Prelude - Long March Home

[comesunset]

His Royal Highness, Ardyn Lucis Caelum, took the chance to step onto the streets of Lestallum without the constant company of his retainers. Verstael had gone wandering off in search of information on the next tomb - a researcher to the bone, even at twenty, a year Ardyn's junior - and Gilgamesh had gone to meet with the Crownsguard. There were few threats in the city, the largest outside Insomnia itself, and after shedding his royal blacks in favor of a more relaxed ensemble, Ardyn practically vanished into the crowd, notable only for his red hair, his height, and the scarf draped loosely around his neck.

Three Arms down, ten to go. And the Lucian countryside hid them well - they'd found a fourth tomb, but with its relic missing, and information from the hunters pointed to a ruin that Ardyn's Shield had turned their trio away from. Ardyn, for once, hadn't argued, feeling the potency of the daemons within in practically the air itself.

For now, he takes his break wandering the streets, picking up a set of skewers from one vendor, a pastry from another, a locally mixed lemonade from a third, and making his way down to the overlook. They've only been in Lestallum a week, and he's already growing fond of the benches there, the view out over the meteor crater. The sunset provides the perfect backdrop as he recalls his meal from its brief time in his Armiger, careful to keep the royal magic out of the sight of any passerby before settling in to people-watch. It's not like he's totally reckless, Gil.

Times like this, with the crowd of the power plant's shift change bustling around him, are the times he most feels like he can relax. Rather than being the Prince, just another face in the crowd... With a smile, Ardyn sips his lemonade before taking another bite of the skewer held idly in his left hand. So refreshing.

Comments

[discutio]

[It was difficult to track a specific person by daylight; not impossible, not when that particular person radiated a constant faint buzz of magical energy, but difficult. As the sun went down things became a bit clearer, in the sight that shifted imperceptibly beneath the shadows of buildings--ah, there he'd gone.]

[Unguarded? That was horribly careless of them. Honestly, it was beginning to feel like babysitting rather than the guidance of what was ordained by fate and desired by his own king. (He'd likely still be near the shore right now. Fishing, as usual. Well, when one had an abundance of time...)]

[Ignis frowned, folding his arms as he stood in the shadows a distance away. Might as well linger and be sure no one got ideas of assassination in their heads.]

[comesunset]

[Ardyn, for his part, is perfectly content to eat his meal - though as Ignis' vision improves, he'd notice that the prince at least has a very good watch on his surroundings. Assassination is unlikely with the throne's enemies controlled by those who await the success of the Chosen King, but it isn't as though the Chosen himself knows any such thing.

It's very sudden, when it happens. An almost-imperceptible rumble in the ground, one that would go unnoticed by anyone else, but it is the prince's reaction that is more noteworthy. His meal vanishes in the tiny flashes of light of his Armiger as Ardyn presses both hands to his temples with a groan, as though to blot out the sudden pain. His voice is faint, but Ignis of all people would be able to hear it over the crowd.]

What...?

[discutio]

...

[Ignis narrowed his one open eye, shifting perception to a patch of shade a bit closer to Ardyn; fully calling up daemons in a brightly lit city was both ill-advised and difficult, but he could manage that much.]

[Hm. Considering where they were and the closest likely source of a reaction like that...the Archaean was calling to him already, was he? No subtlety to him at all, typical of an Astral that was all brute force.]

[Well, no point in letting the Chosen King collapse in the middle of Lestallum without his retainers at hand. Ignis stepped out in a slow and easy stride, making his way towards Ardyn and stopping a few feet away.]

...It seems you're being called for an audience with the divine, Highness.

[comesunset]

[The pain passes near as quick as it came, leaving behind only aftershocks. Ardyn keeps one hand pressed to his temple as he looks up.

The blind man from before - seen once in passing at a rest stop and once in Galdin, notable for mostly how he moved without the aid of a cane or dog, confident as any man with sight.

Ardyn's eyes fix on him now, and the words that come out of his mouth are uncertain.]

You... What do you know?

[Not a demand, but gentle, almost a plea.]

[discutio]

That depends upon what one asks. For example, I know a great deal about cooking and very little of astrophysics.

[comesunset]

[The comment gets a low groan.]

Not now, please - I don't know who you are, but if you speak of the gods with any knowledge... That's more than we have.

[He's willing to buy it. Blind seer is a trope for a reason and when you're a magical prince you don't argue with fairytale tropes.]

[discutio]

You've been quite careless, Highness. Going about without your retainers, particularly so close to the domain of an Astral? You put yourself at more risk than you know.

[Ignis tilted his head slightly, walking in slow steps beside the overlook's wall and running a light hand along the stone.]

[comesunset]

[Ardyn's beginning to get on edge now, more because of the man than because of his headache.

When he's suspicious, falling into the speech patterns of the court comes naturally. They seem to suit this man, at any rate, in a way they don't suit his companions. And yet the man in from of him can't be much older than Gilgamesh, if at all.]

I am perfectly capable of defending myself if need be. Do the gods have some reason to wish me harm?

[discutio]

[Wasn't that just the question.]

Why should they wish their Chosen harm? [At least, until the proper moment.] Are you not he who has been ordained by the Crystal to deliver this world from darkness?

[comesunset]

...I don't know. It doesn't yet seem as though it could be true.

[Surely there have been, over the ages, better choices for the Chosen King than a carefree prince with a limp and no experience.]

Tell me - who are you, to know all this?

[discutio]

A man of no significance.

[The answer came with a small, enigmatic smile, Ignis leaning back against the wall with clearly no fear of losing his balance.]

[comesunset]

Be that as it may, a name would be a great help, Seer.

[discutio]

Ignis, if you please. There should hardly be need for introductions from your side--you're Ardyn Lucis Caelum, of course.

[comesunset]

[That, all in all, could have gone a bit better. The violence of the Niflheim military was one thing, but the might of a god was something else again. Even with the new addition to his armory - and Ardyn knows this one, has seen it in the hands of how many statues over the years? - it's all he can do to just survive the onslaught of the Archaean.

Let Gilgamesh be suspicious of their rescuer. Even given the man's position, Ardyn can only offer the Chancellor his thanks and retreat somewhere deeper into the dropship to close his eyes and rest for however long the flight might take. Could bear him straight to Niflheim for all he cares at the moment.

It doesn't. It drops them at the chocobo post instead, with some vague word about their car, and Ardyn only manages to be polite about the whole thing on autopilot before making his way into the camper set up at the edge of the parking lot. He barely even manages a 'goodnight' to his retainers before passing out.

And meanwhile, that very dropship descends to an out of the way spot outside the settlement, to allow the king of the dark a moment to talk with his Hand before carrying on, back to the best fishing spots at the Vesperpool once more. It's an exchange best summarized in a handful of words -

'He really almost fucked it, Ignis. Don't let those idiots get anywhere near Leviathan.'

And so, come sometime in the afternoon, which is honestly the earliest possible hour that anyone can expect royal eyes to open. Ardyn stretches as he makes his way out of the camper, ever alert to the second-highest royal priority, after sleep - breakfast.

He's washed his face off, at least, but the rest... Well. He's had better weeks.]

[discutio]

[He was, as ever, an agent of his king's will. They'd have to make a covenant with even the Tidemother eventually, he'd reminded Noctis--but certainly not soon, given that pitiful showing. Slow steps, guided along carefully.]

[The guidance was, of course, where Ignis came in while his liege spent his endless time as he chose. Gladio at his side as protection even to an immortal, and Prompto there because someone would have to take a picture when some legendarily-sized fish was caught.]

[...Well, that was fine. Typical, and typical was something comforting to this day.]

Well--good morning to you. [Ignis glanced up from where he sat at a nearby table with a warm but untouched cup of coffee.] You look a bit worse for wear.

[comesunset]

- Well, well. I daresay you're about the last person I expected to see here.

[And with that chipper comment, Ardyn glances around- ever watchful for the rest of his minders - before wandering over and taking one of the other chairs at Ignis' table. Verstael, Gil, or both will give him hell for not getting cleaned up first if they catch him, so he just needs to be casual and avoid being caught.

Not like he needs to worry about his appearance before a blind man.]

I do hope your trip from Lestallum was less eventful than ours.

[discutio]

[lot of shadows early in the morning, and let's be honest he doesn't care as much about subtlety at this point. Ignis could see well enough to call him out.]

Oh, it was nothing eventful enough to comment on. Have you had a difficult time of it?

[comesunset]

[But if he did that, how many more questions it would raise.]

I think Titan would have damn near smashed my skull in even if Niflheim had not picked that very moment to try and do unto him as they did the Glacian. It was, in a word, a mess.

[discutio]

Didn't go well, then. I hope you at least got the sword you were after.

[comesunset]

And Titan's blessing as well, at what I imagine to be the very last moment it was possible. I daresay I don't feel up to another of those any time soon.

[discutio]

I hear the gods are terribly draining, in their demands of mortals. Won't be chasing down more of them anytime soon, I take it?

[comesunset]

Certainly not. They can very well sit tight for a while.

[He rubs his hand unconsciously over his forearm, which is hidden under his sleeve.]

[discutio]

They've surely waited a long time. A bit more won't hurt anything.

[comesunset]

Except perhaps me, if they intend to make themselves known as the Archaean did.

[discutio]

Doubtful. I think most of them a bit less...present than the Landforger.