Finally. Back in his room with his nice, soft bed. No more politics, no more Nifs, no more itchy suit. Weird, though. He'd usually choose any place but the Citadel to be.

Dinner with the Nifs was not his idea of a good time. But on top of that, Reina had been acting all sorts of weird—dancing with that creep with the burgundy hair and then Ravus. Blech. He needed a bath after watching that.

At least he had gotten to see Luna. She was everything he remembered and more. More beautiful. More regal. More composed. More graceful. She was basically a queen and he was some fuck-up pretending not to be a prince. No way he wasn't getting the better deal out of this arranged marriage.

If it was even happening anymore.

In all the chaos, he hadn't thought to ask anyone. He wouldn't have known who to ask. Everyone was busy pretending that they didn't know the imperials were trying to kill everyone, so probably the wedding was the last of their concerns.

Yeah. Not really the top of his list, either.

When they got back to Noctis' room, he fell face first into bed without taking his boots off. It was past midnight. Rei had started screaming last night while it was still dark and Noct hadn't slept since then. Had he ever gone so long without a nap? Probably not. Gladio and Prompto were talking about something. He was too tired to pay attention to what. Specs was still looking tense as fuck. Maybe he would find his chill while Noct took a nap.

The next thing he remembered was someone knocking on the bedroom door.

Noctis jerked upright. His neck hurt from sleeping with his head bent off to the side, but whatever. The room was dark—couldn't even tell what time it was. Ignis was sitting in a chair in the corner with his jacket across his shoulders like a blanket, Prompto was wedged in the window seat with one leg hanging off the side and his head lolling, and Gladio was sleeping on the floor with his shirt balled up under his head like a blanket.

Geeze. Didn't they know there were spare rooms down the hall? Couldn't spare thirty seconds to get a real pillow?

The knock came again, just as soft as before. Which was weird, given that Noctis had woken up but no one else had. Usually it was Specs who slept light.

He slid off the bed. If it was Reina coming to tell him they had more shit to do at whatever the hell time this was, he was slamming the door in her face. He wrenched the door open.

It wasn't Reina.

"Luna." Noct blinked at her, dumbfounded for a moment. "Wha—how did you get up here?"

No way she could fly along with all those other Oracle super powers she had.

Luna glanced into the room, taking in his three sleeping friends stretched or crunched in various states of sleep, and smiled like she wanted to laugh. She took a step back from the door and watched him expectantly.

Yeah. Probably better not to wake them up.

Noct stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him as quietly as he was able and putting his back to it.

"Reina was kind enough to let me up," she said, once they were alone.

"Oh." Noctis said, because he couldn't think of anything else to say. Technically, it answered his question. But it turned out what he really wanted to know was 'why?' and he wasn't sure how to ask without sounding like he didn't want her there.

Instead he said: "Do you… want to go sit down? There are empty rooms…" he pointed vaguely down the hall.

"I would like that." Luna smiled. She had a great smile.

So he led the way down the hall to the first guest room and let her in. The servants always kept the spare rooms ready, even though no one ever slept in them. It had made them good places to hide when he and Reina were trying not to be found, though.

Noctis hit the lights—the spare rooms were all pretty much identical; big enough to swing a sword or two, furnished with a bed, an armoire, a writing desk, two armchairs and a coffee table, and a fireplace. And blissfully empty of obligations. Or sleeping, shirtless guys with way more muscles than him. So many benefits in such a small room.

"So…" Noctis dropped into one of the armchairs. "What are you doing up here—?"

Shit. Wasn't he not going to ask that?

"I mean—why did Rei let you up?"

That was worse, actually.

"Sorry."

Gods damn—

But Luna was smiling anyway. She sat in the armchair across from him, hands folded in her lap. "Ravus brought me here without specifying why."

"That's… weird."

Her smile faded. "Noctis, I cannot believe that Niflheim has come for peace. Something is not right."

"Oh. Yeah, we know that," Noctis said before he could stop himself. Was Luna supposed to know? It was fine if she knew, right? Rei hadn't said not to tell her. And Noct couldn't think of any reasons why she shouldn't know. It wasn't like she was going to tell the empire.

She was looking at him weird.

Too late to turn back now. "Rei Dreamed it. Dad was sending us to Altissia—I guess we were supposed to meet you there for the wedding—but Rei dragged us all back this morning. Said that the empire was going to kill Dad and take over Insomnia if we didn't get back."

Her eyes widened. "I admit I was skeptical about this peace, but the idea that they would kill your father after entering the city on these pretenses—"

"Yeah," Noct said. "Well. I'm not surprised. The Nifs are snakes. Good thing Rei brought us in time; we'll send them back where they belong."

"Noctis." Luna sat forward in her chair, looking so suddenly upset that Noctis lost track of his words. "There is something you should know about your sister."

"What?" The feeling of misgiving grew.

"You know that the Oracle speaks to the Gods on behalf of mortals and that Gentiana speaks to mortals on behalf of the Gods."

Noctis nodded.

"Gentiana has recently given me… distressing insights about Reina. I was reluctant to believe, but after watching her dance with Chancellor Izunia…" Luna looked at her hands.

Noct shifted in his chair. "What do you mean?"

"The Caelums were chosen by the Gods to protect the crystal so that, when the time came, the Chosen King might fulfill the prophecy and repel the darkness forever. But there are those—thralls of the darkness—who would see the crystal destroyed and the Gods removed permanently from the face of Eos. The man you know as the Imperial Chancellor is one and—if Gentiana is to be believed—Reina is another."

"No way." Noct shook his head immediately, sitting upright. "She's not like that."

"Noctis, I know it is difficult to see past the sister you love to what lies beneath, but please, you must try. Can you see nothing of the darkness in her?" Luna leaned forward when he leaned back.

Begging him to try thinking of his sister as evil.

"No way," Noct repeated.

Except—

She had been strange ever since she had woken up from that Dream. Not really like Rei at all. She was more intense and focused—more self-assured. She had said 'no' to Dad. And Noct had wondered 'who are you and what have you done with my twin?' because Reina would never refuse to do what Dad said.

Never.

Luna seemed to read his mind. She nodded. "You see?"

Still, Noct shook his head. "She just had a really shitty nightmare. No way you wake up from a ten year nightmare and come out the same person."

"That may well be the reason," Luna said. "But the result is the same. Given the chance, Reina will stand against the Gods and not with them. She will destroy the crystal, if she can."

"I'm sorry, Luna—I just can't believe she would ever do that." Noct rose to his feet. He would just go ask her himself, and that would put an end to it.

"Noctis—" Luna was on her feet as well "—I know it to be true that Chancellor Izunia is the source of the darkness. I do not believe that she danced with him tonight by chance."

"Oh yeah? Well what about Ravus?"

"My brother is… often misguided in his choice of companions. He tries to do his best and sometimes only makes matters worse." She clasped her hands in front of her and looked down at them.

Noct's brain was still shouting protests. Most of them were senseless denial, but damn it, this was Luna.

And that was Reina.

How the hell was he supposed to trust just one of them?

"Even if she was working with this guy he's probably just tricked her or something. So there's gotta be a way to fix it." She was probably fine. But it didn't hurt to think about the possibility, right?

"If the prophecy is fulfilled, all in thrall to the darkness shall know peace."

He didn't like the way she said peace without quite answering his question.