BOOK 2: THE TALE OF THE CHOSEN KING

CHAPTER 11 – A WAY FORWARD

The sight had changed drastically since they went away. There were less people in the streets and pennants of the empire could be seen hanging almost everywhere. A sinking feeling sat on everyone's stomach, even though they said nothing. They parked the Regalia and rushed to the Leville.

Lestallum looked like a ghost town. The street vendors were nowhere to be seen and almost all the cafés were closed. A heavy silence hung in the air, only broken by the sounds of the power plant in the distance. The few people walking around did so hurriedly, and many looked at them with apprehension. Any trace of the joy and activity they had seen days before seemed like a mirage as their footsteps echoed through the cobbled streets.

At the hotel plaza, the fountain kept running, its sound the only remnant of what the city had been.

Iris waited for them at the hotel's lobby. As soon as they crossed the door she ran towards her older brother and embraced him.

"Gladdy," she croaked, barely holding back her tears.

"What's wrong?" Gladio's face had turned ashen white.

"I let you down," she said, her voice wavering. "I never made it to Caem. The empire came while you were gone."

Then she burst in tears.

Gladio held her without saying a word. The muscles of his jaw tensed as his eyes burned with fury, but one big, callused hand caressed Iris' hair with unusual tenderness while he held her. She was, after all, just fifteen.

The four friends brought the girl to their room, so she could tell them what had happened in private.

Brigadier General Caligo Ulldor had occupied Lestallum in search of Noctis and his friends. Somehow, he had identified the refugees coming from Insomnia and could handpick the former staff of the Palace, holding them for interrogation.

"None of us said a word about Noct," she sobbed. "They just showed up and then… poor Jared."

"What do you mean? What happened-?" Gladio managed to ask.

"There was nothing we could do!"

At that moment someone opened the door. It was young Talcott, who tried to speak, but burst in tears instead. It was a sight that broke Noctis' heart.

"It's… not right," the prince said, kneeling to be at the boy's height. "We should've been here."

"I… I couldn't stop them," the child moaned.

"But I won't let the empire get away with it. They'll pay for what they've done. I promise."

"I…" Talcott stammered, summoning some courage. "I believe in you, Prince Noctis."

Wiping away his tears, the kid went back to his room. Suddenly the air in the suite was suffocating.

"I'm taking Talcott. And we're going to Caem. We can't just stay here and do nothing," said Iris bravely, but in the end, she broke down in tears again.

Gladio accompanied his sister to her room and didn't come back until much later. To Prompto's question about how she was holding up, the Shield clenched his fists, but only nodded and said:

"She'll be all right, she's a big girl."

That night Noctis had many nightmares. He dreamed of falling down an abyss, of having to fight for his life against endless hordes of MTs… of losing his powers when he most needed them just before waking up with a jolt. He spent the rest of the night at the balcony, lost in thought.

The next morning he learned that none of his friends had slept well either. Gladio had been the busiest one with the preparations of what they would do next.

"I can't let Iris go alone after everything that went down," he told Noctis. "It'll be a squeeze in the car, but just for a while."

Cid and his granddaughter were already fixing the boat at Caem, Gladio said. Time was on the essence, and Noctis knew it better than anyone. That very morning they left for Cape Caem with Iris

Dustin and Monica had taken Talcott with them in the small hours of the night, to prepare everything for their arrival. That had been the official excuse; the truth was that neither Crownsguards could stand the sight of the young, sleepless boy wandering the halls of the hotel like a lost soul anymore, so they took him far away as soon as possible.

"Good morning," Iris greeted them, a bit of her old self returning. "Who's ready to kick some ass?"

That day was a splendid one, not very different from the day they started their journey. The breeze was fresh and comforting, and it helped them forget their worries.

"Looking at the Regalia really reminds me of home," Iris said as she watched the mountains pass by.

"It sure doesn't look like any of the cars you see around here," Prompto commented.

"And it's a lot roomier, too!" she observed, looking at how she fit between Noctis and her big brother. "I can't imagine trying to cram five people, including Gladdy, into one of those things. Have you ever ridden in one?"

"Can't say we have," Noctis confessed.

"There was barely enough room for our luggage! Thank goodness you guys could give me a lift."

"Think the others made it to Caem alright?" Gladio mused.

"I suppose we'll find out when we get there," Ignis sighed.

The road stretched before them with not another car in sight. The next settlement they would find down the road would be Old Lestallum, which over the years had been reduced, from village, to a mere resting area as soon as all the inhabitants moved near the power plant.

Old Lestallum they saw another giant airship flying by when they drove near Old Lestallum. The empire had seemingly occupied an old base, Fort Vaullerey, just south of the small village. Eliminating it would deliver a hard blow to their enemies.

They left Iris at Old Lestallum's motel and then drove to the fort.

"You sure she'll be all right?" Noctis asked.

"She's all grown up," said Gladio, not without pride. "She can take care of herself."

The plan Ignis had devised was simple in theory: to capture the base commander and hold him in questioning.

"Targeting metal men will yield little in the way or reconnaissance," he said. "But bones bend easily."

Prompto shuddered at how Ignis said those last words while adjusting his gloves.

They quickly organized their assault once night came. Prompto and Gladio would be the distraction, while Ignis and Noctis would carry out the attack.

Given that each fort had similar security measures and layout, finding a way in wasn't too difficult for the two of them. Under the cover of the night they could spot the base commander. He was too easy to identify: a middle aged man clad in a shiny imperial armor stomped angrily his way down to his quarters, flanked by two MTs. He was ranting, even though he knew full well that his escort wouldn't answer. In truth, Brigadier General Caligo Ulldor thought MTs were the best soldiers: They were silent, efficient and never raised an objection when a sacrifice was demanded from them.

For it was no other than Jared's murderer who walked past them. Noctis felt a restraining hand on his shoulder when his retainer recognized the man; Ignis himself squeezed the prince's shoulder maybe a bit too hard. Information was precious and came in small quantities, even under duress, let the man pour it all over the place and save them time, the retainer whispered.

And so the two followed that odious man's voice deep into the base, dodging lights and killing any soldier about to discover them.

"The insolence of that up-jumped mercenary," the man ranted as he walked. "And there is still no word. This cannot be borne. Such behavior besmirches His Radiance's good name. What's that chancellor playing at? I'm no man's fool. He sent Highwind to watch me. It's no coincidence she and I meet wherever I go. Claims to trust her as a person. Hollow words from the mind behind the magitek movement. I might have acted in haste with that impudent steward back in Lestallum, but my mission remains clear. And I'll be damned if that mercenary gets her grubby hands on the prince before Caligo Ulldor. I'll give Highwind one last chance to respond."

At long last he walked past a laser security door.

"Stand guard here," he finally ordered the soldiers. "If the commodore arrives, send her through."

Noctis warped beyond that door before Caligo could close it. There was almost no security now. Knocking him unconscious was no problem. A warp movement and the man lay flat on the ground.

An explosion shook the ground and a flash of reddish light came from the base of the magitek generator. Ignis escorted Caligo out of the base while Noctis would regroup with the others and cover the abduction.

It was time to get loose.

With the generator destroyed getting rid of security was an easy. Just as they were cleaning the last remnants, Ignis appeared.

"Glad to see you lot were successful," he said, almost out of breath.

"Does that mean you weren't?"

"I placed our captive into the Hunter's custody," he made a grimace. "But I've just been informed he's fled. He lives to die another day."

"And I'll gladly help him with that," Noctis declared grimly. "Let's go of here."

Still with the bitterness at the back of his mouth, Noctis led them back to the entrance. They didn't notice the remaining soldier keeping an eye on their every movement.

Aranea had been sent by Ardyn, as Caligo suspected, to keep track of him. It takes a snake to know a snake, thus the chancellor never trusted neither the Brigadier General's achievements, nor his bootlicking attitude. Nevertheless, Chancellor Izunia still thought Ulldor useful for his plans. The commodore, however, was a free spirit and, though she was ready to follow orders as long as she was paid, she would do so in her own way. She had been a privileged witness to Noctis and his friend's deeds inside the fort. Also to Caligo's rant, and that was why she didn't move a finger and just let the play unfold. She was most curious to see to which extents these four men would go.

But now that Caligo had slithered his way out of the Hunters' grasp, the fun was spoiled, and she was still curious about these men.

Noctis raised his sword just in time to block the incoming attack falling from the sky.

She rebounded, falling to the ground and jumping again. This time she had a split second to smirk at the prince and taunt him.

"Hey, pretty boy," she purred, narrowing her bright, green eyes with delight.

She jumped away just in time to dodge an attack from Gladio.

"Let's see what you can do!" she challenged them, twirling her lance and adopting a fighting pose.

Gladio grunted in frustration at the strange woman. She was quick and dangerous as a serpent, heir to the almost forgotten art of the dragoons. They all noticed with alarm that she was just playing with them, wearing them until they could no longer fight. It had been a long night and, ravenous as they might be for vengeance, they were tiring, and slowing down.

She seemed to take almost no damage, even if their attacks did hit her. That woman was a hardened mercenary-turned-soldier, she had seen and felt much more than what these boys had to offer her.

She dodged a slash from Gladio's sword and she jumped to a giant pipe over their heads.

"Aw, is it that time already?" she purred from above.

"What time?" Noctis asked in bewilderment.

"Quittin' time," she said, swinging her lance around and tucking it at her back. "Sorry, but this girl doesn't work after hours. I could, but there wouldn't be a single gil in it for me. We should play again sometime, pretty boy."

She jumped away, a dark bolt against the starry night, and was gone for good.

"Who the hell was she?" was the only thing Noctis could utter.

Still disconcerted, they made their way to the Regalia. It was intact, thank the Six, and they drove back to Old Lestallum.

Iris waited for them at the Motel's entrance, spying the road despite the late hours of the night. The owners had advised her not to wander away and out of the artificial lights, and she had been provided at some point with a mug of hot broth, courtesy of the restaurant's cook. Though as her brother claimed her to be, she was still fifteen, and still a child before many eyes.

She flailed her arms and jumped up and down when she saw the lights of the Regalia. She could recognize a car from Insomnia with her eyes closed, and the Regalia was especially outstanding.

"You're back!" she shouted in delight. "Did you kick their asses?"

"Oh, yeah," Noctis puffed out his chest.

"All in a day's work," her brother boasted.

They all hung out at the boys' room before going to bed. They filled her in with what had happened at the fort, and she told them about all the rumors she had heard while she idled at the service area.

The next day they continued their travel. When they passed by the tall, concrete walls of the now deserted fort, they all smiled, and Gladio had to suppress the urge to give it the middle finger. He was the big bro, after all, and he had to set a good example for his sister.

"I coulda gone another round," he grumbled instead.

"Given her prowess," Ignis pointed out, knowing full well whom he was referring to. "You should be glad you didn't."

"Yeah," Prompto said. "That Loqi guy was nothing compared to her."

"Though we may not have fared so well without the marshal."

"Think things would've gone differently if he were here now?"

"She offered to play again," Gladio reminded them. "Maybe we'll get the chance to find out."

The travel continued without a hitch, stopping just enough times to make camp, and for Iris to notice a pattern.

"So, you're the one doing all the cooking?" she asked Ignis once they drove by the cliffs near Cape Caem.

"More or less."

"Gladdy, don't you help?" her tone threatened with an impending lecture.

Her older brother started grunting something, but clammed up at that very second. He knew that tone by heart, and also that it was better to not utter a single word.

"Noct?" the same tone.

"Eh, on occasion," the prince stuttered.

"What occasion?" Ignis inquired.

"I do my part!" Prompto piped up cheerfully. "I always set the table."

"That's some arrangement you guys have here."

Aside from that minor hiccup, the way to Cape Caem was uneventful enough. The lighthouse came into sight after they emerged form a tunnel, like a lonely guardian peering over the cliff. People were already there, working into reclaiming the old buildings, and even Cid and Cindy's truck could be seen parked near the road.

The way to the shelter was dotted with remains of stone steps, now eroded by weather and time, and half hidden among the tall grass. There was a small house there, and at its door Talcott flailed his arms in salute. However, it was Cindy the one waiting for the group at the foot of those steps.

"Knew it was y'all!" she saluted them. "Recognize the purr of that engine anywhere!"

"How's the boat?"

"Paw-paw's tinkerin' away. Reckon he'll be tinkerin' for some time," she signaled them to follow her to the lighthouse.

"Trouble at sea?" Ignis inquired.

"Seen her share, by the looks of her. Some parts we can fix, others need replacin'. Paw-paw's down at the dock. Now, if y'all'd excuse me, I'm gonna grad my tools and skedaddle. Got a garage to look after."

Instead of walking them all the way to the top of the cliff, she bid them farewell at the door of the small house. Noctis noticed that Prompto remained behind, and stifled a smile when he noticed how the blond gunslinger let out a long sigh as he saw Cindy walking down the hill. He was half in the mood to tease him, but then he noticed Prompto's heartbroken expression, so he just patted his back.

"Prince Noctis!" Talcott was calling. "Hey! Our house is over here!"

Monica and Dustin had put some order inside the aforementioned house, with the help of a very energetic Talcott. The door opened to a dining room, which could be used as a briefing room given the chance. Beyond the counter was the small kitchen with all the necessary utensils and, following up the steps, the different bedrooms, one of which was already prepared for the travelers.

The Crownsguards welcomed them with a smile. The two colleagues had made sure that the almost derelict house could be transformed in something resembling a home, and they made sure that young Talcott had enough tasks to keep his mind occupied. It was said that many a male Crownsguard was secretly envious of Dustin, who got to spend many hours in the company of Monica, famous for her homely, warm demeanor outside the battlefield.

Be as it might, the refuge was set, and the needs of the travelers tended to.

The ship's repairing was another question. A special and rare ore was needed: mythril. Talcott had salvaged his grandfather's diary like, and held it like a treasure. In that small pocketbook the old man had written down all the old legends which came to his knowledge. It was in that notebook that Talcott found out a possible location for the ore: North of the waterfall where they had discovered the royal tomb, tracing its source one could find a lake, the Vesperpool, and at its shore, ancient ruins where the precious ore had been stored a long time ago.

Monica had sent the Hunters to scout the region, and they had informed her that the road leading there was under imperial lockdown.

Visiting the lighthouse, they discovered that there was a lift leading to the top of the structure, and to the cliff below, where a secret harbor had been carved in the stone.

Cid was in the secret harbor, his work stopped until they could gather the ore. The boat was splendid, even without finishing, and it looked like a pleasure ship.

"Old girl's sturdy enough," Cid told them as he lovingly caressed the hull. "Not even an awful driver like Reggie could sink her."

When they were preparing at the house for the travel, Gladio took Noctis aside.

"Gonna have to ask you to handle this boat business without me," he said.

"Say what?"

"Got some business of my own to deal with."

That was Gladio, never saying more than necessary. But there was one thing that Noctis knew, that his Shield would never leave him alone without a very good reason. He only had to trust him.

"Do your thing. Not like we could stop you anyway."

"You know me too well," Gladio smiled.

Noctis' Shield packed his own things and rations, saying that he would travel light. He said goodbye to the memorial they had erected for Jared by the sea, kissed his sister goodbye, and hitched a ride north with one of the merchants who visited the zone, not without first asking his friends for no phone calls while he was away.

Altissia.

Lunafreya stood by the window, looking at the street. Altissia was a bustling city, living mainly from tourism and commerce. Even though the country of Accordo was a protectorate of the empire, they enjoyed a relative independence, and the imperial banners were nowhere to be seen.

There had been a minor setback when she and Gentiana arrived at the city and asked for an audience with the First Secretary. The guards didn't believe her words until Gentiana made a subtle, yet convincing, display of magic. Recognizing the Messenger, the guards rushed the two women inside, but it wasn't until much later that the First Secretary saw them.

Luna understood the fears of the old woman: Leviathan, Altissia's guardian deity, slept under the waters of the bay. She was known for her wild and unforgiving nature, and seeking to forge a covenant would mean the total destruction of the city. It was a possibility the Oracle wanted to avoid at all costs.

There was also the problem of how the Secretary would handle the news that the Oracle had survived and was in Altissia. The woman wanted to keep Luna's whereabouts secret as long as she could, for announcing her being alive and well would make the empire swarm her city and maybe place it on lockdown.

Luna knew she was a problem, no matter how one looked at it, but she had a mission, and she had to see it fulfilled.

Such had been her life: A constant menace for some, a beacon of hope for others. Her hand nursed her right wrist absentmindedly, as her mind tried to suppress those terrible first days of the imperial occupation. The abuse which that horrible man, Caligo Ulldor, inflicted on her; it wasn't until she learned to hide form him and Gentiana gave the man a warning in the form of a spell, that he ceased his hunt for the young princess.

Then it came the days on which she was confined for her training. Luna could but watch the days unfolding behind a window, with her books and her Messengers as only companions. Ravus grew more distant by the day, and it came a point when she could barely recognize her brother. She pursed her lips, remembering how she didn't cry that fateful night at Insomnia, when Nyx dragged her outside the palace and mentioned Ravus so carelessly.

Luna kept repeating to herself that they had more pressing matters at the time, and that she would have time to mourn later. However, she remembered with a pang of shame how she wept for King Regis while Nyx drove them on a desperate flight towards Insomnia's gates. She even cried for Nyx in the days following Insomnia's fall, when she described all that happened to Gentiana.

Now Ravus would come to the city and she would see him again. She was ready for his icy cold stare and his unfeeling words. She had grown used to them after seeing how hatred and despair had taken root on her brother's heart, consuming him like the Scourge.

A child in the street waved merrily to someone she couldn't see and ran towards that person. People lived happily there. According to the palace's staff, her wedding dress was on display at the designer's atelier, and people brought sylleblossom flowers as tribute. It was better that way.

Lunafreya still remembered the first day the dress arrived at the Manor. She wouldn't stop gazing at it, caressing the soft silks, feeling butterflies in her stomach as she wondered how Noctis would react when he finally saw her, and how he would look at the wedding, dressed in the full dress uniform of Lucian royalty.

Her insecurities had taken over that day, but Gentiana assured her that king Regis and his son found solace in Tenebrae, not because of the Oracle, but because of Luna, who truly helped Noctis with his healing.

She had blushed then, smiling timidly.

"I have little to offer a king," she said with modesty. "Other than the voice afforded the Oracle. Nevertheless," she added, her pale cheeks reddening deeper as she looked at the wedding gown. "And… I'm afraid he might find this foolish. But… to be together with Noctis, again, even if only for a short while. It… would mean the world to me."

But soon her enthusiasm gave way to weariness, once the reality of what was to come settled in. She began to hate the dress, sitting at her room for days on end, tormenting her with its existence, a constant reminder of what would never be. A fitting. Another fitting. Her maids fawning over her. The finishing touch of the veil, or a crown of sylleblossoms, perhaps? It didn't matter; she had to stand in front of the mirror and smile, letting the maids blame the bride-to-be's nervousness for the Princess' tears running down her cheeks. Or maybe it was tiredness, after spending the entire day healing an endless line of people coming from all around the world.

Now the dress was for everyone to see. It would have been a pity to condemn it to the darkness or a closet, and so the designer decided that her efforts would not go to waste. Luna had heard the gown brought many visitors to the atelier, and that people marveled at it. How ironic, that a wedding dress brought joy to everyone but the bride.

She turned away from the window when she heard the sound of Umbra's paws. The leather book was intact and, inside, the firm handwriting of Noctis.

"I received the blessing. Thank you Luna."

She touched the page as if she was caressing Noctis' hand, as she had done so many times when the young prince was at her home, and she had to ease his night terrors.

Smiling, she closed the book without writing a single word. It was yet too soon for that message.