Title: Fencing
Genre: Friendship
Summary: Takes place after Luna joins Noctis and his crew.

Chapter 4: Fencing

It had been awhile since Luna had the chance to cross swords in a friendly spar. She had kept a strict routine of practicing fencing daily – even if it wasn't nearly as effective against inanimate barrels and dummies compared to an actual living opponent. She wasn't about to pass a chance to hone her skills against a professional swordsman.

Her rapier rested comfortably against her hip as she stretched. Her opponent swung his massive broadsword lazily, the muscles beneath his tattooed skin bulging with each movement. Luna eyed his muscular physique out of the corner of her eye. It was clear he wielded his weapon for more than just a show. She had yet to see him and his companions in action against the local wildlife or imperial soldiers, but she had no doubts he could hospitalize her with one well aimed swing. If she were to take this challenge seriously she would have to push her body to its limit in terms of speed and agility.

Gladiolus' honey brown eyes bore into her with the intensity of a predator. She resisted a shudder. She had seen that look before on another face; an unfriendly face.

"You ready?"

She drew her trusty rapier and settled to a fighting stance.

"Ready."

She stood her ground as the bear of a man charged at her with a battle cry that could have chilled a lesser man to the core. She waited until she was in range of his broadsword and then lightly sidestepped at the last second. Gladiolus was rewarded with a playful smack on his backside from the flat side of her blade. He let out a surprised yelp and turned around to ready for another charge.

Luna could hear Prompto's uncontrolled laughing accompanied by Noctis' husky chuckle, but she paid no mind to the audience.

"Better tighten your belt, man! She means business!"

Gladiolus smirked and shouted back: "You might have competition, Prince Charmless!" Without waiting for a reply he went to take another deadly swing at his light footed opponent.

Deciding it was time to test her own strength, she steeled herself and planted her feet firmly on the dusty road. Blocking such a massive blade with her thin rapier was no easy feat; she had to rely on series of complex maneuvers. Her wrist was beginning to ache from the strain.

Time to strike back.

With a flurry of blonde locks and faded travel wear, she lunged at him. He in turn blocked her each strike. Her frustration grew with each block. His attacks were slow and heavy, but he was quick to switch to defensive and predict the next swing. With a sword as big as his, he did not have to move it much at all to keep himself completely shielded from her fast thrusts. This was going nowhere.

He's trying to tire me and then finish me off, she realized. Her sword arm was trembling from the exercise. Sweat beads glimmered on her forehead, her breathing was shallow. Gladiolus seemed to notice and dropped his stance.

"We could call it a draw", he offered. Luna frowned. She did not enjoy being coddled. She needed this workout.

"No. First one to disarm the opponent wins", she boldly declared. This was her chance. She needed to prove them – and most of all herself – that she was capable against any foe.

Gladiolus cast a helpless glance behind him, most likely aimed at Noctis, but raised his sword and nodded in agreement. She lunged forward, making a show to swipe at his head while readying to aim at his tattooed arms.

She was so caught up in the fight that she had completely ignored the change in their surroundings. Instead of a dusty road, they had moved to spar on wet slippery grass. Completely caught off guard when her foot slipped, she found herself sliding rather ungracefully until her back met the forest floor. She didn't have time to dodge the incoming broadsword stuck in mid swing. She was out cold before she could feel any pain.

When Luna came to, she was greeted by a pair of spectacles that reflected her groggy expression.

"Ah, the Lady awakens", Ignis' said pleasantly before withdrawing from her vision. She noted she was in a tent. The sun was still up, so she couldn't have been out for too long.

"She gonna be ok?" Prompto's voice came from outside the tent.

"Quite fine, I assure you. She merely hit her head."

And then it all came back to her.

Prompto's shocked cry, the stampede of Noctis' running feet as he rushed to her side before she passed out. Her last vision was the horrified guilt ridden face of Gladiolus.

Oh…

How embarrassing. She should have agreed to a draw instead of humiliating herself by trying to act strong.

"How long was I out?" she kept her voice carefully even.

"Merely an hour. We're still on schedule, rest assured."

"Good." She slowly sat up and let her body adjust. The last thing she needed was the men thinking she needed to be grounded to bed rest. Or 'sleeping bag rest' in this case.

"Best we begin packing and head for the road", she stood up, picked her rapier and tied it to her belt. Her head was pounding and her vision occasionally blurred, but she was sure she would be rid of all that after a nap on the road.

"Capital idea, my Lady."

After everything was set, the quintet took their respective places on the car and set off.

Luna could see from the corner of her eye Gladiolus occasionally glancing her way, opening his mouth as if to address her, only to close it and go back to staring at his hands. Did he think it was his fault that she had been careless and not minded her surroundings? She wanted to put his mind at ease, but was not sure how to bring it up. She figured they would need some privacy to sort it out; he probably felt too ashamed to discuss it with the other three listening. But having a private word in this circle of friends was near impossible. Luna internally huffed in frustration.

Suddenly an idea formed in her mind.

"Ignis, may I borrow a pen, please?"

"Of course. Prompto, give this to the Lady, if you please."

Prompto reached behind him and offered the pen to her. "Just have tissues for paper. Sorry", he scratched his head sheepishly.

Luna shook her head dismissively and accepted the pen. "That's fine, I will manage."

Noctis eyed her curiously as she rolled her left sleeve up and began writing in elegant small script on her skin. He caught her eye and raised his brow in silent query. In reply she showed her arm, his hand pulling it closer as he peered at the print.

Don't blame yourself.

She withdrew her arm and subtly nodded towards Gladiolus who was eyeing the scenery, lost in thought.

A small smile rose to Noctis' lips. Guess she wasn't the only one who had noticed the bodyguard's uncharacteristic behavior.

"Go on", he mouthed to her before closing his eyes and leaning back, feigning sleep.

Luna turned to Gladiolus and casually tapped his thigh to get his attention and showed the message on her arm. The older man stared at the message for good six seconds, his thick brows knitted together. Then his frown melted and he grinned widely. He checked not-so-subtly if the other men were watching. When it was apparent the coast was clear, he took her small hand in his and gave it a brief squeeze and nodded his thanks. He released her hand, cracked his neck and stretched his stiff muscles from hours of unnecessary stress and worry. He looked positively relieved.

Luna didn't bother trying to hide the smug curve of her lips as she pulled her sleeve down and returned her attention to the road. Best she kept the pen awhile longer, lest Ignis and Prompto start asking questions.

She noted the supposedly napping prince wore a faint, nearly unnoticeable smile. His happiness was connected to those around him. If one of them had a problem, he would share it and get to the bottom of it. They would do the same for him. With the little act of kindness she had displayed to his bodyguard, she might have just bought entrance to his inner circle. Maybe one day she could unload her troubles to these four men and share their pain and joy.

She felt a faint brush of finger tips and looked down to see a motorcycle-gloved hand slip over hers. Her eyes darted to his face and saw his brilliant blue eyes staring back at her in approval.

Maybe that day won't be far from now.