A/N: I take forever to write and I apologize in advance. Whoops. But hey, thanks to everyone who is interested in the story~ You guys are great. Also, remember this story is tagged as 'AU', so expect quite a few things to be moved around.

Chapter Two: Invidia

The geography of Tenebrae—or the Fenestala Manor, in particular, makes her head hurt. The moment she sees it she's immediately considering all the ways the manor is susceptible to attack. In the span of ten minutes she devises at least five different ways a single rocket can decimate the infrastructure, as vital support beams are all but on display for the world to see.

The more she stares, the more vulnerabilities she finds, and the more she appreciates Gralea's design. At least at home she never has to worry about the floor giving in under her because an ancient rock formation finally caved from the effects of weathering.

There's a scuffling of boots behind her, and she immediately knows who it is from the sound of their footfalls alone. Out of the corner of her eye, a ruffled hand rests on the stone railing next to her. "Enjoying the view?"

She shifts slightly as Ardyn comes to stand beside her, but otherwise doesn't move and keeps her gaze steadily in front of her. "I suppose."

He raises an eyebrow at her hesitation. "Is the architecture not to your liking?"

"No, the architecture is distinct."

"The weather, then? You were complaining about it before."

She reaches up to touch her hair. Most of it is pulled back in a neat, high ponytail, but a few blond strands have fallen loose, curled by the humidity. "No, you were right about it being bearable. The elevation and wind make it… nice."

"And you doubted me." He turns and leans back on the railing, enjoying the breeze that flows past them. It kicks up his long coat and ruffles her jacket. "Yet you still seemed irked over something, if that terrible scowl is anything to go by."

"This location is indefensible." She lowers her hand and watches as another airship of their fleet descends in the distance. The machines stick out like a sore thumb, surrounded by greenery. "It makes no sense to build here," she says. "Perhaps before airships were invented it was difficult to conquer given the verticality, but—"

He clicks his tongue in annoyance, but the corners of his lips twitch up in amusement. "Do stop thinking like an imperial for a moment, and simply enjoy the sight in front of you for once."

She frowns and quiets down at the admonishment, but doesn't apologize. Thinking about warcraft is second nature to her and consciously being aware of weakness is a good habit to have.

She does as he asks, though, and turns to look over the scene in front of her a second time, this time glossing over its structural imperfections.

The Fenestala Manor is a marvel of hanging gardens and weaving waterfalls, with the sun peeking over the cliff in such a way that makes it look more like a scene out of a painting than real life. The geography is something along the lines of a karst, but there are a few ridges which seem to defy gravity itself, so she's hesitant in labeling it as such.

"It's…. impressive," Cas admits quietly, taking in the delicate arches and intricate masonry before her. Her scowl fades away as she lets herself simply appreciate the view for what it is, and if she was to describe it in one word, it would be 'magical.'

But she's not one to wax poetic. "It's a regal and fitting seat for the Oracle, given her role."

"Indeed," Ardyn mutters. "As though out of a fairytale, isn't it?"

The dip in his voice gives her pause, but by the time she's looking at him he's already making his way towards the stairs leading into the manor. "As it so happens, Lady Lunafreya is just who we are here to see. I trust you're aware of our purpose here."

Cas eyes him warily, aware of the subtle shift in his mood, but falls into step beside him. "Yes, sir. However, I've been informed that Commander Glauca is unable to join us due to some... unforeseen circumstances. We can reschedule this meeting if you like, but the Fleuret siblings are prepared to see us."

"Then it'd be awfully rude of us to keep them waiting. You can inform the commander on what he misses." There's a humorless, thin smile on his face. "Perhaps you can also offer to run his schedule as his assistant, if only to make sure he arrives to future appointments on time. Unreliability is hardly a trait fit for a leader."

A snort escapes her lips before she can stop it. The empire has a number of generals and commanders, who all vary in terms of how intimidating they are, but Glauca is something else entirely. He's arguably more terrifying than Ardyn is on a bad day, and although she wouldn't be caught dead disrespecting him (an event which would end with her dead), the only reason she shows any sort of deference to the man is out of loyalty to the chain of command.

He's an absolute terror on the battlefield and suitable enough to lead troops, but has few redeeming qualities beyond his combat capabilities. Even by an empire which praises military prowess, Glauca is seen as ruthless to a fault, and his actions during the Fenestala invasion six years ago all but confirmed the fact.

Whereas Ardyn's anger is a patient, lurking thing, manifesting itself as cutting sarcasm and verbal barbs, Glauca's has as much subtlety and restraint as a wild dog—and while she's not often on the receiving end of Ardyn's irritation, it's truly a test of her self-restraint each time she is.

Even so, her job could be worse. The chancellor gives her a lot of lenience, in both how she speaks to him and the work expected of her. The pay is also nice, and she gets plenty of time to herself to work on her own projects.

"I'm sure that being assistant to the Commander is a pleasure ," she says lightly, "But I think I prefer working for you instead."

"Is that so? I recall you being less than pleased with me not just a few days ago. And I did happen to overhear that Glauca is, in fact, looking for some new agents for that new assignment of his—"

"I rather enjoy having all of my limbs attached, sir," she interrupts him mildly, ignoring the bait. "As you know, I have a habit of sometimes pushing my luck and running my mouth. Yet the chances of me being suddenly injured or facing premature death for it are far lower with you." A beat, then she tacks on, "I think."

"Well, that answer should be evident enough. You're still here, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am, if only to do the tasks you find inanely dull."

He sends her a sideways glance with an eyebrow raised, and she sighs upon realizing that she just displayed the very habit she was just speaking of. "My apologies," she mumbles.

There's a smugness about him again, and she's glad that whatever briefly soured his mood had passed. Ardyn huffs out something akin to a laugh as they pass the doors into the foyer. "Ah, and this is precisely why I keep you around, Miss Caldus."

.

Lady Lunafreya is a young, frail thing—skinny as a stick and pale as milk. At first sight, Casnia chalks her up as merely another princess, but upon closer view finds steel in her gaze and purpose in her steps.

She tries to muster up some empathy towards the girl. Losing a parent is as difficult of an experience as any, and being burdened with the mantle of Oracle shortly after the fact no doubt also placed a heavy weight on her shoulders.

Cas knows that she should feel sorry for Luna—and she does, to an extent, because she knows what losing family feels like.

At the same time, however, she can't shake off the belief that the death of Oracle Sylva could have easily been avoided if only she had refused to harbor Lucian royalty in her territory. The emperor had once been perfectly content in leaving the Fleuret family alone, even allowing them some semblance of autonomy out of respect for the Oracle's role. She was regarded highly within the empire itself and treated with the utmost respect by its citizenry.

Then Niflheim's intelligence networks caught wind of King Regis and his son taking refuge in her home, and any lenience or favoritism the emperor showed towards the family all but evaporated. Tenebrae was put under constant watch, and was now practically a hub for Niflheim forces.

The death of Sylva Nox Fleuret also sparked unrest within the empire—which was promptly quelled by the military—but the seed of dissent had been planted all the same. Her death came as a surprise even to their own forces, and Glauca was promptly demoted for the act, but many still began questioning the emperor's true motives behind the extended war on Lucis. It's no secret among the higher echelon of Gralea that the event also created a rift between Iedolas and his eldest son, and placed strain between various members of the Imperial Senate.

Cas has her own opinions on the matter, but her opinions are irrelevant here, so she keeps her thoughts to herself and stands quietly by the door while Ardyn speaks to the Fleuret siblings.

He walks about the room, taking his time to view the various paintings on the wall. "You must understand the cause of our hesitation, Lady Lunafreya, given the current state of things."

Luna holds her head high, maintains eye contact, and remains polite and courteous towards them despite the dislike she harbors. She sits in a navy-colored armchair with her hands folded in her lap, and follows Ardyn's path with her eyes. "The Oracle's role is to protect the people of the world, Chancellor Izunia. Insomnia is part of that—you cannot keep me from them."

"To protect the people from the plague," he corrects airily, leaning in to inspect a portrait. "Which Insomnia has none of, given their Crystal's protection. Your services are not required within their city, though your dedication to your duty is truly admirable... and at such a young age."

She doesn't even blink at the blatant insincerity. "And the rest of Lucis? You would keep me from those people as well?"

"If only for your own safety," he says with faux concern, and whirls around to face her with a sardonic smile. "It'd be highly irresponsible of us to allow you into a warzone, now wouldn't it? The world hardly needs to lose two Oracles in less than a decade."

Ravus bristles at his post by Luna's side, but remains quiet save for the scowl growing on his face. Ardyn's gaze flickers to him briefly, and he adjusts his hat to hide his smirk before resuming his stride about the room.

It not a threat—not quite—but it's a reminder all the same.

Luna inhales deeply through her nose and centers herself before speaking again. "And if I were to go under guard? Surely the empire can guarantee my protection."

"Indeed we could," Ardyn says, and stops right by the tall windows in the room. "You are, after all, an important citizen of Niflheim."

Cas nearly winces at the spark in Luna's gaze. Even in her relatively short time as Ardyn's assistant, she's seen him play with people in the midst of negotiations. He was shrewd and no doubt had a mind for politics, but some of what he did was just cruel.

The chancellor had a habit of giving people hope, letting them think they had a chance, then abruptly pulling the rug out from under them. His eccentricity only added to his skill in manipulation—either people didn't take him seriously until it was too late, or they paid him too much attention and missed what was going on in the background.

Ravus catches her sigh and gives her a measured, questioning stare over Luna's head. Cas meets it evenly and dips her head in acknowledgement, but otherwise continues to remain silent.

"Then I could visit Lestallum, in the least," Luna urges, leaning forward in her seat. "The city is far from the fighting, and it would allow me a chance to help the citizenry there. I would be most grateful if you could arrange such a—"

"Now, now, we mustn't get ahead of ourselves," Ardyn chides, raising a single finger. "I said we could; I did not say we would."

Ravus' attention snaps back to Ardyn, and he's all but glaring daggers at the man by this point. Ardyn raises his hands in a conciliatory manner and again turns to face them both. "The military is busy with the war, I'm afraid. That new force—the Kingsglaive, I believe?—is proving to be quite a handful. We have no one available to escort you."

"Then what is the purpose of your visit?" Ravus seethes, taking a step forward. Luna raises a hand to calm him, but he shrugs her off. "If you came here solely to deny us—"

"Please, Lord Ravus, I'm hardly here empty-handed," Ardyn interrupts him, completely unperturbed by the outburst. "We came to deliver good news! Miss Caldus, if you would?"

She steps forward to open her mouth—

"And the short version, please."

—and nearly wants to pull her hair out. Why did you have me read over the entire damn document, then? She shoots him a droll look, and amusement flashes across Ardyn's face in response.

Cas clenches her jaw in irritation, but nods and quickly summarizes the main points in her head. "Emperor Iedolas has decided to once again allow Tenebrae-born citizens of the empire the opportunity to hold positions of rank," she reports, folding her hands behind her back. "The Imperial Senate has also released a full statement on the matter, and the decree is effective immediately."

Ravus narrows his eyes at her. "Which positions?"

"I have the full list and details on hand if you wish to see them," she says blithely, if only to spite Ardyn because she did not read fifty pages for nothing, "But the majority of openings are within the military branch, up to and including the rank of general. There are a few available seats within the research facilities, as well as the local and regional administrative offices, but—"

"But neither our autonomy nor our royal status will be returned to us," he surmises with a glower. "So we cannot govern ourselves. All you offer is a way for our people to die for Niflheim."

"On the contrary," Ardyn cuts in, slowly making his way towards them, "What we offer is a way for them to serve, and to hold positions of influence at that. It's quite a generous gift from the emperor himself! Who knows—perhaps through this we may even find the opportunity to put together an escort for Lady Lunafreya."

Silence settles between them as understanding dawns on the Fleuret siblings. Cas feels something unpleasant settle in her gut when she sees the resignation on Luna's face, and watches Ravus clench and unclench his fists by her side.

Ardyn tips his hat towards them. "We'll leave you to your thoughts," he says, and gestures for Casnia to follow him out. She bows towards them, then shuts the door with a light click behind her.

They walk through the hallways in silence, at least until Ardyn begins humming some off-key tune to fill the space. She doesn't recognize it, but she's too preoccupied with her thoughts to really notice.

She knows that the purpose of the emperor's decree is to further bring Tenebrae under his thumb, to ensure that a betrayal doesn't happen again—and bringing them into the empire's hierarchy is a sure way of doing so. She's not necessarily against the decision, but she can't help but feel that their goal could have been accomplished in a less… dishonest way.

.

They're given guest rooms to stay in for the remainder of their visit. Like most locations outside of Insomnia, Tenebrae is alit with a multitude of lights throughout the night in order to keep daemons at bay. Lunafreya's powers as Oracle also act as a buffer for them, and although her protection is nowhere near the scale of Insomnia's Crystal, it's enough to protect the manor itself.

Casnia still keeps her pistol holstered to her thigh at all times. She doesn't doubt the Oracle's ability, but she simply prefers physical, tangible defenses, and there are not nearly enough soldiers—MT or otherwise—patrolling the hallways to make her feel safe.

Eventually she commandeers two out of the five MTs which patrol past her room and rewrites their orders so they remain posted by her door. There's a brief issue where one refuses to acknowledge her clearance level to do such an act, but she merely swipes her ID card across the terminal in its back to override the warning.

It makes a whirring noise, stares at her for a moment, then complies and moves to her door.

She eyes it carefully and makes a mental note to motion for a reinspection of Tenebrae's MT forces. The soldiers in Gralea go through routine checks for irregularities, but only because they are an integral part of the city's defense and surrounded by citizens on a daily basis.

There's a handful of stories about them occasionally going haywire, and although she doesn't live here, she'd rather not have someone get hurt by a malfunctioning machine.

She lays on the comforter for another hour, staring listlessly at the ceiling. The remaining three MTs are on their eleventh circuit past her room when she finally sighs and gives up on sleep altogether. Her tablet is on the desk by the window, and she taps it on before sliding down the nearby wall and reading over notes from her own projects.

She's about halfway through an updated blueprint on the newly proposed Diamond Weapon when there's a knock on her door. A glance at the corner of her tablet tells her it's 1:14 in the morning and she frowns, but makes herself presentable and gets up to answer the door.

Ravus stands on the other side of it, dressed exactly as he was during their meeting hours ago. He stares at the MTs by her door, perplexed. "I take it that you're responsible for their altered orders."

"...Yes," she says slowly, unsure if it's a problem or not. "I can revert them to their original state if it's an issue."

He shakes his head. "It's of no consequence."

"Alright," she nods, but shifts awkwardly. She's still dressed in her uniform—black leggings, a white military skirt over them and a simple, matching white shirt—but she's missing her jacket and her boots and for some reason the lack of those two make her uncomfortable.

Ravus catches her hesitation, notices her outfit at the exact same time, and remembers his manners. "I apologize if I woke you."

"No, I couldn't sleep anyway," she says, and is only slightly surprised by his civility, given his hostile attitude towards them earlier. "Is there something I can do for you?"

He suddenly seems as uncomfortable as she is. "The chancellor said to direct any questions regarding the emperor's decision to you, regardless of the time..."

Cas resists pinching the bridge of her nose. Of course he did. It's definitely not something she wants to be thinking about right now, but she's still technically working. "Yes. Would you like to know the specifics of the document, or…?"

"No, but I would like to… join you as you return to Gralea tomorrow. Could this be arranged?"

She stares at him. He's clenching his jaw and his hands are balled into fists, but he seems resolute in his decision despite the initial hesitation in his voice. "You want to join the military?"

He nods stiffly.

"Well, normally, you would speak to Commander Glauca about that—or whoever his assistants may be. His division is charged with arranging where new recruits are sent to," she tells him, then sees his sharp intake of breath and remembers just who murdered his mother.

He's statue-still, and his tone is dangerously quiet. "Is that so."

"The Commander's squadron was due to arrive today to collect new recruits, but some circumstances prevented them from being here," she says slowly and chews on the inside of her cheek. "Something about a new assignment. It may be some time before they arrive."

Ravus exhales through his nose. "I see. If that's the case, then I needn't have bothered you. Please enjoy the rest of your night." The last bit is said completely without feeling, almost as an aside, and it's more evidence of his polite, royal upbringing than him actually wishing her a good night.

He turns to leave, and although she could have left the matter alone, the unpleasantness she felt earlier during their meeting urges her to keep speaking. "...I can, however, go through some forms tonight and arrange for you to leave with us in the morning."

Ravus pauses mid-step, and gives her a flat look over his shoulder. "And why would you do that?"

She's not a hundred percent certain that she even has the authority to do what she just suggested, but being Ardyn's assistant lets her pull a lot of strings and her family's reputation is nothing to sneeze at.

"Because you are part of the empire," she says evenly, meeting his gaze. "And... although I realize you have every cause to believe otherwise, Niflheim does look after its own." And we're not as cruel as you may believe.

His eyes narrow and she nearly thinks he's going to deny being part of Niflheim, or deny her assistance, but something passes over his face and he keeps his tongue. He stares at her a moment longer, his expression unreadable, then gives her a curt nod and continues down the hallway.

She sighs, watching his back. She's not sure she agrees with the emperor's belief of supremacy, but she does believe the unification of the world would be of benefit to all; Niflheim is a hub of technology and innovation, full of revolutionary ideas and bright minds.

And while she does believe that the Fleurets are responsible for incurring the emperor's wrath on themselves, she also believes they should be given the chance to do right by the empire.

So Cas resigns herself to another sleepless night, and works on figuring out how she can enlist Ravus into the military without going through Glauca or his division to do it.

.

A/N: So I post this story both here and on Ao3 under the same name, and on Ao3 I go on a bit of a rant about the structure of the empire's chain of command. If you're interested, you check it out over there. But I'll keep it short here.

The tl;dr of it is basically: 1) there are multiple generals in the imperial military, 2) Glauca is demoted/reprimanded after killing Oracle Sylva, 3) when he's infiltrating the Kingsglaive, he isn't leading Niflheim, 4) the Imperial Senate and Research Division are a thing, 5) Ardyn can influence both, but he doesn't care much about either, 6) he doesn't have much authority over the military.

If you want to see a graphic of the structure I'm working with, here you go: goo . gl /jCLxf4

As for the timeline, it's currently M.E. 750, about six years before the start of the game. Casnia is 20, Luna is 18, and Ravus is 22.

Also, if you're interested in being a beta for this, lemme know~