So, there isn't much to say about this chapter other than we're quickly wrapping up this story. One chapter left after this.
Guest reviewer from the last chapter: "I like this. It seems like a really interesting story. Can't wait for the next one." I'm glad you're enjoying it, the story should be wrapped up by Sunday, then I'm off on holidays for a week and the sequal will be posted by July 28th.
So this chapter's title is taken from Alan Menken's opening piece from the animated film, Beauty and the Beast. It fit the mood just right and I consider this point in the story the prologue of Soo-Min's journey. Please use the link to the story's playlist on my profile for the version I listened to.
As always my tumblr is cherryblossomcheesecake, and I'm open for requests.
WORDS: 2,380
UPDATED: 07.14.17
Prologue - Alan Menken
I stared into the blue eyes of the oracle, queen Sylva, watching her as she gazed at whatever she saw in place of my eight year old form. I shifted uncomfortably, looking around the queen's study to avoid those pale eyes.
The study was similar in design to the rest of Fenestala Manor—white architecture accented by gold, with splashes of sylleblossom blue here and there. The study was pristine, not a book or cushion out of place.
The oracle hummed lightly before speaking, drawing my gaze back to her.
"How long have you been hiding in this body?"
My mind scrambled for the date of my arrival in Eos, eventually settling on "Late July".
"I thought so," queen Sylva said, more to herself than me, scratching a few notes into a leather journal, "I sensed a strange presence entering the world around that time and was never able to determine what it was. It only grew stronger following the prince's accident."
I could feel the unspoken question hanging in the air, answering carefully.
"I confronted the gods after the accident; I wanted to help Noctis. The draconian gave me the ability to bring him back to the waking world, in return, he made me a Seer to guide the prince to his destiny."
The blonde queen froze in her note-taking, staring at the page in shock as ink blotted the paper.
"And do you know what he is destined for? Have the gods granted you visions of it?" the oracle questioned cautiously, removing her pen from the paper to lace her fingers together.
"No. I've only seen bits and pieces of things, images of the next year or so I think…" I furrowed my brow as I thought about the vision I had in the dreamscape, "There was fire; a meadow was burning. Then a girl in white, fading into the distance… Lunafreya maybe? Noctis was crying and reaching for her…"
"So prince Noctis and the girl we are assuming to be my daughter look relatively the same as they do now, putting these events within the remainder of the year." queen Sylva observed, leaning back into her seat.
"And the meaning of the vision itself could be metaphorical as well. While the images shown depict violent and dangerous circumstances in the future, it could also be a warning of the emotional state Noctis will be put through when the party departs from Tenebrae." I offered, thinking back on the vision and it's possible interpretation.
The queen's blonde eyebrows rose in surprise, looking to me curiously.
"My school's literature teacher always said gods are never clear in their messages, that the answer usually needs to be found within what they show. But regardless of whether or not it's literal or metaphorical, I'm not allowed to try and change anything…" I trailed off, looking to the floor as I bit my lip.
"We can only hope nothing ill will come from this vision. Now, we have spent enough time on this; we should begin your therapy." queen Sylva stated, closing her journal and setting it aside.
I moved to lay on my front, allowing the oracle access to the injury across the backs of my thighs. I felt the drag of my skirt against my skin as she drew it upwards, setting it just above the scarring injury. Warm fingers carefully grazed the edges of the cut, a warmth pooling under the scar tissue as the oracle whispered under her breath.
"There is no trace of the scourge, not even a lingering infection." she commented, dragging her fingers along the length of the cut.
"The draconian said I was unable to contract the scourge because my soul isn't from this world. That the light from my star burned it away the moment it tried to take root." I explained, nestling my cheek against the couch cushion.
The queen hummed in response, focusing on the healing as she replied, "It will be easier to mend your muscles then, as I won't be fighting the remnants of the scourge as I heal you. You are much luckier than the prince."
I frowned at that, my small hand turning into fists as I quietly whispered, "Yeah, I am…" for lapsing into silence.
I sat on a bench in one of the manor gardens, watching as Luna taught Noctis to make flower chains from sylleblossoms. The younger boy was slowly smiling more, the princess bringing happiness back to his sapphire eyes once more as she drew him out of his shell.
The blonde looked up at me, her gaze understanding as she wove flowers together without a thought. I nodded to Luna in response, brown eyes meeting blue as I rolled the stem of a flower between my fingers.
The older girl had slowly become my friend through tentative conversation whenever Noctis had fallen asleep, curious to know my life from before. Luna and I had a mutual respect for each other, both of us meant to guide Noctis to his destiny through communicating with the gods. There had originally been some lingering tension and awkwardness following her confrontation after the Lucian party's arrival, however it slowly faded as I spoke with her and the queen more often, and we began to understand each other.
Luna began wheeling Noctis over to the bench where I sat, a crown of sylleblossoms resting on the prince's lap. I smiled warmly as the duo approached, opening my mouth to speak before abruptly shutting it as Noctis stretched up and delicately placed the flower crown on my head.
I blinked owlishly at the young prince, my hand coming up to touch the soft petals.
"You looked like you needed some cheering up, you've been so serious since we came to Tenebrae." the dark haired boy offered in explanation at my confused expression. Luna smiled her otherworldly serene smile from where she stood behind Noctis.
"Blue is a lovely colour on you, especially sylleblossom blue." the princess complemented, moving to sit beside me on the bench.
"Thank you, Luna. Although I do think it would suit Noctis better, since he has those great big, blue eyes and wears nothing but black all the time." I replied cheekily, tucking the blossom in my hand behind the boy's ear.
The three of us laughed freely, Luna bending over the edge of the bench to pluck another blossom from the garden and place it behind her ear.
"Now we all match." she exclaimed, fueling our laughter until a servant entered the autumn-chilled garden to fetch us for dinner.
On our way to the dining hall, Luna leaned to the side slightly, whispering quietly in my ear.
"After Noctis retires for the night, come to my room." the blonde breathed, pulling away quickly to answer one of Noctis' questions. I didn't falter in my step, leaning against my remaining crutch as we continued down the hall.
I quietly opened the door to Luna's room, poking my head in to see the blonde princess reading on a chaise-lounge by her window. The soft lamp light that filled her room gave the area a warm glow as I stepped in.
Luna's head rose to look at me as I closed the door, watching as I slowly walked over.
"You're recovering quickly." the older girl observed as I sat next to her on the chaise.
I sighed lightly before replying, "All thanks to your mother, and my apparent luck."
"Yes, you do seem to have an abundance of that. Thank you for coming to see me." Luna commented, closing her book after marking her place.
"The Lucian party will be leaving in a few days, since you're making a fast recovery and Noctis is much more likely to walk again after returning to proper therapy." the princess stated, turning slightly to face me.
"Is that why you wanted me to come see you?" I questioned, raising a brow.
"That was one of the reasons. I have a way of communicating with Noctis while we're apart, but I was wondering if you would also like to keep in touch. I'm sending Umbra to get messages to and from Noctis. Perhaps we could use Pryna?" Luna continued, gesturing to the pair of dogs that lay on top of her bed.
I thought quietly to myself for a moment, considering the options.
"Well, that would work. I have one other way we could possibly contact each other, but I'm not 100% sure if it'll work…" I mused, furrowing my brow as I thought about it.
"What is it?" the blonde asked excitedly, leaning towards me.
"When I approached Bahamut about bringing Noctis out of his coma, he gave me to ability to go into the dreamscape and speak to him. I could possibly be able to communicate with you through your dreams." I offered, toying with the possibility of it working.
"How would we test it?" Luna questioned, placing her book on the end table.
"Well, if you fall asleep wanting me to enter your dream, I should be able to just come right into it once I fall asleep." I answered, thinking back on how I entered Noctis' dreams the last time.
The blonde girl nodded in understanding, brushing off the skirt of her nightdress. She rose from her seat on the chaise to walk across the room to her dresser.
"Alright, we'll try that method tonight then. Before you go, I have one more thing. It's a gift for you, a sign of our friendship and something to remind you of the sylleblossoms here." she told me as she looked through a small chest on her dresser.
Luna walked back triumphantly with a small pouch in hand, extending her small hand, and the pouch, out towards me.
I curiously take it from the princess, opening it and sliding a delicate gold bracelet into the palm of my hand. Dropping the pouch into my lap, I used my now free hand to examine the bracelet, flipping over the small charm that was attached. Surrounded by a thin band of gold was a star sapphire that was the size of a pea. The shade of blue reminded me of the sylleblossoms, just as Luna said.
I looked back at the princess, her face eager to hear what I thought.
"It's beautiful, Luna… Thank you, I shall keep it with me always." I promised the blonde, watching her face split into a grin as I slipped the bracelet onto my wrist.
"I'm glad… Now, shall we try this method of communication? You can stay here for the night if you would like." the older girl offered, gesturing over to her bed.
I nodded in acceptance, standing from the chaise and following her over to the large bed.
It was the day of the Lucian party's departure, Noctis and I lingering in Luna's room while servants began to pack up our things and put them in the cars we'd travel home in. I was dressed in a dark gray and lavender hanbok, the bracelet that Luna had gifted me secured around my wrist as our trio ate a filling breakfast.
Noctis was pushing around his food on his plate, as he was in a sour mood about leaving Tenebrae. Luna and I shared a knowing look, our silent communication something that had developed after we began sharing the princess' dreams.
"Noctis, you need to actually eat, it's a long journey from the manor to the closest town on the edge of Lucis. Besides, there's nothing you don't like on your plate, so you can't use that excuse." the blonde pleaded, hoping the prince would listen to her. Noctis only set his fork down beside his plate in response. Luna sighed, looking to me for help.
"Noctis, what if we do a final tour of the gardens before we meet your father in the courtyard for the send off? See the sylleblossoms one last time." I offered, hoping the more private time he would have with the princess and I would lift his spirits a bit.
The dark haired boy nodded reluctantly in response, not saying anything.
I frowned before continuing, "If you don't eat what's on your plate, we head straight to your father when Luna and I are finished eating, are we clear?"
The younger boy picked up his fork to shovel some of his eggs into his mouth, pleasing Luna and I enough to not bother him any more. I ate my toast silently, savouring the ulwaat berry jam that was native to Tenebrae.
After Noctis had finished his breakfast, the three of us dressed in our coats and boots, heading out into the gardens around the manor. Luna and I picked random flowers for the younger boy to weave into a chain, the colourful flower crown finding it's way onto the princess' blonde head as we wove our way through the gardens.
Luna and I began slowing our pace the closer we came to the open meadow that served as a courtyard, drawing out the minutes we had left together for Noctis' sake. My fingers brushed against the moss covered trees as we passed them, breaking through the treeline as we entered the meadow.
Noctis' father stood beside queen Sylva, flanked by guards and nobles alike, and I could even spot Luna's older brother Ravus among the group. Noctis laughed as the blonde princess ran, pushing his wheelchair at a faster pace than usual. From halfway across the meadow, you could see king Regis' relieved expression at the sound of his son's laughter blending with that of Luna's. I grinned widely at my father, who stood on the edges of the crowd, proud to demonstrate to him that I could walk and run without needing crutches once again.
The sounds of laughter and merrymaking were suddenly drowned out by a loud noise descending from above, similar to the sounds of a war plane's engine. Luna stopped pushing Noctis' wheelchair as we all gazed at the sky. Large machine's slowly creeped across the clearing, coming to a stop over the gaps in foliage. Uneasiness began to take root in my chest as the machines just sat there for a moment, nothing happening. Until hell began descending from the sky.
As always, please review/follow/fave! Thank you!