The Demon Within

Chapter 2 (Promptis and the Flashback)

All I want to do is sleep. I'm so mentally and physically exhausted. I feel like all the happiness and emotional well being had drained right out of me. With Prompto being gone I felt like a part of me was dead.

I leaned me head against the cold train window and sighed. I was alone, the boys were off doing whatever they were doing. I glanced outside, but it was too dark to see. I never realized how long it would take for a three car train to get up and running. Here we are hours later, finally moving, thanks to Ignis's special lady friends help. I was desperately hoping that Prompto was alive, even if he wasn't 100% okay. As long as he was alive I could accept it.

My mind was wandering to before I met the boys. The time I was stuck, held captive by Nefilheim. They wanted me as some kind of queen of darkness. Abused me in hopes to set me straight into acting the part of royalty. Unfortunately for them, I was a hard nut to crack. Before I could dive too far into my past I pulled out a pair of headphones, deciding to get lost in music. I closed my eyes, slowly fading to the rhythm of the music and the rocking of the train.

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I was just a kid. Barely hitting the important teen years of my life. No one knew who I was, or where I came from. I was terrified.

I was living in Nefilheim for as long as I could remember. People around me always whispered when they saw me. Saying I didn't belong here and what they did to me as a baby was atrocious. Yet, when I asked, no one dared to tell me what they meant.

Even though I lived in Nefilheim, I walked the streets. Moving from family to family, till I couldn't stand it anymore. I was a foster kid, I abandoned the thought of a family who loved me. Anyone who took me in always had a look of terror on their faces. I never could comprehend why.

It was late summer, turning into early fall when I was snatched off the streets. I was asleep when it happened so I never saw who took me. One thing I did know was, anyone who was snatched off the street never usually came back.

When I had finally come around to waking up I was overwhelmed by confusion. The room was I was in was huge. The bed I woke up in was two times my height across. There were books stacked high on a bookshelf, and a closet that was overflowing. It took me a moment to notice but, everything in the closet were dresses. No pants, shorts, or even skirts. No normal shirts either. There was a dresser next to the closet. Nightgowns? I never wore nightgowns. The room was nice but I was frightened. There was also a giant steel door across from the bed. Upon trying it, I discovered that it was locked. Was I in trouble?

The door began to open and I scrambled back. A man walked in wearing strange robes. He wore a strange hat on his head, but his face held a warm smile.

"No need to be frightened my child, My name is Ardyn. Ardyn Izunia." He bowed and I backed away a little more. He looked back up at me and gave a small shrug. "What do you think of the room?" He asked with a bigger smile, spreading his arms out wide.

"Where am I?" I decided to ask, instead of commenting on the room.

The strange man looked at me and his smile slightly slipped. "You're still in Nefilheim, and that's all you need to know." His reply left me more confused and frightened. "We can't have a beautiful lady such as yourself wandering the streets alone, now can we?"

I was beginning to wonder if this man knew me. He seemed too friendly towards me. And the look in his eyes seemed to say that he knew more about me than he was letting on. I had another question for him but he interrupted my thought.

"My dear, if you'll follow me, I'll take you to a room to clean yourself. The street filth is not an attractive look on you." He motioned towards the door and my interest piqued. I followed him without asking my question. I was partially insulted by his comment about street filth but, I found it better to just keep my mouth shut.

I was trapped in that room for months. Taken out only for showers. Food was brought to me and I ate it, sitting on the floor of my room. I had read every book on the bookshelf. I kept the room tidy. I didn't know how much more of the isolation I could take. Till the day Ardyn came in saying he had exciting news. He had maids who came in and began bathing me and redesigning my normal self. They made me look like a princess, which was their exact intention. Ardyn explained everything to me as he lead me further into the palace I knew nothing about. "The emperor would love for you to meet him. He's having a special feast in your honor, and has some very special plans for you."

I was overwhelmed by the set up of everything. Everything in the dining hall I was lead to was more extravagant than anything I've seen. I tried to swallow back my fear when another man and woman entered the room. My blood went cold, realizing who the man was. "May I present, Emperor Aldercapt, and Lady.." Ardyn paused, thinking. "Lady Promptis." He followed up with. That was a new one. I've been through many different names but none as unique sounding as that one. I actually liked the sound of it. Aldercapt made a motion with his hand and Ardyn ushered me into a seat, then left. My attention went to the lady with Aldercapt. She was no older than I was. She had very long raven black hair, and a seemingly permanent scowl on her face. She glared down the table at me, making me feel small. 

"Now my dear," Aldercapt started, looking at me from across the long table. "I have a proposal for you." I tilted my head sideways as I looked back at him. Part of me was curious to hear what he wanted from me, the other part was terrified. The other girl also looked at him, clearly upset by whatever he was about to propose to me.

"This whole empire could be yours one day." He started. Warning flags immediately went off in my head. "Obviously I'm of old age and I haven't found a good replacement. Another harsh glare from the other girl, whos name I was yet to learn. "Given the fact that I've never bore a son of my own." He looked back at me again. "Or of course... you could bear a son for me and he could take over." His smile turned dark. I gasped, standing up. He also stood up and walked around the table towards me. I was frozen in place now, as he got closer to me. "Now, deary, there's no need to panic, you have time to make your choice. Either you'll rule, or you'll bear me a son. And if you don't decide, I'll choose for you." He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "You will choose, or there will be dire consequences." He said before letting go and leaving the room.

The other girl still stood there looking angry. Her face turned towards me and she walked towards me slowly. "You will never rule over this empire. Its mine!" she spit out angrily. I cringed back. 

"What's your name." I asked the girl, still cringing away from her. Her expression changed to one of surprise.

"You're asking my name instead of arguing with me about the empire?" She was in shock.

"I don't want any of this...I just wanna go back home to the streets. Where I was before all this."

The girl tilted her head sideways and held out her hand. I took it, unsure, and shook it.

"My name is Nadira, and I already know that your name is Promptis." She smiled softly. I went into a fit of confusion at Nadira's sudden change in attitude. Before I could ask her more I noticed the she was running out the same door as Aldercapt had.

I don't remember how I got back to my room. I just remember the heavy feeling of my choices, and the clothes. I yanked the clothes off of me and pulled all the stuff in my hair out. My hair fell in a glossy blonde wave around my shoulders and I put a nightgown on and crawled onto my bed.

I never got to make my choice. Nefilheim was attacked. Ardyn got me out of the place. The emperor was dead and Ardyn was risking us both being killed by leaving Nefilheim. He stuck me miles outside the walls of the kingdom of Lucis, heavily guarded by magiteck. That was all I could remember before the boys found me and saved me.

I still never knew my real parents or where my real home was. Only where I had spent the last many years of my life.
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Now I finally slipped into the bliss of sleep, and everything went black.