Warning :
Grammatical errors, AU fic, and a little OOC especially Noctis.
AN : Okay, I hope this longer chapter can make you all forgive me? Lol, enjoy reading ^^
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His Guardian, Her Prince
Rating : T
Genre : Romance/Drama
Summary :
Add Noctis as a cold Prince and Lightning as a stoic soldier who guarded him. Put a little romance between them. What we got? Lightis of course. Btw, it's Vanille who did the math
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Chapter 3
"Her Suspicious, His Interest"
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The next day, Lightning felt so exhausted. She prayed for God, hoping that she could get through that day. Gosh, how she loved to pass the day like she did before this mess came. It looked so easy. The job, she meant. But, it was not as simple as it looked like. After made sure the prince had gotten to his room and he had no chance to sneak, she decided to go back to her room (which only next to him and divided by a big teak door, which can only be opened by both sides) –after confirmed by Cloud. Her task was only guiding him when he was doing his usual activity at daylight. Night, however, it was Cloud's turn. That made Lightning wondered why she was being assigned at the first place?
The day before was not very good, if she could add, it was far more than good, it was horrendous! God knows why suddenly the prince – Noctis – was out of his character. He kept bugging her all the time and top of all, he TEASED her! Gosh, if she knew better, maybe it was a replica of him. But, hell, who care? She just had to bear with it in order to complete her task.
'There had to be something wrong.' thought her. Or, Lightning, maybe there was a good reason why the prince did not behave like he should have.
That morning she just woke up from her sleep, sitting on the edge of her bed. She put one hand to massage her forehead. God, she prayed that that day could pass by. She looked so deep in her thought. In her mind, she was blaming her loveable dad. Thanks to him, she was in this mess.
"Hah, it's no use." She said it slowly. A sigh came out from her mouth. After staying in that position for few minutes, she stood up abruptly. She told herself there was no use to regret about her situation. What she needed to do now was to live with it. Next time, she said to herself, I'll make sure he couldn't do whatever he like. Then after that, she prepared herself before she went back to her stupid job.
Before she went to take a bath, she could sense that someone was inside the prince's room. The step was heavy, so, she guessed it must be a guy and it was definitely not her father's. She became on guard, carefully eavesdropping to the door. Perhaps that was a threat for the prince. Sigh, since when did she care for the prince anyway? Well, guess it can't be helped. After all I was assigned for this task. Then she did the unbelievable thing ever, she was eavesdropping for god's sake! And it was the first time she felt relief when she heard that the steps were belong to his lovely friend, Clyde.
She wanted to continue her preparation that day until she heard her name's being mentioned by him and it didn't take too long for her to realize that she was being talked in the next room.
'That brat. Did he do that in purpose? Geez, he knows I can hear him very clear from my room, can't he?'
But hell was she going to do anything to stop him for doing so. Besides, it could be useful for her. Well, who knows she might well use it as a threat for the prince too? And for the first time in her life, she loved her father for giving such task to her.
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Noctis was very tired, true, but at the same time, he felt this thrilling thing and he knew the reason behind all this. He was getting up from his bed, when somebody knocked his door. The knocking kept growing because he had not yet opened it nor he was intending to. He was still exhausted from the last day's activity. It's never easy to be a prince, you know. The knocking kept on because the person behind the door grew impatient. Noctis swore he would kill whoever that bastard was. Yet, he knew who was behind the door.
Still growling, he stood up from his bed, rubbing his head. He walked to the door and opened it to reveal someone that he had expected to come, none other than his friend, Clyde. A sly smirked was attached on his friend's face and Noctis didn't want to know why.
"Can I come in?" asked Clyde with his usual playful tone. When there was no reply from the Prince, Clyde took that as a yes, so, he walked into the room.
A sigh came from the Prince. He closed the door reluctantly and turned around to find his best friend was sitting on the bed. "What are you doing at here?" asked Noctis with a hint of annoyance in his tone. He was obviously didn't like to be disturbed at that hour. Sure, he was expecting Clyde to come, but NOT that fast. He was still exhausted for God knows why.
"Quit the nonsense, Clyde." He rubbed his head as he stood in front of his best friends.
Clyde stood up then started wandering around. That just made Noctis felt irritated more. "So, see, I was going to your room just now when you asked me to. Then I found your room was empty, so, I asked the maid. She told me that your room has been moved to here. First, I was confused, you know? I mean, aren't these rooms supposed to be for newlyweds?"
Another silence came from Noctis. He didn't show interest with Clyde's statement. "Then suddenly, it hit me. You, Noctis Lucis Caelum, just got another new bodyguard, isn't it? But, I wondered again. If that is true, the bodyguard thing, why the hell they moved your room to here? And that is why I came to this conclusion."
Noctis raised his eyebrows to force Clyde to tell whatever the latter knew. "Perhaps, you are the one who asked it because you find she is amusing, right?" No reply from Noctis and that just made Clyde felt sure about his thoughts. A sly smirk appeared on his face. A smirk that he had when he won from the Prince. "So, I'm right, ain't i?" There was no reply came from Noctis again. "Can I guess who she is?" Another silence reply came from Noctis. It seemed that the Prince was in a very indescribable condition, nervous, anger, shyness, all mixed into one and his best friend knew about this. "It must be, the girl we met two days before right? The girl, who went out from Cloud's room, am I right?"
"Do you have to be so annoying, Clyde?" Now, a grin was attached on the Prince's friend's face.
"So, I'm right?" asked him once again just to be ignored by the Prince.
Noctis didn't care with his friend question until suddenly he realized something. The so called bodyguard of his was sleeping on the next room, probably already woke up and perhaps was listening to this conversation. So, an idea came to his mind, a very rare one. Because, see, it was never Noctis' style to have this kind of idea.
Clyde was watching Noctis' action every second and then he realized that there's something wrong with his friend. The prince was planning something and whatever it was, Clyde had a very rare feeling about it. "What do you have in your mind, Noctis?"
"Do you know her name, Clyde?"
A nod came from Clyde as an answer. "Yes, indeed I do. Her name is Lightning Lockheart, isn't she?"
There came the smile and Clyde knew what the Prince was going to do. "Please tell me, I'm wrong." Clyde whispered only to be heard by the Prince.
"And that is?" This was the time when Clyde wished that he didn't have to see Noctis' smirk. Because the last time the latter smirked, it ended bad for Clyde. "This is stupid." Clyde murmured softly.
"So, I see, you know what I'm talking about, aren't you?"
When there was no reply from his friend, Noctis knew that Clyde knew what they were talking about there. For reason that only God, Clyde and him knew, he smiled. And that was when he thanked God for being a prince.
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She was infuriated. No, mad was the perfect word to describe her feeling right now. After hearing a weird conversation between her so called Prince with his lovely friend, Clyde. Whatever they were talking about just now was no good to her. Somehow, she managed to conclude that they were talking about her. What it was, she didn't know, but hell, she knew she wouldn't like it.
After preparing all her stuff, she walked to the door. She took a deep breath before opening the door.
"Have a nice sleep, bodyguard?" Speaking of the devil, there he was, standing with his usual cloth. Difference was there's a smirk plastered on his face while his friend was standing behind wearing an indescribable face.
"What do you want?" She hissed slowly and closed the door behind her. This was the time she hoped she had patient like her father had.
Noctis just shrugged his shoulder to answer her question, which just led her to anger. "Can't I pick my own bodyguard?" asked him with his usual cold tone, however, Lightning realized there's a hint of happiness.
"Is it just my feeling or I think, he is a bit…happy?" asked Lightning in her own mind. She shook her head to remove that stupid thought about him. She better got ready for her job that day. "I hate to ask this, but is he going to follow you too?" asked Lightning, feeling a bit irritated. She pointed to Clyde, eventhough she knew that somehow it wasn't polite. After all, Clyde wasn't any ordinary friend. He was the son of the King's Counselor. She was going to die if the one she pointed wasn't Clyde.
Like usual, Clyde just smirked, but this time Lightning could see that there's something wrong. Geez, what happened with her? Why the hell did she suddenly feel sensitive to all her surroundings? She muttered some cursed under her breath which was fortunately not loud enough to be heard by the lads.
So, for the rest of the day, Noctis was accompanied by his best friend and his new interest. Well, it seemed that everything just went as he planned.
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The day went, or so she would like to call it, well. Besides being teased by the Prince, having your clothes wet because of his INTENTION, and getting scolded by her father for her ignorance, she had a very well day. Yeah, after all this was what she was going to get through when she agreed to be assigned for this task. Why would she agree anyway? Oh yeah, she remembered now. Her father was so persistent and she was going to show the Prince that woman could do man's thing too. And hell was she going to prove it. The questions now were 'when' and 'how'.
Fortunately for her, the Prince decided that day should end and both of them should take a rest. So now here she was in her room feeling so exhausted. There was when a time she wished to God that she could rewind the time, so, she could refused the task or maybe when she didn't have to have Cloud as her father. Feeling helpless, she let out another big sigh. Ever since she accepted the mission, she always felt tired.
"Geez, what's so wrong with me?" She hissed softly afraid it might be loud enough for the Prince, who was living next door, to hear it. She rubbed her head, trying to find an answer for a question that she, herself, didn't know either. God, how she really needed a miracle.
Then, here came the time when God decided to grant His people's wish.
Suddenly there was a knock on her door. She looked through the door, seeing that the sky was already so dark. She wondered who it was coming at such a late hour. A bit irritated and reluctant, she stood up from her bed to walk to the door.
Before opening it, she took a deep breath and prayed that whoever it was, it would not ruin her day anymore. And to her relief, she found no sight of the Prince with his friend or her father. What or who she found was a young girl of nineteen with her long red – almost orange – hair tied up in ponytails. Her green eyes were sparkling in amusement. Her voice was a bit high pitch and cheerfulness was obviously inside her tone. "Lightning!"
Okay, maybe that wasn't really what she wished that time, but maybe this girl would help Lightning to get through her problem. Oh, how God really loves her!
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Far, far away from the Crystal Kingdom, there was a Kingdom called Tenebrae. The kingdom was called by it because the period between the day and the night was too much different. Almost everyday the sky was dark eventhough it was just noon. So, there Tenebrae came from (1). The Kingdom was led by a young King, who just reached his twenty seventh birthday last month. It was because the King's father was died because of the war and his mother passed away because of the illness that attacked his entire Kingdom. His sister almost died of it. Did I just mention sister? Yes, I did.
Meet Stella Nox Fleuret, younger sister of the Tenebrae King, Rufus Shinra. They had different surname because Stella used her father's while Rufus used his mother's. They didn't know why, but it just like that for as long as they could remember.
So, fortunately for Stella, she could get over with the illness. Thanks to the Kingdom's healer, Aerith Gainsborough. By the time she arrived at the queen, it was too late. The queen had already passed away, however, the princess' condition was different. If Aerith arrived a moment later, it would have been a great loss for both the Kingdom and the King Rufus himself.
That day, Rufus decided to call his own sister because he had to talk with her about her engagement. Rufus let out a big sigh. He just didn't know how to confront her and tell her about this. Yes, she was kind. Yes, she loved him. And yes, she was also polite. But, when it comes about her and her engagement, she will be very strict and somehow…rebellious. Rufus knew why. Because when it came to engagement, it meant her life, her future. After all, Stella was just another human who wished for freedom.
"Rufus, the maid say you want to talk with me?" asked Stella with her soft voice. She had just arrived. Her pure white dress was dirtied at some place and Rufus knew that she had just been at the garden again.
"Did you just go to the garden, Stella?" Rufus ignored his sister question and instead shoot her with another question.
Hearing garden just made Stella blush. Either it was about her being caught by her brother or because of another reason. Rufus just didn't want to know which one was truth or even to know the other reason was because if he does, he will so very called mad. "Stella, how many times should I tell you not to step into the garden anymore?"
This was when the polite princess turned into the rebellious one. "You don't have to. Because, my dear brother, I don't see any harm to step into the garden, except there's something that you are hiding from me." She answered her brother's question sarcastically. She would never understand the reason behind his strange behavior. Why did he have to be mad everytime she went to the garden? There's nothing harm about it right? "Alright, are we going to discuss about me went to the garden or is there anything else to discuss. Because if we don't, I-"
Before she finished her sentence, he had cut her. He stood from his throne, walking slowly to his only family. "Stella." He began with a very soft tone.
She knew that tone. He used it whenever there's something involved her and when she wouldn't be going to like the conversation. Somehow, she knew what her brother was going to tell her about. Of course, it will be about her engagement to the Prince from Crystal Kingdom, whom she even had not yet met and from what she heard from the rumor, she believed she would not going to like him. It was not her attitude, but it couldn't be help, could it? After all, her heart had belonged to someone else, someone, who wasn't far away like the Prince, someone, who always comforted her when she need, someone to trust. That someone was the only person she could be herself, not as the perfect princess, not as the polite sister, NO, but as Stella itself! And, yes, Stella was aware that that someone was the reason why her brother was mad everytime she went to the garden.
"Brother, I don't." She stated slowly, but it was to no avail. Whether she liked it or not, the agreement had been made. She was just going to be another victim of this political game.
"I'm sorry, Stella. The King has agreed to it and soon, your engagement with Prince Noctis from Crystal Kingdom is going to be held. The preparations have been made."
Slowly, her vision was blurred because her eyes were wet. He had to see her cry like that, but it couldn't be helped. He had to do this or else, Stella might really fall for that brat and he wouldn't let that happen. God knew what the brat was after. Yes, Rufus knew that that brat was just after her position.
"How could you? This is my life you're talking about, Rufus. It's easy for you to apologize. After all, you're not the one who is in my shoes!" She tried her best to hold her tears, but her purples eyes already showed the sadness she had inside. Before Rufus could manage to get close to her, Stella had turned around and ran, yes, ran to wherever her feet would take her to even it meant went to hell.
Slowly, his tears rolled down from his beautiful emerald eyes. He touched the salty liquid softly. "I'm sorry, sis." He whispered softly only to be heard by the wind, which blew softly at that time.
The truth was, it was no one mistake, not Rufus' not Stella's, not everyone. It just what the destiny wanted it to be, IF, you believed in destiny for sure, but if you are not, then just say it was a very bad coincidence for all of them. It was just a prelude. Everything soon will be revealed. But now, let all of them took their rest. They had done well that day. Now, let the moon to take over the sun's job, so, all of them could prepare themselves for tomorrow.
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To be continued…
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(1) : eL wasn't really sure if Tenebrae came from that. However, eL found in some websites telling that Tenebrae means 'dark' or 'shadow' in Latin, so, there came the concept. Lol
Clyde : Somehow, I don't really feel happy eventhough you have decided to put me on this chapter.
eL : Why so? I mean, you got what you want right?
Clyde : Yes and no. Yes that I finally appeared in your story. No, because…
eL : - waiting for Clyde's reply –
Clyde : Because you didn't pair me up with Vanille just yet. No! Vanille! – ran to wherever Vanille was.
eL : - sweatdropped – Gosh, what happens with him anyway?
Cloud : I think you better get back to the topic before you go too far again.
eL : Geez, you don't have to be so tensed like that Cloud.
Cloud glared to eL that made eL felt shivered.
eL : Alright, alright, you don't have to glare like that just because I haven't put you with Tifa. – grinning when eL see Cloud was blushing (yay! Banzai) - Okay, guys, I would like to thank you all for your reviews.
worldreminiscence :
Clyde : - suddenly appeared – thank you for your reviews. And I am very happy you put me in it ^^ Oh, please don't die first. Don't you want to see me in the next chapters? – puppy eyes – Because eL has promised to put me more for the next chapters
eL : Cut it off Clyde, why did you suddenly appear? And when the hell did I promise that?
Clyde : You did!
eL : Hmm…nope, I don't remember.
Clyde : You did. I swear you did, eL! Don't lie to me no more!
eL : err…I'm pretty sure I didn't make promise like that.
Clyde : NO, eL is so cruel! – running once again to God knows where –
Noctis : - appeared from nowhere – you're cruel, you know?
eL : - grinning – Yeah, I know, it just fun to tease him.
Noctis just let out a sigh.
Oxybusy :
Noctis : I'm not mean, the author do though.
eL : I don't!
Noctis : You do!
eL : No, I don't!
Noctis : Yes, you do!
And so on and on
Ken'yuu :
Serah : Thank you for the review. Hope you will like this chapter and sorry for the long updates because eL suddenly got ill and lack of imagination. Yeah, and that's the excuses
eL : Serah, why did you decide to reply the review too?
Serah : Maybe because you're busy arguing with Noctis?
eL : Whatever, now shoo.
XTiferethX:
Lightning : I would like to say thank you in eL's presence because I think she is very busy right now. Yeah, the excuses had been mentioned by my sister's above, so, you can read it there.
eL : Lightning! If you are like that, the reviewer might run away. Please put a smile on your face like you did in front of Noctis!
Lightning : - blushing –
eL :There, it looks better.
XxNight'XheartxX
eL : Sorry, if I pronounced your name wrong, but it just if I put the (.) then your name will be spelled worse than this. So I'm really apologized for it. But, anyway, I just want to say thanks for reviewing and hope this chapter could be at your liking J
Deviltrigger Dante :
eL : Lightning, try to reply this one. Remember. Put your smile on your face.
Lightning : - trying very hard to put a smile – Thanks and sorry it takes forever for this creature – pointed to eL – to update this. Oh, by the way, I like your pen name. It cools, you know? – smiling –
eL : Now, now, that's not hard, is it?
Snow : Why can you be so cruel to me? You haven't had me in this chapter!
eL : don't worry, Snow. The first time you appeared, I promise you'll like it.
Snow : Yeah, and there goes the promise that soon you'll forget right?
eL : Psst…about that promise I made with Clyde?
Snow nodded as in understanding what the conversation was about.
eL : I remember about it. I just like to tease him, you know? Remember, this just between us.
Snow nodded once again.
eL : And if he knows, it will be because of you!
Snow nodded quickly to make sure eL didn't angry and quickly ran away to his beloved, Stella.
eL : Geez, what a day. Anyway, once again, I would like to thank you all for reading and reviewing this story. Well, I'm sorry I'm not really an active author. I don't want to make another excuse, so, I would just like to say I will update sooner, therefore, see you soon xP
Luph u all
eL-ch4n
Review?