Chapter 5: Headache

Amara held her head as she walked through the halls of the school, not caring that Noctis and Prompto were still trying to ask her questions, trying to make sure she was alright but ultimately just annoying her and making the raging headache she was fighting worse.

"Guys, please, just shut up." other students in the hall seemed shocked when she rounded on the prince and his shadow, speaking so boldly to him like that. "My head is killing me, my body hurts in ways I didn't think possible and my organs still feel like they were tossed in a fire. For the love of the Six please just shut up."

"Amara!" Noctis called out to her as she spun on her heel, nearly losing her balance, to head for her class. She ignored the royal and the looks of her fellow students, stalking through the door of her classroom straight to her seat. She all but collapsed in her chair, leaning over to bury her head in her arms but finding that she was still unable to find any position that was comfortable, so opting to just say 'fuck it' and sit on the floor in front of her desk, legs curled carefully under her, with her head resting on top of her history book on her seat. Mr. Lovis seemed a bit surprised to find the girl like that and knelt down beside her.

"Miss Solis do you-"

"No, go teach," she could barely wave a hand at him.

"What happ-"

"I was connected to his majesty's power yesterday," the gasp that ripped through her class made her cringe and groan.

"Why are you here?" his voice dropped noticeably. "Go home."

"No, go teach. I'm fine."

"Miss Solis I will have you carried out."

"I'm fine, just getting used to having literal fire and electricity running through me." she tried to glare at him, but couldn't manage more than a cringe. "It only hurts when I stop moving."

He sighed in defeat, scratching his head as he stood. "Very well, but if at any time you do decide to leave, just go."

She wasn't sure if he saw her nod, but listened as he called roll before starting the day's lesson, though she was fully aware that he was typing at his computer as he did so. When she walked into her next class and found her teacher had put a chocolate bar and the day's notes on her desk, she realized it had been an email to her teachers, letting them know about her condition. It was the same in every class until her final one, where she found Noctis and Prompto had been moved to sit in desks by hers. Noctis offered her a bottle of soda and a treat he had obviously saved from lunch (probably because she spent her lunch period in the nurse's office explaining why she wasn't going to go home to the nurse, the principal, the school resource officer, etc, etc.

"Is it any better?" the prince was speaking in a low voice, obviously concerned. "I talked to Nyx on the way back to my apartment, and he said if you don't take it easy for a while after the connection you could end up seriously hurting yourself."

"I'm not allowed to train until I can move without wanting to puke, but I'm not missing school." she accepted the treat, pausing to enjoy it before looking at him again. "Don't worry so much."

"Can't help it, even Cor and Clarus are worried, and now Ignis and Gladio are too."

"You told them?"

"Didn't have much of a choice, you know how word travels around the Citadel." he shrugged, and held out a piece of paper. "Here, Ignis said you should try this to get rid of the muscle pain, and Gladio vouched for it so I mean, can't hurt right?"

"Alright, tell them thanks."

"Tell them yourself, Ignis is taking you home after school since me and Prompto are heading to the arcade."

"I thought you guys went yesterday?" Amara tried to sit in her seat as she noticed the other students taking theirs.

"After what happened, I told him not to worry about it," Prompto gave her his usual bright smile. "I was pretty worried about you too."

The girl gave them a look, but tried to shrug it off when the teacher entered the room. Thankfully the class managed to pass somewhat normally and the trio was able to escape rather quickly though only because Amara was trying to escape them. She almost made it to the front gate before they caught up to her, and that only happened because she was distracted by Ignis leaning against his car. He stared her down, making her remember he was trained by the Guard himself (and unfortunately was much faster than her, especially in her current condition). Seeing no other option she walked over and let him open the front passenger door for her. Noctis at least seemed pleased enough to head off with Prompto, easing her a little before Ignis joined her in the car.

"Are you doing any better than this morning? His Highness was especially concerned."

"From what I heard he wasn't the only one." she gave him a look as she rubbed her head. "Man, this migraine just won't go away…"

"A migraine? Prince Noctis said your chief complaint was muscle and organ pain."

"Yeah, but I've had this migraine since yesterday. Every time I stand up or move too fast I black out for a second, and everytime it gets too bright or too loud I want to puke from the way my head starts throbbing. My own voice hurts my head right now."

Ignis seemed a little concerned by the new information, she could tell by the way his fingers tightened on the wheel. But before she could say anything he reached into the center console between them and produced a pair of designer shades she doubted had ever been worn.

"Here, these were supposed to be for Noctis but he refuses to wear them because they're "too darkly tinted". I think they may help with your migraine."

Amara didn't feel like she had much of a choice with the way he was holding them, so she carefully took the sunglasses from him and put them on. The wrap around lenses were indeed very darkly tinted, not so much that she couldn't see clearly but enough that just looking out the window didn't immediately send more throbbing pain through her head.

"Thanks Ignis."

"But of course." he gave her a slight smile as he pulled the car into her driveway. "If I may?"

"Come on in." the girl made her way to her door as quickly as her body would allow her, but was taken back slightly when her father of all people opened the door for her. The look on her companion's face must have spoken volumes to the man, though she didn't turn around to check as he stepped aside to let them in. Ignis dipped his head to her father as he passed him, pausing to speak to him in a hushed tone as Amara head to her room to get out of her uniform. Placing the shades carefully on her dresser she was slow to get changed, groaning as each new movement made it feel like her body was being ripped apart. When she finally finished and went to rejoin the men, she was surprised to find Ignis sitting on her couch with a cup of coffee, and a small plate with some kind of dessert. The lights in the house had also been cut off, all but a small lamp on the table beside him.

"Where'd dad go?"

"To the store to get some stronger medicine for you, as well as some epsom salt and a few other things." he was speaking softly as he motioned to the plate in front of him. "Noctis asked me to make those for you. He says they always help him feel better."

"So I have the prince and all of his friends worried about me today, that's going to go over well."

"As far as I know, you're the first person to have such a reaction to his majesty's power, so you also have the entirety of the Glaive and Guard worried as well."

"Joy." she picked up one of the goodies as she sat beside him on the couch.

"It is to be expected though," he mused, sipping on his coffee.

Just like that, the house fell into a silence that she couldn't say was uncomfortable. Nibbling away on the sweets she was surprised to find that the sugar was actually easing some of her pain. If it was some kind of magic, she was happy for it. Ignis didn't say another word to her for a while, until headlights flashed across the wall through the window.

"Your father's returned, I'll take my leave."

"Not gonna stay for dinner?" she joked.

"Your dinner is ready and waiting in the microwave whenever you're ready to eat." he bowed with a slight smirk on his face. "As Noct made clear, we're all worried about you."

She didn't have a chance to ask what he meant before he left, passing by her father on his way out the door. The man gave her a confused look, but walked over with a bag in hands when he only got a shrug in return. Medicine, muscle rubs, bath salts, even some strange medicinal lotion, it seemed her father had tried to cover every base he could think of to help ease his daughter's pain.

She was thankful, but for some reason, the pain in her muscles had ebbed dramatically. Looking at the empty plate as Vincent went to warm up her dinner, she couldn't help but wonder if the dessert Ignis had made had been laced with something.

Making sure her father was good and busy in the kitchen, Amara stared at her hand - trying to figure out what she could about her newfound magic abilities, and shocking herself when a single thought seemed to make a small flame appear in her palm. Checking again for her father she thought about the blades Nyx had used the previous day and became surprised once more when a dagger materialized. It was very different from the ones she had seen the Glaive using, but for some reason, it seemed familiar…

Any further thoughts were shoved away as she willed the dagger to disperse, just in time for her father to rejoin her. Giving him her best smile she hoped she didn't seem too startled, taking the plate of thankfully easy to eat food from him before he sat in the armchair not far away.

"How are you feeling?"

"Surprisingly, I'll feel fine now." she nodded, more to herself than anything. "I think this is going to be easier to get used to than I thought."