Betrayal

Galdin Quay offered, both scenically and architecturally, a welcome change from the dry, run-down towns in the heart of Leide. A pleasant breeze blew in from the sea. The sandy beach and azure waters were perfect for swimming and fishing.

Looking at it this way, Noctis didn't know whether to welcome or lament the fact that the ferry was being held in Accordo on imperial orders. On one hand, it was another obstacle on their already ill-fated journey. On the other hand, it allowed them to spend more time on the beach and at the spa hotel. He could do well without the massage, however, after trying it out and escaping from the lounger with a familiar backache.

Ardyn passed the time by handing out commemorative coins minted with the image of the Oracle to visitors of the restaurant and waiting travellers. Had Noctis not been watching him, he would have never believed how easy it was for the chancellor to engage passers-by in friendly small talk. Surrounded by children, Ardyn seemed like a peculiar, yet harmless stranger. Noctis was certain that none of those present knew of his political position. In passing, Ardyn tossed him a coin as well, as a memento of their journey.
In response to Ignis' legitimate question about whether he could lift the ferry's blockade, Ardyn merely let them know that his influence on the imperial military was limited. Even Noctis recognised his lie as such, but dropped the subject. With all the delays, one day of travel more or less did not matter anyway.

The rude awakening followed the next morning.
Ignis returned to the hotel room with a hot-off-the-press edition of the daily newspaper bearing the headline "Insomnia Falls". It reported on hostilities during the signing of the peace treaty and the death of King Regis. At first Noctis didn't want to believe it, but Ignis assured him that all the media could not possibly be wrong, and Noctis' incomprehension was joined by anger.

"Where is Ardyn?" he asked his friends as they stood gathered in the hotel room.

"Haven't seen him today," Prompto replied.

"Neither have I," Ignis said.

"Are you surprised?" Gladio asked. "He probably left yesterday to sit alongside Aldercapt in the Citadel today."

Noctis clenched his hands into fists. "We have to go back."

"But isn't Insomnia crawling with Imperial soldiers by now?" Prompto interjected worriedly.

"It's no longer safe for us there," Ignis said, which did nothing to calm Prompto.

"What if they come looking for us here too?"

"I need to see. I need to see if it's true," Noctis insisted. "I need to know what happened to Regis."

"What should it be, Noct?" his advisor asked.

"We're going back to Insomnia."

They set off in great haste and Ignis drove until the first traffic jam came into view in front of an Imperial control station. Without much discussion, they veered onto an unpaved road that led to the side of the fortifications. Somewhere beyond lay a mountain crevasse, the sea, and, finally, Insomnia. As they made their way past the fortifications, they were attacked by Magitek riflemen and axemen. Noctis found the soulless puppets of the Empire to be just the thing to vent his pent-up rage on in battle. Ruthlessly he struck, with every weapon in his arsenal. The path that wound around the complex eventually led them to a rocky outcrop that jutted over a chasm in the mountains of Leide. In the far distance, beyond the rocks and the sea, rose Insomnia's city walls. No path led within.

Gigantic airships of the Imperial military passed over the heads of Noctis and his entourage. Even on the ground, Noctis felt the heat and wind of the glowing red engines. The city before them lay defenceless, without the magical barrier that had protected it for decades. Noctis knew what that meant. The newscaster whose voice came from Prompto's mobile repeated what the papers had announced earlier, but Noctis would hear none of it. He did not want to lose the spark of hope that his father might still be alive. The only thing new about the broadcast were the news of his and Luna's deaths, but Noctis's anger only grew as a result.
Lies. All imperial lies.

"How terribly rude of you to abandon me just because I had to attend to my political duties for five minutes," a familiar voice sounded behind them.

In shock, Prompto dropped his mobile. Ignis picked it up for him.

"Look who's got the nerve to show his face again," Gladio greeted the chancellor bitterly.

Ardyn approached them from the direction of the fortifications. Close above them flew a smaller airship. - Probably the one which had dropped him off.

"Did you know about this?" Noctis asked angrily, pointing to the invasion fleet hovering over Insomnia.

"That the treaty was signed last night? No."

"Cut the crap, Ardyn," Noctis demanded angrily. "Tell me if my father is still alive."

"I was not at the scene, so I don't know all the details, but judging by King Regis' condition, I very much doubt he survived the attack. Especially since Minister Besithia took his latest creations with him." Ardyn circled the four friends at a safe distance until he had his back to the chasm. "I beg you! Any man could have seen that the treaty was just a farce. Did you seriously think Regis did not know what he had agreed to? Due to his weakness, it was only a matter of time before the Wall fell. Had Niflheim not forced its way into the city, the magic of the Lucii would have taken his life anyway. He can consider himself lucky to have been put out of his misery beforehand."

The way the Chancellor spoke of his father made Noctis' anger boil over.
"You," he said through clenched teeth, "made sure we weren't there to help him when he needed us most." He started towards Ardyn, but Gladio put a hand on his chest and held him back.

"I," Ardyn replied, "have seen to it that you do not fall into the hands of Niflheim, you ungrateful brat. I had you and Lunafreya Nox Fleuret declared dead so that no one would look for you."

Ardyn took a step closer. Noctis tried to push Gladio's arm aside, but Gladio would not let him pass. He simply phased through his bodyguard. "I did not ask for this!" he argued.

Ardyn's hand shot forward and wrapped around his neck. Noctis gasped for breath.

Gladio summoned his greatsword instantly. "Let him go at once!"

"Don't do something you will regret, chancellor," Ignis warned.

The hold on his throat was not strong enough to choke him, but it caused adrenaline to rush through Noctis' veins. Ardyn looked down at him with disgust. For the first time, Noctis became truly aware that humans were not supposed to have amber eyes.

"I'm so tired of always being the scapegoat," Ardyn said, "Why don't we end this here and now? The Bladekeeper will not protect you. In this instant, he is preoccupied watching Niflheim steal his precious crystal."

Heart pounding, but will unbroken, Noctis clawed at Ardyn's sleeve.

"You look like Somnus, but you are not like him." The chancellor swayed his head from side to side. " You are merely spoiled. A spoiled little prince. Blind to the suffering in the world, and blind to the suffering of your kin."

He opened his hand, unexpectedly freeing Noctis. The prince stumbled, and Prompto pulled him away by his arm before he fell. Ignis helped them escape.

"Give me a reason not to strike you down here and now," Gladio said behind them.

"Be my guest," Ardyn replied. "I'd love to see you try."

Instead of the sounds of battle he had expected, Noctis only heard Gladio catching up with them after a moment's hesitation.

"I give you one last chance to prove to me that you can escape your fate, O True King."

Noctis glanced over his shoulder and saw Ardyn's form dissolve into black particles. The darkness shot towards him, the chancellor's form materialised again, grabbed him by the collar and before he fully realised what was happening, he found himself facing the abyss that led into the depths beyond the outcrop.

"Dammit!" Gladio cursed.

"Noct!" Prompto cried.

#-#-#

With a kick, Ardyn sent Noctis down the chasm.

A fraction of a second later, Gladio lunged at the chancellor. His greatsword slid through the man's back seemingly without resistance. Although Ardyn stumbled forward from the hit, Gladio's blade left no mark on him. Where blood should have flowed, black liquid stained the stone.

The chancellor turned to face them, spread his arms and dropped backwards into the chasm, laughing.


Oh dear, could this be a cliffhanger?

I know there is no chasm in the original cutscene, but I believe it is not too much of a stretch, given the mountainside surrounding them.

In the past few years all the stories I have written I have carefully planned beforehand. Not this one, though, which is why there is a risk I might abandon it halfway through. And because it is a fanfiction, I am not putting anywhere near as much into effort into beta-reading than I usually do.
It is fun to write however, and that's what we are are here for, are we not?