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hauntedadagium · 13 days

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Caged || Pt 7

Ardyn x Reader || Previous chapters: Caged (1) || (2) || (3) || (4) || (5) || (6). CW: suggestive themes, stockholm syndrome. Words: 4.7k

You wished you’d dreamt of anything else that night, but you didn’t. You dreamt of him. Even in sleep, he was inescapable. But everything that happened before; could you truly have hallucinated so severely? ...A prolonged nightmare?

You remembered Ardyn’s hand between your legs, the brush of his stubble against your cheek, his warm lips upon yours.

Your eyes opened slowly to the same room you’d woken up in for the last… how long had it been, exactly? Shifting uncomfortably, you sat up, swinging your legs over the side of the bed. It was easier to give into the fog in your mind; remaining lost in it provided a comfort taken from you by reality. It was obvious Ardyn grew impatient with your lack of cooperation, but he had all the time he saw fit to pry what he needed from you. Surviving was all you could do.

Despite being deprived of the most basic sensations, something lingered with you. You thought of it as if recalling a fond memory, stirring something within your gut.

Footsteps echoed outside, and then came a gentle knock at the door. You didn’t answer, simply continuing to ruminate the conflicting feelings.

The door opened slowly regardless, and Ardyn took a step inside, shutting it quietly behind him. You lifted your head and suddenly, your heart started beating. It pounded in your chest as he took his time approaching you, but this time, for different reasons. It didn’t pound from threat or fear or apprehension—

“Good morning, my dear.”

There it was. The subtle quirk of his lips. His confident stance. You had to look away.

“Is something wrong?” You could see him tip his head out of the corner of your eye.

“You broke your promise,” you said quietly, looking down. “You… you said you wouldn’t… touch me.” This was the only leverage you had. But it was nothing, less than nothing, even. But you clung to his promise for some semblance of power. You hadn’t an ounce of it in this place.

“What ever do you mean?” Again, that mock innocence presented itself. His games had begun.

You stood abruptly up and looked at him. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” You were tired, Gods, you were so tired. It was a given that he wouldn’t take you seriously, but what else could you do? Stalling him with what little you could was only buying you additional time until he inevitably disposed of you.

It was clear now that Noctis wasn’t coming to save you.

Nobody was.

“It wasn’t a dream.” You shook your head, unconvinced of your own words. “You tricked me.” You frowned, edging closer to him. “You—you wore his face.” Another step. “You dangled my freedom in front of my face.” You were face to face now, his satisfied grin glaring down at you. “Why? Why are you keeping me here?” Your hands balled into fists. “I’m not telling you shit!” You shoved him with all your might, causing him to stagger back onto one foot. “Why don’t you just be done with me already!”

Steadying himself, he only grinned harder.

“Fuck you!” You screamed and shoved him again. “I hate you!” Your weak fists pounded on his chest, eliciting no reaction. “You—you said you wouldn’t touch me. You… you tricked me, you… kissed me.” You stopped hammering on his chest, letting your hands slump to your sides. “And I…”

That damn memory. It breached the fog in your head and settled itself front and centre. Your heart started pounding again.

“And…?” He finally said, his low, dulcet tone above you.

“And?” You scowled, looking up at him. You knew it wasn’t just a dream.

Ardyn huffed, like he wanted to laugh. “I suppose I’ve taken quite a liking to you.”

You were speechless. You were not some puppet to be played with. You were an intimate colleague of the enemy. You should have been nothing but a pawn to him.

“Enough,” you said, taking a step back, but he soon closed the gap between you. “I won’t play your games anymore. I—”

His eyes bore into you. “Careful.” He said more seriously, words tainted with threat.

“I don’t care.” He continued to approach you. “If it wasn’t enough that I wouldn’t talk before, then I’ll continue to show you. You—you’ll kill me before I’ll talk.” Soon, you were backed against the wall.

“Don’t tempt me,” he said deeply, bearing his teeth as he shoved his face in front of yours.

You were steadfast in your courage, refusing to turn your head away. “You’ve taken everything from me.”

All you needed was an opportunity, and he knew that was dangerous. It tipped the scales in your direction where they’d been such in his favour before. An unattended weapon. An unlocked door. No matter the risk. No matter how long it took. What else did you have to lose?

“Not…everything,” he said, face softening as he glanced at your lips then back into your eyes. The ghost of his touch prickled heat up your neck. “But perhaps you’re right.” Tilting back slightly, he instead leaned over you with one hand steadying him on the wall beside your head. “If I’ve taken everything from you… we’ll see what else you’re willing to give to me.”

Your throat went dry. Were you mistaken? He couldn’t possibly mean—

Without warning his free hand flicked his dagger out of its holster and lifted it to your neck. You knew then that he was about to take the last thing he could from you.

Not your life. Not yet, no.

Your promise.

“Now that you’re of little use to me, what’s say we…retract our little promise, and I’ll let you live for a while longer, hm?”

“That’s—you can’t threaten me to give you permission, you might as well take it yourself.” You trembled as the sharp blade kissed the delicate flesh of your throat.

“Give it to me,” he demanded, an animalistic growl behind it.

You swallowed and shut your eyes tight. “No.”

You heard a frustrated hiss escape him. “Give it to me,” he repeated close to your ear. The sharp edge of his dagger tilted up against your skin. You tried not to breathe lest it pierce you.

“I—I won’t.” Your voice quivered, preparing for the cold flash against your neck, and then darkness. For the nightmare to reach its inevitable conclusion.

But it never came.

“You continue to surprise me.” Ardyn withdrew, sheathing his weapon. You opened your eyes, watching him turn nonchalantly. “Why don’t we come to an agreement instead?”

This certified one thing at least; that he was desperate to touch you. Desperate to regain some of the power he’d lost by making this promise in the first place. But why? So he could torture you? So he could push you around? So he could…?

“Tell me something you want, and I’ll consider it.” He folded his arms and took a step back.

“Freedom,” you answered quickly, almost surprised you’d even spoken aloud.

He laughed. An arrogant sound. “Something besides that.”

You thought hard. What was akin to breaking the promise? You needn’t ask for food or hot water, these were necessities that, thank the Gods, he’d provided you already. But what else?

“I—I want to go outside.” You turned your attention away from him. Even the request felt infantilizing.

There was a long silence.

“Fine,” he replied plainly after some time, extending his hand for a handshake.

This was it. Tantamount to signing your body away. You hesitated, watching his golden eyes stalk you. It was the opposite now—it felt like you were giving him permission to do what he wanted with you.

Still, your mind lingered on the kiss. Whether it was real or not, it wouldn’t leave your mind.

Reaching for his hand, you took it. You felt his gloved palm against yours, coupled with the gentle squeeze of his fingers. You both lingered there before letting go.

“Get dressed,” he said, before turning to leave. You watched as he headed for the door, securing it behind him.

A deep feeling of dread washed over you.

What have I done?

* * *

Time passed, and you still hadn’t summoned the energy to dress yourself. A choking feeling twisted at your throat and at times, you could still feel Ardyn’s dagger against your skin. It was difficult to shake yourself free of his vice grip even without his presence. You suspected this was all part of his game, but to what end? He’d initially kidnapped you for information but to no avail—so what use was keeping you around? The Crown did not negotiate. The likelihood of a barter for your safety was nil, so even that leverage was defunct.

The guards had left not only the clothes you were taken in, a now filthy pair of pants and a shirt, but something fresh to wear every other day. They would occasionally launder the clothes Ardyn chose for you; a scant night dress, pants, shirts, tank tops. Everything was fairly plain and simple. Usually they would leave everything in a closet and thankfully now, you were left alone to bathe and dress.

Treading carefully over to the wardrobe, you pulled the handle to look inside, expecting to see a dull array to clothe yourself with. But instead—

“What’s this?” You whispered aloud, tugging the only hanging garment in the closet down. Besides that, the whole thing was empty.

It was a sundress. A soft, mid-length white dress decorated with subtle blue flowers. You thumbed over the delicate stitching.

Sylleblossoms.

Your favourite flower.

It was beautiful, but it made you wince. You could feel your brow pulling into a taught grimace as you clutched the thing in both hands, thinking of wearing it in front of Ardyn. At his behest, no doubt. But it was either that or go outside in your nightdress; logically the former was the least humiliating, so quietly you took yourself to bathe and slip on the dress before someone inevitably arrived to collect you.

It made you nauseous as you observed your reflection, smoothing down the fabric with your palms. He'd taken his time selecting this, he'd thought about you wearing this—everything about it was as sickening as it was nerve-wracking.

You had just finished combing your hair when a guard barged in, sending a jolt down your spine. You turned, heart hammering, suddenly feeling very exposed as the man looked you up and down in silence.

“This way,” he commanded, holding the door open for you. Padding over with bare feet, you halted in the doorway to take one last steadying breath.

Shoes were something you weren't afforded in captivity. Likely to hamper any attempt at escape, or to make you feel as if the place was home.

Once again you entered that corridor, memories of being dragged kicking and screaming into the interrogation room causing you to sweat. When you passed it, you breathed out, instead being led into a room just beyond.

Inside, Ardyn was waiting.

The door slammed and you jumped again, Ardyn turning to face you now that you were alone. You couldn’t help but tilt your head and look away whilst he studied you for a considerable while. Your cheeks burned as the silence stretched, picking the skin at your fingernails to occupy yourself.

As he did, you noticed this room had windows; long, bright, floor to ceiling windows; sunlight streaming through. It felt like a lifetime had passed since you saw daylight. Real daylight.

The bright blue sky was littered with fluffy clouds as far as you could see, surmising you must be on the highest floor of some kind of building. You hadn’t expected him to comply with your deal quite so soon, and it took you seeing the sky to realise how desperate you were for it.

“There is one more thing before we go,” he said quietly, approaching you. Your heart agonisingly fluttered. “You understand this is a…sensitive situation. It would be foolish of me to reveal our location.”

In an instant, he was behind you, hands placed gently on your shoulders. You shuddered, realising the promise was well and truly behind you now. The cool leather of his fingerless gloves caressed you for a moment before they were gone, hearing him retrieve something from his coat pocket.

It was odd—he was dressed head to toe, as usual, to go outside on what looked like a relatively warm day.

You yelped quietly as darkness shrouded you, Ardyn placing a soft blindfold over your eyes.

“Wait—” your hands flew up to touch it, but he softly guided them down by your sides. “You can’t— this wasn’t—”

“I agreed I would take you outside,” he started, deep voice washing over you, “the circumstances, however, you left to my desire.”

The dress. The blindfold. You should have known better than to be vague with him.

And oh, how desirable this is. You could have sworn you heard his voice in your head, something so subtle, nothing above a whisper.

You don’t realise how much you need every sense in its entirety until you lose one, sight perhaps being the most impactful of all. You were getting exactly what you’d asked for, but it would be completely under his control—he was left to guide you, direct you, and test you by tempting you to remove it.

You took in an unsettled breath as he ushered you with a hand on the small of your back to walk forward, hoping he wouldn’t trick you into injuring yourself.

Slowly he guided you, hearing the quiet click of his boots against the wooden floor and feeling his large hand at your lower back. You walked until you heard his boots hit what sounded like metal, an odd sound. Removing his hand, you felt instantly lost—the space around you was unimaginable—cramped or large, occupied or empty, your mind went into a frenzy before you felt him brush up against you to stand side by side.

The space around you shuddered and suddenly, you felt movement.

“What’s happening—” your panicked words were followed by a hand reaching out to touch him, gripping the side of his coat for support.

“It’s alright,” he said quietly. “You’re safe.”

Safe. You could have laughed. You were anything but safe with him, a man who had kidnapped you, interrogated you, berated and belittled you. But in that moment, completely blind, he was your only source of safety.

With the loud hum of a machine, you deduced you were in some sort of elevator—an odd contraption for a building you assumed was extremely old, but by the feeling in your stomach, instead of going down, you were going up.

“W—where are we going?” You clung to him tightly as the elevator came to an abrupt halt.

“Where I promised,” he said, peeling your hands away from him as he returned to guiding you gently from behind.

You took cautious steps, certain he would be irritated at your slowness, but terrified you would become dizzy and stumble. If you were on a high floor, you could stumble to the edge—what if you fell?—what if he pushed you? Suddenly it felt as if you were confined to a cage, sightless, senseless, about to cry before—A sound, something mechanical, like a door sliding open, and then—

A breeze. A warm, gentle breeze. Sunlight on your cheeks. The gentle rustle of leaves. The smell of fresh flowers.

Tears would have rolled down your cheeks if not for Ardyn’s blindfold. You thought this is what the afterlife must feel like. Peaceful. Beautiful. Free.

After walking for a little while, he stopped you, turning you presumably to face him.

“Please,” you asked, “let me see it.”

A moment later, Ardyn’s arm brushed past your ear, untying the blindfold, slipping it back into his pocket. You took a second before peeling your eyes open, letting your vision flood with light and colours.

At your feet, tiny white stones and dirt; bright green foliage topped with vivid blue petals; a path through a field of ten thousand flowers. Above, the sky was blue and the sun shone on your cheeks, now wet with tears.

It was one of the most beautiful things you’d ever seen. For miles it seemed the flower field stretched in every direction, never ending, it wasn’t even clear where you’d come from.

You twirled around, away from him, soaking in the delicate scent of Syllblossoms.

“It’s…” You could hardly speak. Everything that has been, everything that was slowly melted away. “It’s—”

“Beautiful.” Ardyn finished your sentence, and you turned around to face him.

But he wasn’t looking at the flower field.

He was looking at you.

“I don’t know what to say,” you almost whispered, looking up at him. “Thank you.”

Ardyn simply nodded, lifting a finger to your chin. He poised the digit just right to angle your face up to him, and just stared at you. For a long time you watched as the breeze blew his hair gently in front of his face.

After some time, his hand moved to cup your cheek in his palm. There was pain in his eyes, something you couldn’t place; it wasn’t sadness or regret. It was the first time his hard exterior had fallen in front of you—there was something genuine about it.

“I’m sorry,” he said, without explanation.

It was as if the words weren’t meant for you. Like his eyes were as entranced with what he saw as you were with the field of flowers.

Your heart was beating again, but you weren’t afraid. His touch was soft, so soft.

“Ardyn,” you addressed him by name, probably for the first time since you’d arrived. He seemed to visibly flinch, as if broken from some reverie.

He quirked an eyebrow and swiftly his hand withdrew, cold exterior returning. You regretted breaking him from whatever dream he was trapped in.

“Where are we?” You hesitated to ask, but nothing made sense. This couldn’t be on top of a building, it was a field in the middle of nowhere. “I don’t understand.”

“Does it matter?” He sounded defeated. Tired. “You seem to quite like it.”

“I do,” you said, too enthusiastically. It was like you’d forgotten where you really were. “Can I stay, just…for a while? …Please.”

Ardyn just nodded.

You beamed. The first genuine smile you’d felt in eons. Pure happiness.

You started running, feet crunching in the bare dirt as soft foliage sped past your ankles and the smell of gorgeous florals flooded you. Alive. You felt alive again.

Your mouth fell open in a laugh, giggling as you ran and skipped and twirled in the field, the giant sun above arcing over you as you went. The further you went, the more odd it should have seemed; nothing changed, not the field nor the sky nor the ground.

But you didn’t care. You just wanted the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, and the dirt under your feet. The exhaustion dissipated, the ache in your legs subsided, each breath felt as if it were a stream of life pumping directly into your veins. The sweet pull of freedom whispered to you, a dream of something so far away.

“That’s far enough,” Ardyn said directly from behind you, pulling you to a halt by the wrist.

You faltered, spinning to face him, out of breath but still smiling. It hadn’t even occurred to you how he had appeared immediately at your back.

“Please, a little more—” Your words were jerked from you as he yanked you toward him, colliding with his chest, hand pinned between you both. His honeyed eyes stared down at you, that same, soft expression on his face. “Ardyn…”

“Yes…” He said oh so quietly, never taking his eyes off you, nor his hand from your wrist.

“What are you—”

With his free hand, he moved to caress the side of your neck. His touch was warm, gentle, like the flow of a shallow river. The sun spilled across your features but couldn’t reach his, protected by the shade of his hat. “Beautiful,” he repeated.

You were speechless, certain this time that he was talking to you. Your high remained, heart fluttering again. It was only now you really saw him; his deep golden eyes, the slant of his jaw, the curve of his lips. He was fiendishly handsome, and somewhere deep down, you hated yourself for even thinking it. But you had to ride this high as far as it would go, your body burned for it, needed it.

When he leaned toward you, you didn’t pull away. You knew he was going to kiss you and you did nothing to stop him.

His lips settled upon yours in a soft kiss, one that stilled your heart and stole your breath. You found yourself reaching up to touch his neck, thumbing over his pulse. His heart was beating fast.

Your tender flesh basked in the sunlight as a hand at your back pulled you closer, and with another breath he tilted his head, opening his mouth to slip his tongue onto yours. You moaned quietly into it, letting him take over, feeling his heart beat more quickly all the while. One hand snaked down the curve of your spine and to your behind, sweeping forward past your hips again to settle at your inner thigh.

It was a moment of pure bliss, until—

Something heavy crashed to the pit of your stomach, like waking from a nightmare. It knocked the air from your chest and you pulled away instantly, breaking free of his grip and planting your back foot into the dirt.

“No…” You whispered. “I—” There were too many conflicting feelings, too much pressure built inside you, too confused to think and simultaneously too exhausted to understand. “Stop…”

Your weakened pleas must have been an enticing sound as he once again forced proximity between you. “Don’t you want this?” He mused, brushing your cheek with the back of his hand. “Everything you see here…can be yours.”

Your neck crooned toward his touch. He was manipulating you, and it was working.

“My—my freedom, I—” You hesitantly tore yourself away. “This…this isn’t real.”

“I can give you so much more,” he continued, something dark in his tone. “If you let me.”

“No…” You repeated. He’s your enemy; your mind was screaming at you, but your heart was dissonant. If you refused to comply, history would repeat itself.

“Don’t lock me back in that room, please—please I’m begging you.” You pulled on the lapels of his coat. “I want to stay here, I want to—”

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” his sultry tone crept into your head and poisoned your thoughts. He was so difficult to refuse. “We could work together, you and I.”

“Stop it,” you pleaded again, “I—I can’t.” A wave of nausea overcame you. But not over the events of him kissing you, no. More toward the fact that you had enjoyed it. A sliver of comfort, of passion, a moment of weakness—the exhilaration had left you hopelessly complacent.

When you attempted to pull away, he pinned your bodies together.

“There's no escaping this,” he whispered, “why not just...succumb to it.”

For the first time since your capture, you wanted to. Your old life had become a distant memory. “Please…” you whispered, pinned against him. “Just…please, let me come back here.”

Ardyn ran a hand through your hair, sweeping it back in a loving motion that left you feeling weak. “If you insist.” His fingers pressed on the back of your head to tilt in down, feeling him plant a soft kiss atop your head.

His actions towards you were that of a man in love. You knew it wasn’t real. Your heart knew he was acting; playing his part until eventually you felt comfort in his presence instead of fear. Your defiance had not earned you freedom, not in life nor death. It had simply earned you a place in a different game entirely.

One that was arguably more difficult to resist.

Your time was up; Ardyn withdrew the blindfold once again and you were plunged into darkness, eventually feeling the warmth of the sun vanish from your skin. You noticed it again, the same strange sound of a mechanical door opening before you travelled down the elevator together, this time, his hand interlocked with yours. It was not long before you found yourself with your vision restored, locked with him inside that room of yours.

“I trust you liked my…gift,” he said, releasing you and tucking the blindfold back in his pocket.

You had almost forgotten you were wearing the dress. “Oh.” You looked down past the dress at your muddy feet. “I—It’s…lovely.” A thought crossed your mind to bathe, and as if he could read your thoughts, he approached the bathroom.

“I’ll draw you a bath.”

Before you could even protest, he disappeared behind the door, hearing the water gushing into the tub. Without him beside you, reality crashed into you like a freight train, too galling to ignore. It reminded you of your previous escape attempt with the guard, beginning to wonder if you might be able to attempt the same.

With Ardyn distracted, you padded quietly over to your bedroom door and tried the handle. Of course, it was locked. The gold plate brandishing the handle and keyhole was scratched where you had attempted to pry the lock previously. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Defeated, you sank against the doorframe, slumping onto the floor.

It really is pointless, isn’t it?

The water was still running, giving you time to think, but your mind was anything but clear. Anything but rational. Clarity was so often something crooked or misshapen here, but one thing remained; you were still bathed in the love and warmth of your time outside, looking forward to sinking into the hot water of a bathtub. It reminded you of home.

When the water stopped, you pushed yourself to your tired feet, hesitantly entering the bathroom. Inside, Ardyn had removed his hat, coat and waistcoat, leaving them neatly hung up on the wall. It was strange to see him dressed down like this, only in his shirt and pants, red scarf draped lazily over his shoulders.

His sleeves were rolled up and one arm dripped water onto the marble floor, suggesting he’d tested the temperature for you already.

You swallowed, approaching the tub. Lavender scented steam rose in wispy tendrils toward you; the water looked inviting.

There was a deadlock when you looked up at him. You had expected him to leave shortly after, but instead, he remained. Like he was waiting for something. You suddenly blushed profusely, yet not a word was spoken between you.

D-does he expect me to…undress? In front of him?

“I—I…uhm,” you stuttered, prolonged stalemate making you heated. “Do you…are you going to stay?”

Ardyn folded his arms. “Would you like me to stay?”

The question caught you off guard. Taking in a shuddered breath, you stood beside the water. “I think I should…be alone.”

He bowed his head. “As you wish.” Retrieving his belongings, he stopped in front of you before he left. His thick lashes blinked slowly as he towered over you, observing you from head to toe in silence one final time.

“You may not see me for some time,” he addressed you by name and your heart skipped a beat. “I’ll return when I can.”

Before you could process his words he turned to leave and you reached for him, tugging at his shirt.

“Wait—” your eyes searched his expressionless face. “What do you mean?” You didn’t want to be locked alone in that room for days on end, not again. “You said you would let me walk outside again—”

“When I can,” he interrupted, apathetic tone causing your heart to sink. “My guards will take care of you.” He pulled away, heading for the door.

“I don’t want your guards,” you blurted out, “I want—”

You. Your thoughts betrayed you. Though you hadn’t spoken aloud, what you meant was clear. Just hours ago you had screamed at him, confessed your utter hatred toward him, and now?

A subtle movement curled Ardyn’s lips into a wry smile.

Without so much as another word, he left, exiting the bathroom and locking your bedroom door.

You collapsed to your knees beside the tub, arms hanging inside the warm water. There you were again, left alone, nothing but your frantic thoughts for company.

#ardyn izunia #ardyn lucis caelum #ffxv #ardyn x reader #finally an update #forgive my utter utter absence #if this is received well i'll continue with it #thank you for your support

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