Chronicles 14: World Tour, pt. 1

One month later, the northern continent of Mist…

"Aw…are we there yet?" Prompto asked.

Noctis, Prompto, and Gladiolus, with a small group of Kingsglaive, went north as the Lucian delegation to the north. They had heard tales of adventurous hunters heading there and telling tales about beasts and monsters previously unseen in Eos. That and there were three kingdoms. One was the Kingdom of Alexandria. The second was the Kingdom of Burmecia and the last was the Regency of Lindblum. The people there were also different, with many being hybrids like the Mi'qote and the ogre-like Roegadyn.

Noct had sent a letter to the three kingdoms, introducing himself as the 114th King of Lucis weeks ago. Only one received a response, the Regent of Lindblum, Cid Fabool VII, oddly having the name of the owner of Hammerhead, Cid Sophiar. The man was curious about Lucis, as he had replied that the continent thought nothing else was out there.

So, with his retinue, minus Ignis who elected to stay home to watch the children as Lunafreya had started up Oracle duties again, Noctis headed north. But the journey had taken a while and it felt as if the cruise was taking forever. When he asked why they didn't take Niflheim's offer with the airships, Noct replied with, "We're not gonna scare them."

"But it would've been faster…" Prompto whined.

"So, showing up like aliens from Star Wars of the Worlds is a good idea?" Gladio asked.

"We're gonna be there soon. If we didn't have that engine trouble, we would've been there by now," Noct told them.

"And if we didn't take those detours for those photo spots…" Gladio added, glaring at Prompto.

"Hey, gotta show the public what's in the north!" Prompto said.

Noct grumbled, "Sound like Vyv…"

"I can't help that! I gotta do that for my second job!" Prompto said.

"I know! You're pretty much the only PR guy we got…" Noct replied.

The trio fell silent, hearing the waves crashing onto the Royal Vessel. Nearby were the other ships with the Lucian delegation and military. Noct was sure they were just as annoyed, as it was taking quite a while to reach the north. But they were almost there…he hoped.

A ring and buzz of his phone and the king answered it, only to see two giant eyeballs showing up on the screen. Noct yelped, holding the phone away, and asked, "Uh, who's this?"

"BAAH!"

The familiar sound of the triplets rang out and Noct saw the phone pulled away. The trio was giggling and Ignis told him, "Sorry, Noct. The trio found my phone and activated the video chat feature."

"So, all good on your end?" Noct asked.

"Yes. Regina managed to find the throne room on her own. Aurel crawled into one of the office desk drawers and fell asleep. It took hours to find him. And Ventus found Lunafreya's stash of peanut butter cups," Ignis explained.

Noctis' face paled, knowing that his wife was sure to be livid if the entire stash was gone. And it explained why Ven was covered in chocolate. Aurelius tipped over, falling onto his back, and giggling hysterically. Ignis sighed and said, "And the Crownsguard had to stop Regina from crying."

"How?" Noctis asked.

Regina and Ventus laughed, poking Aurelius who was tickled easily. Ignis gave another sigh and asked, "Do you know that new song that's been advertised to children? Something about sharks?"

"Oh no. Not that one…" Noct muttered.

Prompto's eyes widened and Gladio said, "Was it Monica's idea?"

"Yes. The Crownsguard sang 'Baby Sharktooth' to her. Apparently, someone said that you sang it to her, Noct," Ignis said.

Prompto laughed and Gladio said, "Guess you're winning 'Dad of the Year', Noct."

Noctis was embarrassed and he was so sure that no one should've heard him that time Regina didn't want to take a nap without him singing that song. The baby girl had started jumping in his lap when he did and nearly fell off.

Face palming, Noct said, "They didn't tell anyone else that, did they?"

"Not from what I could recall. But the public was confused as to why they were singing 'Baby Sharktooth'," Ignis replied.

Asking him to hand the phone back to the triplets, Noct said, "Hey. Hey!"

The babies, hearing their dad, stared and Noct said, "Hey there. I'll be back soon. Don't worry. And you three be good to Ignis."

"AH! WAH!" the three squealed.

Noctis gave another goodbye, shutting the phone off and hearing, "Hey! I see something!"

Off in the distance was the port of the Lindblum, with the many ships and…airships flying in the air. Noct was confused as he was sure that the hunters reported the place didn't have airships. But as they grew close, Noctis saw that they were literally ships with propellers keeping them afloat. A very primitive version of the airship, he noted.

"Your Majesty. We're nearing 'Port Lindblum'. Prepare to disembark," the captain's voice said over the intercom.

Insomnia, the Citadel…

After hanging up, the triplets had immediately begun crying. Noctis and Luna were off on their missions, with the king heading north to see the continent and Lunafreya performing Oracle duties. So, it was up to Ignis to keep the children happy and healthy. That included doing things he was sure he wouldn't…

Scooping them up and taking them to the kitchen in the private quarters of the Citadel, the man placed the crying children into their highchairs as it was time for lunch. Regina flailed, but he managed to get her to stay seated. Ventus, snatching a spoon off the counter, began biting it as he was teething. Aurelius was confused, trying to find Ignis' phone and hitting the nearly completely blind man in the face.

"Stop that," he said, putting the baby boy in his highchair.

The trio, fussy and not at all wanting to be stuck in those chairs, wailed and Ignis said, "Everyone, shush!"

His voice, somewhat booming, quieted them down and he said, "Now, it's time for your lunch and I will not have you as picky eaters like your father."

Aurelius slapped the tray connected to his chair, almost as if saying, "Let's eat!"

Regina leaned, looking back and whining. Ventus kept hitting the wooden spoon he had and joined Aurelius in demanding his food. Ignis sighed and said, "Hopefully this'll be better when you all say your first words…"

"IGGY!"

The man listened out for the voice and noted that it was Regina's. The baby girl apparently…said her first word…His nickname, but it was still a word.

"IGGY-IGGY!" she said, slapping her hands on the tray.

"Oh no…" Ignis muttered, realizing that Noctis and Lunafreya would probably kill him for "stealing their babies' first words".

"IGG…GUU…!" Ven tried to say.

"IGG-GEEG!" Aurelius said, sputtering as he tried to speak.

Ignis slapped his forehead and thought about planning his funeral. Maybe his end would be sooner than he thought as the three didn't say "mama" or "papa". Instead, they opted to say his nickname…

The triplets then started laughing, as Ven tossed the wooden spoon at Ignis' head. He swiftly caught it and said, "Just because I'm mostly blind does not mean I can't sense your antics. You three will stop this at once. And you are not to repeat my nickname. You will say 'mama' when you see Her Majesty and 'papa' when you see "His Majesty."

"IGGY!" Regina shouted.

"BIGGY!" Ven tried to repeat.

"GI-GGY!" Aurelius attempted to say a second time.

Ignis sighed, his efforts futile. It made it all the worse as he heard, "Are…Are they saying your nickname, Ignis?"

Lunafreya had returned, her voice sad at the prospect of missing and not being the subject of her children's first words and phrases. She whimpered and Ignis said, "Apologies, Majesty. But I did not spur this on…"

The queen went to the kids, who giggled and sounded very excited to see her. She kissed them and said, "I guess you three heard your father talking about your Uncle Ignis…But I was hoping that you'd say 'mama' first."

"MA!" Aurel shouted.

"MAMA-MA-MA!" Ven squealed.

Regina said nothing, slamming her hands in demand for food. Luna gasped and said, "You…You said…OH! Why didn't I capture this on film or anything?"

She was dejected and Ignis said, "Your favorite, then?"

"Yes. And please add those deep-fried, cream-filled cakes covered in chocolate…" Luna told him, sounding depressed.

Poor Luna. Her children's first words were stolen by Ignis. And Noct missed it as well! Oh well…

And the Crownsguard singing "Baby Sharktooth" is a reference to a video of a US Army drill sergeant doing that with his unit that went viral recently.

-miano53