So guess what this klutz managed. I sprained my left pinky finger at the 3rd joint. In my sleep. I can still write, but I can't type nearly as fast with my left hand bandaged to immobilize my 4th and 5th fingers (keeps me from bending the pinky which causes a lot of pain) but I still managed to spit out a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

Radiklement: Gladiolus may have been formal around Regis (in my head canon) harsh on him as a teen in the short anime series, but I see him growing to see Noctis as a brother, and thus having a much more cavalier attitude. Ignis was cooking because the whole gang was together, it's not an every night thing.

Guest: Glad you like the chocobos reunited! As for the crystal coma, I will leave that up to the reader's interpretation for the time being. I plan on writing a much longer story that takes place on this timeline, and still fleshing out details like would the crystal coma be necessary without Ardyn's existence. But I hope you enjoy more chocobro banter here!

Ignis had an arm on the top of the Regalia's door, enjoying the wind from the passenger seat. It had taken getting used to, but he had to admit a certain level of relaxation in accepting that someone else had to drive. Gladiolus was happy to be in the driver's chair, he could push the seat back as far as he needed and give himself the room he never had in the backseat. Lunafreya sat sandwiched between Noctis and Prompto, but she was leaning forward engaged in conversation with Ignis while Prompto and Noctis carried on about the latest update to King's Knight.

"Oh, put the radio up!" Lunafreya called excitedly, a rare moment of recognition as the song coming out of the car speakers changed. Ignis leaned forward and turned the dial so the car was filled with the song Stand by Me. Luna sat back, a smile on her face as she hummed along to the tune,

"I didn't know this was your favorite song," Noctis stated, and she simply smiled,

"I heard it on the radio once, back in Tenebrae. Fell in love with it right away," Noctis filed away the little fact about his wife into his memory, adding it to the list of small details about her he wanted to make sure he never forgot. He wished she would hum or sing more in her beautiful voice, but she always self conscious when he called attention to it. They were little moments he had to steal when she let her guard down in the garden, or when she would sit in the study with him and he would tune the radio for her.

"It's a good song," Prompto agreed, then cursed, "Oh come on!" He shook his phone angrily, and tapped at it madly,

"And you wonder why you can't convince me to play?" Lunafreya commented, giving the blond man a sideways glance.

"It's a miracle he's never broken a phone," Ignis chimed in from the front seat,

"Almost threw it out of the Regalia once," Noctis recalled,

"That's an exaggeration... I only pretended to..."

"If Gladio hadn't grabbed your wrist we would have been doing hunts for the rest of the day to replace it!" Noctis insisted. Prompto reached an arm behind Lunafreya so he could try to slap the back of the King's head,

"Hey now, I could charge you with treason for that," he taunted,

"You can't even handle being called your highness. My liege," Prompto added, placing a hand over his chest and bowing forward slightly.

"If Luna wasn't between us..."

"How did you ever manage to keep them in line for so long Ignis?" the Oracle asked,

"You'd think I was the one blessed by the Astrals," Came his reply, "A miracle I never strangled them," He added.

"Couldn't have been harder than dealing with a teenaged-Noct," Gladiolus decided to join in the teasing.

"I wasn't that bad!" Noctis insisted, and tried to hide his sudden embarrassment by returning his attention to King's Knight.

"Somehow more dark and brooding?" She asked lightly, always one to enjoy the tales of her husband during his most awkward years. The years their conversations in the notebook had begun to lose some of their innocence, knowing she was likely as bad as he had been. Gentiana was there to frequently remind her of how a proper Princess should behave, causing the teenaged Oracle to sneak the notebook to Umbra, with her improper responses, away from the woman's prying eyes.

"Of course. Don't think Noct knew how to be anything else," Ignis answered her, "and stubborn as always. But dark and brooding must be what the girls want, they couldn't get enough of him"

"Hmm, Noct, you never told me you were such a lady's man," she smirked at him, knowing full well he would complain in the notebook about his retinue of giggling girls during his schooldays, and his lamentations that he couldn't shut them up by walking down the hall holding her hand.

"If only," Gladiolus cut in, "You'd think the guy wore lady repellent. Couldn't get a date to save his life, the number of times I tried to set him up with someone..."

"He always was a bit shy,"

"Oh come on! Luna, you're supposed to be on my side, remember?" He asked, giving her an accusatory glare, getting a coy smile in response. He leaned over, whispering in her ear so only she could hear, "Maybe later tonight I show you just how shy I am, get all... tongue tied with you?" The words had the desired effect, the pale skin of her face giving way to a deep crimson blush that flashed across her cheeks, over her nose, and stained her ears. He smirked, accomplishing his goal of diverting the gang's attention off of him.

"Wow, what did he say?!" Prompto laughed, giving her a knowing smirk, elbowing her lightly in the ribs

"Ha! Maybe our little Noct is a lady's man after all," Gladiolus bellowed, noting how red his Queen had become when he glanced at her in the rear view mirror. "I'll have to keep a hundred-meter distance so I don't traumatize myself again," He added.

"Maybe I'll take you up on that sparring offer, I think I owe you a good whack on the head."

"Oh you're on little lady,"

"Never underestimate the little ones!" Prompto chided, waggling his finger. "We've seen her in combat, I'd be betting my money on skinny here. And in a shootout you guys don't hold a torch on me! Best gunman this side of Eos!" Both Lunafreya and Noctis briefly flinched at the 'skinny' comment.

"She kicked my ass with that Trident of hers," Noctis added

"You weren't even trying!" Luna quipped, smirking at him, "too gentlemanly to hit a lady," They recalled the restless night at camp the eve before Noctis was to collect another Royal Arm. Unable to sleep, too agitated to talk, the group decided to test their mettle against each other to burn off the anxious energy. Gladiolus called off pairs to face each other, and Lunafreya had refused to be left out wanting to prove she was more than just their fragile White Mage. In the days before the first covenant formed with Ramuh, when she had handed the burden of the Ring of Lucii off to Noctis and she still retained her full strength.

They passed the long ride to Cape Caem with more stories and teasing, mostly at the expense of the royal couple. The warm summer breeze was enjoyable, and the smell of salt in the air and slight chill in the wind told them they were getting closer to the sea; the group expressed relief at being able to get out of the car and stretch their legs soon. They pulled up to the small parking area, and grimaced at the long uphill hike to the elevator that led to the pier. The road that led strait to the piers was reserved for trucks hauling supplies to the cities, and Noctis insisted that they not abuse his position as King to interrupt these supply runs just for his convenience, to which Ignis commented that perhaps the brooding King could be mature once in a while.

"Who's bright idea was it to make everyone hike uphill to the elevator just to get down to the pier. They didn't think of just making a tunnel?" Prompto whined, only to have Gladiolus drop a heavy bag into his arms in response. "Oof, Gigantor, warn a guy next time!" He half-wheezed, trying not to lose his balance at the sudden burden that was dropped in his arms. Luna slung her small bag over her shoulder, pushing away Noctis when he insisted on carrying it for her. He relented, knowing when arguing was a waste of time and unpacked his own belongings and tossing the last bag to Gladiolus. Ignis also insisted on carrying his own travel pack, carrying it with one hand with his walking cane in the other. With one final check of the Regalia to ensure nothing was forgotten they set off. Little past halfway up the hill Noctis could see how exhausted Lunafreya looked, straining against the weight of her small pack, and from the wobble in her legs she looked damn near ready to collapse. He frowned, and reached over to her and took the bag, getting an angry glare,

"We really need to get you some practical shoes once we're in Tenebrae," He stated quickly, hoping to find a tangible excuse to help the stubborn woman. Luna looked down at her feet, slightly confused,

"I'm not in heels," she retorted, having settled on a pair of flats that complimented her gray and blue dress.

"Still not exactly hiking boots. Let me carry your stuff before you slip on the dead leaves," He explained, to try and reserve her dignity; he knew how she hated to have any attention drawn to her frailty. He gave her a look, and she bit her lip, reluctantly accepting his help knowing that surrendering her bag to him was less of a blow to her pride than collapsing would have been.

"Fine, I'll hold you to it," She squared her shoulders, and resisted the urge to call forth her Trident as a walking stick. She allowed the others to get ahead of her so they wouldn't see the tremor in her knees, and she focused on her breathing to control herself. She felt ashamed she couldn't hike up a simple hill with a duffel. Once finally at the top Prompto dropped his bag, loudly complaining how much he hated hills while impatiently pressing the button to summon the elevator while Gladiolus told the gunman he now had new ideas on how to train their scrawny companion. Much of the Kingsguard were already at the boat, awaiting their King. Noctis had sent them ahead to secure the pier insisting that he could survive a car ride without them surrounding the Regalia. They disagreed, but would not disobey a direct order. Especially not when the orders had been given with a towering Gladiolus standing over the King's shoulder.

"You should grab your jacket from your bag before we store them away, the ocean breeze gets chilly," Noctis explained, handing Lunafreya's duffel to her as he dug through his own. She grabbed it, pulling out her white and gray hooded jacket,

"I think you forget where I'm from," She answered, zipping the duffel and giving it to the waiting pair of hands that would put it in the storage compartment on the ship. "Tenebrae is a lot colder than Lucis. I'm more used to the cold than you are," she smiled faintly to show she was just prodding him, and not holding any resentment for taking her duffel from her on the hill.

"C'mon," he grabbed her hand, and pulled away quickly, "Gah! You're freezing!" he tucked his hand under his armpit,

"Oh come on. You're used to that by now," she returned, lunging at him quickly to shove her hands under his shirt making him squirm away from her, both of them failing to suppress a giggle,

"Stop! You're like ice damn it! Shiva would have warmer hands than you!" He struggled to pry her off of him. After a few moments she released him from the torture, and joined the others on the ramp to the ship, Noctis close behind her. He longed for more moments like that, and hoped this trip would bring many more.

**,**

The ship sped across the sea separating Tenebrae from Lucis, the cool breeze prompting the group to put on their jackets, and leaving the Kingsguard grateful for their thick uniforms. Noctis and Prompto were again engaged in King's Knight, while Lunafreya enjoyed a game of chess with Ignis, who had decided to pack a magnetic game set for the ride.

"It's nice having a chess partner. Noct never had the patience for the game,"

"Gentiana taught me how to play, and it was a relaxing way to pass the long days," she replied, moving her bishop across the board in a bold move to take a pawn, leaving the adviser wondering what the Oracle was plotting several moves ahead.

"Taught you well," he added. "You actually give me a ch-" Ignis's statement was cut off as the ship lurched, throwing the occupants off balance as the water around the ship roiled, a large wall of water crashing over the deck as a three-headed beast burst from the depths, bellowing a territorial cry from it's mouths.

"Protectra!" Luna shouted as she saw each mouth begin to glow, calling forth her Trident with one hand, the other shooting out in front of her as a shimmering grid of pentagons arched over the ship. Light deflected the ball of flame, the bolt of lightning, and the sharp shards of ice that clashed into it. The impacts against the barrier left the entire group covering their eyes from the flashes of light, Lunafreya groaning as she fell to a knee, straining against the pressure to hold up the barrier until the barrage was done, dropping onto her hands and knees the protective barrier vanishing

"Luna!" Noctis moved to run towards her, but she looked at him sharpy,

"Focus!" She snapped, and he quickly turned his attention to the beast before them, calling forth his faithful blade, "Quintus!" He shouted, throwing a quick glance at the Kingsguard, who shouted an affirmative and rushed to his Queen's side, the pair sharing words. Noctis forced himself to leave her in his care as Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto all drew their weapons and were at his side, the Kingsguard all drawing their swords as well,

"Remind me to thank her later for being the only one with enough sense to react before we got fried!" Prompto declared, holding his guns out and aiming for one of the open mouths,

"We owe the lady one, that's for certain," Ignis conceded. "But if this thing was going to interrupt my chess game, it certainly has good timing, she may have been about to beat me," Ignis shouted between the sounds of Prompto's barking guns. The Hydra bellowed in pain as the bullets tore into the sensitive soft tissue of it's open mouth, and Noctis took advantage of the beast's interrupted attack to warp-strike the head that seemed determined to electrocute them all. He deemed the thunderous head the most immediately dangerous, as even a missed blow could easily kill them. He swung his arm to bury his blade into it's eye, but the Hydra shook his it's head, closing it's eyes as it thrashed, launching Noctis into the water.

"Noct!" Gladio shouted, a shard of ice tearing past him arm leaving a gash in his bicep, "Ah! Damnit!" He swung his greatsword, bracing it with his other hand to deflect the rain of ice raining down at him. Ignis holding an elemental flask in his hand, listening for the howling ice and threw the firey ball towards the source of the noise hoping the damnable beast would taste the fire all the way down its miserable throat,

"Way to go Iggy!" Prompto shouted, cheering as the rain of ice suddenly stopped,

"Reflect!" Luna's voice cut in again, a trembling hand reaching towards the fighting men as the central mouth opened and flashed with the power of a thunderhead, the blinding purple light that erupted from it roiled furiously as her shield diverted the energy back at the Hydra, lighting crackling across it's entire body as the spell rebounded back at it. Latent energy surged through the water and through the ship, though the energy had dispersed enough to keep from being more than a painful series of shocks to it's occupants.

"Lady Lunafreya, please don't overdo it..." Quintus pleaded as the woman collapsed into a heap of limbs in his arms after dropping her second spell, her Trident vanishing in a flash of blue as her strength gave way. By the six, I feel half-dead from casting two spells... I know my shields were hit hard but this is pathetic. She mentally chided herself, and shook her head at the guard who was trying to help her right herself. "Let me take you to the cabin,"

"I'm not abandoning a battle," She replied in an unsteady voice, turning her attention back to where the others were fighting wishing she had the strength to do more, reaching out her right hand to summon her Trident once more.

"That hurt!" Came Noctis's voice, having warp-struck out of the water and was once again perched atop the central head. He saw the effects of the Reflect spell, or rather felt it as the lighting surged through the salty sea, and couldn't help but feel his chest tighten as he knew the toll it would have taken on it's caster. We have to take this thing down before Luna knocks herself out covering our asses. Man we've gotten rusty. He thrust his blade into it's eye before it could shake him off again, securing himself atop the beast's head as it thrashed about, bellowing in pain as blood and fluid ran from it's ruined eye socket.

"I think I need to step up all our training," Gladiolus complained, sharing in Noctis's sentiments. "A year ago we could have taken this thing down without breaking a sweat!"

"Speak for yourself big guy, I'm as good a shot as ever!" Prompto bragged, bracing himself for the recoil as he fired shots as fast as he could at the Hydra while it opened it's mouth for another barrage of fire and ice, the thunder head preoccupied with Noctis. The Kingsguards were shuffling anxiously, wishing there was more they could do to protect the royal couple and their entourage. But other than batting away stray shards of ice there was little they could do to the water bound beast.

"We have to focus our attacks. Aim for the thunder-head," Ignis called out, "Take out the heads one by one, we aren't making any progress attacking at random!" A series of confirmations followed his advice. The tactician gathered another energetic grenade, trying to source the precise location of the crackling of electricity amongst the cacophony of sound. He threw the ball, 'Noct! Jump!" Noctis leaped away and warped back to the deck of the ship, panting with exhaustion. Promto took the cue and fired another round of bullets in the same direction, and Gladiolus used his great-sword to deflect a barrage of ice back at the beast. The beast's central head was left a ruined mass of tissues, the neck collapsing leaving two furious heads to contend with.

"One down!" Prompto shouted excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet,

"Two to go," Gladio's deep voice finished.

"Focus like we did on one head at a time-" Ignis was cut off as a fireball caught them off-guard, and once again Luna's voice rang across the deck and a small shimmering shield of pentagons, hardly big enough to protect the four men, deflected half a barrage of ice before shattering, leaving the Oracle dazed and semi-conscious. The group collectively cursed that their stash of curatives were in a first-aid kit in the cabin, or stashed in Ignis's bag in the cargo hold. Gladiolus had managed to collect himself with enough warning to use his great-sword as a shield against the last of the ice.

"Luna!" Noctis shouted, but felt a hand on the back of his neck jerking him back from rushing to her,

"Look what happens when we aren't paying attention!" Gladiolus bellowed. "Now fell this damned thing!" Under Ignis's lead, the group coordinated their attacks. First on the glacial head, then finishing off the infernal. When they finished the deck of the ship was left with nearly half a meter of water in it, chunks of ice floating around, scorch marks visible through the water. Despite taking one hell of a shock, the engine and electronics of the ship still worked and they were able to resume the journey to Tenebrae.

"Luna," Noctis rushed to her, slipping his arms around her as Quintus pulled back from supporting her in a sitting position, "You alright?!" He asked, noting how her eyes were flickering around as if trying to figure out where his face was,

"Tired," her voice was quiet and airy.

"Come on, you need to rest in the cabin for the rest of the trip," The guys came up behind Noctis who was gathering the Oracle into his arms to carry her to the only bed on the ship,

"How is our lady Luna?" Ignis asked, reaching out to place the back of his hand against her forehead, noting she felt hot.

"She... just needs rest," Noctis assured them. He had seen her in this state before, usually after healing a few too many people in a day. Protetra and Reflect were not minor spells for her, and her first cast protected nearly the entire ship. Even in her prime she would have been exhausted from that spell. "When she's a little more alert we can try to give her an Ether," Prompto cheered her 'badassery' which managed to get a smile from the dazed woman, and Gladiolus continued with threats about how much more he planned to train them all after how poorly the battle had started.

Noctis laid Lunafreya on the bed, brushing her forehead gently to tuck her bangs behind her ear, sighing. He wanted to chide her for putting herself under so much strain, for putting herself so deep in risk, for worrying him.

"Luna..." He said carefully, "you okay?" he asked, but she had drifted to sleep and was deaf to his words. He sighed again, leaning forward to place a kiss on her forehead. "Be more careful next time," He asked aloud, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. "Our journey took so much out of us... took so much from us... these last seven months of peace have felt so out of place. But I've had you..." He felt the tears burning his eyes, recalling how they had once feared their journey was not destined to ever let them have a happy ending. "You can't keep pushing yourself like this. The fight is over. Stop fighting so damned hard. I... I can't..." the words lost in his throat and he bit his lip painfully hard, swallowing thickly to suppress a sob. "I love you Luna..." He pulled back to look at her sleeping face, and kissed her forehead once more. "I need you."

Action is not my forte, but I hope you enjoyed this little battle! I will add more fluff to the next chapter as there hasn't been nearly enough of it (I need ALL the Luna/Noct fluff) but I've just had so much fun reuniting the chocobros, and I hope you have fun reading it! And I hope you find them in-character.