither does Somnus. We're going to do the best we can. This is a group effort, but if you have nothing to add, feel free to leave."
Gilgamesh's expression didn't change in the slightest as he glared at Ardyn. However, after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, he said, "Why don't you tell me what you would propose?"
Ardyn glared right back at the older man, unfazed entirely by the fact that he was an elder. But rather than continue to argue, he thought the best course of action was to turn their conversation into a more productive one. "Perhaps we ought to send word to Mother and Father," he suggested. "I respect these people for wanting to avoid causing panic, but this is seems too dangerous to stay enshrouded in secrecy."
"It may not be safe for any of us to leave the village," Gilgamesh said in a low tone. "Not if what they say is true."
Somnus cleared his throat, prompting both Ardyn and Gilgamesh to look at him. "Maybe... we ought to stay and learn more about these creatures of the night—and wait to contact Mother and Father until we have more answers."
"The creatures may well be the key to solving the mystery of this village," Ardyn agreed. "It could be dangerous, but we can't devise a solution unless we know what we're up against." Then, with a nod, he said, "All right—so we wait until nightfall and we find out what's causing such a fuss. Is that well with you, Gilgamesh?"
He didn't bother to hide the vitriol in his tone when he addressed the bodyguard, but Gilgamesh simply lowered his head and replied, "Yes."
The bastard.
In the end, the group came to an agreement and decided to wait until nightfall so they could lay eyes on the creatures that the villagers feared. None of them knew what to expect, but they felt they couldn't push forward until they had a better idea of what they were up against. If leaving the village to warn Mother and Father was too dangerous, they simply had to make the most of their situation.
Ardyn ensured that everyone in the village stayed sheltered in their homes—and as dusk fell, he and Somnus waited on the edge of the hill overlooking the town. Meanwhile, Gilgamesh decided to patrol the streets. Ardyn offered to take that responsibility, but Gilgamesh insisted on him and Somnus staying together and staying in place. Not that Ardyn minded—he was glad to have a bit of relief from their escort's cold, invasive looks.
"You know, I don't think he means to be cruel," Somnus said softly, folding his hands behind his back while looking out over the buildings. "You could try getting along."
"What, did I embarrass you, brother?" Ardyn asked in a cold voice. Then, when his brother's eyes flickered away, he gave a small shoulder shrug. "You've always valued peace and diplomacy more than I have. Perhaps that's why you make a better leader."
"Mother and Father want us to lead together," Somnus said. "You know that." Then, after a pause, "Not that I have the slightest idea what I'm doing."
Ardyn let a tiny smile creep up on his face, and then against his will, he found himself laughing. "Is this the part where I'm supposed to tell you I'll take care of everything and you don't need to worry? I'm the elder brother, after all."
"You don't know what you're doing either, do you?" Somnus asked, turning to look at Ardyn with a serious expression on his face.
In return, Ardyn's laughter died and he shook his head slowly. "No. And in that way, I suppose the ill-mannered swordsman is right."
For the next several seconds, all Ardyn could hear were the sound of crickets and that of the breeze blowing through the trees farther up the hill. He thought briefly that he might have rendered his brother silent—but then the boy opened up his mouth again, changing the subject. "What do you think these creatures will be like?" he asked. "They don't sound anything like the monsters we've fought before."
"I couldn't say any better than you," Ardyn murmured.
"What if they prove to be too much for us?"
"Are you scared, Somnus?"
The boy scoffed and then folded his arms in frustration. "You wish I was."
Laughing at the way his brother pouted, Ardyn elbowed Somnus lightly and said, "I'm just joking with you. You have a good head on your shoulders, brother. You think about things before rushing into them." Unlike your older sibling.
Then, squinting his eyes at the sight of a small figure in the darkness, he whispered, "Unfortunately, in this case it doesn't appear we have much choice."
Nudging his brother again, he pointed to the figure down below. It didn't move like a human, but not quite like an animal either—and for a moment, Ardyn felt his heart jump into his throat.
But he didn't waiver. Instead, he bid Somnus to stand up slowly and they scurried off to the shadows where they were better concealed but could still see the creature. "What do you think it is?" Somnus asked.
Ardyn shook his head as he watched the creature topple a fruit cart sitting next to the buildings. As they grew closer, he observed the strange chattering sound it made and concluded that it couldn't be anything ever encountered before. "I don't know," he whispered. "But there's only one way to find out. Let's go—but stay close to me." Ardyn wasn't sure where Gilgamesh was at this moment, but he had no intention of letting this creature escape.
And so the boys cautiously made their way closer and closer to the target. Even in the dark, Ardyn started to make out the bizarre shape of the creature standing on skinny hind legs—tail flicking behind it and soft green glow emanating from its body. Were these the creatures that had been terrorizing the villagers for weeks on end? It certainly didn't look strong or large enough to cause the destruction he had seen at the other end of town.
Ardyn and Somnus approached, hoping to catch and neutralize the creature before it could do any more damage. But as it rummaged through the goods, trash, and tools at the side of a nearby home, Ardyn learned quickly that these critters had excellent senses. The brothers were almost completely silent, and yet the creature whipped its face up toward them like a startled doe and let out a cry that nearly scared both Ardyn and Somnus out of their skins.
However, instead of running from them, the creature immediately entered attack mode and lunged for them—its speed remarkably impressive. Despite all his mental preparation, Ardyn found himself caught off-guard. He let out a cry of surprise that turned into a painful growl when he felt thin, sharp claws slice across his jaw and neck. "Brother!" Somnus gasped, snatching up the creature by one of its limbs to wrench it off of him. It went flying into the side of the building, and Somnus pulled out his weapon to protect Ardyn while he recovered. The older brother pulled his hand away from his neck and saw dark red blood shining on his fingers, but knew this wasn't the time to lose his composure. So he pushed his pain to the side and summoned Rakshasa, which felt nearly weightless in his hand despite its large size.
The creature hissed and snarled as they surrounded it, backing it against the building. But despite its best efforts to lash out, they now had the advantage and Ardyn prepared to deliver a deadly blow to the miniature menace.
That's when he heard another noise come from behind them. It didn't take long for him to realize that two more creatures—nearly identical to the ones that attacked him—had appeared. Ardyn killed one with a single strike of his sword, while Somnus killed the other.
But then others came. And it happened so face that Ardyn didn't have time to think of his next strategy. The intense chattering rang in his ears as these small, scrawny creatures began climbing down the walls, running down the hill, and attacking from every direction. Individually, they were not strong—but in a group, they became more than a nuisance very quickly. Overwhelmed, Ardyn conducted a powerful spin attack to regain his freedom of mobility. Several of the creatures went flying, and he assumed he killed them off.
But still, more came. Gods, he'd been cursing Gilgamesh's existence a few hours ago, and now he was wondering why the man hadn't come to their aid yet.
"There are too many of them!" Somnus cried, running his blade through multiple enemies before backing up until his back was pressed against Ardyn's. They became surrounded within seconds, and Ardyn gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath as they fought to fend off the threats. He decided all they could do was move forward. So he bid Somnus follow him and they continued to cut through the hostile creatures until an opening appeared, and they took it. They would find away to fight them from a safer angle.
But when they tried to run, one of the creatures grabbed onto Somnus and dragged him down, stopping Ardyn in his tracks. "Brother!" Somnus cried as enemies started piling onto him, causing a frantic Ardyn to cry back while attempting to cut through the creatures. For a moment, he feared they might actually kill Somnus and he would be left alone here, doomed to run or fight until his own death.
But it only took a split second for it all to end.
The elder brother froze when he heard what sounded like a dozen small projectiles fly past his ears. The creatures all seemed to cry out in unison—and when Ardyn looked down, realized all of them had been impaled. By thin blades of ice, no less.
At first, he didn't dare to believe it. But when he glanced back up the hill, his racing suspicions were confirmed by the beautiful and glorious sight of Viessa standing further up the hill. And after briefly locking eyes with him, she abruptly closed her outstretched fist. All at once, the ice blades shattered into pieces, presumably causing thousands of ice shards to break off into the bodies of their enemies. Seconds later, none were left standing—and it didn't take much longer for them to fade and dissipate, leaving nothing but black smoke in their wake. Not unlike that which he'd seen emanating from the poor woman in the hospital earlier that day.
Ardyn briefly looked Somnus over and put down a hand to help the boy up. He should have been more focused on the well-being of his brother, but he couldn't resist quickly turning his gaze back to Viessa as she descended the hill.
"Are the two of you all right?" she asked as she stopped in front of them, the worry in her eyes completely unrestrained.
Somnus, however, couldn't resist asking the loaded questions. "How in the world did you do that?"
Ardyn didn't blame him for it. Hell, he would have liked to know as well. He knew Viessa was powerful—but he didn't know she was that powerful—not to mention that precise. But he knew it wasn't the time.
Still, Viessa was willing to humor Somnus. And she granted him a small laugh before responding, "Magic," and wiggling her fingertips. Then, her smile fell and she turned her attention to Ardyn's neck. "You're hurt," she said, surprising him by reaching out to brush her fingers over the scrapes on his skin.
The cuts stung when she touched him. But more than that, he felt his cheeks flame and immediately grabbed her hand—a little more abruptly than he'd intended—and whispered, "It's nothing." For some reason, her touching him like that in front of his brother made him uneasy. And much to his embarrassment, Somnus picked up on it.
"Is there something I missed?" he asked, looking back and forth between them with raised eyebrows.
Viessa, who had perceived Ardyn's discomfort, awkwardly pulled her hand from his and smiled at the younger brother. "Um... you must be Somnus. I'm Viessa. A friend of your brother. We met once, but you might not remember."
He gave her a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. When he didn't say anything, she just shook her head and said, "It's all right."
Then, her smile quickly fell and she added. "We shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous to stand out in the open like this. I killed the daemons, but more will likely come."
"You mean there are more?" Somnus asked, a horrified expression crossing his face.
But Ardyn was focused on a different part of her sentence, and he gently touched her arm to stop her as she turned away. "Wait—daemons? You've seen these creatures before?"
After a few seconds of deliberation, Viessa turned her face and looked up into Ardyn's eyes. She looked... terrified. "I'm sorry I was late, Ardyn. Had I known this is what you would be facing—I would have told you not to come at all."
Ardyn gritted his teeth. He couldn't bear to wait for explanations any longer. "And what exactly is it that we're facing?"
An eerie silence fell on the village as Viessa sucked in a breath. If Ardyn wasn't frightened already, he felt his stomach drop after watching the way her face contorted as though just speaking of it pained her. He wouldn't have admitted it, but an intense sickness came over him when she let out the shaky breath she'd been holding and spoke in a soft whisper:
"Starscourge."
So anyway, I thought it would be interesting to play around with some of the history regarding the Starscourge, as well as that of Ardyn, Somnus, and yes - Gilgamesh, lol. Don't ask me why. I just always thought it was kind of interesting that Gilgamesh was a friend and Shield to Somnus in this universe, and I thought it would be fun to have him appear in flashbacks before he became the first Shield.
I believe in the next chapter, we'll be catching up with Lunafreya and Noctis a bit. It's been a while since we've seen Noct. And while I did promise that things would progress more or less the same as the main story until Altissia, there is going to be a tad bit of deviation on his end. That's all I'll say for now. But hopefully I'll have that chapter out sooner if all goes well!
Until next time :)