Chapter Summary: Talcott is introduced to camping and Gladio reflects on recent mistakes.

They headed out early the next morning, much to the dismay of a certain prince. Noct was still pretty groggy from the tranquilizer, even more sluggish than usual to lace up his boots and stagger down to the car. He conked out again soon after, head reclined back and wedged between the door and the leather headrest. If it weren't for yesterday's close call he'd probably would've tried to decree today a royal sleep in holiday. Gladio might've even been tempted to indulge him – Noct wasn't the only one running a bit ragged after that fiasco – but the sooner they made tracks for Caem the better.

"Guess Noct's not going to be up for much conversation anytime soon." Iris slid in next after sleeping beauty, mostly succeeding at hiding her concern beneath the teasing.

Prompto snickered. "Typical Noct, always naps in the car."

"Always?" Iris' eyebrows shot up skeptically, as if Gladio hadn't complained in detail to her over the years about Noct and his inhuman ability to nod off anywhere.

"Says the road noise makes him sleepy," Gladio answered the same time as Prompto. He rolled his eyes fondly at the giggle that earned them out of his little sister. It was obvious Iris was putting on a brave face after what happened to Jared – they all were to some extent. They couldn't afford to dwell on that loss at the moment, especially with a hurting Talcott in tow.

Gladio couldn't help but ruffle the kid's hair as he scurried in next to Iris with no complaints. The little guy was one hell of a trooper, that was for sure. "You all set back there, champ?"

"Yes, sir. I'm fine, sir."

It probably went against local safety regulations to have poor Talcott and Iris squeezed in the back seat between Noct and Prompto but they were a bit short on options. Gladio was already regretting his decision to surrender the extra leg room. Prompto must've had the passenger seat pushed up as far as it would go and Gladio felt his knees smack against the dash every time they went over a rough patch of road.

It wasn't ideal, but he didn't want Iris and Talcott to have to go it alone. And it wouldn't be for long anyway; Cor had gotten in touch with them the night before, asking them to meet up with Monica at a haven on the way to Caem. She apparently had another lead for them.

The drive was going to be a long one though, and there weren't a lot of stops on the stretch of highway that would take them along the Leirity Seaside. So they'd stocked up on plenty of snacks in the car before they left and passed them out as needed. Decidedly not an Ignis-approved meal replacement but the dragon had let it slide without so much as a judgmental tick of his eyebrow or dry recitation of the proper dietary intake of sodium and saturated fats.

In fact, Iggy hadn't said much of anything, lecturing or otherwise, since he shared his account of busting out of Lestallum. And it wasn't hard to guess why. Gladio really didn't want to think about what could've happened if Ignis hadn't been able to pull Noct and himself out of the Empire's clutches but the possibilities hung over his head nonetheless, like a sharpened guillotine just waiting to fall. The Nifs were certainly getting craftier, he'd give the murdering sociopaths that much. And they were all feeling the strain.

Things started off mostly quiet in the Regalia. No one really wanted to bring up more serious topics like the Empire's new penchant for deadly traps with Noct being so out of it and Talcott in constant earshot. So they did their best not to disturb their snoozing prince too much and kept the conversation light. Thankfully, Iris was more than adept at managing the latter, bringing up everything from the difference between the cars out here and the ones back home to asking after who did most of the driving – which was undeniably Ignis and not something that was about to change anytime soon.

The easy drone of idle chatter was normally the perfect backdrop for Gladio to loose himself in one of the precious few novels he kept on hand, but the familiar words on the page just couldn't seem to hold his focus today. He couldn't say he was particularly surprised. As long as he could remember he'd never been great at distracting himself from feelings of guilt or inadequacy, and he felt both settle keenly at the pit of his stomach now. It galled Gladio to admit he'd fallen down on the job twice over lately, first with letting Ravus cut right through him like he was some wet behind the ears rookie, then by furthering endangering Noct from allowing himself to put his own family above his sworn duty. He should have stuck with Noct after they'd sprung the Empire's trap. Because of his weakness they'd very nearly lost both Noct and Ignis all in one go.

Through all the increasingly dangerous situations that had been thrown at them one thing had become crystal clear: if Gladio was going to succeed at protecting his king he needed to up his game. He couldn't expect Ignis to take up his slack anymore, especially now that the Empire had figured out a way to sap his strength. That was never Iggy's job in the first place, not in the same way it was Gladio's. Dragons were a symbol of power to the kings. Ignis was meant to be the sword, the powerhouse trump card no one knew to expect. He made Noct stronger, fed his own fierce fire right into his veins. Gladio was the shield, charged with defending the life of the king and grounding him in both focus and conviction, just as all the shields before him had done since the dawn of the line of Lucis. And it was a charge he was going to fail if he didn't figure something out fast.

In spite of Gladio's sobering thoughts, the atmosphere in the Regalia slowly began to lighten. The Six must've been smiling down on them for once because the skies stayed clear – of dark clouds and imperial drop ships alike – and they got a pretty impressive view of the Rock of Ravatogh smoking in the distance to boot, which got even Talcott talking. Apparently, Jared had taken the time to educate both him and Iris about the historic landmark and Talcott had soaked it all up like a sponge. The kid might not have come close to his normal levels of enthusiasm but it was still reassuring to see a small break in how subdued he'd become since Lestallum.

With the lack of imperial interruptions they were making good time and it seemed like only a few short hours before they tasted salt on the air. It was Prompto that pointed out the sign for a scenic overlook around a mouthful of peanuts but Gladio was the one who pushed for a quick pit stop. The others agreed without too much fuss, eager for a break from the cramped car ride.

"Oh baby, check out that view! I've got just the filter for this shot." Barely free of his seat belt and already Prompto was tinkering with his camera, looking back and forth between it and what they could glimpse of the Cygillian ocean over green treetops. Talcott lasted all of a minute before asking what the filter was for and that was all the invitation Prompto needed to launch into regaling him with everything he had to say on the subject of photography.

While the kid was thoroughly distracted Iris sidled up to their designated driver along the railing facing the ocean. "So, Ignis, between everything else you keep up with and looking after these knuckleheads do you ever get the chance to stretch your wings?"

Ignis surreptitiously glanced over at the other visitors to the overlook, an elderly couple already making their way back toward their vehicle, before turning back to Iris. "From time to time."

Iris hummed. "I bet it must be nice for a change, being out here in these wide open spaces instead of cooped up in a small office all the time."

"Not quite how I'd describe my time in the Citadel, but I can't deny that there is a certain allure to the greater territories of Lucis and beyond." Ignis looked out at the ocean stretching on into the horizon. "There is much left to see."

"Yeah, you've got that right." Iris sighed, sounding downright wistful. "Still, I bet you've gone on some pretty amazing adventures already. To be honest, I'm a little jealous."

"It's not typically as exciting as all that," Ignis tried to reassure.

"Aw, come on, let's not undersell it here,"Gladio butted in, crossing his arms over the railing on Iris' other side. "I mean, there was that time you set a behemoth on fire and when we found that ancient dragon tomb in the middle of a cave in. Or, you know, that time we faced off against Titan and lived to tell about it."

Iris' eyes grew wider at each recount. "Whoa, seriously? You guys must kick ass. Wish I could've been there."

"Best to be glad you weren't. The Archaean especially was not the most hospitable of hosts." Ignis huffed. "But if it's adventure you crave, I'm certain some manner of mishap will be served up soon enough."

"Yeah, you're probably right. It just won't be the same without you guys around, ya know?" Iris frowned, a sudden grim sort of resignation rising up over her like an angry storm cloud.

And, well, no matter what other problems Gladio might be burdened with, he wouldn't be standing for that. "True, we are pretty awesome," he bragged, enjoying the cut off snort that got him out of Iris.

She punched him in the arm none too gently for that. "Gladdy!"

Gladio grinned. "Tell you what, before we cross that ocean we'll make sure to hunt up some excitement just for you."

"You really mean it?" Iris asked, a big grin breaking out over her face.

"Cross my heart." Gladio drug his thumb across said heart in two quick strokes, sealing the deal.

"Thanks, Gladdy!" Iris bumped her shoulder into his.

And Gladio tried not to look too pleased with himself. All things considered, it was a promise that might not be easy to keep. He didn't know exactly when they'd be seeing Iris again or what the circumstances would be, but he couldn't deny that making Iris happy had always been a bit of an Achilles heel of his. It was also worth mentioning that a cheerful Iris was typically a more even tempered Iris, and one who hopefully wouldn't go out of her way looking for trouble while he wasn't around. It wasn't that she couldn't handle herself in a fight – quite the opposite in fact – but he still felt better knowing she had someone there to watch her back. And he certainly had enough on his conscious at the moment without letting Iris down as well.

Pretty soon Prompto wrapped up his impromptu photography lecture and they all crowded back into the car, hushing up anymore talk about recent dragon shenanigans or taking on the Six. It was information Talcott wasn't quite ready for, as much as the kid could've used the distraction. It was also a bigger responsibility than they wanted to lay on the kid's shoulders right now.

Even Iris only knew about Iggy's more feathered side due to an accident, though Gladio sometimes wondered if she would have figured it out by now with or without having stumbled in on Noct and Iggy napping in the garden that one sunny afternoon. Swearing in a six-year-old to keep one of their kingdom's national secrets afterwards had certainly been an experience to say the least.

Thankfully, nature ended up supplying a distraction of its own with the rest of the drive keeping them close along the shoreline. Gladio fiddled with the radio until he found some catchy tune and then sat back to appreciate the view. It still caught him off guard every now and then just how beautiful the world could be outside Insomnia. Even Talcott had his eyes glued to the seaside scenery. Poor kid had probably never been to a real beach in his life. Gladio was suddenly intensely glad they'd get to take the kid camping at least once before handing him off to the Crownsguard. It was by far the least he could do, even if he hadn't owed Jared for all he'd done for them. Talcott was a sharp kid but one Gladio knew would have to grow up fast, and now without his Grandpa's guidance to fall back on. In light of that, one night under the stars didn't seem like much of a consolation, but then, Gladio was feeling inadequate at a lot of things lately.

They found Monica already waiting for them when they came upon Spelcray Haven. She bowed respectfully to Noct, who'd managed to rejoin the land of the living sometime before they'd pulled off the road. "Your Highness. I'm glad to see you've all arrived safely."

"Yeah, uh, same to you," Noct mumbled back, barely less of a zombie now then he'd been this morning.

"Indeed," Ignis agreed, moving the discussion along. "The marshal mentioned you had some intel for us."

Monica straightened. "Yes. Are you by any chance familiar with the Malmalam Thicket?"

"Hey, isn't that the place we passed on the way in?" Prompto asked, and now that Gladio thought about it he did remember seeing a sign for something like that some ways back. If they hadn't been on their way to meet Monica or had Talcott along for the ride they might've even taken the time to check it out.

"We have reason to believe you'll find a royal tomb located within," Monica explained. "Given recent events, the marshal elected to send me ahead to deliver young Talcott and Lady Iris the rest of the way to Caem. I assure you, they will be safe with me."

Honestly, Gladio thought that was a better option than forcing someone to say behind with them and wait on everyone else. Some of the tombs took longer to explore than others. "Thanks, Monica. We owe you another one."

"Sounds like we have a plan. We should be able to set out thing tomorrow morning, then. In the meantime, Noct, mind catching us something for supper?" Ignis asked, nodding toward a small pier just off to the side of the haven. "It would be a shame to pass up the opportunity for fresh seafood."

The request had Noct bouncing back to awareness quicker than a shot of caffeine. He started off for the pier without a second thought. "Not a bad idea."

He called back over his shoulder just as he was climbing down the steep slant of the haven's foundation, "Hey, Talcott, you ever cast a line before?"

"No, sir," Talcott answered hesitantly, eyes snapping up from the runes glowing faintly beneath his feet.

"Wanna give it a try?"

"Yes, please."

Pretty soon they were all roped into one task or another, whether setting up camp or scoping out the surrounding area for fresh ingredients. Every now and then Gladio would look up from pitching a tent or sorting through their gear to glance over toward the water's edge, where he'd find Talcott giving the fishing rod an experimental swing under Noct's surprisingly attentive eye. He had to give the kid props; he stuck with it better than Gladio would have at that age, but then, he hadn't exactly been the most patient of brats.

The two of them turned out to be pretty successful though, reeling in a decent haul of sea bass and even the odd grouper or two. Between the fish Noct and Talcott caught and the mollusks Prompto had stumbled across in the shallow pools littered across the rocky shoreline they managed to pull together quite the seafood feast. One that was prepared in record time thanks to Iris and Monica giving Iggy a hand in their makeshift kitchen.

Gladio couldn't help but think the three of them had outdone themselves as he relaxed in front of the fire, feeling pleasantly full and reluctant to move. The crackle and pop of burning wood sung out a cozy anthem echoed by the crashing waves and the distant cry of sea birds nesting further down the coast. Angry sparks flew up in discontent every so often only to be spirited off on the ocean breeze along with the rising smoke.

This was his favorite part of staying outdoors – just as the sun sunk out of sight and the stars came out to mingle in the fading twilight. And before the daemon moans started in earnest. It was a moment of calm, a chance to take a breath and still the choppy turbulence of your own thoughts.

Gladio knew the others didn't appreciate camping the same way he did. He could even understand some of the reservations that went along with the idea; all of them were city born and bred after all. He was no stranger to a comfy bed well off the hard ground and away from the bugs that liked to crawl along it. But he'd always found something oddly gratifying about laying out under an open sky and connecting with nature – though he was forced to admit he'd never truly experienced it in full until they'd left Insomnia behind them. Now that he'd lived the real deal all those nights spent in the manicured parks back in the city really couldn't compare.

At least Gladio didn't seem to be entirely alone in his appreciation. He couldn't help but smile a little when he felt Talcott's weight settle further against his side. The kid had wandered over to the fire pit sometime in the middle of dinner, a curious spark glinting in wide eyes as he watched Gladio stoke the flames. But the expected barrage of questions never came; instead Talcott had sat quietly and let the ebb of conversation around the haven wash over him like the tide. Now with his tiny frame huddled up against the closest source of warmth it looked like the long day was finally catching up to the little guy. "You ready to head into the tent, champ?"

Talcott shook his head, not even bothering to pull his face away from the larger man's side. Gladio thought he might have heard a soft "no" mumbled into the leather of his jacket. He wrapped his arm around the kid's back, shielding him from the worst of the strong winds sweeping in on the waves. "You sure? It's getting pretty chilly out here."

Talcott nodded. "I wanna watch the stars a little longer."

"The stars?"

"Grandpa used to tell me stories about them," the kid mumbled out barely above a whisper and Gladio held his breath, silently urging him to continue. Eventually Talcott did, little voice gaining steam as he went. "He tried to show me in Lestallum but we didn't see a whole lot more than back home. He said the city lights were too bright and that's why we couldn't see them."

The kid looked up then. "But I've never seen this many stars before."

Gladio could believe that. The inky blackness above was now overflowing with more stars than you could ever hope to count, far more than could be seen through any city's worth of light pollution, let alone Insomnia's Wall. He rubbed the kid's back soothingly when he jumped at a sudden chittering sounding off somewhere close, probably a pack of imps. Gladio still wasn't that great at identifying daemons by sound alone. "You'll see a lot of stars in places like this between the cities."

When Talcott didn't reply or otherwise make a move to talk anymore about his grandpa's stories Gladio started to rack his brain for something to say. He didn't know many story tale legends or much of anything about the constellations he imagined Jared's stories were based on, but it felt wrong to let the conversation end there with Talcott still so withdrawn and miserable. "Ya know, I don't know many stories about the stars, but there was this one my old man used to tell." And he was willing to bet Talcott hadn't heard it.

Gladio was relieved to see the kid perk up in interest at that. "Who was it about?"

"They call him the Blademaster, a name he earned collecting the swords of his greatest challengers as trophies and mastering them in combat. He wielded them in defense of the line of Lucis as its very first shield, sworn to protect the Founder King himself." Gladio paused, letting that sink in.

Talcott squirmed against his side, brimming with that unquenchable curiosity he was known for. "He was an Amicitia? That would make him…"

"My ancestor? Yeah, he's supposed to have been where is all began." By now Gladio knew he had Talcott's undivided attention, as well as a few other listeners from around the haven, but they all left him to it. "He was said to have been a warrior of great skill but also of great honor and loyalty. Legend has it he remained undefeated, even beyond the grave."

Talcott blinked owlishly at that. "But how…"

Gladio grinned. "His warrior spirit was too fierce for the undertaker to cage and his loyalty so potent it kept him bound to the land of Lucis. To this day it's believed he still haunts this plane, waiting to test the might of Lucian warriors bold enough to think themselves worthy of his legacy." Though Gladio decidedly left out the bit about certain death being the expected outcome for any such challenger. This tale was probably bordering on ghost story territory a little too much as it was. He didn't actually want to give the kid nightmares or anything.

"What happens if you win?" Talcott asked around a yawn that could have given Noct a run for his money.

"Don't know. No one's ever done it before," Gladio answered honestly. "But if someone were to survive the Blademaster they could only come out of the trial a stronger person."

He knew there was more to the story but that was about all he could remember clearly and Talcott was fading fast despite his interest in the story. When it was clear the kid was having trouble keeping his eyes open Gladio scooped him up in his arms and started for the closest tent. "Okay, champ. I think that's enough for tonight."

Talcott didn't protest this time, murmuring a quiet thank you for the story against his shoulder instead.

"Any time, kid."

When he returned from putting Talcott to bed Iris came to sit close by his side. "He doing all right?"

Gladio nodded. "He will be. Kid's made of tougher stuff."

"Yeah." Iris accepted that, a warm smile slipping onto her face. "So, Gladdy, I was wondering, would you mind if I tagged along with you guys tomorrow? I promise not to slow you down."

Gladio thought about it but didn't really see why she couldn't. As long as they finished up before sundown there'd be no daemons to deal with and it was something they could do with Iris before they left for Altissia. "I've got no problem with it. Doubt any of the guys will either. We can drop you off at Caem after." Which would also give them an excuse to check in and see how Talcott was settling in afterwards.

Iris beamed. "Great! I guess I'll see you guys bright and early."

"Sure, we'll even put you in charge of waking Noct."

"Unbelievable," Iris huffed in faux annoyance. "Fine, I can always pour ice down his sleeping bag if he's even close to as bad as you guys always say."

"Trust me, nothing was exaggerated about that," Gladio called after her as she made her way to the tent she was sharing with Monica, the both of them ignoring Noct's unimpressed look from across the fire pit as well as Prompto's – and to a lesser extent Ignis' – clear amusement at his expense.

The rest of them stayed up a bit longer, checking over their supplies for tomorrow and wasting time on their phones. The whole while Gladio found the story of the Blademaster kept coming back to him unbidden. There was one other thing about the trials besides the danger of death he'd left out of his retelling to Talcott. And if what his old man used to tell about a certain immortal held any truth then maybe there was a solution to his problems after all.

Welp, this was not the chapter I originally intended to write but here we are. And, man, did it seem to take forever to get here. I certainly didn't plan to leave this story hanging for so long but the last month or so has just not been very conducive to me and writing, and that was before the characters decided to revolt and do their own thing. In the end I hope it was still entertaining and that at least someone enjoyed seeing Gladio's softer side as much as I did. It certainly feels like we could all use a little fluff right about now.

Thanks to everyone who's given feedback and just stuck with this story. You guys really keep me chugging along and I wish you all the best!