Archive of Our Own

 The ring resting in Noctis’ hand was the same ring his mother had worn when she married. His father gave it to him when he was eighteen, wishing for him to give it to the woman he chose as his wife. And in a few weeks he would be placing that ring on the finger of Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Tenebrae’s most beloved and revered Oracle.

He wished the circumstances were better. He was not opposed to marriage, even if his shyness made it hard for him to picture himself getting married, but now that it was happening he would have preferred to marry out of love. Not through a political arrangement. But the moment he heard of the peace treaty he put his personal feelings aside and agreed to go along with it. The war was reaching it’s end, the only things in the way were about a dozen signatures on a piece of paper and wedding bells in Altissia.

His father was suspicious and reluctant to let Idola into the city and Noctis understood why, but the thought of his people and his friends being safe….Noctis took a deep breath, running his fingers through his hair. He could do this. Even as he told himself he could did not stop his hands from shaking and when he heard a knock on his door he nearly jumped out of his skin. “It’s open!” He shouted back. There was a pause and then the door opened and Ignis stepped in, a look of bewilderment on his face. “What?”

“You’re conscious.” Ignis pointed out.

Noctis looked at him, confused, before remembering that it was still early in the morning. Nine in the morning was not a time Noctis was normally awake at. Ignis had been expecting to have to drag him out of bed half asleep. “Yeah. I’m up.”

“Are you feeling alright highness?” Ignis asked moving closer to the bed Noctis was sitting on.

“Yeah just...just nervous.” Noctis said. Anxious was probably a better word. “I had trouble sleeping.”

“That’s not good.” Ignis said as he took a seat next to the prince. He put his hand to Noctis’ forehead. “Well you aren’t warm, but perhaps you should consider a nap after the morning meeting. It would be bad for us if you got sick and collapsed.”

Noctis nodded, normally he would argue about his health with Ignis, but today was different. The signing ceremony was the next day, the party the evening before was when the media would be swarming the palace. His father had already agreed to let a few major news stations film the event, which included him speaking to and pretending to have a good time with people.

“I’ll take a nap after the meeting.” Noctis told him and stood up. He could already feel himself wearing down and gave himself a light hit on the cheek. “This is going to be a long few weeks.”

“Well look on the bright side. At least you’re marrying someone you know.”

“You’re sure about that?” Noctis asked. “I haven’t seen Luna since we were kids. Okay, not true, I’ve seen her on the news, but I haven’t talked to her in a long time.”

“Even so there is still some connection. Better there be one than none at all.” Ignis told him. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

“No I’m not, but do I have a choice?” Noctis asked. “Idola made his demands and if this will end the fighting between Niflheim and Lucis, keep my people safe, than I’ll do it. I’m the prince, I have to do everything I can to stop this war.”

Ignis nodded impressed by how mature Noctis had become over the past few months. “You’re right. Perhaps the real question is, are you ready to take on this responsibility?”

“Even if I’m not, I have to. Dad can’t rule Lucis forever.” Noctis said. Ignis was silent as he stood up. In his opinion Noctis was not ready to take over for his father. It had been a concern since his accident as to whether or not he’d be strong enough to be king, however they were running out of time. Noctis would be taking his position whether he was ready or not.

“Well then, we should get to the meeting room.”

Noctis nodded in agreement and Ignis lead him out of the room. Prompto and Gladiolus were waiting for them by the elevator and he could hear his blonde friend saying something before looking up.

“Hey! Look who’s up! And without needing my help.” Prompto said giving Noctis a light punch in the shoulder. “Excited to see the bride to be?”

Prompto’s excitement made Noctis smile a little. “Yeah. Ecstatic.” He muttered.

“You’re gonna need to show a little more enthusiasm when we get down there. Idola’s already complaining about the lack of a red carpet welcome.” Gladiolus told him, which made Noctis frown in disgust.

“Well what did he expect? Us to welcome him with open arms after taking over most of the country? He should consider him lucky we just didn’t shoot him at the wall.”

“Might wanna keep that to yourself buddy.” Prompto said. Noctis’s response was a grumble that made it clear that while he would keep it to himself he did not want to. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. The last thing he wanted to do was say the wrong thing when he finally met Idola. The four entered the elevator and while his friends managed to force out a conversation Noctis found himself only half listening, his thoughts wandering aimlessly.

The elevator stopped on the floor they wanted and Noctis followed his advisor out of the elevator and down the hall, Prompto and Gladiolus behind them. As he turned a corner and then entered the meeting room he saw his father a few other men from both Lucis and Niflheim, and the man he loathed to see, Idola Aldercapt. Noctis noticed that Idola and his father were talking, but the tension between them was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Idola’s grandson was also present, and there was a woman standing near the far wall, her face obscured by the men nearby.

Noctis walked over to his father, who noticed him right away. The tension in his father’s old face relaxed and he smiled. It was warm and tired. “You’re early Noctis.” He said before turning to Idola. “As I told you already, my son will be joining us for the meeting.”

“Ah, so Prince Noctis has decided to grace us with his presence. I’m flattered.” Idola said the tone snide and Noctis found himself trying hard to not glare at the mad king. He kept his head low.

“Forgive me for missing our previous meeting. I was-”

“Taken by illness. Again. You’re a weak boy for a prince, perhaps it’s a good thing you are marrying Tenebrae’s Oracle.” Idola said then turned to his grandson. “I have very few hopes for this country.”

The grandson in question chose to not respond to Idola’s statements and took a step forward offering his hand. Noctis took it, the two exchanging silent greetings. Idola motioned to another person.

“I believe you are familiar with Ms. Lunafreya.” He said.

Noctis turned to see the woman standing by the wall had approached them. Noctis stared at her, gaze briefly pulled away when he heard the sound of quick footsteps and saw her black husky-retriever mix circle around him, fur brushing his leg, before looking back at her. He blinked a few times almost startled by her appearance. The young girl - no woman, she was a young woman now - standing before him was dressed in soft white prayer robes, silver accents on the dress bringing out her bright bluish-purple eyes. Her hair was neatly combed and straight, her bangs swept to the side.

If Noctis did not know that this was the same Luna that he had known during childhood he probably would not have recognized her. In fact, even though her face and eyes were the same, the look in them was different. Cold and cautious.

“It is good to see you.” Noctis said, hesitation in his voice as he realized he was not sure if he was to address her as Luna like when they were children, or Lunafreya, her full name out of respect for her title as Tenebrae’s Oracle. However he did offer his hand to her. He expected when she took it that he was to place a gentle kiss on her fingers, like Ignis had instructed him.

However, when Luna did take his hand, her grip was so tight he winced in pain. “It’s an honor Prince Noctis.” She said giving it a rough shake and then letting go. He stared at her dumbfounded before dropping his hand to his side. She sounded so formal, but her voice was cold and a glare crossed her face as she looked at Idola. He felt his stomach twist as he stepped away keeping his head low.

He had expected Luna to be different but not so cold. It was almost like that happy smile that she always had on her face when they were kids never existed. 

The morning meeting was to finalize the agreements to the peace treaty. Noctis tried to listened, but the lack of sleep was beginning to wear on him. It became more difficult to keep his eyes open as the minutes went by and he was almost completely asleep when he felt a gloved hand on his shoulder. Ignis gave him a light shake to wake him up, then moved to his father and whispered something in his ear.

Not even a minute later Regis suggested they take a break. Most nodded in agreement, Idola however scoffed. “Yes a good idea. Your son seems more interested in the inside of his eyelids than the future of his country. I’m disappointed Regis.”

Noctis said nothing, but he wished he could punch Idola in the face. He also wished he could stay awake during a long meeting for once. Instead the dark haired prince stretched out his neck and then stood up, feeling a brief wave of dizziness followed by a hand on his back to help steady him.

“You should go back to your room and rest.” Regis said getting Noctis to look up at him. He was the one steadying him.

“I should be here.” Noctis tried to argue, already knowing from how he sounded it was not going to be an argument he would win. Regis shook his head and squeezed his son’s shoulder.

“Trust me you won’t miss much. We’ll be arguing over the same things and make an agreement in the last five minutes. And nothing will have changed. Trust me, you don’t want to be here.”

“Then why hold a meeting?”

“It looks like something is happening, but really this is just to stall for time until tonight.” Regis said putting a hand on his son’s shoulder. He squeezed it gently and smiled. “You need to be at your best for the party. So go and get some rest.”

Noctis sighed and shrugged then excused himself. Ignis took over escorting him out of the room and Gladiolus was right behind him. Prompto had not been invited inside and had been playing on his cellphone while waiting for the recess. He jumped to his feet. “Done already?”

“Break time…” Noctis muttered, looking around and stopping when he saw Luna walking down the hallway. Just looking at her walk away with her dog gave him a little more energy and he started to follow her.

“Highness?”

“Noct! The elevator’s the other way!” He heard Ignis and Prompto call him, but he ignored them as he followed her down the hall. He turned a corner to find she had set herself against one of the windows looking out at the courtyard. That steel cold look on her face had vanished, replaced with a look of weariness. She looked almost as tired as he felt.

Noctis stopped a few feet away from her, suddenly realizing that he had no idea how to approach her. He had no idea what to say after the first awkward ‘hi’ and he expected it to be awkward. When Prompto took him out to try and pick up guys or girls he usually either shied away or made a mad dash to the nearest bathroom to hide in. Sure Luna was an old friend, but it did not help that he had not spoken to her in years.

“Luna?”  He said before he could hope to stop himself and she looked right at him, a little surprised. Her gaze was piercing, almost like she was trying to stare into his soul. He stumbled back a little; he had no idea where to go from here.

For once fate had sympathy for him. The feeling of a rough wet nose made look down to see Luna’s small dog push his nose against his knee. The dog panted and trotted around Noctis, fur brushing the exposed part of his leg before the pet began nuzzling it. “Oh!”

“Fenris don’t do that.” Luna said shaking her head.

“No, it’s okay.” Noctis said and knelt down by the dog. “Hey little guy.” He reached behind Fenris ears and scratched Fenris head. The dog made a small noise that told him the pup enjoyed the attention, if the grin forming on it’s face was not already a clue enough. Noctis found himself smiling a little, he remembered this dog from years ago. “You’ve gotten big haven’t you. Last time I saw you, you were a puppy.”

The dog let out a cheerful bark before pushing his nose into Noctis’ shirt. The prince smiled, then frowned as he recalled Luna had more than one dog. “Where’s your brother?”

“Albus passed away.” Noctis looked up when Luna spoke, her voice less guarded so a bit of sadness escaped it. “He died last year. Old age.” She told him. Noctis said nothing, but nodded as his attention was taken by Fenris again. The old dog nudged his hand to demand that he be scratched behind his ear again.

“I’m sorry.” Noctis said as he scratched Fenris’ head. “He was a good dog.”

“Yes. Very sweet.”

“I still remember when you brought these two to the palace. And how every morning when I woke up one of them would be sleeping on the bed with me.”

“I did tell them to protect you.” Luna said and Noctis chuckled. She did and the two dogs ended up following him everywhere he went. “Albus adored you, but I think the maids hated him.”

“Yeah they didn’t like finding his fur all over my bed and clothes.” Noctis said. He moved his arm away from Fenris and straightened. He felt a little more relaxed and he saw a small smile formed on her face, which vanished in a second. “How have you been Luna?”

“Fine. Thank you.” She said quickly. Too quickly. “And you?”

“The same as ever.”

“Still a sleepyhead I noticed.” She said. Idola was not the only one who saw Noctis nodding off during the meeting.

“Some days are better than others.” He told her not wanting to into details. He blinked heavily feeling that what little life energy he had leaving him. “Today is is not one of those better days.”

“I noticed.” She said eyes turning to the courtyard. Noctis looked too seeing the normally peaceful area was filled with guards. He did not like it.

“Highness.” Ignis’ voice caught Noctis’ attention. He had not even realized his friends had followed him. “We should go.”

Noctis sighed but nodded. He wanted to talk more to Luna, but he could feel himself fading. That and he had no idea where to continue their conversation. “I need go get going.”

“I understand. Wouldn’t be good if Lucis’ prince took ill at the party.” Luna said, but something about how she said it did not sound right. Noctis could not tell if she was mocking him or if she was being sincere. All he was sure about was that the tone was cold and that he did not like it. He said his goodbyes to Luna and walked with his friends back to his room.

When he got there he lied down on his mattress but did not fall asleep right away. Prompto took a seat next to him. “Wow. Cold.” He said chuckling a little. “Hate to say it Noct, but if she’s gonna be your wife, you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

“She was never like this.” Noctis said. “She used to be so friendly.”

“Well when you two were kids, Tenebrae didn't have Niflheim’s flags looming over it.” Gladiolus reminded him.

“That’s right. In fact Ms. Lunafreya’s position as Tenebrae’s Oracle is the only reason the country has any autonomy. Between working with Idola and regularly communing with the gods I suppose her coldness is her way of coping.” Ignis said then frowned as he considered something.

“Probably.” Noctis said.

“Though I wonder. If she married you, what would happen to Tenebrae?”

Noctis shrugged not knowing that answer. Tenebrae had not been mentioned at any time when the arrangements for the peace treaty were made. At least as far as he was aware, and he made sure Ignis filled him in on any details he missed. Noctis yawned and rolled onto his side as it became harder to keep his eyes open. “Gonna sleep for a few hours. One of you wake me up before the party.”

“Oh I volunteer!” Prompto said raising his hand up as a large grin crossed his face. Gladiolus and Ignis looked at him. “What? I can wake him gently.”

“The last time you said that something broke.” Gladiolus said a smirk on his face as Prompto pouted quickly glancing over to where a lamp was supposed to be resting near Noctis’ desk, but was mysteriously absent.

“Not like you’ve done any better!”

“Course I have. I just give him a few light hits on the back then pull him to his feet. Doesn’t give him the time to throw anything.”

“Well-”

“-I think you two should keep the volume down.” Ignis said, pointing to Noctis who had somehow fallen asleep even with the noise. Prompto moved out of the way so Ignis could cover the prince with a spare blanket. Noctis moaned and moved a little in his sleep, curling up so he could bury himself under it.

“You never fail to amaze me Noct.” Prompto quipped getting a chuckle from the other two as he ruffled his sleeping friends hair.

 The party was at eight. Ignis and the others got Noctis out of bed around six so he would have time to get dressed and eat a small dinner. His suit was already picked out for him, a solid black three piece that his father had gotten him for his birthday. Not exactly the most personal birthday present, but Noctis had needed a new suit and once he got rid of the uncomfortable tie he admitted that the suit looked pretty good on him. However despite Ignis’ insistence, he was not going to do anything to make his hair look nicer.

He’d rather dress in a clown suit than style his hair into something considered ‘presentable’. He kept that thought to himself, he did not want Prompto getting ideas.

“Well how do I look?” He asked once he was dressed and let his friends give him one last look over. He saw Ignis inspect every last inch of the suit before giving him a smile.

“You look stunning, highness.”

“Man, I’d totally be gunning for ya if I was a girl.” Prompto said laughing a little.

“You’re gonna have a lot of woman wanting to dance and talk to you.” Gladiolus said a grin on his face. Noctis groaned, dancing was really one of the last things he wanted to do. He expected he would need to dance at least once with Luna. He hoped it was only once. He felt Ignis put a hand on his shoulder shaking his head in disapproval.

“Now now highness, you need to at least pretend you're having a good time.” His advisor was smiling. That told Noctis he was amused by the situation.

“I hate you guys.”

Noctis tried to ignore the laughter that followed but even he found himself smiling. He was smiling less when he and Ignis walked to the elevator. Prompto again was not invited, Gladiolus was staying behind to keep him company.

The party was on the top floor of the palace, overlooking the city. When the elevator door opened Noctis stepped out to see that the floor was already filled with people. There were men in suits and woman in beautiful dresses talking with each other. Some dressed in Lucis’ traditional black, others in reds or purples. Noctis could see a few of the men talking to woman were from Niflheim.

Noctis kept his head low as he walked the floor. Already he could hear whispers, people talking about him, camera’s flashing. He was sure he heard a reporter mention that he was now present along with the giggles of some of Lucis’ socialites commenting on his appearance. That he was handsome, that they’d want to get with him, and more things that were drowned out as he got closer to where the music was being played. He turned his attention to some paintings on the wall, and when Ignis offered him a drink he took it. Some alcohol would probably help him feel more relaxed.

Ignis had put restrictions on how much Noctis could drink (considering how drunk Noctis got at the last party…), so after two glasses of wine Ignis told the man tending bar to not let Noctis have anything more. The drink did not make Noctis any more open to dancing than he already was, it only made his head feel fuzzy, and he continued to walk the floor. He saw his father speaking to Idola - Cor nearby incase the madman tried anything - and no sign of Luna. He continued to walk and look around before sighing and walking over to one of the attendants.

“Have you seen Ms. Lunafreya?”

“She’s up on the next floor.”

“Thank you.” He said finding the nearest set of stairs and climbing up them. The color of atmosphere was more blue because of the lights on the wall, giving the room a soft, sleepy feel. There were fewer people on this floor and Luna stood out like a sore thumb in her white dress. Her blonde hair was tied up in a messy ponytail and her dress hugged her figure, emphasizing her hips. She was looking at a portrait painted by one of Lucis’ most historic painters. He took a few steps closer.

“Nice isn’t it.” He said smiling a little when he saw her jump. She turned to him, surprised, before her face returned to indifference.

“Yes. It’s beautiful.” Luna said then looked away. “All portraits portraying the goddess of sleep and death are beautiful, but the ones from Lucis are more unique than any others.”

“Really.”

Luna nodded, “In most countries the goddess is shown to sleep peacefully, but in this picture look at her face.” Luna said turning her attention to the portrait again. Noctis looked up frowning as he did so trying to understand what she was seeing. “She looks like she is upset. As though she feels responsible for human suffering...they say that the goddess of death feels turmoil for the pain we go through, so she grants those who are suffering a deep sleep so their lives will end without pain or misery.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that story.”

“Anyone from Lucis has heard it. It’s outsiders who find Lucis stance on the goddess hard to believe.” Luna said. “Tenebrae and Niflheim see her as a more malevolent being who enjoys watching human suffering. Not the sympathetic goddess that Lucis sees her as.”

“And which one is more accurate?” Noctis asked. He watched as Luna frowned eyes going to the ground for a moment as she thought of what she said before answering.

“There is truth in both interpretations. If we consider malevolence to be indifference and sympathy to be pity.” She said. “The gods of this world do not care for what becomes of humans, except those that commune with them. The fact this goddess even offers some kind form of rest for all is unusual.”

“You would know wouldn't you.”

Luna did not say anything to Noctis’ statement, she just nodded and kept her eyes on him. Her eyes were not as cold as they had been earlier, but there was a degree of distance to them. Noctis hurried to try and think of something to talk about.

“I’ve keep hearing about how you use your power to help your country grow.” Noctis said.

“I don’t really do anything.”

“It's because you became an Oracle that Tenebrae’s citizens can have some freedom right?”

“I give my country hope just by existing. I talk to the gods because it is my duty. Because I’m….told to or….” Luna stopped speaking, a glare crossing her face as her eyes shot to the side. Noctis wondered why before he looked over at the stairs and saw Idola nearby. The man in white robes was speaking to one of his people and while Noctis could not make out what they were saying, the fact that Luna suddenly became quiet told him more than enough. Tenebrae’s citizens might have had a level of freedom, but their Oracle was a prisoner. And a prisoner was not allowed to speak.

Not here anyway. Noctis moved closer and gently took Luna’s hand. The blonde looked at him a bit confused at first, then a frown formed on her face and she pulled her hand back. “What are you doing?”

“Being very bad at asking you if you want to dance. Or go somewhere we can talk privately. Actually talk, not….” Noctis stumbled looking down as his face turned a little red and he found himself tripping on his words. He shook his head trying to get his thoughts together. “You want to go down to the courtyard? Get away from these people and just be ourselves for an hour?”

Luna’s frown softened and she looked around, like she was expecting someone to jump out from the shadows. “That would be nice.” She said and Noctis could not help but notice a small hitch in her voice. She seemed anxious. Again Noctis took her hand, this time less awkward and let her wrap her arm around his. Her hand shook slightly but then became steady and she smiled a pretty but fake smile as they walked back down the stairs and entered the crowd.

To his relief they reached the nearest elevator without incident and Noctis pressed the button that would bring them down to the courtyard. The elevator closed and began to drop down the floors.

About halfway to their destination Luna flipped open a panel labelled ‘emergency only’ and flipped a switch. The elevator screeched to a stop. Noctis felt his stomach lurch in protest and he wished he had not had those two drinks. Somehow his body managed to keep it from reaching his throat and he looked at her. “What are you doing?”

“There’s other ways from the party right?”

“Yeah but-”

“Then this will do.” Luna said and without waiting for Noctis to say anything else, sat down on the floor. She rested her back against the wall, kicked her shoes off and gave a relieved sigh. Noctis stared at her and after hesitating for a few seconds sat down next to her. He smelt the subtle hint of perfume on her skin and looked up at the ceiling. The lights were flickered. He heard Luna sigh again and noticed that she sounded content.

“So….”

“So…?” Luna asked looking at him.

“So this is what you want to do? Just hide in the elevator for the next hour or until someone notices we’re missing.”

“It’s quiet.” Luna said. “No music, no people around. No one from Niflheim breathing down my neck. It’s strangely peaceful.”

“The courtyard is peaceful.”

“The courtyard has people around it. From Lucis and Niflheim.” Luna told him. “Anyone from Niflheim would have their guns ready in case I tried anything. They fear me, but at the same time they aren’t afraid to try and keep me in line. I just want to be alone for awhile.”

“Do you want me to go back to the party?”

“No. It’s good to have someone with me I can call a friend.”

Noctis was silent as he took in her words. She still considered him a friend, even after not seeing him for fifteen years. “Why are you here?” He asked.

“Idola wanted me here.”

“So, you follow Idola?”

“Not willingly. I do as Idola says so Tenebrae’s people get to live another day. I defy him and he sends his soldiers into the city and shoots them. Tenebrae resistance rises up and I can’t quell it, he shoots them. My people.” Luna looked at him. “So no I have not been fine. It’s been a very long few years.”

“I’m sorry.” Noctis said then sighed. “That doesn’t help I know.”

“It’s nice to have a sympathetic ear for a change.” Luna said and Noctis noticed a small smile form on her face, “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you. I wanted to show you something.”

Luna reached into the handbag she had been carrying. She opened it and pulled out her cellphone and woke it up. Noctis looked at her as she moved her fingers gently across it then let him see the screen. “Do you remember this? They’re from when we first met. And after your accident.”

Noctis looked at the screen to see photos. Photo’s of the two playing with Luna’s dogs, of them trying to figure out how to get the camera to work, some of the flowers in the courtyard - Luna had taken those - and several others. Noctis saw a few from when he was wheelchair bound after his accident, Luna had her arms wrapped around his neck hugging him from behind. They were both smiling. He looked tired, but he was still smiling. He looked happy. She looked happy.

“Yeah. I remember.” Noctis said. He touched the screen and it changed to another image. Luna’s white dog had jumped into Noctis’ lap and began licking his face. The Luna in the picture was laughing. Noctis smiled at the sight. “Good memories.”

“These pictures and that promise we made are some of the last good memories I have.” Luna said putting her phone down. “A few days after I went home, Niflheim invaded our country.”

“I remember.” Noctis said. “I had a terrible dream, I saw magitek troops marching into a city and a girl being grabbed by a soldier and thrown to the floor. When I woke up, I went to my dad, and saw that it was all over the news. That Niflheim had invaded Tenebrae. I kept asking him if you and your family were okay, but he wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“I had the same dream you did the night before it happened. The soldiers that attacked were only supposed to take my family hostage, because my father was an Oracle. But he fought back. Idola wanted a cooperative Oracle and my father was not cooperative.”

“And your sister?” Noctis asked. Luna fell silent looking away and dropping her arm so her phone was in her lap.

“I never learned what happened to Stella. But since I was granted the power to commune with the gods, I’ve come to my own conclusions.”

Noctis said nothing, just nodded, unsure exactly what he could say. The two fell into a comfortable silence and he kept looking at the closed elevator doors in front of him before looking back at her. Her blonde bangs made it hard for her to hide her eyes. “Luna, you don’t want to go through with this marriage do you.” He said. Luna was silent at first before looking at him.

“Do you want to?” She asked.

“I want to protect my people.” He said. “And if this marriage will allow me to do that then I will.”

“Then we are the same.” Luna said then she frowned. “The youngest and most beloved Oracle in the world being married to the prince of the kingdom with the last crystal. Truly a sign of good things to come.”

Her tone was cold and a little sarcastic. “You think this is to good to be true.” Noctis said.

“I don’t trust Idola.”

“That makes two of us.”

“It does.” Luna said before falling silent, “You’re right, I don’t want to go through with this marriage. Because I don’t expect Idola to keep to his part of the deal. He wants the world, but my existence prevents him from doing so. Most Oracle’s are content to live isolated and unaffiliated lives, however I cannot just abandon Tenebrae. But if I were married off and no longer in Tenebrae….”

“There’s no one to protect the people.”

“Yes.” Luna said, “However if I don’t go through with this marriage, you and your people will continue to suffer. Idola will continue to attack the city, and eventually, whether it be you or your father, the crystal barrier will collapse. And if that happens, my existance won’t matter because Idola will have the most powerful tool in the world.”

“This whole thing sucks.” Noctis concluded. “Damned if we do and damned if we don’t. I liked it better when we were kids and the biggest worry we had was getting to school on time.”

“I wouldn’t mind having the chance to be a kid for a little while.”

Noctis was silent, again not sure what to say. He contemplated putting a hand to her shoulder, not sure if he was overstepping his boundaries or not, then decided to put his hand in his pocket and take out the ring he was holding onto. “I was supposed to give you this in Altissia, but maybe it’d be better if you had it now.”

Luna looked at the ring and smiled. “It’s beautiful.”

“It was my mother’s. May I?” He asked gesturing to her hand which when she held up he gently took. Her skin was soft on his fingers, which were rough from his sword training. Carefully he placed the ring on her finger. “Consider this me saying ‘I’m sorry that I was not there for you when you needed a friend. But from now on I will always be here for you.’” He said paused then shook his head. “God that doesn’t sound like me.”

“Sounds exactly like you. You just don’t want to admit it.” Luna said. Noctis grunted and looked away as his face took on a pinkish color. “I could use a friend after all of this, but…” she trailed off frowning and Noctis looked back at her. There was something about that face he did not like. She was thinking about something and it was not something good. Finally she looked back at him and he watched as that frown was replaced with something else. “We leave for Altissia after the signing ceremony, right?”

“Yeah. That’s the idea.”

“I see…” Luna said then thought a little before speaking again. “This is going to sound strange, but can you leave before the ceremony?”

The question came so far out of nowhere that Noctis was not sure how to answer. And he stumbled on his words before asking, “why?”

“Well you’re going to sleep through the ceremony anyway.” Luna said and Noctis grumbled something under his breath. “And, it would be best if you were outside of Insomnia during the event. I’ve spoken to the gods and while they normally don’t care what happens to us, they were very clear that they did not want you at the ceremony.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know…” Luna said but how she said it was a warning bell in Noctis’ head. It was awkward and forced. She said it to quickly. She was lying. “I’ll speak to Lord Regis about it, I’m sure he’ll agree.”

“Luna-”

“Please, as a friend, leave in the morning before the ceremony.” Luna told him, her voice commanding in a way that he had never expected to hear it. Cold and commanding. He found himself swallowing and nodding his head in agreement. He would leave in the morning, and he would hear about the ceremony over the radio. Or he would get a call when the ceremony was over. He sighed then jumped as he felt his phone vibrate. He stood up and pulled it out of his jacket pocket and answered it.

“What is it Ignis?” He sighed as he heard Ignis complain to him over the phone. His father and Idola had noticed his absence. “Relax I’ll be there. I just needed to step away for a bit, just give me five minutes okay? I’m fine, I just felt a little lightheaded- relax Iggy I’m fine.” He ended the call despite Ignis still talking and looked at Luna. “Guess who just found out I’m missing.”

“Oh dear. We should get back then.” Luna said. She pushed in the emergency stop and after a few seconds the elevator jolted back to life. Noctis pressed the button back to the roof and sighed as he imagined what choice words he would be hearing from his father for skipping out on the party for a little while. 

Noctis had been surprised when his father agreed to Luna’s suggestion, but it was the look on his face that bothered him. His father had looked sad, even upset, and had given him a hug the night after the party that felt like it lasted too long. Luna had told him something, something she had not wanted Noctis to know and when he tried to ask about it, his father shrugged it off and told him to try and get some sleep.

He did not get a chance to speak to his father in the morning, the dark haired prince had been out cold when the group left in the early morning only waking up to the sound of Prompto fiddling with the car radio desperately trying to get a signal in the early afternoon. He heard Gladiolus say something but kept his eyes on the city outskirts in the distance.

“If everything alright highness?” Ignis asked looking at him through the rear-view mirror.

“Just worried.” Noctis said.

“Don’t worry so much, or you’re gonna have grey hair before you’re thirty.” Prompto said, “Look on the bright side, we can have that camping trip we tried to have on your birthday and Gladio can test out his new equipment.”

“We won’t be camping anywhere tonight. We’ll stay at a hotel and then contact the palace and see how everything went. Then we’ll continue to Altissia and begin making preparations for the wedding.” Ignis said, “I admit this is working out in our favor, if we’re ahead of schedule we’ll have more time to prepare for the wedding.”

“Well, I’m sure Idola will be happy to hear that.” Gladiolus said.

“The people will like it, and that’s what matters most in this.” Ignis said.

“Yeah….truly a sign of good things to come.” Noctis muttered as he watched Insomnia disappear behind the mountains.

A few hours and several miles later the news broke that Niflheim had bombed the city.