It was several moments Regis knelt there on the hard stone as his retinue began shifting and stretching, testing the strength of the limbs that Ardyn had healed. The space where Ardyn had lain was all but empty. A fine layer of dust lay on the ground, soon to be carried away on the wind.
The ubiquitous murmurs in the back of his mind—the presence of a hundred and twelve other souls, which had followed him for nearly twenty years—were gone. A hairline crack ran through the small jewel inlaid on the Ring of the Lucii. It was nothing but an heirloom now.
"How far does this devastation stretch?" Clarus asked—a question not directed at Regis.
"I fear the ocean makes that difficult to discern," Weskham said.
"I can make out the coast from here," Cor said. "Hard to tell without elevation, but it looks like the quay is still there."
"'Spect it would've turned to dust if this light had gone much farther," Cid said.
At last Regis pulled his eyes from the spot where Ardyn had fallen and rose to his feet to look around the island that had once been Angelgard. Devastation was indeed the only word for it. A few heaps of colorless sand were the only remains of the rocky fingers that had once cradled the island. He came to stand beside Clarus at the edge of the island. A white sandy beach with calm waters beyond. Even the remains of shattered ships were gone. Turned to dust. If this was the only collateral damage to come of Bahamut's attempted cleanse, it could have been worse. Now they had a royal beach.
"This is going to be a hell of a story for the press," Weskham said.
Regis groaned. "Then I leave it in your capable hands."
"It occurs to me," Clarus said, "That we have no way back."
Silence followed his words. Truly, they hadn't planned so far ahead. Perhaps the part of his mind in charge of plans hadn't believed there would be a return journey. Or perhaps the task of destroying the last Astral and eradicating the Starscourge had seemed so insurmountable from the other side that he hadn't even been able to consider events past it.
"Well, in the absence of the Astrals, the waters seem calm enough. It should be simple business to send a boat to retrieve us," Regis said. "Now please tell me someone brought a phone."
Someone had. And two hours later they were lounging on a beach—shoes kicked off and sleeves rolled up—waving in Regis' own boat like shipwrecked survivors. As it drew closer, they began to make out a few of the myriad faces crowding the rail near the bow, waving back.
There was Crea—his heart leapt to see her and as soon as he had, he yearned to have her in his arms once more—dressed more as a nanny than a queen. She had never looked lovelier.
Beside her were Reina and Noctis, both leaning over the railing and waving with both hands.
Gladio and Iris were both present. As was Fidelia—a fact that had Clarus looking for cover on the island. There was none to be found.
"Farewell, old friend," Regis patted his shoulder. "It has been nice knowing you."
"Can I keep your sword, Clarus?" Weskham asked. "It would make a nice addition to my wall."
"You may do whatever you like with it. So long as you don't let Fidelia skin my corpse. It has been an honor to serve as your Shield, Your Majesty," Clarus said grimly. "Cor, protect the king in my stead after my wife kills me."
Of their number, only Cor seemed blandly unimpressed by their pending rescue. If he was awed that they had killed a god and ended a millennia-old plague, he gave no indication.
Even Cid was standing, misty-eyed, as he caught sight of Cindy on the approaching boat. "Wasn't sure I'd see her again."
The last of the boat passengers—at least those gathered at the rail and visible from the beach—were the Nox Fleurets. All three of them. Though Sylva looked wan and rather more frail than when last he had seen her upright, she was smiling and waving with one hand laid across Lunafreya's shoulders.
The boat reached the sandy shore without so much as a bump. Whatever sharp stones had lain in wait beneath turbulent waters were now as sandy as the island itself. When it halted, ropes were cast and the five of them clambered up with all the alacrity of middle aged men who had just fought a god. Which was to say, none at all.
Regis reached the deck first. No sooner than he had done so than he was grasped by several sets of hands and pulled into three hugs at once. It took a moment to make sense of things. Here was Crea, and here Noctis, and here Reina. He gathered them all up in a single hug and crushed them to his chest as tightly as he could. He hadn't noticed until then just how tired he was.
No words were spoken—though many tears were shed and dried and shed again. No words could have begun to express the deep emotion he felt at seeing them again. Here. On the other side of everything. His joy of returning to his queen without ever having needed to reveal their quiet marriage. The mere thrill of such a secret existing—a silent closeness between them that would be shared with no other for several months yet. The relief of finally having accomplished the impossible, of no longer fearing for the lives of his children at the hands of the gods. The sheer gratitude that his children—despite his every insistence on coddling them to date—had somehow been present and aware precisely when he needed them to be.
The wholeness of at last being reunited with his family. Of having a whole family—for the first time in twelve years.
Not even the chaos unfolding around them could dampen or tarnish any of those sensations. The world seemed over-bright and blurred behind joyful tears. Even Fidelia shouting at and sobbing on Clarus in parts could not touch the perfection of that afternoon.
They spent a relaxed few hours returning to Insomnia once the yelling had died down. The sofas on the upper deck were—if possible—even more comfortable than Regis recalled them being, and made all the more so by Crea laying against his chest and murmuring soft nothings. At length the steel towers of the Crown City rose up on the horizon and drew ever nearer. He would never grow accustomed to seeing it without the Wall above.
But he was looking forward to trying nevertheless.
As they disembarked in the midst of an enthusiastic welcome party, the unfortunate reality of being king returned to him. He paused in the midst of the cameras and looked for someone to pass his duties off to.
"Weskham, the press is your responsibility. Cid—would you be so kind as to retrieve my car from the coast. Clarus… please attend to your marriage before your wife kills me."
Weskham and Cid received their instructions with weary nods. Clarus with a long-suffering smile.
"And me?" Cor asked.
"You're to run through anyone who attempts to follow me upstairs."
"I can do that."
"Please don't actually do that," Regis said. Sometimes with Cor it was important to be literal.
A car was waiting for Regis and his family. Avun pulled the doors opened and Noctis, Reina, and Crea all slid inside.
Regis paused outside the open door. "Just make sure no one bothers me. I intend to have a bath. And a nap."
He glanced into the car, where his family all sat, looking up at him. And he smiled.
"With my wife," he added and ducked into the car.
AN:
Oh. My. God. You Guys.
About three and a half years ago I posted the first chapter of this story. And here we are. At the very end.
If you're reading this, I just want to say thanks for sticking around for all or part of this journey. It's been a wild ride, for you and me both. I hope you've enjoyed watching this little fic grow into something gargantuan (two full-length fics, four stories each, all from the casual thought: "What if Noct had a twin sister you could play instead?" followed by "What if someone had actually taken Reina seriously?"). I've certainly enjoyed your reactions, your comments, your kudos, and your general company :)
Before I started writing ffxv fanfic, I think I had finished a sum total of 2 stories (neither of which were good). Now I take a couple hours every day to sit down and write, and though I'm moving away from fanfic, I'm not likely to ever forget where I came from. It's not an exaggeration to say these fics changed my life. So I hope they managed to touch yours too.
So this is the end. And it's bittersweet for me. On the one hand it's a triumphant finish to an enormous task I never knew I needed to accomplish. On the other hand I won't have this Wednesday update every week anymore. I won't see your little comments and reactions to Regis' crazy journey through fatherhood. But I think, all in all, it's for the best.
If you're following Shattered Dreams, that still has a ways to go, so I'll see you over there every week (or maybe twice a week now). If not, I truly hope you found something worthwhile to connect to in this story. I hope it made you feel things. And I hope you'll keep reading and supporting other fanfic writers like me, who need a sharp turn in their lives and might just get that if someone shows a little interest in the heart and soul they pour into their writing.
And if anyone ever tells you fanfiction is trash, stab them in the eye. And tell them to go fuck themselves.
Thanks for reading.
~ with love, from Leek