I'm sorry my chapters are shorter than they used to be. I do hope that you find this chapter enjoyable
Every bump in the road make Noctis's head throb worse. The voices of his friends were tinny, a dull buzz overlapping. He squinted his eyes and groaned, failing to get himself to concentrate on conversation. He rubbed the heels of his hands against his face for a few seconds before sitting upright and letting out a hard sigh.
"Can we turn the radio on man?" he asked. Ignis was back in the driver's seat where he belonged. Gladiolus, feeling to crunched in the back of the car took the passenger seat. Crowe was sitting atop Aranea's lap, an arrangement that resulted in a lot of arguing. Noctis wondered if his odd behavior was why his lap was never suggested, or perhaps she simply thought of him as Luna's, but with Prompto's leg she was left between Gladiolus and Aranea. Despite her hatred for the Nifleheimers, it had only taken one crass joke from the Shield for her to decide she'd rather sit on her fellow woman's lap. Said women seemed less pleased with the arrangement.
"What station?"
"I don't care." Noctis grumbled.
"Perhaps a talk station would be well advised, see if there is any recent news of other locations that were like the Myrlwood." Ignis suggested.
"We could call in about this girl-on-girl action in our back seat." Gladiolus remarked. Aranea grunted as Crowe shifted her weight, holding herself up with one arm on the center console so she could slap the back of the man's head with several muttered curses before settling back, Aranea lolling her head back and squinting her own eyes shut.
"I hate all of you." She muttered. "Okay except sexy glasses up there. He's okay. And the blondie we need to go rescue. Where next?" she asked. She wasn't sure where the group had settled on aiming for when they tore away from the rest area.
"Hammerhead, to see if we can… borrow another motorcycle." Crowe answered. The stuttering of the radio stopped as it jumped from a music station, to some commercial, another music station. Briefly settled on a talk station but it quickly gave the car's occupants tin-toil hat vibes as the speaker began to talk about the Lucian royals originally being aliens who arrived with the extra-terrestrial crystal and finally decided to go back home, and that Nifleheim was merely filling the void of their departure. Two more music stations and another commercial before they found a second talk station that seemed to be discussing recent news.
"-sease seen in local plantlife resulting in local authorities in the western provinces of Lucis recommending against foraging, and for the time being also advising halting hunting. Many places have rescinded all hunting licenses until more is known. Recently, gil rewards for hunts along main roads have increased nearly one-hundred and ten percent after reported destroyed shipments to Lestallum and Galdin Quay have resulted in drastically rising food prices. Smaller settlements have reported resorting to hunting wildlife and foraging for enough food to feed their population, but are also facing the effects of interrupted shipments. Increased Nifleheim airship activity near the costal regions of Lucis have also been causing people to start storing whatever non-perishables they're able to get their hands on. Please join us tonight at nine for special guest Viridi Pollicis on how to preserve food for long-term storage."
The news made Noctis feel more guilty that he wasn't accomplishing his task faster. The news had Ignis pondering if the condition of Myrlwood was being seen elsewhere. Gladiolus grasped at the seemingly increased gil rewards for hunts, and suggested they take advantage. Ignis made a comment about the good idea it would be to tune in to that special radio show about preserving food, especially if there seemed to be growing troubles obtaining enough of it. Noctis nodded to each suggestion from his friends. To stocking up on more first aid, and kits to provide more advanced field care such as suture kids. He nodded to suggestions to buying more nonperishables, Gladiolus more than agreeable if it meant filling the trunk of the car with cup noodle. The commercial break on the news show ended, and after a short re-intro started talking again, getting the prince to finally raise his voice after the first line was spoken.
"Breaking news from Lestallum. Our beloved Oracle has been spotted in Lestallum. She is reported to be receiving treatment at Lestallum General Hospital for an unknown illness, and is currently in Niflheim custody. We have no word on her condition but authorities have been reassured by Niflheim officials that she is in good condition and is safe under their supervision. Outside the hospital protestors are-"
"We have to get to Lestallum!" Noctis barked, sitting upright and startling his companions enough to get Crowe and Prompto to lean away from him. "Iggy we have to! We know where she is! I -"
can warp through the wall or blow the damn door off the hospital and-"
"Noctis, please, settle!" Ignis interrupted. The car lurched as it pulled onto the shoulder of the road. "None of us will protest this detour." he assured.
"You bet your ass we're going to Lestallum." Gladiolus affirmed.
"Can't argue with kicking my old bosses' asses."
"Get my charge back? Fuck yeah!"
"Knights in shining armor coming your way Luna!" Prompto cheered. The enthusiasm of his friends chased away the ache in his bones, giving him the energy to sit upright. A smile broke his features and he asked Ignis to open the roof of the Regalia, suddenly wanting the wind in his face. The warm air felt good at it filled the air, ruffling everyone's hair. Noctis sat up on the back of his seat, running his hands through his hair. Crowe was quick to join him, Aranea equally thankful to have the woman off her lap. The Prince ran his fingers through his hair and let out a laugh, real hope filling his heart.
"We'll get her back." He stated, getting another round of cheers. The car turned to drive back ten kilometers down the road before turning towards Lestallum. He asked how far they were from Lestallum, almost fidgety that they were still three hours away but could hardly believe that his beloved Luna may only be a drive away. He leaned back, the warmth of the car's black paint felt good against his itchy palms, and seemed to send an ease up through his arms.
They listened to the news until it began to cycle for the third time with nothing new, deciding to pass the time with some music and alternated between the music and news channels whenever one of them went into commercial. The sudden surge of hope set Noctis's stomach grumbling, but his haste to get to Lestallum had him holding his tongue until Gladiolus piped up. Luckily everyone seemed to be in a rush to get to Lunafreya and it was a quick stop at a fuel station for over-priced packaged food and a refueling before they were back on the road.
The heat grew despite the passing of noon into early evening, but the wind in the car felt even nicer as they entered the cooled tunnel leading to Lestallum. They quickly found a spot in a small lot, the entire group unsettled by how much the car stood out but concluded that they were screwed enough one way or the other, with all of Lucis now knowing the location of the Oracle it was quite obvious the Prince would be likely to show up.
"Maybe we should have come up with a plan?" Crowe suggested, curling her lip.
"Fuck plans. We're getting Luna." Noctis insisted.
"Maybe at least think a little bit?" She countered.
"We're in the middle of a huge city. Everyone knows Luna's here, and no one has ever announced the end to me and Luna's engagement. If they tried to kill me right in the middle of the city the whole damn continent would revolt."
"No one revolted when they burned Insomnia to the ground." She countered. Noctis flinched at her words and she frowned, feeling guilty.
"You heard the news, they're protesting outside the hospital. Maybe Insomnia was just too big a shock." She shrugged at this,
"So what do you propose we do?"
"Go to the hospital and ask for her room." He answered simply. The others exchanged looks, but were short on ideas. They crossed through the city and stopped when they neared the hospital. The radio describing protests was significantly underplaying at the hospital. At least three dozen uniformed officers were maintaining a path to the hospital's entrance, and what appeared to be the small ambulance bay. Surrounding the rest of the large building were hundreds of people. Some were holding signs, the cacophony of sound was almost jarring. They weren't chanting with any organized purpose, mostly either shouting whatever came to mind or talking to those around them. Standing in various places from the street were vans for various news channels carrying their cameras and microphones, positioning themselves to easily see the crowds and officers without seeing the other reporters doing the exact same thing a dozen meters away. There were people holding up phones either snapping pictures or recording the event. Some seemed to be talking at their phones while they did it.
"Wow." Prompto remarked, and pulled out his own phone, but quickly frowned and stuffed it back into his pocket. Noctis could feel the weight of his own useless phone in his pocket and found it odd that he never left it back in the Regalia. He almost felt naked without the weight of it.
"Uh… think we can get in?" Gladiolus asked, but pointed to the path held open by the officers. The group approached, and were a bit surprised that none of the protestors tried to stop them. It almost felt odd to be surrounded by such a crowd and be left alone. But the whispers that carried through the crowd were distinct enough to answer their curiosity. Even in his disheveled state Noctis was clearly recognized. One of the officers even offered to escort them to the door. No one bothered to ask what they were doing here at Lestallum General.
Noctis walked the halls, eyes scanning the numbers on the plaques outside the doors but after turning a small corner the numbers became irrelevant. A Magitek soldier stood outside one of the rooms, and his throat constricted. He almost lost his senses for a moment and pulled out the Engine Blade to dispatch the machine. He ran down the hall, the machine shifted its stance and turned its gun on him.
"Whoa!" Gladiolus barked from behind him. Two nurses in the hall screamed, a clatter of metal and plastic as a meal tray was dropped in the starle. The Shield stood beside the prince, Noctis's hand shot out to hold him back, eyes wide.
"The hell is going on?" A muffled but familiar voice ground out and Noctis's frown deepened and he had to dig his fingernails into his palms to keep control of himself, the itching weaving its way up around his arms and down his legs, causing him to bounce restlessly in place. Ravus exited the room, his brow creased and a scowl on his lips as he stared up at the machine and followed its gaze down the the Lucian retinue. "Perhaps I should have let it shoot." He grumbled. "Stand down." He barked up at the machine.
"Luna?" Nocits asked, a quiver in his voice.
"Resting. You should return later." He stopped, brow lifting and he turned his head into the room. His lips moved but Noctis couldn't make out the words. "Fine. Go in. Don't give me a reason to break your neck." He grumbled. Noctis pushed forward, pushing Ravus back with his shoulder as the stubborn man refused to move, and walked into the room where Lunafreya lay resting on the bed.
"Luna?" he croaked. Her arm was wrapped to her chest in a type of sling. Her eyes were rimmed with dark circles, and she appeared even paler than usual. A smile lit up her face and she used her free arm to hitch herself up in the bed. He wanted to encourage her to lie back but the words caught in his throat and he has to swallow hard.
"Noct." She whispered, the smile tugging at her eyes. He got his feet to move forward and he nearly stumbled as he rushed to her. He sat down on the edge of her bed and she leaned forward to press herself against him as his arms wrapped around her. "You won't break me." She chuckled at the delicate embrace. He gripped her tighter and buried his nose against her hair. She smelled like she had spent a long time running, like the tang of iodine, of burnt metal. But beneath that he could still smell her. "Gods Noct…" her voice broke, and her breath stuttered as she inhaled sharply. A sob broke his throat and he shook his head, nuzzling his nose against the crook of her neck.
"You're safe now… I won't… never again…" he stammered, halting between words and trying to gain control of his words. Her one arm gripped him tighter. The warmth of being in his arms washed over her, and she tried to lean harder into him. As if it was impossible to be close enough. She shifted her hips and tried to bring a leg beneath her but the awkward angle forced her to sit back. His arms remained wound around her waist as she sat back against the bed, her fingers digging into his shoulder as her hand stayed on him. "How?" he asked.
"I'll tell you the full story later. But I managed to find my way into my brother's custody."
"I'll warp you through the wall. We'll-"
"No need." She interrupted, bringing her arm down off his shoulder to press her finger to his lips. "Are you all right Noct? Something feels… odd. Are you ill?" She reached up to cup his cheek and he tilted his face against her palm. He almost wanted to tease her about her perpetually cold fingers but her touch felt too damned good. He brought his own hand off her waist to press her hand against his cheek.
"I just need a good night's sleep." He insisted. "As do you." She chuckled and nodded at this, unable to counter his concerns.
"I cannot argue with proper sleep. I… I quite missed lying next to you." her voice trailed into a whisper and she leaned forward to rest her head against his chest. She shifted to alter the angle so there was less pressure bending against her ribs. Noctis enveloped her in his arms again and she could have almost fallen asleep there. Her ear against his chest she could hear the rapid pounding of his heart, and tried to push away the concern reminding herself her own heart was rushing in her chest. Footsteps drew her attention and she opened her eyes, sitting upright again at the small crowd gathered at the door.
"Can we interrupt?" Prompto's voice asked, the blond gripping the doorframe and leaning inward slightly.
"I said the Prince could enter, due to my sister's request. The rest of you should wait!" Ravus insisted.
"I quite missed my friends." Lunafreya countered, shaking her head at him. He stared at her for a moment and she could see the trademark tension in his jaw as he bit down on the tip of his tongue.
"You need rest."
"She's assigned me as her shield you should at least let me through!" Crowe's voice cut in, even the wall not able to cut the woman's voice.
"Some Shield." He snapped, "I don't see how you protected her." Lunafreya's view was obscured by the narrow doorway but she saw the woman rush forward and both her and her brother vanished from view, two of the men in the retinue reaching out and discerning words became impossible with all the shouting. Her brother and Crowe's raised voices were shouting at each other over the chaos of the others trying to apparently pull them apart, unfamiliar voices that could only be the hospital's staff shouting over everyone.
"Enough!" She shouted. The sound of the Oracle raising her voice, tone laced with anger was enough to jar everyone to a stop. She could almost feel everyone's eyes staring at her through the wall. "Ravus, let my friends through. My situation has naught to do with Crowe's capacity as my Shield and I choose to still entrust her as such." she explained, eyes locked with that of her brother. The pair remained still for a moment, and the others didn't dare interrupt. "I have spent enough of my life having my judgement called to question. You will cease this madness."
"Yes sister." Ravus responded. His chest heaved with a sigh and Noctis wondered if fatigue was scrambling his mind. "I leave her in your hands, Shield, while I get coffee." He vanished from the room and the others rushed in. Crowe pushed past the others and climbed onto the small space left on the other side of Lunafreya's bed, opposite of Noctis, and wrapped her arms around the woman.
"Dammit you impulsive self-sacrificing pinnacle of pain-in-the-assery!" Her voice cracked, "I was fuckin' worried about you!"
"I missed you too Crowe." Lunafreya chuckled.
"Now I feel all left out." Prompto said, pouting out his bottom lip. Lunafreya chuckled, shaking her head lightly and looking up at them all,
"I missed all of you." She assured. Gladiolus leaned back against the doorway, Aranea doing the same in the corner, while Crowe pulled away from her so Prompto and Ignis could take turns hugging her themselves.
"Group isn't the same without you. I haven't even been here that long and I can tell." Aranea chuckled lightly, a slight warmth in her cheeks as she realized that she too missed the shy woman. "Though, I gotta know, how the hell did you get away from Verstael? I just can't see that psycho letting you prance off with your brother. I guess it has something to do with that?" she pointed at the sling.
"And no being dodgy. I think it's your turn to brag about some badass stunt." Gladiolus interjected before she could speak.
"I… I may have injured myself leaping from his airship." Her pale face turned bright red, her words effectively silencing the room.
"What?!" Crowe snapped, her voice overlapping Noctis's shocked gasp and wheezed question for clarification. Lunafreya was thankful that her brother had walked off for coffee and glanced up to the doorway to confirm he wasn't there. She also wondered why there was no security showing up to kick everyone out of the hospital after the commotion they caused.
"I escaped the custody of Verstael by jumping from the airship." She stated again.
"How… when it was on the ground?" Noctis asked.
"No." She answered.
"How'd you jump out of a flying ship and walk away with only that?" Crowe asked, lightly tugging on the strap around her neck holding the sling in place.
"I found a new use for my shields. I was able to materialize them using dust in the air as an anchor." The others gaped as she told the tale of her escape, and subsequent near recapture.
"So with you in the back of their truck they were just shootin' the shit about turning you over to the Nifs? Two rando hunters wanted to turned the motherfuckin' Oracle over to the Nifs? You jump outta their truck too and land in your brother's lap while he was busy practicing his scowl to scare of daemons in the middle of the road?" Crowe asked.
"Well. In a roundabout way…" Lunafreya tapped at her chin causing the woman to laugh. "We were forced to stop in the middle of the road. I was able to use my Shields to help us escape the daemons that blocked the road. Once at a safe distance I made a deal with them. I would give them my brother's contact information so they could turn me into him. Thus they could receive the bounty on my head for turning me over to Niflheim, and I wouldn't have to find myself back in Verstael's airship after all I did to escape." She explained.
"And your brother just handed them a bunch of money for betraying you after you saved their asses?" Gladiolus asked.
"Maybe he shoved the money up their asses, I can see him doing that." Prompto suggested.
"He did threaten to do so… but I pleaded with my brother to fulfill our end of the bargain. He was less than pleased with the condition I was in when he arrived and wanted to make the two men match my state. I talked him out of it. But not out of the broken noses he gave the pair of men…" her voice trailed off and her nose wrinkled.
"I'm gonna track those motherfucker's down and give them a few more broken bones to match." Crowe grumbled.
"No." Lunafreya quickly interjected. "They were just desperate. They were talking about scarcity of food, and needing money to buy supplies." Crowe mumbled a bit, but made no further threats.
"Anyone gonna focus on the fact badass here jumped from an airship and manged to not die?" Aranea brought the conversation back around.
"Not unharmed. Controlling my shields while falling proved quite difficult." She explained.
"Is that how you broke your arm? Or I assume that's what's with the sling." Noctis asked her.
"Nah, the sling is just an accessory! Ever the fashionista!" Prompto teased. Lunafreya bit her lip, debating letting the subject drop but decided against it. Stop hiding.
"My arm has two fractures, but luckily do not require surgery merely strict rest. I also broke three ribs. They were concerned I may have sustained a concussion as well, but they lack the dye they need to do a proper scan in addition to some problems with power supply. They've been forced to shut down certain things." She explained.
"They can't power up a machine to scan the Oracle?" Gladiolus asked with a huff. She shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment. Relief was starting to give way to pure exhaustion.
"It is not a matter of not prioritizing me." She clarified. "There have been problems with supplies in every form. Food, medicine, power, even water was briefly problematic but luckily they've restored that."
"I wonder if we can do anything." Prompto suggested. "To thank them for fixing you up and everything."
"By finishing our task." She wanted to ask Noctis if he had managed to gather more royal arms. Her thoughts were interrupted as the tray at the foot of her bed began to rattle, and the shaking grew more intense until she could feel it in the bed. Noise filled the room and Noctis held her close, only loosening his grip when she gasped and pushed against him. The shaking lasted for about fifteen seconds and stopped, leaving everything looking around them.
"Anyone else feel that?" Prompto asked, and nearly everyone rolled their eyes at him.
"You seem quite tired, My Lady. Perhaps we should part and allow you some rest?" Ignis suggested. Lunafreya nodded before giving herself time to ponder the question and give a polite declination.
"I never thought I would miss sleeping upon the ground. But I find myself excited to once again sit around a fire with you all once we part from Lestallum." She answered. Ignis smiled at her, giving a nod.
"Any special request for our first reunion meal?" He asked.
"I don't know what supplies we still have, nor what we may be able to purchase. But… I will admit a strong craving for your spicy mushroom stew you made that night we foraged some peppers."
"A simple enough task." He nodded to her. "'Nea, would you mind joining me while I find the few ingredients I still need? I have most of it packed in the Regalia."
"Sure thing." She answered him. "You get some rest. And making lots of kissy-faces with your beau here. "Missed your way-too-polite-ness. Glad to have you back, assuming we can wrestle you away from your brother."
"Broken or not, I can run quickly when I want to. I'll merely step on his foot and sprint." Lunafreya joked.
"Maybe you did get a concussion, did I just hear you make a joke?"
"Quite likely I've struck my head." She laughed back.
"I should let you rest then, best thing for a concussion is to sleep it off, right?"
"I thought you were supposed to totally keep a person awake if they hit their head so they don't die?" Prompto asked, brows together with a look of confusion.
"Bullshit from movies. Sleep helps any injury." Crowe answered him.
"Let's let her sleep. I need to check on Iris while we're here." Gladiolus suggested. He finally righted himself from his position leaning against the wall and crossed the short space to lean down and give Lunafreya a loose hug. "No letting Noct warp you out a window and run away or Crowe will beat me senseless."
"More like Regis will feel a disturbance in the force pull out his own Armiger to fly across all of Lucis just to kick your ass for letting Noctis run off like an idiot." Prompto countered. The others laughed, Lunafreya feeling secure, joy returning to her heart as fear seemed successfully locked away behind the laughter and smile of her friends, in the arms of Noctis. Crowe promised to stay close, giving her a hug before leaving the room. Prompto did the same, and joined Gladiolus to go search for Iris. Alone in the room with just her and Noctis she asked him to close the door, with the empty room the various movements and shadows in the hallway unnerving her. While he crossed the room she shifted to the side edge of her bed, her palm resting in her lap while she waited for him to rejoin her.
There wasn't much space, but he managed to sit beside her and she nestled into his arms again. She sniffed, emotion washing over her and her fingers tightened around his shirt and damning her injured arm keeping her from embracing him fully. She was grateful for the pain medication coursing through her system allowing her enough comfort to press herself tightly against him.
"I'm so sorry Noct." She whispered, breath hiccuping into a sob as she tried to take a deep breath. She bit her lip, but her exhale was another sob. Soon she shook as she wept, Noctis holding her close chanting against her hair his own apologies.
"I'll never let them touch you again Luna. I don't care how many guns they have. I'll pull out my Armiger, call every damned Astral and blow up half the damn star if that's what it takes to keep you safe!" He promised.
"I do believe if you blow up half the star, that in of itself is a bit of a contradiction." She teased, managing to regain control of her voice. He laughed, his own breath stuttered and hiccuped as he quieted his sobs. "You feel unwell." Her brow came together again as the unease returned.
"I just need rest." He assured her. She doubted this, but exhaustion was overwhelming her. After her jump from the airship, the trip in the truck, the handover to her brother, and trip to Lestallum she had failed to find sleep. But here, in the arms of her beloved she finally felt warm, that she was finally comfortable enough to find slumber.
"As do I." She whispered.
"I should let you get some sleep." He nuzzled her, holding her tighter.
"Don't-"
"I'm not leaving." He interrupted her. She drew back, looking up into his bloodshot and swollen eyes, his pink tear stained cheeks, and thought he was the most beautiful thing she had seen. She reached her hand to his cheek, lifting herself and tilting her head to press her lips to his. He leaned into the kiss, a hand on her back tugging her closer. The pressure of her arm between them kept him from holding her as tight as he could. But her lips were once more against his, her hard nasal breath tickled his cheek. She placed a second quick kiss on his lower lip, drawing back and lifting her brows to try and keep her eyes open.
"I love you Noctis… Gods how I love you." she whispered.
"I love you so damned much." Noctis echoed, another sob in his voice.
Was this a satisfactory reuntion? Feels like an adequate close to this arc and transition into the next one? Please let me know what you think!
