A comparison of the final chamber of the Chaos Shrine (Clockwise order starting from top-left: NES, PS1, Pixel Remaster, Wonderswan).
As can be seen, the Famicom version has four symbols based around the four elements. From the PS1/Wonderswan version onwards, they are changed to busts of the Four Fiends. The Pixel Remaster seemingly lacks them, although that might have just been the video I was watching.
Dissidia references the busts by having paintings of the Fiends in different corners of the room.
The Memory of Heroes novel makes no clear reference to this. The presence of the busts might have inspired the twist that the fiends were once benevolent, however.
Summary: Ignis works to figure out how he can incorporate befriending a maralith into his busy schedule. Noct may have something to say about it, and it might not be good.
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“You can’t be serious?!” Noct all but yelled. “He’s dangerous, you can’t go back. One of those things almost killed me, remember?”
Ignis took a deep breath through his nose and waited to make sure Noct wasn’t going to say anything else. “I understand that highness, but there is a chance he may come looking for me if I don’t make an appearance soon.”
“I’m glad you didn’t get hurt, I – I don’t know what I would have done if something --,” Noct paused and looked away. “I just can’t bear the thought of you around that thing.”
“Understood,” Ignis replied with a forced smile. After his ordeal with the maralith, Gladiolus, a month ago, Ignis wasn’t in the mood to push things. He’d had enough nightmares to last him a lifetime already, he didn’t really need to add to them.
Gathering his paperwork he stood and exited Noct’s private meeting rooms. Talking about the incident brought back all the memories like it was yesterday. Ignis thought he was going to die out in the field that day. No one expects to come back from being captured by a maralith, especially one that takes you to his cave where no one can attempt a rescue.
Shoving aside the emotions it stirred, Ignis made his way to his next meeting. He’d become a bit of a celebrity since his return. The crownsguard that had survived a maralith attack and lived to speak of it, that’s what people said. The chatter seemed to follow him through the halls, but Ignis was getting tired of hearing it. Noct had been attacked and barely survived. Ignis didn’t hear anyone at the citadel talking about Noct in awe. It didn’t seem fair in a way, the prince deserved recognition for his plight, and he’d been closer to death’s door than Ignis had.
Though nearly drowning and freezing to death hadn’t been a fun experience either, shuddering at the memory Ignis hurried along the corridor. The sooner he could put this all behind him the better. Though, he did feel a small bubble of guilt for having lied to the monster. Offering to go back and see him made sense at the time. Ignis hadn’t wanted to anger the maralith.
No matter how bad it made him feel, Noct was resolute in his opinion. The prince didn’t want Ignis to see Gladiolus again. Praying that the monster would forget him was wishful thinking, Ignis had a feeling the maralith wouldn’t stay silent forever. Sighing heavily Ignis tried to clear his head, he had work to do.
It was one week later that Ignis received a frantic summons in the middle of a meeting. The guard who came to collect him was practically running as they made their way to the kings’ office. All Ignis had been told was something had happened that required his immediate attention. Most of his fears were laid to rest when he was ushered into the space and saw Regis and Noct in attendance along with Cor and Clarus.
“What’s happened?” Ignis asked once the guard left.
“The maralith has made an appearance,” Cor offered as he stepped forward to hand Ignis a tablet.
“Is this security footage?”
“Yes, from the nearest outpost to his cave,” Cor replied.
“Oh dear, has he hurt anyone?” Ignis couldn’t bear it if the maralith had killed someone due to his actions.
“No, he’s been blocking the road though, and yelling your name, loudly.”
Groaning Ignis ducked his head, this wasn’t how he’d hoped his afternoon would go. Looking over at the prince revealed the young man staring resolutely at the floor. “What would you have me do?” Ignis asked glumly.
“It’d probably be best if you could talk to him, you were able t--.”
“No! I won’t let Iggy go back out there, he could get hurt, like me,” Noct lamented.
Ignis chose to stay silent; he’d already had enough arguments with Noct over this very subject. The battle was not his to win anymore.
“Highness, with all due respect to your past history, this maralith isn’t like any other I’ve seen,” Cor tried with a sad face. “We don’t know what it’ll do if he doesn’t see Ignis.”
“What if it’s a trick,” Noct uttered softly. “What if he just wants to hurt Ignis this time?”
“Son, have you heard Ignis’ account of what happened?” Regis asked.
Noct turned towards his father and shook his head. “I couldn’t, I didn’t want to think of Ignis being attacked like I was.”
“His situation was different than yours, perhaps if you hear what Ignis has to say on the matter you may change your mind. Not all things are in black and white,” Regis finished.
“I know that!” Noct hissed but he still had a hard look on his face.
Ignis was stunned to hear that Noct still hadn’t gotten all the details of what had occurred. The prince had always left the room when he was retelling his story, and Ignis had figured he would at least read the report later. Apparently, Noct had done nothing of the sort and instead remained fearful. It pained Ignis to no end that his friend and liege couldn’t even stand to hear his account due to the suffering it caused. “I’m so sorry Noct, I didn’t think my struggles would cause you such grief,” Ignis added after a moment of silence.
“Whoa! I’m not upset with you Ignis! Shit, no, um – gah!” Noct gave up trying to finish his sentence and threw his head back into the sofa cushion.
“Might you be up for hearing what happened?” Regis asked quietly.
Noct took a few minutes to respond, “fine.”
Without pause, Ignis retold the one part of the story he assumed Noct would care about, the moment where Gladiolus had saved him, first from drowning and second from hypothermia.
“Wait? The snake man actually saved you?” Noct asked incredulously.
“Yes, and I do understand your reservations about me seeing him again, but I fear he may get violent if I don’t make this effort,” Ignis pleaded.
“I’m not sending you out there alone!” Noct proclaimed.
Ignis could hear Cor sighing heavily in the background, along with Clarus. The two were not happy with this new development, but what choice did they have. If Ignis had been unable to win an argument with Noct over this subject then they certainly weren’t going to fare any better.
“I suppose we should get a move on, the longer we keep this maralith waiting the more agitated he could become,” Regis announced as he stood up slowly.
“Hold on, you aren’t going!” Clarus sputtered indigently.
The king laughed humorlessly as he grabbed his cane and began walking towards the door. “If you think I’m going to let my son go anywhere near a maralith without sussing out the situation first, you’re crazy Clarus.”
--
Ignis could feel his adrenaline spiking as he got out of the car nearly an hour later. They’d made it to the checkpoint and Gladiolus was clearly visible on the other side of the fence. It was obvious he could have smashed through easily. For him to hold back was promising.
As he approached the gate Gladiolus saw him and rushed forward, knocking over the guards in his way. In a surprising move, the maralith vaulted his long body over the fence and landed with a significant thud directly in front of Ignis.
The monster didn’t wait for permission this time as he scooped Ignis up and glared at him. Thankfully, this time the hold wasn’t tight and Ignis’ arms were free. The distant cries of people shouting things about being on standby and hold your fire made Ignis heart beat faster. Before he could think of what to say Gladiolus offered his opinion.
“Liar!” he accused while reaching out a hand to lift Ignis’ chin slightly.
“I’ve got a job to do Gladiolus, I can’t come out here all the time.”
“Liar,” he grumbled again.
Sighing heavily Ignis wondered what he could say to appease the giant temperamental snake man. “I’m truly sorry for not coming sooner.”
“Why?” Gladiolus asked as he removed his finger from under Ignis’ chin.
Honesty was the best policy, right? Ignis felt a little bad at having to resort to tattling, but this maralith was too smart to be trifled with. “My boss forbade me from coming.”
Gladiolus scrunched up his face and curled his lip slightly. “Non scitis sermo.”
Thinking fast Ignis understood that Gladiolus probably didn’t have a need for the word boss in his life. “Uh, master? King?” When the maraliths’ frown turned into a smirk he knew he’d figured it out.
“Maneat?” the maralith asked as his shoulders relaxed.
“I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to stay, my master gets nervous with your kind.”
“Why?” Gladiolus demanded.
“He was attacked by a maralith and almost died when he was younger,” Ignis replied in a soft voice so Noct wouldn’t hear. The king and his son were only a few yards away. Regis had adopted a somewhat familiar fighting stance, and Noct was visibly shaking.
“Dicite mihi in nomen! Ego nocere esi,” Gladiolus fumed, his frown was back.
Ignis wasn’t sure exactly what the maralith had said, but he was quickly trying to translate. His refresher course in ancient solheimian over the past few weeks hadn’t been for naught. Going out on a limb Ignis repeated what he thought Gladiolus had said. “You want the name of the maralith, right? The one that hurt my friend?”
Gladiolus nodded and balled up one of his fists, shaking it around towards the sky. “Ego nocere esi!”
“You want to do something to them?”
“Malum, hurt,” he finished with a pout.
“I think it might help for him to hear that, do you think you could put me down for a moment?” Ignis tried to resituate himself, but one of his legs was bent underneath a massive hand and the other was sticking out in between Gladiolus fingers. He must have looked ridiculous fidgeting in the monster's grasp.
“Maneat?”
“Yes, I’ll stay this time, I’m not leaving.”
Gladiolus nodded and then gently lowered Ignis to the ground. His hands remained bracketed around him until he stood up straight. How this monster knew his knees were pudding was a mystery. Carefully pushing the maraliths’ hands to the side he approached Noctis.
“We’re leaving!” he spit out.
Ignis held up his hand, “highness, may I please just ask you to be patient with me? I’d like to tell you what he just said.”
“You can talk to him?”
Nodding Ignis waited for Noct to look directly at him. “He’s just offered to go hurt the maralith that attacked you.”
“Why?!” Noct asked in surprise.
“Would you like me to ask him?” Before Noct could answer Ignis turned around and looked up at Gladiolus. “My friend wishes to know why you would offer to hurt the one that attacked him.”
“Et nocuerunt tua, familia. Non est bonum.”
“What’d he say?” Noct asked quickly as he walked up to stand nearby.
“I believe he’s saying that the other maralith hurt my family and that’s bad.”
Noct looked slightly stunned by that comment. “He doesn’t know me at all, why would he say that?”
“Ignis amans mei,” Gladiolus offered calmly like it was the most reasonable explanation.
“Huh, what does that mean?” the prince asked innocently.
Of course, this was the exact time that Regis decided this maralith wasn’t a threat and strode forward to answer his son’s question. “I believe the maralith thinks Ignis is his lover.”
Ignis could feel heat pooling in his cheeks at the admission. He didn’t know why it would be so embarrassing to hear spoken out loud. It wasn’t like he felt the same way back.
“Um, what? How the hell would that even work?” Noct asked risking a glance that wasn’t anywhere near Gladiolus' face.
“Don’t continue that train of thought Noctis Lucis Caelum. Or I will cook you nothing but vegetables for a solid month.”
Noct clamped his mouth shut and scooted closer as if to say sorry.
“Dicere illud nomine!” Gladiolus requested suddenly as he bent down to look at them better.
“This is my friend Noctis,” Ignis replied as he put an arm around the princes’ shoulder.
“No, nomine alio.” The maralith looked a little desperate.
This time the king stepped closer and repeated their family name. “We are of the family Lucis Caelum. I am called Regis and this is my son Noctis.”
Gladiolus furrowed his brow and squinted at Noctis. “Vultus amo Somnus.”
“Yes, he does look like the founder king, it’s true,” Ignis said calmly.
“No, est Somnus,” Gladiolus energetically replied gesturing towards Noct’s face. “Est Somnus.”
Ignis could feel the blood draining from his face, if he understood Gladiolus correctly that would mean he’d actually seen Somnus in his lifetime. Since the maralith seemed to think Noct was Somnus.
“Er, Somnus died several thousand years ago Gladiolus. This is his descendent.”
The maralith furrowed his brow and began silently counting on his many fingers. “Milia?”
“Yes, thousands, have you lost track of time?”
Gladiolus nodded and frowned. He seemed deep in thought until Regis broke the silence.
“Perhaps we could move this meeting to someplace more comfortable?” the king suggested kindly.
The maralith immediately straightened up and pointed back toward his cave in the mountains. He seemed excited by that prospect.
“There is a perfectly good outbuilding near the guard station. I believe it would be spacious enough to fit you.”
--
Trying to teach English to a two thousand-year-old maralith was easier than Ignis expected. Mainly because he understood the language already and simply hadn’t known how to pronounce things. Surprisingly Regis and Noct had stayed during the impromptu language lesson. The outbuilding had been large enough to pull their car into so the king had opted to take a nap in the front passenger seat. Noct meanwhile sat in the backseat with the window rolled down staring at them.
Ignis could tell Noct was still nervous, but he hoped it would help to see him interact with Gladiolus in a good way. The maralith had been on his best behavior. It probably helped that Ignis let Gladiolus hold him during their lesson. The maralith’s tail was curled around them both protectively as he sat on Gladiolus' hand like some giant warm squishy bench.
Soon enough the sun had fully set and Ignis knew they’d need to get back home. “I’m afraid it’s time for us to go back to the city.”
“No.” Gladiolus pouted.
“Come now, it can’t be that bad when we leave?”
“Lonely,” the maralith answered.
Knowing he couldn’t promise to come back until Noct had given him his blessing, Ignis thought of what he could say to help make Gladiolus feel better. “Shall we ask the king if I can come back to teach you more?”
“Yes! I want that,” Gladiolus agreed with a hopeful look.
The sound of a car door opening caused Ignis to look over, Noct was carefully walking closer. “Do you promise not to hurt anyone?”
“Et iusiurandum dant, I give oath.”
“No tricks, right?” Noct questioned seriously, looking very much like his father in the process.
Gladiolus shook his head and smiled. “I will see Ignis again, this makes me happy.”
“Okay, I’m alright with you coming out here to meet. Just please be careful.” That last statement was directed towards him and not the maralith.
“Curam, tutum,” Gladiolus added earnestly. “Ignis safe, I no hurt.”
“I won’t hurt,” Ignis corrected.
The maralith beamed at him and nodded.
“Very well, do you think you could tell the guards at the station that you wish to see me without blocking the road next time?”
“Yes, bring me Ignis,” Gladiolus offered with a grin.
Unwilling to correct the maralith Ignis nodded and stood up. “I’ve got to get home and rest, perhaps in a few days you can come to ask for me?”
“Yes, I do that, tomorrow.”
“No, let’s make it three days from now.”
“No lie?”
“No I’m not lying, three days from now I’ll be ready to come back here, just be kind to the guards.”
“I will, go safely Ignis.”
“And you as well,” he offered. Then in a move that would surely be his downfall later, Gladiolus bent down and kissed the top of his head. Momentarily stunned by the action Ignis didn’t do anything as the maralith uncoiled his tail and slithered off. Complete with a devilish smirk. The tricky bastard even turned back briefly just to say ‘amans mei’ before disappearing.
“Ignis, did the snake man just kiss you?” Noct asked a little breathlessly.
“Veggies, Noct, lots of them if you tell anyone.”
“Tell them what?” Noct answered before rushing back to the car to wake his father.
Cor was by his side a moment later, “How are you holding up?”
“I’m – I – shit, Cor I don’t know, this is all very overwhelming.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard. Take things a step at a time. Not sure what you can do if he tries to kiss you again though.”
“Marshal, six help me, don’t start.”
“I would never dream of it Ignis. I’m here to help. Might I suggest a trip to the archives to see if anyone else has been caught in the sights of an amorous maralith?”
Now that idea Ignis could run with, this had to have happened before! Hopefully, someone wrote down their life story and Ignis would find it. Though he wasn’t sure his luck would run that way. For now, he had a budding friendship with a maralith. Noct wasn’t stopping it and Gladiolus seemed to behave well enough. Time would tell what happened next.
Summary: Ignis gets kidnapped by a maralith during battle. However, when Ignis thinks he's about to die the maralith does the last thing he expects.
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Being crushed to death by a huge, monster snake was not how Ignis wanted to die. He’d only tried to help the glaive standing nearby when the thing attacked. Unfortunately, that meant Ignis had become the maraliths target instead. Memories of Noct’s gruesome childhood injury flashed through Ignis’ mind as he was lifted in the air. One pair of massive arms was solely focused on holding him while the other two pair kept fighting.
With his arms pinned down in the maraliths strong grip, Ignis quickly gave up on the idea of summoning his daggers. He’d most likely end up slicing his leg open and bleed out before anyone could save him. If they could save him that is, the situation wasn’t exactly looking hopeful.
What was supposed to have been a simple diplomatic trip outside the wall had quickly turned into a nightmare. None of them had been expecting a giant pissed-off maralith to appear and block the road. At least the prince was safe; Noct was at the citadel safe with the king. Though that thought did little to help Ignis now.
A loud boom sounded a second later causing Ignis look down; one of the glaives on the ground had set off a smoke bomb. Unable to escape the billowing cloud of gas Ignis began choking. Six, it was bloody tear gas. His throat burned but maybe it was having the same effect on the maralith. Wiggling experimentally, Ignis tried to push away the massive hands locking his body in place.
To no such avail, he was stuck, and breathing was becoming a real problem. During his coughing fit, Ignis barely registered the loud roar from the monster. Guess it didn’t like the gas either. The thing just had to let him go, the fall would hurt but he’d be free of the blasted maralith.
However, that is not what happened. His lungs were burning and he couldn’t see properly due to the gas making his eyes tear up. Then, the only thing his senses were aware of was the dizzying effect of moving too fast. The gas mercifully lifted, but that wasn’t a good thing either. The maralith had simply fled the fight with Ignis still in his clutches.
Still unable to catch a decent breath Ignis tried again to work his way free. This time the maralith noticed and growled. Everything was blurry but Ignis was conscious of the landscape changing. Were they heading up a bloody mountain cliff?
The distant shouts of the glaives soon faded, replaced by howling winds. Suddenly, the light dimmed and they were surrounded by darkness. Ignis was going to die, he’d been captured by a monster and it’d taken him away. His vision was still clouded, but he realized the maralith had gone into a cave. Crying out in a desperate bid for life, Ignis wondered if he could reason with the monster.
Hope flickered in his chest when he felt the monster set him down a moment later. Taking his shirt to rub at his face, Ignis attempted to wipe away the tear gas residue. The sting was still great and he gave up after a few seconds, he needed relief but couldn’t see well enough to do anything more. That’s when he heard splashing water. Reaching out with his hand he immediately felt the icy touch of water.
Without pause, Ignis shoved his glasses up on his head and lurched forward to clean his face. Finally, the burn was going away and he could see something. The cave was nearly pitch black, aside from dim light coming from above. There must have been another entrance further up the cave wall. For now, all he could make out was the freshwater pool at his fingertips and the hulking shadow of the maralith twenty yards away.
The monster was scrubbing at his face and throwing water over its head. The thing was apparently unaffected by the freezing waters. Realizing this might be his only chance to get away Ignis scrambled to get up. If he could make it back to the entrance maybe he could slide down the cliff face. Wishing he’d been able to master warping like Noct, Ignis stumbled forward grasping clumsily at the rock sides, he couldn’t jet away to safety so easily.
He’d only made it a few feet when the maralith noticed. There was a loud shout followed by the sound of sloshing water. Ignis didn’t want to look behind him; he knew the monster was coming. Speeding up his pace caused Ignis to slip on the wet rocks. Managing to stay mostly upright he continued on, he had to try to escape.
Taking another step resulted in his foot slipping again, this time into the icy waters. Cringing at the sensation Ignis quickly stood up, however, the loose stone underneath his feet merely shifted further. A sickening crack was all that prepared him for the rock face giving way and sending him into the dark freezing pool.
The shock of the water temperature instantly numbed his senses as he sank into the depths. The pool was a lot deeper than it seemed. It took a few long seconds for his brain to kick into gear, he needed air. This is when another terrifying aspect of his current predicament came to light. His ankle was trapped underneath something. Something heavy, like a fucking rock.
It was becoming harder and harder to think as he struggled to free himself. Pulling at his leg did nothing to help, he wouldn’t last much longer. The lack of air was making his lungs burn, and just as he felt the world fading away something grabbed his leg.
--
The smell of burning wood was the first thing Ignis became aware of as he slowly woke up. Prying his eyes open a second later caused his heart rate to double. Colorful scales of blue, green, and black were all around him. A makeshift wall of giant snake tail was looming over him. Suppressing the urge to yell he looked around. Maybe he could still escape if he kept his wits.
However, his brain was slow to catch up as he worked to control his breathing. Not only was he partially surrounded by the maralith, but he was also laying on it too. A smooth scaly pillow of sorts cushioned his head, and there was one under his knees as well. Then, when he noticed that most of his clothes had been removed, Ignis actually whimpered. Being covered by a blanket had prevented this fact from registering properly. He was well and truly fucked.
That’s when he started violently shaking; he was going into shock all over again. This of course alerted the giant snake-man to his troubles. A huge figure soon appeared hovering over him.
“Nocere tibi, movens subsisto,” the monster said in what Ignis was sure was a concerned tone.
Stunned by hearing him speak Ignis merely lay there with his mouth moving but nothing coming out.
“Adiuva me,” the snake man uttered softly.
Curse exhaustion for making him sluggish. Ignis was certain that the language being spoken was something familiar. In an old, ancient, lost civilization kinda way.
“Frigidus es?” The maralith asked.
Cold, that word he knew. This monster was speaking ancient Solheimian. What in eos was happening? Still unable to form a coherent thought Ignis waved his arm around helplessly.
The maralith tilted its head and spoke once more. “Frigidus es?”
“Uh, no, I’m not cold, erm, ego n-non frigus,” Ignis added when he finally remembered some of the old language. He’d studied it in college, all for Noct of course, for when he would go find the royal arms. Now was as good a time as any to use it, what little he could recall.
Surprisingly, the maralith smiled at the admission and turned to point at the brightly burning fire a few yards away. Squinting into the flames Ignis thought he saw crownsguard issue supply crates. Looking into the cave further, along the wall, Ignis spotted a rather large stockpile of crownsguard goods. This maralith had been pilfering supply trucks for months according to reports he’d read. Assuming their small convoy of cars wouldn’t interest the maralith had been a poor decision.
The fact that it’d been stealing goods also played a part in Ignis’ survival at the moment. Otherwise, he’d be freezing to death on a cold stone floor. No blanket and no fire. His shaking had subsided slightly when he understood that he wasn’t going to get killed. At least not right then and there.
Swallowing down his fear he attempted to remember what had happened. He was confused as to why he was still alive. He’d been drowning in a freezing pool. If the lack of air hadn’t gotten him then hypothermia surely would have set in. That meant the maralith had saved him. Even building a fire to keep him warm and removing his wet clothes. Which he spotted drying by the fire, laid out with care.
None of this made any sense. “Why did you help me?” Ignis asked as he rolled carefully onto his side. Curling into a ball made his body feel warmer.
“Non volunt occidere.”
Taking a deep breath Ignis worked to figure out the words. Something about kill, but it also had the word no. “You didn’t want to hurt me? Is that what you are saying?” he tried, hoping the maralith would understand.
When the snake man nodded and smiled again Ignis felt dizzy. He’d been kidnapped and rescued by a monster. “What are you going to do with me? I’ve got to get home.”
“Prima cura, reliqua opus.”
Those words were good, heal and rest, but then what after he’d done that, what did the monster have in mind? “Will you let me go?”
This time the maralith pouted and heaved a heavy sigh. All three pairs of arms were crossed in defiance across his chest, but after a moment he let them fall to the side and nodded.
“Do you have a name?” Ignis asked looking up at the monster. His human half had long dark hair and his eyes almost looked like amber in the firelight.
“Invocabunt me Gladiolus,” he answered with a slight bow. “Et vos?” he added gesturing towards Ignis.
Wondering if giving out his name would cause any issues Ignis threw caution into the wind and answered. “Ignis.”
The maralith, Gladiolus, became excited and pointed to the fire again. “Bonum nomen, tam pugnare tecum.”
Blinking stupidly Ignis worked to translate what he’d said. Gladiolus had complimented his name and told him he fought well. Guess this was a start to not becoming snake bait later. He was about to add more when a loud trilling noise filled the space. Gladiolus growled and immediately pointed to the clothes drying by the fire.
“Malum est magna!” he exclaimed.
Struggling to sit up Ignis wondered if he could drag himself over to his jacket to answer his phone before Gladiolus pounded it into dust. The maralith saw him move and immediately held out one massive hand to push him back. Ignis went to protest until he noticed Gladio grabbing the coat with one of his many other arms.
Holding out in front of him, Ignis searched the pockets for his phone. Surprised it was still working he scrambled to hit the answer button. “Hello! Don’t hang up I’m here!” he cried out.
“Ignis?! Thank the astrals, are you hurt? Where are you? I’m gonna rescue you! Can you walk?” The voice attached to the rather long list of questions was Noct. Ignis was sure he heard his voice crack over the line. He’d been fearing the worst.
“Noctis, I’m alright, please calm down.”
“I was so worried!” Noct breathed out in a rush. “Hey! He answered!” Noct shouted a second later to someone else in the room. “I told you he wasn’t dead!”
The phone sounded like it was being handed off before another voice came over the line. “Ignis, are you alright? What’s your status?” Cor asked in obvious relief.
“Uh, I’m unharmed,” Ignis offered.
“Do you know where you are?”
“Not really, let me ask,” Ignis paused and looked over to Gladiolus. “Might you let my friends come get me?”
Gladiolus narrowed his eyes and pouted again. “Fortasse…”
“Otherwise, you’d have to help me get back down the side of this mountain.”
“Ego auxiliatus sum,” he answered quickly.
“Ignis, who are you talking to?” Cor asked in a high-pitched voice.
“Gladiolus, the maralith that kidnapped me and then saved my life when I almost drown and caught hypothermia.”
“Huh, and you didn’t hit your head or anything?”
“Marshal, I’m well beyond my comfort level at the moment, so I’m trying to find a silver lining where I can.”
“I think I heard the word for help from your er, friend.”
“As did I, what do you suggest I do now?”
“Find out when he’s gonna let you leave and we’ll be waiting. We know the general area you should be in.”
“That doesn’t sound hopeful.”
“Silver lining Ignis,” Cor replied. “Are you sure you feel safe? I don’t want this to be our last communication from you.”
“I’ve already asked if he intends to kill me and he said no, correct?” Ignis added as he again caught Gladiolus' eye.
“Tutum, noli commoveri,” he rumbled authoritatively.
“I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but it appears I’m safe, with the maralith.” Ignis could feel his body starting to shake again. None of this was normal.
“Save your battery and call again when you have more information.”
“Yes, of course.” Before he could hang up Noct came back on the line sounding a lot like he’d been sniffling.
“I don’t like the idea of you still being lost out there. You sure you’ll be okay?” The prince asked.
“I hope so Noct, try not to worry. I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay, love you specs,”
For Noct to tell him that, meant he was truly rattled. Taking a calming breath Ignis answered kindly. “I love you too.”
The call disconnected shortly afterward, leaving Ignis with more feelings than he anticipated. Setting the phone down he was surprised to see Gladiolus frowning at him. “You said you’d let me go, did you lie to me?” he checked with worry.
Instead of answering the question, Gladiolus asked one of his own. “Quis est? Amans tui?” the maralith almost looked hurt.
Thinking fast Ignis wracked his brain for what the words meant. Gladiolus wanted to know who he was speaking with and the other word amans that was familiar. Dear six, he’d asked if he’d talked with his lover! “No, no, uh frater, frater meus! My brother!” It was the best way to describe what Noct was to him, they’d practically grown up together.
Gladiolus sagged with obvious relief and smiled again. “Bonum! Tu es amans mei.”
“What? What did you just say?” Ignis checked, he could feel the blood in his body not doing its job. He was getting lightheaded and feeling dizzy. “What do you mean?”
The maralith only grinned at him, “Amans mei.”
Love me? What was he saying exactly? Then in a flash he remembered the saying, used so often in old ancient love poems. Amans mei, my lover. Groaning at the implications Ignis flopped back down on his back. Great, he’d attracted the attention of a maralith. Moving his arm Ignis weakly pointed to his clothes. “May I have them, I’d like to get dressed now.”
--
Staring out over the lip of the cave mouth was making Ignis’ mouth go dry, they were very high up, no wonder the glaive were unable to follow him when Gladiolus took off earlier.
“Curam,” Gladiolus said as he silently slithered up beside him.
That word Ignis knew the meaning of now, Gladiolus kept saying it even though he was fine, mostly. “I’m being careful,” he huffed.
Gladiolus pointed down and shook his head.
“I won’t fall.” Thankfully the maralith didn’t comment further while they waited. Ignis was looking for the convoy of glaive coming to get him. He’d managed to figure out his location once Gladiolus let him see outside. Apparently, he’d been very upset about seeing Ignis with a limp. Getting stuck underneath a pile of rocks will do that to a man. There were no potions in the armiger, and Ignis didn’t want to worry Noct any more than necessary by calling and requesting one.
Finally, when the trail of dust appeared on the horizon Ignis knew his friends had arrived. “It’s time, you’ll not attack, correct?”
Gladiolus shook his head and smiled. “Tutum.” The man’s smile was disarming, considering what it was attached to.
“Yes, as you’ve mentioned already, several times. You’ll forgive me if I’m slow to believe.”
“Tutum,” Gladio repeated, “Safe.”
Turning wide-eyed to the maralith Ignis waited to see if he’d say anything else. “Can you speak English?”
“No.”
Licking his lips Ignis couldn’t think of how to counter that statement. No was a pretty easy word to learn. “How will I get down?”
The maralith pointed to himself and held out two of his hands. Oh no Ignis was meant to be carried. Something about being trapped in the monster's grasp was a little heart attack inducing.
“Hurt, I hold,” he added slithering forward.
Ignis couldn’t help but yelp like a little kid when Gladiolus picked him up a second later. “Curam!” he exclaimed.
“Yes, careful.”
“You know English, you sneaky bastard!” Ignis huffed.
“No.”
Sighing in defeat Ignis had no time to prepare himself when Gladiolus slithered past the edge of the cave entrance and slide down half the mountain on his belly. Ignis was sure he screamed. He hollered when he road rollercoasters, this was no fucking different!
When they came to a stop a minute later Ignis found he was clutching Gladiolus' thumb for dear life. “Can you warn me next time?!” His brain caught up to what he was saying; there wouldn’t be a next time. He was going home never to see Gladiolus again. Somehow that thought didn’t make him feel good.
Gladiolus gently placed him on the ground and hovered briefly while his knees stopped behaving like jello. Once stable he walked a few feet away and turned back. “Will you kindly stop attacking our convoys?”
The maralith shrugged and looked away.
“Please?”
The nod he received was almost imperceptible but it was there. Nodding back in acknowledgment Ignis waited to see if he’d say anything else.
“Et iterum autem videbo vos?”
Ignis heard something about see and the word again.
Oh.
“Are you asking if we’ll see each other again?”
Gladiolus nodded rapidly.
Taking a deep breath Ignis found himself uttering the most insane idea he’d ever had. “I could teach you how to speak English if you’d like.”
“Yes!”
“You know it already though, liar.”
“No,” Gladiolus tacked on with the most shit-eating grin Ignis had ever seen plastered on a monster’s face.
“I mus--.”
“Ignis! Are you alright?” Cor’s voice asked from behind him.
“Marshal! Thank the six, yes!” Ignis replied spinning around quickly. Running over Ignis stumbled, due to his bruised ankle, and promptly fell into Cor’s arms.
“I gotcha you’re safe,” he added while hauling him upright and slinging Ignis’ arm over his shoulder.
A worried shout from a nearby glaive alerted Ignis to the current situation. Gladiolus was right there scowling at Cor, his demeanor stiff and intimidating. “Amans?” He fumed.
Instantly the maraliths face softened and he backed away. “Amans?” he asked again while gesturing to the crowd of glaive on guard.
“No, I don’t have amans.”
That blinding smile came back followed by a phrase, Ignis was learning, gave him heart palpations. “Tu es amans mei.”
After a few awkward minutes of trying to not say goodbye, because who did that to a monster, Ignis hobbled away with Cor supporting his weight, he was going home. Once they were safely in the car and on the road heading back to insomnia Ignis allowed himself to look out the back window. He could see Gladiolus making his way back up to his cave.
“Are you sure you’re alright? You seem pale.”
“A giant half-snake man told me I’m his lover, Cor. How do you expect me to be?” Ignis could tell Cor was trying not to laugh. “I understand things could have ended much worse, but I don’t have a clue what to do next.”
“First things first, you rest.” Cor rummaged in a bag nearby and produced a potion. “Take this and drink some water. Let us do the rest okay.”
Nodding his head in agreement, Ignis broke the potion bottle and felt his ankle heal. Nursing a water bottle Ignis let his mind wander. Would he come back to teach Gladiolus English? He’d not exactly promised to do so, but wasn’t his word good enough? Perhaps having a maralith as an alley would be a good thing.
