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Ardyn hummed, twitching the coin between his fingers skillfully. The waters of the ocean shifted restlessly before him, little waves crashing against each other on the surface. In years past, he had hated this time of year, the reminder of how he was defective; a male in an all female species. Even still, he followed the instincts just as helpless to them as all his kind were.
Just last year he’d found this beach, settled on the inside of craggy cliffs, inhospitable for the egg-rolling his kind partook in. He had no eggs to shove into the ocean, though. He had nothing but time and unfulfilled instinctual desires to keep him company during this miserable time of year.
So, it came as some surprise when his brooding was interrupted by a giant fish launching out of the water and soaking his feathers as it landed in a terrified heap in his half-shifted lap. Well, he’d thought it was a fish until he’d caught sight of the humanoid upper torso, deep blue scales glittering like treasures waiting to be stolen. They curled in delicate swirl patterns up the rough almost human-looking skin until they reached a pale face, scales only spattered like stars across his alabaster cheeks. And those eyes… Though Ardyn often found himself despising the ocean when he was forced to wallow in front of it, he still appreciated it’s beauty. This- this creature's eyes held the ocean in their depths and it knocked the very breath from his feathered breast.
As quick as a flash, the creature was shifting, writhing off his lap to curl in the sand as his inhuman parts faded, the long sleek tail with large heavy (probably gorgeous in the water) fins turned to two legs, the claws and webbing disappeared into ‘normal’ hands, and the gleaming gossamer strands of his hair faded into a dull unoriginal black. The eyes, though, those did not change.
Ardyn had squawked, quite unseemingly, in surprise as the newly shifted male (those were definitely male parts) scurried up and retreated further into the cove, curling in a corner and shivering. Ardyn, wondering what could cause such a frightful display, glanced back at the churning waters that were lapping at the cove entrance. There was nothing to see but he could feel something moving closer in a searching pattern. He glanced back at the shivering boy again before making up his mind.
With a painful stretch, as he’d not moved in days, the Alkonost stood, dusting sand from his naked bottom, and ambled over so his form was sitting directly in front of the boy before shifting fully. Longer feathers spread over the soft down of his hybrid form, covering everything except his face. His arms bent and cracked melding into their more natural state; large wings with colored feathers ranging from orange to blood red. His legs roughened, shifting backwards until he was standing digitigrade on his claws, the sharpened tips dragging through the dry fine sand that was further into his little private beach, working off the wet clumps slowly. With a low humming melody*, he crouched in front of the boy, watchful eyes front on the lulling waves of the water.
It was a bit of a surprise then that the boy started singing as well, adding his pleasantly higher voice at the end of the tune. The Ankolost turned and eyed the sea creature, wondering if he could get the boy to join in again. Though quite short, Ardyn could already tell his voice was ethereal and he was verging on eager to hear it again. Still keeping a wary half eye on the cove entrance where whatever had scared this boy lurked, Ardyn started another tune**, this one longer, more in depth; meant to attract. His voice echoed against the walls, teasingly caressing the very air. He’d been told several times if his voice was higher he’d be a gorgeous singer but what did the gossipy chickens know anyway? If his voice was good enough to get this boy to sing with him-
And there it was. A short starting note, trailing off softly in a lower pitch.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get much farther as a tentacle about the width of one of his legs arched out of the water, slamming down in front of them, much too close for comfort. The boy had shrieked then -a loud painful cry- and jerked backwards plastering himself to the rough rock wall. Ardyn, absolutely infuriated at the interruption, hopped up and latched one talon foot on it to keep it still while the second curved in a frenzied strike, cutting straight through all the muscle tissues into the sand below.
The arm retreated quickly, curling to protect the now missing tip, as a three more lashed inside. He was rightly wary of facing a sea creature that could drag him into a watery grave, but the shivering body behind him, whimpering quietly (a tragic use of his gorgeous voice), gave him more courage than he’d known what to do with then. So, of course, like displaying his feathers proudly for a life mate, Ardyn had decided that this squishy beast would make a fantastic offering.
He was strong, much more so than any other of his kind, and quite a bit larger too. His victory was assured!
Well… the Alkonost could admit that he’d been an idiot but to his credit he did cleave at least five of the eight tentacles from the kraken before he was dragged out of his comfy cove, the sand blasting against his feathers uncomfortably. The boy had come to his rescue then, diving bravely into the waves he’d previously fled from, looking like an avenging god as he flexed his muscled tail, his long body sleek and lithe with fins flaring, looking almost like feathers themselves as they swayed in the currents. The claws were back, his entire hands coated in a deeper blue coloring than the rest of him and his hair shined in the shafts of sunlight reaching down to the depths of the sea.
If Ardyn wasn’t currently trying not to drown while simultaneously warding away a hungry beak, he might have stared in utter awe. Sadly, he had been in dire straits and the boy came to his rescue going straight for the creature's gargantuan head, ripping into it with abandon. And thus ended the life of one of the mighty krakens of the sea (a baby most likely judging by its size but no one truly needed to know that sordid fact) at the hands of a gorgeous Siren and a waterlogged Alkonost.
Afterwards, Ardyn had dragged himself back into the cove, unable to fly, but also unable to sun his feathers without getting above the crags. He was instead, left with trying to shake them out and then burying them in the sand. The boy had followed, shyly thanking him for his help and offering his name -Noctis- before sitting and talking about everything and nothing.
Noctis Lucis Caelum, he learned, came from a long prestigious line that ruled the seas for centuries and he was tasked with taking over the Kingdom. In an effort to clear his head, he’d run from home, not paying attention to how far into outer territories he’d strayed. Then the kraken had caught his scent and he’d been chased for many miles before he’d finally banked on his favorite hiding spot from his friends -being out of the water and very far from home- as a safe spot. There he’d met Ardyn who had the most beautiful voice he’d ever heard, above and below water, and wanted to get to know him.
They talked for hours, possibly days, because by the time they had to part ways the Alkonost no longer suffered from his horrible instincts.
Now he was here again, on the small private beach looking forward to this instead of dreading it. It was almost like a perfect getaway if he wanted to think about it abstractly! The coin in his hand was a small gift, handcrafted from the finest gold, that would twinkle like a leading star in the depths. He hoped Noctis liked it.
In his human form today, he’d shucked off the suffocating tunic, toed off his boots, and settled lightly onto the sand digging his toes in, watching the sun set off the water, casting it in hues so similar to his plumage. To calm his anxiety he started to sing, soft and low, a melody he’d learned listening amongst an elven clan.***
Not even a few minutes later, a few notes of an answering song****, lacking words as it was submerged, floated into the cove, filling it and Ardyn with hope and passion. Noctis had arrived.
The prince himself -King now if what he’d been saying before still held true- surfaced from the water, sending it sluicing down his neck and chest. The fine threads of his hair clung to his face in a flattering way, enhancing the sparkle of his freckled scales. Ardyn grinned, a warmth filling his chest at the thought that this creature, this gorgeous ethereal man had come back for him, Ardyn the Defunct, the abnormal plagued bird. (Those old biddies still believed they could catch his maleness. Morons, the lot of them.)
“Ardyn,” Noctis murmured, his human features sliding into place as he stepped from the waves, the dying light sparkling against the water droplet on his alabaster skin. He grinned, showing off his shrinking fangs.
“My dear Noctis,” Ardyn returned easily, his voice dropping into a pleased coo.
“You said you would have a song for me last time?”
Oh, he did. He most certainly did. Unlike most songs that were learned through others, Ardyn had written this one himself just for him; Noctis, King of the Sea.*****
He sang it with every molecule of himself put into it. He sang loud and proud, his voice amplified by the comforting walls around them, blasting his very feeling out into the very ocean his chosen had arrived from. By the end, the Alkonost was panting, excitement flushing his skin, and making his golden eyes shine as he waited for his answer. Noctis wore a wobbly smile and declared, “I’m nowhere as good as you…”
Ardyn still watched him, voice caught in his throat, in an unusual display of anxiety. Normally, nothing could keep him saying what he wanted but this…? This was more important to him than even his own life...
Noctis closed his eyes, and started humming before opening his mouth and letting out the most unearthly magic from just his vocals. Ardyn, entranced, stepped closer entering the King’s space. When the exquisite song started to repeat, Ardyn opened his mouth and joined, their voices melding in a symphony beyond any mortal comprehension.
Pg.1
Every year, on the eve of Summer, a song is said to be sung beyond the crags, so beautiful that it has lured many to their deaths for the last few centuries. Many have speculated what the song is for as those that have purportedly survived hearing it, have all given different descriptions of the emotions it evokes. I wish to hear it. Just once.
I’m already dying so I would prefer to choose the way I leave this world.
Pg. 2
These will more than likely be my last words. I have triangulated where the main song originates based on stories. I stand here on the precipice and wait. The sun setting is a gorgeous picture, one I will paint in my mind for my possible last moments.
Blue meeting Red...
Pg. 3
It is
So beautiful
I hear him again
My love, my Husband
Mid
I must go to join him
-The only filled journal pages of Melba Sophiar nee Aurum recovered on the tops of the Suther Cliffs