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The sun was retreating into the horizon, causing the sky to be splashed with pinks, oranges and blues. Crickets chirped their ancient song and the breeze blew in the cool night air. The fire hissed and popped as it burned, providing warmth and light in the area. Athenacia sat in a chair beside Prompto. Noctis was on his other side, still looking guilty about something. Anyone who took notice just ignored it. Iris and Ignis were also in chairs while Gladiolus opted to take the ground. They had finished their meal, cleaned up and really had nothing to do besides wait for the sun to come back up. They were talking about the day's events, and old memories they had shared together - except for Athenacia, who stayed quiet and observed. The night air was filled with their laughter and teasing of each other. Iris had the look of pure happiness on her face, truly enjoying the time she got to spend with all of them. She too would be very sad when they parted ways in Caem.

Gladiolus was leaning against Athenacia's legs on her left side. While she was trying to put distance between them, he was attempting to reassure her that there was no need for that. She felt responsible for something he had initially started in the first place. The Shield had just gotten her to drop her guard after the trauma she suffered, he did not want her to pull away from him again. Her walls were some of the toughest to break and he seemed to have trouble staying inside of them, like she was afraid of something bad happening if she did let him in. So she fought against him - probably as a second nature - and she was a very worthy opponent. Good thing he was incredibly stubborn, however, she didn't want to deter him completely either. While keeping watch of Prompto and listening in on some of their fondest memories of growing up she had managed to slip her small fingers into the dark brown locks. Slowly she caressed the top of his head while having her fingers run through the hair gently. It was easy for her to tell it was helping with whatever tension had built up inside of him since they were reunited. Gladio was very good at keeping it to himself but she was better at seeing things that most people couldn't. She was sure that he would tell her on his own time what was going on, just as she knew he trusted her to confide in him when she felt that she could. Athenacia was a healer at heart and wished to ease his pain in any way that she could. Her feelings for him only amplified that need.

As the night wore on, the faithful trek to bed began. It started with Iris who vacated to her own tent first. Ignis was the next to leave, wanting a full nights rest since he was going to be the first to wake up in the morning. Gladiolus was dozing against Athenacia's legs still, not wanting to leave her touch just yet. Prompto was also drifting off in his chair while Noctis still had his solemn look on his face as he stared into the dancing flames. The doctor had almost a similar look, neither of them speaking, not wanting to wake the others nor really knowing what to say anyway. It had been quite an eventful day. Gladiolus fell into a deeper sleep, light snores erupting from him, gained the attention of the woman he was resting against. Athenacia leaned forward, having a look at his peaceful face. The corners of her mouth twitched into a small smile, bringing her right forefinger to the bridge of his nose and ran it down the length, all the way to the tip lightly, causing him to stir. She repeated her actions until finally, he came to swat her hand away. When that didn't work he opened his eyes, realizing what was going on. He met her calm gaze and she only jerked her head toward the tent lightly. Releasing a heavy sigh, he pushed his forehead against hers a moment before getting up and going to bed.

That only left the Prince. Athenacia rose from her seat as well, taking another round of Prompto's vitals with her tools. They were normal and he had managed to hold a conversation since his injury, so it was probably safe to let him sleep. Noctis watched her every movement, right until she was settled back in her seat. The girl returned her gaze to the dancing flames in front of her, feeling exhausted already. Her body hurt from all the activity today. Once he had gone she could heal herself properly. Maybe she could get a nap in the truck, that would be nice.

"How did you do it?" asked Noctis.

Athenacia looked over at him curiously. It seemed he was waiting for this moment the entire night. Prompto was passed out and everyone else had gone to bed but only he remained, with that look of guilt he had been wearing since they left the thicket. She had wondered if he was going to say anything at all, was surprised that he managed it. What's more, she didn't know why he was choosing to have this conversation with her. It wasn't like the two of them were close at all. While she enjoyed his company and was able to carry a conversation with him, her troubled past had always led her to keep her distance from him.

"Do what?" she kept her voice light.

"How did you watch them die?"

The girl sighed, taking her gaze away and leaned back in her seat, trying to think of the best way to answer his question. Images of the battlefield and lost souls came to her mind: the trying times of war, friends bloodied and beaten dying in her arms, the smell of decaying flesh and sounds of screams all around her. That red sky, daemon eyes and azure glow that overtook everything. Athenacia quickly pushed all that away, her gaze still hard as she stared into the flames, flames that took everything away with their simple touch. Her fist tightened though she did not let him see it.

"I didn't handle it very well. I walked away, remember?" she spoke finally.

"But after a long time."

"True. Nothing can really prepare you for something like that. It never got easier, there just wasn't a choice. We always went in knowing we might not come back out, trained to fight like it was our last day. I have my limitations and sometimes that always forced me to come to terms with it."

Athenacia saw his face harden at her words. Clearly she was not helping the situation whatsoever but what did he really want from her? She was a coward mostly, never wanting to fight in the first place and opted to run away whenever she got the chance. However, this wasn't something she could just up and leave from, she had to tell him the truth because if he didn't realize this then he may very well make a big mistake. The physician truly wished that he hadn't asked her about it. Ordinarily, she wouldn't talk about her past or anything to do with it but she felt she was left without a choice after serving his father for so many years.

"If you weren't here... Prompto he..." he couldn't speak.

Immediately she understood what he was saying. This was the closest he had gotten to losing someone in front of him. The reality she had spoken of weighed heavily on him for the first time, a sad realization. Noctis was so preoccupied with the grief he carried around from losing his home. There was so much put on him all at the same time, she was truly impressed with how he was holding it together - even if it was just barely. Athenacia understood why King Regis did not want to burden his son with maintaining a wall against the Empire. He was simply too young, just a child. Of course, that was besides the point of being the Chosen King.

"Next time-"

"Stop," she commanded, "If you go into something thinking you'll fail then that's exactly what you'll do."

"I don't want anyone else to die."

"I wish I could say that they won't. I wish I had the power to stop it."

"So do I."

"But you do. That's why you're the Chosen."

The Prince looked unhappy to hear that. They were silent again, both of them gazing at the dancing flames before them. Athenacia waited for him to speak again, knowing that this conversation wasn't over. There was nothing she could do for him, not knowing exactly how to help him since she had no idea what he had been through. Until she had been dating Gladiolus for a while in the city, she really had no idea where he was and how he got there and it seemed as time went on she was just discovering more about him that was supposed to be a story.

"Why me?"

His question caused her to laugh without actually meaning to. Noctis looked at her in alarm and she gave him an apologetic look, trying to stop her giggles. Athenacia wasn't sure she hadn't heard someone ask "Why me?" when they were faced with something they felt was impossible. As soon as he had asked she clearly saw in her head the child that was described to her by Gladiolus and the others, catching a glimpse of the memories everyone besides her shared for herself.

"Why not you?" she replied with a smile still on her face.

"What does that mean?"

"You inspire people. You bring out the best in them without even trying. They gravitate toward you. They believe in you. I believe in you and I never even thought it was all real, just a children's bedtime story."

The Prince held a thoughtful frown at her words. Athenacia watched him as he tore his gaze from her, going back to the fire and she internally sighed, only being reminded of why she never did psychology. Flesh and bones were much easier.

"No one else should have to put themselves in danger for me," he said sullenly.

"Everyone knows the risks," she replied, "They made that choice themselves. You can't feel guilty because you never made them do it."

Noctis sighed, looking even more upset than before. The physician turned her eyes toward her patient instead, monitoring him and missed her nurses for things like this. Glancing over at the solemn Prince, she wished there was a way for her to help him. He was just a child, he wasn't ready for the burden placed upon him. Without another word, he got up and went into the tent under her calm hazel stare, sighing at the reality of his situation.

...

The next morning Gladiolus woke up to both Prompto and Athenacia sleeping in their chairs. Ignis and Iris were already up getting breakfast ready while Noctis was still sleeping in his tent. The fire was burning down which meant that the young doctor really was up most of the night keeping watch over her patient, shoes off and underneath the chair. Her hair was down, falling against her softly as her chest rose and fell gently, her head limp against the back of the chair, falling toward the left and allowing him a glimpse of the scar on her neck. Gladio ran his eyes over it quickly before stretching and taking a peek at the morning sky. Everything seemed calm and crisp.

Looking over at the doctor once more, he noted she was beginning to twitch. The Shield recognized the signs, she was in the middle of one of her nightmares, face in distress but no one else seemed to take notice. Gladio walked over there, nodding at his sister and Ignis as he passed by. Athenacia began to jerk her head this way and that, her eyes shut tightly. Gladiolus watched as she seemed to be in more pain the longer it went on. He reached for her right hand, holding the balled up fist gently he noted she felt abnormally hot, more than she usually did but she wasn't sweating. Athenacia took in quick shallow breaths, causing him to frown as he knelt down and took hold of her cheek. Gladio shook her gently in an attempt to wake her, skin growing warmer and warmer, causing him to worry.

"Doc," he nudged her slightly.

Athenacia didn't respond, only began to shake as tears started to fall from her Shield wiped them away, keeping a firm grip on her arm while he again tried to rouse her from her nightmare. There was sweat forming on his hand where he was touching her skin.

"Doc, wake up," he said a little louder.

Her shaking became more violent as more tears streamed down her face. Her body temperature kept rising and he was forced to let go of her hand before it burned him. By now Ignis and Iris had taken notice of what was going on, looking over concerned. They didn't move, however, waiting for a signal from the Shield before they acted.

"Doc!" he shouted, taking hold of her shoulders gently and trying to jerk her out of sleep.

Gladio couldn't hold onto her for long, grunting at the pain from the burn at her touch. Was she sick? Her entire body felt almost like it was going to burst into flames. Athenacia didn't show any signs of a fever, she wasn't even sweating, making it hard for him to understand what was happening to her. This did not seem like a normal nightmare and had no idea what he could do for her aside from trying to wake her up.

"Cia, wake up!" he tried again, desperately wishing to reach her.

The doctor cried out once, not appearing to hear him. Gladiolus was growling as he tried to stop her from falling out of her chair, pushing past the pain. All eyes were on them, except Prompto who was in a deep sleep and Noctis that remained in the tent. The Shield knew that Ignis was waiting at the ready for assistance if need be, knew that the Adviser was studying this in order to act accordingly.

"Athenacia!" he yelled loudly, his voice echoing all around him.

The girl took in a sharp breath, opening her eyes in alarm. Gladio was intent on her face, shaking his head slightly. For a moment it seemed like her eyes were more almond shaped and red. Must have been a trick of the light because he definitely only saw scared hazel eyes looked all around her. Tears poured out of them as she began to hyperventilate. Gladiolus held her shoulders gently, trying to get her to focus. Athenacia was still shaking and her temperature had cooled down considerably, having trouble getting air into her lungs with her face pale. The Shield moved once he saw the warning sign, taking hold of her hair and placing that hand on her back. His other hand took her right one for extra support.

Athenacia leaned over and vomited, bile spilling out of her mouth and onto the ground near her feet. Gladiolus took the hand from her back and held it up, stopping both Ignis and Iris from coming any closer to try to help. Dismissing them, he replaced his hand on her back and rubbed it gently up and down. He kept her hair from her face as she let go of another round, gripping his hand tightly while she wretched. Spitting out the last remaining bit, her breaths became slower, remaining hunched over and not quite sure if she was done yet. Gladiolus let go of her back in order to take a glass of water from Ignis, nodding at the man before holding it in front of her face and silently offering it to her. Athenacia placed her lips on the edge of the cup and he leaned it back slowly, allowing her to take a small drink. The doctor heaved, the water moving and more bile spilling from her mouth. This one wasn't nearly as big as the last, indicating that there was no more left after this.

Again, he held the water to her and this time she took it with her own free hand and she swished it around in her mouth before spitting it in her vomit pile, taking another drink. Handing him the cup, she wiped her face clean and frowned in disgust at the bile on her hand, holding it far from her face as she sat up a little. Gladio met her gaze then, the realization of him being there finally registering to her while she hadn't released her grip on his hand and he patiently waited for her to be ready. It wasn't long before she averted her eyes in shame and he placed the cup down on the ground, helping her to her feet. Athenacia kept her eyes downcast as he led her away from the haven and toward the water. Once they reached the edge she released her grip upon him and submerged her dirty hand, kneeling down so that her legs were also wet. Gladiolus watched carefully as she cleaned up her face as well, hearing her sigh heavily and keeping her hands on her thighs as she distantly looked out in the sparkling water. The Shield had never seen her like that before and it worried him that she only appeared to be getting worse, recalling the words she had spoken to him at the haven in the thicket. Was there truly no way for her to recover from the horrors of war? Assuming that was what kept her awake at night.

"Doc..." he didn't really know what to say to her.

The girl rose from where she was knelt, shaking her hands and turning to face him. Her left eye was getting better, the purple even more faded and occupying less of her face. The scab on her cheek was flaking off and he couldn't see the wound from yesterday, tucked away in her hairline. Her creamy skin was red from the cold water, and she walked carefully out of it while shivering slightly. Instinctually he enfolded her in his massive arms, her head resting against his bare chest near the bird. Gladio frowned, noting how cold she was not when mere minutes before she was ready to burst into flames. Athenacia was always abnormally warm but during her nightmare... He had no idea how to help her, especially with the way she seemed to be keeping it all to herself. Didn't she realize that she didn't have to?

"I'm sorry," she whispered into him.

He held her tighter, "You didn't do anything," he told her gently.

"I almost puked on your feet," she pointed out.

He shrugged, "I don't care about that."

"You would if I actually hit you," she attempted to lighten up the mood.

"No," he murmured, kissing the top of her head.

Gladiolus released her, bringing his hands to rest on either side of her face. Athenacia looked up at him and he could see that she was uneasy, making his frown deeper while wishing that she would let him help her with this. Sometimes it seemed she was more stubborn than he was. What was she so afraid of? Didn't she know by now that he wasn't going to hurt her? Why was she hiding?

"Doc, I hate seeing you like that," he said finally.

"Sorry," she dropped her gaze.

"No I," he grunted trying to form the words, "You need some help, you felt like you were literally on fire."

"Did I hurt you?" her attention snapped to him.

The fear on her face caught him off guard. Her breath was getting quicker and he could feel her heart rate increase with the veins in her neck. Tears began to form in her eyes as she desperately waited for him to answer her question, ready to collapse in anguish if he said the wrong thing. Why was she so scared? It was almost like she knew she could cause harm to someone with what happened, as if something like this had happened before. None of that even made sense.

"What? No, Doc, no one's hurt-" he began, confused

"Thank the Gods," she said with a huge sigh of relief.

"Why did you think-"

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

"Hold on, what are-"

"- scare you. It's nothing I'm fine-"

"Slow down, I-"

"-just thought that maybe there some lasting damage-"

"Doc, wait a sec-"

"-wasn't sure if I'd have the right antidotes and-"

"I can't understand-"

"-definitely not the tools to treat unknown ailments-"

"Athenacia!" he shouted finally, stopping her in her tracks.

He had her full attention, the shock evident all over her face. Gladio never used her real name, not even the simplified "Cia", but it seemed that it was the only way to slow her down. The girl was tumbling words out faster than he could even react and all he wanted was for her to relax. He didn't even know what to say to her, too many things racing through his mind. At least she was alright, however, he knew that she would be better if she had confided something in him, allowed herself to lean on him just as she made it very clear she was there for him. Sighing, he rubbed his thumb along the scabbed cut on her cheek before letting his hands drop, holding her gaze as she waited for him to say something, anything - because she was increasingly worried the longer he was silent. Gladiolus sorted through his thoughts, trying to find the best way to form the words he wished to speak. Unfortunately, he was not a master like Ignis. It was always hard when it came to her, he much preferred teasing her, that was simple.

"Listen Doc," he began, still unsure of himself.

The Shield sighed, still keeping his gaze on her. There were still tears waiting to fall in her eyes, clearly holding her breath in anticipation for him to speak. It was moments like these he wished he was better at communicating how he actually felt. He was good with people but not when it came to emotions, far better with actions.

"You're not alone. If you need help, let me help you. I want to..."

She shook her head sadly, looking down, "I'm not going to distract you from your job."

He frowned, "You're not a distraction," he said firmly, taking her chin with his hand and gently lifting it so that she was facing him, "It's you and me, remember?"

Gladio watched the conflict swirling in her eyes. The walls he was desperately trying to hammer through were beginning to crack. Athenacia was having trouble letting them fall but he was getting there, far too stubborn to quit on them anytime soon and knowing that he could break them down completely. It was a slow process, one that he was fully willing to take on until the very end. What could have happened to make her so weary of allowing him into her life? Who had hurt her so badly that she couldn't fully repair herself? How was he supposed to make her realize that all of it was unnecessary? She wanted to let him in but for whatever reason, she was afraid to do so.

Finally, she just nodded once at him, despite hiding behind her own defences.

"You and me," she repeated lightly, a tear falling from her faded purple eye.

...

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