After what felt like forever to the young prince, the day had arrived. He had spent the entire day the day before packing and repacking his bag. This camping trip was going to be two nights and three days. Noct consulted the smartest person he knew, Ignis, but still was not sure what he would need. A couple changes of clothing and some good hiking shoes were the recommendation in the book he had read previously but most descriptions of the activity were vague at best.
Ignis, even though he was the smartest person Noct knew, had never been camping himself so he did not know what else the prince might need. The two spent the better part of the morning study session brainstorming but did not have the first clue. Finally deciding enough was enough, Ignis called Gladio while the prince was preparing his studies for his absence.
Gladio told Ignis that he would be providing the tent so the prince would need a sleeping bag. Also a light of some sort would not go amiss. He also told Ignis something that had Noct smiling when Ignis repeated it to him. There would be a small lake nearby the campsite so they would be fishing for their meals.
One thing that Noct never got to do that he loved was fishing. He had gear but could never find the time or a safe location for his favorite activity. Now he finds out it would be a requirement for the trip. This would make it better. He wondered what kind of fish there would be as he picked out the different lures and lines and put them in a tacklebox meant for them.
He could not do a lot with his powers yet but he could transport some things in storage. His father was not the biggest fan of him using the "power of the kings" for mundane tasks like this but Noct figured it was sorta training. He would not want to put weapons in there first, who knows what could happen. With conscious cleared and instructions sent with what to get with a servant, Noct went to lunch and then afternoon lessons.
One of the conditions of him going on the camping trip was he would not fall behind in his studies. Noct did try his hardest to stay focused but the third time he spaced out, the teacher figured not much would be getting done. The lesson was recap anyway because the instructor figured something like this would happen.
It was definitely difficult to have an excited child focus on one thing, especially schooling when fun was to be had. From what most of the staff at the palace had found out was that these kind of trips just did not happen. The only reason the prince would be going anywhere was because his shield in training would be hosting the trip.
It took a lot of convincing for the king and current shield to agree to the prince leaving the palace, let alone the city. Gladio told Noct more of the truth than his parent. He did not exactly lie to the king per say. He just painted the expedition as a training exercise instead.
If Gladio was to become the shield for his prince, they would both need several outings out of the palace with no danger just for practice. How else would they be able to make rules for when the prince was older. He could not stay in the palace his whole life and this would be good for him. Also with Iris present, the young prince could socialize with someone his own age instead of being isolated with adults.
Gladio also assured the guard that the less presence they showed, the better. So it would be just the three of them on this trip. Of course, the king and guard did know the exact location the three of them were going and Gladio promised the prince would call in every night. They would not be going far. Just to a nearby thicket. With it's proximity to the city, the lights kept the daemons away even at night, so no danger there.
So everything was decided by the time lunch and afternoon lessons were over for the prince. Understanding they would get nowhere for the day, the instructor released his young charge early to finish packing. The cleaning staff that was sent on the errand came back with a black, thick sleeping back.
Ignis also presented the prince with something he was not expecting, a knife. It was not very large, barely length of his longest finger and about an inch wide. He said it was just in case Noct needed it. Ignis showed his the sheath and how to fasten it to his lower leg and cover it with his boot. No one would know it was there.
So the final checklist was as follows: his clothes and new hiking boots, his fishing supplies, his new sleeping bag and knife, and last but not least a map of the surrounds and some snacks. Even though Ignis had never been camping, one thing he did know how to do was read a map. They spent the remainder of the evening going over the maps of the immediate areas around the campsite. Ignis was a great teacher and gave a crash course on map reading in general. The prince was a wonderful student when he was not distracted and drank in the lesson.
That night Noct was not sure how they expected him to sleep with the excitement. He had been mostly professional all day for the people watching but could not help giggling to himself as he lay in bed when he was alone. Just imagining all the knew things he would get to do was exciting for the young boy. That night he went to sleep and dreamed of vague days filled with fishing and fun. Tomorrow was the day.