Wow, it's been so very long since the first installment in this series that I'm a little embarrassed it's taken so long to get the sequel to where I'm ready to start posting it. I've been in and out of multiple projects and fandoms a lot over the last two years but this story has always been hanging out in the back of my mind, waiting to be finished. I hope anyone who wanders over from the original Spark from Tenebrae finds it a worthy conclusion. I'd also like to thank ScribeOfReaper for being absolutely awesome and betaing this story for me as well all the people who encouraged me to keep at it. This is for you guys!
A quick recap: This Ignis and Ravus Roelswap kicks off right where the last story left us in Altissia, after the confrontation with Leviathan and saving Lunafreya from Ardyn.
Altissia
If there was one thing Ravus could not tolerate, it was incompetence. Whether faced with an ill planned strategy, poorly maintained stock or delays incited by either Noct's endless procrastinating or Prompto's ever constant distractions, the advisor was always quick to deal with the inadequacy. It was, however, thus far one thing he could not fault the former high commander for. Though he was loathe to admit it, Ignis had yet to be found lacking in any task he'd undertaken since allying himself with them after the battle for the Tidemother's blessing. It was slightly maddening.
That was why Ravus had only been able to avoid the kitchen for so long after Lady Lunafreya had spoken up in the middle of a debate on what to do with their limited funds for dinner. The oracle and Noct both were now conscious and recovering, the two of them eager to continue onward, though the entire party was increasingly anxious. The time for their departure from Altissia was drawing steadily closer, but for tonight they would have to make do with what meager rations Weskham had been able to scrounge up for them. It was a chore none of the Insomnians were keen to tackle as culinary talent was, regrettably, in short supply. Surprisingly, Lady Lunafreya had been the one to offer up an alternativ, "Why not allow Ignis to prepare something? He's quite the skilled cook."
Ignis had replied with a humble, "You flatter me," but was quick to acquiesce to his sister's whim and absconded to the tiny kitchenette attached to their suite.
As it was, Ravus was only marginally surprised to discover the man very much in his element, composing the ingredients at his disposal with an ease Ravus might have imagined he commanded the MTs terrorizing Lucis. The dish he was preparing looked impressively complex considering what the Tenebraen had to work with. "Well, you certainly seem to know what you're doing."
Ignis continued to systematically dice the Lucian tomatoes without missing a beat. "Ah, it's nothing special. In fact, you'll have to forgive me. I'm afraid I've not had much opportunity to prepare fare for more refined pallets."
Ravus scoffed. "And that shan't change tonight. His Highness is content to inhale junk food most days and the rest of his retinue are hardly better."
Curiously, the admission caused Ignis to pause his chopping. "Surely you must be joking. You can't possibly expect to obtain anything of nutritional value from a box."
Ravus shrugged, though his interest was piqued by Ignis' obvious concern. "It's not my role to stand in as his mother and force the prince to eat his vegetables. If Noct wishes to desecrate his body I'm certainly not able to stop him."
Satisfied something edible would indeed end up on the table that evening, the advisor left the younger Nox Fleuret with a fiery glint in his eyes.
The vegetable stew was hearty, impeccably seasoned and ideal for refueling the frazzled party. The pot was rendered empty in an impressively short span of time.
Prompto had moaned in delight since his first bite. "Dude, where have you been all my life?"
Ignis smiled, clearly pleased with the praise. "I'm glad the stew was to your liking."
"To my liking, are you kidding me? This is the most delicious thing I've had in my mouth for ages! Please tell me you're gonna cook again; I'd be you're devoted servant, man, whatever you want," Prompto gushed.
"Changing loyalties, Prompto?" Gladio teased from behind his own heaping portion.
Prompto sputtered in indignation before narrowing his eyes at the shield. "Well, excuse me but some of us enjoy a break from eating Cup Noodles for days on end! Am I right, Noct?"
Noctis shrugged. "I don't know, at least there's less vegetables in that."
"His Royal Majesty, ladies and gentlemen," Ravus spoke in that dry monotone he tended to reserve for when he was particularly unimpressed, typically with his liege.
Completely unaffected by the tone, Noctis continued to systematically pluck tomatoes and carrots from the stew to be deposited at the side of his bowl where they became free game for Prompto and occasionally Umbra. The canine messenger sat obediently at their feet beneath the squat table in the sitting room, eagerly accepting any offerings. Ignis watched on, clenching his plastic spork with just a pinch of excess force and endeavoring not to take the king's dissection of the dish personally. Perhaps a different base for the gravy next time.
Whether aware of her brother's agitation or charmed by Noct's finicky dining habits, Lunafreya seemed to find the situation particularly amusing and hid the upturn of her lips behind another ladylike sip of the stew.
"Dude, royally embarrassing," Prompto elbowed Noctis, though lightly as he scooped up another of his friend's carrots for himself.
With a practiced ease cultivated through many exasperating yet somehow fulfilling years of service to the crown, Ravus ignored the shenanigans taking place around the table and spoke to the matters at hand. "In any case, it's time we discussed our next move. It's best we not test the hospitality of First Secretary Claustra more than necessary."
"No kidding, don't think she's the type to forgive any debts," Gladio agreed easily while finishing off the last of his stew by upturning the bowl to empty directly into his mouth.
Ravus' eye twitched in response to the complete lack of etiquette – in front of so many royals no less – but next to Prompto's audible slurping and Noct's own fussy behavior, the advisor grudgingly admitted it was simply a lost cause. "Yes… our first order of business should be to obtain passage to Niflheim, Cartanica specifically. We've a strong likelihood of locating a royal tomb within the mine."
"Yeah, sounds good and all, but it's going to be dangerous driving the Regalia around in imperial territory." Gladio crossed his arms and scowled over their newest problem.
"I don't think everyone's gonna fit in the car anyway, big guy." Prompto leaned on the back two legs of the chair he'd dragged in from one of the bedrooms and looked skyward, as though the answers might be inscribed conveniently on the ceiling, before slamming the chair back down to all fours and smiling mischievously. "Maybe if Gladio walks –"
"Not gonna happen, short stuff," Gladio growled with no real heat.
"Transportation shouldn't be an issue; I've an airship hidden just outside the city and it's outfitted with more than enough cargo space to hold the Regalia. We should be able to make Cartanica within a week's time considering we limit our stops by necessity," Ignis offered up casually.
Noct threw a wide-eyed glance at his friend. "You know how to fly one of those things?"
"Man, is there anything you can't do?" Prompto joined in, leaning over his side of the low table.
"Yeah, piloting airships, cooking like a gourmet, shooting magic out of your bare hands — got any other hidden talents you wanna share with the class?" Gladio ticked off the fingers of his left hand.
"The ability to see into the future perhaps," Ravus chimed in sarcastically.
"Hardly anything worth mention, I assure you," Ignis attempted to shut down the line of questioning, but not before he spotted a dangerous glint in his sister's eyes.
Seemingly never one to pass up a chance at teasing her younger brother, Lunafreya's smile turned mischievous. "Please, don't let my brother's humility deceive you. He's omitted quite the auspicious modeling career. He's commonly featured in such notable magazines as People of Eos. He even holds the honor of being named Eos' Most Photogenic."
Ignis did not whine exactly; he'd been broken of the ineloquent habit long before the Empire ever darkened their door, but he struggled with the urge to draw out the well-practiced syllables of his sister's beloved nickname none the less. "Luna, really, I'm certain no one cares for the outrageous prattlings of such publications at a time like this."
"Dude, are you kidding! Someday I'm gonna land one of my photos on the cover of that baby," Prompto crowed over Noct and Gladio's snickering.
"You're a photographer?" Ignis' tone was carefully vacant of inflection.
Oblivious to Ignis' less than pleased reaction to the revelation, Prompto summoned his camera with barely a thought and started looking around the suite through the viewfinder. "Oh yeah, not professional or anything, but I do grab some assignments every now again from Vyv."
"Dorden, the Meteor Publishing President…," Ignis muttered lowly.
"As amusing as it would be to schedule a photoshoot between the two of you, I believe we've more pressing concerns," Ravus cut in before they could be further sidetracked.
"Right." Ignis was more grateful for the interruption than he hoped he let on. To think he was going to be traveling with a bloody photographer all the way to Gralea. Would fate ever run short of cruelties? "If the arrangement is agreeable, I'd advise making Tenebrae our second destination. There are matters I wish to attend to and it would behoove us to restock our supplies at the manor. We won't find much in way of civilization at Cartanica."
"Yeah, sure, sounds good to me." Though he attempted to sound apathetic, it was easy to see Noct was more than pleased by the suggestion. After all this time maybe he could still keep his old promise to run through the sylleblossoms with Luna.
"Just don't take too long with whatever business you're takin' care of. We need to book it to Gralea as soon as possible," Gladio huffed.
"It's not quite so urgent that we can't take a brief reprieve once we reach Fenstala Manor. A bit of rest might be in order by that point." Ravus gave a meaningful glance toward where Noct and Lunafreya were nearly slumped in their chairs, though Noct more obviously than Luna. They were clearly still drained from their bout with Leviathan. "Regardless, it's something we'll be able to afford with the time conserved by the use of Imperial airship."
Gladio grumbled out something under his breath about the advisor going soft but said no more on the matter.
"Before we reach Gralea we must first go through the Ghorovas Rift," Lunafreya interjected, the earlier humor gone from her disposition.
"Wait, isn't that where the Empire –?" Prompto cut himself off, unsure.
"You got it, resting place of Shiva herself." Gladio frowned. The rumors of what the Empire had done in that place weren't pretty.
"The corpse is said to have altered the climate of the entire region, the terrain rendered white with unceasing snow and ice; the Rift is a veritable no man's land," Ravus supplied.
"It is where the covenant of the Frostbearer is to be bestowed." Luna turned to Noctis who nodded back solemnly.
Gladio shrugged. "Welp, no arguing with the oracle, I guess."
"R-right, should be a piece of cake." Prompto attempted a brave face.
Noct smiled at his friends. "We'll do it together, no sweat."
Ignis cleared his throat to garner the attention of the group. "There is one last thing. I want to make certain everyone here is prepared for what lies ahead should we continue to Zegnautus Keep. Ardyn will assuredly be waiting."
Noct glared down at the table. "Yeah, well, I've got a bone to pick with that guy."
"Same goes for all of us. We want a piece of that creep after what he pulled at the altar," Gladio snarled.
"And regardless of our personal vendettas, we cannot allow the current state of affairs to stand. The Empire must pay for its transgressions." Ravus narrowed his eyes, trying to get a read on the younger man's intentions for bringing up the chancellor.
"In that case, I wish to discuss with you all the events that took place during our little scuffle after the trial," Ignis pressed on, ignoring the strained atmosphere that descended upon the room alongside the unpleasant topic. "When you saw me as Ardyn did I say anything?"
Prompto frowned at the question. "What do you mean?"
"What were the words I spoke to you? Was it my voice or the chancellor's egging you on? It is imperative that you tell me precisely what you heard; the most minute detail could be crucial," Ignis persisted.
"You know, it was actually pretty bizarre. Kept tryin' to talk us down." Prompto rubbed at his bare arms, trying to banish the goosebumps springing up at the mere mention of the incident.
"He said I am not your enemy," Gladio recited after a moment of thought.
"We heard Ardyn's voice, but it lacked his usual inflection and pattern of speech." Ravus met Ignis' eyes. "You're hoping to find a way to see past his illusions."
"Indeed. On the journey ahead we will not be able to trust in our own eyes. Ardyn can disguise himself as anyone and make any of us appear to the likeness of his choosing. There's a possibility, however, that we may still be able to communicate even while we are under his influence. I am not your enemy; those were my words exactly before our altercation began. This means we've a chance."
"Smart, Iggy," Noct praised, losing some of the tension that had been building since the chancellor was brought up.
"Make no mistake, Ardyn has far more inhuman abilities at his disposal than altering our perceptions. I can't profess to understand everything he is capable of, but he can't be killed by normal means. It's best to proceed with caution. He will come for us. Don't let your guard down," Ignis warned.
"This is concerning news; we'll have to devise some precautions. Is there anything else you've been able to glean of his goals?" Ravus looked toward Ignis. The younger Fleuret gave a subtle glance to his sister. It was only out of the corner of his eye, but Ravus was certain he witnessed Lady Lunafreya give a small shake of her head. Peculiar.
In the next moment Ignis' attention was back on the advisor. "I'm afraid Ardyn's endgame is still very much a mystery."
"Who cares, he's not going to be a problem much longer if I have anything to say about it." Noct's eyes wandered over to Lunafreya's recently healed side.
"Then we'd best get some rest. A difficult undertaking awaits us tomorrow." Ravus reasoned, putting aside his suspicions for the moment and hoping to preempt any attempts at a King's Knight all-nighter.
Noct huffed but agreed all the same. "Yeah, yeah. Can't wait to get started."
While Ignis had been working on dinner, Gladio and Prompto volunteered to go hunt up the necessary supplies for the next leg of their journey. Noctis had reluctantly deigned to tag along for one reason and one reason only: the Fleurets were in dire need of new disguises. Both of their outfits had been torn and bloodied beyond repair during the battle with Leviathan. Ignis still had possession of his uniform and armor but neither were exactly subtle so Noctis had joined his retainers on their errand to help search for less ostentatious clothing, not quite trusting Gladio or Prompto to select something to fit Luna and Ignis' tastes.
The morning of their departure Noctis had left separate bundles on each of the siblings' beds – or rather the couch right outside Luna's attached bedroom in Ignis' case. The younger Fleuret had found it difficult not to hover at his sister's side throughout her recovery. Perhaps it was foolish and a tad overbearing, but after seeing her so weak at the altar and witnessing the effects the covenants had wreaked on her body, Ignis was hard pressed not to worry over her.
A brief distraction was not entirely unwelcome. Gathering up the parcel, Ignis moved to the washroom to investigate its contents. Inside he found a simple white dress shirt. A brief inspection revealed the material to be of high quality and he quickly slipped the light shirt over his shoulders, efficiently fastening the brushed silver buttons and neatly rolling the sleeves up to just above his elbows. Next he donned a black waist coat adorned with near invisible, dark purple pinstripes down the front of the garment, along with a tiny white fox stitched into the sturdy fabric over where one would ordinarily find the left breast pocket. He then pulled out two brown leather belts that came with an attached holster for his daggers. Good for quick and easy access he supposed, and secured them around his hips over new dark grey trousers. It was not a proper suit but Noctis had certainly considered his preferences. Thankfully he'd managed to salvage the boots and sheath for his lance from his old gear, though he'd have to retrieve a spare weapon once he returned to the ship. A moment to comb his hair to his usual standards and Ignis was nearly ready to disembark.
There was just one more matter to which he wished to attend. He left the ensuite bathroom with intentions of speaking with Luna. They would be setting out shortly and moments of privacy were about to become rather scarce. However, it seemed he was not the only one hoping to have an audience with the oracle. Noct was hanging back in the foyer near her doorway almost shyly. "Oh, hey."
Feeling the beginnings of a smirk taking up residence on his lips, Ignis inclined his head in acknowledgment of the lackluster greeting. "Hoping for someone else, Noct?"
Noctis glared at his old friend but his features reddened with embarrassment all the same. "Don't know what you're talking about."
"Of course, my mistake." Ignis would have enjoyed teasing the younger man further but his sister chose that moment to crack open her door.
Luna left the bedroom practically glowing in her new travel garb. Catching Noct's quiet shifting, Ignis fought not to smile in full at the nervous display. After all, Noct had done a splendid job both for Luna's and his own apparel. While not something Ignis himself would have ever selected for her, he had to admit Luna didn't exactly enjoy dressing overly formal for occasions that did not warrant it. And if the pleased smile on her face was any indication, she was quite taken with her new, practical jeans and low heeled boots as opposed to her customary white dress and pumps. The accompanying top was long and flowing, cinched at an empire waist and embellished with a subtle ombre effect beginning at the base of the shirt in a sylleblossom blue and fading out to white about midway to her waist. The top was layered with a short, taupe jacket. The durable fabric had an attractive metallic shimmer to it and its sleeves were cuffed at the three quarter length. The style was quite becoming on her.
"Well, how do I look?" Luna's excitement was rather catching, especially when her expression nearly rivaled Noct's own in bashfulness.
"You-you look great." Noct was looking anywhere but at Luna, having found the floor suddenly very fascinating, and therefore missed the slight dusting of pink over Luna's own features.
Deciding to have mercy on the oracle and king – and feeling just the slightest bit a third wheel – Ignis assured Luna that she looked immaculate as always and graciously excused himself from the hallway.
He stumbled onto the pair of Gladiolus and Prompto in the sitting area finishing up their packing and storing their luggage away into the armiger, something Ignis could certainly get used to. The logistical value alone for such a convenient pocket space were beyond measure.
"So, what are the lovebirds up to?" Gladiolus looked up from where he'd just made one of their duffle bags disappear into glittering blue sparks.
"I'd say right about now they must be staring longingly into each other's eyes. Though, I suppose I could be mistaken. Hard to say if Noct will have removed his eyes from his shoes by this point," Ignis reported as he fought the urge to hunt up a busying task for his hands and moved to watch them work.
Prompto snickered into his fist, trying not to let the sound carry too far. "Oh my gosh! Tell me we're never letting Noct live this down?"
Gladio smirked. "That's Prince Charmless for you, smooth as they come."
"Yeah, poor Lady Lunafreya." Prompto sighed with faux pity.
"Come now, I don't believe he's performing quite so poorly," Ignis spoke with a smile in his voice but decided not to prolong his friend's torment, out of earshot or otherwise.
Ravus joined them next, having been primed to depart for at least the last half hour. He frowned when he noted Noct's absence from the room. "Please tell me His Highness is at least awake by now."
Ignis was learning quickly that Ravus, along with being the party's tactician, was also largely responsible for any timely mobilization of the group. "No need for concern, he's merely having a word with Lunafreya. They both should be joining us shortly."
No sooner had Ignis spoken then Noct and Luna walked around the corner, both stopping short when they noticed they held the entire room's attention. Noct narrowed his eyes at his friends, easily picking up on the evidence that they had been teasing him. "What?"
Ravus shook his head a touch ruefully, but didn't allow the downward spiral of nonsense to continue. "If you're quite ready, it's time we set off."
"Then by all means, let's get this show on the road." Noct swung his hand out in a somewhat lackadaisical sweeping gesture toward the door and with that they left the crumbling city of Altissia behind them.
For anyone curious, I'm planning on releasing this story in arcs. The fist of which will span the entire journey up to Gralea. Until then updates should be weekly. Thanks for reading and if you enjoyed the chapter I'd love to hear from you in the comment section! Hope you all are staying safe out there and enjoying your weekend!