From What I've Tasted of Desire

Chapter 4.

The Shield.

Before the Fall:

Insomnia

"So, you really snuck out and got caught?" Ava asked,reading her comic book, laying across Noctis's bed. He was at his desk, his eyes focused on his tutor's project. His back was to her, deliberately, so that every so often, he could glance at the red notebook at the bottom of his book pile. Luna was waiting on him to write back...

"Yeah, Dad said I'm grounded for two weeks." He groaned, continuing to write, he could feel Ignis's eyes on him but paid him no mind. "No video games, no comics, no arcades."

"That sucks, Noct..."

"Language, Ava…" The advisor chimed in, with a stern tone. He sat in an armchair on the other side of the Prince's bedroom, legs crossed, going over his council notes for the third time, though his top priority was making sure Noctis wasn't distracted from his punishment. "Though while on the subject of your nightly activities, Noct. I appreciate not receiving the blame this time…"

"You weren't even there, Specs…" The Prince replied with annoyed tone, clearly wanting to drop the subject. He was not the mood for any more lecturing about what had occurred, whether it be from Ignis, his father, or Gladio himself.

"Never stopped you before, Highness…"

Noctis didn't respond to his sarcastic remark. Ava lifted her comic to hide her face in a failed attempt to muffle her laughter from the boys. Noctis smiled, Ignis did not.

"I can read aloud from my book if you'd like?" She offered. The narrowing glare Ignis gave her went unnoticed.

"No thanks, Avs, it's not the same without the pictures." His back was still to her though she could hear the appreciation in his tone. She had tried reasoning with him, that he should tell the King the truth, he was just following the little girl and she simply got lost...but Noctis only shrugged it off.

"What's Clarus's son like anyways? I haven't met him yet." She closed her comic book, the interest in it suddenly gone. She had meant to meet her royal shield some time ago but given Noctis's past reluctance to spar with his new guard, she wasn't particularly interested in doing so and Ignis didn't exactly push it.

"I heard he's strong, confidant, and handsome." A loud deep voice joked, startling Ava, Noctis, and Ignis with his sudden interruption. The latter arched an eyebrow, clearly not amused. Ignis was not fond of being caught off guard. .

"Iris tells me he's a pretty cool big brother too." Noctis raised his arm to the stranger who responded by lifting his own arm and bumping it against the Prince's. Ava quickly deduced that it must have been a special greeting between the two. He mentioned Iris...Iris Amicitia, maybe? The same Iris responsible for Noct's current punishment? He said sister... If so….that would be mean…

He was tall, very tall, taller than Ignis, but completely different in build. He was tan skinned and sturdier, wider, with defined muscles in his arms, legs, and chest. Even through his uniform, Ava could tell he was toned. His hair style was one that she couldn't recall seeing before. Shaved at the sides with dark brown hair styled on top.

"I still can't believe you took the fall for her…" The young man started to say before glancing over to Ava. His eyes were intense, a mixture of red and amber, but they were warm. He was just...so big. It took no more than four strides to walk from the desk to the bed. He bowed to his Queen, seemingly delighted to meet her at last.

"Honored to finally meet ya, Princess. Gladiolus Amicitia, Gladio for short. I look forward to serving you and his highness as your Royal Shield."

"You're-You're my shield?" She stuttered. His physique was so imposing.

"Not exclusively yours, regrettably. I'm tasked to guard both Noct and yourself now and when you are crowned King and Queen and thereafter...like my father and my grandfather before me.

"But...I'm not a Princess, you must know this..."

"You're not a Princess? You're growing up in a Castle, being taught how to bow and curtsy and all that, wearing fancy dresses…I bet you can sing and dance too…"

Ava looked away from him, faintly blushing. It only confirmed his suspicions.

"Thought so…" He continued, his smile still smug as ever. "Word around here is that your favorite meal is cake and ice cream…"

"Only orange cake and only when Ignis makes it…" she interrupted, but Gladio didn't seem to hear her and continued to talk over the future Queen. Ignis placed his reports on the end table next to him and crossed his arms in disapproval.

"Servants, maids, and retainters all waiting on you hand and foot...and to top it all off..." He then walked over to Noctis and put his hands on his shoulders, giving the Prince a playful shake. "You get to marry Princey boy here. That, by definition, makes you a…"

"Lady." Ava said firmly, not giving Gladio the satisfaction of winning his argument. "I'm Lady Ava Lux Arcticus. Pleasure to meet you, Gladio." She smiled and extended a hand to properly greet him. He laughed when he took it and she immediately noted the size difference between them. Her hand practically fit inside his palm with his fingers wrapping themselves around her wrist. He was definitely older than her and Noctis, maybe older than Ignis or at least the same age as him….? She thought.

As if he was reading her mind, he suddenly said "Fourteen. I'm coming up on Fourteen in the spring." He released her hand then and sat on the bed next to her. Noctis put down his pen, turning around his chair to face them both. His project could wait.

"How did you…?" She looked away again.

"Just a feeling, Princess. And I'll have you kn-" Gladio paused. He had an inkling there was a third pair of eyes fixated on him. He looked over his shoulder and, sure enough, he was correct.

"What's with the scowl, four-eyes? Or are you trying to have your face stay like that permanently?" He taunted. Noctis and Ava briefly made eye contact with one another, silently asking the other if it was appropriate to laugh or not. It was one thing to occasionally tease Ignis for his antics, but it was an entirely different thing altogether to insult him. The Advisor wasn't one to raise his voice, because he didn't have to. The Prince and Lady both agreed to say nothing.

Ignis looked daggers at the Shield. "You should address our Queen with a bit more formality, Gladiolus. Wouldn't you agree?"

Gladio frowned at the Advisor with pure disdain. The tension between them was instant and suffocating, to everyone except Noctis that is…

"No kidding, Specs!" The Prince replied to the both of them. "Why don't you talk to me like that? I might have started enjoying training a long time ago.."

Ignis responded before Gladio even opened his mouth. "Because, your Highness, Gladiolus' charms are exclusively created for and directed to a very specific group of people…people unlike me, you, and the shield himself." He said to Noctis without taking his green eyes off of the Shield.

Gladio said nothing.

Noctis said nothing.

Ava said nothing.

And then after a few more seconds of silence, The Crown Prince of Lucis finally responded.

"Huh?"

Finally breaking eye contact with Clarus's son, Ignis sighed the heaviest sigh he could possibly force out of his chest and stood up from the arm-chair.

"He's flirting with her, Noct..."

Gladio exhaled in a huff, instantly standing to meet Ignis's eye level. Challenging him to insult him again.

"What?! Ignis...that's gross." Noctis said in pure disgust, sticking his tongue out like a raw vegetable had been placed directly in front of him. That thought alone made him decide that he was no longer interested in this conversation and turned back to his desk, resuming his tutor's project.

Gladio remained stiff and unmoving. He honestly didn't think he could ever dislike someone as much as he hated the Prince initially...and yet.

"You wanna run that by me again, 'Specs'?" Gladio took a step towards Ignis, his fists clenched and ready to strike. Ignis stabled his footing, preparing to dodge if needed.

"Excuse me…" Ava mumbled, covering her face as she walked quickly past the two older boys and left the room.

"Avs?...Avs! You forgot your comic book!" Noctis shouted after her, hoping she would respond, but she didn't.

Ignis eyed the book in question and started to walk towards it. "I'll insure this is returned to Lady Ava…" But once he was within reach of it, Gladio admittingly being closer to the book, snatched it from the top of the bed.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets it." Gladio cautioned the Advisor. He promptly bowed to the Prince and saw himself out, but not before purposely bumping Ignis with his shoulder.

She was humiliated, completely and utterly humiliated. On the verge of tears, Ava kept her head down, walking then soon running down the hallway, trying to get to her bedroom as quickly as she could. Her voice was threatening to crack at any second.

"Hey Princess, wait up!" Gladio's voice echoed behind her. He was quick...how in the world was someone so large so quick?

She picked up her pace, she didn't want him to see her like this….but then.

She did.

"How could you embarrass me like that, Gladio?! Why would flirt with me in front of the Prince?! We're betrothed!" Ava yelled at him, her face was beat red and stinging with tears. "And now, Noctis thinks I'm disgusting! Why would you do that?!"

It took Gladio all but two steps before he was face to face to her, his hand gently covering her mouth.

"Sssshh! You can't be saying stuff like that around here, Lady Ava…" His other hand was placed at the back of her head as he squatted down on one knee to meet her eye level. He didn't look angry...or even offended. It surprised her. He let go of her mouth, firmly placing his hand against her cheek. "You're mistaken. I wasn't trying to flirt with you. Specs said that in a pissy fit, I didn't. Yeah...I can be too friendly around girls sometimes, I'll admit that...but it's just...it's your smile, it reminds me of my sister's...and I'm sworn to protect her like I'm sworn to protect you. I didn't mean to embarrass you. I'm sorry, Ava…"

"I remind you of your sister?" She asked, not really knowing how to respond to such a statement. Ava was an only child in the traditional sense. Despite growing up with two other children, she never thought of them as brothers, certainly not Ignis and definitely not Noctis. And she was pretty sure neither of them saw her as a sister...

But Gladio had.

"Yeah, you're kind and curious. You have a knack for seeing the best in people…"

"How do you know that?"

"I just do…"

"I'm sorry I ran away."

"But you didn't run away, you turned around and faced your problems, even when I was the problem. That takes guts."

She didn't believe him so she didn't respond.

"Let me make it up to you. How about that?"

"And how are you going to do that?"

"Downtown Insomnia, lets go."

"Now?"

"Right now?"

"Right now."

"What about Noct?"

"He's grounded, remember? Four eyes can babysit him."

"I'll need a gu-...Nevermind."

"Cool, I'll tell Cor to get the car started….and I believe this is yours." He placed her book into her hands. "Hurry up and change, I'll be waiting in the lobby."

Ava gave a him quick smile and sprinted off to her room to change into something more casual. She grabbed her bag and digital camera. She knew exactly where she wanted to go.

"I never would have guessed you for a museum patron." Gladio smirked, nudging Ava in the side. Her eyes were focused on the small screen. Her lips curled in concentration as the changing images recounted their afternoon. She didn't look up at him.

"I love them. The exhibits are always so cool. Did you see that Helixhorn? And that Earth Gemstone? Those come from Tenebrae."

"The what and the what?"

"Here, hold this." She handed him her camera, which Gladio promptly put in his jacket pocket. Ava reached into her bag and pulled out one of the brochures from the museum. It was a map of Lucis. "Okay, so. There's the volcano, right? Well, across the channel are these creatures called Duplicorns and their horns are like, crazy powerful. Local legend says that a long time ago, these horns were used to make weapons."

"Impressive, Princess. How do you know all this?"

"I've been interested in treasures since Noct gave me a book about them. Ignis and I used to up stay up late reading these books about creatures in Eos."

"I see...and where was Noct during these slumber parties?"

"He was usual already asleep."

"Heh, figures."

"I wish I could come here all the time, learning about treasures from all over the world. What could be more fun than that?!"

"Camping."

"Camping?...as in...sleeping outside?...on the ground?...seriously?" The look on her face was priceless and Gladio couldn't help but laugh. Pure disgust and disdain at the very thought of not sleeping on a mattress.

"Spoken like a true princess."

Ava scoffed at him.

"At least it's not fishing…"

"Right, I'm taking his highness on a fishing trip this weekend. Introducing him to the tent life as well. Just hope it doesn't rain."

"Please don't make me go...I always have to go fishing with him." Ava pleaded with her shield.

"Noct specifically asked that you don't go this time...he said you're too loud and you scare the fish away…"

Ava was too relieved to be even remotely offended by Noct's passive remark.

"So I guess Ignis has to go too?"

"Yep. Unfortunately 'Specs' has to accompany us."

"I don't know what got into him today...he's usually not so...oh, what's the word…?"

"Jealous?" Gladio finished her sentence before she could. The expression on her face told him that he was very wrong in his assumption.

"...Defensive." Ava spat through her teeth and she quickened her pace, walking slightly ahead of him.

"Right..." He said slyly. Something about Gladio's tone didn't sit well with Ava. She stopped in her tracks and turned around to face her shield with the same scowl on her face.

"Jealous? Why would you say that? What would he even be jealous about?"

Gladio looked at her as if she was on fire. It was so obvious! Did she really not see it? Maybe she didn't. Perhaps her mind didn't allow her to see it. He did the math in his head, five years now? She'd been betrothed for five years...by now it was all she had never known. She couldn't possibly see it...or understand.

"Nothing...Nevermind." Gladio rolled his eyes, shook his head, and started walking down the sidewalk, occasionally looking down to make sure Ava was still moving and at his side. He could tell she was trying to figure out what to say back to him. After a few seconds, the anger from her face fell. Ava didn't feel like arguing anymore and Gladio didn't even know him.

"You shouldn't be so hard on Ignis. He's really busy all the time, but he's really nice once you get to know him. And he's really a good cook."

"Psh, I don't need a cook. I've already got Cup Noodles."

"What are Cup Noodles?"

"Oh, I'll let you taste for yourself when we get back to the Citadel. They're amazing, best thing you'll ever eat."

"Look how pretty this poster is, Gladio!" Ava yelled, changing the subject entirely. The pair stopped in front of an elaborate building, with white columns and a gothic decorum. The Theater of Insomnia. Gladio leaned back to look at what had captured the little lady's attention. It was a advertisement of the an upcoming musical. Two lovers embraced in the moonlight, surrounded by broken glass. Gladio didn't get it, per say. But he appreciated the artwork for what it was.

"I've never been to a musical, I've always wanted to go to one...but I doubt Noct would like it..."

"Theater's not my thing, but if you wanna go? Just say the word."

"Thank you...Gladio." She smiled at him. He was so different than Noctis and Ignis. A bit on the rude side sometimes, but not nearly as strict and proper. It was refreshing how relaxed she felt in his presence. He was walking away when she suddenly had an idea.

"At least the weather ain't crummy, huh Princess?"

No response.

"Ava?" Gladio looked to his left and his right and saw nothing. He quickly turned around. He was several yards away from her, and she...she was still in front of the poster, digging in her bag. Eyes completely obvious to her surroundings.

"Hold on, I wanna take a picture of this poster." She yelled, not looking up from her bag. Her fingers were shuffling around, trying to find her camera but with no luck. Where was it? Didn't she just have it?

"Ava!" She heard Gladio roar in a tone that struck terror into her heart right away. She didn't move. She couldn't move. Her eyes looked away from Gladio when every voice in her head screamed not to take his eyes off of him. Next to her stood a tall man, his face hidden. There was a knife in his hand. He towered over her, ready to strike. She was so small, so defenseless, and she couldn't move. A perfect target She swore she could hear Gladio shout something, but for the love of the Astrals, she couldn't make it out. Her body was frozen. Paralyzed with fear.

Gladio sprinted as fast as he could, he could feel the air cling to his face. He was moving but it wasn't fast enough. He screamed as loud as his could, anything to imidate the attacker. He wouldn't make in time. Ava needed to run, she wasn't running. He bellowed at her to run, to move, to do something. But she wasn't. He felt lungs about to pop.

The man raised his knife. The tip of the blade pointed upwards, ready to slice its intended victim wide open, swiftly and effortlessly. It would be only a matter of seconds and this child bride, this disgusting and shameless act of Lucian filth would be no more. She would the first and final arranged bride. That would be certain. He would take the hit from the shield. It didn't matter. He would accept his crime. No more children would be forced into marriage. And then, he swung. His wielded arm was wide open. He attacked, aiming for her throat.

The fear suddenly faded and the shallow, heavy sensation of instinct kicked in. Ava pushed all of her weight back onto her heels and began to fall backwards, away from the weapon. Without hesitation, without a second thought, she brought her right arm up to her face, shielding it.

First, she felt the concrete hit her back. Then, her shoulders. Last, her skull. It was excruciating, sudden, and sharp. Ava felt herself release a deep, delayed scream from her chest, though she couldn't hear it. All she could hear was the ringing in her ears from the fall. She brought her hands to her head, cradling it, attempting to soothe it. Anything to stop the pain. She could feel footsteps run next to her and saw a large body jump over her to tackle her attacker. There were other voices now. Other people coming towards her. She could barely make out the words.

Then, without any kind warning, she felt pain coming from elsewhere. It was very different from the pain radiating from the upper part of her body. It was a stinging sensation, raw and open. She let go of her head, just for a moment, and that's when she saw it.

There was blood. So much of it. It coated her hands and her entire right arm. She felt it in her hair, on her face, under her fingernails. Her dress was spotted and splattered with red. It dripped from her elbow and her wrist as she watched in shock. He had actually struck her. She had never seen so much of her own blood before. There were the occasional scratches and scrapes but nothing like this.

This...this...this was...

She couldn't hold it in anymore. A loud, grotesque, wailing sound erupted from her. The hot tears falling from her eyes burned her face. It hurt to see. It hurt to move. She felt so many hands on her body, gripping and pulling in every direction, and none of them were Gladio's.

"Get back! Ava! Ava! Ava, calm down! You've gotta stay calm, Princess. I said get back!" Gladio's voice was booming and cracking, panicked and commanding. She felt herself being lifted up from the concrete. A large hand was cradling her head, but it felt like a boulder. Ava suddenly felt the urge to vomit. The pain in her head didn't go away, nor did the pain in her arm. It wouldn't stop. She just wanted it to stop.

"Make it stop!" She cried into his chest, but there was no comfort there.

"Stay calm, Ava. I've got you. I'll get you home."

The adrenaline worn off then, and the pain took her, wrapped her in a deep, instant sleep.

Gladio sprinted up the Citadel's steps, cradling the unconscious lady in his arms and leaving small drops of crimson behind them on the pearly white stones. His arm was warm with her blood. It had soaked through his uniform onto his undershirt, but he didn't care.

The staff swarmed them within seconds. Word had traveled fast. Ignis frantically made his way to the front of the crowd.

"Lady Ava! Gladio, how can I be of service? Are you alright?" Ignis pleaded and the previous tension between the advisor and the shield was suddenly no longer there.

"Poor girl is gonna have a bad headache when she wakes up." Gladio handed Ava off to one of her maids who insisted on washing her up right away. He didn't argue. "What do you recommend, Iggy?"

Ignis paused. A new nickname? It was far more enduring than any of his previous ones and no mention of his glasses. He humbly accepted it, though now was not the time to physically acknowledge it.

"Fresh linens, warm towels, and several ice packs. I'll see to it that she is taken care of." He nodded his head in respect to Gladio and hurried off before Clarus's son could respond.

"Gladiolus. His Majesty and His Highness have requested your presence immediately." Another guard said and the royal shield made his way to the throne room.

Ava fluttered her eyes open. She saw her bedroom, she saw at least a dozen bouquets of flowers ranging from roses to sunflowers to lilies. There were cards and balloons, a few stuffed animals. A tray of pink and purple macarons rested on her nightstand. The colors of twilight were glowing through the windows.

She quickly sensed that she had been bathed. Her hair was still damp, the smell of her favorite soap clung to her skin, and she was now wearing a soft nightgown. There was a slight pain in her head, but it was nothing like before she had passed out. What really caught her attention was her injured arm in a sling. Her arm felt wet and numb, like something oily was on the skin underneath the bandages. She was startled when she saw Gladio, sitting in the chair on the far side of the room.

"Didn't mean to frighten you…" He laughed and made his way to her bed. Ava gave him a brief smile, then looked down in embarrassment. It came flooding back. How hysterical she was...the fool she made of herself...She said nothing.

"Ava? You alright?" He wore a more serious expression now. He placed a firm grip on her other shoulder, the one that wasn't cradled in the sling.

"I'm so sorry this happened. It's my fault...I should have been paying more attention. Are you fired?" Ava whispered as she kept her head down in shame and guilt.

"Not at all…" His hand left her shoulder and pushed her chin upwards so he could see her eyes. They were bloodshot and glossed over with tears. "Don't you worry about me, Ava. I'm just glad you're safe...and what happened was simply wrong place, wrong time...you didn't run away. I'm proud of you."

She scoffed at his wasn't a courageous act. She was simply too scared to move. "What happened to the attacker?"

"Some 'protester of peace'. I knocked him out before Cor got to him. The Marshal currently has him in custody."

She nodded and looked back down. Several seconds of awkward silence passed between before Gladio spoke up.

"Um..How's the arm?"

"It sucks, Gladio…" The droning annoyance and shortness in her voice, so uncharismatic and so unlike her, drew a heavy, deep laugh from the shield. Ava adored the noise. It was so untamed and infectious that she couldn't help laugh with him.

"The doctor said it's going to leave a nasty scar."

"Great, my mom is going to be so thrilled..."

"You're lucky you still have the thing. The damage is purely cosmetic. You'll be fine in a couple of days. Besides, scars build character and the best ones make for good stories...yours is a good story."

"A good story with a ugly scar…" she groaned. "Could be worse though, could have been a giant face scar…"

"Noct stopped by earlier to say hello, but you were asleep and he didn't feel like waking ya."

"Thanks." She smiled, "Where's he now?"

"In the gardens, playing with that dog of his."

"Umbra?! Umbra's here?!"

"Er, that the one with black fur?"

"Yeah! Ugh, I love that dog…"

"I'm sure you'll see him around..."

"Oh for sure, he visits Noct all the time.." Ava sighed deeply and glanced at the tray of tiny desserts next to the bed. "I bet Ignis is going bezerk…Last time..."She started to say and then caught herself. She almost let it slip, how Ignis had reacted to Noctis's injury from the Daemon attack two years ago...but decided it was best left unsaid. Noctis didn't know and Gladio didn't have to know either. Ignis had never brought it up since that time in the gardens. Neither had she. " I mean...he's not a fan of whenever Noct and I get hurt."

"Bah, I checked on Iggy. He's fine. He's baking something in the kitchen, couldn't tell you what it was though…definitely something with oranges…"

"I think I have an idea of what it might be…" she smiled, but it quickly faded. "I missed dinner, didn't I? Got any of those Cup Noodles on you?"

"I don't, but I've got something better...here." He reached into his pocket and presented her with a small black box. Ava eyed it curiously. There was nothing formal about it. No bow, no family crest decorating the top of it, but it was, without a question, a ring box.

"Go ahead. It's a gift."

Unable to open it with her dominant hand, Ava's left fingers fumbled with the box top. After struggling to open it, she managed to do so just as Gladio reached to help her.

Just as she suspected, it was a ring. Small and golden but beautiful in its simplicity. There was no engraving, no gemstone, nor decoration of any kind. Just a golden bang. She looked up at Gladio with a questioning expression.

"It summons a shield, but don't test it out here...might hit someone." He chuckled, taking the ring from her grip and gently placing it on her right middle finger, careful to not move her injury. "I had it made for you, Princess. Once your arm is healed up, we'll start training."

"I thought I wasn't allowed a weapon, only Queens of Royal Blood can have weapons…" Ava pouted. She thought of the very first crowned Lucian Queen, Crepera, and her throwing star. Ava then had an idea. Maybe her daughter, if she had a daughter, could take up this shield instead of her...it would be her birth right, not Ava's…

"Royal blood or not, everyone's got the right to protect themselves. In the incredibly rare event that neither Noct nor I are able to protect you….again, you gotta be able to defend yourself from harm."

She couldn't argue with that. Not after today.

"Don't worry. It's not an ugly shield."

"I wasn't worried about that…"

"Yes you were…. I can't train ya how to use it properly until your injury is fully healed, but your morning workout will begin at the crack of dawn, starting tomorrow."

"What kind of workout?"

"Stretches mainly. We're gonna start with stretches and move our way up to yoga…" He started to say before he eyed her up and down, analyzing. "Your build isn't exactly compatible for just strength alone. No offense. With the right training, you have the potential to be very quick and flexible...useful skills to have in a fight. It ain't always about strength."

"Okay. Yeah….yeah, tomorrow morning...I'll be there. Thanks Gladio." She felt it then, that this relationship with Gladiolus wasn't going to be like that of Noctis and Ignis. If she reminded him of his sister...then he could be her brother. The big, protective, older brother she never had, that she had no idea she even needed before today. He had already sworn an oath to protect her. This would be fine.

"I probably shouldn't say this but...when I first heard that about the royal guards, how Noctis and I would have our own like Clarus, I was hoping it would be a girl...No offense. I mean, I like you, and Noct, and Ignis ...it would have just been nice, that's all…"

"I take it no one's told you…?"

"Told me what? No one tells me anything! It's infuriating!"

"Iggy didn't mention it?"

"Tell me, Gladio! Please tell me!"

"I don't know, Princess…" He said slyly, simply enjoying holding it over her head because he could.

"Please please please!"

"Fine, fine. When you're a little bit older, I'd say probably another two to three years maybe...you'll be exclusively assigned your own Queensguard."

"I get my own what?!"