Day 47:
Altissia was no different from the last time she had visited, some few years ago. The city was alive in its own right, made up of a hundred thousand souls all living together in relative harmony. None took notice of her. While Insomnia was recovering from war and Niflheim was crumbling into it, Accordo had made its way through the conflict very much untouched. Unless Luna was very much mistaken, that was precisely how the First Secretary wished to keep it.
A door opened and a servant in Accordo colors appeared. "Lady Oracle? The First Secretary will see you now."
She stood and smoothed her hands over her dress. The servant led the way from the waiting chamber down the hall to the First Secretary's office. He knocked once and, at a word from within, opened the door and waved Luna in. She passed him, giving a small nod of thanks and a smile.
The First Secretary stood with her back to the door, looking out the window behind her desk. She gave no indication of noticing Luna at all, even as Luna came to stand before her desk and the door shut behind her.
She waited, hands clasped in front of her, words running on repeat in her mind. A month ago, if she had stood before the First Secretary of Accordo to ask for Altissia's cooperation in summoning the Hydraean, she would have been assured in her path. Summoning the Astrals to form a covenant with the Chosen King was predestined. It was written. It was required of her. Summoning the Astrals to beseech them to leave Eos once and for all was not.
But the Oracle spoke to the gods for the people. And the people had spoken; they wanted the Astrals gone. She was doing her duty, albeit in a different form. She still served the light. She still fought for the lives of every person on Eos and protected them from the Starscourge. That much had not changed.
"Lady Lunafreya." Camelia Claustra spoke without turning away from the window. "I had expected you in Altissia a month ago in preparation for your wedding."
The uncomfortable knot that had been sitting in Luna's stomach since she had parted with Noctis that morning tightened.
"Yes, First Secretary. I fear events in Insomnia detained me and delayed the wedding," Luna said.
"So I see. Are you still planning to continue with the wedding?" The First Secretary turned and faced her. Luna almost wished she hadn't. Camelia Claustra had a piercing gaze. She felt as if she were being measured and would be found short.
Her question made Luna hesitate. Was the wedding still happening? Judging by her last interaction with Noctis, no. Not at any point in the foreseeable future. Perhaps not ever beyond that, either.
The First Secretary didn't miss her hesitation. "I know all about what occurred in Lucis. King Regis' line of information flows both ways. Niflheim has fallen. Accordo is an independent nation once more, no longer beholden to an outside force. And so, I suspect, is Tenebrae. Your marriage was offered as an olive branch from an empire that no longer exists. Without the treaty, you have no obligation to marry."
She said it as if marriage was a bad thing. Something to be forced on people for political gain and otherwise to be avoided at all costs.
"But I have been hearing disturbing news regarding the Astrals. The Draconian in particular."
"That is the purpose of my visit, First Secretary," Luna said. Here she was on firmer ground. Not solid, but less uncertain than the subject of her relationship with Noctis.
"Indeed," the First Secretary said, with the same level and unimpressed tone she had spoken with thus far. "What else would bring the Oracle to Accordo, except the resting place of the Hydraean?"
"I have come to ask for your cooperation in summoning the Hydraean."
Strictly speaking, it was well within Luna's right to hold the summoning regardless of what the Altissians thought of it. Most people would do little to oppose the Oracle in her calling. The only people on Eos who might have were now a disorganized political mess in what had once been called Niflheim.
"And precisely what sort of cooperation do you require?" The First Secretary asked.
Luna hesitated. So far as she could guess, Leviathan wasn't likely to harm any of Altissia's citizens. Asking for cooperation was more a formality, which sounded much more polite than simply appearing in Altissia and informing Accordo's ruler that she was going to summon the Hydraean, whether they wished it or not.
"It may be best to keep people some distance from the shrine. I do not expect any harm to come to your people or your city, but as a mere precautionary measure. It is possible that Leviathan's awakening will cause waves large enough to wash over the edge of the city," Luna said.
"I see," said the First Secretary, "And how much time will you grant me to make arrangements for my people?"
Her words were polite, but her tone suggested she believed Luna was rather overstepping her bounds.
"I had hoped to hold the summoning as soon as possible, First Secretary, but I have no real deadline. Would three days be suitable?"
It was impossible to tell anything from looking at Camelia Claustra's face.
"Three days will be sufficient," she said blandly. "I trust you have somewhere to stay until then?"
"I'm sure I'll make do, First Secretary."
"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have arrangements to make for this summoning. Return in three days and someone will see that you make it to the shrine safely."
"Thank you, First Secretary." Luna bowed and turned toward the door. The servant who had let her in was already waiting to show her out.
It was all done with the utmost efficiency. In a few moments, Lunafreya was standing on the street in front of the First Secretary's estate, looking up at the buildings that crowded around. In this place she felt utterly alone. She hadn't felt so apart from the world since the day her mother had died. She had no kingdom, no calling, no Chosen King to guide or walk alongside. She had no notion where this path would take her or if it was the right one to walk. But she meant to walk it all the same. If she succeeded, in a few weeks there would be no Oracle on Eos anymore. A world without gods does not need someone who speaks to them.
Someone stepped in front of her. "Well? I assume we will have no trouble here?"
"Ravus!" She said.
Through everything, Ravus had been there. When she—as a child—had struggled to understand her destiny, when Tenebrae had fallen, when their mother had died, when Niflheim had taken control of their lives, when Insomnia had somehow emerged triumphant, he had been there. No matter how they disagreed, no matter how harsh he was with her, he was always there. And this was no different. When she stepped off the trodden path into the unknown, he followed. However much he wished to be following another princess instead.
She took one step forward and wrapped her arms around him. He made a sound like he wanted to object, but stopped himself. He didn't even push her off or try to move away. But it was a while before he hugged her back. How long had it been since they had even hugged? Just hugged? Twelve years, nearly. When he had left to join the imperial army, that was the last she had seen of her brother—the one she had grown up with. Sometimes she thought the man who had come home after wasn't him at all. But right now he was her only friend in the world.
Ravus patted her back awkwardly.
"I'm so sorry." Luna stepped back and swiped at her cheeks, hoping he wouldn't see the foolish tears before she could wipe them away. "How did you get here so quickly?"
"I flew," he said, as if this were obvious. When she continued to stare at him, he added, "In case you have forgotten, I came via Niflheim. Their army may be gone, but some ships remain."
"I see," Luna said, and all at once it didn't matter how he had gotten there. Only that he was. "I'm happy to see you again. I feel so completely adrift out here… We don't have a home to return to anymore. We don't know what we're doing or where we're going."
"Home isn't a place," Ravus said. "It's wherever the people you love are."
"Ravus…" She stopped trying to dry her tears, stopped thinking about them altogether. Had he really said that? It didn't sound at all like something Ravus would say.
No. It did sound like something Ravus would say. But it didn't sound like something Imperial Commander Nox Fleuret would have said.
He looked pointedly away from her and crossed his arms like he was embarrassed at having been caught without a mask on. Was it a mask? Had it always been a mask?
She reached out to touch his arm. "Then I'm glad my home came with me to Altissia. I was starting to feel a little homesick."
He stared at her. Looking for some lie in her words, probably. He could look all he liked; he was never going to find one.
"If you thought I'd let my little sister fight an Astral alone, you've lost more than your destiny," he said.
"I'm not going to fight the Hydraean. I'm just going to talk to her."
"And convince her to leave Eos peacefully," he said dryly. "Don't be asinine. The Astrals are like the imperials. Once they have their claws in a place they'll never let it go. Not until we tear their hands off."
The Commander and Ravus. One person after all. For so long she had only seen the one; it was nice to have even a glimpse of the other after all these years.
"Well I must try. Surely you understand that."
He studied her. The silence stretched, eating up the city sounds around them.
"Yes," he said. "I understand that you must."
What was that inflection for?
"Somehow you walked through the same world I did and still came out pure and untainted." His tone was torn between mocking and affectionate. "Naive. My sweet baby sister."
"I suppose I always believed in the good in the world," she said. "In spite of everything."
"And now you know it was all a lie."
"Yes."
"And still you believe this can come to a peaceful resolution." He was almost smiling.
"Of course I do. I must. Don't you see that?"
"All I see is the same revelation brought on two princesses. You have emerged shining, if uncertain. And Reina is black as night, but confident in her path. In your place she would simply hunt them down and kill them one by one. But even that is beneath her notice."
Reina. A name polarizing in its existence. But Ravus admired her. More than admired her. And Noctis loved her while Luna could only fear her. There was something unsettling about the woman who had grown from the once endearingly reserved child.
"You like her," Luna said. More an observation than an accusation.
"She is strong. Unafraid of doing what must be done."
"I see… and… does she feel the same for you?" Luna asked.
He looked sharply at her. She stood her ground; perhaps he thought he was being subtle. If so, he had a great deal to learn about people.
"She has not said." He turned away and began walking down the street, leaving Luna to catch up with him. She had to jog just to keep up with his ground-eating pace.
That was the end of all conversation for some time; it felt like the most she had spoken to her brother in years. The most she had seen of him in at least twelve. She gathered up all the bits and pieces he had given her and tucked them away. She wouldn't speak of Reina again. Not unless he did so first. It was clear he had a great deal of sorting to do on his own.
But one thing was certain. They were siblings, orphaned and awash in a cold world full of lies and deceit. And they both had only each other, though their hearts pined for others.