Faithful - Ignis Scientia x Abused!Reader

Chapter 10 - Friend or Fiend?

"Y/N, this window is open!" Iris said as she grabbed your healthy arm, pulling you towards the open window. The door next to it was - as expected - locked, but someone had forgotten to close the window.

"Great!" You gave her a quick smile before letting her jump in first. When inside, you closed the window, and pulled the curtains in front of it to hide your presence. The room fell dark because of it, and you lead Iris to a corner to settle down. You were now unseen from the outside.

Suddenly, faint sounds of footsteps could be heard outside. Your heart dropped to the bottom of your stomach when you realized they were metal. All of your heart hoped that they wouldn't trace your footsteps.

You held around Iris, pretending that you weren't as scared as her. The dark-haired one was shaking a lot, so you wrapped your hands around hers in an attempt to calm her down. You realised soon that the metal footsteps were getting closer. Your wit told you it was the end; driven up to a corner without a way to save yourself. Yet there was a little spark of hope in your heart, screaming for any kind of rescue...

Troopers tugged at the locked door, trying to open it with force. There was no way to escape the Magitek Troopers. They were too good. The mechanical up-stir was loud; they were really frustrated. It didn't take long before one of them acted like a battering ram and threw itself at the door with great force. The door fell straight to the ground, leaving an opening that spoke no other than death. Iris was now sobbing loudly, knowing that there was no reason to stay quiet. You were already exposed.

Red, soulless eyes met yours. They stared at you. They consumed you. Never before had you seen a Trooper that up close before. Their eyes; they sung of death and blood-spill. Now was your hour of death, and it came to you sooner than ever.

In a sudden moment, a thin sword - accompanied with a dreadful sound - pierced through all the metal soldiers in one motion. The soulless robots stood there for about five seconds before they started to malfunction. Iris hid her face, she didn't know what might be behind them. You on the other hand, couldn't keep your eyes off. What just happened, and how was it possible?

"I didn't want to ruin the fun, but I had to stop while the game was still good," the voice of a familiar stranger sounded, just before the Troopers fell to the ground.

"Ardyn..." Your voice was sincere, but with a little hint of adoration. He was yours and Iris' saviour.

"Ardyn?" Iris peeked out between her fingers, meeting the eyes of the chancellor. She couldn't decide what feeling Ardyn gave her. The man looked good and evil at the same time, which gave off this uncertainty. If anything, uncertainty was the real scary thing.

"I suppose that's me," Ardyn replied before reaching out with a helping hand; first you, then Iris. Your body was aching from the previous fall, so you cringed in pain when standing up. It was dull, but enough to be a burden. "May I ask where my thanks are?" The chancellor asked, more so stated. His question was rude, but at least he said it in the politest way possible. Maybe it was his charm? He wasn't exactly respectful when you first met, but he was - in a way - polite.

"Ah, sorry... Thank you, Ardyn." You rolled with it, he saved your life after all. Iris said her thanks as well.

"Oh, dear. No need to say thank you." Ardyn replied to your patronage. You frowned, and thought; "Didn't he just ask to be- eh, forget it."

"Izunia? How are the others? Did they get there safely?" You asked, because you and Iris really had no idea how Ignis, Noctis, Gladio and Prompto were. Iris had cried of worry for days straight. Ardyn smiled as he placed an arm around your shoulders. Damn, he was touchy.

"They are just fine. The boys have to retrieve something lost before returning." He replied with a gentle smile, pretending like the things he just said didn't sound suspicious at all.

"Something lost?" You looked up at him, meeting his bright eyes from the corner of his arm. His eyes were so yellow, almost like a cat, you noticed. Actually, they were kinda pretty...

"The Imperials stole their car. What was it called again..." You didn't listen to a word that Ardyn said, you were so lost in your mind. The man was so tall when you were pulled close to him.

"The Regalia... They love that car," Iris said, entering the conversation. Doing so, she killed the sexual tension between you and Ardyn, which you only now noticed had become too visible. "It doesn't surprise me that they want it back," she added. As his attention was on her, you grabbed the opportunity to get out of Ardyn's firm grip, leaving the chancellor with a rather sad look. You nervously folded your hands as you were thinking about the whole situation. Ardyn could manipulate you on the spot; never before had you been so... submissive. Shivers washed upon you at the thought, it was disgusting how he entered your mind.

"I find it most dumbfounding, that they would walk right into the Imperials' arms like that. All of it for a vehicle." Ardyn clearly had other priorities than material items. "Well, well, that's Lucians for you."

Tired of Ardyn's nonsense, you regained your focus. The three of you were still smack in the middle of an attack, and you needed to get to safety. "Where do we go, Ardyn? They are still looking for us," you said while looking at him with a serious face. That, he found amusing.

"Oh, don't worry, sweetheart. They're already withdrawing," He explained with a smile, proceeding to walk out the door opening. Hesitant, you and Iris followed closely. The rain had stopped, but it was late hours so the sky was still dark.

"How do you know?" You asked after thinking things through. The fact that he knew that they were withdrawing made him even more suspicious.

"Oh, they were already marching out of town when I was on my way to my humble abode. My place happens to be on the same street as where you were hiding!" Ardyn lied to seem like a civilian. It worked like glue, though, both you and Iris bought it.

"You live here?" Iris asked, very intrigued.

"Oh, but I am a traveller. Barely spend time at home," he explained, adding onto his twisted games. You nodded in reply, looking down at the ground as you walked. What a day it had been.

At the sound of Iris gasping, you looked up to see the main street. Your thoughts paused; there were Imperial flags everywhere, and the streets were full of injured people and attempted barricades to keep the Magitek Troopers away. The days ahead would be long and mentally wearing, many needed help.

"Oh dear gods, Jared wasn't the only victim," Iris whispered, covering her mouth in shock.

It was a tragedy. Lucia was truly at war. When the attack on the Crown City happened, you failed to think much of it. But now that you had seen the destruction with your own eyes, your heart fell in sorrow for the people that were lost. How could Ardyn smile in times like those? He was cynical.

"We need to help. C'mon, Y/N," said Iris before dragging you along. You turned to look for Ardyn, but he was already gone... How did he do that? How did he even manage you save you that day?

Ardyn Izunia, who was he, truly?