Chapter Text
No, no and NO!
Lunafreya slammed yet another pair of earrings on the dressing table. This wasn't working. Not at all.
Was she so unaccustomed to wearing anything but white that trying to match jewelry with any other color was a virtual impossibility? It was honestly starting to get frustrating. And this after she'd promised herself she was going to try to have fun tonight.
At least as much as possible. Honestly, did anyone really have fun at these kinds of events? For her part, Lunafreya never could.
Okay, yes, the second year anniversary of Tenebrae's independence and the defeat of Ardyn was a special occasion. And after all the recent trouble, constant council meetings and general malarkey that she had put up with in the time since- time she had spent as Tenebrae's Queen- the least she had earned was a little time to enjoy herself.
Yes, tonight's celebration was going to be fun. Despite the reluctance of her wardrobe to cooperate. Fortunately Luna had anticipated some stubbornness in that area and had started on her evening preparations early...
...And here she was an hour later, no closer to settling on a look. Gingerly she selected another pair of earrings from the box. These ones dangly silver things in the shape of sylleblossoms studded daintily with blue gems.
Sapphires were Luna's favorite. They always brought out the little sparkle in her cerulean eyes and reminded her pleasantly of her treasured sylleblossoms, growing in the gardens of Tenebrae.
Sometimes when she was far away from home preforming her services as Oracle, she would take the little blue earrings with her just to spirit herself back home by staring into their blue depths, but as she currently held them up next to the reflection of her pretty face in the mirror, she couldn't quite reconcile their cerulean shade with the slightly deeper color of the ball gown she was currently arrayed in.
She dropped her arms in disappointment, wondering for the hundredth time whether she should strip off this particular gown and reach back into her wardrobe for another candidate. But in that respect, she had already tried on an excess of ten gowns, most of which were her usual Oracle-white, and she wanted something more special for tonight. More exotic.
The asymmetrical cut of this particular dress, with it's ornament of sylleblossoms cascading off the left shoulder held just the right amount of wow that she'd been looking for. The problem now being exactly what hair, makeup and accessories to wear with it. The colour was unlike anything she was used to wearing and disagreed considerably with every pair of earrings she had tried on thus far.
But Luna wasn't about to give up. It was crucial she be the proverbial 'belle of the ball' tonight
After studying the effect in the mirror, Luna found the sylleblossoms quite becoming, as they actually managed to set off the impossible blue of the gown. She would probably change her mind in five minutes, or as soon as the famous Nox Fleuret crown was mounted upon her head, but for now she would get to work on her hair.
She wondered for the ziga-zilionth time if even wearing the gift from her late brother would be considered appropriate. As it was, very thought of walking amongst her guests in this blue monstrosity made her shudder.
And every time she shuddered, she reminded herself that she was the Queen of Tenebrae, former Oracle of Eos; that she had summoned gods and felled demons and that she shuddered before no one.
And... This cycle had repeated itself several times in her mind already. She always came back to the same bloody point.
Best to get on with her hair.
Not only all that... But tonight might prove to be extra special. Noctis would be here. Excitement bubbled in her stomach at the thought of seeing him again. They had so much to discuss and catch up on. His company and that of his friends might serve to pierce the loneliness Luna found herself surrounded by these days.
Noctis had led with a letter via Umbra, saying that he, Prompto, Ignis and Gladiolus would all be present for the festivities tonight, along with a Glaive escort.
Lunafreya blushed to admit that that last part was what made her heartbeat pick up in her chest. If the Royal entourage was being accompanied by Glaives, did that mean he would be among them?
She knew it was rather a foolish hope. Nyx Uric, now Captain of the Kingsglaive hadn't been in escort duty the last two times Noctis had visited Tenebrae. Why should he be now?
Even if he was, what then? It was even more foolish to hope that she could ever obtain the Glaive's attention. And if by some miracle she could, then...?
The question got worse the longer she let her mind wander down that forbidden path. She stamped out the trail before it led to inevitable misery, but allowed herself to hold onto the tiny hope that he would show up. That was safe and harmless.
Lunafreya would never admit, even to herself, that the reason she was fussing so much over her toiletries tonight was for the purpose of impressing the Glaive Captain.
She told herself over and over again that it was for Noctis and the gang and because she wanted to have fun and break out of her usual routine a little.
No, no and no!
Why wasn't her hair cooperating now? She had opted out of her usual ponytail and braided coronet in favor of an all-braided updo, but it ended up looking like snakes wound around her head.
How in Eos did Shiva even make a hairdo like that work?
Almost viciously she combed out the tangled blonde mess with her fingers again. That was when her gaze fell to the reflection of her earrings in the mirror. Sure enough, they looked absolutely horrendous.
"Ah, this is hopeless!" Her patience finally gave out and she stood, slapping her palms down on the vanity table. "This cursed dress! And this ridiculous hair! How in the seven stars am I supposed to-"
The door opened then, snapping the distraught Queen out of her rant and rudely awakening her to the realization of what she must look like.
"My Lady?" Maria poked her head through.
Luna's face burned like Ifrit's blaze. The honor of the Nox Fleurets took a mortal wound while the Slayer of Astrals and Demons herself spluttered for an answer.
"I- I- yes. I thought to perhaps start a little early." Little did she want to admit that she'd been at this for over an hour.
"Well now, I don't believe I remember that gown." Maria said, regarding the blue monstrosity closely. "Is it new?"
"It's been in the closet for years." Luna answered, still struggling to get her embarrassment under control. "If you recall, Ravus gave it to me for my twentieth birthday. I've never actually worn it... I suppose because of the color ..."
"It's beautiful, m'dear."
"I- Thank you."
Maria knew how to administer compliments like medicine, instantly making everything better. Luna didn't know if that was a specific knack she had or due to the fact that she was the closest thing Luna had left to family.
Either way, it worked like a charm. Luna felt herself once again regal and composed. The honor of the Nox Fleurets was saved for now.
She even began to believe that the dress really was beautiful, and swished around her full skirt once or twice like Cinderella.
"Now, what's this?" Maria said, examining the discarded array of jewellery on the dressing table. "It's not like you to be so on edge dear. "Expecting someone special tonight?" A sly wink followed her question.
Luna huffed a little indignantly. One didn't just go around accusing the Oracle-Queen of Tenebrae of having little baby crushes. She took her seat before the vanity again. "Maria, you're being ridiculous. Now, if you'd help me with this crow's nest I call hair, I would be tremendously grateful."
"Ridiculous, am I?" Maria countered. "Does that mean you're not looking forward to seeing your fiancée?"
Luna sighed inwardly, her gaze flicking briefly to the ornate ring on her finger of obvious Lucian make. Two years now, she and Noctis had been engaged, yet in all honesty, were farther away from tying the knot than they'd ever been.
With his duties in Lucis and her own in Tenebrae, the two of them barely had time to visit, let alone spend any together as an engaged couple. And to marry now would hardly be the optimal choice for either of their kingdoms. Not with so much work to be done in the wake of the war.
With Ravus gone and herself the only surviving member of the Tenebrae royal family Luna had little choice but to take up the crown as queen. She and Noctis together now made less sense than ever, despite the excited buzz of the paparazzi about an upcoming royal wedding.
And despite the people who still imagined herself and the King of Lucis to be madly in love. 'Star-crossed lovers cruelly separated by duty', was the ridiculous headline Luna had spotted on some random satire magazine on one of her tours.
Lovers.
The thought really was laughable, given that Noctis was nothing more than a friend. The dearest of friends, to be sure, but there had never been a romantic connection between them. Even in their earliest days of childhood Luna had always thought of him as a younger brother. And try as she might, that was never going to change.
She knew it was the same for him as well. The problem of breaking their engagement now, was the instability it might cause between their nations. Worse still, their enemies might see it as weakness. A falling out of two powerful leaders was something anyone in opposition would jump on.
Besides, it wasn't like being comfortably engaged didn't have it's benefits. No pesky suitors to keep at bay, no one pressuring her to produce an heir...
Luna pulled herself out of her inner musings just in time to prevent Maria making a crucial mistake.
"No Maria, not like that!" She shook her hair down from the usual ponytail the older woman was about to pin it up into. "It has to be more... Special."
"Why, what's gotten into you?" Maria asked, taken aback by her young mistress's suddenly difficult behaviour. "Special how dear?"
"Sort of... Like this." Luna started to mime the way she wanted it before discovering it was hard to describe a special hairdo using only hand gestures.
"Like your mother's then?" Maria's guess was surprisingly accurate.
"Yes, but with more... More?"
The old woman chuckled as her skilled fingers began their task. Luna smiled at her reflection as the weaving and plaiting of the coronet-in-process completely transformed her face. Slowly she began to feel more confident.
"What would I ever do without you, Maria?"
"I don't quite know, m'dear."
The final touch was setting the generations-old crown of the Nox Fleuret family atop her head. A crown of gold, silver and ice-like jewels, symbolizing not only her status as ruler, but also the power of the Oracles bestowed upon her line by the Astral Shiva so long ago...
Tonight, however, the weight seemed uncomfortable, and for reasons she couldn't fathom, Luna longed to cast it off. As though it were some fetter, that by ridding herself of it's weight she could also be free of responsibility. Even if just for a short while...
But she quickly shook herself of the thought. The blue dress being where her short streak of rebellion ended. After all, her honoured generations of Nox Fleurets by wearing it proudly. Let everyone see that the blood of the Oracle still ran strong in her veins, in spite of Ardyn the accused, the Starscourge that racked the land, the war versus Niflhiem. Indeed an important reminder to everyone including Tenebrae's enemies that her line an her nation were still very much alive and strong.
After a long moment, her eyes fell to a much more understated trinket lying on the tabletop. The only other ornament of Lucian make besides her engagement ring. She turned the hairpin over in her fingers, admiring the delicate metalwork inlaid with black onyx and pure diamond stones. The national colors of Lucis.
It was an engagement present from the late King Regis, but had been presented to her by a certain member of the Kingsglaive.
The glaive who occupied more of her dreams then the she would ever admit...
"There you are Lady Lunafreya." Maria said, raising Luna from her seat and twirling her around, dance-style. "You are looking as magnificent as a queen of Tenebrae should!"
Luna laughed as she rounded her twirl and joined hands with the older woman again. "It's all thanks to you, of course. Once again you've worked your magic and saved me from an evening of shame and disgrace. However..." She continued as she came to the realization of the hairpiece still clasped in her hand. "You did miss one thing." She opened her palm. "You can still find a place to apply this, can't you?"
"I'm sure we can find some place to tuck it." Maria laughed, taking the hairpin and placing in a dainty spot behind Luna's ear where it wouldn't take away from the grandeur of her crown.
The old woman sighed as she held Luna at arm's length, surveying her handiwork. "There are times you remind so much of your mother. When you wear this crown, especially. It brings back many memories of our younger days, when we were friends together." She took a long breath and let it out again, forcing a smile. "So long ago it seems. She would have been so proud of you. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."
"I won't." Luna nodded once and smiled. "This may sound silly, but... I could use a little advice on how to... Have fun?"
"Not silly at all, given what you've had to put up with lately." She took a moment to seemingly come up with some thing inspiring to say. "You are the Queen of a nation my dear. You know well that means there will always be limits to the fun you can have... But don't forget that you are also a young woman. That you deserve happiness as well. Don't let them take away your freedom. Especially in here-" She tapped Luna's temple. "After all, it's a celebration. Be free to spend this time with your friends, talking about what you want, laugh. And chase around that young man you've been dreaming of." She added with a sly smile as her eyes flitted to the hairpin.
Luna felt her eyes widen. "What? Wh- how long have you known?"
But Maria was already retreating out the door, the same knowing smile still playing across her lips, leaving Luna staring agape and blushing, wondering how Maria had even discovered what she thought was her best kept 'secret'.
Of course, there was little time to speculate over it now. She had guests to entertain, and this was one situation in which it was very un-fashionable to be late.
To be continued...