Chronicles 16: Answers

Lindblum Castle, throne room…

Noctis, dressed in his kingly garb, waited in the throne room for the ruler of Lindblum. He was about 30 minutes late and Noct wondered if it was a waste of time. Prompto sat on the floor, pouting as his camera had been taken from him by the Lindblum Guards. Gladio leaned against a wall, bored out of his mind. Cor, however, kept his guard up, holding onto the hilt of his katana. The other Kingsglaive members waited around, with some sitting on the floor and others walking around and seeing the artwork of past Lindblum rulers' paintings.

"So, where is he?" Noctis asked.

"Dunno. But, I'm hungry! I didn't have breakfast and they took my camera," Prompto whined.

"Probably curious about it," Gladio told him.

The doors to the throne room finally opened, but it wasn't who Noctis expected. The brown-garbed, older minister Artania entered, telling the Lucian delegation, "Good morning, King Noctis. I trust you're enjoying your stay."

Being cordial, as he remembered his meeting with Secretary Claustra of Altissia, Noctis told him, "Yes, we are. But, we are wondering when will we meet with the Regent."

"About that…" Minister Artania started to say.

An odd "gwok" sound came from the throne and Noct turned, spotting something from behind the chair. He stared and the sound came again. Gladio and Cor stood in front of their king and saw a large bug with an odd white mustache hop onto the chair.

Prompto immediately screamed as the bug hopped towards Noctis. Gladio, being the Shield, punched the bug just as it said, "Hello there…GAH!"

The insect hit the back of the chair, sliding down as Noctis yelled, "What the…?"

He looked to the minister, who said, "Your bodyguard just punched the Regent…"

"And how was I supposed to know that?" Gladio asked.

The bug-like Regent recovered and said, "It's alright. I'm sure that a giant Ooglop isn't what you're used to seeing in Lucis."

"Um, are you really…the guy…" Prompto asked.

"Yes. Cid Fabool IX, Regent of Lindblum. My appearance was brought on by an assassination attempt," the "Ooglop", Regent Cid, explained.

He then told them that the public hadn't a clue about the regent's transformation, but they were trying to keep it under wraps until they could find a cure. Regent Cid hoped that Lucis would have technology or magic that could reverse it, thus he had granted Noctis' request in meeting. Noct looked at the regent-turned-bug and muttered, "Dunno if anyone could change him back…Maybe Luna…"

"Maybe Niflheim got something…" Prompto said.

Gladio shrugged and Noct said, "I'll see what we can do. But, we need some answers."

"Yes. Well, I'll try to answer as best as I can," Regent Cid said, hopping onto his throne.

The chair sank into the floor, revealing that it was an elevator into the dining hall below. After being escorted by Minister Artania, the Lucian delegation found themselves at a table, filled with breakfast items. Prompto and the other Kingsglaive immediately chowed down, while Noctis, Gladio, and Cor paid attention to the matter at hand.

"So, you're wondering how we returned to the world. Well, I can say…I don't…rightly know. Over 2,000 years ago, our continent was covered in Mist, creating monsters and abnormalities in the mind and bodies of many. Wars were fought many times, with Lindblum and Alexandria constantly fighting. And then there's Burmecia and Cleyra…" Regent Cid started.

He then told them that the Mist was thickest underneath the cliffs and in caves and forgotten temples. The Kingdom of Alexandria had tried to use the Mist to create something called Black Mages, golems armed with powerful magic. That intrigued the Founder King, who muttered, "Using the Scourge to create weapons…"

'Just like the MTs,' Noctis thought.

Prompto seemed to have thought the same as his face was sullen. Gladio gave a small, worried glance and asked, "So, what happened to those 'Black Mages'?"

"We managed to stop their production and it was even further thwarted with the disappearance of the Mist," Regent Cid explained.

"So, when the curse happened…?" Noct asked him.

"It happened right after we started production on the Hildegarde, about six months ago. My wife took off, because…um…" Regent Cid said.

He figured it was because the man-turned-oglop had cheated on his wife. And maybe that was why he was cursed…?

"So, Noct. Couldn't Luna break it?" Prompto asked, stuffing his face.

Noctis hadn't a clue, but he would inform his wife on what happened. Until then, he told the regent, the Lucian delegation would continue investigating, looking to the Kingdom of Burmecia and the Kingdom of Alexandria. The oglop seemed to be happy and said, "I'll send word to King Puck and Queen Brahne…Hopefully, they'll be cordial…"

The Lucian King immediately realized that he had extended their investigation to another month or two. Another month from Insomnia, his wife and kids…Mentally slapping himself, Noctis muttered, "Why did I say that…?"

Insomnia, the Citadel…

Sitting in his office two floors below the royal apartments, Ignis checked over the resume of a newcomer that he had high hopes for. Since Noctis was in the north, Minister Tot, Lunafreya and he had to keep the nation running, along with the Parliament. They still had a great task ahead of them, the world's rebuild, so Ignis found that he was having less and less time preparing foods for the children. Lunafreya also had a tough time, balancing Oracle duties with being a mother.

The person before him was female, based on the Braille that described her as such in her file and her voice. Due to his sight impairment, he didn't know much of anything else about her that wasn't in the file. So, an interview was in order as he needed to know who this woman was. The only things he knew were that she was a transplant from the Galahd region and that she had culinary experience, meaning she worked in various restaurants. And she was also vetted by the Kingsglaive, as she had been recommended by her boss for one of the royal chefs.

"Oh, I see you're scanning my resume and life story," she said.

"Yes…Miss…Meyers. We must know who's about to enter our service," Ignis told her.

A snicker and she said, "Well, I wouldn't have it any other way. My boss did say that the job would be special. But, he didn't tell me how special. So, the family?"

"You'll be on the staff that serves the Royal Family. If chosen, you'll start next week. My expectations would be, as His Majesty is notorious for this, is to serve the children and the King their vegetables," Ignis said.

The woman burst into laughter and said, "Wait, the King's a picky eater? Wouldn't think he was based on his appearance…"

"Well, the expectation for the culinary staff is to provide nutrition for the family and to break any bad habits created due to previous staff negligence. Do you feel that you're up to the task?" Ignis asked.

The woman said nothing and Ignis continued with a few tales of the King's disdain for vegetables and legumes. A few more snickers and her response was, "I'll do it. It'll be easy."

"Famous last words," Ignis muttered.

"Seriously. It shouldn't be that hard," the woman said, still laughing.

Ignis didn't believe she could get Noct to eat his vegetables, his bad habit from childhood still persisting. But, he was willing to give a chance, but still needed Noct's permission to accept a new hire. That's where Lunafreya came in. And since the Queen wanted her husband to keep up with eating more than just meat and fruit.

Just as he thought of her, the Oracle-Queen found him and the two got to their feet, bowing. Lunafreya then asked about the potential new hire and the woman said, "I'm Roni Meyers, a cook from House of Tozus."

"Oh, the restaurant with Galahd specialties? So, you are the new hire?" the queen asked.

Ignis assumed she nodded as Lunafreya asked, "Do you think you can keep my children from being picky eaters like their father?"

"Um…I guess…I'm sure it shouldn't be too hard," Roni told her.

The queen most likely grinned as her voice was hopeful, saying, "Welcome to the Citadel. Ignis will fill you in on your new living arrangements and pay."

"Oh, uh…Aren't we supposed to wait until…" Roni asked.

"As the King is absent, the Queen can make decisions as his proxy," Ignis replied.

He sighed with relief as he was sure that Noct wouldn't have hired her if he learned she would get him to eat vegetables. But, that was yet to be seen. The first test would be the children. If she could get them not to toss their bowls at her or throw food at the ceiling and walls, he would believe her.

And yay for people getting new jobs! Anywho, will Ignis' expectations of her be dashed or will she perform better than expected, dealing with triplets who are very picky? Stay tuned!

-miano53