Work Text:
Cineritious
/sɪˈnɪərɪəs/
Like ashes; having the colour of ashes, - as the cortical substance of the brain.
It was silent. Despite the way that the fires burned around them or the way faces contorted into screams as their lives were extinguished by fire, blade or bullet it mattered not. There was silence.
The Tenebreans, bedecked in shimmering silks and shining jewels that reflected the light of the burning fires within their many facets, made for a sight of great beauty marred with faces twisted in fear and horror; combined together to make a sight of ambivalence that the General had no time for.
Glauca pushed forward taking advantage of the fire cannon from the silent soldier, the desperation of a Mother protecting her son making for an easy target. He turned from the slaughter, unheeding of the son’s cries. The young man was not Glauca’s concern. The Empire had plans for him.
They would see him soon enough.
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Drautos’ anger flared, his blood roaring as Glauca crossed blades with the King of Lucis. The strength of the King’s borrowed power from his ancestors besting even the Empire’s greatest technology, but surely where it had failed, the insurmountable numbers of the army would prevail?
Drautos, for the briefest moment, allowed himself the thought that perhaps he could be avenged, that the scorched land of his home could be redeemed, that here he could make his stand; but no.
The Coward King ran.
Just as he had ran from Altissia, just as he had ran from Lucis, from Keycatrich; from Galahd.
He ran.
Glauca rested its sword even as Drautos’ fury raged.
^.^…………………………^.^
The Emperor’s words fell like ash upon the General’s shoulders. Glauca stood to attention amongst the other members of the army, quiet and stoic as the Emperor dramatically spoke about their victory, how soon the Empire shall span the world itself; the fervour lighting up his eyes, twisting his speech into the ravings of a madman. A sick man.
‘Tenebrae!’ he intoned, ‘So swiftly it was presented to my feet, a shining jewel of Our growing Empire that shall soon span the world.’
Glauca made no response to the Emperor’s monologue, whereas if Drautos could roll his eyes, they already would have rolled out of his skull across the floor, over the ledge and bonked a waiting MT standing below with a wet thunk.
‘And Our General!-’
Oops… Drautos thought, snapping back to attention.
‘-Who led our glorious charge, slaying their fool of a Queen and bringing such a prodigy into our midst.’ The Emperor smirked, ‘The boy, shall be well cared for.’
Drautos wondered briefly how much trouble he would get into if he crushed the Emperor’s wizened old face under Glauca’s well armoured foot. Glauca tilted its head.
Ah, quite a bit then.
‘Our General,’ the Emperor continued, snapping Drautos back into the room, ‘for such a glorious victory for our cause certainly is deserving of an equally glorious gift.’
Glauca stood to attention. Drautos froze.
‘Of course!’ The Emperor whipped his arm up in a flourish after a pantomime of having given it heavy thought. ‘If with such ease Our General presented Tenebrae to Our grand Empire, then surely he can give us that which has eluded us for so long…’
Get on with it, Old Man.
‘Insomnia!’
Drautos baulked.
…I-Insomnia..?
‘Such an easy prize surely for such an accomplished General in our midst. I expect exceptional results.’
Glauca bowed to the Emperor as they and the rest of the leaders were dismissed while Drautos’ mind raced.
Insomnia? The walled Crown City where the Coward King sits? Where even demons cannot tread-?
‘Our General, a moment if you please?’
Glauca continued forward, unheeding of the voice. It belonged to one with no authority to give it orders and so he went ignored. Drautos recognised the man as Chief Besithia’s shadow; the one who had been bestowed the Emperor’s favour as Chancellor for his aid in the successful execution of the MT project. Drautos’ curiosity went unsatisfied as Glauca stalked away.
The Chancellor tilted his hat with a smirk at the rebuff, before turning.
‘Another time then, perhaps?’
^.^……………^.^
Drautos sat on his cot in his chambers, resting his elbows on his knees as his muscles twitched under their bandaged wrappings. He was exhausted. The weight of Insomnia wrapped across his shoulders, taking sleep away from him.
A pressure pulled at his mind, turning his sight to the disassembled golden armour sat piled against his table, the helmet alone on top. A reassurance? A reprimand? Drautos didn’t know. He had never been able to truly make sense of Glauca’s persistent presence in his mind when he was outside of the armour and was too tired to even entertain it at that moment.
He was certain he was supposed to be dead. When he first donned the armour and it took its strength from his blood and his flesh as Glauca forced itself into him; he had felt himself slip away, the sound of his heartbeat thunderous in his ears. When he had come to, he found himself a ghost within his own body. Glauca had stopped in its march, its head tilted. Then it had just continued forward, executing its orders without a sound.
The quickly veiled look of surprise of Glauca’s attendants when Drautos had spoken once the helmet was removed sealed the truth. He wasn’t supposed to have survived the ordeal.
A sudden knock on the door startled Drautos out of his thoughts. The hour was so late it may as well be early. He looked to the armour, considering donning it, eyes tracing the drying blood coating the needle thin spokes inside the chest piece.
He shivered. No. I’ll not be wearing you again tonight.
Another push against his mind, readily ignored as he stood, his undershirt and thin trousers swishing with his movement as he draped his Imperial jacket across his shoulders.
There was an awkward moment when Drautos opened the door with an echoed clang, where he had to drop his line of sight to see who had disturbed him. The kid before him twisted his mouth into a smug smirk that Drautos found himself immediately frowning at.
‘Who-?’
‘I’m here to inform you, General,’ the ashy blonde kid interrupted, his emphasis on Drautos’ title causing him to wish he had donned the damn armour. ‘That while you slept at his Radiance’s grace, our glorious Empire won a great victory that crushes even your paltry success. Oh and unlike some, none of those who opposed His Radiance were permitted to live.’
Drautos bristled at the boy’s obvious disrespect. Drautos may not be from Gralea but he still demanded respect from the ranks of the Army and for a blond boy who didn’t even reach Drautos’ damn nipples to draw him out in the middle of the night, merely to insult him…
‘You-!’
‘Shiva is slain.’ The boy interrupted, smirking, his shoulders drawing up in pride even as Drautos felt his anger and the world drop from beneath him, static rippling across his skin ‘and it was I, who executed the final blow.’
‘S-Shiva?’ Drautos muttered in disbelief.
‘Even the Gods are nothing against His Radiance’s glory, General, you had best remember that when you move to take what was it? Insomnia?’
Drautos didn’t answer, the boy huffing a laugh before walking away.
‘I expect you at my promotion ceremony in the morning.’
Drautos stood there at the doorway, eyes unseeing for a long time. He regained his faculties enough to call back only to find the boy already gone. Having nothing left to do, he turned and closed the door.
‘Loqi’, his mind unhelpfully supplied, ‘that was the name of the brat.’
Heavy footfalls sounded as Drautos walked towards his cot, a minute trembling shivering up his arms, down his spine. He didn’t notice as his breathing shifted, more ragged and desperate. He turned to sit, but misjudged the distance. His hip slipped against the metal edge, his body tumbling onto the cold concrete, the thud clattering through his bones in a shock.
His breath hitched and the tears fell as his chest crushed in despair.
He had hoped, he had hoped even as he soaked his own hands in blood that eventually the Astrals would rise to answer his people’s prayers; that the multitude of horrors unleashed upon them, the pain they had suffered at the hands of the Empire would be avenged, as judgement is wrought upon them from above.
Drautos shook with the force of the cries he kept behind his teeth as he realised the Astrals had answered their prayers. They had risen against the Empire.
But the Empire had proven themselves stronger…
In one night, the Empire had proven its superiority, even against the heavens themselves.
As the shaking ebbed, Drautos felt Glauca pulse against his mind again. Drautos nearly laughed. It must be the closest thing to comfort he would be able to garner in the world the Empire was creating. He allowed himself to take it as he drew the shattered remains of his resolve together.
He had been given a mission and if the Empire was truly now unchallenged by Man and Gods than his priority first and foremost was to protect his people. Keep his lands safe by proving himself useful to the Emperor.
Wiping his tears, Drautos stood. Glauca had not cared for the Chancellor’s words, but Drautos did. If that brat Loqi was going around waking everyone up to brag than it was possible even he was awake.
Resolve steeling his steps, Drautos opened the door only to reel back as the man he had been about to go find, stood before him, fist raised poised to knock. The shadow smirked.
‘Well well, have I come at a good time?’
Dumbly, Drautos nodded his eyes skittering across the man’s face. The Chancellor’s smirk didn’t falter as he allowed it before gesturing grandly in front of himself.
‘May I come in?’
Nodding once more, Drautos stepped aside and the Chancellor swept past. The air shifted as he did; Drautos’ stomach clenching with nausea as his mind was swarmed with the screams of thousands, a clamour that drowned him before leaving as swiftly as it had come leaving him reeling as the Chancellor entered the room, fingers tip-tapping against the ridges of Glauca’s helmet.
Drautos felt himself go cold. It was like the tales the Elders spoke of. Of creatures that wandered the deepest night, feasting upon the blood of the living. Drautos suddenly regretted letting the shadow in.
He wasn’t human.
‘Power…’ the Chancellor muttered, snapping Drautos out of his thoughts, ‘is such a vicarious thing. Never truly held by the one who wields it, but passed from one to another, leaving an empty husk in its wake…’
The pressure in Drautos’ mind came back as the chancellor’s hand fell away from the helmet as he turned.
A warning? Or something else?
‘So our venerable leader has granted you, quite the task hmm? If you want to get Insomnia, I believe I can help you.’
Pushing himself away, Drautos walked over to the armour even as the Chancellor walked towards the door.
‘And how would you be able to help me with that?’
Chuckling, the man closed the door even as Drautos moved in front of the armour.
‘Well, ‘the Chancellor smiled, absently patting dust off his cuff before adjusting it over his hand, ‘let’s just say I had some fun there, back in the day.’
‘Then such information should go straight to the Emperor.’
‘Oh he knows, our dear Chief researcher gave him quite the detailed report.’
Drautos opened his mouth, wanting answers to why would this man help him? He had to be able to gain something from Drautos’ success; that much was clear but instead he only managed to stutter out-
‘What are you?’
At that the Chancellor’s smile twisted into something, unreal, the air threatening; causing Drautos to step away, the back of his leg hitting his table, sending the helmet rocking.
Another pulse.
‘Oh,’ the Chancellor answered mockingly, ‘just a remnant of a bygone age, but never mind details. Should you accept my help, well, I daresay I could hand to you, the very keys of the kingdom, as it were.’
It sounded too good. Drautos should send him away, but if Drautos could do the impossible, could seize Insomnia, then his people may be safe from the Empire’s wrath.
Drautos nodded, ignoring the almost quieter push against his mind.
‘Marvellous, well…let us begin.’
^.^………………………………………….^.^
The knowledge imparted shook Drautos to his core, so much so that he sat there long after the shadow had left staring at his own scarred and calloused hands in disbelief.
His people, their bloodline…they could…
It was actually possible…
Breathing out shakily, Drautos dropped his hands, moving to his desk. He had his plan and he was looking forward to presenting it to the Emperor; just after that little brat’s promotion.
^.^…………………………………………^.^
4 years after the Chancellor had revealed the plan to the Emperor while Glauca stood stoically behind him, Drautos entered the Coward King’s throne room, flanked by his fellow resistance leaders who he recruited to fight against the Empire to draw the Coward King’s eye. So desperate for power to fight against Imperial might, he would open his doors even to those he abandoned so many years before.
The other guard looked upon them with disgust, a walled city revealing the xenophobia instilled into their blood after 140 years cut from the rest of the world. Though their eyes turned to wonder and fear, when the orphan girl allowed flames to wreath her arms, a sign of the King’s favour to their bloodline.
When Drautos had sworn his fealty to the Empire with a metal boot against his throat and guns against the skulls of his wife and son, he had the taste of blood and fire in his mouth; now knelt before the Coward King and his wide-eyed weakling of a Prince, Drautos’ words tasted of ash.
But the ashes of a smothered hearth can be rekindled; a Home with broken walls can be rebuilt.
A thousand betrayals can be redeemed with a single promise.
A fist over his heart, a pulse against his mind.
Captain Drautos of the Kingsglaive stood.
For Hearth, and Home.