Disclaimer: What's up readers? Phoenix here! Hope you guys have had a good week. My mom had already left for the airport to return home to the UAE so I am once again by my lonesome here with my grandparents.
Glad to see you guys like the progress that is happening despite how slow it is. I really do apologize for such a slow relationship progress but I wanted it to be as realistic and human as possible considering their situation and mindset.
Anyways, on with the story and enjoy!
Happy reading!
SANCTUAIRE
Chapter XXV:Aegrotatio Egrotatio
Hot.
It felt hot, scorching.
He wanted to scream, fight and wake up.
Why did the air around him feel so hot?
It was dark, he could not see.
"Give me my sight back…"
He continued to burn.
"Let me wake up!"
His body was in pain.
"Stop…"
The heat became unbearable.
"Stop!"
Noctis awoke with a start then winced at the sudden pain that engulfed his mind. He placed a hand on his abdomen, feeling white wrappings there.
He looked down at himself; his abdomen had been covered by white bandages, fresh as if they had been recently changed. Noctis felt confusion sink in. Where was he?
Suddenly his eyes widened when he remembered talking to Stella. He tried to get up but he was pushed back down onto the bed. Noctis looked up to see his father watching him. "Try not to move too much, Noctis. Your wound is still fresh." "What…?" Noctis could not find the words to say; what happened? Where was he? And where was…?
"Where is Stella?" Noctis asked anxiously. Giovanni looked at his son sternly. "She was never here, Noctis. It was the effects of chaos. An illusion."
Noctis felt devastated. She had been right there, how had all that been an illusion?
Giovanni sighed, "Queen Farron…was there with you at the time. You had been shot by the lead bandit, and so was she." Noctis raised an eyebrow at his father's words. Lightning had been shot? The prince looked down at his bandaged abdomen.
"It was rather difficult but the healer was able to remove the bullet from you. Just a while ago he had extracted the bullet from inside Lady Lightning." Giovanni said, looking rather worried.
Truthfully, Noctis could not remember what had happened to Lightning at all. He only recalled that she had called out his name, and then he had turned around only to feel pain strike at him before he had blacked out.
A sudden cry startled both men out of their reverie. Noctis looked towards the door then back at his father. Giovanni was now tense and his shoulders seemed to be trembling a bit. The prince was now confused and nearly jumped again when another loud cry reached his ears.
The door opened and Vanille stepped inside, looking rattled and rather tired. Giovanni stood up and placed a comforting hand on the handmaiden's shoulder. The fatherly gesture relaxed Vanille slightly. She looked up and the king and stood on her toes to whisper to him urgently.
Noctis watched as his father's expression turned grim. What in Etro's name was happening?
Giovanni nodded at Vanille as the redhead excused herself and left the room; Noctis could clearly hear the sounds of struggling when she opened the door and then the sound was more muffled when the handmaiden closed the door behind her.
The king sighed tiredly. "After we brought you and Lady Lightning back…you were both in critical condition; you were both asleep for three days now." Noctis eyes widened at the revelation. "Three days? What…what happened while I was out?" He questioned.
Giovanni was tense again. Before the king could speak there was another cry. It sounded almost like a dying animal but Noctis knew it was a person. He listened carefully until he recognized the voice. It was Lightning.
Curious, Noctis sat up with the intention on figuring out what was happening. Giovanni forced his son down again. "What is happening?" Noctis asked, glaring up at his father. The king shook his head. He hated being kept in the dark, even if it was about Lightning. Noctis struggled to sit up while ignoring the pain in his body.
For a while he could hear loud pained yells coming from somewhere inside the residence, perhaps another room. Noctis wondered if Lightning had more than one injury but Giovanni only mentioned that she had taken a bullet like he did.
"Rest my son. I will see to Lady Lightning myself." Giovanni said as he stood up and left Noctis by himself. The prince huffed and closed his eyes, feeling his heart sink as he took in the realization. The Stella he saw was only an illusion from the chaos, she had not been there at all. Again he felt darkness overwhelm his heart as he drifted off to sleep.
-XIII-
Giovanni winced when he heard another strangled yell from the room Lightning and her sister stayed in. For three days Serah had been at Lightning's side, worrying constantly and praying that nothing should happen to her. But the bullet had been so close to Lightning's heart the healer had to be more than careful when extracting the offending object.
Despite Lightning's survival from the bullet wound, she did not seem to recover any faster. Instead she began arching her back in pain and clawing at her chest, even blinding reaching her side for the flask she had already thrown away.
It had been difficult to believe it when Fang had explained to Giovanni but the old king knew that there was no other explanation.
For years Lightning Farron had been burdened and kept it only to herself and shared but only a bit of her pain with her companions. To think such a young woman held so much on her shoulders only for it to worsen throughout the years.
This was the weight that the queen of Bodhum had been carrying on her shoulder ever since she sat on the throne. Now it seems that burden has returned to strike at her when she least expected it.
Fang, Vanille, and Giovanni himself have waited for three days for both Noctis and Lightning to awaken, and waited for long dreary hours until the pained cries from inside the other room finally stopped. When it did, Serah emerged and sighed in relief, placing a hand over her heart.
Vanille and Fang breathed sighs of relief as well when Serah said that Lightning was now on her way to recovering. It was a wonderful relief.
"How is Noctis?" Serah asked after a moment of silence. Giovanni smiled. "I assume he is sleeping again; he tried to stand but I doubt the wound will allow him to get far." He said, glancing at his son's room. Fang scowled. "He deserved every bit of that bullet! I mean no offense to you, Majesty but it is the truth. If it were not for him then none of this would have happened!"
Serah instantly jumped into the conversation to make peace. "Fang don't forget if it was not for him and my sister chasing after him then none of us would have chased off those bandits. And now that their leader is gone I do not think they will return soon."
Fang crossed her arms and grumbled but reluctantly agreed. "But still, it was because of him Lightning was—"
A door slammed open, startling the party. They turned to see Lightning at the door way. She still wore her breeches but she was bare-chested with only bandages wrapped around her torso to cover her naked chest. Serah was at her side in an instant. "Sister! What are you doing? Go back to sleep, please."
Lightning did not seem to hear her. Instead the queen's eyes looked rather blank as she tiredly stumbled forward. "Where is he?" She said; her voice was rather raspy. A sign of how bad of a condition she had gotten in. Serah stepped back and looked at Giovanni for permission. The king nodded and gestured towards the door behind him. Without another word, Lightning trudged towards the door and opened it. Slowly she entered and closed the door behind her, ignoring the stares that bore into her back.
She saw Noctis lying there, asleep with a bandage wrapped around his abdomen. Lightning moved a little closer and stared down at him.
Behind her Serah entered the room and quietly approached. "Lightning?" The queen did not flinch in surprise. "… It is strange…" Lightning said, "I know I promised Lord Giovanni I would keep his son safe in order to make sure he would return home one day. But Noctis got on ever last nerve I had left, and yet…I still go so far to fulfill my promise to his father. I have never felt such a need to see a promise fulfilled before."
Serah stared at her sister's back, her eyes resting on the white wrappings. Hearing Lightning say something like that both worried Serah and made her smile inside. Her sister had always been honorable and kept her promises. However she understood why Lightning felt so confused about seeing this certain promise being pulled through.
Lightning continued to stare before she winced and touched the spot where the bullet had once buried itself in.
Serah gasped. "Lightning, please rest now. You have just recovered but you need more time to fully heal." She practically begged but the young queen shook her head. "I am fine, Serah. I will be fine." Lightning placed a hand on her chest and breathed in and out slowly.
Noctis stirred in his sleep, grabbing the queen's attention again. She narrowed her eyes at him. Serah stepped back, knowing that her sister had something to say to the prince. Reluctantly she left the room and hoped Lightning would not push herself too hard.
Lightning stood still, watching as Noctis tossed and turned restlessly. His sleep was not at all peaceful, that much she could see.
When the prince's eyes opened, they took a while to focus. Noctis could vaguely see someone standing by his bedside, looming over him. He blinked several times, trying to clear his blurry vision. It seems that sleep was still heavy in his system but he forced himself awake. When his eyes did focus he saw that it was Lightning standing there.
He could have jumped if he had the strength; instead he stared up at her until he realized nothing covered her upper body except for bandages. Noctis then recalled his father saying she too had been shot by the bandit leader. Still his eyes drifted to her breasts, seeing it was obscured from view by the wrappings.
His throat went dry despite that fact, however it was not just the sight of her bandage-covered breasts; it was the fact that she stood there before him, bare-chested despite the wrappings. Again Noctis felt his words fail him but Lightning did not speak either.
The young queen took in his rather unruffled form. He was tired and the bullet could have done great damage to him. The prince was a fortunate bastard, she decided.
Her eyes roamed his chest, once again seeing the sculpted muscles that he possessed. It came across as strange to Lightning; she had seen the male anatomy before, both in books and in real life several times when dealing with dirty ruffians. But seeing Noctis this way was making it rather difficult for her to breathe.
She cleared her throat. "… I hope you realize that you are fortunate to be alive until now, Prince." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Noctis groaned, wishing that she would put her arms down; they seemed to be pushing up at her breasts and it was rather distracting. He turned on his side, showing his back to her. "Leave me be. I have had it with you." His mind wandered back to the illusion he had seen during the bandits' raid. Noctis could feel his heart breaking all over again like it did three years ago.
The pain, the scorching heat of the flames, the grief… Everything came flooding back to him. He had thought she had returned to him but it was nothing but the chaos.
Lightning continued to watch, noticing Noctis' shoulders were beginning to shake. Her chest tightened. She took a step closer.
Noctis heard her move and without turning to look at her, he snapped. "I said leave me be! Is it hard for you to understand? Get out!" For a moment, Lightning did not move. She watched him a moment longer before she turned on her heels and moved towards the door.
She placed her hand on the door knob then paused. She briefly glanced at Noctis over her shoulder then turned the knob and walked out of the room.
Lightning walked past the others, desiring nothing more than to just rest. She returned to her own room and locked herself inside.
Serah watched her sister, noticing the tired and rather dejected expression on her face. She could tell that once again Lightning had a disagreement with the prince. Fang found it to be tiresome and wonders why Lightning even bothers try talking sense in him or even try reasoning with him. Giovanni took no offense, aware that Fang was only speaking in her own way and not trying to offend anyone despite Vanille's attempts with trying to make sure Fang was careful with her words.
Serah stood there in front of Lightning's room, staring at the door. She was more than worried; pressure, stress, and anxiety were the last things her sister needed at this moment.
"I am sure she will be fine, Serah. Lightning has been through more trials before; she will certainly recover!" Vanille chirped reassuringly, making Serah smile. "Thank you, Vanille. I just hope she does nothing foolhardy or that Noctis does not upset her in any way that could make her…stressed." The younger Farron fussed, resisting the urge to pace like a husband waiting anxiously for his wife to survive childbirth.
The one fact they knew for certain was that both Noctis and Lightning will not be able to leave their rooms or the residence in their condition. However, knowing how stubborn both of them were—something the party agreed they had in common—there was a chance that either or both of them would make an attempt to take a walk outside.
"I swear! Neither of them could sit still for more than an hour." Fang has complained once. Despite the truth in her words, Vanille and Serah had giggled. Even King Giovanni had seen the humor in the general's words.
Unsure of what to do next, Serah remained in place, watching the door. She did not feel like leaving, especially not in her sister's current condition.
The day they had brought Lightning and Noctis' wounded bodies back to their residence, Serah had also found the flask her sister always carried with her since her stay in the hunters' village. Once Serah had a good inspection of it, there was no doubt in her mind what had been inside it. But now that it was empty and useless in Lightning's eyes, Serah merely left it sitting abandoned on the writing desk, knowing that Lightning would only ignore it anyway.
She had hoped that this day would never come, that this would never happen again. But with the way Lightning was there was always a chance for it to happen.
Her foolhardy sister hardly rested, or even allowed to set her mind at ease. Carefully, Serah pressed her ear against the door. She listened carefully and heard the sound of sheets; a sign that Lightning was resting at least.
With a sigh, the young Farron decided to step outside for fresh air. Perhaps she would even take Odin out for a run. She knew that the stallion was as restless as her sister and he needed to run and stretch his legs as much as he could.
Serah headed to the stables and found Odin standing in his stall, surprisingly quiet and calm, but looking at the horse's face carefully Serah could see he was worried, perhaps even a little shaken. He had seen his master being carried off with a bleeding wound on her chest.
Moving closer to the stallion, Serah raised a hand and touched his face, gently stroking him. "She will be fine, Odin. Lightning is strong; the both of you are very much alike in some ways."
Odin snorted. His body was tense, more proof that he was longing for his partner.
"I know I am not Lightning, but will you allow me to ride you out of the stables just for today? I am aware that you have not been outside for quite some time." Serah said in a soft voice, rubbing her hand up and down the horse's smooth black neck.
At first Odin did not respond to her but after a second, the horse lowered his head then lifted it—a nod of approval.
Odin never allowed anyone but Lightning to ride him. Serah had once experienced being on Odin's back but only when she was with Lightning, and again she had briefly mounted Odin when her sister and Noctis had fallen into a fissure after the attack on their camp. The stallion and his queen shared the same stubborn strength and fierce heart; it was no wonder that Odin allowed himself to be tamed—for lack of better word—by Lightning alone.
Now that the true master was on the verge of recovering, there was nobody else to bring Odin out for a run except Serah, and nobody dared approach the wild, beautiful horse. His loyalty was forever with Lightning. However, he did not mind Serah's company. Although she was younger and gentler compared to his master, Odin knew how precious Serah was in Lightning's life and therefore he considered Serah one of the only exceptions should his queen be absent.
After the younger Farron had placed the saddle and reins on, she carefully mounted Odin's back. She struggled slightly and pouted at her height. Lightning was much taller than her and could mount Odin with ease.
As if sensing her distress, Odin neighed—which sounded like a small laugh—and dropped his body down, making it easier for Serah to get on his back.
Serah blushed; even a horse knew what she was feeling. Nevertheless, she got on the saddle and at once the majestic steed stood back up. For a second, the height disoriented Serah but she soon adjusted to the feeling. "Let's go, Odin."
The horse let out a proud neigh and trotted out of the stables and into the streets of Dead Dunes. Serah guided him to the oasis, knowing that it would have enough space for him to run as long as he wished, and there would be water in case he needed to cool down his body should it get too hot.
"I am worried, Odin." Serah confessed as the horse continued to trot then gallop around the oasis. Odin shook his head slightly, indicating that he was listening. Serah gripped the reins so tightly she was sure the steed was able to feel it. "Lightning has been…anxious lately, and I worry that it might push her over the edge one day, no matter how strong her mind is." Serah said in a quiet voice. Her hands began to shake and Odin stopped moving.
The steed felt his heart beat at a rapid pace; he too was worried for his beloved master and friend. He longed to possess the ability to speak to humans or at least make the humans understand him, perhaps then he would be able to comfort his dear friend. To him, Lightning was a sister at heart who shared his passion for the speed, the freedom and the feel of the wind during a run.
Suddenly the horse felt Serah wrap her arms around his strong neck. Wet tears slid down his coat, surprising the steed. He held still, trying to be brave for his queen's sister. "You know my sister well, Odin. She will truly smile one day, won't she?" Odin made a low, reassuring sound, hoping it would be enough to comfort the younger Farron.
Lightning was feeling restless again. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to find any comfort in rest. But when she tried to make any sudden movements, her wound would hurt, hindering her.
She placed a hand on her chest, resisting the urge to shudder at the thought of how close the bullet came to hitting her heart when she had been shot. She was fortunate it enough that it missed but the bullet was still close to her vital organ.
She cleared her throat; it felt dry like Dead Dunes' sands. She sat up slowly, being mindful of her bullet wound and left her room in search of something to quench her thirst and soothe her dry throat.
Lightning glanced at the room Noctis had been placed in and sighed tiredly. She massaged her temples when her head began spinning and aching.
Pushing it aside, she walked into the kitchen and found a pitcher of water waiting for her. She took a sip of water and felt her throat's relief. Lightning let out a light cough and calmed her breathing, taking in slow and even breaths before releasing a slow exhale.
The residence was empty; no doubt everyone had gone outside for some fresh air. Lightning could not fault them—it was better to be outside than to be stuck inside all day. But with her wounds, she had no choice but to do so. The young queen cursed at her weakness and ran a hand down her face in exasperation. She hated being weak, hated feeling weak… She had gone through so much just to reach the very level she was one at this very moment.
All of her training, her studies, and her pains through every experience she had gone through since becoming queen… Everything swarmed in her mind, creating a bothersome migraine yet again. She tried to calm herself down; she needed to relax her mind.
Returning to her room, she dropped herself on the bed and grabbed Fabula Nova Crystallis from the nightstand. She immersed herself in the words that were written down on every page.
While her eyes took in the stories, her mind took in something else. Her restless mind wandered to Noctis. Again images of his face intruded her thoughts, erasing the images of the book's stories from her head. Lightning felt disturbed; this was not normal to her. She hoped it was not a new kind of disease to the mind.
She shook her head but his face would not leave or fade. Lightning laid back on her pillows and placed her open book over her face in exasperation. She had wanted to read, not mindlessly fantasize about the arrogant prince who rested in the other room.
Even her most precious book did not seem to be helping her. No matter which story she read from Fabula Nova Crystallis, Noctis' face, and the sound of his voice would disrupt her imagination from the story.
Giving up, the young queen placed the book aside and closed her eyes. Perhaps sleep would do her some good. Even though she did not wish to just lie down and do nothing, she had no other option and she most certainly did not want to have her head swirling with thoughts of Noctis no matter how fascinating he seem to her. Fascinating? When did the childish man become something of interest to her? It was a rather ridiculous notion.
Now the prince won't even leave her mind in peace. Was he that eager to torture the life and wits out of her? If only he were not injured, she would be more than happy to give him a piece of her mind by utilizing her fist.
Never before had the queen ever had the urge to see somebody so urgently—there was not even a single incident in which she ever considered so urgent she would knock on the prince's door. So why was she so uneasy and anxious? She knew Serah and the others would disapprove if they see her being so unsettled; she was never unsettled over anything especially not anything trivial.
Lightning held back from swearing. Damn prince was infecting her mind with just the thought of his face, but all he ever did was allowed himself to grieve and to be easily manipulated by a mere shadow trick.
For the next hour Lightning busied herself by mentally throwing insults at Noctis, even using the many different languages she had learned. She cursed in Balamb-speak, in Nibelheim-speak, in Spiran—both Al-Bhed and Yevonite, and even in Etro Script.
Soon she grew tired as her head began spinning again. She had merely wanted to sleep but the distractions were not allowing her any peace whatsoever.
Her chest tightened and she tried to soothe her mind. Lightning winced as she lay still on her bed, sweat was beginning to form on her forehead.
She swallowed hard and remained still, hoping that the dizzying heat would pass, and quickly. Lightning shut her eyes tightly, wishing to shove away the dizziness. She forced herself to sleep despite how uncomfortable she felt but her gunshot wound began to throb. Placing a hand on her chest, Lightning inhaled then exhaled carefully before relaxing as sleep finally decided to bring her to the world of dreams, away from the pain.
-XIII-
Noctis stared at the ceiling for a long time before he decided to leave the bed despite his father cautioning him against it. It mattered not; he had better things to do than to lie down and rest. As he left the room, while ignoring the stinging pain of his wound, he noticed the residence was empty. Perhaps he could leave now while everyone else was outside.
He glanced towards the next room, knowing all too well that it was Lightning's. He frowned as he walked past her door but stopped for a moment to glance at the bedroom door. His keen hearing listened carefully but he was unable to hear much except for the rustling of sheets.
Noctis felt the powerful urge to tiptoe into the room to check on Lightning. He felt his cheeks burn despite his efforts to push the feeling away.
Giving in, he carefully pushed the door open and peered inside. He could see Lightning resting on the bed, underneath the covers. However she was moving rather restlessly.
His curiosity piqued and urged him to step inside. The prince crept closer to the bedside where Lightning seemed to be struggling to find comfort in the bed, but finding none. Sweat gathered on her forehead and even on her arms. Was it the desert town's usual hot days? Or had she been stricken with a fever after the incident three days ago after being shot.
Before he noticed what he was doing, Noctis brought a hand to Lightning's forehead; she was burning. The prince pulled his hand back, stunned. He looked around before bringing his eyes back to Lightning's struggling form. The young queen was groaning and shifting about; with the way she had her teeth grit together it seems like she was holding back a cry of pain.
Noctis' frown deepened as he kneeled by the bed to take a closer look.
Lightning's sweating face look flushed, red tainted her cheeks and her chest was heaving heavily with each deep breath she took. Something was odd about her. Noctis leaned in to sniff her but stopped himself; he groaned at his idiocy and stood up to leave the room.
He closed his eyes, as he walked away from the door, trying to ignore the tightening of his chest as he heard a cough originate from Lightning's room.
He could not afford anymore distractions and left the residence, hoping to escape this time.
Everyone seemed to be rather cheery this morning as he strolled down the streets of Dead Dunes. No doubt they had realized that the bandits have retreated due to the loss of their leader.
Noctis glanced left and right carefully, hoping that nobody he knew would see him. He planned to leave Dead Dunes and run off to his next destination, wherever that may be.
Again the vision of Lightning's sweating and flushed face invaded his thoughts. Why could he not push away the images of Lightning's face from his mind? Ever since he and Serah had reunited with Lightning at the hunters' village, her face was all he had been seeing in his mind day in and day out. It was becoming rather disturbing. And yet…warm.
"Damn you Lightning Farron. What are you doing to me?" Noctis stared at his hands, silently contemplating, wondering…
She did look rather uncomfortable, too uncomfortable for it to be a nightmare that she was suffering from; she did not even awaken when he had walked into her room, and he was aware of how keen her senses were even if she were asleep.
"I am certain that I will regret this decision." Noctis mumbled to himself as he turned around to return to the residence where he knew Lightning would not be able to leave her room.
"What in Etro's name am I even doing?" He questioned himself out loud; perhaps hoping deep inside that somebody would be able to answer the question for him. But no answer came.
Regardless, his feet continued to move forward until he was at Lightning's door once more. He sniffed the air, his wolf's keen sense of smell alerting him of something that was out of place. It was not an enemy, but rather, a strange feeling.
Something seemed…out of place. Though Noctis was unsure of what it was, he was certain that it was around, in the air perhaps. He continued to stare at the bedroom door of Lightning. He did not know why he returned just when he had stepped outside.
Perhaps he was still tired. Yes, that must be it; the injury must have just taken its toll on him. He stood up and sat in the nearest chair to rest.
Noctis gingerly placed a hand over where the bandages wrapped around the wound. He growled in frustration, the sound was more wolf than human.
Once in a while he found himself looking at Lightning's bedroom door whenever he could, much to his own dismay. He was unsure why he bothered; it was none of his concern and has never been, and yet… Noctis leaned his head back, groaning loudly.
For a long time nothing happened and it was making him regret ever coming back when he should have run and finally gain freedom.
Was it because of Lightning? Was it pity? Perhaps… But he hated the fact that he might be becoming too soft. He had wished to be more distant, stronger. He wanted to be alone for all time with nobody by his side ever. And yet deep down, he might still hold some longing but he pushed it away, convincing himself that it was all a big weakness. And he hated being weak, especially when being compared to Lightning.
He very much wanted to defeat her in every way imaginable but for some odd reason, this desire felt less strong, as if his mind had given up on the thought of trying to outdo Lightning's talents.
So what did he want now? He knew he still wanted to live out in the wilderness more than anything, but there was something else that was probing at the back of his mind and he was unsure of what it was and all the same that thought was unclear.
If the others saw him now he was certain they would smugly announce that they were correct to criticize him and it would damage his already bruised pride, and the mere thought of him being wrong irritated him. He hated being proven wrong.
He thought back to the event that had caused his wound. Had he truly fallen for an illusion? But she had been so real? Why couldn't it have been real instead of an illusion? He would have paid anything for that false image to become reality.
Noctis snapped out of his thoughts when he heard loud and heavy coughing coming from Lightning's room. He raised an eyebrow but dared not venture into the young queen's sleeping quarters. He could only assume that Lightning had caught a terrible fever while she had been weakened from her injuries; it was not unusual for something like that to happen.
He tried to block out the small guilt that crept into his mind as the coughing continued. Noctis grit his teeth but he knew he had always been too weak, too polite and shy; that was why he wished to somehow grow devoid of emotion if he had to.
The coughing was not subsiding and it was beginning to make Noctis wonder just how bad her fever was. He sighed deeply and stood up from his seat. Perhaps he could at least offer her some water to settle her throat. There was no harm in doing so.
Noctis grabbed one of the wooden cups he found in the kitchen and filled it with water. He stared at his reflection for a brief moment before he went towards Lightning's room.
He had thought of knocking but with the way Lightning was coughing and gagging, he knew she would not even mind. When he opened the door he could see the current mess in which Lightning was in; she was coughing harder than before and the blankets had fallen from her body due to her restless tossing and turning. Her body was covered with sweat that it might just soak her bandages as well. As quietly as possible, Noctis moved closer to Lightning's bedside.
One look at her told him that she was terribly sick at this moment. However the prince was certain it would be best if Serah tended to her sister's needs instead. The prince carefully placed the water on the nightstand beside the bed and moved away.
He turned on his heels and left Lightning's room the moment she appeared to stop coughing for a while.
Noctis carefully closed the door behind him and returned to his own room. There was nothing else he could do now but sleep; his wound was beginning to irritate him but perhaps a nice long rest would help block out the feeling of the stinging pain.
The prince laid down on the mattress and kept his eyes shut, hoping Lightning would not begin another coughing fit while he slept; he wanted to prevent himself from feeling any sort of remorse. And he would not be able to do that if he heard the queen cough again.
Lightning felt restless all over again. She took in deep breaths as she recovered from her coughing fits for the day. She glanced to the side and noticed the cup on the nightstand.
She sat up slowly, the action causing a harsh ache in her body. Her movements were sluggish even as she reached for the cup and stared at its contents; water. She huffed and gulped down the cool liquid, wetting her throat and soothing it from the dryness.
Lightning touched the wound on her chest carefully, hoping that her tossing and turning had not pressed at it. Unfortunately she could see a stain of red on the wrappings. She sighed; she would need to change her bandages.
Tiredly, the young queen slid out of bed and stumbled slightly towards the door. She bumped into the wall beside the door and leaned her shoulder against it for a moment, breathing in and out tiredly.
Her hand was unsteady as she tried to reach for the doorknob only to miss and barely touch the knob. On her fourth attempt, she was successful and pushed the door open.
Noctis was seated beside the window and turned his attention to Lightning when he heard her exit the room. His eyes watched her as she slowly moved to one of the available chairs in the room. She sat down and leaned her head back tiredly. She groaned and touched her bandaged chest. Noctis' eyes widened at the red stain he saw.
"You foolish woman." He muttered, but Lightning heard him and stared at him tiredly. She was in no mood to argue so she said nothing in return. When Noctis continued to stare, she panted, "Let me…catch my breath…" The prince's eyes trailed up and down her form slowly, noticing how the usual swift and agile queen was now stumbling about like a drunken Viking.
Noctis grimaced inwardly whenever Lightning would hit against a wall in order to keep herself steady.
"Sit down." He said suddenly, surprising both Lightning and himself. The queen looked like she wanted to protest but she was too overexerted to argue with anyone. She collapsed on a futon in the room and Noctis went to fetch fresh bandages.
He was not sure what possessed him to even do such a thing. He walked back to Lightning and stared at her straightly. She stared back with her own blank gaze.
"I will need you to remove those wrappings." Noctis said, trying his best not to think of how she would look when she bared her torso to him once the stained bandages were removed. Instead he kept the expression on his face neutral.
Whether Lightning knew what he was thinking or not, she merely shrugged and slowly undid the wrappings. She hissed in pain when her wound stung at her. Noctis pried his eyes away as he stood up to stand behind the queen. Once the bandages were off, Noctis could see her bare back and the many faint scars that adorned her skin.
Her skin looked lovely and soft to touch but he berated himself for such a thought. He looked at the scars carefully, wondering where she might have obtained them.
Noctis shook his head and began wrapping fresh bandages around Lightning's torso. She assisted byt fixing the wrappings as it came to her front.
It was silent between them and neither of them spoke a word. Noctis dressed Lightning wounds then stepped back once he was finished. He saw her tense before relaxing again, knowing she was testing the pain in her body. By the way she hissed it was obvious it was hurting her until now.
"… Thank you." Lightning said in a low voice, not daring to look at Noctis' face.
The prince shrugged and sat back down by the window again. He glanced at Lightning, noting her rather…distant expression. She said not a word when she returned to her room to rest more. Oddly enough he began to wonder if she would recover soon. Perhaps, but he should not even bother with wondering in the first place.
"Damn you Lightning… What are you doing to me?" He cursed under his breath despite the small, quiet voice inside of his head telling him that nothing had been her fault.
But he wanted to have someone to blame. For once he wanted to be right while everyone else was wrong; he deserved it more than anyone else did.
Noctis clenched his fist and mentally cursed again. He wanted to leave like he intended so could he not leave the residence even though he had done it before?
Later that day the others returned to the residence. Giovanni had asked Noctis if he was feeling fine but the prince ignored him.
Fang scowled and did her best to ignore the pompous prince, but not without throwing several disapproving glances his way whenever he did or said something she found offensive in any way. Vanille pat her friend's arm to calm her down before going into Lightning's room to inspect her progress with recovery. Serah remained uncharacteristically silent for a long time; after she had brought Odin back to the stables, the horse had nudged his nose against her in comfort. It always surprised Serah how intelligent Odin was despite him being a horse.
Giovanni rested himself on the nearest chair, grateful that his age still did not prevent him from being active physically. He knew of rulers who grew slow during their old age, starting with the age he was at currently, and he had no intention of lying down while he had his duty as king to fulfill as well as his role as a father.
Vanille left Lightning's room with a small smile on her face. "She is recovering well. Her fever has died down." Serah sighed in relief at the handmaiden's words. Fang smirked and chuckled, "I knew that queen of ours is too stubborn to die!"
Noctis sighed; from experience so far he realized that what Fang was saying is true. Lightning Farron was stubborn and somehow managed to cheat death several times.
"Well I am just glad that she will now be able to walk about without feeling faint. But for how long?" Giovanni said, placing his pointing finger and thumb at his chin.
Vanille sat beside Serah and held her friend's hand. "Not to worry. I checked her thoroughly and it seems she will be able to return to her normal active self within a day or two. Perhaps even tomorrow if she managed to sleep peacefully tonight." The younger Farron smiled brightly at the news and hugged the redhead tightly. "Thank you Vanille. I am glad."
Fang stared at the door of the room where Lightning rested and smiled in relief. "Get well soon you stubborn goat. I look forward to having you pacing about again like always." The general chuckled to herself at the thought.
Noctis wondered if his actions of bringing her a simple cup of water was what caused her recovery. He doubted it; it had been only water after all. But his mind kept pestering him that it was the opposite.
When evening came, everyone in Dead Dunes remained outside rather than retreat indoors, knowing full well that the bandits would be too cowardly to return after seeing their mighty leader fall and disappear without a trace. To Serah and Vanille, the desert town looked just as lovely as it was in the day. The merchants happily called out for people to look at their items, the people strolled about with a confident stride.
"Isn't it wonderful Fang? Now everybody here can live without fear of being robbed!" Vanille chirped as she skipped along the bazaar with Fang and Serah. The young Farron chuckled and Fang rolled her eyes skyward in amusement.
Indeed, the night was lovely and it was the first time any of the people had the chance to walk outside at night so freely without worries.
Serah tried to keep her mind from wandering to her wounded sister. After all, Vanille had said she would be recovering just fine now. But Serah knew better; even if Lightning was doing well there was a chance that the fever might strike again when they least expect and need it to.
Lightning needed to recover and to have another fever strike at her was never what Serah would wish upon her queen sister. Mentally she prayed that all would be well, but also hoped that Lightning would not push past her limit like she tended to do when she began to feel useless. Serah knew all too well how Lightning's pride made the queen hard on herself and on others as well as prompting her to go beyond what she could manage because Lightning despised not doing anything when she knew or felt she could be of some use.
She knew she would never hear the end of it from Serah if her sister learned that she had snuck out of the residence to take an evening stroll.
Lightning grunted; she did not need her sister telling her to be careful. She knew how to fend for herself—after all, she defeated armies larger than a behemoth. Still, the young queen was certain Serah would not be happy at all should she see Lightning's room empty.
"When will this end?" Lightning growled in a low voice. She felt frustrated, tired, and heavy. Her body was sore and her wound still stung badly, and despite her fever going down she still felt so slow as if every one of her movements were sluggish.
She despised her weakness. Ever since she had taken the throne at fifteen she had sworn to grow stronger and immune to weakness. But the gods seemed to enjoy laughing at her despair. Lightning resisted the urge to punch the palm tree that stood right beside the cooling water of the oasis.
Lightning forced herself to calm down and sat down on the soft, cooling sand. In the evening the desert would become cold so it was no surprise when she felt the sand was not hot like it usually was.
Once her temper died down, she sighed in relief and leaned back against her hands and arms. The skies above were rather lovely; there were several stars that could be seen despite the clouds floating about. She enjoyed views like this; it helped her relax and soothe her mind. However her mind had different plans for her that night; Noctis again appeared in her head. Why must the gods mock her?
Wherever she went and whatever she did she was beginning to see more and more images of Noctis' face, clouding her mind like a thick fog in a dense swamp.
Again her temper felt like it might explode but she kept it in check. Never before had she felt so confused; she always remained calm and thought of solutions, so why was she feeling so lost in thought? It was like someone had turned her mindset into that of a never-ending swirl that continued to spin until she grew dizzy with confusion.
Lightning clutched her chest, nearly forgetting to be gentle with her wound. Until now she was not sure what was making her feel so strangely, but she felt perhaps Noctis had something to do with it. Perhaps his pigheadedness was the reason—he could infuriate her whenever he pushed her too far and there were times when Lightning knew he was doing it on purpose. As to the reason why he did, she had no idea.
Lightning placed her head in her hands. Her head was aching badly from too much thinking. For once she wanted to be free of thoughts for even a moment.
It seems misfortune enjoyed torturing her; she heard footsteps and lifted her head to see Noctis approaching. When he saw her he frowned and his eyes turned icy-cold. The young queen rolled her eyes and remained silent as Nocits walked past her to stand close to the water.
The silence was deafening but neither of them dared break the silence and they had no intention of speaking to one another at the moment.
Lightning could see as Noctis took in the beauty of the night—his namesake. She noticed how he admired the now bustling sounds and sight of Dead Dunes, of how lovely the evening sky was, the twinkling stars… But Lightning did not, could not, find beauty in any of them. She had seen many things in her lifetime; both beautiful and ugly, wonderful and atrocious. She admired the beauty and sometimes even the hidden loveliness of what was hidden within something horrid-looking. But that had been a long time ago.
Now she could not see anything wonderful in the sky or the stars or the ocean. Not even in the fireworks her kingdom displayed during the Fireworks Festival.
Instead her eyes were drawn to Noctis himself. He stood a few feet away from her but he remained unmoving as he took in the sights and appreciated the sounds and scents around him. Lightning respected his appreciation for the natural beauty of the world but it was because of this that she was feeling off and not like herself. She had tried pulling back from the odd feeling but it kept dragging her back. She had no idea what was beginning to possess her, taking its hold on her and her mind.
Noctis could feel her eyes staring at his back. He resisted the urge to shiver and focused on the beauty of the desert.
He had missed being able to admire the world around him. He had learned from his mother the importance of the world's natural beauty and that without it there would be nothing left to admire. He remembered how his mother would tend to her flowers and would even smile and talk to them as if they were living beings. When he had asked her, she merely smiled down at him and said that flowers really are living things and that speaking to them helped them mature and grow.
At first he had thought it was all a mere superstition but as he grew he began feeling some understanding about what his mother had said if not completely.
It was from her that he had inherited love for the world's beauty. But with the way his life had been when he grew into a young man, he could not help but feel guilty that he could not love the natural beauty of a woman like he did with nature; indeed like every man, he became attracted to women who made themselves beautiful. Especially when he had been an adolescent.
But now when he had seen Lightning's face for the first time when they first met he had grudgingly admitted to himself that she looked like no other woman he had ever lain with or encountered before. She wore no rouge on her lips or any powder on her face. Her skin, her lips…they were all real, natural like Mother Nature's forests.
If it had been any other woman, and before he had met Stella, he would not have any qualms of trying to pursue her and bed her, but this was Lightning Farron. Even if Noctis had not meet the traitor princess before he would never lay with the queen of Bodhum.
Lightning coughed and he tensed. Carefully he glanced over his shoulder to see Lightning clearing her throat and beating her fist against her chest lightly. She noticed him looking and stared back.
Instantly Noctis looked away and crossed his arms, hoping that he was intimidating enough to make her stay away from him. Instead he heard Lightning huff, "Stop being so childish. You are a grown man so act like one for this one time." Noctis felt offended and snapped. "I am childish? You are the one who clings to me as if I were your mother! I never asked you to remain with me and I never needed you with me in the first place!"
"Do not agitate me, Prince," Lightning growled threateningly. Noctis ignored her words and continued his tirade, wishing he could return to the moments of three years ago. "What right do you have to speak to me as if you know what I am going through? You have not lain with a man nor have you ever experienced the feeling of being betrothed to someone! I had all those and every single one of those moments has been torn away!" The prince could have sworn that all of Dead Dunes could hear him but he cared not.
Lightning shook her head. "How long do you plan to cling to the shadows of the past, Noctis? It seems your father and friends have spoiled you too much by giving you too much time to your misery." She retorted, glaring hotly at him.
"You pathetic misfit," Noctis growled, "I do not know what your people or my father ever saw in you. Clearly you think of nothing but your throne and how you plan to overthrow the Cruor Mucro." "Is that wrong? Is it wrong for me to want to regain my kingdom so that the dark kingdoms would never be able to dominate everyone else?" Lightning shot back.
Noctis' glare hardened as his eyes faded from blue to blood-red. "I wish it was you who have perished during the raid three years ago, not Stella." Lightning's fist crackled with electrical sparks but she resisted the temptation of striking the prince's face with a thunder spell.
"Watch your tongue, Noctis. I am not always so patient and tolerant of imbeciles." Lightning said in a low deadly tone. The prince moved closer to her and stared down into her eyes. They flashed dangerously into his crimson orbs. "If I had not been wounded I would have destroyed you myself." Noctis breathed out dangerously into her ear, almost making her shudder but she held still.
Lightning felt her chest tighten and she stepped back. "Say what you will. It still will not change anything." She turned her back on him, intending to leave, but Noctis was not finished. He wanted a fight and he wanted to win. "Running away again? That is all you ever do! Run away! You do not have the nerve to face your strife; instead you flee like a stray dog!"
Her chest began to ache. "Enough Noctis! I have had enough of you!" She clutched her chest tightly as she stepped forward, hoping to put a huge distance between her and Noctis.
"Don't you turn your back on me you coward! You started this, now you have to face it!" The prince yelled at her. His red eyes burned into her back as he continued to glare. Lightning grit her teeth and clutched her chest tighter; the stress along with Noctis' shoving with words was adding to the heavy pressure that was pressing down on her chest.
Lightning tried to calm herself but her breathing was already ragged and her thoughts have taken in too much of Noctis' harsh words. She swallowed hard. "Bite your tongue! Say what you will but I will not stay and be insulted by you." "And you call yourself queen. You cannot even stand the mere fact that someone is right while you are wrong." Noctis spat, his voice almost sounding like a wolf's growl.
Lightning began shaking. "No. Not now! Not in front of this fool of a prince!" Her body refused to show her any mercy as pain struck her chest.
Lightning gasped for air. "… I am done with you, Noctis." She forced herself to run before he could notice a change in her posture.
Once she was far enough from the oasis, she let out a hard cough. Lightning covered her mouth with a hand and continued to cough as she made her way back to the residence. She barged past the door and rushed to the washroom. The young queen gasped and choked into the wash basin filled with water.
She continued coughing and gasping until crimson liquid dripped from her mouth and into the water. The monarch stared at the red as it melded with the clear water. "Why now? Damnation!" She cursed but was rewarded with another painful attack in her chest.
Her heart suddenly felt like it was being burned inside of her body. Her breathing grew shallow but it was becoming difficult to even inhale and exhale properly. Again she coughed and more blood began flowing out of her mouth as she began to bleed from the inside again.
She had hoped this would not happen again but she should have known better. Lightning had accepted this years ago but to have this pain attack her now when she needed to be focused… It was too distracting.
-XIII-
Serah returned to the residence, deciding that she needed some sleep. Fang and Vanille had chosen to stay outside a bit longer but they let her go.
The moment she entered, Seah could hear loud coughing and gagging. Dread surged through her as she ran towards the washroom. She found Lightning hunched over, spewing blood into the basin that now had bloody water. "Sister!" Serah cried and went to the young queen's side. Lightning shook her head; she did not want Serah to see her this way again. She hated seeing her young sister so worried and so frightened.
"Leave me be for a while, Serah. I am fine." She reassured but Serah did not move. "No you are not fine! Your heart…is it…?" The younger Farron placed her hand over Lightning's heart gently and felt the tired yet erratic beating; it was beginning to fail again.
"You need to lie down and rest!" Serah said urgently as she ushered Lightning to her room. The queen protested but the pain in her chest was too much to bear.
As she allowed Serah to settle her on the bed and cover her with the blankets, Lightning tried taking in deep steady breaths but she coughed instead. "You will be okay…I know you will." Serah's voice shook as she spoke. Lightning touched her sister's hair reassuringly. "I have come this far, Serah. I will not back down now or ever." That did little to comfort the younger Farron but there was nothing else she could do. She felt her sister's forehead and realized the fever was slowly returning.
Noctis was irritated beyond belief as he returned to the residence at the hour of midnight. He hated how Lightning simply fled from him; he had been expecting more from her and he had expected to have a decent fight. Instead she had turned and ran with her tail between her legs, once again proving how pitiful she was. He should have known that Lightning would be too proud to accept that she cannot always be correct about everything.
He stepped into the residence and found that everyone was seated, talking to each other in hushed voices.
Fang looked up and noticed him. Her eyes flashed dangerously as she stood up and stormed towards the prince, grabbing him by the front of his tunic. "You arrogant son of a shoopuff!" She cursed at him and slammed him against the nearest wall.
Vanille ran over, trying to calm her friend down before she turned and walked into Lightning's room to tend to the young queen. Serah and Giovanni stood as well but remained where they were. Noctis glared at Fang angrily. "What is the matter with you, you jungle wench?" Fang tossed Noctis to the side, sending him flying into the writing desk.
The prince's eyes turned crimson as he got up and glared. "How dare you…!"
"No! How dare you!" Fang yelled, shoving Noctis backwards. "How many times must Lightning risk her own safety for yours when all you do is spit at her face? Is death what you truly desire?" Fang grabbed her lance and pointed it at Noctis' chest.
Serah stepped between them. "Enough! There will be no fighting amongst ourselves! Lightning's life is what we need to focus on!" Noctis raised an eyebrow at her words. "What?"
Fang put her lance down but continued to glare. "Lightning…she is ill again. Serah found her here, spitting out blood! And I can only think of one person who could pressure her to such a state; you!" Noctis snorted. "All of you have bogs in your heads!"
Giovanni glared at his son. "Noctis Lucis Caelum! You are acting like a street ruffian! Have you even stopped to listen to the words that emerge from your mouth?"
Noctis turned his red-eyed glare to his father. "Does it matter? I never wanted to stay here! I could have been with Stella but it had been nothing but an illusion from the chaos!" "Stella, Stella, Stella… That houri is all you ever talk about! Open your eyes and face reality, Prince!" Fang scolded, slapping the side of her lance against Noctis' shoulder.
Vanille emerged from Lightning's room, her hands folded together. Everyone looked at her; the redhead was silent for a long time before she spoke, "… She is having another attack. I…she is in pain again." Vanille began to shake.
Noctis hated being left in the dark. "What are you saying?" Serah sighed and pulled Noctis outside. "Come, I need to speak to you. Fang, Vanille, please watch over my sister. Lord Giovanni, please excuse me." Giovanni nodded and sat back down, rubbing his temples; he wanted his son back—his true son. The son who never treated others as if they were rubbish stuck to the heel of his boot. He nearly jumped when he heard painful howls emerge from Lightning's room. Fang tensed and Vanille rushed back inside to check on the queen.
-XIII-
Serah stood still and silent for a moment after she had brought Noctis outside. The prince tapped his foot impatiently. Finally Serah decided to look at him and say something. "My sister is ill. She had always been ill ever since she grew into a queen. When Lightning was sixteen she began feeling tired and sometimes heavy but we thought nothing of it, when she turned seventeen the first attack of the illness struck."
Noctis' eyebrows rose at this sudden announcement. It was not what he had expected Serah to say so suddenly without warning.
Serah continued, "I am sure you have heard of how…violent and hot-tempered my sister was when she had been eighteen; she had been very upset when she had realized that she was ill. It made her angry but as she aged again to a woman of nineteen and then twenty, she had come to accept it." Serah looked up at the dark sky. "You see…because my sister overexerted herself while working in the palace and out with the citizens, her body began to weaken. Especially her heart."
"Her…heart?" The prince was puzzled. "Yes. Her heart is not as strong as it used to be; if she overexerts herself or if she allows too much negative thoughts and emotions to pressure her, her illness will strike and her heart will begin to give in." Serah explained. She wrapped her arms around herself as a cold desert breeze blew past. "She had managed to survive every attack her body had for these past long years, but…she…we were all told that she may not last for too long. Someday Lightning might…"
The younger Farron shook her head. No; she refused to think of it. Lightning was strong, nearly invincible. She would never give in to an ailment… Hopefully.
"Why are you telling me this?" Noctis asked, his eyes narrowing. Serah sighed. "I thought that it was now about time you learned the truth. The reason why my sister is the way she is, and why Fang and every one of us are so concerned about her… My sister is dying, Noctis. Slowly but surely, and what makes it more terrifying is that none of the most skilled healers can tell when she will finally stop living. All that is known is…Lightning's heart is weakening, also causing her to bleed from the inside. She spits put blood whenever she coughs and it scares to me see all that red spilling from her mouth…" Serah shuddered, "Lightning becomes sick and unable to move for probably a few days or hours and she will continue feeling pain from the inside and cough blood. And none of us can do a thing but pray that she survives the attack."
The prince glanced over his shoulders, towards the door of the residence. "… Is there a cure?" Surely they could have asked for it.
Serah shook her head. "There is none. As far as all the healers know, this ailment is of unknown origin. By now I think you must have realized why my sister has been drinking frequently from that odd flask." Noctis thought for a moment until realization hit him. He nodded in response.
"I have not noticed it before but it seems that the healers in the hunters' village had discovered Lightning's…condition so they gave her a potion to take whenever she would feel the illness taking over her body." Serah explained, feeling foolish for not realizing it earlier.
Noctis ran a hand through his hair. "And Lightning has not yet recovered?" He gestured at the front door. "No," Serah replied, "it might take some time."
There was another long silence between the two of them. It was rather uncomfortable.
"I am telling you this because I know this is not how you really are, Prince Noctis; I know that you are not a cruel man. And I understand that you may hate my sister for being who she is but you must understand that it is only because she does not know any other way. For years she had been seeing to the kingdom and never had the chance to be a young girl like I had. She sacrificed much for me, for Fang and Vanille, for Bodhum, and even for your father." Serah said, her voice had dropped to a mere whisper.
Noctis seemed surprised. "For my…father?" "Lord Giovanni had been drowning in much despair since you left three years ago. My sister visited him whenever she could and she promised him that if she ever saw you she would bring you home, and make sure that you are safe." Serah inhaled before she continued, "That is why…my sister is always trying to protect you."
He knew that, but something did not seem right. "Anyone should have been at their limits now. No matter how precious or great the promise is, there is no possible way for anybody to want to go this far." He reasoned. Serah was silent for a long time. "I am afraid that you will have to accept the explanation I gave you."
"That is enough, Serah." A familiar voice said. Noctis and Serah turned to see Lightning, leaning against the doorframe tiredly. She pushed herself off and trudged towards the two.
Lightning placed a hand on Serah's shoulder. "There is no need to concern the prince with this. I am fine now, so just abandon the subject." The queen said. Serah wanted to protest. "But Sister—" Lightning placed a finger on her sibling's lips. "Enough now. Go back inside; it is already late." She placed a hand on Serah's back and guided her inside.
The young queen looked back at Noctis. She cleared her throat. "I apologize for earlier, Prince. You are right; I do not know or understand what you have gone through. However, I hope you will one day remember yourself. Your father misses you dearly and you are very fortunate you still have him, as I had said before." Noctis did not respond and Lightning returned inside.
Once he was alone, Noctis growled in frustration. Queen Lightning, ill? It seemed impossible—she was always active, she was powerful and had no signs of any bodily weakness. And yet he had heard her create pained sounds behind closed doors and now Serah had allowed him access to the truth. It was rather preposterous; to think that the queen who nearly everyone saw as a mighty warrior would have or even hide this weakness. Did her people know? He doubted it. Lightning Farron was a proud woman after all.
Noctis decided that it was probably best to stay away from everyone for tonight. Once he was sure nobody was about during this late hour, he changed into the wolf and dashed out of the town and into the desert, opting to sleep under the night sky with the soft sand as his bed for the night.
I will end it here for now.
I apologize for the long wait. I have been very busy and I have also rediscovered "Gargoyles" a cartoon that use to air on Disney back in the 90's up until the very early 2000's. I have been getting in touch with this favorite childhood show of mine so I had been kind of distracted. But I am glad that I had no managed to finish this chapter off, which is another reason for the long wait: this is a pretty long chapter.
So now the truth is out: Lightning is suffering from an illness that gives no warning when it attacks or when it might take Lightning's life for good.
Because Lightning has been working hard nonstop since becoming queen, her body started growing so tired to the point that her heart started weakening, and the emotional and mental stress she experiences at times just adds to everything. So if Lightning ever goes beyond her limit or gets hit too hard too many times, or gets hurt by emotional pain, her illness will attack and cause hard coughing accompanied by blood coming out of her mouth. And a fever is also a part of the package whenever the ailment attacks.
Lightning being the proud and independent woman and warrior that she is, refuses to let anyone aside from her friends, and now Giovanni (it was not her intention to let Noctis know but Serah thought it would be best if he did anyway), know about her illness.
Now you all know what Lightning had been drinking a few chapters back. It is a special potion, unlike the normal potion that heals wounds; it was specially brewed to keep Lightning's heart pains at bay but now every last drop is gone as seen in the last chapter. And now you all know why Lightning seems to have a habit of inhaling and exhaling as calmly as she could.
Sorry if this chapter was not too exciting; I just felt that it was time the truth slowly came out at last. For those of you who suspected something wrong with Lightning, you were spot on.
Before I end this here, I was asked a question by one of you readers. You asked: "When Noctis says that its better if he dies so he'll be reunited with Stella, why does he not kill himself? Does he think that it's cowardly and dying in battle is better as it doesn't look like he's running away?"
The answer to that is yes, that is exactly why. Noctis is quite prideful here and overestimates himself like he does in Versus. But here he overestimates himself by believing he can end up dying an honorable warrior's death and he hates just rotting away like a random animal or just pointing his own blade at his neck. He prefers it if he was killed by someone or something instead of him doing it himself. He believes that is the honorable and non-cowardly way to go.
Well that is all for now. Hope you guys enjoyed; I had fun as always so I hope I have not gotten rusty during my absence. And don't worry, if you spot any errors in the chapter, I will be reading it right after it has been uploaded so I will be correcting any errors spotted. See you guys again soon in the next chapter I write!
Until then…