Chapter 8

Back in the jungle, Prompto and Gladiolus were walking through, singing. Then Gladiolus saw a giant bug and decided to go after it. Prompto was doing a high note when he realized Gladiolus wasn't with him. He started to go look for his friend.

Gladiolus was sneaking up to the bug. He heard a rustle in the tall weeds behind him. When he didn't see anything, he continued on. When the bug was in his sight, it flew away. Then he saw a lioness crouched in the tall weeds. He screamed and started running. The lioness ran after Gladiolus.

Prompto heard Gladiolus scream. He ran, trying to look for his friend. He found him stuck in a tree trunk.

"Hey, what's going on?" Prompto asked him.

"SHE"S GONNA EAT ME!" Gladiolus screamed.

Prompto looked up and saw the lioness racing towards them.

"Woah!" Prompto started pushing Gladiolus out of the trunk. "Why do I always have to save your AHHHHH!" Prompto screamed when the lioness was closing in on him.

Then out of nowhere, Noctis leaps onto the lioness and they both started fighting. Then the lioness pined Noctis to the ground. That's when he realized who the lioness was.

"Luna?" he said.

Upon hearing her name, she got off and stared confused at the strange lion. "Who are you?" she asks.

"It's me, Noctis." Noctis said.

"Noctis?" Then when she looked him over, she squealed in excitement. They both started talking over each other, happy to see each other in such a long time.

"Hey! What's going on here!" Prompto screamed over them.

"Prompto, this is Lunafreya. She's my best friend!" Noctis said.

"Friend?" Prompto said.

"Yeah. Hey, Gladio! Come over here." Noctis called to him.

Gladiolus got himself unstuck and walked over to them.

"Luna, this is Gladiolus. Gladio, Luna." Noctis said.

"Pleased to make your acquintance!" Gladiolus said.

"The pleasure's all mine." Lunafreya said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Time out! Let me get this straight. You know her. She knows you. But she wants to eat him. And everybody's okay with this? DID I MISS SOMETHING!?" Prompto said.

"Relax, Prompto." Noctis said.

"Wait 'til everyone finds out you've been here all this time! And your mother! What will she think?" Lunafreya said.

"She doesn't have to know. Nobody has to know."

"Of course they do! Everything thinks you're dead."

"They do?" Noctis said, surprised.

"Yes. Ardyn told us about the stampede."

"What else did he tell you?" Noctis asks.

"What else matters? You're alive! And that means... you're the king!"

Noctis is taken aback.

"King? Lady, have you got your lions crossed!" Prompto said.

"The king? Your Majesty, I gravel at your feet." Gladiolus starts kissing Noctis' paw.

"Stop it." Noctis said, moving his paw away.

"It's not gravel, it's grovel. And don't! He's not the king. Are you?" Prompto asks Noctis.

"No." Noctis answers.

"Noctis." Lunafreya said.

"No, I'm not the king. Maybe I was gonna be but that was a long time ago." Noctis said.

"Let me get this straight. You're the king and you never told us?" Prompto asked.

"Look, I'm still the same guy." Noctis said.

"But with power!"

"Could you guys excuse us for a few minutes?" Lunafreya asked.

"Hey, whatever she has to say, she can say it in front of us. Right, Noctis?" Prompto said.

"Maybe you better go." Noctis said.

"It starts. You think you know a guy." Prompto said as he walks away with Gladiolus following.

"Prompto and Gladio, you'll learn to love them." Noctis said. Then he saw the sad look on Lunafreya. "What? What is it?"

"It's like you're back from the dead. You don't know how much this could mean to everyone, what it means to me." Lunafreya said.

"Hey, it's okay." Noctis said.

"I've really missed you." Lunafreya said.

"I've missed you too."

Soon Noctis and Lunafreya start to fall in love. They start to chase each other, play around, and then soon they were both walking through the jungle together.

"Isn't this a great place?" Noctis said.

"It is beautiful. But I don't understand something. You've been alive all this time. Why didn't you come back to Pride Rock?" Lunafreya asks.

"Well, I just needed to get on my own, live my own life. And I did! And it's great!" Noctis said.

"We've really needed you at home."

"No one needs me."

"Yes we do. You're the king."

"Luna, we've been through this. I'm not the king. Ardyn is." Noctis said.

"Noctis, he let the hyenas take over the Pride Lands." Lunafreya told him.

"What?"

"I didn't know how to tell you. Everything's destroyed. There's no food, no water. Noctis, if you don't do something soon, everyone will starve."

"I can't go back."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"What wouldn't I understand?"

"No, no, no, it doesn't matter. Hakuna Matata." Noctis said.

"What?" Lunafreya said in confusion.

"Hakuna Matata. It's what I learned out here. Sometimes bad things happen and there's nothing you can do about it. So why worry?" Noctis turns away from Lunafreya.

"Because it's your responsiblity! Noctis, doesn't the Pride mean anything to you? Doesn't your mother mean anything to you?" Lunafreya said, pressing him.

Noctis turns to her. "What about you? You left."

"I left to find help. And I found you! Don't you understand? You're our only hope."

"Sorry."

"What's happened to you? You're not the Noctis I remember."

"You're right. I'm not. Now are you satisfied?"

"No. Just disappointed."

"You know, you're starting to sound like my father." Noctis said.

"Good. At least one of us does."

"Listen! You think you can just show up and tell me how to live my life? You don't even know what I've been through." Noctis said angrily.

"I would if you just tell me!" Lunafreya said.

"Forget it!" Noctis said as he walks off.

"Fine!" Lunafreya said.