PREFACE:
I'd be the first to say I haven't followed the footsteps of my parents. I'm not a philanthropist like my mother, and I'm not a hunter like my dad. I guess my parents were a little dismayed that I wasn't interested in charitable donations or weapons. My brothers and sisters have taken a shine to it.
Coming from a family with such a reputable background, I guess it makes them a bit confused. But I know they aren't ashamed. They always say they are proud of me, and that I'm the smartest person in the family.
I owe that to Uncle Ignis.
At all the reunions, while everyone else stood in circles and praised my mother and stood in awe of my father, while they talked to Aunt Cindy about car trouble and went for target practice with Uncle Prompto, I and Caela would be at Uncle Iggy's feet. As long as I can remember, we just drank in his stories.
The funny thing is Uncle Iggy doesn't say much, usually. But on hearing our pleas for stories of the days before the Great Dawn, he would get a soft smile on his face and indulge us. He still does to this day, even though he's notably one of the busiest men on earth, and I'm turning nineteen next year.
You see, I'm a historian. I've always craved the stories of our history: Of the ancients, of the starscourge, the darkness that fell over our world, and our Savior King Noctis. I've won awards for my dissertations. I graduated with top honors from Eosian Academy of Historical Sciences when I was only fifteen. Uncle Iggy calls me a 'chip off the old block', even though I'm not even his kid. In my craving for history, however, I became increasingly fascinated with the role my parents—and in particular, my uncles—played in it. The more Uncle Iggy told me, the more I wanted to know.
I'm not sure whether he's tired of my questions, or if he was endeared by my wanting to know him, but he handed me a stack of notebooks today. "These are my journals," he told me, "You'll learn all you wish to know about me there."
This is why I admire him. He is an incredibly brave man. He's been though the worst of all of it. And yet, he's willing to let his niece plow through extremely personal reflections of his life, knowing full well I'll write it all down and share it with all who will listen.
There's no way I could share every entry; though I wish I could. But there were two names I noted over and over, increasing in frequency until near the end, where their names were nearly on every page: Noctis and Aleya. I think these two people shaped my Uncle into the person he is today. Of course, everyone knew our great King. But there's so much to know about Aleya. And so, I will pick some of these notable entries to share. For the ones I found the most interesting, or that were too limited, I asked Uncle Iggy and the people closest to him. They filled me in on the details, which will be recorded in narrative as "Flashbacks".
It is my sincerest desire that the world come to know my Uncle as I know him. In the pen strokes of these entries lie his heart, his motivations, and his personality. There were days of glory, and days of unspeakable grief. And despite insurmountable adversity, my uncle won.
My Uncle Ignis is an astounding human being. It's my pleasure to share what I've learned, so you can see it for yourself.