Disclaimer: not mine
Chapter 8
Clarus watched the young man as he scanned his own medical record, seeing green eyes go wide, blinking, before obviously re-reading the relevant note.
"Oh," Peverell whispered.
He appeared genuinely shocked by the information which was a good sign. There was always the chance he was a plant, that the Empire had found a child who looked like a Lucis Caelum and run their own tests, found he really was a relative and then sent him as a spy or assassin.
"What…what does this mean?" he looked up at them, a bit bewildered looking.
Regis leant forward slightly, meeting his eyes. "It means that no matter how distant the link is, you are related to the Royal family, which makes you family. Anyone related carries that marker, just like those related to the Oracle carry a different genetic marker. Mr Peverell…may I call you Harry?" Regis asked and the teen nodded, not that Clarus thought he'd say no, when the King asked to use your name who would deny him?
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
"Harry, this part of your file is restricted, no one will know unless told. Either way, you are a member of this family. Over the centuries our family has shrunk as less and less children have been born. This is dangerous, especially during war," Regis told him and Harry nodded.
"The right kind of attack could easily end the line… you're not suggesting I could…aren't I too distantly related?" green eyes were wide in disbelief, glancing between them.
"It is a possibility and part of why I called for you. If you have any magical ability of your own then the gifting of my magic my react oddly, I suppose you could say."
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Okay, that made sense. The last thing he needed was his magic reacting to the Kings' badly or even just strangely but…could he trust the man enough to give up his secrets? He thought about it but…no, he did not know enough of him, only what others thought and what was in the records. But he could give something. "I guess it's magic?" he offered as if unsure. "I can, hide things I guess?"
"Hide things?" Leonis asked, looking interested.
Harry absently wondered if a certain portrait was around, it would give them a solid idea who he was related to. "I can show you?"
"Please do," the King smiled kindly so Harry summoned Gryffindor's sword, seeing three pairs of eyes go wide.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Cor barely kept his jaw form dropping or eyes from widening as he saw a sword appear in a familiar manner…except he had never seen the power of Kings be gold before. The blade was rather decorative, an heirloom rather than practical perhaps? A glance at Regis and Clarus showed they were just as shocked as he was by the display, they had thought maybe he could make curatives or a small elemental spell…but the Armiger?
"You have access to the Armiger," Regis finally spoke.
"What's that?"
"I suppose you could call it a pocket made from magic, able to store almost anything though I doubt anyone has been crazy enough to attempt to store anything sentient within it," Regis explained, summoning a bottle of water.
"Okay, so I could store all my things there, not just the sword?" he asked and Regis nodded.
"May I see the sword?" his King asked and Peverell hesitated before handing it over carefully.
"Don't touch the blade, it's poisoned," he warned and Regis stiffened slightly at the warning, being very careful.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The blade was well made, of a metal he didn't recognise at first glance but then he frowned, it couldn't actually be silver, could it? The intricate cross-shaped hilt was inset with one large gemstone (a ruby?) as well as some smaller ones. Down the blade was engraved a name, Godric Gryffindor. Gryffindor…there was something about that name. he handed the blade back and it vanished in the same golden light and that was something else to ponder, everything he knew of the family magics said they were always shades of blue, maybe purple or even whitish, but gold? He scanned the bookshelf and removed a very ancient tome.
"Regis?" Clarus asked.
"The name on the sword looks familiar," he answered absently, opening the book at the beginning, scanning down the lists of names in the genealogy. They were faded, almost illegible, but he followed the line before the Founder King and there it was. "Leonis Gryffindor married into the Lucis Caelum two hundred years before the time of the Mystic," he announced out loud since the book was heavily protected by magic and only the Royal Line could read it….he turned the book towards Peverell and he looked at the page curiously, a finger hovering over Leonis' name, more proof of his relation. "You can read it," he asked to be sure and Harry nodded.
"Why?" he asked and Regis smiled, reminded a little of his son in the curiosity there, back when Noctis was younger anyway.
"The book can only be read by those of our blood."
"Ah, okay." He sat back down. "Does it really matter? If I'm related so far back how can it be important? Even if both you and the Prince died, there's no way anyone would want me to inherit, there must be closer relations."
Most people would be excited to be related to Royalty and the idea that perhaps they could inherit and yet he was reluctant to even consider it. With the Prophecy…if Noctis fulfilled it before having children of their own then at least a branch of their family could live on. He glanced down at the Ring on his finger and then stretched his hand out between them, seeing Cor and Clarus straighten up.
"Do not touch it, just hold your hand above it as close as possible without contact," Regis told him and Harry nodded, removing his uniform glove to hold his hand over the Ring. It glowed, magic wrapping around both of their hands.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The Lucii stirred as they detected the presence near the Ring…magic reaching out to the intruder though it was obvious Regis still wore the Ring.
"He is worthy," the Mystic intoned, shocking the rest. "Harry James Lucis Caelum is worthy of our power, after all, I could hardly deny my nephew."
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Harry felt the power reach out for him, cold and bright and….wrong…and then he felt him, Uncle Somnus, reaching back to the man instinctively, his eyes flashing gold without his notice, but the others in the room saw.
'Worthy,' whispered through his mind, the voice familiar. 'Little Healer.'
'Uncle,' Harry answered. He focused his mind to let his Uncle know what was going on and that he really didn't want anyone to know the truth, the name he was using and felt Somnus' agreement.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Regis saw Harry's eyes flash gold like his magic, felt the shift in the Ring… 'Worthy,' he heard in the mystics voice and it was a relief to hear. His tone though…it was unlike anything he had ever heard from the first King of Lucis. Almost…fond? Loving? He could tell Harry heard him too and then the Glaive pulled his hand back, breathing heavily, hands trembling slightly.
"Regis," Clarus pointed at the book and…a line appearing from Leonis' name, running beside the list of his own family.
It travelled a while with nothing before the name Godric Gryffindor appeared, the name Ignotus Peverell appeared parallel to the Gryffindor line but even further back than Leonis' name, Linfred of Stinchcombe, then Iolanthe Peverell….there were lots of blanks in the line, gaps, which was interesting. The family magic had trouble reading the line due to how long ago they split maybe? There were Peverell's, Potter's, Black's…all the way down to Bellona Peverell and then her son Harry.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Harry was relieved to see only a scattered, partial family tree. He just knew, if the truth came out then it would finish filling out and reveal his adoption by Ardyn and relation to Somnus because then it wouldn't matter. He wondered if the King knew his ancestors could mess with the magic Harry could feel woven into the book. Was that why Uncle Somnus' name appeared alone? Why wasn't his Dad listed in any way? Especially since the name Harry James Lucis Caelum was clearly listed. He swore mentally when his attention made Regis looked but the King smiled.
"It appears Harry is a family name."
"What do you mean?" Lord Amicitia asked.
"I never really paid much attention, but the Founder had a…nephew by the look of it. One Harry James Lucis Caelum," Regis answered.
"So likely someone in your family was aware of the link," Leonis looked at Harry who shrugged.
"Mum never talked about any of it, her family or Dad." He really hated lying so much but the idea of people knowing he was that Harry kind of freaked him out.
"Well, the Lucii have accepted you, which means you could wear the Ring if necessary."
"Okay…so you're not allowed to die before me," Harry said firmly and Cor actually snorted slightly. "No one else knows, right? We can keep it a secret."
"Why wouldn't you want to be recognised as a member of the family?" Amicitia asked, eyeing him.
"Why would I want that? The idea that I have people I'm related to is kind of nice but…being royalty? I'm guessing there's a lot that comes with that and why would you want to admit I'm a relation? I'm just an orphan refugee from Galahd and it's clear what people think of us. Little more than savages, you don't need to be linked to that."
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Clarus had suffered more shocks today than he had in a long time. The idea this boy…young man, didn't want to go public was inconceivable. So many people would kill to be in his position. Yet he seemed honest in his not wanting the recognition. "Well, we have to pull you from the Glaive at least."
"Why?"
"Recognised or not, you look like a Lucis Caelum enough to get too much attention, if Niflheim got a sample of your blood they may be able to track that you are one and then you will have a target on your back. The Ring accepted you which means you are an heir to the Throne if not the direct one, to have you fighting on the front lines is madness."
"Wait, hold on!" the teen held his hands up. "I can't just quit the day I got accepted, that'd raise way too many questions. Plus, I kind of need the job to pay rent and stuff. I didn't go through days of torture to back out now."
Clarus wondered just what Titus put the possible recruits through for him to call it torture. "We can find you a position within the Citadel. Perhaps claim you didn't react favourable to the King's magic?"
"No, too many questions would be asked if he had to use magic later," Regis shook his head. "Perhaps…"
"What about claiming a semi-truth?" Leonis asked and they all looked at him. "Instead of related to you, we say he's related to someone else. He could nominally remain in the Glaive but on assignment in the Citadel, or even transfer to the Guard."
"Doing what?" Clarus asked curiously.
"Noctis still struggles with the Armiger," Regis suggested, glancing to the wary teen. "How would you feel about being named as a tutor to my son?"
He looked…rather bewildered by it all and Clarus felt a little guilty, it was a lot to take in all at once. However, they did need to deal with it all before the young…prince?...left. It had been a long time since even a distant relative had been known, what title would he bear, especially since the Ring accepted him as a possible heir.
They should have frozen his application as soon as the medical results came up, it would have been easier to keep him out of view if he hadn't already been accepted into the Glaive. Even reassigning him would bring attention since no accepted Glaive had ever been, especially one who would definitely be good at magic.
"We could make him a Leonis cousin, a transfer into the Guard would almost be expected then so that Cor can look after his baby cousin. It would also be a reason for him to be seen close to all of our families."
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Cor hadn't expected that but it made sense. He took after his mother in looks but Harry's darker hair was more common in the Leonis line. He glanced at Harry, seeing the wary confusion. He felt a flash of guilt, here they were, discussing him like Harry wasn't present and didn't get a say in his own future. Yes, he needed to be protected but they couldn't lock him in a gilded cage. He was Galahdan and he had dealt with enough of the Glaive to know they did not take well to inactivity or being trapped in the city for long periods.
It would be easy enough to fake his file and the dates could actually work, he'd had an Uncle who left Insomnia about two years before Harry's birth and he hadn't been heard from since. That would explain his interest in the kid, as well as Clarus and Regis's since their like of interfering in his life was well known in the Citadel.
"Harry?" he called and green eyes focused on him. "I had an Uncle who left the city two years before you were born, it would be easy enough to say you are his son. This would enable me to personally train you without too many questions. You would either transfer to the Guard or remain a Glaive but assigned to us. You would mostly be stationed in the Citadel but the occasional mission outside of the Wall could be arranged too."
"Cor…"
"He's Galahdan, Regis. We can't lock him behind the Wall permanently," Cor pointed out. "Besides, if the Ring accepted him, shouldn't he go on the traditional Pilgrimage? In more secrecy and likely more spread out than normal but he should still do it."
"Pilgrimage?" Harry spoke up.
"The traditional journey to gather the weapons of our ancestors," Regis sighed. "And Cor is right, you should complete it even if you do so gradually. There are twelve Royal Arms said to still exist, however we don't know the locations for all of them. One is also the Trident of the Oracle and inaccessible."
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
It was obvious that with his relation to the Crown, he wouldn't be able to just hide away. He knew it made sense, they were at war, having a 'spare' was smart. If the King's wife hadn't died so early the Prince would likely have at least one sibling and he'd be off the hook. Why did fate hate him so much that he could never have a plan work right or anything? Yeah, he kept surviving the so-called un-survivable but still, it'd be nice to have something go to plan just once. He just knew his Uncle was laughing at him in the afterlife, after all, he had to have something to do with the very vague family list that had appeared in the book.
So which did he chose? Glaives or Guard?
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Cor drove silently through the city, glancing at his new 'cousin' from the corner of his eye occasionally. The younger male was watching the city around them though he didn't think Harry was really seeing it. They'd really dumped a lot of information on him and taken some of his choices which he knew they all felt bad about. Honestly, he hadn't expected the Lucii to react so strongly to someone so distantly related. Was it because of Noctis? The kid was only seventeen, too young yet to marry and have children…was the Prophecy to come to pass before he did? Maybe they just found him interesting, who could tell?
At least he didn't have to tell Titus he was stealing his most promising recruit from him, not that he knew that since he didn't know Harry had his own magic but still. Remaining with the Glaive would have been better for magical training, he had access to Regis' magic but a lot of his people didn't, or if they did it was only the ability to store their weapons away. He would have to oversee that part of his training personally though he thought Regis may try to help as well. And there was still the idea of Harry helping Noctis with his Armiger access, they could have Noctis brush up his own basic elemental skills by having him teach Harry in return.
How would Noctis take having a new family member? Regis was going to tell him but only him. The kid wouldn't like keeping it secret from his friends but sometimes a King had to keep things to himself so it'd be good practice.
He pulled up in front of Harry's building, staring at it. He had the feeling that trying to get him to move into the Citadel or at least closer would not end well. His new position would come with a higher pay check than the Glaive received, something he didn't personally agree with but couldn't change, maybe he'd at least consider a bigger apartment?
"Thanks," Harry offered tiredly.
"I'll see you tomorrow 0800. Use your Glaive id to access the Citadel, we will sort out uniforms and the like then."
"Okay," he nodded and reached for the door handle.
Cor hesitated, trying to think of something to say but in the end he watched the kid…the prince….leave the car and head inside.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Harry stripped out of his uniform and collapsed on his bed. He was exhausted! By now his file would list Corrin Leonis as his Dad and someone would be telling the Captain that he was being transferred into the Crownsguard. Maybe it would have been better to agree to be publicly known as the King's very distant cousin after all? Too late now. He groaned but summoned pen and paper, writing to Gilgamesh on how his well thought out plan had already been ruined, knowing he'd get a kick out of it and the Shield really needed more things to laugh about…even if it was at his expense.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Nyx knocked on the door to Harry's apartment and the younger male soon opened it, he looked tired but healthy…and wearing a Crownsguard Uniform? The Captain had been cranky the last few days and then Nyx had realised he hadn't seen Harry anywhere, now he was thinking the two might be connected. "Harry?"
"I was transferred," he admitted, flopping down on his bed.
"Why?"
"Because the medical tests figured out who my Dad was and it was decided since that technically makes me a citizen of Insomnia, plus having a relative in the guard already, that it'd be better for me to join him in the Guard."
Nyx stared with wide eyes. "You found family?" that was good, right?
"It'll be all over the Citadel soon so might as well tell you. Turns out Cor Leonis had an Uncle," Harry shrugged.
"You're relate to the Marshal?"
"Apparently. Which also apparently makes me a possible target, another reason for the transfer. Though I still took the Oaths so I get to learn magic as well."
"And they're okay with everything," he touched his own braids and Harry nodded, waving a hand at his uniform.
"There's a reason I chose a uniform option that isn't a suit, well several really but I'd look really weird with braids in one."
He had a point there. "We'll miss you in the Glaive."
"Thanks. At least they aren't trying to make me move into the Citadel or anything."
"They aren't?"
"Nope, apparently Cor vetoed that as a bad idea. He also made sure I will get the occasional mission beyond the Wall. Seems he knows enough of us to realise locking me in the city would drive me nuts."
Nyx chuckled though he was surprised the Marshal had realised that their people did not like being in the city all the time. Then again, he was one of the few who never seemed to look down on them.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Harry checked the address on his phone and then spotted the Guards stationed causally around the building, yep, he had the right place. He had to admit, if there was one thing he really liked about the Guard over Glaive, it was the individuality of their uniforms. They were all made from the same protective materials but so long as they were black and bore the subtle skulls and the insignia of the Guard somewhere the design was pretty much up to the wearer.
Cor worked the suit well, as did his second, Monica. Harry and suits did not go together, especially with his longer hair and braids. His uniform was black cargo pants, boots, a short sleeve shirt in dark grey, and a black jacket. The shirt and jacket helped make it look a bit dressier but there was no way he was wearing slacks when he was meant to wear his uniform for training and combat.
He saw one of the Guards eyes widen as he was recognised. Barely a week and already word was spreading about the Immortals cousin. He ignored them and walked into the building, hitting the correct floor button in the elevator. He stepped out and nearly fell back in, hands moving quickly to brace the person who'd hit him even as he shifted to catch himself as well. He found himself looking down into startled blue eyes even as he took in a breath to apologise, freezing…..that scent….he blinked, feeling Pen itch beneath his skin in reaction, clamping down on the urge to change forms. He forced himself to focus on human senses, taking in the crazy style of bright blonde hair and the school uniform, recognising him from the files he'd been shown by Cor on those who had access to the Prince's apartment. This was Prompto Argentum, his best friend….who smelt of Solheim ruins and MT's.
TBC…
I don't like a lot of the interactions as written for Regis' office but just can't get it all to go how I really wanted. It feels choppy and kind of all over the place to me but after several re-writes this is as good as it wants to get.
Can anyone guess what Pen may be an abbreviation of, Harry form is dragonesque remember.
