This chapter ended up being a bit longer than usual, but I hope you enjoy it. We get plenty of Luna/Noctis fluff and some chocobros.

I'm going to start replying to reviews in PMs rather than the start of chapters, makes life easier.


Noctis left the hotel, glad in hindsight he had left before the change of shift, so his failure to return through the lobby would go unnoticed. He wound his way around the building and looked up to count the number of windows until he was sure he reached the right one. But counting had proved unnecessary, as Lunafreya had taped up a picture of a sylleblossums to her window, and he knew there was no one else who would do that. The gesture could look innocent to anyone visiting her room, knowing her adoration for the flowers, but he smiled at the invitation. He was just sorry it took so long for him to fulfill his promise to return to her, and hoped he wasn't about to wake her. He summoned his Engine Blade, throwing it above the window to warp to it, his little brown packages tucked under his other arm. He clutched the hilt, kicking away from the building and phasing through the window as he swung back towards it. He crashed unceremoniously into the table near the window, stumbling to the floor in a pile of limbs, packages, and a clatter of noise.

A startled yelp was punctuated within several seconds by hard pointing on the door. Noctis looked up at a very disheveled Lunafreya in a brief moment of panic, but she placed her index finger over his lips and turned her head towards the door,

"Sorry Ravus, was looking for the bathroom in the dark and knocked into the dining table. I'm quite alright!" She called,

"Be more careful! You'll wake half the floor." He complained back. "Should I come in and help you fix it?"

"No, these tables aren't quite so heavy I cannot manage on my own. Go back to sleep." Retreating footsteps told them that her rapid lie was effective, the pair letting out a sigh of relief. "Noct!" she hissed at him, and even in the dark he could see how dilated her eyes were.

"Sorry… I didn't expect to phase in and knock a table over." He replied in a whisper. He carefully righted the table and chair before collecting his packages. "Uhh… I was hoping for a more romantic surprise… but I guess instead I woke you up into a panic huh?" he asked her, an crooked smile on his face. He set the packages down and walked up to her, pulling her into his arms and could feel the tremor in her limbs.

"I'm alright. More startled by all the sudden noise than by our close call." She assured him before he could voice any anxiety. She took a deep breath and backed out of his embrace to run a hand through her hair. She had let her hair down from its usual style, the kinks from her braids giving some of her hair a messy wave that matched her kinked bangs, a few stray hairs sticking at odd angles.

"You look pretty adorable." He whispered, and she rolled her eyes despite the deep flush in her cheeks,

"Startled is the new chic?" He made a strange gagging noise as he tried to hold back his laugh. He couldn't recall if he had ever heard her be sarcastic before.

"I promised I'd come back," he offered. "Oh, and I got you a little something…" he shyly gestured to the table when Lunafreya cocked her head curiously at him and bit her lip a bit. She always did get quite shy whenever I got her a gift. He pondered, enjoying the flush to her cheeks and that childish way she knit her fingers when she was unsure how to respond.

"You didn't have to… I have nothing for you…" she answered him, and he chuckled at her.

"Give me a kiss and we'll call it even." He offered. She smiled at this, stepping back into his arms, hands placed on his shoulders as she stood the barest bit on her toes to reach his lips, a sigh tickling his cheek as he moaned against her. While he wanted to indulge he carefully pushed her back and nodded again towards the table. She gave him another shy smile, walking towards the table and took a seat.

"Honestly Noct… like you, merely seeing you is gift enough. You make a girl blush." The book was revealed first, her smile widening, "You remembered I love fantasy!" she wondered. He shrugged and made a gesture for her to keep going. The candy was next, and she insisted that they sit on the bed together and share it. "How do you always remember my favorite things?" she marveled. Her life was such a narrow hallway she rarely voiced her opinions for it only reminded her how few choices she ever had.

"What kind of Prince would I be if I couldn't remember what makes my Princess happy?" She smiled at him,

"You're the only one who can say I'm theirs." Her words quivered slightly, but her smile looked genuine, and for once her posture wasn't tense.

"You don't belong to anyone." He answered her, wishing he had chosen his words more carefully.

"When you call me yours… I know its different." She clarified. "I am yours. Come… let's sit on the bed, listen to this music you got me, and eat candy until we feel sick." She suggested again. "I am not familiar with this name. Though admittedly I'm rarely familiar with names of artists."

"I didn't know this guy either. He was just some guy playing the violin downtown. Was really cool, and I remembered you like strings a lot and it made me think of you."

"Let's see what this street artist has to offer." She moved over to her bag, digging through it, and inside some folded clothing she pulled out her small CD-player, nearly leaping onto the bed with her excitement and patting the spot beside her. She plugged in the headphones, handing Noctis one of the earbuds. He sat down next to her and accepted the first maple candy she offered him a she thumbed the device on, and the music began to play. He scooted closer to her, an arm wrapped around her shoulder. They rested against the bed's headboard, Lunafreya's head resting against his chest, one hand winding her fingers with his. Despite her joke of eating until they were sick, after a second piece of candy she decided she wanted to make the rest last. She enjoyed the music coming from the earbud, voicing how strange it was to hear a violin used to play something not classical.

"I love you…" she whispered after some time. Her voice sounded strained, and her shoulders tensed a bit, her grip on his fingers tightening.

"I love you too… you… alright?" he asked her. Her brother's words were swimming in her mind. I have to tell him.

"Do you remember when we were children, and we talked about what it meant to be the Crystal's Chosen and the Oracle?" she began. This time Noctis's limbs tightened and he pulled her a little closer, fear rising in his heart at why she would bring this up. He wasn't quite ready for their cloud of contentment to come down from cloud nine.

"Of course."

"And you remember Gentiana?"

"Your retainer when you were a kid, right? That woman with the black hair."

"Well. She wasn't just my retainer. She was a messenger of the Astrals. Before I came to Altissia she… she told me…" she faltered, searching for the words. Searching for the way to tell him it was time to something no one of the Lucian line has done in thousands of years. Why did she have to drop this burden on him? The Crystal's Chosen King of Light and the Oracle are to work together. She reminded herself. "It's time to awaken the Six. Its… It's time to finally purge our star of the Scourge. Of the Blight. I've been keeping it at bay as best I can… but there's something wrong." She continued. Discussing her own role in this made it easier for her to bear him this news. "It's time for the King of Light and the Oracle to stand together. To purge it once and for all. To… to save our star."

There was a brief stretch of silence, Noctis enveloping her with both his arms. He remembered the stories. His arms were tense, and he felt his heart begin to race. His breath hitched, and he tasted something metallic in the back of his throat. He remembered his father training him on how to gather a royal arm, though only in concept. He taught him how to perform elemancy, and about his duty to the Crystal as its chosen. He remembered a small blonde child excitedly reading a book to a little boy, talking about duty and prophecy in a far-off future that sounded more like a fairy tale than their future. The two would pretend to be the superheroes from this story, acting out their roles despite Noctis being relegated to a wheelchair. He remembered histories and stories, wondering which were true and which were fable. He remembered a crippling injury that made him question his worth. He remembered his father's brace, his limp, his grey hair; the price of the Ring of the Lucii, the gift from the Crystal. He remembered a promise.

"I won't let you down."

The betrothed royals lay on the bed in silence for many minutes, listening to the music and clutching each other. Lunafreya had her head nestled into the crook of his shoulder, sighing as she felt Noctis idly play with her hair with his free hand. She chided herself for fearing telling him the news about the covenants, his words brought her mind back to that warm sunny day sitting beside an eight-year-old Noctis with a book in her lap as he made that promise to her. Like her, he was aware of his future. This duty was no mystery, no sudden revelation. Yet still, so close to the eve of their wedding she had to bear him this burden when instead she merely wanted to bear him a ring and pretty but honest vows. She had yet to tell him that Gentiana felt the wedding was a trap. Though she herself had suspected this, she allowed her desire for it to fog her judgement. This was the one joyous thing given to her, and it was likely a trap.

"So… where do we go from here?" Noctis inquired, not entirely sure what he was supposed to do first. He remembered the stories, the training. But no one had ever told him what the very first step would be. He thought about how in movies, television shows, books, the stories his father would tell him, the hero always seemed to know how to go about his journey. Now that he was facing his own, he had no idea what to do.

"I must awaken the Astrals, each in their own turn. Once awoken, you must forge a covenant with them-"

"No I mean what's the first step? Which Astral do we go to?"

"I believe we should first collect some of your ancestor's weapons. To prove your worth to the Six."

"Right… my father told me about that part. I kinda wish he took me to one of the tombs to show me what to do… I mean, he told me howto do it… but I've never collected one."

"I don't think this is something he could have showed you until it was time to actually collect one."

"Okay… good point there." He tried to remember the location of the royal tombs. He had scattered memories, but felt confident Ignis would have a better recollection for these geographical facts than him. He made a mental note to himself to task Ignis with marking a map for them. He wished he had paid better attention to his history lessons. But tales of old Kings and Queens had never seemed to catch his attention. He always paid better attention to his combat lessons with Gladiolus, or his rare trips with his father to learn elemancy.

"So it seems returning to Lucis should be our first step." Lunafreya almost added after the wedding but she couldn't shake the sense of foreboding she had regarding it. She wished Gentiana would come to her again to provide guidance. "We have one step completed…" she began, "Gentiana isn't just a messenger to the Astrals… She's Shiva." Lunafreya quickly held up her palm to forestall Noctis's reaction, "She forged a covenant with me when I was thirteen." Noctis seemed ready to ask more questions but she shook her head against his chest, "Let's take this one day at a time… We can head to Lucis to start gathering the royal arms," She paused, after the wedding, were the first words that appeared in her head, but instead spoke that they could set out the following week.

"So soon." He remarked. She feared for a moment he was hesitating to fulfill their roles, but before she could chide him he continued. "Strange to think that for twelve years it was just a story… and soon we're making it real. My friends are going to think I'm nuts. But they'll follow me anyway."

"You friends will come with us for this?"

"You really think they'd let me to poke some Gods with a stick alone? Prompto would come just for the excuse to take pictures of Lucis! None of them ever left insomnia."

"He's a photographer?" she inquired. He smiled a bit, his fingers beginning to trace along her arm. He began to talk about Prompto's photography. Gladiolus's skill at foraging or simply finding things, it was like he was a treasure goblin. And Ignis's cooking. He could carry on for hours about the meals the man had produced. A day of fishing had always felt more satisfying when he could bring home his catch and Ignis would transform it into mana from heaven. Nothing helped him feel more relaxed after a hard day of training with Gladiolus than a bowl of Ignis's fish chowder. He tilted his head so he could see the smile on her face, and hoped it was a sign that she would be able to give them another chance after Gladiolus's nightmare first impression.

"But since we won't be alone on this adventure… let's take advantage of the alone time we have now."

"Why… what are you thinking my dear Prince?" she inquired with a flush. He smiled at her, rolling so she was on her back, he lying partially over her. He answered her by brushing his lips against hers, a second kiss he pressed a bit harder, and it was her who made the next move, licking his bottom lip in a request for more. He hummed against her, one hand cupping her head with a thumb playing with her earlobe. His other hand had been grasped by her, fingers lacing together and resting next to her head.

"One afternoon with you wasn't enough." He eventually whispered to her, grazing her neck with his teeth, smirking as she gasped at his gentle nip.

"You'll leave a mark." She whispered warningly. He wanted to respond with something witty or sexy, the kind of stupid response likely shoved in a terrible romance novel that girls read in droves; something to make her giggle and likely give him a playful slap against the shoulder. But he knew her warning wasn't playful and silenced himself by grazing a hand along her shoulder to pull at the strap of her top, his lips following the trail left by his fingers.

Her fingers wound in his hair, allowing herself a quiet hum and his other hand stopped the attention to her ear to under the hem of her night slip, palm moving agonizingly slow up her frame. She arched her back to ease his task and sat up with his help so he could remove the garment completely. Noctis sat back on his heels, taking a moment to admire her before his arms arms wound around her back to pull her against him, lips clashing against her neck again, his fingers grazing her back, pausing occasionally for this thumbs to apply a light pressure in small circles,

"Think you'd let me give you a massage? You have a lot of knots in your back." He whispered against her ear.

"You do have magic fingers." She answered him and flushed. "I mean… the knots… you're quite adept as easing them." She clarified, and he chuckled. "But perhaps later…"

"Need me to use my magic fingers for other tasks?" he inquired. She placed her arms on his shoulders, linking her hands behind them and sitting back just enough to see his flirtatious smile.

"You'll make a girl lose her senses…"

"That's the idea…" he responded, and pulled her back into his embrace, lips clashing. The gentle touches turned into desperate grasps. He fell back, knees bent to keep his feet from kicking the headboard, pulling Lunafreya with him so she was straddling him. She freed him from his shirt and then grasped at his belt, pulling it from the buckle before working on the buttons. Noctis smiled at the way she tilted her head with concentration, her long fingers freeing the button and sat up a bit so she could pull on the waistband of his pants. In a moment of foresight he pulled a condom from his pant pocket before letting her pull them off him. He lifted his hips so she could slide the pants off of him, kicking them off the bed before turning his attention back to her. She was straddling him, leaning over her him and her breasts brushed against his chest. He reached with his hands, his touch making her sigh against him, mumble his name. He reached between them, pressing his thumb against her clit causing her to gasp. She muttered his name again, and he began to roll his thumb in circles in response to her request.

After a few moments Lunafreya sat back, grasping her Prince's erection and began to stroke him, smiling a bit as he moaned at her touch. She let out a disappointed whine when he removed his hand from her so he could slip the condom on, wishing she could simply feel him but knowing it would carry quite the risk. He held himself in his hand to help guide her down onto him, the pair moaning as she did so. She began to roll her hips, Noctis putting this thumb where it had been, nearly driving her to the edge after a bare moment of connection. He let her rule their pace, enjoying her shyness and her attempts to ask him for direction. She arched, rolling her hips, and he wondered if she wasn't the one driving him from his senses. He watched her expressions, loving the lust in her eyes and the way she panted with him. Her hands were splayed on his chest to help herself balance, and he had reached up to cup her breast, his thumb toying with her nipple the same way with other thumb was driving her mad where they were connected. He thrust his hips beneath her as they moved, and knew she was close in the way she sighed and gasped, the occasional whine that made it through. Her voice shuddered when she reached her climax, and he pulled her hips closer so he could push against her as he rode out his own. After a few moments of catching their breaths she accepted to break the connection and lie beside him.

In the afterglow, rather than begin to cave to sleep, Noctis reoffered Lunafreya a back massage after reminding her how tight her muscles felt. She seemed ready to insist on sleep but reminded herself this was her first night with him in six months and sleep could wait if it meant enjoying just a bit more time with him. Noctis had settled sitting with his back against the headboard, Lunafreya nestled between his legs when he placed his hands on her shoulders and began pressing the heels of his hands and the pad of his thumb against her tense form in small circles.

"That hurt?" He asked in response to a sharp intake of breath, pausing his motions.

"A bit… but in a good way… my shoulders already feel better from just that bit." She encouraged him. Reassured by her words he continued to find and rub away the knots in her muscles, pausing occasionally to plant a kiss on her neck, or the place recently evacuated by his fingers. She remembered how long it had taken him to convince her to allow him to do this for the first time when they were teenagers. She had felt so good afterwards she had mentally kicked herself for resisting his offer of care for so long. Lesson learned, she was happy to accept his attention to her tense muscles ever since.

"I'm not sure I've ever asked… where did you learn this?" she inquired.

"Oh. Umm… after we got back home from Tenebrae and my back finished healing, we had a nurse taking care of me who used to rub my back on days I had a lot of pain. I always felt so good after I wanted her to teach me…" he trailed off a bit, feeling his cheeks heat up. "Not the manliest explanation huh?" He cleared his throat, dropping his voice an octave in an attempt to mimic the tone of his Shield, "I mean. I would battle so hard with epic gladiators that I needed to learn how to fix myself to always be ready for the next fight! Manly. Magic massages to triple my testosterone. " He nodded, and began to laugh in response to Lunafreya's genuine laughter.

"Necessary skill to continue being the best fighter in the Citadel?" she encouraged.

"Why else would I learn this skill?" he smirked.

"Can't imagine why." She sighed when his lips replaced his fingers on a spot low on her shoulder blade. When he was satisfied that he had helped ease all the knots in her back they settled under the blankets on their sides, Lunafreya enjoying the security she felt in his embrace. The placed the candy, player, and CD case in the drawer of the end table. Atop it Noctis had set an alarm on its quietest setting. Lunafreya reassured him she was a light sleeper and the quiet alarm would be adequate enough to rouse her, in sharp contrast to his ability to sleep through an earthquake. They exchanged whispered I love yous and settled into sleep.

It was a ringtone followed by Pryna's startled yap that woke Lunafreya before an alarm. She opened her eyes with a groggy moan, shifting her stiff form as she looked over at Noctis's phone, and saw the screen light up with a quiet chime. Pryna was lying at the end of the bed, her ears perked up as she stared at her mistress as if to ask what the new sound was. She glanced at the window, and noted it was the pre-dawn hours. She grimaced; a bit concerned that Noctis would be receiving a message so early in the morning. She gripped his shoulder to give it a shake, whispering his name. When he failed to respond to her shaking she grew a bit more aggressive, leaning close to his ear to say his name louder,

"Noctis! Please… wake up." She insisted. He groaned, burying his face into the pillows,

"Alarm already?" he complained.

"No, but you're phone is lighting up and making noise. I think someone is trying to talk to you." She answered him.

"Probably just the guys." He answered dismissively, hugging the blankets tighter around his shoulders. "Lie back down until the alarm." He suggested.

"Is it normal for your friends to send you so many messages this early?"

"No." he answered, and finally began to hitch himself up. "Now that you point it out no one messages me this early." He stretched, feeling a few pops in his back before reaching over to the end table and thumbing the device on. "It was Gladio… what the hell does he want at the crack of dawn?" he mumbled.

G: Wake up

G: I know ur asleep

G: Its important get up and answer me

G: Ur dad sent cor here its pretty import you need to wake up if you dont answer this im calling you

He felt the grogginess wear away when he read Cor's name. The Immortal? Why would my dad send him here? He furrowed his brow, and his thumbs quickly began to type a reply when his text was interrupted with an incoming call,

"Hey man I'm up. What's going on?" He looked at Lunafreya who mouthed Is everything okay? To which he replied with a shrug and a silent I don't know yet.

"Get your ass back to the room, been trying to wake you up for a half hour! Cor the Immortal is here."

"Why is Cor here?!" He couldn't remember the last time he had even seen the man. Despite being the Marshal of his family's Crownsguard, an encounter with him was rare. Even Gladiolus saw more of him than he did. Man I wonder what a sparring match between those two would look like. He couldn't help but wonder until Gladiolus's voice dragged him back to the present.

"Something about the Empire, I don't want to play middle man trying to spit out the thousand things being shouted in my ear while I'm talking to you. Just get back here okay? Nifleheim is up to something and it has to do with the wedding."

"Okay okay I'm coming." He heard a lot of chatter in the background, arguing voices.

"He says bring the Oracle with you."

"Umm... A bit easier said than done man."

"He-" the voice grew distant for a moment, "Im telling him! Back off! I can't concentrate with all of you yelling like this!... Yes… listen to Iggy!... okay okay!" The following words were much clearer, "just get back here!" Noctis put his phone down after the line was cut and met Lunafreya's concerned gaze.

"What's going on? Who's Cor?" she inquired.

"He's the marshal of our Crownsguard. I guess my dad sent him the guys are yelling at me to get back to the room." His heart was beginning to race, and he ran a now sweaty palm through his sleep-tussled hair. "Pretty sure he's not just here as a wedding guest." He slid off the bed, fetching his clothing as he hastily dressed himself. "He told me to bring you… but I'm not sure right now sneaking you around is the smartest idea." He explained, hoping she would provide a solution.

"I will simply request I be brought to your hotel room so we can meet for breakfast." She supplied. Noctis wanted to ask if the Empire would even allow her to dictate her day like that, but she seemed to know he would be apprehensive about her suggestion. "It's Ravus who's my… guardian… and besides, this is your biannual visit." The one time I am allowed a modicum of control over my day. She pushed back the words to the place in her mind where they came from. He seemed satisfied enough with her explanation. He finished pulling on his clothing and walked up to her,

"See you soon then?"

"See you soon."

"I love you,"

"Love you too," they exchanged smiles before meeting for a kiss. He parted from her and she watched him walk over wards the window and warp to the street below, thankful for the early hour keeping other tourists off the back streets so he could remain unnoticed. She sighed, shutting her window and the curtains afore them and mentally prepared herself for the inevitable argument with her brother when she requested to be escorted to him. Lamenting that she would once again be sleeping alone she slipped into bed, patting the bed beside her to urge Pryna to lie beside her, idly running her fingers through her soft fur.

Noctis returned to his hotel room to find Ignis in the kitchen preparing breakfast, and the smell of coffee filled the room. Prompto was fidgeting on the couch next to Gladiolus, while Cor Leonus, the infamous The Immortal, marshal of his Crownsguard, sat on the edge of the bed. The group all turned when the Prince returned, Prompto leaping to his feet to run to greet him, anxious for something to do to burn off this nervous energy.

"Finally." Gladiolus commented as the Prince shut the door behind him, setting the deadbolt.

"What the hell is going on?" he was still groggy, punctuating his question with a stretch.

"Your father has sent me with a message. Where's the Oracle? He instructed me to make sure you bring her with you." The marshal inquired, arms crossed.

"She'll be here at an hour where normal humans wake up. She can't just sneak off on the Empire that'll set off every alarm they have. She'll be here soon enough." Cor didn't seem pleased with his answer, but apparently decided not to argue the point, it being too late to change things.

"Your father is concerned. He suspects the wedding is a trap."

"What do you mean?" Gladiolus interrupted, but clamped his lips into a thin line with a look from the man.

"Aldercapt sent King Regis a gift, a dowry, a smoky quartz crystal for your collection the letter stated. Something about this gift put the King on edge, and he sent me out here to warn you."

"The King feels unsettled over a rock?" Gladuolus inquired. He nearly said got his panties in a bunch but managed to find his senses first and watch his tongue.

"How should I know? I can't read his mind. He told me to come talk to his son so here I am. And it's not just the wedding. There's been… discourse in the Glaives." At this the Prince stiffened, feeling the hairs on his arms stand on end.

"My father's crystal-imbued bodyguards are pissed off? That doesn't sound good." Noctis answered, feeling his fatigue vanish. He began to shift his weight back and forth, and found his foot tapping. Prompto was pacing before the window, his own leg bouncing whenever he stood still for more than a moment.

"So we understand there is an issue. What is it that the King desires of us to do with this warning?" Ignis asked.

"Regis suggests you all leave Altissia, before the wedding." Cor's gaze shifted over to the Prince, who stopped his restless motions.

"With Luna." Noctis answered him. Like hell he was going to leave her at the mercy of the Nifs again.

"There's a reason your father told me to have you bring the Oracle. But you decided to ignore me." He shot at him. Noctis let out a quick breath through his nose, biting down on his tongue to hold back the words that first came to mind, to give himself a second to provide a more reasonable reaction that wouldn't get him on the receiving end of the infamous Immortal's wrath.

"She'll be here soon." He wondered what he was going to tell her. She was so excited for this wedding. Hell, he was too. This was finally their solution to how to spirit her from the Caligo's clutches. All their childish dreams of spending their days together, separated neither by distance nor time; dreams of a life where they could lie together each night, and never again wake up to an empty bed. This is going to crush her.

"So what, we get back to the pier and just take the ferry home? Won't that raise suspicions?" Gladiolus asked, beginning to feel agitated. He didn't like how hard Cor was drumming his fingers, or the rigid way he held his shoulders. He was standing with his knees locked, back straight. He wanted to punch something. Maybe we should do another hunt. Make up for the shitshow from Hammerhead.

"I have the royal yacht."

"That won't garner unwanted attention?" Ignis asked. "Fear of such is why the King sent us to catch a ferry at Galdin Quay." Ignis asked. His three restless friends were wondering how the advisor could remain so calm, and it was likely that his demeanor was the only reason the others were even capable of listening to Cor.

"I'm not moored at the piers. The yacht is anchored a bit off the coast, took the lifeboat to a sandbar. We'll cover the details later when the Oracle gets there."

"Her name is Luna." Noctis added, trying got keep back his bitterness. She wasn't just the damn Oracle. Cor lifted a brow at this response, and Gladiolus shot him a glare.

"When can we expect her?" he responded.

"She said she'll ask to be brought to my room so we can have breakfast. She's an early bird so…" he paused, thumbing his phone on to check the time. "An hour or so." He supplied.

"How guarded can we expect her to be?" Cor asked, concerned.

"Usually two soldiers at least. But she mentioned something about her brother, so she might be able to convince him to cut her a little slack." He doubted his words.

"Guess we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it."

"The coffee is ready." Ignis declared, cutting through the tension in the room. "The food shall be done momentarily. I will prepare an extra portion for our expected guest when she gets here. Would be cold should I make it now."

"About time, I'm starved!" Prompto cheered, glad for a distraction. He finally ceased alternating between nervous pacing, and restlessly bouncing his leg to nearly jog across the room to pile food onto a plate. Food in hand, he hopped up to sit on the counter, shoving a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

"Get off the counter!" Ignis admonished, madly gesturing at the gunman.

"What?" he complained with his mouth full. "I wanted a place to sit!"

"We have a table with two chairs and a couch. Get off the counter and sit like an adult. Honestly…" he sighed. Prompto shrugged, hopping off the counter and sat at the table, shoving a large forkful of food in his mouth, his chair vibrating as he bounced his leg. Ignis sighed, deciding it wasn't worth the fight to tell him to stop being such a child and prepared a plate for Cor while Noctis and Gladiolus helped themselves, and then fed himself once the others had their meals.

"How was the ride here?" Ignis asked the marshal, hoping to ease some of the tension in the room during their meal. Not the most talkative of men Cor kept his answers short, having little to provide about his trip to Cape Caem or the uneventful boat trip. Prompto asked Cor if he stopped in Hammerhead, hoping to talk about something besides impending doom, such as the blonde mechanic, but was disappointed that he made no such pit-stop. He was dissatisfied by the short answered the marshal provided, but the subject prompted Cor to ask the group in turn about their own trip. Gladiolus luckily spared the friends the shame of telling the Immortal about their failure during their botched first hunt. A knock at the door got Noctis checking his phone, noting three-quarters of an hour had passed and got to his feet to answer the door, sure that Lunafreya could be the only one on the other side. He opened his, his smile falling when instead he was greeted by Ravus.

"Noctis."

"Ravus."

"Gonna threaten me this morning?"

"You going to give me a reason to?"

"What do you want?" Noctis bit, balling his fist by his side.

"My sister requested to have breakfast with you." He stated without preamble. Noctis wanted to look past the large man, but he took up almost as much of the doorway as Gladiolus.

"Is she with you?" he asked.

"I'm right here Noct." Her voice called from behind her brother. He released his fist, fingers aching slightly from the tension, a knot in his shoulder easing as he relaxed his posture.

"She begged me to let her enjoy a breakfast without armed guards. The soldiers will be stationed at either end of the hall. If you give me a reason to regret that decision-"

"Ravus… please…" Lunafreya interrupted. "I have no intention of leaping out a forth story window, or engaging in wanton behavior." She provided. "Besides, you allowed me to have an unescorted lunch in the city with him, why are you being so troublesome about breakfast inside the hotel?"

"Don't make me regret this Caelum." Ravus snapped and turned, "nor you sister." He added, though his tone was much softer. "Would be hard for me convince Uldor not to have someone chained to you at all times were you to prove separating you from your guard to be a mistake."

"I assure you my only intention this morning is to eat something and spend some time with Noctis." She sighed, and Noctis couldn't help but the smirk as he pictured her rolling her eyes. He stepped away from the doorway, and she stepped into the room, flinching with a yelp as Ravus slammed the door behind her.

"That was unnecessary… you okay?" he asked, furrowing his brow at the way she immediately began to knit her fingers.

"Just startled." She answered, looking past him at the other men in the room. She stopped knitting her hands and instead wound one arm around her chest, her other palm gripping her upper arm. "Good morning." She bid politely, but remained firmly rooted just inside the threshold.

"Wanna sit at the table? Ignis made us all breakfast.

"Thank you." She followed his gesture to the small table. Prompto gave up his seat, moving instead to sit on the edge of one of the beds. Noctis moved the second chair so he was next to her rather than across, wishing she would relax.

"I have eggs, bacon, toast, potatoes… is that adequate fare for you my Lady?" Ignis inquired.

"You can call me Lunafreya… or Luna." She offered. She tried to push images of Caligo, my Lady Lunafreya rolling off his tongue, from her mind. She forced herself to stop guarding her ribs, fearful of drawing attention to it. Prior to leaving her room Ravus had offered her the painkillers again, for which she was grateful, though they never sat well on an empty stomach so she was grateful for the offer of food. "Eggs, toast, and potatoes sounds lovely. Though I will pass on the bacon" She added after a few seconds.

"Bacon is awesome! Man, how can you not like bacon?" Prompto joked, "Cook her a portion and I'll eat it for her!"

"Would you like some coffee as well? I purchased some Ebony prior to leaving Insomnia. I assure you, it's the best coffee you'll ever taste." Ignis asked her, ignoring Prompto.

"I… I usually drink tea. I would quite like to try some coffee." She smiled a little, glad for Ignis skipping the necessity to defend her meal choice. The the last time she had tried coffee was a sugar and cream laden concoction her mother would occasionally drink, and sometimes let her and Ravus try sips of. She couldn't recall the taste of it. She thanked him when he placed a mug in front of her. She had hoped to be offered cream and sugar, but took a sip of the coffee in its unaltered state and was a bit surprised that despite her usual partialness to sweet things, she enjoyed the nutty flavor. "This is quite good…"

"Ugh you like it black too? I can't drink it without enough sugar to put a behemoth into diabetic shock!" it was Prompto again, and she shrugged a bit in repy.

"I usually like sweet things, but I enjoy my tea black. I suppose its not entirely shocking I would enjoy coffee thus."

"At last! Another human who can appreciate coffee!" Ignis declared with a smile. Lunafreya returned his smile.

"Noctis, did you tell… Lunafreya," Cor hesitated slightly before saying her name, "much yet?"

"You guys didn't really tell me anything when Gladiolus called." He answered and ran a hand through his hair. He had come to Altissia to marry his beloved Luna, not all this shit. Not to find out it was time to awaken the Six, to fear what the empire was about to do. To have to look in her eyes when she was told this wedding was a trap. I won't relinquish you back to their custody. Not this time. The wedding may not happen, but I'll still free you from them. He wanted to promise her. But how could he pull her away from the Empire? How could he do the very thing he had been failing to do, as Gladiolus had so kindly pointed out the day before. He forced himself to keep his head up as Cor repeated to her what he himself had been told. About the suspicious gift, and his coming to Altissia to warn them. He watched her shoulders fall, and the way both hands clutched the hot ceramic mug, thumbs brushing across the rim, eyes firmly locked onto the dark coffee.

"I had feared such myself." She spoke when Cor finished. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you such Noctis… I just… " wanted to hope.

"It's alright." He assured her, and she gave him a weak smile before turning her gaze back to her drink.

"Here you are my Lady," She flinched at the sound of Ignis's voice using her title, placing a plate of food before her. "I apologize for starting you."

"It's alright." She assured him, and thanked him for the food.

"I hope you like eggs-in-the-basket." He stated. "It didn't strike me until after I started cooking that you had asked for toast." She assured him it was quite alright, and remarked how perfectly cooked the eggs were after taking a bite. She had a fondness for eggs with a runny yolk, it being a food she was rarely allowed in Tenebrae My Princess shouldn't eat such a messy meal. Caligo's voice echoed in her mind. She enjoyed the potatoes soaked in the yolk, and thanked him again.

"So. What now?" Noctis asked, looking up at Cor.

"We need to leave Altissia. I think our best bet is to leave in the middle of the night."

"The empire will have a field day with that, the people will think I abandoned them!" Noctis shot back. He began to rub the knee of his bad leg when a familiar tingle ran through it in response to the ache in his lower back. This dining chair was miserably uncomfortable.

"Right now your safety matters more than your reputation. But how do we get the Oracle to safety…" Cor mused, forgetting himself and slipping back into formality in regards to the young woman. She swallowed a bite of food, washing it back with a slip of coffee.

"On the way here Ravus and I discussed this very topic. As I stated previously, the wedding being a trap had been on my mind." she left the source of this apprehension aside, promising herself to tell Noctis soon it was Gentiana, or rather Shiva, who had posed this fear. But she didn't feel comfortable trusting such delicate information to the others. Before she could be prodded she continued, and told them of the plan her and Ravus had devised to get her away from the soldiers under the pretense of going for a walk.

Ravus stated he would dispose of any guard who came with them, and she felt a mingle of distaste for the act with a desire for such an act of vengeance that made her ashamed of herself. It had been quite the argument, but Ravus had agreed to relinquish her to Noctis's care, with the threat of what he would to do the Lucian Prince should any harm come to her. She feared what this would mean for her brother's safety that she was to be lost while under his supervision, but he had assured her he would take care of it.

"So. When do we go? It sounds like you want to leave today?" Noctis asked.

"That would be foolish. It's Saturday. I believe after midnight Tuesday morning would be safest. Fewer tourists and people will have settled in early since they work the next day, fewer boats on the water. It'll be the least conspicuous." Cor explained.

"Then why were you so ansty for me to get my ass back to the room like we were about to run away in the next hour?" Noctis asked, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"Watch your tone. Because while you're off goofing around I want to make sure we know exactly what we're doing. We can't underestimate the Nifs."

"I'm not goofing around! It's not like I expected you to show up with some big news that the wedding is a trap, war is on the horizon, gotta run away with my tail tucked between my legs. Last night I just found out it's time to live up to this whole Crystal's Chosen thing! I have to collect my ancestor's weapons just like my dad did, awaken the Six." Noctis felt guilty at the way Lunafreya's form slumped slightly, "I'm not shirking away from it… okay? It's just… a lot, all at once." He tried to assure her. I won't let you down. His old promise echoed in his mind. He had no intention of breaking it.

"Well let's get down to business."