A Nice Place to Visit
Several days later, Aranea returned to her hideout. She had stopped over briefly to drop off her "cargo" and then returned to Tenebrae to keep an eye on the situation there. It was worse than she thought.
Izunia was sitting in her breakfast nook looking dazed. Ravus was tucking into steak and eggs with some relish. He looked a little sweaty, as if he had been working out. Aranea enjoyed that thought for a moment, then plunked down in a chair.
"That looks good," she said pointedly, eyeing the steak and eggs.
"I'll have you one up in a jiff, Lady A," said Biggs, from the stove.
"How about you, Chancellor? I feel like you're a rare steak sort of guy, am I right?" she said, addressing Ardyn. He looked at her uncomprehendingly. There was a full mug of coffee sitting next to him untouched.
"What's wrong with him?" Aranea asked, sliding her eyes over to Ravus.
Ravus shrugged elaborately.
"How are things in Tenebrae?" he asked. He hadn't gone with her, wanting to stay near Lunafreya.
"Not great. Um...sorry to have to tell you this, but Fenestala Manor is…."
"Overrun?"
"Spook central. There's some kind of weird purple fog all over it."
Very, very slowly, Ardyn moved one hand up to the table. Ravus and Aranea watched him in strange fascination. Laboriously, Ardyn moved his hand over to a steak knife. His fingers closed around it. Ravus and Aranea both reached for it, but they were too late. After being so slow, he moved with lightning speed. Before either of them could get the knife out of his hand, he had plunged it into the back of his other hand. Red blood gushed out.
A laugh bubbled up from deep inside him. "Blood!" he said. "Ow, it hurts. Ha ha ha." With his other hand, he wiped his eyes. "Tears!" He laughed harder.
"Biggs, towel," said Aranea. Biggs tossed her a kitchen towel, which she wrapped quickly around Ardyn's wounded hand. "Just when I thought this week couldn't get any weirder."
"First aid kit," said Biggs, tossing a box at Aranea.
"Thanks," she said, pulling out some supplies. She doused Ardyn's hand with antibiotic solution, then wrapped it up in gauze while he watched. When she was finished, Ardyn stared at his bandaged hand like he had never seen such a thing before.
"Are you okay?" Aranea asked Ardyn slowly, enunciating her words.
Ardyn smiled happily at her. "Never better!"
"OK then. Good to hear. We'll come back to you." Aranea turned to Ravus. "How's Lunafreya? Any better?"
"Still unconscious."
Ardyn's smile dropped at once. He looked seriously at Ravus. "Oh, no. That won't do. I'll go wake her. We have a lot of work to do."
#
In the grand ballroom of Fenestala Manor, Lunafreya was dancing with Noctis. He led her gracefully, and when she wished to lead, he also followed perfectly. The musicians played all her favorite songs, just the way she liked. Her favorite refreshments were laid out buffet-style on a sideboard. The room was filled with people whose company she enjoyed.
She did not notice when someone new entered. He strolled through the room, taking it all in. He dipped a finger right into the chocolate mousse and licked it with a smile. The other guests did not react to this breach of etiquette. He grabbed Lady Gentiana and spun her around the floor for a few measures, dipping her dramatically. She maintained the same bland smile the entire time.
"That's enough fun for now," he said to no one in particular, and cut in on Noctis. The prince trotted over to chat with his friends.
"Good evening, Princess," he said.
"Good evening, Ardyn," she replied.
"You know, that Noct isn't very much like the real one."
"Of course he is. He's exactly as I see him," said Lunafreya.
"Hmm. Or as you wish he were, perhaps. Are you wondering why I'm here?"
"Not at all," she said, and nodded over to another pair of dancers.
"I have a place in your heart! How delightful," said Ardyn, gazing over at himself. The other him was somewhat younger-looking, very clean-shaven, and wearing a flashy pinstriped suit. Adorable. "Who else is here?"
"Prompto, Ignis, and Gladiolus, of course."
"Of course."
The three boys were all playing a cellphone game together, laughing and chatting.
"My mother and father."
The former king and queen of Tenebrae were seated at a high table, looking down benevolently over the crowd.
"Your brother?"
"And his family," she said, smiling. Ravus was dancing with a little girl standing on his feet. Over on the side of the dance floor, a young woman held a baby boy in her arms.
"And who are all the rest of these people?"
"Why, all the people I've healed over the years."
Ardyn chuckled. "You are truly too good for this fallen world, my dear."
"I'd like to stay here always," she said dreamily.
"Alas. Come look at this," he said, and led her away from the dance floor. The room's large windows were reflective, like mirrors, shining with the bright light of the room. Ardyn stood her in front of one and, focusing a little, dimmed the lights until she could see outside.
Outside, the land was dark. The night sky showed no stars, only a strange purplish lightning that occasionally lit up the blasted landscape. There were no trees, no homes, nothing to indicate life. It was a ruin.
"Oh dear," said Lunafreya sadly. "Is that what's happened?"
"Not yet. It is merely on the horizon for now. The sooner we act, the better chance we have of stopping this."
Lunafreya sighed, but then drew herself up tall and nodded resolutely. "Very well. I suppose...I always knew it wasn't real."
"Yes, I thought a little chat would suffice. Oh - one moment - I'll never forgive myself if I pass up this opportunity."
He went over to his doppelganger, slid a hand sensuously across the other's temple to the back of his neck, then drew him in for a lingering kiss ending with a playful bite on the lip. The doppelganger smiled, a little saucily, but mostly vacuously.
Lunafreya watched this with raised eyebrows. "Was it all you'd hoped?"
Ardyn shrugged. "It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here."
With that, Ardyn and Lunafreya exited the ballroom, closing the big double doors behind them.