#and you can tell that ardyn wants to treat him like somnus so bad

[kokokuroro]

despite physical appearances, I think one of the really tragic and powerful parts of ffxv is Noctis is a lot more like Ardyn than he is like Somnus and the fact that both of them were literally imprisoned by the gods on Angelgard makes that very apparent

[autumn-maple13]

Lost to Time - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Confessions

They were all worried, that much was clear, but the way Ignis had yet to let go of Amara's unconscious form, the way he kept murmuring to her things that made no sense to them, that worried them far more under the current circumstances.

"Ignis," Noctis finally managed to get his advisor to look at him and decided that for once he wasn't going to let his friend get out of things. "We need to talk. Now."

"Noctis-"

"Now," Noctis commanded, glaring at the man. "Ignis Scientia."

"Yes, sir." Ignis knew from his tone that it was the King speaking to him now, and not his friend. Carefully laying Amara fully on the floor of the tent, he took only a few moments to make sure she seemed comfortable before emerging from the tent and closing it behind him. The man walked over to his friends and sat in one of the chairs after a look from Noctis. The younger man was sitting straight in his own chair, ankle crossed over his knee as he fixed his advisor in a questioning glance. He was taking his time to figure out just what words to say, trying to figure out how to get what he needed this time.

"Ignis, first and foremost, what is your real relationship with Amara?"

"I don't know, and I have yet to try and discuss anything with her."

"If the two of you aren't together, why do you keep running after her? And don't try to tell me it's because of the Arms. She hasn't had a bad reaction to them in a while now."

"Yes, she has, more than you know, but that's not for me to speak about." Ignis shook his head and stood again. "I'm sorry Noctis, but this line of questioning you want to take isn't one you need to subject me to. Amara is the only one who can give you the answers you want."

"But you know something!" Noctis was on his feet now as well, and the glare had returned. "Damn it Ignis I need to know what!"

"I can't say."

"That's a lie and you know it."

"No, it's not," the others gasped and looked over at Amara, watching as she struggled to come out of the tent under her own strength. Ignis was at her side in an instant, wrapping an arm around her and supporting her as she walked over to the King. "I ordered him to not say a word."

"And who are you to order him to do anything?"

The woman sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, they were a blazing red. The others were left to stare at her in when she snapped closed her connection to Noctis, leaving the guys reeling in shock from the force she put behind it. Gently pushing Ignis aside, the redhead stood straighter and stared Noctis in the eyes as she summoned the Royal Arms to her side.

"I am Amara Lucis Caelum, born 2000 years ago - before the ascension of King Somnus Lucis Caelum to the throne - to his brother and the first oracle Aera Mils Fleuret. Cast through time by my mother during the spread of the Star scourge, I was brought into this time by Bahamut to aid you in completing his prophecy, Chosen King." Amara allowed the arms to continue to float around her for another moment. Her friends looked like they had been struck by lightning, and though even Ignis also looked incredulous, he was the first to speak.

"Okay, that I didn't know."

"I didn't either. Every time another arm is gained, a bit more of my original memories are brought back. The Pious granted me a bit more as well." She admitted, still looking at Noctis. "If you don't believe me, reach out to the old Kings and ask them yourself. I'm sure Uncle Somnus would be more than happy to talk to you about it. Or, you could wait until we get to Altissia and ask Luna – she knows about me from my mother – the ghost woman you helped find me."

"You… wait what?" any trace of his Kingly self was gone as he gaped at his friend. "You're a Lucis Caelum?!"

"And a Fleuret, yeah." She allowed herself a shrug. "The reason the Arms were taking so much out of me though, is because my father was infected with the Star scourge when I was conceived. As a result, I was partially infected, but since my mother was the Oracle, it was prevented from spreading and was instead contained. The Scourge is a daemonic plague though, so the Arms, being weapons of light, were slowly clearing it away. My collapse today, and the magic I showed are a result of the plague being fully cleared from my system by the new Arm."

"And you knew about this?" Gladio looked more than a little peeved as he looked over at Ignis, who suddenly went on the defensive. "You knew she was sneaking around getting the Arms and… And doing this to herself?!"

"I knew she was also gathering the arms, yes," Ignis nodded, placing a gentle hand on Amara's shoulder. "And I knew part of the reason why, though the fact that it was the Scourge was not yet known, nor was her heritage. As you heard from her – even she didn't know."

The redhead nodded. "All I knew is that the day King Regis connected me to his Armiger as a Glaive, the old kings found me. Uncle Somnus knew who I was immediately and attempted to eradicate the Scourge – which is why I was in so much pain, and why I took to the magic so easily. But because I was unable to contain the amount of magic actually needed to heal me, not even gonna talk about the memory part 'cause I mean damn those aren't even fully back yet, I didn't know what was going on and fought him."

The advisor looked to their friends, then directly at Noctis. "She told me about some of it on her birthday, but since she hadn't unlocked her enough of her memories, she was scared to talk to you about it. I believe that had she not collapsed so spectacularly today-"

"I would have brought it up tonight, and let you figure out how to handle it," she confirmed. "But I'm not gonna stand by and let you interrogate my boyfriend when he can't answer your questions."

"Boyfriend?"

"You're not running off after Lestallum, Scientia, don't even think it's an option. Noctis, I can't answer all of your questions yet, but I'm willing to try and answer what I can now."

Noctis nodded slowly, taking a moment to look over her still drained stature. She hadn't even regained the color in her face, but the blue that was taking over the amber of her eyes and pull of familiar magic were more than enough to make him sigh.

"Fine but take a seat first. You look like you're gonna fall over."

And so, it began. For three hours Amara sat in a chair and told her friends the truth about everything, from the memories she had of her past, to how she was cast through time and how it had been Ardyn that placed the first blow in her need to find the Arms, as well as her suspicions that he was also a plague victim. There was only one issue that she was staying clear of for the moment, and when asked directly about it, she admitted her own concerns.

"What about your father, Amara? He was a Lucis Caelum, right?" it was Prompto who brought up the subject she was trying so carefully to avoid, and it made her hang her head in shame.

"I know who he is, but it's not something I'm ready to admit even to myself. He may be a Lucis Caelum, but he didn't keep himself on a good path," she paused, then looked up at her King. "He's caused a lot of problems that span even into this time."

"Did he travel through time as well?"

"Not quite. My father, well, he's so deeply infected by the Scourge, so much a part of it, that it's made him basically immortal, a monster." She listened to their gasps. "Noctis is the only one who can end him and the problems that follow him, but it's not going to be easy and it's not going to happen anytime soon."

"Amara, I know you said you didn't want to admit it, but…" Noctis looked unsure for a moment, glancing at Gladiolus in particular before he leaned over to rest a hand on Amara's. "Ardyn?"

The woman began to shake, digging her nails into her thighs until they thought she would make herself bleed. "Not quite. Ardyn," she paused for a moment and swallowed hard. "Ardyn Lucis Caelum, he is my father. But, Ardyn Izunia on the other hand… Izunia is what's left of him after the plague destroyed his mind and corrupted his body. He's nothing more than a puppet to the plague at this point, not my father. And I'll be damned if I let him get away with everything he's caused."

The King buried his face in his hands for a few minutes, trying to process everything that she had told him. It was quite the revelation, and one he had never expected. "What does that mean for… for us?"

"I'm sorry Noctis, but I really don't know what it will end up meaning," she sighed, and couldn't help but give him a shrug when he looked at her again. "Now that I am free of the plague, I will likely be able to wield the Arms properly, as you can, and I doubt that Izunia's spies will fail to let him know. Unfortunately, he's a smart man, so he'll know what that means, probably even before we really do."

"So, all we can do is stay on guard," Gladio growled, still clearly unhappy with what was going on.

"Wait-wait hang on a second guys!" Prompto was on his feet like he had suddenly thought of something. "Amara, you said you're half-Fleuret?"

"Yes."

"And Lady Lunafreya knows that?"

"Yes, where are you going with this?"

"Is it possible that Ravus guy knows too?"

The redhead started to reply but paused – thinking back over the way Ravus had treated her when she was being held on the Niff base, the way they had interacted, though their encounters were brief. "He… He might. And if he does, that would explain why Izunia left him in charge of me while I was unconscious. There's no way Ravus would harm a fellow Fleuret, even if it was only the first time we had met. The Fleuret bloodline wouldn't allow internal strife without repercussions."

"Neither would Ramuh," Noctis nodded slowly, looking at his friends. "Just like Bahamut is the Patron of the Lucis Caelum line, Ramuh has been seen as Patron to the Nox Fleuret. He's… not really a fan of feuds."

Amara nodded, thinking about the way, even now, that the god's power was interacting with her own. It felt oddly familiar like it was supposed to have been there. "But I don't think that's something to think about right now. We have to finish gathering the Arms before we take off for Altissia, and that's not going to be easy."

Iris seemed hesitant to speak in light of what was going on, but when she locked eyes with the redhead, she gulped down her doubts. "So, you guys really need to plan everything as carefully as you can, but you said it was Ar- eh, Izunia that gave you the map to the Arms. Isn't it possible he placed a trap at least one of them?"

"Unlikely. The magic barriers repelling the Daemon may have weakened for him to be able to approach them, but as far as Izunia is concerned I'm gathering the Arms as a part of his plan. If he wants me to gather them, he's not going to make the job any harder than it already is. What we should be worried about is whether or not he was aware that the Arms would be actively healing me. If he went out of his way to teach me how to unlock powers similar to his, I don't think he knows – and if he doesn't know, that could mean he wanted the Scourge to eat away at my mother's powers to make me more like him."

"That's a concern all its own," Ignis agreed, though he didn't look too hopeful about whatever was on his mind. "But I agree with Iris – we need to plan everything extremely carefully."

Gladiolus nodded but wouldn't look at them. Something outside the realm of their conversation was clearly on his mind, but with everything she had just divulged, Amara didn't feel quite right asking him. Instead, she focused on Prompto and Noctis, both of whom were eyeing her with varying levels of their own concern as Ignis put out the map of the Arms in front of them.

Everything else would have to wait a little longer.

[autumn-maple13]

Lost to Time - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Strange 

Amara groaned internally as she and the guys walked toward the one man she really had not wanted to run into that day, watching as her friends pretty much ignored his presence at first. At least, until he looked up from using one of the outlook's binocular mounts with a sly smile.

"What a coincidence." He chuckled, and though a look of recognition crossed their faces she could already tell he was not showing his true self to them.

"I'm not so sure it is," Gladiolus grumbled, narrowing his eyes as the newcomer walked towards them – unfazed.

"Aren't nursery rhymes curious things?" the guys just gave him a confused look, though Amara knew what was coming. "Like this one: 'From the deep the Archaean calls… Yet on deaf ears, the gods' tongue falls. The King made to kneel, in pain, he crawls."

"So how do we keep him on his feet?" Prompto spoke, concerned but hesitant, stepping aside as the man walked through the group, giving the woman a smirk they others didn't see.

"You need only heed the call. Visit the Archaean and hear his plea… I can take you."

While the man waited patiently a few feet away, Amara allowed the guys to huddle up loosely with her.

"We in?" Gladio clearly wanted nothing to do with it but looked at his king anyway.

"I don't know." Was the reply, making Prompto pipe up.

"We take a ride...?"

"But watch out backs." Gladio finished.

"Fair enough."

"Let's do it."

Looking over at their "guide" Amara almost shuddered at the too-nice smile he sent their way. He turned to walk up the steps to the cars parked on the level above them.

"I'm not one to stand on ceremony, but such an occasion calls for an introduction. Please, call me "Ardyn"." She hadn't thought he would introduce himself so blatantly, but it seemed that without his last name attached to it – the name didn't mean a thing to the guys. "Follow me to the car park, that's where I left my automobile. She's a dear old thing – pales in comparison to your Regalia, but she's never let me down. We can take both cars, a caravan of sorts."

"I'll just ride my bike between you two then."

"Oh, that motorcycle up there is yours? Dear girl, the Disc is no place to travel on such a thing. If there's no room with your friends, you can just ride with me instead."

Everyone was startled by the arm Ignis threw up in front of the woman as he glared daggers at the man, though the sudden concern was shared by the others as well. With a deep breath, she stepped around the man, turning and giving everyone a slight smile.

"He may have a point. We can come back for my bike later." She stepped close, motioning for the others to do the same. "Besides, I may be able to find out some more from him without you guys glaring at him like he just shot me or something."

"I can assure you she will be safe with me," Ardyn called to them, the door to his car already open. Amara gave them a nod and a smile, turning on her heel to go join her fellow redhead. He closed the door to his convertible as soon as she was in the seat, then turned to the others. "Let us be off then?"

Her friends were shooting her a few more looks as they hurried to get into the Regalia, though her attention quickly shifted to her trickster father as he got behind the wheel and pulled ahead to the ramp out of the parking lot. With the others soon behind them, they were off – heading out of town towards the open blockade gate they had passed through on their way to the city.

"You're disguising yourself again. How?"

"I'm not so sure I should teach you just yet. Perhaps tonight, after your friends are no longer watching you quite so intensely."

Amara sighed, looking out at the passing wilds. Ardyn hummed softly for a few moments, then let a hand leave the wheel to rummage through his jacket.

"Have you had a good birthday so far, Amara?" his voice was just loud enough for her to hear over the wind, making her look at him once more. When she did, she was surprised to see him holding out a small bag of specialty candies. "Ah, your mother's band looks even better on you in the light."

"My mother… Aera Mils Fleuret." She accepted the bag, though she hesitated before deciding to try one of the treats. Hoping it would put him a bit more at ease and make him more willing to talk she unwrapped one of the confections, popping it in her mouth but freezing when she realized just how good it was, though she couldn't quite place the flavor of it. Whoever had made the things was not kidding around.

"Oh, so you've begun to remember?" he smiled, watching her pick through the bag to try and decide which of the strange candies to try next. "The red one is my favorite. They're made from sweet wines – non-alcoholic though, I assure you."

"Bits and pieces."

"You were so young back then I can't be surprised. Besides, you hardly ever got the chance to see her unless she managed to give Somnus the slip and escape to visit me outside the Kingdom."

"Then, how did… I mean, how did I…" she faltered, but he seemed to know what she was getting at. Turning onto another road, he sighed and waited until the crinkle of another wrapped had stopped.

"We had managed to spend a bit more time together than usual, and I wanted to make it count. We didn't realize you were coming to us until later."

"I have one other question."

"I'm sure there are many more than that."

"Yeah… How long ago was 'then', and how did I get here? How did you get here?"

"Darling, I am an immortal, though I won't get into the details about how that came about just yet. However, the cause of my immortality is what made me and your mother combine our powers to send you away. Although we had no idea where or when you would end up, we knew it was a place better than where we were at the time. But, even Aera didn't know the whole truth, not at the time… It's been over two thousand years."

"Dad?" she was shocked, trying to fit that piece into the mystery she had hoped to begin unraveling a bit more than she was.

"A story for a later dear, for now, I say we ought to find a place to sleep for the night." It shocked her to look out at the horizon and see the sun setting already. Had they been on the road that long? As Ardyn turned the car down another road, she noticed a gas station coming into view, a caravan outside of it. He was quick to pull in to park there, and she was happy to see the guys pulling in soon after, even if they looked less than happy as they got out of the Regalia.

"What's say we stop for the night here?"

"What's say we continue on to the Disc?" Gladiolus growled.

"The Archaean's not going anywhere."

"Neither are we, under your stewardship." Ignis walked quickly to Amara's side, the others following closely.

"So we make camp – with Ardyn," Prompto whined.

"Hell no." Noctis interrupted, though the Shield only sighed.

"Might as well get the tent up."

"Oh, I'm afraid I've never really been one for the outdoors. I shall foot the bill, so let us stay in that caravan over yonder."

Unsure and uncomfortable looks were exchanged before the group reluctantly followed him to the caravan, allowing him to leave them to rent it before surrounding their friend.

"Did you find anything out?"

"Not anything useful." The woman shook her head and sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "More importantly, how long were we on the road? It seemed like it was maybe half an hour, but it's already so late?"

"Strange indeed." Ignis agreed. "He didn't do anything did he?"

"No."

"Good, then would it be okay for us to ask that you accompany Noctis and I for a few moments while Gladio and Prompto prepare the caravan to sleep us tonight?"

"Sure." The duo was sharing a look that put her on edge, but she followed them anyway – only to be swiftly pulled towards some abandoned cars off beside the station, past the few carts that were overflowing with various smells. Out of view and out of earshot, the men stood before her with looks of concern that were definitely meant for more than just her ride.

"Amara," Noctis gently lifted one of her hands and gave it a squeeze, looking her in the eye. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah of course," she shrugged, smiling slightly at her friends to try and get some of the tension out of the air. "I felt a little bad this morning, but after such a great wake-up call I feel fine."

He can sense your growing strength, child. Her father's voice? But it sounded different somehow. You will soon need to sever your link to him, 'lest he find out the hard way about your little quest.

"Amara, are you sure finding the Arms isn't taking too much of a toll on you? You've been different since I started getting them."

"Well, duh!" She laughed. "You're not just my friend anymore Noctis, you're my King – and every time you get a new Arm it affects me more than the others. I'm a Glaive, my job is to serve my King: act as a conduit for his magic and reflect his will in battle. Every time you gain a new Arm, your strength and magic strengthen significantly – and it not only affects me the way you've seen, it reminds me of what our positions really are. I'm sorry Noct, but I can't keep treating you as just a friend when every day you seem to grow up a little more."

"Why not?" Ignis seemed to be aware of her plan to get their companion onto a different topic and briefly nodded his understanding. "We all do."

"For now. Look, I'm not saying we're growing apart or anything, okay? You're still one of my best friends." Amara gave the shorter of the men a tight hug, pulling away after a moment to smile brightly. "I'm always going to hang around and remind you at the worst possible moments about all the embarrassing shit you did in high school."

"…Promise?"

"Yeah! As a matter of fact, I may or may not have let slip a few stories when I met Lunafreya in the city." The blush that raced up Noctis's face as he tried to figure out which stories she may have told was enough to make the woman start laughing again, shoving his shoulder. "I'm kidding! Mostly. Don't worry I didn't tell her anything bad."

"We're going to talk about this later Amara." Noct wasn't kidding, giving her a stern look though his flushing face betrayed his still lingering embarrassment. The king turned on his heel and stalked away, clearly planning some kind of revenge, but her view of his retreating form was blocked when Ignis stepped in front of her.

"Is there anything I can do to make you change your mind about telling him?"

"Not yet Ignis. He's going to have a lot more questions than you because of his connection to the old kings – questions I know I can't answer yet. Every time we find a new Arm, things clear up more, so it may only be a little while longer." She gave him a gentle smile, resting a hand on his arm. "For now, we need to focus on this Ardyn guy, and getting Noctis to the Disc safely."

"On that note, I think we should discuss your taking candy from a stranger." The man plucked a wrapper from where she had stuffed it haphazardly into her pocket. "Or did you think it would help get him to talk."

"Yes. Also, that thing was damn good. If you ever decide to start dabbling in other kinds of cooking, we're gonna try to make these." It must have been the look on her face, but Ignis couldn't help but snort slightly in response. Reaching up to cover his mouth he shook his head at her and finally led her back to the others, where they found Ardyn happily chattering away about some of his previous travels. The woman decided to stand in the doorway of the caravan while her partner got to work whipping up a quick dinner. Although her father seemed oddly comfortable towards Prompto, he didn't behave all too strangely as he conversed with the group – even patiently answering any questions the guys proposed.

Ardyn even made pleasant conversation as they all ate together, complimenting Ignis on his cooking skills and inquiring about how he had come to put the meal together. Though loathe to go too into detail, the advisor did remain polite, if a bit cryptic.

Before long they were all heading off to bed – with Noctis and Gladio sharing the far one and Amara curling up between Ignis and Prompto in the front one, leaving her father on the pull-out couch (which he had accepted without argument). It was a long while before the soft breathing of her companions filled her ears. She tried not to shift too much, but when Ardyn stepped into the small room she couldn't help but jump. He smirked and motioned for her to follow him, which she did (surprised when Ignis didn't shift in the slightest as she climbed over him). Dressing quickly in the corner, she soon joined him in the main part of the trailer and followed as her father led her from the caravan into the chilly night air.

"Follow me, Amara."

"Wait, what about the guys?"

"I have more than one trick up my sleeve. They won't wake until we return."

"Did you drug them or something?"

"Of course not, I can't have them bumbling around like idiots come morning. I used magic. Now, do you want to learn some of it, or not?"

She couldn't pass up that chance, she already knew it. "I do, lead the way."

He nodded and motioned once more for her to follow. "The first thing we need to do is see how much of my magic you already inherited."

"And how much of mom's?"

"Yes, but not for the same reasons. I can't teach you about your mother's magic, but it can affect how much of my own you may be able to learn to harness." He led her quickly across the abandoned road, then jumped over the wall to the ground below. Amara followed carefully towards the abandoned shack that sat amongst construction leftovers and piles of dirt and debris, then out behind it and beyond one of the large stones that separated them from the wild of the grassy slope that wound through large stones for some yards yet. He didn't take her much farther though, but standing in the open out of reach of the lights that kept the station safe – she might as well have been on a Glaive mission for as tense as she was.

"Alright Amara," her father looked at her expectantly as he pulled a glove from one of her hands. Holding the bare palm towards her, she hesitantly moved her hand to rest atop his – having to harness every ounce of willpower she had to stay still when a dark, purple-tinged glow erupted from his hand. Her own hand reflected it in response, though she didn't miss the yellow glow at the center. It seemed to be exactly what Ardyn had been looking for, though she could have sworn there was also a bit of disappointment (and sadness) in his eyes as well.

Ardyn dropped his glow and pulled his glove back on. "You do have a bit of my power, but it seems that your mother's is mixed in quite intricately. So, we'll start with something simple – using magic to disguise yourself."

"What do I need to do?"

"You've already unlocked your own armiger, so remember how you did it. Focus on it, but instead of seeking the armiger's power – seek the power you just felt in your hand and find how it flows within you."

Not at all convinced, but still very much aware of her position, Amara closed her eyes and did as she was told. Noctis' connection flickered at the edge of her own power, becoming blotted out as she sought out the power she could still fill tingling in her palm. The feeling soon began to spread through her, and she found that as it did – the cool air of her environment began to bother her much less.

The feeling of the awakened power was almost chaotic in a way, though it held a refreshing calm at its center. She felt its ebb and flow around her own armiger, though only the 'calm' could envelop the bit of Noctis's that she held. When she opened her eyes again, Ardyn stood there with a patient smile.

"Now spread it across your body – and focus on what you want it to do." Amara hesitated but focused again on the first thought that crossed her mind. It must have worked too because as she watched her father's face go through a variety of emotions before she found herself confident she had accomplished her goal. Shaking his head, Ardyn pulled his phone from a coat pocket, taking a picture before he turned the screen to her.

Standing there in the image was not Amara, but the person who had entered her thoughts first.

Aera.

"It worked?"

"Very well." The man gave a troubled smile, then a joking one when she reigned in the magic cloaking her. "Oh, there you are Amara!"

"Hey dad, did ya miss me?" was she seriously joking around with him now?

"Of course, darling. Now come, we should get you back to bed. A short lesson though it may be, disguising yourself takes quite a bit of energy until you grow used to it." Ardyn lifted her up this time, and she felt both of them melt away in a feeling that was far more powerful than what she had felt before. Only a moment later, they were standing outside the caravan once more, earning him a confused look. "Oh no, you know the basics – now you can start figuring out the rest yourself."