These weren't the memories he'd hoped for.
With his phone in hand, Noctis sat under a dark brown cherry tree, scrolling through various photos and poems in his phone's journal app. So many splendid memories but, ever since Aranea came along, bad days outnumbered the bittersweet crumbs he chased. He closed his eyes and, with a sigh, carelessly dusted stray crumbled leaves off his pants. Today, he'd put on his most princely act, knowing all too well he'd surrender to tears at night. It was all for Gladio, after all. Any pain was worth his happiness, bitter as it made him feel.
He mashed his phone's power button and hoisted himself upright and blinked a few times, adjusting to the blinding light outside the shade. Church bells clanged and echoed throughout the spacious courtyard. A dull reminder that he had little time to compose himself, for the ceremony would begin soon. The song and dance he'd dreaded these past few months.
He took a few steps forward and winced; summer heat pierced the shade and trickled down his skin like a bath in hell. But he had seen nothing more unholy than the brown chapel doors beside him. Sunlight glinted off the large stained glass windows. Tempted as he was, he didn't glance away, cursing under his breath when a stray cloud rolled through to relieve his eyesight from the inky blackness. Summer was ending soon. His time to spend with Gladio dwindled down to a few weeks; however, today might as well have been the last day with him. Their honeymoon would keep him away for those final sweet weeks before he'd be off on his own, with Gladio blissfully ignorant of his plans to live a double life. Or, at least, Noctis hoped that was the case.
Why her, he thought. She doesn't treat you right. The announcement of their wedding two weeks after graduation numbed him of all joy. Despite how happy Gladio looked, Noctis couldn't pin down why he chose Aranea. She ignored Gladio's texts all day and constantly would show up hours late for their dates. Unfortunately, Noctis sat on the receiving end of Gladio's rants about it all damn day. Scents of whiskey under Gladio's breath and late-night sobered sobs behind paper-thin walls hung fresh in his memory.
Why? He asked aimlessly again, swallowing down bile.
Though, with the cars filling the lot and everyone heading inside, little time for questions remained. He contemplated not going inside at all, but Gladio'd just charge outside and blast his ear off - there was no winning with him.
He trudged toward the entrance and opened the chapel doors, relishing in the overhead AC's arctic blasts. Rows of freshly lit candles flickered and danced in the glass menorahs set aside. In the corner sat a golden podium with a thin purple guest book sprawled open to its first page. Ignoring every sense to tear the pages apart, he took the nearby pen and left a note with no signature.
"Congrats."
Trembling at the last letter, he smeared it halfway down the rest of the page. He scowled and tossed the pen back into place. Intrusive reminders of the upcoming ceremony flourished through his mind. How could he avoid them? From the wooden framed photos of Gladio and Aranea swooning, heartwarming hymns blaring on the piano, and the different family members sharing jubilant conversations, Noctis' space to have a blank slate dwindled to the restrooms. Even that wasn't a guaranteed quiet haven. Inevitably, someone would mention how excited they were for the bride and groom.
"I'm so happy for them!" Chimed a young woman behind him. She was dressed in an all-white culotte dress; Aranea's potential freak out over a broken tradition almost gave Noctis a reason to smile genuinely. She must not have gotten the memo, how convenient. Her smile was almost contagious; Noctis forced a smile so crooked could've been walking upside down.
"Yeah, me… too!" Noctis replied through gritted teeth, swearing his teeth would shatter.
"Heh.. good. Can't wait for everything to start. Now, excuse me." The woman cringed and shuffled away.
He shook his head and carefully snuck into the worship room; the door opened without a creek, Noctis silently nodded his thanks to the Astrals. Seas of unfamiliar faces filled the first couple of rows. Gladio stood at the end of the room near the altar, his giddy smile, however, was infectious. Noctis warmed up right away, but shook his head out of the trace, forcing himself into the most vacant area he could find. A row towards the back with only two children - perfect. Undoubtedly, two children wouldn't chatter about the wedding. Noctis remembered how boring they were when he was younger.
"Mom said they're in love or something icky," a young boy said.
"Gross," a blonde-haired girl, presumably his sister, replied.
Astrals why. Noctis thought, resisting the urge to groan. Even children chattered about the newlyweds.
"Yeah I don't care, I'd rather play with Rex." The boy rolled his eyes and slumped into the seat; he may as well have been liquid. "I hope his wings get better soon... I wanna fly to the moon with him!"
"He's such a silly bird!" The girl laughed.
They continued back and forth talking about their bird and other toys, but Noctis couldn't admire their ability to zone out from their surroundings, talking about a Chocobo of all things. He'd give anything to shut his mind away completely, but it wasn't as easy as changing a channel for him. He had to focus.
Despite his best efforts, everything proved futile as murmurs spewed throughout the room. Still, Noctis kept his head down, not wanting his breath to get mixed in with their drones, pretending he wasn't a part of the huge celebration - anything to ease the pain.
"Noct!" Gladio said.
Shit. Not now.
Gladio motioned his finger towards himself. Reluctantly, Noctis obeyed. He closed his eyes as he stood up. Heat pricked against the corners of his forehead as he walked closer to Gladio.
"Noct, sit closer!" Gladio said. "Do you have any idea how important this day is to me? It's the most important of my life. I want you to be part of it with me!"
Noctis swallowed the catalog of childish replies he had readied. Those words were all too familiar. He was Gladio's most important day of his life at one point, too.
Do you have any idea how important this is? This is the biggest day of my life. I'm your shield now, protector of our future king! Familiar past words came back once again to bite him, hurt him - no - dishevel him.
He blinked twice and breathed in; tears threatened to come as his vision blurred. Despite having a gentleness he wouldn't trade for anything, Gladio hit him where other people couldn't dare hurt him, sometimes.
"Yeah, sorry, Gladio..." Noctis said. He placed his hand on Gladio's arm. "I totally get this day means a lot to you. I'm here and support you." Getting that out was like dousing an untamed wildfire lit inside him.
"Thanks, Noct." Gladio turned to leave but, after taking one step, spun back around. "Oh! Before you sit down, can you check on Aranea for me? We were supposed to get started a few minutes ago."
"And you can't... why, exactly?" Noctis put a hand on his hip.
"It's a wedding tradition. I can't see her until she's going down the aisle, and the bridesmaids are tied up with getting the cake out. You're the only one I can trust, Noct." His puppy dog-like stare was all it took.
"Alright, I'll check in real quick."
"Thanks, Noct. I knew I can count on you." Gladio turned and walked off towards the alter; Noctis bounded onward between the pews back to the entrance and took a left.
Various paintings and brief passages from scripture hung on the walls. Tangled between them lay more pictures of Gladio and Aranea. Maybe Aranea had second thoughts? Wishful as the idea was, Noctis clung to it for dear life. His heart hammered in his chest, legs becoming quivered gelatin. The lump in his throat hung as if he'd swallowed shattered glass.
You shouldn't trust me. Noctis thought. What if I just left.
He shook his head; Gladio counted on him. Now wasn't the time for jealous quips with himself. He stopped walking and breathed in and out. In and out. In. Out. A nearby clock ticked with his breaths. Tick, tock. Tick. Tock. Tears streamed down his face; he had no time to compose himself and no time left with Gladio once Aranea walked down the aisle. He slowed his fast pace down the corridors to a crawl. For every second of joy he had, another thousand ticked in misery.
He wiped his tears away with his hand and flipped a nearby picture frame of them facedown. Several twists and turns later, he finally found Aranea's room. He reached for the doorknob but stopped right before touching it. The hairs on his arm stood on edge. Dark green wisps of mana trailed from the knob. Black magic, no doubt.
What is this? He thought, examining the magic closer. This looks just like father's silencing incantation. He cupped his palms around the doorknob, and the mana collected between them. Black magic had no business being active, much less from Aranea's room. With a deep breath, he focused his own mana and infused it within the tendrils.
"Esuna," he whispered.
Hisses and crackles echoed down the hallway as the magic dissipated into lines thin as thread.
"Yes," Aranea said. Despite the silencing spell, she kept her voice ghost quiet. "I told you, I've got it under control."
Got what under control...? He thought. The hell's going on? Faint murmurs replied to Aranea, but they were far too distorted to make out.
"I'll have the prince dead in a week," she said. "His disgusting bodyguard's gonna force me on a trip first. I should slit his throat first before I kill our actual target."
Nocits' head twinged and burned, and his vision blurred in and out of focus. He stumbled forward, tipping the door open - a series of creaks fill the void.
"Shit!" Aranea said. "Gotta go."
Footsteps stammered on the hardwood floors. Waves of pain pulsed down his neck to his heart. He gripped his chest and cupped his mouth shut, stifling a howl; the lump in his throat refused to swallow itself down this time. Warm tears trickled down to the floor. How could she do this to Gladio?
"So... I suppose you heard most of that," Aranea grabbed Noctis by the collar and stared, deadpan.
Noctis trembled as hot uneven breaths glided down her hands. He shook his head. Why couldn't this be a dream?
"W-why..." Noctis said.
"Because a privileged brat like you isn't fit to rule," she hissed.
Heat pricked and prodded across his head like needles had stabbed him; the room spun as bouts of nausea washed over him. If only white mages could fight.
"P-protect," he called the protective barrier, but the mana fizzled into steam as the circle formed. He twitched and scanned the room for a weapon; however, to his dismay, a holy bible and an ink pen were his only options. He tried to stand, but the world washed over him once more. The Gold and red wallpaper melted away and waned to black, like a night without moonlight.
"Argh!" he screamed.
Why did she do this? Who was she working for? Too many thoughts rushed like a bullet train, with no time for answers. A cold metal glided along his neck. Of all things, an assassin?!
Fuck, no! He thought. Gladio's potential death made his blood freeze. As if held under open flames, his hands quivered and burned. How will I tell him I love him now? Nothing was certain. Aranea cornered him; she'd brought him to slaughter without a chance to breathe.
He'd never felt any of this pain if it wasn't for her. Not only was his chance to confess to Gladio gone, but Luna couldn't continue with her plans to rule either. His curiosity blundered everything once again. He screamed as the knife dug lightly into his neck.
"Y'know, I see those bedroom eyes you give him when he's not looking." She pressed deeper and twisted the knife. "Such a damn shame you'll never experience the disappointing sex, faggott."
He had no room to be angry at her; his energy sapped away, and everything slowly became heavy. Gladio, Prompto, and Lunafreya. Their faces and memories with them fly through his mind; their images blurred away when he tried to focus and see them one last time before the bitter end.
"You're a disgrace," his father's voice seeped back in.
That's all he ever was. A disgrace. He resigned in his father's words, and the spinning spectrum of colors and washed images turned to black.
"Noct!" a voice called.
Noctis blinked a few times. The chapel's spectrum of soft shades mixed in and out like a spiraling kaleidoscope. Sharp twinges ate at his arms. He tilted his head and squinted; white bandages slithered around his palms. Frantically, he scurried upright and tried to peel them away.
"Noct, stop!" Gladio's voice croaked but came through clear as a bell. Sighing, he wrapped his hand around Noctis' arms as he tried to pry at the bandages. "Please. you're gonna hurt yourself..."
Noctis paused and scanned the room frantically, wondering how long Gladio waited beside him. Had it been hours? Seconds? So much happened just moments ago, and, with Aranea nowhere to be found, so many questions flicked inside his mind.
"Gladio," Noctis said, trying to find the words. He gasped, feeling for his neck, but paused - not even a scratch was there. "What the hell happened?" His eyes darted around the room, noticing the dented walls and unhinged door to Aranea's room.
Gladio looked away and scratched his chin. Then, with bated breath, he said, "It's best you wait for now."
"But," Noctis pushed Gladio's hands aside, "Gladio I-"
"Tomorrow," Gladio said pointedly. "You need to rest for now."
But why? Noctis thought. Nothing made sense. Why hide everything, or anything for that matter? Aranea tried to use Gladio as a stepping stone for assassination. There was no telling if Gladio knew what was going on.
"There are some things you should know, though," Noctis said. "Gladio she-"
"Noct, I won't repeat it. Tomorrow." He loosely pointed to the priests and family members standing nearby; their concerned stares and aghast expressions chilled him to the bone.
Oh. It clicked like the flip of a switch.
"Right, tomorrow then. Can we go home now?" Noctis attempted to stand and wobbled half-heartedly upright.
"Yes, head to the Regalia. I have to take care of a few things, and then we'll be on our way home."
Noctis nodded and stood up, turning towards the exit. Nothing made sense. He snuck a look back and saw Gladio motioning with his hands heavily. What happened? Aranea had to be nearby — her threats weren't empty — terrifying as the thought was, she could lurk behind in the shadows. Noctis shook his head; surely she wouldn't try anything with this many around. He gulped as sweat pooled down his forehead, paranoid thoughts chasing him relentlessly.
He exited the chapel and glanced around, making sure no one was in sight. The bandages slithered tight around his arms; despite not feeling even a nudge of pain from the unknown aftermath, Noctis assumed at least one blemish would be on his skin.
He grabbed the tapered ends of the bandages and unwound them furiously. His skin appeared from the thick layer of paper. He gasped. Nothing. Not even a cut. A series of pentagrams and hexes trailed along his underarm, hauntingly demonic; his head felt light as air.
Black magic seals? He thought. He knew these seals; his father adorned similar ones. How the hell do I have these?!
He quickly wrapped the bandages around his arm tight as a tourniquet and hyperventilated. He'd never had an ounce of black magic in him. Why were arcane seals sprawling across him? Was this Aranea's doing? Perhaps he imagined it.
Yeah, that's it, I surely imagined it, he thought. Hot tears spilled down his face as his pacing turned to a sprint towards the car. Right?
With no time to think, he threw himself inside the Regalia and hung his head down, wishing he had the answers to all the questions tormenting him.