Y/N stood pacing her room again. It seemed to be her new pastime. Monday had come and she was prepping herself to leave her room and go to her training session with Gladio. She already had anxiety about training with him again. The first and only time she had, it didn't go so well. Maybe getting thrown around on the mat a bit would take her mind off of everything that had been haunting her it lately. Then again, it would probably trigger it all and cause her to panic. She knew it was coming. All it would take is one move from Gladio to spook her into oblivion. Then she would have to hear all over again about how weak she was. How pathetic she was. How dramatic she was. She had to go, though. She knew if she called in sick they would send her to the doctor who would quickly be able to tell she wasn't ill at all. If anything he would diagnose her as crazy. And that was the absolute last thing she needed right now.
She waited until the last possible minute to change into her new training clothes. At least she wouldn't have to hear crap from Gladio this time about training in her pajamas. With her new leggings on and a tank top so she didn't get too overheated, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and opened her door. Before she could even take a step out, she shut the door again. She couldn't walk there alone. There was no way. It's exactly what he had been waiting for. Her to be all alone and vulnerable. It would be the perfect moment for him to strike again. She pulled her phone from its place on the nightstand where she was going to leave it and pulled up Bernard's number.
"Bernard!" She said into the receiver when he answered, sounded a bit more frantic than she meant to. "Would, um...would you be so kind as to escort me to the training hall? I need to meet with Gladio and would rather not go alone."
"Of course, dear Princess. I will be over right away."
"Thank you Bernie," she breathed, relived that she at least had one person going with her.
She could still feel a weight of fear in her belly. What's to stop the strange man from attacking both her and Bernard? The man was a sort of body guard at times, but he was no match for actual threats. She was sure he could easily be overpowered by a man of strength. Bernie always made her feel safe and secure, but the threats back home didn't seem as scary as the threats here. When you grow up in a palace, rarely leaving it, and in a city of a small population that's always quiet...nothing seems too scary.
Perhaps she should have asked Ignis to escort her. He didn't look like much, himself, but from what she had read and heard of him he was a trained and skilled Crownsguard fighter. He was responsible for protecting the Prince, so he obviously had to have some kind of fighting skills, she imagined. She had also let her eyes wander a few times, though she would never admit it out loud. She could easily see the sculpted muscles of his arms through his fitted dress shirts. She had also felt said muscles the night of hanging off his arm at the Prince's engagement party. Surely if the King trusted him to look after his son, she could trust him to look after her, right?
A knock on her door startled her. She could feel her palms getting a bit clammy but kept telling herself it was just Bernard. She had called him and he had come to her door as she asked. She slowly opened the door a crack and saw him standing on the other side, smiling.
"Good day, Princess Y/N!" He bowed at the waist. "It is lovely to see you again. I do hope you are feeling better after being so ill."
"Yes...a bit."
"Wonderful! Are you sure you are well enough to train? We both know Gladio can be a bit aggressive," Bernard commented, referring to the first time she trained with the large man.
"I'll be fine."
"Well, if you find yourself feeling ill again at any point, please let me know! I can assist you back to your room or to the medical wing."
Y/N simply nodded her head and placed her phone back on the night stand. She didn't have any pockets and didn't dare bring a pocketbook to training. Gladio would surely laugh at her again. She exited the room, handing Bernard her key.
"Can you please hold this for me?"
"Certainly, Princess."
The walk to the Training Hall was quiet. Bernard was never one much for conversation, and neither was Y/N honestly. She was also too busy darting her eyes around every hallway they turned down. The elevator ride was a bit of a relief. No places for anyone to hide in the shadows or pop out from around corners. It honestly angered her that this man had her so worked up. She couldn't help the fear she felt, though. Her mind kept racing back to that moment when she was nine years old. And the man who had forever scared her memory. She shook her head a bit to rid it of the dark thoughts plaguing it. Finally they arrived in the hall. There weren't as many people there at this time. Most people trained first thing in the morning or after the long work day. Right now, everyone was looking to find lunch. She turned to Bernard and nodded at him, signally he could leave.
"Thank you, Bernie," she quietly told him.
"My pleasure, Princess. I'll simply be in the corner reading my book if you need me."
Y/N hadn't even realized he had a book with him. Her mind really was on edge and her eyes elsewhere. She fidgeted a bit before walking over to where Gladio was standing. He noticed her walking in his direction and stopped the stretch he was currently doing and smirked.
"Ready to rumble, princess?" he asked her.
She looked away, both a bit nervous from their last session and still on edge from the walk over here.
"Relax," Gladio rolled his eyes. "I promise not to throw you on the mat this time. We'll start slow." Y/N nodded that she had heard him, but otherwise said nothing. "You should stretch before we start. Nice training clothes by the way."
"Thanks," Y/N whispered, before sitting on the floor to stretch out her legs.
"Someone is quiet today," Gladio commented after a few minutes.
Y/N glared over at him. When was she ever any kind of chatter box? She rarely spoke to anyone here. She didn't find her silence out of the ordinary. She just hoped he didn't ask any kind of questions.
After they spent a few minutes in silence stretching out their arms and legs, they both stood and faced each other.
"Alright. We'll start a bit slower today. Let's learn some basic blocking techniques."
Gladio did just as he said and started a lot slower with her than last time. She wasn't sure if Ignis talked with him or if he was being oddly nice again. She wasn't sure how to read him lately. A lot of what he was teaching her was standing in her base, with her feet planted properly so as not to lose her balance and blocking blows. It all felt a bit odd to her. Would someone honestly come up to her and just start punching her face? It seemed a bit barbaric. He never fully swung at her, though. It was all in slow motion and there was barely any pressure or momentum behind his swings. They had only been practicing for about half an hour before he said they were done for the day. That was it? Thirty minutes of blocking punches? The look on her face must have said exactly what she was thinking.
"Hey, I told you we were starting slow. After a few discussions with some people, I realize now just how little you really know about all this stuff. Guess they raise you all differently over there," Gladio commented, smiling at her.
Y/N just looked back at him but appreciated it. Her nerves had her extra on edge and she wasn't sure how she would have taken to him man handling her today. She still didn't feel any more safe, though. She was hoping to leave today knowing how to handle the strange man she encountered if she were to ever run into him again. She was tired of locking herself in her room for days on end. Afraid to go anywhere or do anything.
"You look perturbed. Thought you would be happy to have a short day and would run out of here the second we were done. Something on your mind?" he asked her when he noticed her still standing there as if awaiting his next instruction.
"Um...can you...can you show me something?" she asked hesitantly.
"Sure. What's up."
"How...um, how do you, like...say like a guy...grabs your wrist. How...how would you like...break free or whatever from that?" Y/N kept moving her feet and wringing her hands together the whole time she talked.
Gladio was a bit surprised she was asking about more self-defense moves. He thought she had a question about something completely different.
"Uh, well, that's pretty easy. You just pull free, honestly."
"No! No, that doesn't work. There has to be some way of doing it, right?..."
"Well, I mean as long as you get into your base and plant your feet, then grab your trapped hand with the other one...you just pull free."
Y/N stood there looking at him like he was stupid. There was no way it was that easy. She had tried to pull free. She wasn't strong enough. There had to be some move you did to weaken the other person or something. Poke their eye. Stomp their foot. SOMETHING!
"Here, let me show you." Gladio reached for her arm and grabbed it tight.
"OW!" She yelped out. Gladio immediately let go and held his hands up.
"I barely touched you!" He was really hoping she wasn't choosing now to suddenly act weak and timid again.
"No, no it's fine. You just...startled me is all." Y/N tucked a stray hair behind her ear and shuffled her feet a bit to calm herself down before she could look back at Gladio and not see his face. "Go ahead and do it again. I'm ready."
"How about you grab me this time. I'll show you what to do."
Y/N nodded her head and grabbed his wrist. Gladio instructed her to grab harder and then showed her how to properly pull free. He made his base and planted his feet. He then made a fist with the arm that was trapped and grabbed it with his free hand. Using the momentum from his core, he easily pulled right out of her grasp.
"Yeah but you're stronger than me!" Y/N exclaimed. "Of course it's easy for you!"
"It's easy for you too. You pull at the weakest part of their connection, where their thumb touches their other fingers, and use your core. I'm telling you, it gives you way more momentum than you think. Here, you try it."
Gladio noticed her wince a bit again when he grabbed her wrist but brushed it off. He knew he wasn't grabbing her as hard as he could be. He didn't comment on it this time and let it slide. Y/N made her base as instructed, grabbed her fist and pulled. When her wrist easily broke free of Gladio's hold she stood stunned.
"You held back!" she exclaimed. "There's no way it's that easy. You weren't holding me tight enough."
"I wasn't holding back, I swear!" Gladio laughed. "Here, try again."
Gladio grabbed her wrist once more, being sure to hold tight even though she was grimacing in pain. He knew he couldn't have been holding her tight enough to make it actually hurt her. He was strong, but he wasn't applying unnecessary pressure. He was holding her tight enough that she couldn't easily escape unless using the technic he had just taught her. Once again she broke free just as easily as before.
"That's...that's it? It was that easy? That's all I would have had to do?"
Gladio narrowed his eyes at her statement she let slip out. Had to have done when?
"Yea. That's about it," he replied.
"Okay well...what about...what about if someone grabs your throat? How do you get out of that?"
"That one's a bit more complicated but not impossible. Still relatively easy. What exact kind of hold are you talking about? Like a chokehold from behind or...?"
"No, like...just someone reaching out and grabbing your throat."
"So, like this?" Gladio reached out his hand toward her but Y/N's eyes grew wide and she quickly stepped back.
"Sorry. Go ahead and try again," she told him when he hesitated and pulled his arm back.
Gladio glanced at her neck before he started to reach out again but quickly stopped. He could distinctly make out a bluefish purple outline of fingers on the side of her neck. Remembering how she flinched every time he grabbed her wrist, he looked down to it and could make out the same bluefish purple finger marks on her wrist as well.
"I said I'm ready now, just tell me what to do..." she told him again.
Gladio still stood there looking between her neck and wrist with his eyes narrowed. He was contemplating how to ask her about it. But Gladio was a blunt man. He was never one to beat around the bush or ignore an elephant in the room.
"Who did that?" he quietly but sternly asked.
"Did what?" Y/N asked, confused.
"Why do you want to know this stuff?"
"Um...shouldn't I know? I mean...anyone could...ya know, try and like...grab me or whatever," Y/N stammered.
"But somebody already did...didn't they?"
"What do you mean?" Y/N whispered, growing nervous that Gladio might be on to her. She didn't want anyone to know. She wanted to keep that hideous night to herself.
"Y/N...who grabbed your wrist and neck?"
"What makes you think someone did?"
Gladio pointed to her arm and then up to her neck.
"I can see it! I know finger bruises when I see them. We get them all the time when we train too rough. Who did that to you? Because I know you haven't been training outside of here."
"You don't know tha-"
"I do know that!" Gladio interrupted. A sudden thought hit Gladio that he hated even popped in his head. Y/N had been avoiding Ignis like the plague lately ever since they seemed to have some sort of fight. He couldn't believe he was about to ask this, but he knew if he didn't, the dark thought would weigh heavy on his mind. "It wasn't...Ignis, right?" he whispered, keeping his voice low so no one else around would hear.
"Of course not!" Y/N exclaimed. "He wouldn't...do something like that...would he?" she asked, suddenly wondering if there was a side to him she was unaware of.
"No! Never. I just...had to ask. I have to cover all my bases is all." Gladio paused again, not wanting to ask about the next person he was going to ask about either. "It wasn't your Bernard guy, was it?"
"Are you mad?! Absolutely not! Bernie would never!" Y/N almost shouted, very angry he would even suggest such a thing.
"Again, just covering all bases here!" Gladio said, holding his hands up to her. "Please Y/N, whoever did that...really shouldn't have. Who was it?"
Y/N stood in silence. Tears were starting to well up her eyes. She didn't want to talk about him. She didn't want to think about him. She didn't want to acknowledge him at all.
"Was it a staff member?" Y/N just stood staring at him as her breathing quickened. "Someone you know? Someone on the street? I just need to know who it was."
Y/N just shook her head back and forth and brought her hand to her mouth to prevent a sob from escaping. Why couldn't he just leave it alone?
"Do you know who it was? Where did it even happen? I thought you've been sick this week, who could have...you weren't really sick, were you?" he suddenly asked.
Y/N still just stared at him as a tear finally escaped her eye. Her chest was visibly rising and falling deeper as her breathing continued to quicken.
"Y/N, I have to know if someone hurt you and who it was-"
"WHY?" She suddenly shouted.
"Because they could do it again! They could hurt someone else! Y/N...I need to know who it was."
"Just let it go! It's fine."
"You haven't left your room in a week and are covered in bruises. It's not fine. Why are you afraid to tell me? Is it someone on the council? Are you afraid you'll get in trouble for telling me? I swear you won't! We'll find a way to-"
"I don't know!" she shouted again.
"You don't know what?"
"I don't know who it was! I've never seen him before!"
"Okay, okay!" Gladio said gently, trying to calm her down now that she was finally talking. "Where did this happen?"
"In the hallway. After the Prince's wedding," Y/N told him through her sobs.
Gladio cocked his head a bit. There were a ton of people flooding the halls during the wedding. And security was amped up and in every corner of every room and hall. How could it have happened then?
"Does he work here?"
"He said I could call him a guest. I've never seen him before."
That wasn't saying much. The Citadel had so many employees it was hard to keep any number of them straight. Gladio now felt this was beyond anything he could do to help. This needed to be reported.
"I need you to come with me," Gladio said, grabbing his hoodie and putting it on.
"Why?" Y/N asked, suddenly sounding scared.
"I promise you aren't in any sort of trouble or anything. I just need you to come with me."
"What about Bernie?" she asked, pointing to her friend seated on a bench against the wall watching the two with worried eyes after hearing her shouts.
Gladio walked over to the man.
"I'll bring her back to her room. She needs to come with me for a bit."
Bernard glanced over at Y/N as if asking if everything was alright. She nodded her head lightly at him, still a bit unsure herself, but trusting Gladio to keep his word. It was a bit out of character for her, but something about the genuine worry on Gladio's face made her trust him more than anyone in this moment.
"Very well. Here is her room key," he said, handing over the key she gave him when he picked her up earlier.
"Thanks," Gladio said quickly before tilting his head at Y/N as a cue to follow him.
The two of them made their way down the hall and into the elevator. They only went up one floor before exiting and walking down another hallway. Y/N had no idea where they were going. She didn't recall ever being in this part of the Citadel. It seemed to be where the majority of their military rooms were. Glaives littered the hallway as well as some people she recognized as Crownsguard. She could see a women she believed was named Monica walking into an office further down the hall. Drautos' voice could be heard booming from a room nearby. That man honestly frightened her a bit. There was something menacing about him at times. Gladio finally stopped at a closed door about halfway down the hall they were in and knocked.
"Come in," a muffled voice was heard from inside.
Gladio opened the door and motioned Y/N to enter before him. Y/N stepped inside but quickly stopped where she was standing. She felt her blood turn a bit cold. Y/N didn't want to tell anyone else. Why was Gladio making her tell him too?
Cor looked up from his computer at the duo standing in front of him. Gladio had shut the door behind him. Cor cocked his eyebrow wondering why Gladio had brought Y/N to his office. It was a bit odd for him to see the princess dressed the way she was. She was only in a tank top and leggings. He then remembered the two of them were to train today. Was she trying to refuse again?
"Did something go wrong during training?" Cor asked in a stern voice.
"No sir," Gladio answered. "We have something important that needs to be discussed. It's a matter of security."
Cor sat up a bit straighter in his chair. Did Y/N have some sort of insider info he needed to know about? Had she been in touch with her mother or country about something? He hadn't been alerted to anything suspicious in her phone calls, texts, or emails. Y/N noticeably paled and started breathing heavier. She looked like she was about to burst into tears. A hard look at her face showed she seemed to have already been crying at some point very recently. Cor narrowed his eyes and glanced back at Gladio.
"Y/N was attacked," Gladio said simply.
Cor's eyes visibly opened wider for a moment before he schooled his features. Looking back at Y/N, he then took notice of her. The dark markings on her neck and arm. He didn't seem to see any other injuries but couldn't be sure without asking. Y/N looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown and knew she would shut down if he didn't approach her properly. He clicked a few things on his computer before turning off the monitor. He then dialed a number on his desk phone.
"Monica," he said into the receiver. "I need you in my office immediately." He replaced the phone back in its cradle. He remembered last time he visited Y/N, Monica's presence seemed to help the situation. And with some of the questions he needed to ask, he knew another woman present would offer some form of support. "Would you like me to call Ignis in here?" He asked Y/N. He wondered if the presence of her fiancé would help any, but he probably didn't know about the incident. If he did, he would have reported to Cor immediately as Gladio had obviously done.
"No!" Y/N almost shouted. "Please don't...don't tell..." she glanced between Cor and Gladio, begging the two of them to keep this between them.
Cor felt his stomach turn a bit. Her not wanting him to know made him wonder what all happened in this attack. He hoped it wasn't as bad as he imagined. But why else wouldn't she want Ignis to know unless her attacker...
Cor opened a drawer in the filling cabinet behind him and pulled out a sheet of paper that looked like some kind of form. Sitting back at his desk, he picked up a pen and began filling out the top portion of it. As he was writing, his door opened and Monica stepped in. She looked at everyone a bit puzzled as she closed the door behind her.
"Sir..." she started.
"Princess Y/N was attacked," Cor stated simply, giving her a pointed look and signaling why exactly he asked her to be here.
Monica's face briefly showed her surprise before she pulled a chair over from against the wall.
"Here, Princess, please sit!" She helped her into the chair before pulling her own beside her. Gently placing her hand on top of Y/N's and handing her a tissue from the corner of Cor's desk, she nodded at Cor to continue.
"Y/N, I need to ask you some questions and I need you to answer honestly and with as much detail as possible. I understand this may be difficult for you but please understand why we need all this information. I also want you to know that any information you give me will be kept confidential and shared only with security staff. Any and all information is openly shared with the King, however, and may be shared with him regardless if we feel it necessary. There will be no repercussions to you for reporting the incident. If we feel your safety is in jeopardy for reporting the incident, we will take the steps needed to keep you safe. Is all of that understood?"
Y/N nodded her head slightly as her eyes welled up with tears again. Monica rubbed her hand gently.
"I'm going to ask personal questions Gladio may not have. Do you want him to leave?"
As much as Y/N hated Gladio at times and as much as they fought, she oddly didn't want him to leave. He was a strange comfort in this moment. She felt almost protected by him. Like if the strange man who hurt her showed up again, she would be safe with him around. He was big and strong and best friends with her fiancé. He wouldn't let the man hurt her, something told her. That odd sense of protection carried over to this meeting. Right now, he was the only one who knew and was trying to help her. She didn't want to be left alone with Cor who seemed cold and distant. She shook her head no and looked down at her lap.
"Okay. First, when did this incident happen? Cor asked her.
"During Prince Noctis' reception," she quietly answered.
Cor's head shot up from the form he was looking at as he looked between her and Gladio.
"I know," Gladio answered Cor's unspoken question. "I don't know how this happened either. Security was more than doubled and every person who entered the reception hall was screened prior to arrival. It has to be someone we know."
Cor wrote a few things on the paper in front of him.
"Where exactly did the incident take place?" he continued.
"In the hallway," Y/N answered. "I was walking back to my room when he suddenly appeared out of a doorway."
"Was this after the reception or during?"
"During. I left soon after dinner was served. I...me and Ignis had a disagreement and I left early." She was a bit ashamed to mention the two of them had fought.
"Is that why you don't want Ignis knowing? Do you think this had anything to do with him in any way?"
"No! No, I just...I just want to keep it private."
"I see. What hallway exactly did this happen in?"
"Almost right outside the Grand Hall. I hadn't even made it to the elevators before he showed up."
"Have you ever seen this man before?" Cor continued asking questions and writing things down on the paper in front of him.
"No. I don't know who he is. He wasn't dressed like any of the staff I've seen, but he also didn't look like a lot of people from here..."
Cor glanced up at her, wondering what she meant by that.
"What exactly do you mean 'like the people from here'?"
"He wasn't wearing the dark and black clothes everyone in this city wears. He also didn't have the dark black hair most people have either. I mean, I know not everyone here looks exactly the same but...as someone from another land, I can tell you all have a particular...'look' about you. He seemed...different."
Cor wasn't sure how much of that he could really write down. It wasn't hard fact to state "doesn't like everyone in Insomnia".
"Can you describe the man? What he looked like, what he was wearing, that sort of thing?" Cor asked her.
"He, um...he had purple hair." Cor's eyebrows shot up a bit. Purple hair? That should make him a piece of cake to point out from everyone else. "He was wearing green pants. Um...a long coat. Some sort of stupid ruffled thing around his neck."
This man sounded like a damn clown. How did no one find this guy suspicious? The moment any of his or Drautos' men seen this guy, he would have immediately been flagged. He didn't recall one mention of anyone with purple hair. He also didn't remember seeing anyone that fit this description either. And even though the number of people who attended the wedding was astronomical, he was trained to take note of every person he laid eyes on. He remembered them all. This man, he did not.
"I need you now to describe what happened. As hard as it may be, I need every detail you remember."
Y/N's breathing started speeding up again. Why couldn't Gladio just tell him what she said and send her back to her room? How many times did she have to relive this? She knew it wasn't as bad as what it could have been. Hell, it wasn't even as bad as what happened to her when she was younger. But it could have been. And it could be again. And it reminded her of the darkest moment in her life that she thought she had completely blocked out finally. It was more triggering than anything to her.
"I, um...I was just walking back to my room. As I was walking down the hall, a man suddenly stepped out in front of me from one of the doors. I almost ran into him. He, uh...he was talking to me and I tried to-to walk around him," she stammered a bit. "He then...he...he grabbed my arm and yanked me back to him. He, uh...he-he was holding it really tight. I asked who he was and he told me 'you can call me a guest'. He was...right in my face. I could feel him breathing. When I tried to pull away again...he grabbed my throat..." A sob escaped her mouth, causing her to pause and catch her breath.
"Is that all he said to you?" Cor asked.
"No. No, he...he mentioned I looked familiar. He asked my name but I didn't give it to him. He said he...he wanted to get to know me. And that I resembled my mother." This made everyone glance at her a bit more intently. "And that...that he-he would have chosen Ravus for me instead of Ignis." Again, everyone's eyes widened a bit. "He told me to look at his face and remember who he was. A-and then called me by my name. Princess Y/N of Accordo."
"So he knows you," Gladio suddenly spoke.
Cor glanced at him sternly, silently telling him not to speak up.
"This doesn't sound much like a stranger. While your engagement to Ignis is no longer secret, the details behind it are."
"My mother has mentioned some things to the media from what I read," Y/N told him.
"What sort of things?" Cor asked, puzzled.
"It was this big story not long ago about me running off in secret to Insomnia and abandoning my country to be with my secret lover. They spun this elaborate fairytale about me and Ignis secretly communicating for months before my move and me abandoning the throne to be with my star crossed lover or some bullshit. Mother finally corrected the media and said it was all planned. I don't know what all she said but he possibly got his info from that."
Cor wrote a bunch more things down. How was some of this news to him? He was very on top of the news in other countries. He knew there was a lot of issues with communicating with Altissia lately. The council was very concerned about it. Last he heard, none of them have heard from her yet. The mention of Ravus was a bit odd. He often wondered himself how she ended up being betrothed to Ignis, though. It would make sense for her to be wed to someone higher up than him and of a different nationality, considering Noctis received Luna's hand. He wasn't one to question royal affairs, though.
"Did he say anything else?"
"When I told him that I thought he didn't know who I was, he said he lied. And that he lies a lot."
At least the man is honest, Cor thought. Sort of. Now for the harder questions.
"Other than grabbing your arm and throat, did he assault you in any other way?"
"...n-no."
Before asking his next question, he glanced at Monica. She nodded her understanding and looked back to Y/N.
"Did he sexually assault you in any way?" Cor asked.
Y/N's breathing sped up again and her eyes glassed over a bit. It took her a minute to answer but she finally whispered quietly.
"No."
"If you aren't comfortable answering or giving details, Gladio and myself will leave and you can tell Monica. But it is important that we know."
"No. He didn't. He just grabbed me like I said."
"So he didn't caress you in any way or touch you in any way other than grabbing your arm and neck? Every detail is vital and important. Even stroking your hair or rubbing his hand down your arm can be considered sexual assault, you know this, correct?"
"Yes. But he didn't do anything else..."
"Okay-"
"Yet." She stated simply. Everyone's eyes shot to her at the simple word.
"What do you mean by that?" Cor asked.
"He said he wasn't going to do anything to me and didn't want anything from me...yet."
"Then what did he say or do?"
"Nothing. He let go of me and glanced over my shoulder as if looking at someone else. When I looked behind me I didn't see anyone and he was gone when I looked back."
"He was walking away?"
"No just...gone. I don't know where he went. And I didn't look for him. I ran to the elevators and back to my room as fast as I could."
Cor was puzzled how the man could just vanish. Perhaps he went back in the room he had come out of. He knew, however, exactly what he was doing as soon as she left his office.
"Is there any other details or statements you would like to make about the incident? Anything you feel we should know, anything I didn't ask about, anything you want to tell just Monica?"
"No... That's it."
"Okay. If you do happen to remember anything else or wish to state something you didn't, please come to me at any time and let me know. Is that understood?"
"Yes," she answered quietly, wiping at her eyes.
"Thank you, Miss Y/N. Monica, would you kindly escort Princess Y/N back to her room. Gladio, I need you to stay please."
"Yes sir," Gladio nodded. "Here's the key to her room."
"Why do you have it?" Cor asked.
"I don't have pockets and asked Bernard to hold it for me when he escorted me to the Training Hall," Y/N answered for him when she saw Gladio wasn't sure how to explain Bernie having her key. "Gladio got it off of him when he mentioned he would be bringing me back to my room and dismissed Bernard."
"I see. If I need any more information, I will be contacting you. And if anything else happens, I urge you to report it right away. You can report to any staff member, glaive, crowns member, or even Ignis or Gladio. The sooner we know of an incident, the sooner and easier we can catch the person responsible. This could be a major breech in security."
Y/N simply nodded her head before quickly exiting the room. She didn't want to be there any longer discussing any more details. When the two women were gone and Cor's door shut once again, Cor turned his monitor back on and opened the security footage he had access to.
"Looking at the camera feed?" Gladio asked.
"That's our first course of action. If the incident happened in the hallway it's definitely on camera." Cor said as he typed in the details needed to find that exact time and date. "We also need to question everyone on duty that night in the hall."
After fast forwarding a bit to around when she said the incident happened, they found her exiting the Grand Hall and knew they had the right moment on the backup tapes. Thankfully the Citadel kept the footage for at least three months before it was deleted. They watched her walking down the hall amongst a few other various guests and staff members for a minute or two. As they tried following her to the next camera's footage at the same time, they noticed she suddenly wasn't in the video feed anymore. Both Cor and Gladio narrowed their eyes and went back to the last camera. The dates and times matched up perfectly…so why wasn't she in the feed anymore?
"Where did she go?" Gladio asked.
Cor went to the next camera to see if he could find her in that one. They didn't have blind spots in any of their cameras. There was nowhere for her to hide or not be seen. She wasn't in that footage either. Cor brought up the footage of the final four cameras all leading to the elevator at the end of the hall. They watched them all simultaneously trying to figure out where she disappeared to. After about five minutes of her being nowhere in sight, she was suddenly running at the elevator in the last camera and frantically pressing the call button. She looked to be in great distress and was looking behind her multiple times before finally running into the elevator and desperately pushing the button for her floor. Cor and Gladio glanced at each other before rewinding the tapes.
"Where did she come from?" Gladio asked. "She literally just…appears!"
"I don't know," Cor mumbled, trying to figure it all out himself.
They found her again on the cameras in the hallway she resided in. She ran out of the elevator and straight to her room as she mentioned. But where was she in the other cameras? As Cor was watching them over again he decided to focus on the other people in the footage. They all matched up. Everyone walked from one camera's feed to the other like nothing happened. So why didn't she?
"Do you think someone hacked it?" Gladio asked.
"I thought that a possibility but everyone else matches up."
"So…can we at least agree that something did happen…we just don't know what? Like, invisibility spell or…"
"It has to be magic of some kind," Cor agreed. "And if people are using magic to bypass our security systems…we're in trouble. We need to report this to the military council. The King needs to be aware. Phone your father and tell him we need to meet as soon as possible about this."
"Why was she so hesitant to tell us about it? You'd think she would say something right away. She seems hell bent on keeping it a secret." Gladio pondered.
"It's possible his threat frightened her. I also feel she doesn't have her full trust in us yet. She doesn't have any sort of security detail the way she did back home and may feel disposable to us. I may need to discuss that with the King as well. She's gonna need someone with her more often now if we are to be looking out for this guy, waiting for him to strike again."
"Use Ignis," Gladio shrugged. "He's trained well enough and engaged to her. Makes sense to me. I always kind of assumed that's why she didn't have much security in the first place. She's technically in a relationship with one of the top Crownsguard members."
"That is true, but Ignis is already dedicated to the Prince. He's also very busy and can't be expected to be near her as often as what may be needed. She doesn't seem to want Ignis to know about the incident, but that's about to change I'm sure once the King finds out. We're most likely going to need to make everyone aware of who to watch out for and why."
"Yeah…" Gladio trailed off. He wasn't sure how Ignis would take the news. He was very protective of her and this surely would shake him. "I'll get ahold of my father. He'll set up a meeting. Anything you want me to do in the meantime?"
"Be on your toes. Anyone looks suspicious, you inform me immediately. And be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. There's no way a dipshit with purple hair and a clown outfit got through those doors," Cor mumbled angrily.
"Tell me about it…" Gladio grumbled as he made his way out of Cor's office.
A/N:
Again, this chapter was going to go on a bit further, but the stopping mark felt out of place and it would have just continued on and on and ON lol While the princess' incident with Ardyn wasn't much of anything, you will find out a bit later why it was triggering to her. Never mind that she was quite spoiled and pampered most her life and isn't used to threats like that. You'll also find he keeps true to his word... Our two not so love birds will also finally have another moment between the two of them where our princess realizes she doesn't hate him as much as she claims and may just need him a bit at times. I hope you all are still liking this fic and i hope to have the next chapters out soon! I'm excited to finish them up and that always makes the process faster ^_^