Timeline #5, loop 1
Lunafreya fussed around Iris, who stood obediently before a full body mirror inside their shared hotel room. She never stopped moving, fixing the straps of Iris's bikini top, perfecting the bow at the back, styling her hair with several pins, vehemently nitpicking at every detail in the young girl's presentation.
She had promised Iris to go all out on her appearance for that afternoon party at the beach. She couldn't remember the last time she had the opportunity to talk openly about fashion with a female close to her age and enjoy the shenanigans that came with it: going through fashion magazines, having deep discussions about favorite colors and patterns and even playing dress up at the shops in search of the perfect garments.
It was a surreal, yet gratifying feeling. The thrill in simple, non consequent deeds for the fun of it filled her heart with a long forgotten giddiness. She certainly didn't expect to be this eager in helping Gladiolus's sweet little sister attain that fresh summer teenage look, but once they begun to talk about what was going to be needed and sharing ideas of it, she found herself getting swept away by all of the possibilities.
Running her fingers through Iris short hair for the last adjustments, Lunafreya leaned away to review her handwork. Satisfied, she gave herself a figurative pat in the back.
"I'm finished!" She clapped her hands to her chest before stepping out of the mirror view for Iris. "What do you think?"
Iris, who had kept her eyes closed during the whole hairdo session, found her reflection looking back at her.
"Whoa! This is amazing!" she exclaimed, turning her head around to admire the arrange of colorful flowers intertwined with the hair extensions in a sophisticated side braid "It looks really beautiful!"
"You like it? It is the first time I work with hair extensions, I was not sure how it would turn out but-"
A knock on the door interrupted them.
"Iris it's me. Ravus is here too, like we promised." Gladiolus's voice echoed behind the door. Sending a quick glance at Luna for approval, Iris answered, "Just a minute! We're almost ready!"
Resigned, Gladio leaned against the wall opposite to the girl's room in preparation for what would surely be more than "just a minute."
"Heh, sisters."
Ravus only answer was a knowing smile.
Present Time
Lunafreya observed as her brother Ravus left the Altissian manor from her room's window.
The displeasure written in his face gave her indication of how the meeting with the First Secretary had gone. The fact that not even her own brother was allowed to pay her a lengthy visit was proof of the high priority her protection was being given, and with it, her surveillance.
Said surveillance came in the form of Altissian guards, frozen at the feet of any room she stayed at in the building on full time schedule. No doubt Camelia direct orders.
She was no stranger to captivity, living somewhat caged for twelve years since her mother's death, and neither was she against the protection the Accordo government had offered her. For the time being anyway, as she knew the government's fidelity remained to it's people. If taking care of her became too much of a burden, they would surrender her to the empire.
After traveling through the wilderness and between towns for weeks, running away from the empire, keeping the ring safe and forging covenants with the Astrals, she welcomed the change of pace. Mentally and physically; her body felt equally awakened and exhausted, as if it were both alert and ready to turn itself off. A tension of sorts that, now more ever, kept her pushing forward.
Just a little longer.
A sight left her lips as the manor's outside doors closed, leaving Ravus' silhouette on the other side. He stood there for a few seconds, before turning around and leaving her range of view.
Her brother. He was the only one aware of her condition.
Finally accepting her destiny, Ravus had agreed on secretly helping her against the empire's desire, by giving Noctis the newest of royal arms. She didn't dare to think on the consequences that awaited him, but then again, neither dared she to think in her own immediate future. There was no time to dwell on the inevitable. Both siblings could only push onward on honor to their family's name and duty.
Too many had sacrificed for her to stand here. It was only fair for her to return the favor at last and give meaning to their efforts.
On her desk, the hairpin she got in Insomnia glittered with purpose, reflecting the light that filtered through the window. The Ring of the Lucii thrummed with low whispers, asking for the hand of the chosen one from the ornamented box she keep it in.
She had sacrificed a normal life for others to have a chance of one. She was their only hope, and she would not fail them. She could not fail the world. She understood what she had to do.
Umbra let out a soft whine from the place he rested on the floor, sensing her master's mood.
Startled out of her thoughts, Lunafreya sat down on the armchair besides her dog with a soft smile. The dog raised to rub his head against her master's hovering hand, offering comfort through soft fur, her smile broadening at the affection. Her time may be running out, but she could afford herself this little respite.
Relaxing into the seat, she stopped resisting her weariness and let sleep take hold of her for a few hours. It was dark outside once she woke up again. It had to be only a matter of time before-
"Lady Lunafreya."
She opened her eyes to meet the smiling, closed ones of her faithful messenger, standing by the chamber's doors.
The pressing question in her mind made it's way out before she could stop it "Gentiana, is he..."
"The Prince is well on his way," Gentiana assured her.
Sighing with relief, she let her back lean against the seat's cushions again. She hadn't noticed the moment she leaned forward. "That's good to hear. Thank you."
Pacing with deliberate movements, Gentiana approached her. "Soon your destiny will be fulfilled, and I will see to honor our promise." In her mind, she replayed the time of her first covenant with Shiva. She could only be talking about the Oracle's Trident. The messenger stopped to kneel besides a sleeping Pryna, carefully patting the dog's head. Awakened from her slumber, Pryna recognized the presence and sat down, shaking the sleep off. From her place, Gentiana paused before looking directly into Luna's eyes.
"Has the Oracle ever thought of living a life different from the one she has been ordained?"
Lunafreya was taken aback, surprise clear in her face. Different? "What do you mean by that?"
With her gloved hand, Gentiana handed her a small wooden amulet. It had an elaborate flourish engraved on one of it's sides, one that Luna instantly recognized. It was Pryna's messenger amulet, the one Shiva had shown her together with Umbra's the time the Astral appeared physically before her so many years ago, on the first anniversary of her mother's death.
"It is a gift for those who accept a burden of the gods. At last it has been decided the Oracle would make best use of it."
She remembered. Both Umbra and Pryna were capable of time manipulation, a power meant to be given to the saviours once the time was right. She had grow so used to her dogs that it was sometimes easy to forget there was more to them. They were messengers of the gods just as Gentiana. To be given this meant she had reached a point of no return, and the Astrals knew it, but even more important than that, was the one amulet she had been given.
Pryna's.
Of the two dogs, Umbra could take and relive past memories that generated changes in one's present while Pryna could guide to explore distant realities without repercussions on one's own. Umbra made changes based on what was already done; Pryna allowed to explore everything that would never be.
Where Umbra allowed diligence, Pryna gave room to negligence.
And she was being given Pryna's amulet! It felt as if the Astrals were telling her she had done good enough without their help. Perplexed, Luna looked from Gentiana to Pryna "I don't understand... why such generosity?"
"Glacian eyes are not blind to the sacrifices of the Oracle..." And for a moment, the room seemed to fill with a familiar chill, intertwined with the smell of waterfalls and the voice of a mother.
You have made me proud, Lunafreya.
A shiver ran down her back and her eyes felt watery. "Gentiana..." Trying to compose herself, Luna dropped her sight to the amulet in her hands. All of her work was done because it was the right thing to do. She was the only one able to shoulder it and as such, she did it without expecting anything in return, the pride on her blood and the happiness of those she helped were reward enough. Knowing that her mother was proud was the best of the gifts.
And while she knew better than to question the ways of the Astrals, the opportunity of the amulet felt beyond what she could accept.
Noticing her uncertainty, Gentiana elaborated. "Humans strive on happiness. The King and the Oracle are no different. Astral paths allow to explore possibilities beyond imagination, at the cost of just one"
Oh, so there was a price. Masochistic as it may sound, she was relieved of not being given an escapism artifact of sorts. "Thank you very much for this. I cannot say if this is something I will get to use, but I appreciate nonetheless."
"It is but an opportunity. Whether you use it or not, the present will remain unchanged." Finally closing her eyes, Gentiana stood up, signaling Umbra to follow her outside of the room. The black dog rubbed his head against Luna's leg and bumped heads with Pryna before walking to Gentiana's side "Choose the path wherein the heart walks without regrets."
When Luna raised her head again from the amulet, Gentiana and Umbra had disappeared.
At her feet, Pryna made way towards her master's resting chamber where she climbed the mattress, swinging her tail with excitement as she barked for Luna to do the same.
Defeated, she followed. "Do you think this is a good idea?"
Gentiana's words made echo in her mind. To experience myriads of lives, in exchange of one... Luna was no stranger to the messenger cryptic words. If on one hand, Gentiana though she could handle this, perhaps she could. But what could this one life held that deserved an infinity of others to balance it? She knew asking would led her nowhere and curiosity had already started to sink in.
Pryna peered at her with curiosity from the mattress as she turned to face her. "Will you be there with me?" Luna shrieked in surprise as the dog jumped over her to enthusiastically lick her face, upper paws on her shoulders.
"Ok ok," she laughed. "I get it." Looking into Pryna's soft blue eyes, she finally found the courage to give the last step in. "Let's do this!"
Pryna held a paw out, and as she took hold of it, she felt a force quickly pulling her forward. It wrapped around her joints, her limbs, her center of gravity, until she felt it wrap around her mind. Feeling weightless, she let it lead her. The alien sensations stirred a commotion of dreadful feelings inside her, unconsciously preparing her for the worst, but soon dissolved at the feeling of Pryna's playful bark urging her to keep moving forward.
With a last physical exhalation, her mind was warped away.
Timeline #5 (Beach Party AU)
Even after her fifth travel, she hadn't grow used to the thick sleep that settled over her each time. This time however, Lunafreya woke up to the soft rumble of an engine somewhere close. As she recovered conscience more sounds became recognizable: The breaking of waves. Two voices in an amenable conversation. The song of seagulls...
Rubbing the grogginess off her eyes, she discovered she woke up in a bed inside a yatch's cabin. A different place from the one she closed her eyes to.
Soft steps approached, and her heart fluttered at the sight of Noctis' messy hair hovering over her head.
"Hey, you are awake! We just arrived you know. Ravus and Gladio are tying the boat to the dock so get ready to carry all the luggage out. Your well rested hands would come in handy." He gave a soft grin and then an exaggerated bow. "Oh, highness." Before she could give him any smart retort, he disappeared behind some small stairs - probably leading to where the other guys were- with Umbra's fluffy silhouette not far behind. A bark at the side of the bed called her attention and she saw Pryna's keen eyes looking intently at her.
Smiling, she gave the dog a greeting scratch "Hello to you too, smart girl. Where did you take me this time?" Pryna stood up, tail wagging behind her. She must have chosen something exciting. As she made her way to the upper levels of the boat, memories of her self in this life came slowly to her.
She was still a princess, and so was her brother and Noctis, but there seemed to be no story of Cristals or Starscourge. Ifrit's betrayal must have not taken place and yet, humanity chose to separate itself in different settlements and kingdoms. It was truly a time of peace in Eos, which meant a time of relaxation for young royalty with friends in no other place than the beaches of the Galahdian archipelago. Another excuse of Noctis to explore new waters with his fishing line, her memories reminded her.
The sunlight shined over her eyes, illuminating a bright sea and the smiling faces of people she could now call her friends. Family.
In that instant, she felt content. It didn't matter if she was to stay only for a day or for the rest of a lifetime in this universe, she would make the most out it.
"Let's have fun, Pryna!" she said, walking towards a makeshift bridge leading to the pier placed on one border of the boat. Ravus, who was giving instructions to both Prompto and Ignis over safety measures, didn't notice his sister as she passed by him.
"...So now we can tie the bridge tight- wait is Luna already awake-? LUNAFREYA, DON'T STEP ON THE-"
Under her weight, the makeshift metal bridge wobbled before giving in. She registered the lose of balance, the cold water hitting her face, something heavy colliding against her neck and at last, Noctis bloodcurdling scream of her name.
Timeline #5, loop 1
She woke up to the sounds of an engine's soft rumble nearby, waves breaking, seagulls singing and Pryna whining at her side.
She stared at the cot's roof blankly before slowly turning to look at her dog.
"...I'll be more careful this time."
Timeline #101
Her two loyal messengers laid at her feet as usual. In a less usual manner, this made Luna unhappy.
"Please stand up, There's no need to behave like this."
"My master, we are only paying you our respects" came Umbra's blunt, baritone voice.
"You are and will always be our revered patron. To serve at your side is but a privilege, My Lady," replied Pryna in her elegant, chipper tone.
For the last fifteen minutes Luna had been dealing with them. Umbra and Pryna's very human, very beautiful and very stubborn forms kept their head low in her presence, refusing to walk at her side or drop the formalities, dismissing any of her pledges to treat her as less than a holy being.
Truth to be told, she was the only human able to communicate with the gods, and the only one capable of curing a terrifying disease... but they were her lifetime companions! Now that they had proper voices, faces and opposable thumbs, the most she wanted was them to treat her like a friend! A fellow humanoid looking friend, at the very least.
Pouting, she analysed her options. This called in for new tactics.
Adopting a more pleading posture, she pouted in Pryna's general direction. "Please, dear Pryna, call me by my name."
The black tattoo marks around her eyes emphasized her childish excitement.
"My master!"
"No."
"My Mistress."
"Less formal."
"Patron."
"Well..."
"Boss!"
"Am I a gang leader now?"
Umbra and Pryna angelic faces smiled in contentment as Luna whined in her hands. Were they still in their canine forms, their tails would be wagging rapidly. So much for asking a bit of familiarity.
If her companions had now a sense of humor based on her exasperation, she was in for some headaches.
Timeline #50
She could not believe it.
She was stranded.
Luna found herself waking up on the shore of what appeared to be a tropical island of sorts. From her place sitting on the sand, looking at the sea from where she came from, she made memory of the events that had led her here settle.
She and Noctis had sailed for a weekend date on his boat and were to expend a few nights on the sea. Just the two of them, fishing and fooling around. Sounded pretty much like them.
It was on the second night that they heard a loud noise nearby, a distress signal from the radio about telluric movements, high waves, a heavy electric storm and then... nothing.
She must have fallen from the boat a lost consciousness at some point between the chaos.
If the events were from last night, she wouldn't have guessed it from the landscape before her. Here the waves breaked on soft rolls and extended over the sand in practiced motions, the sun shined brightly over her head and the wind moved between the leaves of the vegetation behind her. She would have enjoyed the beautiful scenery any day where not for her current predicament.
Noctis. Where could he be? Was he ok? Was he stranded too? Or maybe he had...
Her forehead made a thumping noise as it collided numbingly against her arms, not daring to complete that line of thought. She seemed to be completely alone this time, no magic nor magical messengers to keep her company. Even if she knew she wouldn't really die in her original universe, death wasn't an experience she looked forward in any timeline. Death by shipwreck sounded particularly awful, if you asked her.
The waves kept crashing against the sand, almost mockingly, and the world continued its course, ignorant of her distress.
It was no use. Sitting there mopping wouldn't help her at the moment. Making up her mind, she stood up and shook the sand from the places her skin was left exposed, after part of her clothes had been ripped by the sea. She needed to get working on looking for Noctis and finding a way to get out of there.
But first things first.
"I need to find food." Her stomach let out a noise in agreement. Giving a steadying sight, she set her way between the thick vegetation towards the island forest. There had to be something edible on some of the trees right? She was going to make her knowledge in plants prove itself useful.
As she left the shore, she failed to notice the small GPS device that the waves had transported from the shipwreck.
Autor Note:
Thanks to SelfiesWithSparkles and AyaKagami for being my beta readers and giving me the confidence to think this was not a lost cause lol.
This fic has been on my drafts for around 5 months! I'm so happy to have the first chapter complete. I had to change so many things over and over until I was satisfied with the end result... but at last, here it is! I have many ideas planned for this but I'm open to suggestions for differents AU's. Tell me what would you like to see and I'll see if I can fit it in.
I want this to be a fic where Luna can have all the fun that canon has denied her. Like seriously, this woman needs a break, she worked really hard and deserves a happy life in all of the AUs. I tried to make it as canon compliant as possible but I'm sure that will come and bite me sometime later orz. That's what happens when you try to be serious in a silly fic I guess.
Thoughts? Doubts? Suggestions? Leave me a comment or find me on my Tumblr sideblog as "Prynacle" :)