Chapter Summary: The boys spend one last dawn in Lucis.
Once again it feels like it's been much too long since I've been able to update this story. So far this year has been insanely busy and I don't know about you guys but I could really go for some of those fuzzy friendship feels, so I'll just be upending a bucket full of them here before we swim off to Altissia where nothing bad ever happens. ;)
The cathedral was both stately and grandiose. It stood like a beacon atop Altissia's highest point. Pristine walls and rolling arches rose up into towering spires that reached out toward the heavens from their golden cupola – a stark contrast to the gloom of the overcast morning.
A sudden shift in sea's temperament had forewarned of a coming storm and scattered the crowds, lending a rare hush over the hallowed courtyard. It was a scene that embodied beauty of a solemn sort. Even the outpouring of the sky's tears could not retract from it.
In a kinder life, one unencumbered by war and prophecy, it would have offered a most fitting venue for Lunafreya to wed. Where it she could take her place at the altar, not as a sacrifice, but as one free to live and love as she pleased.
Ravus wondered, in such a life, if he could have been happy for her.
An unwelcome shadow fell over his head, interrupting the bitter thoughts along with the rain.
"The wedding day arrives, but alas without the bride."
Typical. The asinine fool certainly had a way of popping up where he was unwanted. Ravus stepped out from under Ardyn's umbrella without a word, turning his back to the chancellor, the church and whatever might have been.
Naturally, Ardyn couldn't be bothered to take the hint. He trailed along in Ravus' wake, something predatory and cruel oozing from his faux smile. "Of course, we've come for the Hydraean and that last stubborn trace of the Draconian's favor. And you've gone to such lengths to prepare."
"Merely my duty," Ravus denied, desiring nothing more than to circumvent further discussion on the matter. The chancellor was not one he wished to confide in the actual lengths he's gone to for this operation, let alone his reasons.
But Ardyn was hardly one to be escaped easily. "Ah, but I can't help but wonder if perhaps the two tasks are more closely related than you realize."
"What are you prattling on about?" Ravus was not interested in more of the man's cryptic blathering. But however much he may have wished to draw out the distance between them, he couldn't help but hesitate at Ardyn's next words.
"I know the price of the covenant."
For those truly in acquaintance with the latest iteration in the line of Lucis it hardly came as a surprise that Noct was not one to rise ahead of the sun. And yet, on the final dawning before their voyage to Altissia, Ignis awoke to evidence of exactly that.
A potentially worrisome discovery, and not solely due to the unexpected break in routine. But he sensed nothing to suggest interference of a more sinister nature. The seaside cottage in which they had bedded down for the night harbored no sign of foul play and the others were all found safe and secure as they slept on undisturbed. He might've had further suspicions had effort been spent to make Noct's bed somewhat presentable after it's desertion, but the unkempt sheets were entirely within the norm.
Still, Ignis did not delay in seeking out his wayward liege, following a familiar tug that drew him to the lighthouse of all places. Noct was there seated on the upper deck, legs dangling over its edge with crossed arms propped against the safety railing. His gaze unerringly fixed upon the sea, he neglected to comment as Ignis levered himself down to be at his side. The silence held even as Gladio and Prompto later joined them, bracketing them on either side in the glow of the rising sun.
Ignis could not say for how long they remained, simply observing the sun continue on its steady skyward climb as the sea breeze tousled their hair and carried with it the calming staccato of waves crashing over the rocks of the shore far below. It was peaceful. But the road ahead still loomed like a dark cloud on the horizon.
In the end, it was Prompto who took it upon himself to breach the quiet lull that had befallen them. "You sure can see for a long ways up here."
"It is a splendid view," Ignis agreed. From their lofty vantage point they could see a great distance up the coast. Even Ravatough was on full display, tall and imposing as it breathed smoke into a clear, cloudless sky. "Ought to be good sailing weather."
Gladio sighed appreciatively. "Can't ask for better than that."
Noct gave one of his noncommittal grunts.
The reticent behavior wasn't the best of signs, but nor was it unexpected given their recent run-in with a literal daemon of the past and the emotional words imparted by both the marshal and Cid just the night before. The talk of burdens and brotherhood seemed to have struck a chord with Noct – with all of them, if Ignis were being honest. And indifference was a worn defense tactic of Noct's.
He'd yet to tear his eyes from the distant waves when he gave voice to the matters weighing on his own heart. "Ya know, I wish it could stay like this."
"What d'ya mean?" Prompto asked.
"Just," Noct hesitated, taking unusual care with his words, "we don't know what's going to be waiting for us in Altissia. Things could get messy… And I'd understand if any one of you wanted to part ways here."
For a moment the silence was back – weighted and uncertain – only to be shattered as Gladio reached over to punch Noct none too gently in the shoulder.
"Hey!" Noct complained, rubbing at his abused arm.
Gladio tsked, managing to loom rather effectively from his place on the floor. "When are ya gonna get it through that thick skull of yours? Where you go we go."
Prompto bobbed his head in agreement. "Yeah, dude! You're stuck with us now."
"And you won't be getting rid of us quite so easily," Ignis stressed, silently offering up his own feelings on the matter, ensuring they could not be misconstrued as a mere extension of duty as he knew Noct often feared.
Noct dipped his head, acknowledging both the sentiments shared aloud and otherwise, a spark of gratitude melting the tension from his frame. "Still, had to be said. From now on we're bringing the fight to them. No more running. No more hiding."
And Ignis felt he understood. It was true. The time to face the Empire directly was upon them. There would be no more running from who they were and no more hiding what they could do.
Ignis felt a rush of fondness for his oldest friend, but also one of anticipation. The Empire had much to answer for, not the least of which being the ruthless striping away of both their home and families, and his draconic blood sung for a chance at retribution. He allowed his expression to settle into something sharp, baring more teeth than was necessarily proper in polite company. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
Diffusing the solemnity of the discussion, Prompto pumped his fist into the air with an excited whoop. "Ah yeah, Altissia here we come!"
"Someone's eager," Gladio noted as Prompto's shout carried over the noise of the wind and sea, disproportionately loud in the tranquil setting.
"Well, yeah," Prompto enthused. "A couple of bachelors like us takin' on Eos' most romantic city. Imagine the possibilities!"
"And just what possibilities would you have us imagine?" Ignis couldn't help but wonder what Prompto expected they'd have time for in the midst of dealing with both the Empire and Leviathan.
Gladio, at least, seemed to be of a similar mind. "Yeah, you know this isn't exactly a vacation."
"I know, I know," Prompto rushed out. "We aren't just going to goof around – still gotta put the kibosh on the Empire, save the kingdom, all that jazz – and Noct's more or less spoken for. But while he's sweeping Lady Lunafreya off her feet the rest of us get to take in the sights and mingle with the ladies."
"Uh huh. Well, assuming that works out how you think it will, we'd kinda be leaving Iggy here out to dry," Gladio pointed out.
"Not many lady dragons for the mingling," Noct said.
"I assure you, I'm quite content to be left out of your human mating rituals." Short of enduring another night confined to the tight quarters of a rental caravan with the chancellor, Ignis quite honestly couldn't think of a more awkward or mortifying experience. Not to mention he'd already suffered more than enough commentary over his interactions with Sania and Aranea.
"Aw, don't be like that, Iggy. There's gotta be someone, like – oh! What about Leviathan," Prompto said as though he'd just stumbled upon some great epiphany.
Ignis blinked, slowly. "I beg your pardon?"
Prompto didn't seem to pick up on his bewilderment. "I mean, well, she's kinda like a dragon, with the horns and the teeth. And I'm betting she's available."
"Leviathan," Ignis monotoned. "The great serpent that embodies the roar and rage of the sea – Tidemother and patron deity to Altissia. That Leviathan?"
"Well, I guess if that's not your type…" Prompto trailed off, losing confidence as he seemed to register that his suggestion might not be the most well received. It was uncertain what the man was seeing as he swept his gaze between his friends' faces but Ignis made pains to keep his own utterly inscrutable.
The awkward stare off barely lasted a handful of moments before Prompto abruptly pointed out toward the water in the distance. "Oh, look, the ocean! Yeah, I'll just go drown myself now."
It was a shame that line of discussion couldn't be sunk then and there, but the topic was kept afloat as Noct teased his friend, "Yeah, don't think that'd save you from Leviathan's wrath."
"Or Iggy's," Gladio added, sounding far too amused. "But even if he were into that sort of thing, don't know how well it'd work out unless he's secretly been hiding a set of gills all this time."
Noct hummed consideringly. "Nah, think I would've noticed by now. Besides, Specs can't stand the water."
"Noct." Really, the urge to toss all of them into the ocean was becoming more tempting by the moment. Though he kept his outward composure, internally Ignis couldn't help but broadcast his displeasure. Of course, all that seemed to accomplish was causing Noct to appear even more satisfied with himself.
"What, really? But he was so fast the time we were trapped under that lake." Prompto was undoubtedly referring to their shared nightmare in the collapsing ruins beneath the Vesperpool.
"Yeah, at getting out of the water." Noct looked almost nostalgic as he turned his attention back to the waves. "He used to hate swimming."
More accurately Ignis used to profoundly dislike being wet, back before he'd grown in the mature feathers he had now instead of the downy fluff he'd been born with. It was a phase he'd long grown out of, of course. The Citadel grounds had been ripe with decorative water features and home to four separate swimming pools. It hadn't taken too much imagination to picture a young prince with a penchant for wandering off unsupervised finding himself on the deep end of one.
Thus, he and Noct had promptly found themselves enrolled in swimming lessons. Neither of them had taken fondly to the notion at first, but now Ignis wondered at how much of that had been Noct picking up his cues from Ignis' own reservations. Naturally, Noct had sensed his reluctance, even if he hadn't truly understood what he was experiencing at the time.
But Noct had once been a resilient child. It didn't take too long before the constant encouragement of their instructors and Noct's own budding confidence in the water eventually won out and swimming became just another means of play.
While Ignis also achieved proficiency in the exercise, he much preferred to watch from the sidelines, stalking the outer edges of the pool to keep Noct in sight at all times, just in case. But in those days Noct was rarely satisfied for Ignis to miss out on the "fun".
What had started out as seemingly harmless requests for more pool toys soon took on ridiculous proportions. Noct even went so far as to throw fits when he was denied, a tactic he didn't often rely upon but proved effective enough on the attendants less familiar with his antics. There were not many in the Citadel willing to risk the ire of the young prince and, by extension, that of the king's.
As a result, Noct soon managed to cover the length of the private pool in the royal wing of the Citadel with a hoard of floats and inflatable rafts, creating something of a floating obstacle course that Ignis could use to follow Noct from one end of the pool to the other without risk for more than the occasional brush with the chlorinated water. At least, until Noct started splashing. But by then the chase had become as much a game for Ignis as it had Noct.
"I'm hardly plagued by that particular anxiety any longer," Ignis corrected patiently, tucking away the old memories.
Gladio shook his head at their antics. "Good. 'Cause I got a feeling stayin' dry ain't gonna be an option in Altissia."
"Really, how come?" Prompto asked.
"Well, they call it the 'Walls of Water', but it's not just the walls," Gladio explained, likely having reviewed many of the same documents describing the city as Ignis had in preparation for their departure from Insomnia. By all accounts the nickname was an apt one.
Prompto's head tilted to the side as he considered this. "So, like, the whole city is made of water?"
"Something like that."
"Whoa!"
"Indeed. Which is why we can't traverse the town by traditional means. We'll need to rely on gondolas instead," Ignis added, taking time to elaborate when Prompto turned to him with a look of open confusion. "Light flat-bottomed boats, typically directed by a single oar at the stern. Perhaps it's best to think of them as water taxis."
"And speaking of boats, don't we have one to catch?" Gladio reminded.
"Yeah, guess we should get going," Noct said, without making a move to rise from his seat.
Loath as he was to leave himself, Ignis stole one last glance at the crystal waves and sun-drenched hues bled from the sky before gathering himself to spur the others on toward the dock. But Prompto interrupted any such plans by hopping to his feet, camera suddenly in hand and radiating his typical enthusiasm. "Oh! We should totally snap a photo before we go."
"Here?" Noct's eyebrows hiked up in surprise.
"Yeah!" Prompto gestured grandly to the very scene Ignis had just taken in. "The ocean as our backdrop, hair blowing in the breeze. We'll be seaside supermodels."
Noct couldn't quite smother a genuine smile at that. "Seaside supermodels it is then."
"Oh, yeah! Seaside supermodels!" Prompto cheered.
Gladio shrugged. "I guess if it gets you two on your feet I'm game."
And at Prompto's pleading look Ignis found himself agreeing to the proposition as well. "I suppose it would make a nice memento."
"You know it! Okay, everyone scooch in close."
It took a bit of finagling to fit all of them in the frame with the limited space available on the deck but Prompto eventually managed.
The end result showed the four of them crowded in close and backlit by the bright sun. Noct had one eye squinted shut, leaning away from Prompto's hair, and Ignis' glasses were knocked slightly askew by the arm Gladio had slung around his neck. But the happiness on their faces was plain to see.
Ignis imagined it was for that reason, more than the exceptional scenery, that made this particular photo a unanimous favorite.