Chapter Text
Since ancient times, there has been a dark secret kept by the royals of Lucis, keepers of the crystal; that their world, Eos, is not alone. Over millennia there'd been many visitors to the lands of Eos, though those visits were brief and discreet. The public did not know of other worlds besides Eos.
Until ten years ago, when the world of Thaeos and its largest kingdom, Ikkaros, made permanent contact with the Kingdom of Lucis, offering goods in exchange for materials harvested from Lucian soil. It was because of them that Lucis had the supplies necessary to keep the empire of Niflheim at bay as they encroached on the crown city and its crystal.
But little did they know, Ikkaros had schemes of its own.
A courier dressed in the traditional Ikkarosian colors of green and sky blue was led into the royal throne room of the citadel by two Kingsglaive. His majesty sat upon his throne, eyeing the stranger warily, his chosen Shield, Clarus Amicitia, at his side, and multiple other guards surrounding them.
The courier bowed and handed the letter, bearing the Ikkarosian royal seal in green wax, over to one of the Kingsglaive, who took it up the steps and handed it to Clarus, who in turn handed it to the king. The seal was broken, and Regis considered its contents carefully. He looked back to the courier.
"The offer is simple," said the man, bowing and holding that position before the steps to the king's throne.
King Regis's eyes widened at the request. "It is a generous offer, but we will have to politely decline. My son has already been promised to Lunafreya Nox Fleuret of Tenebrae, and their wedding is scheduled for three months from now. I am sure you understand." There was strain in his voice. The offer of a peace treaty from Niflheim was crucial in the situation at hand, even though the offer from Ikkaros was quite generous in its stipulations, giving additional resources to Lucis in addition to solidifying the bond between their nations. It was a difficult offer to refuse.
Especially since Ikkaros had been acting more and more odd as of late, and more secretive, increasing their flying dragon patrols over the whole of Lucis and their dragon riders intimidating the common folk.
"Your majesty," The courier bowed once again before the foreign king, "Our princess Auriana is something special. We would be willing to allow her to be married to a man of noble standing close to the Lucis Caelum house as well and keep all the stipulations of our agreement. Our purpose is to solidify our bonds, both as trading partner and as allies."
Regis breathed out a deep sigh. "In that case, we will formally consider the offer. There are a few candidates that come to mind, and we will consider each carefully, to see who may be best suited for her."
"Much appreciated," The courier nodded, "Please do consider it thoroughly. Our kingdom shall be pleased to see the princess in your care."
With another bow, the courier was escorted out. That left only Regis and Clarus.
Clarus was the first to speak up. "Their offer seems rather sudden, does it not? And generous as well."
"In addition to being incredibly convenient," added Regis, "Offering her not only to Noctis but to any noble close to the royal house?" He grimaced, staring at the grand doors, "There is something else at play here, I'm sure."
"What shall we do?" asked Clarus, giving a look to his majesty, "It would not be wise to refuse such an offer, though at the same time having a foreign princess in our care with her guards could be a potential security risk. They could be offering her for the sole purpose of spying on our kingdom."
"That would make sense," said Regis, nodding, "The trade part of this deal gives us a great advantage. It's bait. Far too good to be true."
"So we shall refuse?"
Regis sighed and shook his head slightly. "We'll play along with their little game, find out just what it is they're after, find out any useful information on them. The princess could prove valuable to us, as much as I'd hate to use her as a pawn."
"Who would you marry her to?" asked Clarus, "We would need to select someone knowledgable and skilled in recognizing signs of espionage, someone who won't allow themselves to become emotionally attached to her, and won't mind if the marriage does not work out due to her being outed as a spy."
Regis groaned, then flashed a slight smile. "I hate to do this to him, but I know just the man for the job."
Ignis approached the doors to the throne room tentatively, running through a thousand possibilities in his head. Why would his majesty call me to a private meeting without Noctis? Have I not been adequately performing my duties? Was it some fault of mine, or perhaps Noctis's? Or perhaps an issue pertaining to the marriage to Lady Lunafreya?
Two glaives at either side of the doors opened them for him, revealing the grand, high-ceilinged room in all its glory, and the king seated on his throne with Clarus at one side and Cor Leonis, marshal of the Crownsguard at the other. Ignis approached the steps to the throne and bowed before it.
"Your Majesty," He said, holding his position as he spoke, "May I inquire as to why you've summoned me here?"
The king cleared his throat, suppressing a cough. It was clear that the constant supply of magic to the wall was wearing him down fast. "I have a rather personal request of you, Ignis, my boy. And while you are free to refuse it, it is of utmost importance to our kingdom's future. No matter your response, whether you accept this task or not, you must promise to only speak of this with me, Clarus, or Cor. Do I make myself clear?"
Ignis pressed his lips flat into a line, watching as his majesty's green eyes bored into him. A mission he would have to keep a secret from everyone, even Noctis? And why did his majesty give him a chance to refuse? What did he mean it was personal? Nothing made sense yet. "I don't quite understand. Could you perhaps explain further? I would be happy to do just about anything for our kingdom, but I would like to understand what it is I'm doing before I agree to anything."
Clarus spoke up next, "We ask that you hear us out, Ignis. There's a reason that it's considered personal." What part of a secret task for his kingdom could be considered personal?
"I shall," Ignis said with a nod.
"It pertains to our ally in the world of Thaeos, the kingdom of Ikkaros," said Regis. Ignis's eyes widened.
"If we can call them an ally," Clarus added sharply.
"I am no stranger to them nor their tendency to be secretive," Ignis replied, "Rarely do their representatives give a straight answer on any question I ask."
"Well," Regis continued, hesitating at the sight of the boy kneeling at the steps before the throne. This could haunt him for the rest of his life. Could I do this to Ignis? We are like family to him. "The kingdom of Ikkaros has made us a formal offer of their Princess Auriana's hand in marriage. Originally, they wanted her to be married to Noctis, but since Lady Lunafreya has already been promised to my son, they've informed us that anyone of noble standing in our circle may be given her hand."
Ignis furrowed his brow. What is he trying to say? Is it... no, he can't be... that wouldn't be... "And have you accepted?"
"Not yet," Regis replied, "But we do have a candidate in mind, and that is you."
Ignis's face turned bright pink, though he swallowed his trepidations and asked, "Is there more to it than that?" Why would this conversation need to be kept under wraps if it was merely a request that he marry a princess of a foreign nation? There was more to it. They were being vague on purpose.
"There is a catch, unfortunately," said Cor, stepping forward from the shadows toward Ignis, "Their offer has amendments to their trade deals that are incredibly generous to us. In addition to the fact that she's been offered so generously to any man of noble standing close to the house of Lucis Caelum, we have come to the conclusion that they have something else going on underneath the surface of things. And we want you to assist in rooting out what that may be."
"We believe that she may be being sent as a spy," Regis clarified, "Intended as a way to feed information directly to her home kingdom."
"H-how can you be so sure?" Ignis hardly believed himself when he spoke. Ikkaros's secretive behavior and patrols were certainly a cause for concern, but there was always a reasonable doubt about it. In addition, could a princess truly be offered simply as a means of spying?
"Well," Cor continued, "Let's look at the history of this princess," He stepped up to Ignis, an intimidating air surrounding him even though he was slightly shorter, "Princess Auriana Lamia Ikkaros is 21 years of age and is fifth in the line from the throne of Ikkaros, making her highly unlikely to be needed as a ruler. She's trained extensively in combat, speaks four languages, and is one of only two of the Ikkarosian royal family that have visited Lucis, alongside her mother, the last visit having been at the gala last November. She is described as being charming and meek, yet knowledgeable. She's the perfect image of a spy."
"Just to be clear," Ignis said, "I am being offered her hand, and I am to also keep an eye on her to see if she's being used as a spy against Lucis?"
"Correct," said Cor.
"And what would happen if she were found out as a spy?" Ignis asked trepidatiously.
Regis spoke next, "If it happens before the date of your marriage, which, if you choose to accept, is to be scheduled 3 months after the union of Lunafreya and Noctis, she will simply be arrested and tried on counts of espionage and likely imprisoned for a few decades. However, if it is after your union," He stopped for a second, taking on a much more serious tone, "Your marriage to her will be annulled, and she will be tried on counts of espionage as well as treason. She could even be executed for such a crime."
Espionage. Execution. Annulment. All those words swam around in Ignis's head. This could end in bloodshed. Lucis had been drawing closer and closer to war as of late.
"And," Ignis considered his next words carefully, "What if she turns out not to be a spy? What if she is merely a pawn in their game?"
"Then you'll be married to her," said Cor, "Simple as that."
Clarus chimed in on a lighter note, "It can't be that bad, marrying a beautiful princess."
Ignis knew that indeed, she was quite beautiful. He'd gotten just a glimpse of her as she greeted Noctis, though she almost exclusively hid behind her mother, and that was to be expected. Lucis is, to her, a foreign nation in a completely different world from hers.
"Consider all of these things," said Regis, "And do not force yourself to accept. We have other candidates in mind as well. You were simply our first choice."
"I..." Ignis was quiet for a moment, considering everything. "Will this at all affect my duties serving Noctis?"
"You'll need to do less for him sooner, anyhow," said Regis, "He is, after all, getting married and moving back into the citadel. He needs to take on more of his responsibilities on his own, and this gives him a good chance to do so."
Ignis took a deep breath, looking into his majesty's firm gaze.
"Then I shall accept, your majesty."
"I appreciate it," said Regis, rising to his feet with the assistance of his cane, "You may speak only of the fact that you are being married to the princess, not of your mission, which you are to speak with only among the four of us in the room currently. I do want to reiterate that you are not to speak of this mission to Noctis."
"Understood."
"You are dismissed."
In the shadows of night, high up on the mountain in which the grand castle of the kingdom of Ikkaros is located, there was a grand stone bridge connecting the castle to its surrounding buildings, hanging high over the abyss. A lone figure wearing a cloak of dark green approached the sole lamplight on the bridge, where another smaller figure sat waiting, tapping her fingers upon the stone wall separating herself from the abyss.
"Princess?" the woman called, and the cloaked figure peeked at her with blue eyes from underneath the hood. "Princess Auriana? Are you okay? You look pale as a ghost! I haven't been able to contact you outside of the letter you sent me and—"
"It's bad, Mara," said Princess Auriana, choking on her words, tears streaming down her face as she clutched her right arm tightly to her chest, "It's really bad."
"What have they done to you?" Whispered Mara, tears forming in her own eyes.
Auriana held out her right hand. It was wrapped in a thick bandage, leaving only the fingertips uncovered. "Unwrap this and tell me what you see."
Mara hesitantly took the princess's hand and began unwinding slowly, carefully, as the princess winced at hardly a touch, though she made no sound. Steadily the bandage came unwrapped until there was only a single layer separating the open air from what lay underneath. Mara stopped.
"Did they attack you?"
"Worse." Auriana whimpered, "They-they..."
Mara let the last of the bandage slip off and gasped loudly at what she saw. She began wailing but quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. She hissed out the words, "Wh-what... what the hell— what the hell is that? What have they done? What kind of magic is that!"
On Auriana's hand, there was a circle of curved runes, glowing green and pulsating with light. It seemed to have a heartbeat of its own with steady intervals of pulsing flashes of green.
"It's a curse!" She cried, "They've taken away my ability to use magic! It's like a seal, it keeps it from being used."
"Gods, that's..." Mara trailed off, the reality of the situation set in, "They've disarmed you. Without your use of the spell, you're powerless against them."
"It gets worse," said Auriana, "They've decided to ship me off to Lucis to marry some random guy. They're silencing me and sending me off with my guards as watchdogs. If I breathe a word they don't like, they'll kill me and lay the blame on Lucis."
"We can't. You can't," said Mara, "You need to be here to assist in the rebellion. Your spell is crucial. Without it, they're as good as dead."
"Hope is not lost," Auriana whispered, sliding her cursed hand back into her sleeve. She said with resolve, "Listen to me carefully, Mara. I have a hidden stash of documents detailing the use of the spell hidden within my mattress, sewn inside. It will not be a true replacement for teaching someone in person, but in the hands of a magic user, it could prove invaluable."
"The rebellion has no magic users," said Mara, growing more desperate, "It's a weak shot."
"It's all we have. They'll find someone. Magic users are rare in Thaeos, but not unheard of, and the rebellion grows stronger with each passing day."
"And what will you do?"
"I'll..." Auriana took a deep breath, looking into her friend's eyes, "I'll do my part. I'll play along with the whole marriage thing. My plan can work in the shadows, and so long as I keep my mouth shut and don't say anything my guards don't like, I can live a peaceful life in Lucis with... whoever they choose to marry me."
"Ick," Said Mara, "I seriously hope they don't choose some random old guy. That's what I picture when I hear of a noble, anyway."
"I don't know anything about him yet, actually," Auriana replied, "Gods, I don't know if I can do this."
"Then run away, I'll go with you."
"I can't," Auriana cried, "They'll kill you and me, and they'll drag our names through the mud. We'll be slandered until the end of time. We must play along until the time comes."
Mara sniffled. "Will I ever see you again?"
"I don't know," Auriana replied, "But I'll contact you. I have a line that my parents aren't aware of. We'll keep in contact, we'll just have to get it set up before I leave."
"I..." Mara stuttered, "I'll do my best to carry out your will in your absence. I'll make sure the rebellion makes your parents pay for their crimes!"
"We'll see," Auriana said somberly, turning away to make her way back toward the castle.