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year 5, quarter 3
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[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] After Noctis took him up on his offer to join them fishing, Caius and Vordun moved back to the water’s edge. Trailing after them, Noct settled into a sandy patch of ground near the kingsglaive. Personally he was hoping to get a little closer to the dragon, but he understood that Vordun wanted to sit next to the guy he actually knew. Cats were the same way. You had to be patient if you wanted to earn their trust. Of course, throwing in a little food never hurt either.
Caius was nice enough to offer him some fishing gear, but Noctis waved him off with the trace of a grin. “Thanks. My fishing rods came with me though since I stored all that in my glaive. I guess I should have put more everyday objects in there. Our camping gear would really come in handy right about now.” As he spoke, he summoned his fishing pole to his hand in a shower of tiny blue sparks before he set about dealing with spooling the line. Truthfully, storing his fishing rod next to the royal arms of his ancestors had been bordering on disrespectful in some people’s eyes, but he had never seen the issue himself. It was certainly his first weapon of choice aside from the Engine Blade.
As he worked on attaching a reel and selecting a lure that would be suitable for the ocean in the daytime, Caius painted him a thorough picture of Cissnei. It was a well-rounded description, and he got a better idea of why Caius had pointed Prompto to her. She sounded a bit like Aranea honestly—competent and capable, you probably couldn’t trust her, but in the end she might mean well. Or at least she had what you needed.
“...Yeah, I trust Prompto. I know he’ll do whatever he can to get them out. If Cissnei wants his life story though, then she probably has it,” he admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s not really known for his restraint. So hopefully she doesn’t find much use for any of that info outside of Eos.” Anyway, that was a problem for after Ignis and Gladio were safe. If Cissnei could help his retainers, then he didn’t really care how shady she was in the meantime. Though considering how much help they’d once had to accept from the Chancellor of Niflheim, Noctis was used to situations where he was forced to rely on someone that he’d rather not. He was also familiar with how badly that could go wrong.
The thought of Ardyn left a sour taste in his mouth, so he cast the line into the ocean a bit further than he’d wanted to. Grimacing, he reeled it in a little as he tried to process all the information that Caius had given him. “Please tell me you’re joking about the robot houses.” He probably wasn’t. There was probably a story there. Noctis wanted it.
He also wanted to ask the question that had been bothering him since he had learned where Ignis and Gladio were. “...Hey. How similar is Sonora to Niflheim? Would they try to execute them?”
Post by Caius Dragelion on May 16, 2022 8:59:55 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
"You store them in your glaive too?" Caius asked with an amused smile, watching as the King of Lucis would summon a fishing rod into his hands. He had seen it as practical, he wouldn't ever understand why some people would frown upon it. If you have the power to make it easier on yourself when it came to your survival, why wouldn't you use it?
He tried to be fair with Cissnei, but Caius was always going to be as blunt as a rock on matters. Especially when it was important. Cissnei had what they needed right now, but they did need to be careful. This operation was just too sensitive to make a mistake. Noctis would assure him that Prompto likely wouldn't make such a mistake, though he would certainly gush his life story to the girl. "It's not like I haven't given my life story to a pretty girl. Though that one has more than earned my trust" Caius admitted with a small chuckle at the thought of Prompto regaling Cissnei with his entire life, all while she silently took notes. "I've told Cissnei this and that myself, though mostly just stories. I enjoy telling them, so I've never shied away from telling people about the King of Lucis and all his exploits. So I doubt a story is going to do us any harm."
Caius would finish re-preparing his line and would cast once more. Vordun's head picked up as his gaze followed the line. "I just hope he doesn't get intoxicated and drop a hint about someone he cares about. If she thinks she has something to gain from letting that get out, she'll do it."
Of course, Cissnei had completely misunderstood the nature of what he was saying, which had created some awkwardness. But that had been sorted out quickly enough with an adult conversation or two. Still, he would never forget the teasing little hint that the Dragonblades were competition. He hadn't taken it too seriously back then, but he was starting to get the impression that she meant it. And he refused to let that possibility drag Noctis, his retinue, or the Dragonblades down with him if the worst happened.
But for now, things were as peaceful as could be and he was grateful for the respite. There wouldn't be much respite for a little while once they got started on this breakout. Here, he could relax. Nobody was going to attack a dragon if they were smart. Noctis though, asked about the robot houses. That got a groan-laugh out of him. "I am not."
He wished he was.
But then came a subject that wasn't exactly laugh-worthy. He sighed as Noctis brought up the prospect of his friends being executed.
"To be honest with you, Your Highness. I don't know."
That was awkward. He understood why he asked it, for Caius had considered the same thing. He quietly reeled in his line a bit.
"Sonora is... A lot like Niflheim. Heavily militant, police and military are everywhere, it feels like it's in a constant state of martial law. Gods know I wouldn't want to see what their actual martial law is like. And I hear their punishments are unfairly severe. It's a cruel place, not one I like staying in for longer than I have to. But as far as execution goes... Well, what we know is that your friends are still alive. So that counts for something. They seem to be the "slow suffering, watch them decay to death" types. Though I wouldn't put it past them to execute them if they attempted an escape. That very well could be our fate if we fail."
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Caius seemed to think it was pretty funny that Noctis stored his fishing equipment in his glaive, and the prince glanced at him in interest when he mentioned that he did too. “You know, I think we’ll get along just fine.” It was actually pretty nice to have someone to fish with again. His friends had never had much interest in joining him, but they had been huge fans of back-seat fishing and reminding him to respool the line. It had gotten kind of old at the time, but he found that he missed it now that he was alone. Hopefully they could rescue them soon.
Caius seemed to wave off the thought of Prompto spilling his life story to a pretty girl by admitting that he had before too. Noctis almost asked if that girl was here on Zephon, but he thought better of it. He didn’t want to bring up any bad memories for the kingsglaive if his girlfriend was still back home on Eos. Especially since he didn’t really want to talk about Lunafreya on his end, and she was still the only girl he’d ever been interested in. Maybe that was why Ardyn had killed her. He seemed to want Noctis to hate him, even if he still wasn’t sure why.
The prince’s mood was going to plunge way too fast if he kept on that line of thought, so he was glad that Caius continued onto the stories that he’d apparently told Cissnei about the king of Lucis and his ‘exploits.’ That at least was enough to make him laugh a little. “You mean my dad actually had exploits?” Sure, Noctis had heard stories from Cid, Weskham, and Clarus about King Regis’ journey to collect all the royal arms, but it was a lot different to hear it from someone his own age. It made it sound like he’d continued to be exciting, and Noctis had never really seen that side of him. He’d been more of a stern king than anything since the war with Niflheim had worsened.
Noctis adjusted his grip on the fishing pole as Caius gave a way too specific example that he hoped Prompto didn’t get drunk and let slip to Cissnei that he cared about someone, because apparently she’d spread it if doing so would benefit her. “...Dude. She did that to you?” He asked, since Caius hadn’t exactly been subtle about where that had come from. “That’s pretty messed up…I don’t think we have to worry about Prompto though. Everyone and their grandfather already knows that he likes our mechanic. He literally calls her the grease-monkey goddess.” It was one of those nicknames that made him worry about Prompto really. His friend just turned into such a stuttering mess around girls, but he was bound to grow out of it someday. Probably.
Noctis had to grimace a bit at Caius’ description of Sonora. It really did sound like they were walking into a still-occupied Gralea. He’d never had the chance to do that back home after Ardyn had the place overrun with daemons, but there was nothing else for it here with his friends on the line. Ignis and Gladio were probably suffering pretty bad it sounded like, but at least they weren’t in danger of being executed before they could stage a rescue. They were all screwed if the rescue went poorly apparently, but Noctis waved aside the possibility of execution for himself. He was way too used to being on the run.
“That’s probably what Niflheim would have done if they’d caught me too. Same fate, just a different place.” On the other hand, he had no idea what Ardyn had planned for him. His last words before Noctis had been sucked into the crystal only raised more questions than answers really. He wanted a proper fight once Noct had reached full power, and he wanted him to come mad and ready to kill him. But why?
Not that dwelling on Ardyn mattered until his friends were safe.
It suddenly occurred to Noctis that this was a lot more to risk for Caius than it was for him. “Hey…” Taking the risk to only hold onto his fishing pole with one hand, Noctis turned to face the blond man a little more seriously. “Don’t feel like you have to get involved with that directly. I know you barely know us, and it sounds like you have a pretty good thing going on here. I wouldn’t ask you to put any of that at risk when you’ve already helped us a lot.” Honestly, he wasn’t sure that they couldn’t use the help, but he didn’t want Caius to feel like he had to join the rescue because he used to be one of Regis’ kingsglaive. That was all.
Post by Caius Dragelion on May 29, 2022 9:43:29 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
It was weird to think of His Highness considering him a friend here. While Caius was loyal to his once-King back in Lucis, he did not know the man very well. He was just one of many civil servants, after all. Caius was a face in the crowd trying to keep Lucis safe, and later to rebuild. He had never really considered getting to know the King, either. To him, the King had been above his station and was far too busy to engage in pleasantries with someone like him. Not that he had really known how to get to know people anymore at that point either. Too much had happened and it had been too long since he had felt a genuine kinship with anyone.
Yet here he was. In another world, fishing with a younger depiction of the man he had once served. It was weird, and yet he didn't find himself minding. There was no Lucis anymore, no titles. Just old sentiments and stories. And it was nice to have company when he was fishing for once. Company that he could actually talk to, anyway. Vordun was good company, but sometimes it would be nice to have someone you could converse with that didn't nap the entire time. It was one of Caius' few actual hobbies, though he wouldn't call it one. It was nice to share it with someone for once.
Caius smiled slightly when Noctis asked if his father had exploits. He at least knew of King Regis from his time studying Lucian history. It had all been to better himself as a Kingsglaive, but he probably knew enough to bull it if he needed to. Even if he didn't want to. He had no desire to lie to Noctis, and he hadn't done so yet. While Noctis hadn't noticed, Caius had yet to actually say he was part of the retinue of King Regis. He hadn't confirmed nor denied it, and that was how it was going to stay, he intended, until he could find the opportunity to correct him. It just... Didn't seem like the right time.
Though a small chuckle came from him when Noctis apologized for Cissnei. "No harm done that a long talk couldn't fix. A touch of awkwardness. But it was a tell of how capable of, and willing to weaponize her information she is. She's shrewd, and you can't be too careful. And I haven't been careful enough since coming here. I became too laid-back and trusting with how good things have been. So I suppose I owe her one for reminding me of who I used to be, and why."
But the nickname? Got an actual, full-bellied laugh out of him. Grease-Monkey Goddess? Seriously? "That's a good one" the mercenary chortled, almost losing his grip on his line. "Hope she doesn't hear it, though."
And yet the laughter was short-lived. Caius didn't say anything when Caius brought up their fate if they failed, and what Niflheim might have done if he was captured. He really did not want to go back to Sonora, much less its prison. And yet... As Noctis brought up that he didn't have to go, Caius sighed as he knew that the time had come. There was nothing he could say to justify his going if he didn't tell Noctis the truth.
"Your Highness" he spoke softly, though there was a hint of urgency and concern in his voice. "Before I tell you why I'm going, I hope you can understand that I wanted to wait to tell you until after we rescued your retinue. It didn't seem like the right time. You're occupied with getting your friends out and I didn't want to add to the pile. This is... Not going to be an easy thing to swallow, and I won't blame you one bit if you choose not to believe me."
Great, just what he needed. Having to say this now. But he knew that there was nothing else he could say. Just "I want to" wasn't going to do it when he had so much on the line. And he didn't want to make up a lie. No, he didn't want to lie at all. Not anymore. Not even indirectly.
"As you've probably guessed by now, this world exists as a sort of gate between others. Though how one travels to and from them is a mystery, and for some like me, they may never return from whence they came. I have been around the block quite a bit on Zephon, and seen many things. You and Prompto are not the first Lucians I have met, either. But strangely enough, those I have met are not from the same time period of Lucian history as I am. Some I met have existed as far back as the time of the Founder King himself, and I have... Well, I've learned some interesting things about Lucian history as a result, to say the least."
Caius looked out at his line, still trying to figure out where to even begin on wording all of this.
"You and Prompto are the same. You came from a different time period than I did. The truth is, I have yet to meet a soul from my own era. Everyone is either from 12 years before I was sent here... Or hundreds."
And there it was. Caius had never served with King Regis. There was no going back now.
"The King that appointed me was King Noctis Lucis Caelum. And while you may not be the same man, I refuse to see you locked up in a Sonoran prison. That is why I am going. But I will not involve the Dragonblades. If we fail, I alone need to take the fall. This is as much a personal mission for me as it is for you."
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Caius loved Prompto’s nickname for Cindy, and his laugh was infectious enough that Noctis snorted a bit too. He had almost forgotten just how objectively ridiculous ‘grease-monkey goddess’ was as a nickname. He had been too used to his best friend to really question it. To him, it was one of those things that would fall out of Prompto’s mouth and you just had to roll with it. “Honestly, he’d probably deserve it if Cindy did hear it,” Noctis said while shaking his head. He wasn’t going to be the one to tell her though. He wanted his friend to have the best chance possible, but Prompto was likely to hang himself with his own rope anyway. He usually did when it came to girls.
Noctis had been trying to let Caius off the hook for the mission by pointing out that he didn’t owe him anything even if he’d served his father. He wasn’t expecting the blond mercenary to suddenly look really somber and express that he hadn’t wanted to tell the prince something until afterward. “...Sure, go ahead. Whatever it is, I can take it,” Noct said with a frown. He even committed the cardinal sin of leaving his fishing pole mildly unattended as he turned to face the man to hear what he had to say. He kept at least one hand on the fishing rod though. Better safe than sorry when it came to losing a great catch.
Noctis nodded along for the first part of what Caius had to say—he’d met enough people on Zephon so far to know that people came here from all kinds of worlds, but he hadn’t heard yet that people could be from different time periods. “Seriously?” He managed, trying to figure out what that could mean. Were there younger versions of people he knew wandering around? Were these even the versions of Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto that he’d last seen? Could there be people who were dead in his time that were here? Apparently yes, because Caius dropped that he’d met people from the founder king’s era of all things.
Before his mind could spiral too far out of control, Caius reached his main point for wanting to come on this mission, and Noctis froze in place as he stared at the man. His fishing pole nearly slipped from his grasp, but he managed to fumble and catch it at the last moment as his thoughts raced to catch up. “You’re saying you were…one of my kingsglaive? Or that you will be 12 years from now?” The word kingsglaive sounded odd on his lips when he wasn’t referring to one of his dad’s. Sure, he’d always known that he’d have an army someday too, but that had always been theoretical. Especially lately, when he hadn’t even been sure that he’d ever get to sit the Lucian throne.
Caius being from the future should have been absurd. He might have even argued it if he hadn’t already met Alex. The guy had managed to convince him that Noctis had somehow traveled to his world and gone camping with him before coming to Zephon. Compared to that, someone from the future on Eos was only mildly weird.
The fact that he even had a future that distant made Noctis go a little quiet as he looked up at Caius to ask his first question. “...Does that mean we stopped the daemons?”
Post by Caius Dragelion on Jul 6, 2022 11:16:54 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
"Basically, yeah."
Well, that was casual and blunt considering what Noctis had just asked him. But Caius had spent enough time coming to terms with the fact that if a Noctis showed up, it wouldn't be the same one he had served. He had known from the moment that Prompto had shown up at his doorstep. It was always people from outside of his point in time. Even people from his own world had made Caius feel like he was alone on his own little island, and he had been given far too much time to think about that fact. But he couldn't blame Noctis for almost dropping his fishing rod after what Caius had just told him. And he wouldn't blame him if Noctis himself thought Caius was lying.
And yet, Noctis didn't call him on it. Or at least, he didn't yet. He was sure there would be plenty of questions, and it wouldn't surprise the once-kingsglaive if Noctis inquired as to his own sanity. Once he had gotten the hard part of getting this burden off his chest out of the way though, Caius at least seemed to relax a little and casted his line again. He had lost track of where the bob was through all of this, so it was better to just reset and start again with the line.
Of course, Noctis' first question was a heavy one. "Yes" Caius answered with a short nod of his head. "You were gone for ten years. According to the palace's documentation, the crystal swallowed you whole and sent you into some sort of training for ten years. During that time, the Starscourge blighted out the sun completely, and daemons nearly wiped out all life in our world. There wasn't a whole lot of hope left when you returned, but you did. You gave a nice, rousing speech. Kind of awkward, very soft-spoken but it inspired a lot of people. Myself included. Then you started glaive-ing, so I fought my arse off to distinguish myself when we fought to take back Insomnia."
Caius smirked faintly at a memory that crossed his mind. "I was dumb enough to go after the Ifrit without any Kingsglaive powers. Apparently you thought that made me Kingsglaive material. Or you were desperate for people foolhardy enough to fight gods, either or."
He shrugged at that, before continuing. "In the end, I was made Kingsglaive and managed to not die while you were off slinging gods at the Ifrit and some giant dog thing, you stormed the citadel and to be honest, I don't know much about what happened after that. All I know is you took out Adagium, or Ardyn, or whatever it may be this week. And then the sun was back. I served for two years after that, before presumably perishing. I don't know if I died for sure, it got really dark and I'm pretty sure the magic dagger hit my vitals. And then I was here."
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Caius basically confirmed that he’d be one of Noctis’ kingsglaive twelve years from now, which was a lot to take in. For one, the guy looked a few years older than him, so it was weird to think of him wanting to serve Noctis. But no, that wasn’t quite right, was it? If his story was true, then Caius must have just been a kid when Insomnia had fallen. As if this whole thing wasn’t crazy enough.
Noctis was quiet for a while as Caius told his story, though he felt like he could feel his eyes widening slowly over time. By the time that the blond mercenary had wrapped up, the prince wasn’t even sure where he wanted to start with his line of questioning. It was probably best to just go in order, but it was hard to formulate everything into words. Finally, he latched onto the one detail that he could confirm.
“You’re telling me I spent ten years-...But the crystal’s where I came from!” He sat forward a little, taking the time to reel in his fishing pole and set it aside. For once, there were things more important than fishing to focus on. For once. “I mean that I got sucked into the crystal and found myself here. I’ve been wondering this whole time if it was by chance or if the astrals wanted me to be here. Some kind of ‘Trial of Bahamut,’ you know. But nothing’s really come of it yet.” There was an unspoken question there of whether or not Caius thought that this could be the training he had gone through. He couldn’t explain why the other three would be here though if that was the case. Still, it was hard to sit around and wonder what was happening at home without him. It would be easier if he thought all this had some kind of purpose.
Honestly, Noctis had never been one for public speaking, so he might not have believed Caius about himself giving a rousing speech if the man hadn’t added that it was also awkward and soft-spoken. That part at least made him laugh under his breath. “I guess ten years didn’t change me that much then.”
Caius had apparently attacked Ifrit without any Lucian powers whatsoever, and Noctis stared at him as he tried to process what the Infernian’s presence in Insomnia again implied. “...So Ardyn was Adagium.” It wasn’t a surprise really. He knew the stories of the man’s attack on the capital before he’d been born, but he had never really confirmed who he was either, except for that brief story before Noctis had been dragged into the crystal. Ardyn Lucis Caelum.
Biting his tongue, Noctis tried to focus on other things. Namely Caius’ side of the story. “I see why that would impress me though,” he added with a small chuckle, referring to how Caius had gone for Ifrit even before he’d become a kingsglaive. “My dad always said that plenty of experienced fighters fell to the Infernian, so it sounds like you did great all things considered.”
Mentioning his dad made him realize that Caius had never actually served King Regis like he had assumed, so Noctis fell a little quiet again as the blond man finished his story again with how he’d taken a dagger for his king.
“...Then…the king you died for-…?” The answer was obvious, but it came with so many feelings behind it that Noctis wanted to hear it confirmed out loud.
Post by Caius Dragelion on Jul 17, 2022 14:09:17 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
So that was the point in time that this Noctis had been sent from. Right when he had gone into the crystal. Apparently it had actually sucked him in, but it confirmed Caius' theory that this Noctis was from before the ten years. But the specific timing? Oh boy. Caius reeled his line back in when Noctis did, wanting to be polite. And there was no way he was going to be able to focus on the line when the subject was getting this serious. This was all information that Noctis was learning for the first time, while Caius had years to come to terms with it.
Of course, this didn't stop Vordun from sticking his head into the water to try and get a fish himself.
Caius muttered a curse as he flicked water off his coat. Noctis was presently losing his mind trying to process the fact he'd gone into the crystal and come here, only to find out he wasn't supposed to have. Caius scratched his head, really unsure of how to handle any of this. It made sense that Noctis would be confused and freak out a little bit, but the awkward mercenary didn't know what to do. "I genuinely don't know" Caius admitted with a long sigh. "Believe me, if I knew a single thing about any of this, you would be the first to know. There wasn't really any record of what you did for ten years. So, maybe this is a test? People have just kind of shown up here, and some even disappear, presumably back to their own worlds. You just disappeared into that crystal for ten years and nobody knows what that training actually was. Just that you came back stronger than before."
Basically the documents knew little and clearly Noctis didn't know either. If Caius had been curious, perhaps he would have been disappointed. At least Noctis seemed to lighten up a little bit at the note of the speech, and maybe they both needed that.
"Someone who was present for the Founder King's coronation told me a bit about Ardyn. It uh... Doesn't exactly cast a very heroic light on said Founder King, to say the least" Caius remarked, wincing a little at the thought. "Didn't make me feel very good. Nor was them trying to make me feel bad for the guy who indirectly murdered my parents."
Finding out the kingdom you served was founded on lies and betrayal was definitely not a very fun time. And while Ardyn hadn't wielded the sword himself, it was his doing that made the world go to hell. It was his doing that made it rampant with daemons and empowered cruel people willing to do horrible things. He was just as responsible as the bandits and Cortez. Another that Caius had promised to kill if he saw them again here.
Caius at least smiled slightly when Noctis complimented him. "I really didn't do much. At best, I distracted him for a bit while our dispatch prepared a retreat. We were completely outmatched. But I thank you for that nonetheless. And for giving me a second chance at life, even if you didn't do it yet in your time."
But things grew deathly serious once more as Noctis asked his question. Caius' eyes widened as he asked it. He wanted him to say it? It was obvious, wasn't it? He really wanted him to say it, confirm it, and wretch this poor kid's heart even more? Caius hadn't wanted to put that guilt on Noctis when he wasn't even King yet. But it was too late now.
"Shit," Caius muttered with a sigh. It wasn't very often that the once-Kingsglaive swore aloud. But it was a request he would oblige, even if he wasn't sure he wanted to. He slowly nodded his head, chewing his lip awkwardly for a few seconds before he spoke the name.
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Caius genuinely didn’t seem to know what Noctis had done during the ten years that he’d supposedly been trapped in the crystal, so the prince let it go for now. Still, he couldn’t help but hope that this was what he was meant to be doing after all. Especially if people had shown up on Zephon and vanished back to their own worlds before. That made it sound like some kind of sick playground the gods had thrown together to test out various mortals on. It wasn’t a bad world by any means, but Noctis still couldn’t imagine spending an entire decade here while the people back home suffered in the dark. If that was what it took to fulfill the prophecy though…
Vordun broke the tension by sticking his head in the water to catch a fish himself, and Noct couldn’t help but laugh a little as they were both splashed with water droplets. “Well, we did promise him a fish…”
Caius apparently knew even more about Ardyn than he did, which left Noctis blinking at him until he remembered that the guy was supposed to be from the future. There was bound to be more that was known about Ardyn later on, so that checked out. “You’re saying it was the founder king who ostracized him?” Noctis rubbed the back of his neck as he counted up exactly how old that made Ardyn. “He didn’t tell me much, but he dropped the barest outline of his story while I was getting pulled in the crystal. I didn’t even know we were related before that.” Distant relations he hoped, since Noctis was still royally pissed off at everything Ardyn had done. Maybe his story was actually pretty tragic from what Caius had said, but Noctis didn’t know the full details yet. Somehow he thought he’d still be pretty mad even when he did.
Caius finally confirmed what was obvious about the king that he’d potentially died to save, and Noctis let out a slow breath as he let that sink in. “Shit,” he echoed Caius with a faint flicker of a smile. “I…don’t know what I can say to measure up to that. But even if it wasn’t for me exactly…thank you.” The fact that Caius still wanted to help them in Sonora even though he’d already died for him was mind-boggling and touching at the same time, and Noctis tried to express that with another faint smile since he’d never been that great with words. “And I’ll try to have your back this time, too. I don’t want there to be any repeats.”
Post by Caius Dragelion on Jul 28, 2022 13:20:24 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
Caius couldn't help but laugh after Vordun had taken matters into his own hands after they had failed to deliver him a fish, splashing the two in the process. Maybe he should re-cast his line to appease the dragon, he thought. But Vordun settled the matter by successfully yanking a fish out of the ocean with his teeth, eliciting further laughter from Caius as the dragon snorted smoke at the two Lucians and wandered off to a nearby spot in order to enjoy his fish in peace.
At least the dragon knew how to bring the mood back up. Things were getting pretty dismal here. But it was about to be even worse because apparently Noctis knew nothing about the Founder King story. "Yeah. I suppose I should have seen that one coming" Caius admitted with a long sigh. "Long story short, Ardyn is the brother of Somnus, the Founder King of Lucis. According to my witness, who... Was an Oracle of that era, I think? This world plays tricks on your memories when it comes to names and faces, but... Apparently, the crystal had chosen Ardyn. He was at one point benevolent, wandering the land using his healing powers to cure those sick with the Starscourge. Made him pretty popular with the people considering his brother's method was just to round them up and burn them alive. Albeit, it came at the cost of the plague being drawn into himself. But the crystal chose him regardless to be the first King of Lucis. And Somnus, well, he wasn't very happy. He staged an ambush, a coup, when Ardyn came to receive the crystal's blessing."
Yeah that was... A lot. It had been a lot for him to take in too, so he gave Noctis a bit of time to digest that nugget of information. "Unfortunately, this witness was killed in the ensuing struggle. But seeing as the only mention of Ardyn even existing in official documents appears to be as the daemon Adagium, whom was blamed for the Starscourge until his defeat by Founder King Somnus... It sounds like the coup was successful and Ardyn was essentially erased from Lucian history. When I was going through the citadel's documents, I never found any record of the Founder King having a brother."
It also meant that Somnus had likely continued to incinerate anyone who still held the disease for many years. But that was politics for you. Why let the truth get in the way of people seeing you the way that you want them to see you? "Not that it changes what Ardyn's done" the mercenary muttered under his breath. Of course it didn't. Ardyn had known suffering and chose instead to inflict it upon others. Most of whom were innocent of Somnus' crimes.
Then of course Noctis mirrored his remark towards the whole dying for him situation. He was as courteous as the King he had met. And just as loyal to those who had done him right. "I appreciate it, Your Highness" Caius spoke softly in kind. It was weird, having the King, or well, Prince now, swear to have his back. But that was this world in a nutshell. Strange as can be. "Just... Don't die out there. I'll never know whether my King survived. But seeing you alive and well will at least make me happy."
