Disclaimer: Hey what's up readers? I have been slow lately I noticed. Well that is because my mom has been making sure we had a lot to do even if we say no. But right now she and her sister, my aunt, are out in the mall getting a facial. I had just returned from college and the first thing I wanted to do was write!

So I hope you guys will enjoy this treat!

Happy reading!

SANCTUAIRE

Chapter XXI: Dissimulo

"We are running out of gil fast. I'd say it'd be best if we worked and earn some." Noctis stated as he walked around town with Lightning following behind him.
The queen did not seem concerned by this. "Very well then. Any suggestions?" Noctis scoffed. "Don't think it would be easy to work." "I am aware, Noctis. You forget who I am, and you forget how people revere me back in Bodhum. And do you know why they refer to me as such?" Lightning said, giving the prince a challenging look. When could not find the right answer, Lightning answered for him. "It is because I work alongside my people and I do not just sit there on the throne as you claim."

Noctis growled at her when she shoved past him and walked on ahead of him. The prince's eyes fell to her hips. They were swaying rather irresistibly and Noctis wondered if she was trying to seduce him, however by the expression on her face it seems that Lightning was more annoyed at him than anything. And he knew for a fact that women could never seduce properly if they were in terrible moves.

Still, Lightning was also known to be a virgin queen—something he had learned from Serah—there was no possible way she could know the art of seduction, more or less have the charms of a proper lady. Yet the way her hips moved seemed to hypnotize him and it took him a long moment to realize that it was indeed how Lightning Farron walked.

Lightning felt his eyes on her but she ignored him. She desperately wanted to break his bones several times but decided that it may be best if she avoided letting her temper rise to the boiling point, but Noctis was not making things easier for her at all.

For nearly the whole day they busied themselves with searching for work in order to earn enough gil for their travels. Noctis was offered several jobs for a decent amount of gil. However, Lightning was left in the dark due to her gender.
Despite how polite and nice the men were about rejecting her offer to work alongside Noctis, the young queen could not help but feel rather offended. It was as if her pride had taken on another blow. Noctis managed to sneak a smug smirk at her, offending the queen farther. She was used to working and hated having nothing to do until she was restless.

"So, when can ye start working?"

"Whenever you want me to."

Lightning glared as Noctis was sent to working right away. The job was simple; sort out the crates inside the store house and then help load it onto the merchants' wagon. It was simple even Lightning knew how it worked; she had done this sort of work back home in Bodhum many times.
Noctis was just as arrogant now that he was seen as perfect for working instead of her. "You are crushing every bit of patience I have, Prince…" Lightning mentally cursed him and she stood in a far corner with arms crossed and expression sour.

Noctis was a rather hard worker. He handled himself well and never failed to impress those who had hired his help.

Sweat began to gather on his forehead and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. The crates were rather heavy but he enjoyed being able to move about and at least do something worthwhile. The midday sun was heating him up as he and the other men worked.
When he was finally unable to stand the heat, he pulled his tunic over his head and tossed it aside, leaving him bare-chested.

The tunic landed at Lightning's feet, grabbing her attention from what she had been looking at mere moments ago out of pure restlessness. She stared at the tunic and raised an eyebrow, then looked up at the prince.

Noctis lifted another crate onto his shoulder with a grunt. His muscles flexed with every movement he made and sun shone over him, making his body and sweat shine under the bright light.
Lightning stared silently. The prince was tall and slender with perfectly sculpted muscles; his chest was smooth and hairless, showing an impressive, hard build. His arms were well-endowed as well, and his abdomen possessed four, nearly six, sculpted hardness. He had several scars on his body, though Lightning knew she had her own collection of scars as well so seeing his was nothing new to her. And as someone who led her army to battle she already knew how a well-defined man's body looked like. Oddly, the prince felt different for her.
Lightning blinked then rubbed her eyes tiredly; she now very much needed something to do, something to keep her distracted and merely standing here was not doing her any good.

She continued to glare at Noctis' bare back, ignoring his flexing muscles. The man was enjoying rubbing salt into her wounded pride and Lightning was certain she may unleash a storm unto him one day.

As the men loaded the last crate into the wagon, the merchant thanked them and climbed on, ready to drive his chocobos out of the settlement.
Lightning's eyes widened suddenly and she rushed forward. "Wait!" Before the merchant can look at her, the chocobos squawked and ran forward. The wagon began falling forward and Lightning rushed to shove the merchant away from the chaos before she turned to the tilting wagon and pushed back against the crates as they fell forward.

The men yelled out, trying to find a way to steady the wagon and bring back upright.

Lightning continued to push forward against the heavy wooden containers as the bulky men came to her aid, moving over to the sides of the wagon and pushing it back to a steady position.
Noctis ran to the front where he saw Lightning holding her position. She looked like she was straining a bit but was able to handle it. He went to one side of the wagon and assisted with bringing it upright again.

Once the tilted wagon was back on its wheels steadily, the merchant stared at his reins in confusion. They had been fine not too long ago and yet it completely detached from his chocobos.

He looked at Lightning when she had finally been freed from the burden. "Thank you, madam. I have no idea what went wrong with my reins…" Lightning took the item from his hands and observed it. "These reins are worn now. I think it would be best if you purchased a new one." The merchant nodded in agreement. "Yes. That may be for the best…" He turned to where his chocobos had stopped. "It may take me a while to put things back in order now that my chocobos are running amok without their reins."

Lightning walked off. "I will deal with them." The men present stared at her in surprise. Noctis rolled his eyes.

Lightning moved to where the chocobos were apparently terrorizing an elderly woman's garden. The queen whistled and the birds stared at her. She raised a hand towards the nearest chocobo. The bird stared at her curiously and leaned his head forward to get a closer look. Lightning touched his beak and the chocobo let out its kind's signature kweh cry.
The other chocobos relaxed and moved closer to Lightning. She glanced at the woman. "Do you have any gyshal greens?" The old woman nodded and ran into her house then returned with a bunch of greens.

The chocobos turned their attention to her and were about to dive at the greens. Lightning whistled again to prevent them from doing so. She gestured for the elderly woman to throw the greens, which she did hurriedly. Lightning dangled the treats in front of the chocobos and as if in a trance, the birds followed her as she led them back to where their master was waiting for them.

The merchant sighed in relief upon seeing his chocobos return without causing much of a stir.

Lightning moved to the front of the wagon with the chocobos in tow. Once every one of the large birds was there, she stopped and rewarded each one of them with the greens. Eagerly, the chocobos dug into their men cheered, impressed by the woman's calm demeanor and seemingly abundant knowledge on how to handle creatures such as chocobos.
"Your friend is quite a spitfire." One of the men commented to Noctis. The prince scoffed as he stared at Lightning as she rubbed the beak of one of the chocobos.

The merchant thanked her again before running off to look for new reins, knowing his chocobos would not be causing trouble when they were with the wagon.

"A rather impressive display, milady." One of the burly men complimented with a large grin. Lightning shrugged. "It is nothing unusual. I have dealt with runaway mounts before." "Aye and you handled yourself well with those crates. I had half expected those pieces of wood to crush one of your toes." He said, chuckling to himself, "I guess we underestimated before… Would you still by any chance be interested in working with us? There is still much we need to do here."

Lightning nodded once. "Why not. Better than doing nothing." "I like your spirit, lass! What do they call you?"

Noctis tensed when she answered. "Lightning." "Lightning eh? Sounds rather strange… Have I heard that name somewhere before?" The man said, looking at her oddly. The young queen did not miss a beat. "I highly doubt it; I have been told it was a rather odd name, especially because I am female." The prince huffed; how could she remain so calm? And did these men not hear of her name before? There was no other person, and a woman at that, that goes by the name of Lightning.

When the next shipments of crates were ready, Lightning was allowed to join in with the other workers. Noctis glanced at the young queen once in a while, curious to see if she would even manage to work with such heavy objects.
To his amazement and slight dismay, she seemed to be doing rather well. Was she perhaps telling the truth when she had said that she worked outside of the palace and among Bodhum's people? It seemed so for Lightning was working as fast as he was and never faltered unless she mentioned that she needed to drink from the flask she kept at her side.

"For Etro's sake, woman! At least tell me what you are indulging yourself in!" Noctis could not help his curiosity about her flask any longer.

Ever the enigma, Lightning shook her head. "It is not important. But if you wish to have a clue then I can tell you it is more or less like water." "That does not answer anything." Noctis said with a glare. The two of them had been placed aside to rest while the other men got up to take their place for a while. "I am afraid I cannot share a drop." The queen said as she tied her flask back in place.

Noctis let out a gruff sound and stood up, volunteering to take the next shift. Lightning watched him as he went. "… Perhaps I really am terrible at conversing casually." She mumbled to herself and leaned against the wall of the store house.

The prince worked himself to exhaustion; anything to keep his mind off the infuriating queen that was working by his side just because she rounded the chocobos back to their master.
Noctis returned to Lightning once work was done with. Before he walked off, Lightning threw his tunic, hitting the prince in his face. "You are a little conspicuous." She walked on ahead of him. Noctis grumbled as he put his tunic back on.

By the time it was noon, the owner of the store house handed them their payment as thanks for taking the time to assist. Lightning and Noctis bowed their heads in return before strolling off, still full of energy to work some more.

They tried their hand at herding the animals of the settlement. The sheep herd and chocobo flock.

Noctis went on ahead, his stride full of confidence as he began his work. Lightning stood back willingly to "watch him try", as she had stated to him.
After about thirty minutes or more, the animals began to seemingly grow bored of Noctis and began disobeying him and his gestures. They ran about, giving the prince trouble, as well as well as those who jumped in to assist Noctis. Lightning watched the scene that unfolded before her.

A tiny lamb came running her way and she placed a leg in front of the tiny wooly creature, blocking its escape.

The lamb baaed in protest as Lightning picked it up and held it under her arm. She walked to where the herding disorder was and whistled loudly. The chocobos turned their heads and looked at her. She went to them and held a hand up.
One of the chocobos nudged her carefully until he decided that she was someone who demanded order. The other chocobos thought the same and gave the queen their attention.

The herders and Noctis watched as Lightning guided the chocobos back to their stables, with the lamb still tucked underneath her arm.

The other sheep were still roaming about but stopped and began to run when Lightning jumped into their view and guided them along.
It reminded Noctis of a sheep-herding dog bringing the flock to where they must graze. The lamb under Lightning's arm began trembling excitedly at the sight of the other sheep gathering around. Lightning led the flock to where the grazing area was.

"What a gentle hand she has with animals!"

"Aye! You hardly see any women being interested in such work as this these days."

Noctis rolled his eyes at the words of the herders but said nothing. He approached the queen as she finally placed the lamb down and the tiny creature looked up at her before baaing and skipping off to its mother. "You seem to enjoy getting in the way." Noctis commented, not looking at all pleased with Lightning's intervening.
The queen surprised him when she flicked his forehead. "This is not a competition of wits and skill, Noctis. We are supposed to work to earn enough gil, do we not?" When he did not respond, Lightning ended the conversation. "Then stop acting like a child who wishes for attention." She headed off and the herders came to Noctis, handing him the payment.

There was much work to do around the settlement. Even the smallest work would do for the two monarchs.

Noctis had assisted with sorting the fruits and vegetables for a vendor while Lightning worked by herself in examining the weapons of a weapon-seller.
To the people of the settlement, it was rather odd that a woman was handling the weapons so well while her male companion was instead sorting fruits. Nonetheless, it was rather endearing and amusing to watch.

When the sun fell beyond the horizon, the prince and queen combined their earnings. It may not have been too much but it was enough to help should they need the gil.

"I suppose you have some sort of idea on where to head next?" Lightning questioned Noctis in his room as he lay in bed. One arm was draped over his eyes lazily as he grunted in response to Lightning's words.
He lifted his arm slightly to peek at her; she was looking out of the window with eyes narrowed. It reminded him of a guard dog or a personal guard who narrowed their eyes at anything seemingly suspicious or dangerous to them. Quite amusing.

Lightning looked at him and their eyes locked. They stared at one another silently as if engaged in a staring competition.

The queen sighed; trust the prince to turn everything into a challenge. She admitted that she had been like that once, but eventually had to grow out of the habit. However, seeing the prince glaring at her with competitive eyes seemed to rekindle a small flame of Lightning's competitive side. It was not something she ever expected to feel again. It was like a breath of fresh morning air to her.

Noctis did not feel like humoring the queen with a glare. He was tired and wanted to rest but her presence in his room was rather unsettling. He had allowed her in so they may decide on their next course of action. However in the middle, Noctis began to feel sleepy and went for his bed.
Lightning had said nothing but rather, watched him.

"We can decide tomorrow. For now, I wish to rest." Noctis said tiredly and let his arm slip from his face. Lightning shrugged and made her way out of the room without a second word or glance.

-XIII-

The hour grew late and despite his wish to sleep, Noctis could only lie awake with nothing but his thoughts for company.

He growled to himself in frustration. He wanted to close his eyes and rest until the next day but for some reason he could not find it in himself to simply fall into the land of slumber just yet despite the ache and exhaustion in his body.
Giving up, he stood up from bed and decided to clean himself in the washroom. He stripped himself of his tunic and breeches before he stepped into the decent-sized tub. The water was rather cold but it soon relaxed him.

He scrubbed himself until every speck of grime was off his body. He rolled his neck and heard it creak and the tenseness disappeared.

He stepped out of the tub and grabbed the towel that hung from a nearby chair. He wiped himself as he returned into his room and then donned his breeches.
Noctis glanced out of his window and stared at the moon. It was a rather lovely night and the settlement was peaceful once it had become dark. Soon everyone would be going off to bed once work was done and all had been said.

He stepped out of his room but collided with Lightning. She stared up at him as he stared down at her. During their collusion, their bodies pressed against each other. The monarchs remained still, fully aware that they had made physical contact; something they both were avoiding for a long while now. They kept their hands at their sides and maintained their uneasy eye contact.

Lightning felt the hard muscles of Noctis' chest and abdomen pressed against her breasts and stomach through her tunic. She stared up at him blankly but his eyes were wide with shock. He tensed at their unwanted contact and kept his hands by his sides like she did. He tried to control his breathing but his expression gave away his shock at the sudden touch between their bodies.
For a long while, neither of them moved and instead their eyes locked. They were tense and unsure of what the next move should be. Lightning was vaguely aware of his bare-chest sending warmth into her and Noctis held back a shiver when his skin touched Lightning's tunic but felt the softness of her breasts through it.

He stiffened even more when the queen moved. She stepped aside and for a brief second, their chest pressed together even more but it instantly ceased as she stepped back then moved to the side, walking past him. The prince released a heavy breath when she disappeared downstairs and clutched at his bare chest. He was still exhausted but now he also felt hot.
Noctis retreated to his room and put on his tunic but did not bother buttoning it up. He laid down and stared at the ceiling before forcing his eyes shut and lost himself in thoughts of the happier days of his childhood.

-XIII-

"There you are, my son."

Noctis had been only a boy of six when his father brought him and his closest friends to the palace of Bodhum. The young prince turned to look at his father when he heard his name being called. The man smiled at the four boys as he approached. "Noctis, why are you out here? Why not play inside the palace?"

"It is better outside." Noctis said. His friends nodded in agreement; they were older than him by a few years but were still as young as the prince was.
Giovanni chuckled. "Very well, then. Why don't you and your friends invite the princess over as well? I am sure she would like to know you."

The king of Nifleheim glanced to the garden's entrance where a young girl of three stood. She stared at the boys curiously.

Ever since they had entered her home she found herself wondering who and what they were. Noctis seemed similar to her except that he and his friends were slightly older than her, and they looked different. They were smaller than her parents and King Giovanni but bigger than her and her infant sister, Serah.

Noctis stared at the girl for a moment then frowned up at his father. "But father, she cannot. We are knights and girls cannot be knights." "That's right, sir! Only we can play like this!" The thin blonde boy said, holding up his 'sword' which was merely a stick he'd picked up.
"Now, now Prompto, Ignis, Gladiolus…she may be a young girl but who knows; she might become a strong woman in the future." Giovanni said, lightly lecturing the lads.

Noctis still shook his head. "I don't feel like it right now…" Prompto suddenly hit Noctis' back with his stick. "Hah! I have struck the first blow to the dark king!" He announced proudly.

The prince glared at him playfully and held up his own stick. "You did not kill me yet! I will get you first!" The four boys ran off with their sticks raised in the air, shouting out battle cries.
Giovanni watched as they went on farther into the Bodhum palace gardens. To his surprise, the eldest princess followed them.

Noctis and his friends found a clearing in the gardens and had decided that this would be where the finally battle takes place.

Before they began, Gladiolus pointed. "Look!" Noctis turned to see the princess sitting underneath the shade of one of the trees. She was watching them rather intently and with such innocence; it seems that this was the first time she ever saw boys, especially ones nearly as young as her. It was also the first time she ever had the chance to observe how boys act. Already she could tell they were much more different than girls.

Noctis shook his head. "Let her watch. I don't think she will move any closer to us." Ignis, ever the logical and wise one looked at the princess who just sat there and watched. "She has been following you all day…maybe you should talk to her."
The young prince nodded. "Later. First…let's fight for the kingdom!" The three boys joined in on Noctis' chant. Soon after they began clashing sticks and rolling about on the grass.

The princess sat there, rather enjoying herself. She focused mainly on Prince Noctis; he was a rather interesting child. He was younger than the three and even though they were only playing he was better than his friends in their play-fight.

She wished she could join them as well but she knew the prince did not want her to. When he had first arrived with his father and friends he had been more intent on playing in the gardens with his friends instead of speaking to her like King Giovanni had told him to.
But she did not mind. Instead she had decided to follow Prince Noctis to learn more about him and about how bigger children acted and played.

Her father had said that King Giovanni was his friend and that his son would be her friend as well because their kingdoms were 'allies'. She did not know what the word meant but she knew it meant that Prince Noctis was to be her friend in the future.

Noctis glanced at the pink-haired princess. Her bright blue eyes were observing his every move and he was not sure he liked that. Though she did not bother him he felt uncomfortable with her always following and watching him. He wanted to play with his friends and was not in the mood to speak to a little girl. Maybe later, but right now he enjoyed the company of his friends better.

Later when the day became late, he returned inside the palace. The princess was still following him but he ignored her.

He met with his father and grinned with he was lifted into his father's arms. "So, have you spoken to the princess?" Noctis frowned. "Not yet. Later."
Giovanni sighed; the boy was avoiding, and even forgetting that he was brought to Bodhum just to befriend the eldest princess. But it seems young boyish games were all that was on his mind right now.

The princess watched the father and son then turned away to leave them alone. She knew that the prince wanted to be alone with his father now. She decided to inspect her infant sister instead and ran down the hall.

The prince watched as Bodhum's eldest princess ran off. He then wrapped his arms around his father's neck and smiled; he now wanted to spend time with his father and perhaps hear stories of how Giovanni Somnus Caelum became a great king to Nifleheim. Noctis never spoke to or saw the princess after that day.

-XIII-

Lightning took another sip from her flask then put the cork back in place. She noted with a frown that the flask was growing rather light.

She cursed inwardly but tied it to her side. The chocobos stared at their human guest curiously as she stood at the entrance of the stable, admiring the night sky and the moon as it shone overhead.
The settlement was silent at night, and seemed to be free from any sort of Strife.
The queen hoped it remained this way for these people; they were peaceful and generous. They could tell if someone was a rotten seed or just a friendly passerby.

She admired them for their hard work and lovely homes. She was certain that Serah would have enjoyed seeing this simply place, as would Vanille and Fang.

Lightning stared at the moon and wondered what have become of them. She knew for a fact that they had not fallen in with her and Noctis, so they must still be somewhere. But with Bodhum taken by the enemy, they should have gone into hiding.
The first priority was to find a trace of her companions and then reunite with them. Lightning was sure Noctis had a different agenda, but he would agree to hers if she said that he would finally be rid of her once she finds her sister and the others.

The prince was a rather unique one in Lightning's eyes. Though she guessed that his true persona has been overshadowed by his grief and sorrow, making him into a sort of man he was not.

Lightning tried not to think too deeply of it. She knew it would be best to keep her distance; she needed to keep him on her side as an ally rather than an enemy, and she could not afford to allow any misunderstandings and arguments slow her down.
Behind her, the chocbos made a purring sound and ruffled their feathers. The queen thought of Odin; surely he can look after himself. He would stay by Serah's side until Lightning returns.

The hour was growing late still. With a resigned sigh, Lightning made her way back to the inn.

She had hoped to remain outside for a while longer until she was sure the prince was no longer inwardly fuming due to their unintentional and unwanted physical contact.
She had merely stepped outside to take a walk but Noctis had seemingly exited his room at the same time that she did which caused them to collide. His chest had been bare and pressed up against hers.

The feeling had been odd to Lightning, and most unusual. She had suddenly felt shivers run through her body when they accidentally touched and she could easily see the prince was also rather tense at the incident.

For some reason it unsettled her but not in a way that she usually felt when unsettled. This was new and strange to her. Something she had not encountered before.
Noctis acted like he had committed a sin; no doubt he thought he was being unfaithful to his memory all because of that one accidental collusion.

Deciding that she had dawdled long enough, Lightning broke into a jog and entered the inn. The inn master greeted her to which she returned with a nod of her head.
She walked upstairs, intending to reach her room and finally sleep. However, she did not expect to see Noctis standing outside the door of his room and leaning against it. He looked rather unsettled.

Lightning said nothing and made her way to the door of her own room. But as she touched the knob of the door, Noctis slammed his hands against it, trapping Lightning between the door and him.

He was staring at her oddly when she looked at him. She had never seen such an expression on his face before. Lightning felt a shiver crawl up her spine. He was acting strange, and she was not familiar with this kind of mood he has. She did not speak, did not feel that she needed to anyway. Noctis continued to stare at her with blank eyes despite his seemingly pained expression.

Lightning stared up at him and he looked back at her. For a moment nobody spoke, nobody moved.

Suddenly, Noctis grabbed Lightning by her neck and his lips crashed down onto hers. The queen's eyes widened at the sudden contact. It felt warm, and strange. She could taste something; perhaps it was his lips. She felt warm, but not like how a fire warmed her during cold seasons. She had no idea how to describe it. His lips felt soft and the way he moved it against her lips was a rather odd sensation that Lightning had no idea existed or that anyone could put into words. She was not even sure it had a name for itself.
Noctis' lips moved against hers roughly, angrily. Lightning did not seem to be responding to him but he knew it was because she did not know how or that one would usually respond to such contact of lips. He had no idea what had come over him but he had the sudden urge to pounce and attack her when he saw that she had returned.

The heat of lust gathered to his loins but he held back, remembering that he wanted nothing to do with Queen Lightning or any other woman for that matter.

Lightning allowed him to have his way until he stopped and stepped back. He looked like he was in pain as he turned around and retreated to his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Lightning stared and blinked before she entered her own room.

Noctis paced his room and wiped his lips, feeling disgusted. But her taste lingered, the warmth and feeling of her lips remained as well.
He pulled at his hair; he was betraying the one he swore to love alone. Yet, Lightning's uncertainty, innocence and the fact that she had no inkling about how to kiss warmed him. The warmth inside him spread even more when he realized that he had given Lightning her very first taste of a kiss.

What a fool he was.

In her room, Lightning sat on her bed and sighed tiredly. She carefully touched her lips. For some reason she could taste something, as if she had eaten fresh blueberries. Was it from the prince? But she knew for a fact that he had no eaten any blueberries.
She did not know what had occurred a moment ago but it was all too foreign to her, yet she could tell the prince is familiar with it. Still, he looked rather disdainful. Was it because of himself or because of her?

Lightning shook her head. It was probably best that she had a good night's rest and head off to wherever once more. But the warmth of her lips did not leave her all night.

That's all for now!

Hope you guys enjoyed yourselves! I am glad I managed to finish this at last! There is a family reunion coming up so things will get even slower unfortunately but I intend to bring my laptop along so that I can work on the next chapter while I am away. I am not sure if the hotel we are staying in will have an internet connection but I pray that it does.

Ah...can you just imagine? Lightning holding that lamb under her arm when she had that usual serious expression on her face? It made me chuckle as I wrote that scene.

So for this chapter we managed to get a glimpse of Noctis' childhood. Yes he did meet Lightning once but he never made any direct contact with her since he was more focused on just being a young boy.

He and Lightning had not been arranged into marriage; Giovanni brought Noctis to meet her so that they can become close friends just like Lightning's father and Giovanni are. Noctis did not kiss Lightning because he remembered seeing her when they were young. He did not know why he did it and feels that for some reason he is losing control of his senses.
Young Lightning did not have a crush on Noctis.

She was just really curious because she was told by her father that he will be her friend one day as future rulers of allied kingdoms. It was also the first time she ever saw young boys or even saw how they act. She followed him merely to learn about him and what kind of friend he will be in the future, that is why she followed his every step as a child. But after that visit to Bodhum they never saw each other again or even made contact.

As it was implied in the previous chapters, Noctis had many chances to meet Lightning again when they became adults but at that time, Noctis had been seduced to love Stella so he became more busy with spoiling her rotten instead of tending to his duties, and rejects every invitation he received be it from Bodhum or any other country because to him only his so-called lover was the world. Because of this he never got to meet Lightning again face-to-face.

As such, it was all part of the plan and unfortunately for Noctis, he played his part in the plan well.

So now that we got a glimpse of Noctis' childhood and learned that they saw each other once, how will things go now? I will write again soon, sooner than you think so not to worry. As I said before, even if you do not see an update, you can be sure that it is because I am writing it still.

Oh yes and before I forget, one of you asked if Noctis can actually speak in wolf form and is it like how humans speak or is it telepathy.

Well the answer is: Noctis can speak and it is not telepathy. If you have watched the anime series "Wolf's Rain" or the movie "Princess Mononoke" then you would see the wolves are speaking even though they are not moving their mouths like humans do but they do speak. And that is how Noctis actually talks.

Well that's it for now. I'll see you guys again in the next chapter that I write!

Until then…