Departure (12 Years Later)
It was late afternoon when Noctis and his three-man entourage left the Citadel to begin their journey to Altissia. He exchanged a few last words with his father on top of the stairs that led down from the entrance of the tall building to the courtyard. His father; the very same man who had once been a proud king and capable fighter, now reduced to a tired, old man, grey-haired and scarred, and leaning on a cane for support. Years of sacrificing his own strength and life force had caused him to age prematurely, and all of this, only to keep the Niflheim Empire from taking over their home, the Crown City of Insomnia.
The war had been going on for longer than anyone could remember. Over the past hundreds of years, the territory of the Kingdom of Lucis had dwindled, and all that still stood between Niflheim and world domination was the Crown City, and the Crystal within the Citadel. Legends told that the Sacred Stone had been a gift from the gods, and to this day, its magic empowered King Regis to protect his people.
However, according to an envoy from Niflheim, things had changed. The Empire, too, had finally become weary of the never-ending war, and offered to compromise in the form of a peace treaty, with some very unilateral conditions attached. Once such condition demanded Noctis to be wed to Lady Lunafreya, Oracle, Princess of Tenebrae, and the childhood friend he had not seen in person ever since his escape from the burning Festala Manor. The wedding was set to take place in Altissia, one of the most beautiful cities in all of Eos, and the next closest thing to neutral ground as could be found between Niflheim and Lucis.
"Remember your manners in the presence of your bride-to-be," King Regis said, looking at Noctis with fatherly worry, though Noctis felt no need for concern.
"You too, Your Majesty," he replied, bowing in jest before his father. "Remember yours when our honoured guests from Niflheim arrive."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his high school friend Prompto bow as well. For the umpteenth time, probably. Funny to think he would be so nervous in front of Regis when he could be so relaxed around Noctis. But Gladio and Ignis were tense, too, in a way. Not because of Regis, however. From being Noctis' Shield and advisor, they had interacted with the king often enough to have practised their manners and form of address. Still, none of them had ever travelled beyond Insomnia's Wall, and the wedding – political arrangement or not – was going to be the biggest event in Noctis' life yet.
Regis' gaze shifted from Noctis to the Regalia far below at the foot of the stairs, and his expression turned into a frown. "You know that I reluctantly agreed to the escort from Niflheim. Try to bear with him, for as long as you must."
Thus far, Noctis had hardly paid any attention to the man next to the Regalia. Out of the corner of his eye, he had only noticed some Niff dressed in a white robe. One of the Emperor's advisers or personal pencil pushers, for sure. He would be an annoyance, but nothing to worry about. If it came to a scuffle, the odds would be four to one, and they all had proper training in combat.
"Don't worry, I will." Waving goodbye, Noctis turned away from his old man and began the rather long descent down the staircase. When he raised his gaze from the steps to their car and the stranger next to it, the air shimmered like it did on a hot summer day. It was warm, but not that warm. Or so Noctis had thought. The white-robed figure he had seen earlier faded away along with the trick of the light and in its place appeared a man wearing dark, eccentric clothing, the likes of which Noctis had only seen once before. He stopped abruptly, and a moment later, Ignis did, too.
He was always quick to notice if something was off. "Noct?"
"I know this man," Noctis explained. "He saved me back in Tenebrae." He glanced up the staircase, but Regis had already turned back and disappeared into the Citadel. The stranger had been standing face to face with him back then. Why had Regis not mentioned that he would be the escort?
"Are you sure?" Ignis asked. "I remember your father telling me that a servant of Lunafreya's had brought you to him."
"It was him," Noctis confirmed. "No doubt 'bout it."
In the meantime, Prompto had noticed their conversation and was waiting for them a few steps further down the stairs. "Admittedly, he doesn't seem like someone you'd easily forget," he said.
"Gotta agree on that." Gladio said, not bothering to keep his voice down. "His clothes are a real eyesore."
The fancy dressed stranger took off his fedora and bowed with a flourish. "What a pleasure to make your acquaintance! It is a great honour for an insignificant, small politician such as myself to be recognized by the one and only Crown Prince of Lucis."
Ignis adjusted his glasses and continued his way to the Regalia at Noctis' side. "I would hardly call him insignificant. He is, after all, the Chancellor of Niflheim."
"Woah! Are you serious?" Prompto exclaimed. "He doesn't look like a chancellor to me."
"I admit that few know his face. He is suspiciously absent from the media. I only saw him once in the Citadel when he came to present the treaty to King Regis."
"Please, allow me to introduce myself," said chancellor intervened. "Ardyn Izunia, at your service. You may call me Ardyn if you like. Since we are going to be stuck together for a while, you may as well skip the formalities."
"I'll gladly stick with Chancellor Izunia." Gladio replied, strategically positioning himself between Ardyn and the others, but the Chancellor remained unfazed.
"Please, suit yourself," he replied and turned towards the prince. "By the way, it is heartbreaking to see the great King Regis in such a weakened state. This magic of old he uses has truly taken a toll on him. Fortunately, thanks to the peace treaty, he will not need to suffer any longer."
Noctis did not like to talk about Regis' frailty, especially not to strangers. It reminded him of how maintaining the magical Wall around Insomnia brought his father closer to death every day. Compared to his childhood father, Regis was a shadow of his former self now, and Noctis hated it. He could not deal with it. And thus, he avoided the subject.
"You haven't changed at all since then," he said to Ardyn.
"What do you want me to say? I am timeless." The Chancellor turned to the black luxury limousine behind him. "As is your vehicle. Although I wonder if there will be room for all of us."
"I will be driving," Ignis declared as he strode to the driver's side.
Noctis opened one of the back doors. "There's enough room for three in the back."
"Easy for you to say," Gladio interjected.
"But we can't have the prince of Lucis crammed into the back seat, now, can we?"
Noctis passed over Ardyn's objection. This entire goodbye was already taking far too long. Mildly annoyed, he got in the back. "Guys, don't make a fuss about this, 'kay? I'll sit in the back. The Chancellor can have the passenger seat. Let's get going already."
"If you insist," Ardyn replied.
Prompto slid from the other side of the car to the middle of the back seat, and Gladio had to take the remaining space whether he liked it or not. A tension emanated from the two of them that almost felt palpable. Prompto's nervousness might be unjustified, but Gladio's mistrust was not. In purely factual terms, they were in the presence of an enemy. Nevertheless, Noctis remembered, for the first time in many years, how this enemy, the Chancellor of Niflheim, had protected him from the infantry of the Empire and brought him back to Regis.
Ignis had barely manoeuvred the Regalia out of the Citadel's courtyard when Noctis had to ask the question burning on his tongue. "Why'd you do it?"
"Excuse me?" Ardyn replied in surprise.
"Why'd you save me, even though you work for Niflheim?"
"Oh, that." The Chancellor placed his hat on the dashboard and ran a hand through his messy, oddly magenta coloured mane. "Even in my position, I do not have to approve of everything Niflheim does. You should be aware that I still make my own decisions. I suppose, the best way to describe my relationship with the Empire is that I owe them a favour or three."
"Those must be pretty big favours," Prompto remarked.
"Indeed, they are."
Noctis could describe the atmosphere with Ardyn in the car as awkward at best. Due to the fact that they had set off relatively late, the sun soon sank towards the horizon. They had passed about half the distance between the gates of Insomnia and the first outpost when the evening twilight became visible in the sky. It was looking increasingly unlikely that they would make it to the coast without spending the night at one of the outposts of Hammerhead or Longwythe Rest, and it was also about that time that the Regalia began to run rough.
"What's wrong, Iggy?" Gladio asked.
"The engine cuts out every so often. I'd recommend we stop at the garage in Hammerhead."
Prompto leaned forward. "You mean if we get there?"
"Did you know that I own an old convertible myself?" Ardyn mentioned casually. "I've had her for a very long time, but she never let me down. A truly reliable thing."
"So was the Regalia before you got in," Gladio retorted. "Why didn't you bring your car?"
"And would have given you the opportunity to outrun me? I don't think so."
Suddenly the steady hum of the engine died and the acceleration broke away.
"The way things are, we're not outrunning anyone," Ignis said. He steered the Regalia to the side of the road to let it slowly roll out. Hammerhead laid in the far distance, barely getting closer even on the last few metres. They had little other choice but to get out.
Noctis looked towards the setting sun as he closed the door of the Regalia behind him. The surrounding wasteland of Leide was deserted. As soon as night fell, they would become easy victims for daemons on the open road. "What's the plan, Ignis?" he asked.
"Give me a moment to call a tow truck." Ignis pulled out his mobile. "No signal."
Noctis' gaze drifted to a toppled power pole nearby. "No wonder," he added.
"Hammerhead is not too far away," Ignis continued. "We could push the Regalia all the way there."
"Or," Prompto interjected, "we could hitch a ride."
Ardyn leaned against the A-pillar of the car, chuckling. "Do you honestly want to trust in the kindness of strangers?"
"No harm in trying, is there?"
Ignis turned from the outpost in the distance to the flattened crest of a nearby hill. "Given that it's already evening, we might as well spend the night in that haven over there, then push the Regalia towards Hammerhead tomorrow. If we find reception again before then, towing would obviously still be an option."
Camping. Of course, it had to be camping. Noct's back would thank him for it the next morning. The ancient runes etched into the rocky ground of a haven offered great protection against daemons, but did nothing to protect them from rain or the cold of the night. This was something people at Insomnia never had to worry about, not with the magical Wall and well-lit streets keeping the horrors of the night at bay.
Prompto paced up and down the road with his mobile in hand, looking for a signal, but without success.
"Camping sounds good to me," Gladio concluded with a smile.
Prompto stared at him, looking slightly startled. "Camping? With the Chancellor?"
"Any objections?", Ignis addressed Ardyn.
"To be honest, I'd prefer to stay with the car. I do not dig camping, as you young people say."
Noctis decided then and there that people of his father's age should not use such expressions. Embarrassing did not even begin to describe it. It took him a moment to get his mind back on their conversation. "You do realise that the car offers you little protection from daemons?" he asked, but Ardyn looked unconcerned.
"I am very much aware of that."
"Ignis, leave him the keys."
Noctis did not have to explain to his advisor why. With a nod, Ignis signalled his agreement and dropped the car keys into Ardyn's palm. " I advise turning on the headlights only in an emergency. Without a running engine, the battery will not last long."
"Do not worry. The daemons will hardly notice me," Ardyn promised, still looking smug and confident.
Gladio was already walking ahead to the haven. With some distance Ignis, Prompto and Noctis folllowed him. However, Noctis stopped once more to look back to the Chancellor. Knowing that he was willingly exposing himself to the dangers of the night left an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"What are you waiting for, Prince?" Gladio called out to him. "He is a Niff. If he wants to spend the night among daemons, let him."
So Noctis let him.
He fetched Gladio's camping gear from the armiger, and the four of them had tent and chairs set up in no time. Just as much as the sun had burned down on the Regalia during the day, it was as cold during the cloudless nights in Leide. Yet around the campfire the cold could be endured. Ignis roasted a few slices of bread for them, and Prompto examined the few photos he had taken during the day. "So, what do you think?" he finally asked the group. "About the Chancellor, I mean? I dunno about you, but he gives me the creeps every time he looks at me."
"This guy is highly suspicious. I'm not letting him out of my sight," Gladio replied.
"Strictly speaking, he has given us no reason to suspect him so far," Ignis argued. "He may be accompanying us on behalf of Niflheim, but he has also helped Noctis in the past. We should not forget that."
"He is the Chancellor of Niflheim," Gladio grumbled. "That's suspicious enough."
"I agree with Iggy," Noctis said after a moment of silence. "Let's give him a chance."
"Oh, man …" Prompto groaned and slumped back in his chair. "I have a feeling this is going to be a very looong trip to Altissia."
Noctis turned in his camping chair and looked down the hill to the road where the Regalia was still parked somewhat precariously. In the dim light of the stars, he spotted Ardyn, hat and coat removed, leaning against the passenger door and staring up at the sky, lost in thought.
And off we go.
2023-05-04: Added some information about the reason for Noctis' departure and the overall political situation between Niflheim and Lucis, because let's face it, the story of the main game alone does a poor job at explaining its lore and world.