Water Under the Bridge
Chapter 7
The sky was blue. The kind of blue you'd find on a clear, spring day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun shone bright and high directly above, beating down but not in a way that was uncomfortable. The temperature was perfect. A line of birds flew by and there was absolutely no humidity. No daemons, no death, no destruction like there should've been. The strangest thing of all was that Ignis could see every bit of it. He blinked several times, but nothing changed. It was all right there for him to take in. Nothing about any of this made sense, but he didn't question it. All that mattered was that he had his vision back and everything was right in the world.
Ignis had to find someone and tell them. There was no question; the first person that popped into his head was Aranea. He had to find her and share the good news, ecstatic at the notion of getting to see her again with his own eyes. He imagined she was still just as beautiful as the day he first saw her and he couldn't wait to tell her. It had been far too long since he'd last saw her, not just through a conjured image from memory. The excitement made him dizzy and delirious, but that didn't deter him. Off he went, slow at first and then breaking into a run.
The breeze felt amazing against his face and the adrenaline made him feel like he could run forever. Everything was bright and cheerful, a direct reflection of how he felt inside. This day couldn't get any more perfect.
While it couldn't get any better, it could always go downhill, just as it seemed now.
By now, Ignis had been running for a while and it didn't feel like he was making any headway. He would run into an intersection, choose a direction, but would wind up back where he was just minutes before. If he did make it somewhere new, it wouldn't last very long because the very next intersection would take him right back to another familiar road.
What is going on? Why can't I get out of this maze? I need to find her. I need to see Aranea.
No matter where he went, every choice he made led to another long and narrow road, bordered on each side with the slimy, brick walls of abandoned buildings, growing taller and taller with each stride. The sky, before so alive and inviting, now seemed to torment him as it starkly contrasted against the disgusting alleyways he raced through. His lungs were on fire as he was losing steam and struggling to catch his breath. The thought of turning back wasn't even an option at this point as he couldn't remember how he got to where he was now.
As he was about to give up, Ignis rounded a corner and let out a breath of relief. At the end of the road was an oceanside cliff, overlooking the picturesque waters of Eos.
And standing at the cliffside was Aranea.
He knew it was her. Her silver hair was gathered in several small braids, held together with a black ribbon. She looked much smaller than she normally did, but only because she wasn't wearing her typical bulky armor and headgear. She turned slowly, her smile so big that it reached her eyes as she recognized him.
And for the love of everything, she was more beautiful than he ever thought possible.
His heart leaped in his chest and he ran again, feeling more alive than ever now that he found her. He wanted to take her into his arms, hug her close and never let go.
Not much longer.
But as Ignis approached, everything unraveled and fell apart. The sky turned from the peaceful Easter-blue to a sickening and foreboding shade of black and dark green. The breeze changed to a blustery gale. Thorny trees shot up from the ground, one after the other, creating a barricade or obstacle of some sort between Ignis and Aranea. Branches, spindly and barbed, snaked their way around Aranea and violently pulled her away, suspending her high in the air. Her blood-curdling scream forced Ignis to sprint with everything he had.
Before Ignis could make it to the barrier of trees, a blow to the back of his head knocked him forward to his knees and he felt someone twist his right arm back behind his back. He screamed in pain but couldn't move. Aranea yelled for him but there was nothing he could do.
The offender's other hand reached down and seized Ignis along his jaw, forcing him to watch as Aranea grappled desperately against the trees, but every effort only gave her more cuts and gashes. Bright, crimson blood dribbled down her pale skin. Ignis squeezed his eyes shut, but the voice of his captor popped them back open. "She would look absolutely beautiful as a daemon, wouldn't she?"
Ignis' stomach went cold. That voice. He'd know that voice anywhere.
Ardyn.
His arm was twisted harder and harder behind him and Ignis feared one more tug would pop his shoulder right out of its socket. He was still forced into a kneeling position and he cowered while Ardyn laughed and Aranea cried.
Ardyn leaned in close and whispered seductively in his ear, his lips centimeters away. It was all Ignis could do to not gag at the closeness of the Chancellor. "Oh, Ignis. How I've been watching you, waiting for your arrival. I knew you'd come for her, just like you tried to do for your dear, sweet prince in Altissia. Now, you can watch as she slowly forgets you, memories erased while she rampages for your death. And yet, you'll do nothing because you care for her. You and your blossoming love for her. It'll be more than you can bear. You'll die for her before you save her from herself. Such a pity."
Another jolt of pain as his arm was pulled further behind him and Ardyn moved his hand from Ignis' jaw to his hair, grabbing a handful and jerking his head back to witness the devastation in front of them. Ignis watched helplessly, the expression of horror on Aranea's face more than he could bear.
This can't be happening. How can this be happening?
Ardyn, knelt down with his chin perched on Ignis' shoulder, cackled gleefully. "Now watch. This is something you don't want to miss."
Ignis had no choice. He watched wide-eyed and petrified as Aranea became distorted and disfigured. Her eyes bugged and changed to a demonic, glowing shade of yellow. Her pale skin transformed into some sort of scaly, jet-black texture and a black substance oozed from the lacerations on her arms, legs, and face from where the branches had assaulted her. She was no longer crying, her agonizing screams replaced with a haunting groan.
"Aranea!" Ignis cried out.
Ardyn clucked his tongue in dismay. "You poor fool. She doesn't know who you are. You're nothing but a stranger to her anymore."
She was released from the trees and fell to the ground with a loud thud, but it did little to faze her. Aranea was immediately back up on her feet and her eyes locked onto Ignis as she dragged and limped her way over to him.
"Oh my. As I'm sure you're aware, I do love a good tragic story. It looks like you have a choice to make: Free the Commodore from herself? Or perish at the hands of the woman you never got to tell you loved?"
Ardyn waited to free Ignis from his clutches until Aranea was practically on them. When he did let go, he pushed Ignis right into Aranea's path and stepped aside to watch as she finished his dirty work. She reached down and wrapped her hand around Ignis' neck, lifting him so his feet were barely touching the ground. He kicked vainly and tried to pry her hand away with both of his, but her strength had multiplied ten-fold.
"Ara . . . nea . . . Please . . . ," he gasped, his heart breaking at the fact any semblance of cognizance was gone. She had no idea who he was and it was clear she wanted him dead.
"There's no sense in rationalizing with her, Ignis. She's a daemon now, and one of my better ones if I do say so myself!" Ardyn sounded proud of his handiwork.
She wouldn't let go and he was starting to see black spots in his vision as he was slowly deprived of oxygen. "P-please . . . Aran. . . ea. . . don't . . . do this . . .I . . . need . . ."
Her voice was no longer the one he recognized, replaced with a monotonous and low growl of a tone. "Your words do nothing to affect me, worthless mortal. You shall not trick me with your pleas of hope and mercy. Now, it is time you die."
The spots were growing more intense within his sight and he struggled to hang on, but he couldn't. With one final motion, she gripped harder around his neck and suddenly—
"Wake up, Iggy! Snap out of it, you're having a nightmare again! Prompto, a little help here?"
"Help how?!"
"Grab his legs or something!"
"Where is she?" Ignis yelled, still half asleep.
"Wake up! There's no one here but me and Prompto! Dammit, Prompto, get your ass over here and help me!"
"I have to save her!"
"Save . . . who?" Prompto, now on the bed, managed between wrestling Ignis' lower half to the bed.
Slowly awakening, Ignis realized he was thrashing around, or at least he had been. Gladio's hands were holding both his arms down and he could feel Prompto trying, and failing, to pin his legs. Had he been screaming? His throat was a little sore as if he had been, but it was hard to tell.
"Come on, buddy, you're ok. You're safe in Lestallum. We got you," Prompto tried to soothe.
Ignis opened his eye and could sense that a light was on in the room, but other than that, he was plunged back into the world of darkness. It was all a bad dream.
He settled down, his eye darting back and forth wildly as he tried to stay calm. Every muscle in his body ached from the tension he must have put on them just now and it was hard to slow his breathing, but at least he was safe.
The two pairs of hands let him go and Ignis felt the bed sag as Gladio sat on the edge while Prompto scurried off to grab something from the kitchen. Water, probably.
"You awake now? Everything ok?" Gladio asked.
Ignis laid his arm across his face, inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth. Normally he'd try to deny his friends' help and insist they leave him be, but it had been a long while since a nightmare of this magnitude forced them to wake him up. Getting Gladio and Prompto to go away would be futile.
Ignis was embarrassed. "I apologize. The commotion I've caused is inexcusable," he mumbled, drawing himself into a sitting position as Prompto nudged him with a glass of water. Ignis hadn't realized how dry his mouth was until he greedily gulped down the water, feeling the liquid cool his throat. He handed the glass back to the blonde who went back to get a refill.
Gladio cracked his knuckles. "Stop. You didn't do anything that warrants an apology. I was just getting ready to head out and Prompto was about to shower and go to bed. Honestly, your screaming came out of nowhere and scared the shit out of us, so if you want to apologize for anything, maybe you can for that," he smiled softly, trying to make light of the situation. Prompto came back with another glass of water and, sure enough, Ignis downed that one too, but held a hand up to show he didn't want another.
As the glass was passed back to him, Prompto brought it back to the kitchen sink and then stood in the doorway, concerned. "What was your dream about? Was it about Altissia again?"
Ignis silently shook his head. Gladio looked at Prompto and then back at Ignis. "Who was the 'she' you kept screaming about? 'She' needed to be saved?"
Prompto observed Ignis shift uncomfortably, not willing to admit what, or whom, the dream was about. However, from everything he'd keyed in on lately and the conversation with Aranea not too long ago, he could predict who needed saving in the dream. Prompto needed to divert the subject. "Hey, Gladdy? Aren't you going to be late for daemon duty?"
Gladio looked at the clock on the wall and his eyes widened. "Shit, yeah. You're right. You would think time wouldn't be a huge thing in this day and age, but Cor is adamant about the stupid regularity of these shifts. That man is going to be the death of me. Whatever," he complained, patting Ignis on the leg as he stood up and grabbed his greatsword. "You gonna be ok, Iggy?"
A restrained nod did little to quell Gladio's worries, but he had to get going or risk the wrath of the Marshal. He bade the two men goodbye and gave Prompto a look that signaled his frustration at not being able to do more for Ignis. Wordlessly, Prompto returned a resigned expression and waved as Gladio closed the door.
"Still there, Prompto?" Ignis asked hoarsely, sleep still caught in his throat.
"Yeah, buddy. I'm here. I was going to jump in the shower, but I can sit here for a bit if you need me to."
There was an unspoken bond between the two that truly formed after the events of Altissia. While Gladio was panicking over his failed duties being a King's Shield and Noctis was mourning the loss of his betrothed, Prompto was doing whatever he could to make Ignis' life easier after the loss of his sight. He did so in a way that didn't further humiliate Ignis and backed off when he knew he needed space. One of the things that came about during this time, especially during the height of Ignis' night terrors, was that Prompto would stay in the room, quietly playing games on his phone until Ignis fell back asleep. It was a small gesture on Prompto's part, but for some reason, it really helped Ignis during that time when he really needed someone to lean on. He knew, if asked, Gladio or Noctis would have done the same, but Prompto never needed to be asked and he went a step further by pretending that nothing of the sort happened when morning came.
This time, Ignis waved Prompto away. "I'll be fine tonight, though I appreciate the offering. Go get cleaned up and get some rest. I'm sure you're ready for sleep about now."
Prompto scrupled the notion. His mind insisted he stay, but the wretched odor from actively being out the last day or so said otherwise. "Well . . . ok. I can leave the light on if you want. I know it doesn't do a whole lot of good, but at least it's something, right? I won't be long so if you need anything, just yell and I'll come running in, ok?"
He waited for Ignis to acknowledge him or dismiss him—one of the two. When neither happened and Ignis just stared straight ahead, Prompto took that as his cue to leave, shutting the door to the bathroom behind him.
When Ignis heard the sound of the shower, he knew he was alone once more with only his thoughts to keep him company. Sometimes he liked it that way, but tonight was different. The feelings he was experiencing weren't something he wanted to admit to Prompto, and he knew if Gladio stuck around for a second longer, he'd detect something was amiss.
Ignis settled back into bed, pulling the covers up over his shoulders as he laid on his side, facing the lamp on the nightstand. He could sense the light and that alone comforted him right now. These nightmares were crushing and often left Ignis feeling humiliated that they affected him this much. It didn't matter how many times Noctis, Prompto, or Gladio reassured him that this was normal, considering everything that had happened to him, it didn't make it any easier or make him feel any better.
But this nightmare was different. This nightmare scared him more than all the others. At least the other ones he had were relatively the same: desperation, finding an escape route, running smack dab into Ardyn (or Ardyn catching him before he can get away), and let the torturing commence. Sometimes he'd relive the moment his eyesight was so cruelly taken away and other times he was brutalized and persecuted for not giving up any information on the Kings of Lucis, the Gods, or Noctis himself.
Ignis had those dreams so often that it was almost commonplace and expected a few times a week. At least those didn't cause him to wake in a panic anymore. Sure, he'd still wake up with a racing heart, but it was much easier to fall back asleep now than it had been before. They were terrifying, but at least they were only about him. He could deal with that.
This nightmare, however, took someone he really cared for and made them the target. And he had to watch. And listen. Never before had Noctis, Gladio, or Prompto been in his dreams, so this was entirely new to him.
Hearing Aranea's tearful scream was more painful to him than any physical strike he'd ever endured. It hurt him to the core and, even now, he wanted to run down the hall just to make sure she was alright. Logically, yes, he knew she was; Illogically, no, she was probably dead or a daemon waiting just outside the door.
Luckily, he was mostly a logical person.
He had another thought in that moment, one that brought him back to when he was a teenager. Ignis had only been in love once in his life. It was in high school and she was his first girlfriend. First date, first kiss, first everything. He said he loved her at the time and she replied that she did, too, but love can only get two ambitious high schoolers so far—especially when one was determined to go away for university and the other was destined to stand by the future king's side for all eternity.
Looking back, maybe it wasn't love. Puppy love, maybe? It certainly didn't feel like what he was feeling now and what he thought he'd felt for some time now. Who knows; maybe he didn't love Aranea, but it was very clear he had feelings. Or maybe he did love her? Aren't dreams just a manifestation of your subconscious? It would explain a lot if that was the case.
What he knew for sure was that he didn't want anything to happen to her. She was a grown woman and an extremely capable fighter—way stronger and much agiler than he was at this point in time—but it didn't assuage any new fears brought on from this bad dream. He knew if he even hinted anything to her, she'd smack him upside the head and call him an idiot. For now, he'd have to try and pretend like everything was alright.
Despite all the misery, there was something good that came from his nightmare this time, though, and he cherished that over all else.
He got to see Aranea and truly appreciate how beautiful she really was.
Ignis stumbled over a tree root and fell backward, unable to break his fall and landing hard on his back.
"What the hell is wrong with you today, Ignis?" Aranea chastised, using his real name and not a nickname like she normally did. She was not happy in the slightest.
The two were back on the outskirts of Lestallum in the lit field, the target papers still pinned to the trees. Their old lot had officially been taken over by medics and their patients as more citizens attempted to take on daemons on their own, despite Cor's demand that everyone leave the daemon hunting and missions to the professionals. People were just restless and wanting something to do, but this was not the way to cure boredom.
For Ignis, he only wished he was as bored and restless as the rest of the citizens. Lately, the nightmares wouldn't go away. Every night it was something different, but still relatively the same: Aranea tortured, Ignis forced to watch, and, somehow, she'd wind up a daemon and attempt to kill him—all the while, Ardyn finding the entire scene beyond comical. Ignis would always wake up in a cold sweat, sometimes kicking and screaming, sometimes not.
This afternoon was the first time that Ignis and Aranea had met up since the nightmares began and he was failing miserably in every aspect of their sparring. He was falling more, missing easy shots, and allowed hits in when he could usually block them as of late. Simply put, he was an all-around mess. Aranea immediately took notice.
Ignis wasn't in the mood to hear her chastise him so he got up from the ground and walked a short distance away, ripping his glasses off and running a hand down the length of his face in vexation. How could he tell her everything that was going on? She wasn't a girl who particularly cared for emotions and she also made it abundantly clear she only saw him as a friend; two of the big issues that he was battling inside right now.
"You're way off your game today and I can't for the life of me figure out why. You don't look sick, you don't get sent on missions or hunts so I know you're not injured, you never get hangry, and I'm pretty sure you're not a major caffeine addict anymore since Ebony production was discontinued, so it can't be caffeine withdrawals. So, what is it? Because honestly, you're pissing me off right now and, frankly, you're wasting my time."
Ignis replaced the glasses over his eyes and felt her presence behind him, her hands probably on her hips. "I haven't been sleeping much lately," he half-lied.
"Well, get it together," she snapped. "None of us are sleeping much lately, so join the club. Now, grab your daggers and fight me like you've actually learned something from all of this."
Ignis' mouth fixed into a grim line. He didn't want to fight. He didn't want to do anything. Everything between what he was sure of and what confused him blurred into one big jumbled mess in his mind. Still, he didn't want to piss off the Commodore any more than he already had today. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull it together to call this practice a success. It was like he'd reverted back to when he was first blind with the way he was fighting today.
After the final mistake he made, Aranea threw her weapon down, aggravated, and stormed over to Ignis. "Ok, seriously, what the hell is wrong with you today. Did I do something? Or did you wake up this morning and decide to absolutely suck?"
"No, you didn't do anything, I promise. I . . . I just— "
She cut him off. "Don't you dare use the tired excuse again because, out of everyone, you're the one getting the most rest around here. You're sitting pretty, all comfy cozy in your hotel room, while the rest of us fight for our lives out there in Eos."
That was unexpected. It struck a nerve with Ignis and he laughed caustically. "Oh, forgive me for my lack of assistance. Let me regale you with a tale that I like to call, 'I'm blind and no one wants me outside Lestallum city limits,'" he retorted with all the resentment he could muster. He may have been holed up safely in the hotel room but not by choice, and it was cruel for Aranea to insinuate that he was doing so on his own accord. Of everyone, he assumed she knew his feelings on the situation best, so this was entirely out of left field for him.
She jabbed a finger into his chest, the friction between the two rising. "I'm here working my ass off to help you for when the Prince returns-if he'll return— "
"When he returns," Ignis corrected.
"Oh, whatever! You don't even know that. You're so blinded by loyalty that you can't even wrap your head around the notion that Noctis may actually be gone for good. What, because the Marshal said so, it's going to happen? Get a grip, Ignis."
How could she even insinuate that there was a chance that Noct wouldn't return? "No," he forced through gritted teeth, "because the Prophecy stated it would."
She cried out in frustration, tossing her head back to scream to the sky. "Fuck the Prophecy! Fuck the Marshal, fuck the Prince, fuck this world and all these daemons and the endless darkness and you know what? For good measure, fuck you, too. With your steadfast allegiance and your stupid pragmatism and . . . just . . . fuck!"
Her words were biting like she almost meant them. Ignis wondered if she did, or if maybe she was beginning to crack under all the pressure she was under. Next to Cor, Aranea was second-in-command at ensuring everything ran smoothly in Lestallum. She was tasked with more missions than anyone and, on top of that, she always made sure to carve out time to help Ignis relearn to fight. It stung to hear and he flinched at every last word dripping with extreme bitterness.
Ignis reached out to her, hoping she didn't mean any of what she'd just said, but she had already turned her back on him. He heard her pick up her weapon and cast it away into thin air. She sighed sadly. "Sorry, Ignis. I-I . . . I can't do this right now. I need a break," she muttered before stalking away but stopped short just at the edge of the area. Something, or someone, blocked her path. She groaned, exasperated, before continuing past what stood between here and much-needed solitude.
Ignis stood in the middle of the field, staring blankly, wondering what had her so annoyed as she stormed away.
"I've been looking for you . . . I couldn't find you in the room so I got worried," a gruff voice said.
Ignis' heart fell.
It was Gladio.
Ignis didn't even bother to make a move. He heard Gladio slowly step forward and he wasn't sure whether he was angry or upset. Ignis imagined a mix of both.
"I had no idea you were out here training to fight. All those times you said you were going on walks . . ."
Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose, mentally trying to ward off an impending migraine. "Please, not now. I don't need this from you, too."
The air was tense as Gladio finally came face-to-face with his friend. "Why didn't you just say something instead of lie to our faces? We—Prompto and I—could have helped you. Instead, you go to Aranea?"
"When, Gladio?" Ignis asked. "When should I have requested your help? When you both were running in and out of the Levelle, day after day? When you were returning from a 36-hour shift of guard duty? Or when you and Prompto made the decision for me to stay back because it was safer and easier for you?" Ignis was growing tired of the hostility that this day seemed to harbor and could feel the anger welling up inside him, but he pushed it down. The last thing he wanted, or needed, was to have someone else irritated with him. Normally, he didn't care, but it was just too much with everything else weighing on him.
"So, what? Were you just going to keep training until you thought you were good enough to go out on your own? Did you think we wouldn't find out? I . . . I just don't understand. We've been friends since we were kids. I thought you knew you could come to me for anything. And you hide this? Why?"
Ignis crossed his arms over his chest defensively, taking a step away to create some distance. "I did what I had to do to prepare for Noct's inevitable return. I need to ensure that I am ready and able upon his arrival. You had no qualms about me leaving me behind if it eased your mind, but you of all people should know the duty we are bound by for the sake of our Future King."
"You want to talk roles and duty?" Gladio replied, offended. "Have you forgotten that it's my duty to keep, not only Noct but you and Prompto safe as well? Goddamn Ignis, you make it seem like I want you to stay cooped up in that damn room. We're not out there fighting your typical, run-of-the-mill monsters and daemons. It's not a game!"
"I never implied at any time that it was!"
"You don't get it. It's hard enough when you're willing and able to get out there, so I can't imagine that being blind— "
"Stop right there," Ignis interrupted. "No, you can't. You can't imagine how it feels to be blind because you're not, and yet you dare to profess that you understand. You have no idea, none, the hell I've been through or what I've done to get to where I am now. Aranea has been the one person who has seen me through this and has given me the strength and confidence I need to get back out there for Noct. I refuse to stand here and fake an apology just to— "
Before Ignis could finish his sentence, shrill screams erupted behind them within Lestallum. Both men turned around, alarmed. They waited for the noise to die down, thinking maybe a brawl of some sort erupted among a rowdy group of people, but it only got louder. Gladio took a step forward in anticipation. "What the hell is going on?"
"I'm . . . not sure . . ." Ignis mumbled, his ears trained toward the disturbance behind them. There was a crunching sound, like something grinding on metal, or was something trying to get into the fence by the power plant? Ignis was sure he also heard what sounded like barking and growling, but that couldn't be right . . .
Gladio's phone rang. Without looking at the caller ID, he picked it up. "Hello?"
"Gladio. Get down to the Central District right now," Cor demanded, his voice as even as it could be given whatever was going on, speaking over the pandemonium.
"Marshal, what's going on?"
Before Cor could respond, the screams grew louder and suddenly the entire city went dark.
Author's Note: Wow, I can't believe I got this chapter done so fast! I have a lot to do on Saturday, so I really planned ahead for this chapter, knowing I'd be swamped with stuff to do. I hope you don't mind a non-Sunday update :)
On another note, holy crap! The last chapter saw the most views, visitors, and feedback I've ever received. Seriously, seeing how much you all like this story and the reactions I get on it . . . wow. I can't thank you all enough. From the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful for all the love and support.