Thanks again to darkpaladin89 for their review. And now, here's the next chapter in the Chronicles series. Now that Fall's set in, what else is in store for the Lucis gang?
-miano53
Chronicles of Eos: Unexpected News
December 14th, Citadel Interior Gardens…
"Yay! Look at these, Majesty!"
Lunafreya, smiling as she was hosting a group of students from the nearby school, Balamb Elementary, watched as the kids went through the gardens that she had planted after the reclamation of Insomnia. They were in awe at the trees and other plants, many of them being from Tenebrae. They were allowed to pick the last of the harvest as winter was coming in and the plants were going into dormancy, despite being in the walls of the Citadel.
She wondered how it would be when Noctis and she start having children. If her mother was alive, she would've wondered the same, asking about grandkids. She was sure the late king Regis would've said the same. If only they survived the attacks of the Niflheim Empire…
"Look! I found some Ulwaat berries!" a boy yelled, showing the Oracle-Queen.
"Ah, well, would you look at that!" Lunafreya told him.
The kids cleared out much of the edibles, with some taking sylleblossoms and making crowns out of them. It reminded the queen when Noct and she made theirs when they were little…
"Oh…" Luna said, swaying a bit.
One of the Glaives appeared and asked, "Are you alright, Majesty?"
"I'm-I'm fine. Just got a little dizzy, that's all," Lunafreya told him.
"Dad? Dad! Daddy!"
"What?"
"I'm sleepy! I'm hungry! I'm irritated!"
"Just great…"
Noctis woke up with a start, having a very, very odd dream with these kids sitting in the backseat of the Regalia. What scared him was that they looked like him and Luna, with two having dark hair like him and the third having blonde hair like Luna. Their habits were also similar, with the trio being hungry, tired, and irritated and not caring for the extra leg room in the back. Noctis hadn't a clue where they came from and he tried to go back to sleep, but a voice prevented that.
"So, are you sensing the changes in the air?"
It was his father's voice. Not trying to wake up his still-sleeping wife, Noct whispered, "What?"
"Can you sense a change in the air? Besides the fall air?"
"Uh, no…" Noctis replied honestly.
Regis appeared as a translucent ghost and he asked, "You seriously do not sense it?"
"Sense what? And can we have this conversation in the morning?" Noctis asked, tired as usual.
"Well, I will not be available during that time as your power to see or hear me is strongest at night. You know that," Regis told him.
Noct remembered, grumbling as he wanted to go back to sleep. Regis pestered him again and said, "You didn't notice that Lunafreya hasn't been eating certain foods?"
"Um, no. She's usually awake before me anyway," Noctis said.
"Then, have you noticed she's gained a bit of weight?" Regis asked.
Noct looked at Luna, who didn't stir, and he nodded. She did seem to gain a little weight since the harvest festival, mainly around her abdomen and bust. He didn't mind at all and thought both should've gained a little weight, believing it would lead to muscle and just a fuller look. The monarchs of the kingdom needed to look strong, not scrawny and malnourished, he thought.
Regis shook his head and said, "No, no, no. That's not what I mean. I noticed some things when your mother had you."
Noct's eyes widened, and he immediately became fully awake. He looked back at Lunafreya and thought about things and the possibilities of her being…Well, he did notice that she had a bit of a tired expression lately. And certain items weren't on the groceries list either.
"Wait…No…No way!" Noctis said, nearly yelling as he thought of said possibility.
Regis held up a fist, saying, "Yes! I'm about to be a grandfather!"
"H-hey now! Um, she hasn't confirmed that!" Noct said, becoming nervous.
"Nor has she denied it. Seriously, this is all similar to how Aulea carried you," Regis said, happy at the possibility of being a grandfather…though deceased.
Noct's mind reeled at the thought. If that dream was true, then…he was going to be a dad soon. And the line of Lucis-Caelum would continue. But, he hadn't a clue how to be one.
"And that's where the lineage of kings and queens come in. You have my advice and those of your forebearers," Regis told him.
"Eh, I don't know if I want their advice…" Noct said.
Regis seemed offended and muttered, "Why I never…"
"I didn't mean you, Dad," Noct said.
Lunafreya turned and woke up, seeing Noctis talking with a specter. Recognizing him, she said, "Hello there, Lord Regis."
"Ah, uh, hello there. Um…We'll talk later," Regis said, disappearing back into the Beyond.
Noct returned to be and looked Lunafreya over. She looked at him and asked, "What?"
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yes. Why?" Luna replied.
Noct didn't know how to ask without causing offense. So, he plainly asked, "Um, are you…?"
"Carrying? I don't know. I've just been tired lately. And eating certain foods doesn't sit well anymore. And the sickness…" Lunafreya answered, yawning.
She went back to sleep and Noctis told her, "I'll call a doctor in the morning."
Four days later, St. Galuf Val's Hospital…
Waiting in an OBGYN office, Noctis and Lunafreya awaited the results of a test given by one of the royal physicians, Dr. Elmira Gainsborough. Noct tried to stay calm, texting Prompto and the others the status of what was going on, since his friends/family were worried about the queen. Another buzz of his phone and it was Ignis, asking what tests were done. Noctis told him what he could and Ignis vowed to research more if the results weren't satisfactory.
"Will you calm down? I'll be fine," Luna told him.
"Well, Dr. Gainsborough said that what's going on could be two things: a baby or cancer. Personally, I prefer the former," Noctis said.
Luna sighed, telling him, "I don't have cancer. I'm fine."
Just as Noctis tried to tell her he was in the right for being cautious, as his mother died from it, the door opened and Dr. Gainsborough, a blonde who wore green and white underneath a doctor's coat, stepped through. She carried a chart in her hands, and she had a bit of a smile on her face. Sitting at her desk in front of them, Dr. Gainsborough said, "Well, I have the results of the test, Majesties."
Noctis gulped, hoping the worse wouldn't come. Lunafreya held his hands, which became cold and clammy. Dr. Gainsborough said, "We've checked your blood and compared it to past results. And the symptoms you've experienced…"
She continued with the many tests and Noctis wished she would hurry up and tell them what was wrong. Lunafreya looked at him and gave his hands a firm squeeze to calm him down. It barely worked and his hands were even sweatier.
"Well, I'm happy to say that we found nothing that would suggest cancer," Dr. Gainsborough said.
"Yes!" Noctis cheered.
"But…I would like to schedule an ultrasound as, congratulations Majesties, you're gonna have an heir," Dr. Gainsborough told them.
Lunafreya's eyes widened, and Noctis' jaw dropped. The queen didn't believe her, saying, "Um, pardon me?'
"You're pregnant, about four weeks. And I would like to schedule your ultrasound soon as we need to know if it'll be a single birth or multiple," Dr. Gainsborough said.
"W-What makes you think it'll be multiple?" Noctis asked.
"Well, I'm just being cautious. We have to make sure that the mother gets adequate nutrition," Dr. Gainsborough said.
Noctis didn't know how to react. Neither did Lunafreya. The two were silent and Dr. Gainsborough said, "Well if you want my opinion on the matter, I can give it."
"Please," Lunafreya told her.
"I feel that children are a blessing and much more so as the child will be an heir to this kingdom. But I cannot tell you what you're to do about this," Dr. Gainsborough said.
"Well, neither of us are thinking about ridding ourselves of the child. We're just…in disbelief…especially after everything that's happened," Lunafreya said.
The doctor was relieved and Noctis said, "I guess we're gonna have to think of names, what to buy…"
"Um, I can come back tomorrow. For the ultrasound," Lunafreya told Dr. Gainsborough.
The next day, throne room…
"Woo! I'm gonna be an uncle! I'm gonna be an uncle!" Prompto cheered.
"But you're not even related," Gladiolus told the blonde.
"So? The kid'll think we're all his uncles! I'm gonna show him how to take selfies, how to edit videos for YouSphere, how to play King's Knight V!" Prompto said, hyper and looking ready to perform backflips around the throne room.
Ignis shook his head and said to their King, "Majesty. What is your plan for the reveal?"
Noctis, dressed in the garb of the kings of Lucis, said nothing as he was still in disbelief about Luna. She did look like she was showing, but he had no idea how to be a dad. Maybe, he should consult his own.
"Well, Minister Tot Treno's coming and pretty sure he'll wanna know about Lunafreya," Gladio told him.
The doors to the throne room opened and it was Lunafreya, accompanied by Iris, who was home for the holidays. The queen had an envelope in her hands, and she seemed nervous. Iris was grinning and Gladio asked, "What are you smiling about?"
"Oh, uh, nothing. Um, Majesty?" Iris said, leading Lunafreya to the throne.
Noctis jumped off, rushed over to his wife, and said, "Everything okay?"
"Yes, um, but…" Luna started.
"But what? You didn't lose the baby, did ya?" Prompto asked.
Luna shook her head and handed Noctis the file. He opened it and saw the picture of the ultrasound. Like many, he hadn't a clue what he was looking at.
"Um," he said.
"Look there," Luna told him.
It was a small area circled and he said, "It looks like a peanut."
"Um, that's the one," Lunafreya said.
Noct couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl, since it was far too soon to tell. But it wasn't the only picture. Luna took the picture, and it was revealed to be a set of four. She showed him the next one and it was of two circles. Then the third was of the others side, revealing a third. The last was a picture of all three circles, with the tiny "peanuts".
"Um…" Noct started.
"She's having more than one. You're gonna be a father of triplets," Iris stated plainly.
Gladio shook his head, yelling, "What?"
"WOO-HOO! I'm gonna be an uncle three times over!" Prompto shouted.
"This…is going to be interesting," Ignis said.
Noct looked at the pictures again and then back at Luna. He suddenly felt short of breath, and he went to the stairs.
"I-I gotta…I gotta sit down…" he said, having a panic attack.
Not one, three? Three? He was already having a time wrapping his head around being a father. But three kids? At the same time? He needed to lie down. He really needed to.
"Um, I think Noct's about to pass out," Iris said.
"No, no, no. You're not passing out. We have to talk about this. We have to talk…" Lunafreya said.
Her husband hit the floor before she finished speaking.
Crystal World, office…
Somnus and Ardyn, seeing the results from their offices, marched towards the Crystal, demanding an explanation. No one in the Lucis-Caelum line ever had multiples. And Ardyn was sealed away before he could have children with Aera. So, the feeling with the two brothers was jealousy and confusion.
Just as they were about to enter the chamber, they were stopped by the new dragon king Astral, Sol Regis. The draconian warrior in gold and black held up his hand, stopping the brothers' advance. Somnus started with, "What's going on? Why triplets?"
"The crystal was responsible for their ability to have them. Most likely as an apology for what it did to your family," Sol Regis told them.
"But yet it hadn't said any form of apologies to me for the events of the Starscourge and how it ruined my life…Instead, it turned me into an Ifrit," Ardyn said.
"Yes, but your time as humans have expired. A new generation of Lucis-Caelum must come forth, righting the wrongs of the past and forging the future," Sol Regis told them.
"It still doesn't explain the multiples. I didn't have any. If anything, Diana and I had trouble having children and only came out with the one," Somnus said.
Sol Regis shrugged and said, "As I said, the children will bring forth a new era in Eos, one where the Lucis-Caelum line will bring everything to Light. And you of the Lucii will help."
"Babysit? No, I think I'm good," Ardyn said, walking off.
"Still a Lucii, so you'll help whether you like it or not," Sol Regis told him.
Ardyn ran into an invisible wall and he muttered, "You'll regret the day you ask me to babysit…"
"Don't harm the kids…" Somnus pleaded.
"I won't. I shall teach them the complex art of, what did the kids used to say, 'trolling'. They shall be master trolls, pulling pranks and getting away with it," Ardyn declared.
"Don't teach the kids to start chaos…" Somnus told him.
"Why not? Life will be quite dull if they don't," Ardyn said.
Sol Regis facepalmed and muttered, "Why? I know I'm going to regret making them do this."
And there's the next chapter. Wonder what kind of pranks Ardyn will teach the future kiddies. Most likely all of them will be pulled on Noct.