Chapter 2

Let me just say first, history is my worst subject. I loved it back when I was in school but I suck at it. So I don't know how to properly word correspondence between kings. But this is Eos not Europe so... just gonna go with "formal and polite"

I hope you feel I can do all the characters justice.

Guest: Thank you for the review. I'm glad you seem to think this is off to a good start. You'll just have to keep reading and see what I have in store for the gang! And Ardyn wasn't responsible for EVERYTHING in the game. Erasing him would not change the blighted moon, Ifrit's temper, the Empire being a bastard. He was his own complicated foe.


Your Majesty King Tiberius Veritas Fleuret of the beautiful land of Tenebrae,

King Noctis Lucis Caelum and Oracle Lunafreya Nox Caelum humbly request you receive them in your home. King Noctis wishes to pay respects to the late members of the Fleuret line, and the lady Lunafreya wishes to pay her respects to her departed brother. The lady Lunafreya also wishes to visit her homeland, to share with King Noctis a familiarity with Tenebrae that the King has shown his Queen in Lucis. The King wishes to experience the beauty and bounty Tenebrae has to offer, and to become more familiar with the nation that is Lucis's strongest ally.

Humbly your servant,

Ignis Scientia, Adviser and Council to house Caelum of Lucis.

Ignis had dictated thus far, with another member of his cabinet writing his words for him. Noctis had argued about typing the letter, but Ignis insisted that the personal touch of a handwritten letter was more likely to be well received when requesting to be hosted a second time in less than a year.

"Maybe I should have just had Luna write it. I mean, it's her cousin," He complained, "Maybe he'd like the familiarity," He was intensely uncomfortable with the formal nature of the letter and the use of his and Luna's official titles.

"This is a letter between Kings requesting a diplomatic host, even if there are personal reasons behind the visit. You aren't just any citizen wanting to visit Tenebrae. You are King, Noctis,"

"I know that!" Noctis snapped, feeling his earlier bitter mood resurfacing. I'll never be the strong dignified king that my father was. I'll never be Regis. Ignis sighed, taking a deep breath to keep from losing his patience. He knew how Noctis could get whenever he was reminded of his role, and often it was only lady Lunafreya who could bring him back to earth. "I'm sorry Iggy..." Noctis apologized, knowing his friend couldn't see the apology in his expression forcing him to actually say the words aloud. "Just feels like I'm being forced to pretend to be someone I'm not,"

"You'll manage," Ignis stated simply. "You did well back in Altissia with your summit with Camelia,"

"I was alone with her. How do you know it wasn't all fart jokes?" the man writing the letter nearly snorted trying to restrain a laugh seeing his King speak to candid and casual.

"Camelia is even more serious than me. And that's saying something," the man admitted. "I can only imagine the near-perfection you must have pulled to gain her full confidence," Noctis reluctantly admitted defeat and listened while the cabinet member read the letter to Ignis who then had the man stamp the letter with the official seal of house Caelum. The man carefully folded the letter, placing it into an envelope which was then sealed with wax and stamped again with the seal. Noctis thanked his friend and the third man left the room to have the letter delivered to Tenebrae.

"You think he'll receive us?" Noctis asked, worried that this impromptu vacation may never happen.

"He'd be a fool to turn you away for anything shy of a crisis breaking out. We may not have put it in the letter but stating Luna wishes to show you around is a hint at saying the citizens of Tenebrae will see their ally, the King who freed them from the empire, and the Oracle who saved them all from the Starscourge. This will give his broken citizens the strength they need to continue to rebuild. Fixing everything done by the empire and the Starscourge will take years. I don't think you realize the beacon of hope you are Noctis," Ignis explained, wanting to give his friend confidence. He knew that he felt he would never live up to Regis. And he never would. For Noctis was not Regis, he was Noctis Lucis Caelum. He would make his own legacy, his own giant shoes for a future heir to fill. But that was something Noctis would realize in time. Until then he would remain his friend, his adviser, and his council.

"If anyone is the beacon of hope it's Luna," He replied quietly, though he appreciated his friend's words. He supposed he was right, when he thought about it deep down. He had extinguished the empire, freed Lucis and Tenebrae from it's grasp. Sent the empire running back to a disheveled Niflheim with it's tail tucked between its legs. Ignis remained quiet rather than argue, knowing when there was no point.

"Well I think I recall agreeing to make dinner for everyone. Gladiolus agreed to end beating the new recruits senseless for the day, and Prompto should be arriving shortly. He got so excited at the thought of a reunion he didn't want to wait for the trip." Noctis thanked him again. He briefly went about resuming his work but realized he was too excited to see his friends together again to focus, and walked to the garden to share his excitement with Lunafreya. I'm actually taking a trip with my friends again, I'll get to see the sylleblossums with Luna again, run through those fields with her like I promised all those years ago. He allowed himself to part with his darker thoughts and quickened his pace to the garden.

Luna was still entranced by her book, a sign she was clearly enjoying it more than usual. Made him actually consider reading it when she was done. This time he didn't sneak up on her, deciding that teasing her by startling her again just wouldn't be fair. Tomorrow though, was fair game again. She saw him when he was several feet away, and she folded her book and got up to greet him,

"Decided not to wear that bell yet I see?" She teased, and Noctis rubbed at this throat,

"Would get in the way if I decided to grow that manly beard you hinted at," He smiled at her. "But I could still go for those scratches behind my ears," She reached up to him, letting her hands slide across his cheeks and thumbed his earlobes, using her fingers to scratch behind his ears,

"Like this?" she teased, switching her movements to be less sensual and a more literal interpretation from his earlier taunt.

"What about the belly rubs?" he pouted, getting a genuine giggle from her. The weariness seemed to fade from her eyes and she let her hands travel down his stomach, finding the hem of his shirt beneath his jacket and sliding her hands under it so she could touch bare skin.

"I have something a little more fun in mind," she whispered, standing on her toes and letting her lips brush his ear as she whispered the words to him. She felt the goosebumps rush across his skin and smiled at her effect on him. She gently bit down on his earlobe and she could tell it instantly had the effect she was looking for. It was rare she felt so bold outside of the privacy of their bedroom, but he had put her in quite the good mood with news of a surprise trip together, recalling sweet memories; and the long day apart had left her pining for her husband.

"The guys will be here soon..." He admitted reluctantly, wanting to spare her the embarrassment should they arrive and catch them in a compromising position in the garden.

"Then we best be quick," She replied, sliding back from him and taking his hands, pulling him in the direction of the wing that led to their bedroom. The walk felt unbearably long for the pair as they tried to steal what little time they had before company arrived without drawing curious attention from the various Citadel staff. They moved through one of the thick double doors, Noctis hardly able to shut it with his foot as his queen pulled him into the room.

The back of her legs met the edge of the bed, Noctis placing his hands on either side of her face, his thumbs playing with her earlobes as she welcomed his desperate and hungry kiss. Lunafreya rolled her shoulders as his hands slid down her neck, over her shoulders under the straps of her ivory dress, allowing the garment to slide away from her with ease. Her own hands were fumbling with the buttons of his jacket, her eagerness making her movements clumsy. Noctis wanted to think of something clever to say to tease her, something about losing her composure, or uncharacteristic clumsiness. But he was lost in the taste of her, the smell of her, the electrifying effects of her frantic touch. He shrugged off his jacket after she had finished with the buttons, and made quick work of removing his shirt. With it cast aside he pushed her down against the bed, getting a small moan from her as reward. He wanted to whisper sweet nothings into her ear, but his voice was lost and he settled for getting her to make those delightful sounds that never failed to drive him crazy. He bit down gently on her neck, his tongue tasting the salt on her skin. Lunafreya let out a shuddering sigh, her hands weaving through his hair when they heard a loud pounding on the door,

"Noct!" Came a loud familiar voice.

"Seriously?!" Noctis whispered, irritated. At least Gladiolus hadn't opened the door and burst into their bedroom. The large man had learned the hard way why he shouldn't repeat that little stunt.

"Put your pants back on, it's rude to keep company waiting!" The captain of his Kingsguard taunted, mimicking Ignis's accent.

"Man guess you weren't kidding when you said we'd have to be quick," he muttered, and then in a louder tone shouted towards the door he would be out in just a moment. He pulled back from the bed regretfully, helping Lunafreya stand and reestablish herself as the dignified and demure Oracle. He pulled his own shirt back on quickly, followed by the jacket that bore his family's crest across the breast. He stole one final kiss from his wife, who was busy fussing her hair back into place before making his way to the door. He pulled it open, trying not to glower and played innocent, hoping the flush Luna's touch caused had faded.

Gladiolus was the captain of his Kingsguard, so Noctis had the fortune of seeing the man quite frequently, yet he couldn't deny the happiness he felt at seeing his friend and knowing that the gang would all be hanging out together for the first time in months. The large man punched him in the chest, chuckling,

"How ya doin' stud?" He made an exaggerated effort to look over his shoulder at the closed bedroom door, in a mock attempt at inappropriate leering "obviously pretty good,"

"Done beating some sense into the latest recruits?" Noctis quipped back, dodging the subject of the interrupted intimacy. When Gladiolus wasn't personally escorting the King during his leaves of the Citadel, he was in charge of training the rest of the Kingsguard. Noctis hadn't been able to come up with a more clever name for his personal guard, but neither he nor Gladiolus could bear to let themselves continue to be called the Kingsglaive.

"I'll knock the stupid out of them yet. Don't you worry highness I'll make sure when I'm done with these guys even a marlboro would think twice about attacking you with them around!" He declared proudly.

"Just be sure to fill the space the stupid leaves with some common sense. Didn't one of them manage to shoot himself in the shin?" Noctis asked, trying to recall the exact story an aggravated Gladiolus had told him once.

"Oh that fool..." The giant grumbled, rolling his eyes, "Forgot to empty the chamber and engage the safety before starting to clean the thing. At least the jackass only shot himself," Noctis chuckled, wondering what poor fate Gladio had in store for the man after he had finished healing from his self-inflicted wound.

"If I recall correctly you had to all but put the man under armed guard to keep Luna from healing him, to teach him a lesson and make him recoup the old fashioned way."

"Damn her bleeding heart, thought she was gonna beat me with that trident of hers to get to him, insisting that all the Kingsguard be in top form. Didn't help to point out he wasn't a Kingsgaurd yet and most likely never would be if he was going to be so foolish. Don't need someone that dangerous around the King,"

"She just can't stand to see anyone suffer," Noctis defended, though he knew his friend meant it all in stride. Gladiolus shrugged, and gave the smaller man another punch in the shoulder to show him he knew who wore the pants in the royal marriage.

"Where's Prompto and specs?" he asked, changing subjects

"Oh Prompto was complaining how hungry he was the moment he arrived and dragged Ignus to the kitchen to get him something to eat," Noctis rolled his eyes. He glanced behind him momentarily to see if his wife was joining them only to note an empty hall. He knew Lunafreya would join them by the time dinner was served, probably needing time to restore her dignity. He felt guilty leaving her alone after such an embarrassing situation, recalling how the last time it happened she refused to leave their bedroom until the following morning and avoided Gladiolus for nearly a week. He could have sworn the blush that took over her cheeks and ears took even longer to fade. He still occasionally enjoyed teasing her about how red her ears had gotten, which usually ended with her giving him a thump on a shoulder. A gesture she had picked up from Gladiolus ironically enough.

"He couldn't just wait 'till dinner?" Noctis chimed in, "Man, he sure eats a lot for a skinny guy,"

"I'm sure he'll still eat whatever Iggy whips up for us. Excited to see Tenebrae?"

"I haven't been there in years," Noctis replied, and asked the same question in turn.

"Never been. 'Aught to be a bit exciting, brand new adventure. Promto will probably wear out the button on his camera taking pictures," the image made Noctis twitch a half-smile as he got another idea for a gift for his wife. He could ask Prompto to snap pictures to his heart's content in Tenebrae and made a photo album of it for her. He kept the thought to himself for the moment. Gladiolus was never the sentimental type and was likely to simply mock him for being a sappy fool on a leash.

"Noct!" Noctis and Gladiolus had hardly made it into the large dining area before Prompto came charging up to his friend, nearly knocking him to the ground with a sudden hug. He hadn't seen Prompto in weeks, and gave him several hearty slaps on the back and he returned the hug,

"Good to see you again shutter bug," He replied,

"Gonna be like old times again, huh?" He had missed his friend's exuberance. Duty left him and Lunafreya fatigued, Ignus was always so serious, and Gladiolus focused so hard on training, that it left little room for pointless excitement. He needed to remember to make it a point of having Prompto visit more often. He felt more energetic himself simply being around the hyperactive gunman.

"Only... let's skip the sleeping on the ground parts," Noctis laughed,

"I said the same thing to specs!" Prompto grinned, and started looking past Noctis's shoulder,

"Hey where's the lovely lady? I was hoping to see her too,"

"Getting ready for dinner," Noctis explained, but Gladiolus's next statement ensured the whole group would get to enjoy the royal couple's embarrassment making Noctis's hope to retain their dignity one in vein.

"She probably needs a little time to.. refresh and redress,"

"Gladio!" Noctis snapped, Prompto turning deep red and breaking into a laughing fit, and even Ignus failing to hide a chuckle from his seat over at the table.

"Did he really break in on you two again?! Man, I thought Luna was gonna skewer Gladio the fist time she ran into him again after the last time," Noctis felt the rush of heat in his own cheeks, and hoped the teasing would die down by the time Lunafreya joined them or he would be on the receiving end of her skewering later.

"Well if the King here spent less time in the bedroom maybe I wouldn't be interrupting so often," Gladiolus defended himself, Noctis giving the man a hot glare. Several defensive statements flashed through his mind, but none he felt wouldn't just make the taunting worse, instead mumbling incoherently under his breath that he could spend as much alone time with his own wife as he pleased.

"So what are you making for dinner?" Noctis asked,

"Well with your talk of fishing earlier, I figured some nice parchment baked fish would be nice. And eat the vegetables for once in your life," Ignis answered. "and I also wanted to give another go at that dessert from Tenebrae, I don't have much time left to perfect it before you get to try it again," he encouraged, finding himself thrilled that he would finally try this elusive dessert for himself and finally replicate it properly. He had tried to recruit the help of Lunafreya in his confectionery endeavors, but the woman admitted to never having been much of a chef herself and although she knew the dessert Noctis had become enthralled with she was of little help in assisting him recreate it.

"No beans," Noctis retorted quickly,

"Would never dream of it," Ignis replied in a defeated tone. "I best get started,"

**,**

The group swapped stories and laughter, even from Ignus. They were feeling nostolgic, mostly telling tales at the expense of Noctis's dignity. Gladiolus talking about how he used to have the privilege of knocking the King around when he was just a little Princeling, Ignus talking about his many failed attempts to get him to eat something healthy for once. They drifted into the early days of their fated road trip. The broken down Regalia that had to be pushed for what felt like the entire continent, the hunting trips, the various horrifying places they explored for something as strange as special headlights for the Regalia. Noctis felt a pain in his chest when he realized how bad he missed those innocent days. Where his destiny as the crystal's chosen was just this grand concept, when the Oracle was just a name everyone used to describe his secret pen-pal, when his father Regis was still there to lecture him on duty while also finding the time to take him fishing and teach him how to drive the Regalia.

Lunafreya joined them after some time, as Noctis had expected. She was wearing a much more modest dress than earlier in the day, despite the warm weather. He hoped she wasn't stil feeling too embarassed from earlier, and vainly hoped Gladiolus would keep his damn mouth shut for once...

"Glad to see you join us m'lady! Love the dress, no wonder Noct here can't keep his hands off you," Gladiolus shouted. Lunafreya flushed, Noctis slapped his palm over his face, Ignis nearly choked, and Prompto seemed to be fighting between laughter and abject terror.

"Gladio..." Noctis grumbled,

"Well if you guys keep expecting us to produce an heir, then certain activities are bound to happen," the Oracle quipped back, crossing her arms. Gladiolus seemed to recognize the glare in her eyes, recalling how the Oracle's tongue could be as sharp as her trident when pushed. The others stared in surprise, then Prompto fell into another fit of giggles, even Ignis unable to hold some back,

"Playing with fire there buddy," He managed to collect himself enough to make words exist.

"Come join the table lady Lunafreya," Ignis requested calmly, "Dinner should be ready very shortly,"

"Luna." She corrected, for what felt like the thousandth time. But she complied, taking a seat next to Prompto. Noctis was sitting at the head of the table, and from her position next to Prompto she was well positioned to kick Gladiolus's shin under the table as if to say this isn't over yet. The others didn't seem to notice the large man's surprised jolt, or the pair eyeing each other cautiously. "What's for dinner?" she asked, turning to Ignis, her composure settling back to her tranquil self.

"Parchment baked fish," The adviser answered, as he pulled it out of the oven.

"Thought it smelled like seafood," She smiled. "my favorite," Ignis smiled, glad to bring the young woman some comfort. He may be blind in sight, but he wasn't blind to circumstance. He could hear the fatigue behind her jokes, the change in the patterns of her footsteps, the change in the patterns of her breathing. He had managed to get it out of Noctis how her duty was taking a toll on her. As formal as he was around her, she was his friend as much as she was his queen.

Dinner was served, the group eating and talking. Lunafreya enjoying the nostalgic stories, only occasionally adding some of her own or commenting on tales Noctis would write to her in their notebook. The evening felt free, and for once thoughts of duty failed to haunt them.


I hope I did well getting down the camaraderie of the chocobros. Please tell me if anyone feels OOC. I may have made Prompto a little more childish, but in my mind he hasn't seen his friends in weeks and is just in a damned good mood. No need for reservations, or being on his best behavior.