nsamusements | Call Out Meme: Version 8.0

[It had been difficult to leave Havenwell, and in all truth part of him didn't want to. But time marched on, for everyone but him. And time was the one advantage he had now.]

[In a period well before Noctis, before any calamity that might or could befall the Lucian capital...things were very quiet. Niflheim's attempts at conquest proved fruitless, their military might weak and tapering off even as the king of Lucis' health did much the same. Near the end of Mors Lucis Caelum's reign, the threat of invasion was so diminished as to be nothing but uncertain rumors and a military presence gradually retreating from Tenebrae. Whatever had caused the decline in their magitek and numbers was impossible to say--maybe they had simply lacked some necessary breakthrough.]

[By the time Regis assumed the throne, the most pressing threat to Lucis became the wandering monsters in the daylight and daemons under cover of darkness. As a result the Hunters took a more widespread role without threat of imperial bases or dropships--and a man claiming to be Tenebraean rapidly proved himself a force to be reckoned with even among his fellow hunters. Few if any could venture out at night to contend with the larger daemonic threats, fewer still alone and able to return seemingly unharmed. Fewer still than that who could so easily command a squadron to do the same when the daemons' numbers were too many for a lone hunter, as well as have everyone return alive. Rumor had it he was simply fearless, while some were convinced he was a Messenger. (Most called these people crazy, but the suspicion remained regardless.)]

[On a day when the King and Crownsguard came to Meldacio HQ for a rare but necessary visit--soldiers moving from one organization to the other, discussion of monster and daemon movements along with what faint Niflheim activity still existed, supply requests and exchanges--there would be a man in black to greet them, hat swept off his head as he ducked into a low bow sending a long violet ponytail cascading over his shoulder.]

Your Majesty, honored guests; permit me to bid you all welcome. Lady Ezma and her son had to see to some business in Lestallum, they send their sincerest apologies. In their absence, I fear I find myself in charge today.

[He straightened back up, gold eyes focusing on Regis with a brief sharp focus before he broke out into a kind, cordial smile.]

Ardyn Sidereus--you may simply call me Ardyn, if you please. I am entirely at your service.

['Of the stars'--not just for his own true name, but as a small reminder of Honerva as well. It was certainly better than answering to another alias he might have used in a different and distant future.]

[Up to the very moment Regis had clasped his hand around the shell necklace he was wearing and stepped through that final gateway home, he was making plans. What was the first step to take in order to use what he had learned in Havenwell to make sure that the future he was told was set in stone, never happened? Who did he need to talk to first once he got back? What information needed to be gathered?

He had plans--so many plans--and all of them fell apart as soon as he stepped back into his office at the Citadel and found that the world was not how he had left it. Indeed, he stood alone in his office taking in the odd quietness for what seemed like forever before someone knocked softly and entered the room. Regis was unsurprised to see if was Clarus, but not Clarus as he remembered his Shield from the last time he saw him. This Clarus looked younger, less haggard and worn. He no longer looked like a man who was aging just as fast as Regis has been merely because of the worry and pain he carried on his shoulders.

It was, in hindsight, no surprise that Clarus realized something was wrong right away. Perhaps, it was the bits of gray in his king's hair that had not been there before. Perhaps, it was just the uncertain look on his friend's face, or the soft voice with which he asked him to cancel the rest of his meetings for the day and bring Cor back to the office. Thus started a very difficult conversation that Regis had known was coming, but was in most ways completely different than he had planned. Fortunately, his links to them, the Crystal, and his ability to wear the Ring of the Lucii all helped to prove his identity. Besides, no one else knew him better. The only other who knew him so well had passed from the world many years before.

Who knew the whole world could change and yet some things would still stay the very same?

It was during a quiet moment while visiting Aulea's tomb after finally sorting out as much as he could about the state of the world that Regis started to wonder exactly how it had all happened. He had spent most of his time in Havenwell as one of the ones farthest back in the timeline. It was something that he hoped would give him a greater chance to make a difference in the world, yet he had returned to a world already changed. Who could be responsible? Noctis, the boys, Lunafreya, Nyx, and even Cor had all come from after his time. The only ones who came from before were Verstael, Aera, and Ardyn. Honestly, it took him little time to dismiss the first two which left only Ardyn behind. Considering he had been the main force behind destroying Lucis and Eos, it only made sense that an Ardyn without madness and hate darkening his vision could be the one saving it.

What did this mean for Noctis' fate in the future? Regis wasn't sure on that. He knew his son still bore the title of the Chosen King and that daemons still roamed the night even if they were greatly diminished in numbers. That meant the scourge still plagued their Star, and by extension, Ardyn. A final reckoning would still be due, but it was one they were going to have more control over now since war and overwhelming darkness was not bearing down on them and tearing them apart. Nothing could be planned, though, without finding Ardyn first, and wasn't that the problem? Regis had no idea how to find him since the role the redhead would have been filling now--one Chancellor Ardyn Izunia--did not exist, and a thorough search of Angelgard proved that the tomb where Ardyn had been imprisoned for so long was indeed empty.

Perhaps, Regis should have been more worried that he couldn't track Ardyn down, but deep down he knew that when the redhead was ready to reveal himself to him, he would do so. Of course, he in no way expected that reveal to come during what had become a routine meeting with the Hunters at their Meldacio Headquarters.

With Cor and Clarus at his back, Regis returns the bow with a slight tilt of his own head. A small smile curls the corners of his mouth, but his surprise and amusement cause his eyes to twinkle in a way Ardyn should remember well from their time in Havenwell.]

Ardyn, is it? You will have to send my thanks to both to Lady Ezma and her son once they return. It is so nice to have a face and name to go with all the stories that have been making their way to the capital.

[And, quite honestly, those very stories should have given it away, but Regis had been looking farther away from home in his searches for Ardyn. He never would have guessed the man had been right under his nose the whole time.]

[When Ardyn chose to vanish, he was exceptionally good at it. Gralea had been a large city, easy enough for a shadow to disappear in (after a stretch of time lost in the expanse of nothing between there and the laboratory. Not as though he was going to freeze, but it was a bit embarrassing all the same.) From there it was a fair bit of time spent in Tenebrae--constructing a reasonable alias, surreptitiously planting a few leftover seeds taken in his armory, and above all else simply letting himself see Aera's homeland for the first time. Honestly, as lovely as her words has been, they did not quite do it justice.]

[And then, finally, returning home to a country that was and was not familiar. He could see remnants of what it had once been in places; flourishing settlements where villages had stood, worn down ruins where once had been...well, slightly less worn down ruins, and achingly nostalgic expanses of land in between. Establishing himself was easy--even as a terrible liar with a lot to hide, Ardyn was just the sort of person that was easy to trust.]

Oh, I am very sure my compatriots exaggerate, Your Majesty. [There was a flicker of something uncertain in his face--almost like he wasn't daring to hope for some unknown potential outcome--before the smile was firmly back in place. It was a relief to see him again, hastily locked away nerves be damned.] I would not put much stock in such tales, personally.

Stories may be exaggerated, but results speak for themselves.

[Before Regis can continue, he notices that look of uncertainty cross Ardyn's face. It's quickly hidden; the redhead's mask is built up of even more layers than his own, but Regis spent several years getting to know him in Havenwell. For the second of uncertainty that slipped through his mask, several times that had to be rolling inside of him.

Subtly, he brings his hands together in front of himself, being careful to let Ardyn see the way the rings on his hands are arranged. The Ring of the Lucii rests on his right hand while his wedding ring and a familiar black band adorn his left. That black band never left his hand, even after Cor left Havenwell, and it had been an immense relief to Regis that it had survived the journey back to Eos with him.]

There is much to discuss, though I wouldn't mind hearing some of what you have been doing from you once those discussions have ended. First, lets take care of one thing.

[Regis turns to Clarus, giving him a signal, and the Shield dismisses the rest of the Crownsguard that have come with them from the room. Not unexpectedly, both Cor and Clarus remain. It is their job, of course, but they have also grown a little more protective of him than they were before. Perhaps, hearing what was suppose to be his fate and the fate of Eos has scared them a little; perhaps, they just worry about the slight physical limitations he has that the Regis they knew before did not. Either way, they show no signs of leaving their king's side at the moment. All Regis can do is give Ardyn an apologetic look as he begins to speak again.]

Are we free to talk openly?

...

[He cast an uneasy look at Cor and Clarus both, a flicker of something not unlike a cornered cat in gold eyes. The only thing that died harder than old habits were irrational fears, and there were a dozen ways this could go badly running through his head at that very moment. He froze for only a second, then swallowed hard against whatever caught in his throat and focused back on Regis.]

I should say that we are indeed, Your Majesty. Whatever it is you would say, I would wish to hear it.

[Regis gives Ardyn a nod of acknowledgement before turning to Clarus and Cor once more.]

This is who I have been looking for.

[Before the two men can even comment on the statement, Regis has left their sides and crossed the room to stand before Ardyn. One might have thought he warped considering the speed of his movement, but there is no magic at work here, merely the happiness of one seeing an old friend again after a long time.

A wide smile crosses his face as the mask of a king slips away fully for the first time since he left Havenwell. Were Ardyn more comfortable, a hug would have followed the smile, but Regis restrains himself for the moment and makes due with placing his hand upon one of the redhead's shoulders, giving it a gentle squeeze.]

It's good to see you again, Uncle. You've accomplished more than I ever could have dreamed. I pray you have not been too lonely all these years.

[The facade dropped in an instant, along with the tension in Ardyn's shoulders. His face fell into a hand with an exhausted laugh that almost sounded like something else from someone unable to cry with relief.]

Gods--all these years I must have practiced how I might explain myself a thousand times, and it was just that simple?

[You're not getting away that easy. Ardyn immediately put his arms around Regis's shoulders once concern fell away to relief, hugging him tightly.]

Forgive me for not showing myself sooner, I...truly wasn't sure how.

[Regis is hardly one to to deny a hug, especially considering they have been sorely lacking since his return from Havenwell. As much as Clarus and Cor might be family, he is also their king and appearances must be kept, even in a changed world.

On the other hand, at least Noctis is still young enough to care little for "appearances."]

You have nothing to apologize for.

[Leave it to Ardyn to apologize during the first few minutes of their reunion as if it is the most important thing they have to talk about. Once again, as much as things have changed, some things never do.

As much as Regis doesn't want to break the hug, he knows he must take care of one more thing before he and Ardyn can really get down to the business of catching up. Honestly, he's half surprised that "something" hasn't already made itself more known. Perhaps, they are both still in shock at hearing Regis call this man they know nothing of "Uncle?"

With a sign, he pulls back and turns just enough to roll his eyes in the direction of Clarus and Cor.]

Now, if you two don't mind, will you kindly take your babysitting outside of the door?

[The two men share a look for a moment. Clarus is still bewildered, though willing to trust his king. Cor, on the other hand, is Cor. He starts to object, then stops and does his best not to roll his eyes. The childish expression is beyond him despite how often Regis makes him feel the urge to do so.

Still, after a moment, both men nod and retreat as requested, the soft click of the door closing a reminder than they will probably still listen in, but at least they won't interrupt unless they are needed.

Regis wastes no time turning back to Ardyn, a wide and welcoming grin on his face.]

Now, where do we even start?

[Cor and Clarus finally relenting to a point was enough to finally get Ardyn to relax about as much as he ever could, letting out a quiet sigh and quickly starting to collect himself.]

We're going to have a lot of explaining to do later; it will be of no help not to elaborate, and better to be forward than to be seen as keeping crucial secrets. [Like the walking plague, amidst other things.]

But...as to that, I'm not sure. I have some ideas for the short term, but I do not know how they might bear forth. Among other things, I was thinking it prudent if we could... [He faltered, rubbing the back of his neck in self-conscious nerves.] ...I could assist you in maintaining the city's magical defenses. My own use of magic has no strain on my body or limits contingent upon my stamina, so to assume such a task would surely...help? Wouldn't it?

[Relax? How is any of this relaxed? Is this the pace Ardyn's been working at all the years he's been alone? How has he not fallen to pieces?

Regis shakes his head, then finds Ardyn's hand and pulls the man toward a nearby table so they can sit.]

That's not quite what I had in mind. How about you tell me how you are doing? Niflheim is hardly knocking on our door anymore--that's thanks to you, by the way. Charting the course of the world's fate can wait a bit.

[If you're constantly thinking about how to fix things, there's no time to consider how emotionally wrung out you are!]

Oh...r-right. [Deep breath.] Well...I left Niflheim near as soon as I got back. I don't know what's happened with either Verstael or the Infernian, but I would imagine that if the former should wake then the laboratory may well be a smoking crater. Without me, I presume the army as I was told it existed--would exist--is a fruitless endeavor. [Carefully lining up what pieces he could and hoping they didn't fall over.] I knew it wouldn't be quite safe to return here too soon, so...instead, I went to Tenebrae. I've only been in Lucis for...I'm not sure, a few years now? Four or five, it's hard to keep track.

[It's still not exactly what Regis is looking for, but it's closer so he will take it.]

As Cor did end up rescuing a version of Prompto, I have reason to believe that Verstael did not end his days in a smoking crater along with his lab; however, there is very little evidence of any advancement beyond that. It's always possible he met his end in some other fashion. He didn't leave Havenwell as we did.

[And without memories to change the end goal of his experiments, Regis has every confidence Verstael continued along his original path until it came to its own disastrous end without the assistance he got in their original timeline.]

Whether four or five years, it is good you waited. I've only been back a little over a year. While I would like to think the version of me who was here would have listened to you just as I did when we first met in Havenwell, he still would not have known you as I do.

That's honestly a relief. I worried about Prompto when I left, but...I couldn't stay and risk helping him cause any further damage. [Ultimately the lesser of two evils was simply to disappear as quickly as possible.] Noctis warned me against returning before your coronation, and while I did believe you would listen, I just... [Ardyn trailed off, restlessly twisting the ends of long hair around his hand.]

...I don't know. Perhaps I feared seeing Insomnia again with my own eyes, or feared some uncertain terrible circumstance that would come about simply by virtue of my not belonging there.

You did the right thing. We both know there is no way he would have allowed you to remain a passive observer. Even if you had managed to dodge that fated meeting with the Infernian, sooner or later Verstael would have found a way to push you over the edge. As it stands, I've had Prompto moved to the Citadel so that he can grow up with Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio. They will nurture that good nature of his and he will lighten their days in a way they desperately need.

[He had debated the move for a very long time knowing the fact that Prompto had grown up outside of the hustle and bustle of royal life was one of the things that made him such an important person in Noctis' circle of friends. Learning that the parents he had been placed with were just as neglectful now as the ones he knew in the original timeline had ended that debate for him. It will be years before Regis knows if his gamble will pay off, but either way, it's a chance he was willing to take. One of many he's going to have to take.]

I don't blame you for worrying. I still wake up every morning worried that this world I've stepped back into will crumble the minute I open my eyes. It must be so many times worse for you considering how much longer you've been fighting your way through all this.

What do you--it hasn't been that long at all. [Not to him, at least. A handful of decades at most? Barely long enough to be noticed as a substantial amount of time.] I've been off in Tenebrae doing next to nothing of importance most of this time, that's hardly fighting anything at all.

[Ardyn shook his head, hand dropping from his hair.] It must have been lonely for you, wondering what was truly happening or if any of the rest of us made it back at all. So again, I want to apologize--I should have made myself known to you sooner than this. I just thought...well, I was afraid you wouldn't know me, for one thing. For another, it's not exactly a simple task to walk into the Citadel claiming I am who and what I am without being killed on the spot, and that's an inconvenience I can do without.

Ardyn...

[As exasperated as Regis' tone is, it is also full of fondness. He raises his hand and proceeds to poke the redhead in the middle of the forehead.]

You of all people know your fight is more than just a physical battle. Your ghosts have always made their home in the back of your mind.

[Regis sighs then, sitting back in his chair. Has he been lonely? Maybe? If he hadn't been too busy finding his place again to think about it. After all, busywork has always been his escape and it's never hard to find such work when one is a king and trying his damnedest to change the world for the better.]

I do appreciate the fact the only thing I had to scold you on upon our reunion that you jumped to apologizing so quickly and not the fact you got yourself killed trying to get to me.

[Because there would have been words. So many words. Now he can turn those words into actually trying to describe how he feels.]

I think the loneliness would have set in soon. I been employing that well-known Lucis Caelum tactic of just not thinking about the things that are bothering me.

[He does have the decency to at least look a little self-conscious as he says that.]

It's easy to do when you don't have someone who really understands at your side anymore.

Wh- [Raising a hand to his forehead, Ardyn barely managed to feign annoyance amidst the honest surprise.] It's not--I'm well enough. I've had enough to keep myself occupied, and keeping myself out in the open is...it helps, even accounting for the sunlight. [Better that than let himself start to keel confined. In that respect, it was only natural he'd end up with the Hunters--helping other was always his own calling, and being in the open space of Lucis' wilderness was practically second nature.]

But it's as you say. I was trying not to think about it. So...well... [He trailed off again, as if hesitating to ask for something they both knew to be an obvious course of action. Even if it were a foregone conclusion, speaking it into existence was a daunting thing for Ardyn.] I-it would be preferable were we able to keep an eye on one another. I know that what I ask is...troubling, if only in explanation to others, but...

[Another deep breath he didn't need, trying to pull himself together and say what some dark and lonesome part of him didn't dare hope for.]

I want...to come back to the capital. To see what it's become for myself, and that I might better help to protect it along with the rest of this world. Would--would that be possible?

[The urge to roll his eyes is strong, but Regis resists it. His answer to the request might be a foregone conclusion, but that doesn't mean Ardyn's own doubts and fears aren't valid.]

I've already laid the groundwork for you to step into a spot at the Citadel. I started planning the moment I realized that the only way for the world to have changed this much was for you to be in it. It was only a matter of finding you and finding out if you were ready to step into that spot.

[Regis folds his hands together, resting them on the table. Truth be told, his preparations were a little less than polished before walking into this room and seeing Ardyn, but doing so has given him the perfect way to polish that weak gleam into a glowing shine.]

As peaceful as things are, there are still many reasons the one bearing the weight of the Wall shouldn't be traveling outside of the capital. It only is fitting then, that a person who can be a voice for all of the Hunters is invited to come and stay in Insomnia.

...O-oh. I...really?

[He'd known the answer, logically. That didn't make it any less surprising to realize he had been thought of, Regis' mention of looking for him beginning to actually set in.]

I--y-yes, of course! [He broke out into a wide smile, nervous but no less eager for it.] I'll do anything and everything I'm capable of, you need only ask it of me. I did mean what I said--I see no point in having nigh-unlimited magic if not to use it to help.

[Ah, now there's an expression he's missed seeing.]

It's something we will need to discuss once you are settled. Because there are more amplifiers still active, the Wall's drain on me has been less than it was before. It'd be foolish for me to think that is all that is needed to keep myself from falling apart, though.

[Honestly, if Regis had his way, Ardyn could spend the rest of his days--however many there were--in Insomnia doing absolutely nothing and it would be just fine, but Ardyn would never allow it and they have more than just themselves to think of. There's Noctis. There's the whole world.

And, there's Bahamut. Eventually, said Astral is going to make his presence known and they will need everyone at their strongest to face him. That includes Regis.]

It probably helps I've not set up the Kingsglaive as it was before. There are plans, but they have not been implemented. There has been no need to go so far.

That does make sense...without Niflheim much of a threat, more than the Crownsguard wouldn't prove necessary. [That was one immediate worry lessened, though not removed entirely. Even so, he was going to end up insisting; better two of them support the kingdom than one alone.]

For the short term, then...we will have to tell them something, you know. Even if only the two of them. It won't be difficult to prove who I am, but the what concerns me far more.

[The first response Ardyn gets to his concern is Regis grinning and settling his head into his hand in a gesture that is purely the man who spent years in Havenwell instead of the king who has so recently returned to Eos.]

You may not know those two as I do, but I have told you enough about them that you should know there is no way we could have gotten to this point without me telling them something about you already.

[His words are amused, but he knows Ardyn's history with missing jokes no matter if it is purposeful or completely on accident, so he continues without giving Ardyn much time to fall into a cycle of worries.]

I have not told them everything, but I told them enough. I had to not only to explain Havenwell, but to explain why I was different from the man who should have been in their king's office that day. We've been working on rewriting history so that you are returned to it, but I've not made much of that public yet. I needed to make sure you were somewhere safe before I dared to draw any attention to the changes we were putting into place.

[Because, the world may be more peaceful, but Bahamut's shadow still hangs over them.]

That's not what I meant--wait, wait, wait, hold on, when was that decided on? [And there was the old flustered embarrassment; even after so long a time for mortals, Ardyn really hadn't changed that much since leaving Havenwell at all.] C-..correcting history is the least of our priorities right now, and it certainly isn't a necessity so far as I'm concerned. Does my brother know about that? Gods, tell me the ring's dormant right now.

[Regis brings up his other hand, folding his fingers together and then bracing his chin on them. The look in his eyes can only be summed up in a question that he doesn't give voice to because he really doesn't feel like it's necessary.

Really, Ardyn? Really?]

You have laid the groundwork, now it is time for me to smooth our path so when Noctis...

[Regis lets his words trail off for a moment, a question he's been pondering since he found out how much the world had changed floating back into his mind. Asking it now will give something to Ardyn to focus on that's not being embarrassed because someone is determined he finally have the place in their line he always should have.]

With us both here, do you think our Noctis will eventually arrive too?

[Ardyn huffed out a quiet breath and ran a hand back through his hair, mildly frustrated but acknowledging the argument was well and truly lost.]

...I don't know. I had no reason to expect you even would until seeing as much for myself, all these years I rather expected to be starting over completely. [But it was a possibility now, much as working out the time-based logistics gave Ardyn the kind of headache he thought he was largely immune to.]

Whether he does or not...is not something we can safely assume either way. I think it better in that case to simply allow time to unfold however it may end up unfolding and see where events might lead him. Better that than mistakenly expect him to live up to another.

[Beat.]

...Wait, how old is he? [alert alert all hands on deck there is an Adorable Child in the equation.]

slowly unearths

Uggg, it's unfair how good Ardyn looks in what is basically a modified Kingsglaive outfit!

;)

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