So many reviews! Thank you everyone, thank you, seriously. I'm not mad if any of you are angry or disappointed with Luna. Although I defend her decision, I don't approve of it either. I managed to slip some interactions between Noctis and Luna in there, despite still needing a third part to conclude this arc. I've been meaning to have a mountain of fluff in chapters 15-16 and those that follows and the reunion between Noctis and Luna is something I've wanted to write since I started this fic. During the game, I kept having the impression that Luna was not only paving the way for Noctis, but also running too far ahead of him, leaving him in the dark. So I needed to get that attitude out of the way so their pairing could advance after clearing things up. I've gone through all the advance I had over you and can't tell when the next chapter will come. At least, I think the last chapters I updated were not too filled with mistakes. I also need my NoctxLuna fluff.
Ardyn might try redeeming himself next chapter, but I couldn't make him nicer. My theory over what's inside the MTs needed it and such a corrupted soul couldn't help himself but try to corrupt Luna. That said, we still see Prompto and Cindy. I might revisit the chapters later on to fix her speech, thanks for the offers, but since I want the story to advance, I don't want to press anyone at this time of the year. So here I give you another chapter. I'll be sure to answer the reviews soon! For now, chapter 13!
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Unexpected
Chapter 13 – Traitor or savior ? – Part II
Cindy hopped off her mount, almost immediately kneeling in front of the dropship's carcass. The metal had bent and twisted, and there didn't seem to be much left to discover. Prompto gently asked the birds to wait for them, just to see her pointing at the other side of the blockade.
"I thought I saw somethin' back there. Mind checkin' it out?"
"Sure."
He knew she was stressed out. Working under pressure was one thing, but thinking that the safety of the only Oracle left in Eos might depend on how fast she could get the Regalia back on her wheels… That was something else entirely. He'd rather not be ordered around so casually. Being her slave didn't sound like fun. It wasn't a question of pride or any memories of the bad treatments he'd received before. Mostly, Prompto felt as though all she saw in him was a pair of arms and legs. Warmth and comfort if she happened to be cold. The city boy who tagged along, but not a real person.
He was about to stalk off when she gasped.
"Wait up! Tell me if I'm seeing this right."
She was leaning over one MTs' corpse. She had opened a few panels on the armor, revealing a darkened arm. Prompto took a few steps closer and stopped when he noticed the barcode on the wrist.
"Is that really… some kind of code? Or a tag they use to identify them?"
"I don't know. I can barely make out the lines. You think… maybe he's been charred?"
The lies burned in his throat, but he didn't want her to understand. Although he didn't sound as curious as he should be. His voice had turned emotionless and Cindy swallowed, unsure what it could mean. Unless… The idea almost scared her.
"He doesn't smell like burnt flesh. And I would know, mind you."
She turned the soldier's arm around, careful not to touch the stretched-out skin, only manipulating his glove and armor.
"Careful not to catch anything," he whispered.
As he walked off, Cindy was watching his retreating back. She didn't see him clutching his wrist band, but she saw how tensed his shoulders were. He was a skinny bundle of nerves, and he kept a secret from her. If not from everyone. She'd be damned if she didn't find out before the car was fixed.
In the end, he found one intact panel of commands, beneath which Cindy wrestled a catalyzer that should work in the Regalia after a few tweaks and the right amount of cables to fix a few delicate parts. She checked her phone, noticing the sun falling down. Their chocobos were growing restless.
"Paw-paw got the piece I wanted. If we can get through the sewers and collect the battery I need from the system down there… Ya might be able to drive the gal back by tomorrow afternoon."
Prompto didn't mention he had no idea if he could drive the Regalia on such a long distance. He had a license, but he wasn't good with manual cars. Shifting sounded too much like changing appearances and he'd worked hard to remain human.
"Want to ride all the way there?" he suggested, swallowing down his worries.
"You bet. I have to save your ass at least once, city boy."
…
Noctis had them riding for six full hours. When they stopped, their inner legs were begging for mercy, their bottoms hurt, and Iris almost tripped on her feet. The chocobos dropped right around the camp Ignis and Gladio started putting up. Noctis was pulling the tent out of thin air and Iris couldn't help but stare at him as he had all their camping stuff materialize. When she'd been younger, she'd looked up to her brother with shiny eyes. Now, the only one she admired seemed to be the young prince. And although she was still a bit angry with him, she felt pulled right back in.
Ignis watched over the pair, doubting letting Iris near Noctis was helping her. When he took out the first ingredients for tonight's supper, Iris jumped on the occasion to make herself useful.
"I don't need help," he warned her.
He hated seeing people mess with his kitchen.
"No, you need a break and I need to busy my mind. Either you move, or I'll make you," she teased him.
"Let's work together then. Noctis will need some meat tonight."
"Gladio will need some too."
They glared at each other, ready to compete as they always did when cooking was in question. Gladio suggested some training to take Noctis's mind off.
"I should call Cor and get some soldiers to defend Lestallum. Half of Insomnia's survivors are there."
"Leave that for tomorrow, okay? You destroyed the MTs yesterday and I need to see that kind of fighting spirit for myself."
Noctis wasn't as enraged as he'd been, but he complied and fought Gladio, understanding the man wanted to have a talk with him further from camp. Night was already well fallen when they crossed blades. And somewhere throughout their fight, the tall man proved he had just as much pent-up anger to vent out. By the time they were done, they were both drenched in sweat, but feeling a bit more energized.
"I owe you an apology," Gladiolus admitted.
"Why?"
"For slapping you the other day."
Noctis chuckled at that.
"I owed a punch for even thinking of raising one hand on Iris. She's like family…"
"You know… how she feels about you, right?" Gladiolus asked, running a nervous hand through his brown hair.
The prince frowned a bit. Gladio and him were never big on talking about feelings. That was more Prompto's thing and then again, Prompto would never get in that kind of talk with the bodyguard around.
"She thinks I'm stupid for being in love with Luna or something…"
Gladiolus heaved a desperate sigh.
"I thought you had matured in the last few days… But you're still as dense as ever."
"What does that mean?! I just said it was fine you'd slapped me in the face. Another prince would have you hanged!"
The big guy laughed.
"You can be such a kid sometimes."
Noctis didn't know why, but the remark made him feel better instead of worse. Maybe was it Gladio's laugh. That sound almost reminded him of his father. He missed him more than he'd thought possible.
"So, what is it I don't understand?"
"No, I won't say anything. You're a lost cause," his shield muttered before walking back to their campground.
The young man had a few doubts about what Gladio meant. He wasn't blind and cared a lot more than he let on. But he was surer than ever of what he felt for Lunafreya. Even if he could get over the impression that Iris was his "adopted" younger sister, he wouldn't be able to turn a liking into love. His father had led a lonely life after his mother's passing, never taking another wife and the prince wasn't sure Regis ever had other lovers. He was too busy defending his kingdom and fighting a battle their ancestors had lost long ago.
"Don't stir it like that," Ignis was telling Iris.
"Focus on that oil, you're going to get burned!"
Their cooking antics never got old. Noctis plopped down in a chair, taking out his phone and checking for texts from Prompto.
One piece left to collect, man.
Where's it at? He typed back.
Worry about finding Intel on your princess :P
Dude!
Whoa, type-riding is going to get me killed. See ya!
Noctis wondered if Prompto was doing fine. He was surely forcing himself to sound playful. The man cared way too much for his own good.
"Hey Iris. What was it you said the last time Prompto tried to hook himself up with some girl?"
"Not looking. Car crash in the making."
The guys exchanged sorry looks over Iris's shoulders. She had always been harder on the gunman than either of them. Whenever Noctis made a new friend, which was rare in itself; she'd be suspicious about them. The prince hoped he could get her to like Luna eventually. Her doubts about the Oracle's intentions almost hurt him, but he felt his own mind filling up with questions.
I won't doubt her. But I will need answers.
…
The sewers were worse than the mines. One wrong step and they were sliding down slopes of stale water, falling in the gooey hands of flans and hobgoblins. Prompto didn't try to fight the things they met. They ran and crawled as far away as they could. Luckily, the flans didn't like moving. The hobgoblins proved more difficult. Cindy busted one's nose and Prompto was happy to be overcharged with munitions, his bullets eating through flesh and limbs. After going down three slopes and meeting the first electric panel, they were covered with dirt, scratches and bruises. They shared a potion, Cindy wiping her gloved hands over his pants without even asking. Being this dirty was pushing it, even for her. Her cap was caked in mud and so was her hair. Prompto had dared to snatch a picture once, having to apologize profusely afterwards, swearing it wasn't of her. It had been of the place. He wanted to remind Noctis of making the sewers a little lest infested with vermin once Insomnia would be taken back.
"This isn't the right one," she groaned, pushing the plate of steel back in place.
"Let's keep going. It's already midnight."
They remained close to each other, Prompto leading the way in case monsters jumped in. He had pushed her back and thrown her on the floor at least four times already and was well over the fact he touched far too much skin whenever he grabbed her to get her out of the way. Cindy was good at envisioning his reactions and usually ducked before he even told her to. Still, she was growing more tired with every new turn they took and Prompto himself wondered how much longer he could endure this. When they slid down two slopes at once to fall through a hole in the ground, they both cried out. Cindy reached up instinctively, managing to grab a small metal pipe. Prompto barely gripped to her waist, having nothing else to grab on.
"Oww."
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"No, don't… Just… Find us a way out," she begged, holding on the best she could.
One angry snarl coming from the bottom of the hole made them both shiver.
"Can you see whatever made that sound?"
"No, I…"
His hands were starting to slip. He couldn't exactly claw at her and as drenched as they were, her working belt was the only grip he had on her.
"Hey, I just got an idea! I might cushion your fall."
"What? You're not thinking of lettin' go. Prompto!"
"I can see a door down there."
"I won't fall to my death," she warned him.
"And I won't stretch perfect legs by hanging on forever," he retorted.
Neither of them was exactly thinking straight at this point. Cindy felt his hands slipping past her hips, his fingers brushing against her goosebumps covered thighs. Her fingers were growing numb and she knew she'd follow him soon. She tried to hold on long enough to hear him hitting the ground. To hear his voice still working, to know he was still alive. To hear something other than the monster that seemed to be waiting beneath. She couldn't muster the strength to look down. When her arms gave up on her, she couldn't even scream. Much to her surprise, the reception didn't break anything. Something had cushioned her fall, something scaly but not as bony as her city boy would have been. Prompto's hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away. Her ass hit the water on the floor and she recoiled at the sensation. But then the snake with a human face and a hundred tentacles raised itself in front of her and she decided that being wet and uncomfortable was nothing compared to this new fear. She looked around for the door Prompto had mentioned. Saw a small arch. Too small for that daemon to follow. The hands on her shoulders shoved her to the side as a cloud of green smoke filled the air. She covered her nose with her hands, despite the violet goo on her glove.
The room was shaking around her, and she shook with it, her teeth clattering together. Was it from the cold or the fear? Her crowbar felt more ridiculous than ever. She dove to the corner to evade the snake's tail trashing about and noticed a frog jumping frantically towards her. It took her half a second to register what that meant. Prompto was a frog. That daemon wasn't just toxic. It could turn them into frogs. She grabbed the frog without thinking, although the grossest thing she'd touched as a little girl was uncooked tonberry's meat.
She half crawled backward, half swam and managed to get in a corridor too small for the awful creature, holding the frog to her heart. Prompto croaked, his eyes bulging a bit and she eased her grip, trying not to let him slip. Then, she crawled a few more meters back only to have the creature further from her.
"Holy…!"
Prompto's new "ribbit" was strong enough to cover her swearing.
"How am I supposed to get you back to human…"
Going over her arsenal, she realized she had no remedy or maiden's kiss. Which helped her realize what she could actually do!
"Don't get any ideas now," she warned him, waving a finger at the frog.
Cindy tried wiping a spot from all the slime and sticky liquid the thing was covered in, to no avail. With a dreadful sigh, she puckered up and kissed him on the head. The result was almost instantaneous. A full-grown young man was suddenly sitting in her lap, still covered in slime, but bearing crimson cheeks and ears, her lips stroking his right eyebrow. She backed up a bit, feeling a smile on her face at the sight of the disheveled gunman. He might be panting and flushing and feeling embarrassed, but he could defend her better in that state.
"Are we even like this?" he asked her, a devious smirk on his face.
"I hope we are. But a thank you would also be appreciated," she observed cockily.
He got up, his legs a bit too similar to cotton candy to his taste, but still holding him up.
"That's a pretty maiden if I ever saw one. Thanks."
She blushed at the compliment but decided to ignore it. She had just spotted what they had been looking for. At least she hoped it was it. A new panel was waiting, and behind it, the battery she would use to power up the Regalia's motor.
"Finally! Now we just have to get out…"
A violent snarl shook the entire wall of stones and they backed up, wondering if the daemon from earlier hadn't given up on them. It might not eat that often with how deep down the sewers he was. A few metal bars blocked the only tunnel in the room. Prompto took out his gun and made small work of them. Cindy wondered if a gun should really do such damages, but decided to wait for a better time to ask him. They snuck between the bars, pushing forward in the dark. With every new step, the water seemed to move faster around their feet.
"Is it me, or is this… growing stee…per!"
By the time she had finished her sentence, they were both free falling. This wasn't a slope that would lead them deeper inside this time. The air felt warmer and warmer and as they bumped into each other, either the feet of one getting under the other's back or their hands gripping at the wrong places as they tumbled, and sled, and fell… they found themselves outside, falling down a cascade of muddy water until they hit a dark lake of human trash. When Cindy resurfaced, she looked ready to kill someone, but Prompto was just happy she was still alive.
They walked out of the "lake" and tried to get most of the dirt and unmentionables off themselves. Prompto tried calling the chocobos back, but even after three whistles, no sign of yellow feathers or deep brown eyes. Cindy was studying the scenery.
"I think we're outside of Leide," she observed after a while. "Surely a tunnel or something should get us back."
They were in a natural trench of mold and mud. Getting over it took them about fifteen minutes, but their efforts were rewarded with a sight they hadn't expected. The ocean was waiting about a mile away.
"Fresh water!" Cindy called out, raising her hands up in victory!
"Salty water," Prompto tried reminding her, not as excited as she seemed to be.
"I don't care. I need to FEEL clean!"
She took off into a run, which meant he had to follow her. If he had known what would happen next, he might have kept his distances.
…
Lunafreya batted her eyelids, trying to fight against her drowsiness. She had been sleeping and aching intermittently. A cool hand run over her forehead. She thought she'd recognized Gentiana but her voice felt too hoarse to say her name. Gentiana had frozen the doors of her cabin. Everything was cold in the room, but it didn't reduce the fever Luna was running.
"They've forced you to work against your very nature," the older woman told her. "If you ever try to heal something like that again, I doubt the blight won't take you. Your soul needs cleansing."
"H…ow?"
Gentiana's hair turned almost white as she smiled.
"Ramuh told me about the young king's prayer. I know I had promised to forge an alliance with him. But you need strength too. And I want to give my brothers and sisters the right example."
She took Luna's hand in hers and the young woman felt renewed strength in her limbs.
"Then… You think Noctis and I should share…"
Gentiana nodded.
"But the fever will get worse before falling down. Although your family protected me, I can't protect you from the price of the covenant."
"I don't need protection. I have my faith."
The white skin turned blue as Shiva accepted to reveal herself once and for all.
"You might never feel warmth again," the goddess warned her.
Luna smiled in answer. She hadn't been warm in years, except when around Noctis. Shiva bent down, her hands holding her burning forehead. A pulse of light ran from her dark eyes to her neck and to the tips of her fingers. The light burned and froze and burned more, making Luna scream as she trashed on her bed.
Miles away, Noctis almost fell down his mount, a voice murmuring to someone other than him, a voice he'd heard before in his head without understanding. It felt as though an invisible hand was toying with his brain, scrapping a lobe, poking one side and tearing through his thoughts. Luna's voice reached his ears and he hunched over. If what he was feeling was a quarter of what she was going through… He dreaded the thought, his friends gathering all around him.
"What's wrong?"
"Noctis?"
"It's Luna… She's hurting. I think she's trying to forge a covenant on her own."
He winced, until the awful scream in his mind receded and the pain subdued. Iris looked puzzled, but Noctis pressed them on as soon as the crisis was over. Gladiolus couldn't make small talk and Ignis was too worried to even try. Even with Prompto there, they wouldn't have managed to cheer up the prince. Too much was at stake.
They reached the first base half an hour later. The sun was bright in the sky and it seemed doubtful they could sneak in without catching anyone's attention. Having only four people meant caution was their only choice.
"Let's see if we can find a breach somewhere." Noctis suggested.
They walked around the perimeter, careful of potential surveillance cameras while the prince raked his brain for a way to enter. There were a few smaller exists than the main gate, but although not guarded, the doors had no handle or lock to crack open.
"I could warp through a wall and open an emergency door for you guys."
"It's too dangerous," Iris protested, but Gladio could see how frantic he was.
"I'll agree with it if you promise to get us inside as soon as possible. You might be strong, but you're not invincible."
"It's a promise, guys. Now, be ready to kick some Nifs' ass."
Iris watched in stupor as the prince hurled himself through a wall without leaving a trace. If she didn't know better, she'd think this man wasn't even real. Noctis warped killed two soldiers as silently as possible before breaking open the closest door, letting his friends inside. He felt nauseous and feverish somehow. He tried blinking the sweat out of his eyes, but the boxes and walls around him got blurrier. Luna's voice spoke to his mind.
"I'm sorry. I made a mistake, Noctis."
"Where are you?" he asked right back, unsure of what was going on. Were they linked somehow? When had it happened? How…?
Gladio frowned and the prince understood the connection he shared with Luna was invisible
She gasped in surprise.
"You can hear me?!" she marvelled.
"Luna, where are you?!" he insisted, this time careful of not uttering a sound
"I don't know… Not far. I can feel your magic close."
He wanted to know what his magic could feel like to her, but there wasn't time. His friends were looking at him as though he was crazy, and he needed to get moving, to lead them through the base.
"I… felt you screaming earlier…"
"I'm… I'll get better, Noct."
"I'll find you."
"Please, don't rush like you did yesterday, don't get hurt."
"I hurt since you're gone, Luna."
"I didn't mean to…"
That pinched at his heart. As though she meant to say she hadn't been taken entirely against her will.
"Tell me you didn't run back to the empire, thinking you could solve things on your own. They kept you prisoner for twelve years!"
"I didn't want to leave, Noctis, you must believe me. He threatened my brother and usually, Ardyn always bring me to people needing my help. I…"
Her voice turned to a scream and he gritted his teeth. Who was that Ardyn? He couldn't put a face on the name, but he'd heard it before. The empire's chancellor? Was he the one hurting his Luna right now?
"Luna, what did you do?!"
"Noctis, we have to keep moving," Ignis warned him.
She wasn't answering anymore. Noctis blinked, coming back to reality, unsure how long he'd been gone.
"I'm all here, it's fine," he told Iris who seemed ready to shake him to make sure he heard them.
They swiftly exterminated the soldiers from the base, going one makeshift corridor and control room at a time. The first working computer they found saw both Ignis and Noctis typing away at his keyboards, hacking as well as they could. Prompto was better than either of them, but they were almost inside the empire's database when Gladio cleared his throat.
"We've got company."
"Keep looking," Noctis ordered his chamberlain, invoking a sword without a second thought.
He heard the sharp intake of breath from Iris as she peeked outside. In the hangar, his metallic arm glinting red, his face a mask of annoyance, Ravus gave orders to his mix of MTs and human soldiers. They'd found a corpse and were growing restless. Noctis saw his father's sword on his belt and saw red, walking out of the control room to face the Fleuret's oldest. With a groan, Gladiolus followed him, Iris right on their heels.
"Find the intrud…" Ravus had started, before to spot the prince of Lucis. "How did he got in?!"
"I've got a question for you, Ravus Nox Fleuret," Noctis cut in, his voice sharp with anger.
For some reason, the soldiers kept their guns down. It might be the deadly glare both men exchanged across the ten feet separating them. Everyone in the base could tell those two were rivals. Even MTs knew better than to stand between rivals.
"Since you've gotten through our line of defense, you're entitled to some spoils of war," Ravus retorted.
"Where is your sister?"
The white-haired man frowned, his annoyed expression turning to pure wrath.
"You've lost her? I give you two days and you lose Lunafreya?! Not to mention you've already replaced her with a younger model!"
Iris wanted to protest, but Noctis summoned his entire arsenal, shards of concrete rising as metal lunged and glinted in the air between both men. Ravus unsheathed Regis's sword. The sight was enough to fuel back all the rage the prince had felt as he saw Luna taken away.
"I knew you couldn't protect her, rotten prince," Ravus groaned, flexing his mechanic fingers.
A wave of power rushed out from his arm, pushing Iris backward, erasing the royal arms. Swords and spears clattered to the floor, but Noctis didn't care if he couldn't warp. At least, every weapon was at his disposal. Luna refused to speak up in his mind and he was so afraid her voice might never come back. Ravus seemed too far gone to worry about his sister for the right reasons.
"I'll tear you apart!"
"Like father like son. Come and kill me if you dare!"
To be continued…
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Now, I know, I'm being mean with another cliffhanger after the last two chapters. But the fact I'm already updating should cheer you up a bit. It's like… three times in the last 24 hours? And we will have a Ravus against Noctis fight where Noctis might take his revenge. Fluff and heartbreak for Prompto next chapter, more action and some of Ardyn's origin story according to my personal theory. Be sure to review !