aeternam—

Ind / Sel / Multi Regis Lucis Caelum of Final Fantasy VX

[titusdravtos]

Amid the escalating war Prince Noctis of Lucis had come to Tenebrae to seek healing for a grievous injury. He made the long journey together with his father, King Regis. Mother, brother, and I, the royalty of Tenebrae had all welcomed their visit. It was then that the fires came, everywhere and all at once.

In a mere instant, the whole of Tenebrae was ablaze.

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Princess

Aerith had few places of sanctuary in a foreign place, filled with foreign people and more foreign traditions that made no sense to her, although she was suddenly expected to abide by them. It was unseemly (apparently) to fraternize with with the non-nobility, and apparently a great many of her hobbies back home were considered unladylike here. No longer did she christen new babies or aid the ill or assist her mother in affairs of state, and even her venture to the impressive library had been cut short by delicate, but somehow still biting, discouragements.

Even gardening was work for the laborers, and flowers were only for viewing, not plucking or brewing or growing. She found it tedious—walking the same stone paths, looking at the same fountains and watching the sad, stilted trees vying for sun in the great shadow of the Citadel.

The king’s own garden had more variety, though. And he rarely ventured there, as she’d learned, and no one seemed to notice or care that she had begun to spend her days there. There was more light on this side, and so the flora thrived more heartily; not quite so much as back home, but sometimes the trees and roses after a nice rain seemed very similar.

It made her homesick more than anything, though.

She’d found a tiny, near-featherless little bird on the stones of the path, and had to shoo away a nosy cat who surely would have loved a tiny little delicacy like that. The nest was too far in the branches to return the baby, but she’d decided to take it in as her own and keep it in her room until he was ready to fly on his own. As she was performing triage, the voice came at her back and nearly startled her out of her skin, in spite of its gentleness.

She hid it well, in her opinion. She opened her hands further, showing off the little thing as it squawked at the indignity of its handling. “Oh, he’ll be fine,” she said. “Just a little bump on the head. I think he must have landed in the grass and then dragged himself over here. Lucky no one stepped on him. Or the cat got him.”

She glanced at the king sidelong, then her eyes drifted back to the bird in her hands. “Are you mad at me for hiding in your garden? I’d heard you didn’t use it much. I didn’t think I’d ever run into you here and have to explain myself.”

She spoke to him with an easy regard, hardly looking in his direction as she did, so preoccupied with the inured avian in her slender hands to much care who he was. And Regis liked that. He liked that casual familiarity. He liked that leisure, that passivity, wherein he could feel like anything besides a king. There were too few opportunities for him to speak so informally with anyone, and he found that he appreciated the princess’s candor, even more so for the unexpectedness of it, from her, specifically. 

He leaned into his cane, taking a single, labored step closer to look upon the proffered bird, and nodded with knowing that belied the confusion of what he was being shown. “He looks hale,” Regis agreed, gently authoritative in his verdict. “Probably better, now that you’re here.”

And then she seemed to realize where she was, and with whom she was speaking, and all that alleviating simplicity in her mien was lost at once. Regis felt his shoulders loosen with the disappointment, the smile fade from his lips, only to be replaced by something a little awkward in its stead. “No, princess,” he said gently. “You are most welcome here. It’s true, I spend little time in my gardens, for how carefully I keep them curated. Or employ someone to do so, in my stead. Someone should enjoy them. I’m very glad that it’s you.”

His hands gripped the bow of his cane, clasped before him, almost defensively. “But what brings you to my gardens? Do you come here often?” He paused, suddenly curious. “What do you think of them?”

[rexaeternam-blog]

@petalwind  //  Royalty AU

There were far too few occasions these days for Regis to find himself with any moment of reprieve that wasn’t meant for the immediate abdication to the undertaking of sleeping. His days were spent divided between bending his ear to his chancellor, his cabinet, his guest diplomats.... sometimes even his son, when he had a mind to acknowledge his father’s presence. 

It was rarer still that he had a moment with his own thoughts, to consult the council of the wind, hold court amongst the flowers of his own garden, to grasp a moment of peace wherein the multitudinous hardships of his duty might be forgotten for a moment. Or at least pushed from the forefront of his thoughts. 

But his peace was disturbed by the indignant cheeping of what sounded to be a very little bird, and the consolatory cooing of a sugar-sweet voice that more than piqued the king’s interest. No one but the gardeners attended the garden, the king’s personal sanctuary of verdure, and it was with consummate surprise that he found the foreign princess knelt under the shade of a tree, a little avian cupped within her little hands, the evident fugitive of a little nest situated upon the bough above her head. 

“Is he alright?” he asked gently, drawing as close as he dared to get a better look at her patient, without encroaching too much upon her space so as not to render her uncomfortable. Regis remained standing, his cane before him, his hands resting neatly atop the handle as he smiled down at her and her charge. “He’s lively, whatever he is. I think he might have a chance yet. Better, with you as his nurse.”

[ristretto-espresso]

Some reference of the Crown

[criticaldrivearchived]

Episode Ignis - December 13th.

[prynacle]

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to Accordo

[rexaeternam-blog]

Lady!

“I think gallantry is one of the more attractive traits a man can have,” Shiva said, as if this was an acceptance of his apology. “Gallantry, loyalty, good looks, a high sense of self-preservation—but I guess you don’t have that last one. But that’s fine. Tenacity is just as good.”

She ducked beneath a snow-laden branch, sagging beneath the weight of its load. She waited there at the top of the hill, lingering for the straggling pair to catch up.

“Lady,” she said in answer to the king’s question. “You can call me Lady. Don’t make fun of it, it’s  after a flower. A snow lady. Those pretty daisies you see at the end of the icy season with the sunny yellow tummies.”

The pair caught up, and she turned and continued deeper into the woods, where a gentle path was worn through the branches and ground. “I was going home,” she said. “It’s usually not so much of a walk, but the snow means I’ll just have to wait it out before I can keep going. That little outpost I mentioned has a mechanic, I bet. And a place to stay a night or two. I can take you once the weather calms. It’s on the way. I can be gallant too, see?”

Regis laughed, a bold, thoughtless act. At once, his teeth were struck by the icy chill, sending waves of unpleasureable shock down his spine, his throat graced with snowflakes that preceded the sharp cold that snagged serrated through his lungs. The prince coughed into the crook of his elbow, laughing still as he regained himself. “I wouldn’t dream of making fun of it,” he insisted, still wearing his roguish smile in spite of his discomfort. “It’s a charming name. Very charming. Fitting, I’d say. In every connotation. It suits you.” 

It occurred to Regis that he was very obviously flirting, and he could not have chosen a more inopportune moment to exercise his charm. But charming conversation warranted charming repartee, and it was at least an effective distraction of the unforgiving cold.

A particularly unkind gust of wind sent him stumbling back, bolstered unexpectedly and fortuitously by the deepening drifts. “I’ll be glad when the snow lets up a little,” Regis agreed, letting Clarus buttress his side, with an arm around his waist. “Is the cave very far? I feel as though I’m chilled right through my smalls.”

[00323z]

Reminiscence 「追憶」 - Final Fantasy XV

Noctis and Regis

HBD Noctis! :)) 2017ver.

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to Accordo

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snow maiden

Had anyone seen her arrival, it would have looked like the snow itself had molded into a girl’s shape, falling away to reveal fair hair and fairer flesh, clad in winter gear of which she had no need. But if she were to play the role of helpful human stranger, it would be best to look the part. And humans rejected the embrace of the cold, and so she donned fur instead of frost and lingered amidst the trees as the king and his entourage fussed with their car. The car, like its owners, seemed to be ill-equipped for the cold. and had stalled stubbornly. Its owners, however, seemed determined to continue. This was generally considered one of the worst strategies for surviving a blizzard according to any common sense.

Luckily for them, they had little to fear from the cold in this one instance.

“It’s very gallant of you to offer aid,” she called back, maneuvering around the dark, dead tree to slide carefully down a snow drift, bringing her closer to be heard over the wind. “When you seem to be in a bit of a tight spot yourself. I’m not lost. I live here.”

Not technically a lie; she lived wherever snow brewed or icy winds whipped, inside frostbite and icicles. But she knew they would assume she meant the woods, which was no fault of her own. Men always took the most easily understood explanation.

“You’ll get lost in the snow. And it’s quite a walk to the nearest outpost or—well, any civilization, really,” she continued, and her hand pointed in a vague direction deeper into the woods. “That way. But I was just heading somewhere to wait out the storm. I think that might be your best bet. Unless you’re not especially attached to your nose or your fingers.”

Regis sighed with relief, intending fully to grovel with thanks, but realized quite quickly how condescending his offer of aid might have seemed. “We’d be grateful for shelter,” he called, without looking to Clarus at his side for corroboration. Nearing cautiously, his steps slowed by the drifts already almost knee-high, Regis was please to find that she was a rather comely young woman, with bright eye that pierce even through the veil of vellicated snow. “Please. Lead the way, and we will follow.”

She had done so with an enigmatic sort of smile, one that the prince couldn’t quite tell if it implied a certain pleasure at the seeming reversal of their fortunes, or because a beleaguered man was now beholden to her. But there was no malice he could detect, even within her light gibes, and Regis felt secure in his very hasty decision to accept her aid.

“I hope I didn’t offend you,” Regis called, over the wind that whistled between the trees, whipping snow from the growing banks that rippled down the incline they now climbed. “Presuming you needed help. It’s in my nature, I suppose, to be gallant. Which is, in a way, rather arrogant. But I am really very grateful for your generosity. I think we all are.” Cid grunted, Weskham stayed silent, and Clarus agreed with a whole-hearted sound muffled by the incessant wind. 

“What is your name?” he asked, resuming his affable manner. “I’d like to know to whom I owe our lives. Where are you headed? Do you know where we might find a proper mechanic?”

[rexaeternam-blog]

to Accordo

@snowgloss and @crownsgrd

The snow had descended upon them as unexpected and as unavoidable as as tide. Withing minutes, Cid’s fingers had frozen, unable to work the bolts free from the punctured tire, which he finally proclaimed as impossible to mend, in spite of the hardship being his lack of materials with which to patch it. 

It had been Regis’s decision to abandon the vehicle, as no others seemed to attend this particular stretch of road with any frequency as to lend any hope that help might arrive. Their time would have been better spent actively seeking shelter and help in the early snowfall, rather than freeze to death in the accumulation, while waiting uselessly. 

It had been half an hour in the chill of the storm, with Cid complaining all the while, and Weskham agreeing with a few pointed grunts, and Clarus by his side, as silent as snowfall. “Do you suppose we’re still heading north?” he asked sidelong to Clarus, because his greatest friend was always his greatest adviser. But before his Shield might have answered, Regis’ attention was diverted.

Within the trees, like an epiphany, Regis spotted a shock of blonde amongst the trees, and a pale face peeking out from behind the thick trunk of an oak. 

“Hello?” he called, hugging himself against the bite of the wind. “Are you lost? Do you require aid?”

[rexaeternam-blog]

Dorian

“How fondly you speak of him still, Your Majesty. I think he would have been flattered to know the years did little to stifle your friendly affections for him. He treasured the last gift you gave him before his departure. I have it now, in fact.”

He reached within his vest pocket, withdrawing a fine pocket watch style with a compass rose on the half hunter cover. He opened it, glancing over the inner engraving.

“Find your way back soon. With love, Regis,” he read aloud. He flashed a secret sort of smile as he snapped the cover closed again. “Kind words. I hope they brought him comfort during his periods of homesickness.”

“He was a great friend of mine,” Regis repeated, almost lovingly in the way he remembered him. “I am not a man rich in that department. I have so few that I have given my confidence to. I was very sad indeed to see him go. It is with great regret that he did not return, though there are other friends of mine I have not seen in decades. Perhaps he might yet visit? I would enjoy another cup of tea with him. Like old times. Do you share in his taste for tisanes? He was a connoisseur of the stuff. One of the many acquired tastes I learned of him.”

[rexaeternam-blog]

Dorian

“Not so often as you might think, for how strong the likeness is. I suppose many people didn’t know him so well as you did, Your Majesty. Or, perhaps, few bear the same fondness for him. He did leave the city so long ago, after all. Will you tell me something you remember about him?”

Regis blushed, his immediate thought landing on a memory that was hardly appropriate to tell his friend’s son. A rather clandestine sort of memory that he liked keeping close to his heart, unwilling to share it lest its enchantment lessen. “He was an exceedingly clever man. Always had some witticism to force upon us. No one would make me laugh like he did. He had the same sort of ...” He tapped a fingertip to the apple of his own cheek. “Glint in his eye. When he was amused. Or about to get what he wanted.”

[rexaeternam-blog]

Dorian

@rexaeternam        /        i ain’t sayin he a gold digger

“You’re looking at me like you’ve seen a ghost, Your Majesty.”

“Forgive me. It’s only sometimes you look so much like your father in certain lights. Do you get that often?”

[thesyllabusforclass]

[stefdobro]

[rexaeternam-blog]

Aerith

[ TXT TO :  Mr. Caelum ] ur at ur office at 1 am?? [ TXT TO :  Mr. Caelum ] that’s much too late to be working [ TXT TO :  Mr. Caelum ] and much too late for anything fancy to be open [ TXT TO :  Mr. Caelum ] so i’m going to one of those all night diners that u regret in the morning [ TXT TO :  Mr. Caelum ] it’s called nifty’s have u heard of it?    [ TXT TO :  Mr. Caelum ] not in the best part of town LOL [ TXT TO :  Mr. Caelum ] but if ur feeling brave u can meet me   [ TXT TO :  Mr. Caelum ] i sent u a pin with the location [ TXT TO :  Mr. Caelum ] then u can drive me home 💋

Regis thought it would be in poor taste to mention that neither the hour nor money would pose any problem (giving suggestion to the sphere of his influence), but thought better of it. It wouldn’t do to appear to be a braggart. 

[ Miss G –  ✉ ]: I’ve not heard of it, but my driver will see me there [ Miss G –  ✉ ]: see you soon?

The diner was not so frightening as he’d envisioned it. While the tiled walls seemed a mite less dingy than the mint green linoleum table tops or even the plastic jackets of the creased menus, there seemed to be a pretty decent crowd for the hour. A few pretending to partake in the bottomless cups of joe just to escape the rain that had started up just before he’d arrived, a bloke in the back enjoying a blue plate special with a heedless care for the stomach ache he was sure to have in an hour or so. No sign of Aerith. Yet. 

A quarter of an hour later she’d arrived to the herald of the little archaic bell that hung over the doorway. Like an annunciation. Regis was sure he was wearing the most ridiculous smile at the sight of her: his cheeks had begun to redden and warm, tire from the stretch of his boyish grin as he handed her a menu. “I didn’t order yet,” he assured her, resuming his seat once she had taken hers. “I wanted to get your recommendation. It’s not often I allow myself such fare.”

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Aerith

[ ᵀˣᵀ ᵀᴼ﹕ ᴹʳ⋅ ᶜᵃᵉᶫᵘᵐ ] i’m always working, Mr C [ ᵀˣᵀ ᵀᴼ﹕ ᴹʳ⋅ ᶜᵃᵉᶫᵘᵐ ] money doesn’t make itself!! [ ᵀˣᵀ ᵀᴼ﹕ ᴹʳ⋅ ᶜᵃᵉᶫᵘᵐ ] 💋💋💰

It was cute, she decided. His formal patterns, even in text, and the way he asked after her. She couldn’t tell if this was flirting. But it seemed like it.

It wasn’t so late as all that. She sent another text.

[ ᵀˣᵀ ᵀᴼ﹕ ᴹʳ⋅ ᶜᵃᵉᶫᵘᵐ ] i could come by  [ ᵀˣᵀ ᵀᴼ﹕ ᴹʳ⋅ ᶜᵃᵉᶫᵘᵐ ] i was going to go out for food anyway bc i always need a snack at 1 am [ ᵀˣᵀ ᵀᴼ﹕ ᴹʳ⋅ ᶜᵃᵉᶫᵘᵐ ] do u want anything? my treat  💰 💰

He’d only half-meant it. But here she was, offering to meet him, and Regis couldn’t help but feel a little flattered by the attention. Even if it was from a girl whose interest in him likely extended no further than his patronage did. A girl who at best was being kind. At worst patronizing him. But he’d liked to think better of her. Perhaps out of vested interests.

[ Miss G –  ✉ ]: I could meet you if it’s easier [ Miss G –  ✉ ]: The financial district doesn’t have very many options open [ Miss G –  ✉ ]: And my office is hardly the sort of environment a young woman would find entertaining [ Miss G –  ✉ ]: But if you’re interested, I have a driver at my disposal [ Miss G –  ✉ ]: We could order in [ Miss G –  ✉ ]: I wouldn’t dream of letting you treat me, please