Ignis sat at one of the chairs positioned in an uneven semicircle around waning flames and observed the sunrise. Even in the early morning hours the surrounding quagmire was hauntingly eerie, with little light managing to pierce through the persistent fog and ward off the damp chill in the air.
A fitting omen for the road ahead, Ignis reflected as an unpleasant flurry tousled his hair and sent goosebumps sprouting along his exposed skin.
A warm cup of Ebony would have been marvelous right about now. Unfortunately, though the havens were shielded from all manner of daemonic threats, Noct and his fellows were in the rather sensible practice of storing their groceries within the armiger while the party rested to avoid attracting unwanted attention during the night. One of them would have to retrieve the supplies before Ebony or any sort of breakfast could be had, so Ignis sat back and resigned himself to being patient.
At any rate, a bit of solitude was to be appreciated. After his heated discussion with Luna yesterday things had been strained in their small camp. Though none made mention of it, the others had undoubtedly picked up on the underlying tension between Luna and himself. Ignis imagined it was a tad difficult to miss. The atmosphere had become stifling once they'd all finished an inordinately reserved dinner, as many an attempt at conversation failed to take hold before everyone finally agreed to retire for the evening. Had he entertained the idea of all awkwardness dissipating by simply sleeping in a separate tent from Luna, Ignis would have been a fool. Lying prone in close quarters with Noct and his retainers – where he could practically feel the unasked questions forming on their tongues – had only drug out the subdued ambiance. Sleep had been particularly elusive.
Soon he feared he'd have no choice but to go against Luna's wishes.
There came a murmur of movement from within the larger tent and it was with little surprise that Ignis gazed up to find Gladio the first to rise and join him. Over the past week the man had proved to be a consistent early riser. "Ah, good morning."
Gladio finished resecuring the tent flap before he stepped around the fire to return a quiet greeting, "Hey."
"About to partake in your morning roundabout?" Ignis guessed the shield's intentions as keeping up a consistent regime seemed to be an integral part of his routine.
"Yeah, figure the others won't be stirring for a while. Wanna tag along?"
The invitation was more than unexpected. Thus far Gladio had been nothing if not overly demonstrative of his protectiveness over Noct and the other Lucians. Though such episodes had grown milder more recently, Ignis couldn't help but wonder what could have brought about the change. Had fighting alongside one another finally won him the Amicitia's trust, or was this simply another intimidation ploy? Either way, there was little reason to decline the offer. A bout of physical exertion might well prove a much needed boost to his lacking focus this morning. "Certainly."
"Alright then, if you're ready let's head out." If Gladio was at all surprised by Ignis' easy acceptance he didn't show it and the two of them ventured out into the morning haze.
The jaunt was surprisingly peaceful. Gladio kept up a brisk but reasonable pace considering the terrain and didn't attempt to outpace Ignis once it was clear he could keep up. They didn't dare venture far from the haven in such a hostile environment and kept their eyes peeled for dangers lurking in the muck. Still, the air between them was not uncompanionable and Ignis found his nerves were not quite so taunt as when they'd first set out. At least, until Gladio shattered what small semblance of contentment Ignis had managed to cobble together for himself by giving direct voice to the heart of the matter. "So, you and the princess have a fight or something?"
Well, Ignis hardly saw benefit in refuting something so obvious. "I'm afraid a clash of wills is not an entirely inaccurate assessment."
"Uh-huh, must've been some clash of wills. Gotta say, 's not often you get to ask the younger sibling if they're ready to snip the apron strings yet?" At Ignis' raised eyebrow Gladio smirked. "Let me guess, she's got something in her head – probably dangerous and all flavors of pigheaded – and she's being pretty adamant about letting anything contradictory you've got to say 'bout it fly in one ear and out the other?"
Ignis found the assumption rather closer to the mark than expected. He couldn't help but eye the other man curiously.
Catching the look, Gladio became positively smug. "You ain't the only one with a sister, you know."
That, at least, made sense. The Amicitias were responsible for producing heirs to serve as shields of the king. Siblings were likely common. "Not exactly how I would word the matter, but I suppose you aren't wrong." Ignis hesitated, but only for a moment. The shield was proving a more discerning ear than he'd given credit for. "Beyond the physical strain she seems determined to force upon herself, we disagree on the timetable for a difficult task, one wherein duty conflicts with what is easy."
"One of those fights, huh?" Gladio sighed, suddenly seeming less amused by the potential bickering. "Can't say I've never had one of those."
It's the sense of understanding in the statement that persuaded Ignis to continue, perhaps more than it should. But the chances of Gladio puzzling out the true issue at hand were slim. "At times, I'm almost inclined to fall to her reasoning; weighing something so superfluous as happiness against time to prepare for what must be done."
"You think happiness is superfluous?" Gladio actually turned and gave him an incredulous look, the kind Ignis found he'd grown weary of long ago.
"Were we under different circumstances, I would not condemn its preservation. As things stand… I'm less certain."
"Man, that sucks…" Just when that seemed to be the extent of Gladio's wisdom to offer, the man appeared to put real thought into the issue. It was some time before he spoke again. "I think I can get what you're saying. In this life some things aren't meant to be; we can't always have what's normal or ideal – a tradeoff for the roles of service we've been called to fill."
Gladio paused, wetting his lips – a curious gesture, like he was working up to something. "I think it always bugged Noct more than any of us, though. Made it hard for us to get along at first. I'd always been taught that my life was my duty; it was my honor to lay that life down for my king. But Noct, he went to a public school, saw how everyone else lived safe behind the wall – getting to goof off and let someone else figure out the rest of the world's problems. It was rough on him. Took me a long time to understand. Still would like to bust his chops if he doesn't hurry up and get that ring on. Guy could really stand to act like an adult sometimes, ya know?"
After grumbling out his last comment, Gladio seemed to lose himself for a moment, staring off into the rolling mist, before adding, "So it's nice now, that he gets to clown around with Prompto and even be his dorky self with you and Lady Luna. I don't know if I've seen him this happy in a long time."
An unexpected insight from the Amicitia. Of course, he did not know of the sacrifice expected of Noct, nor the hardships of donning the ring. How could he? Even as the Chosen king Noct would not escape the penalty of accessing the power of the Kings of Old. In fact, one could argue that he would pay the greatest toll of all – and therein lay the problem.
It wasn't fair. And it hearkened back to Luna's words from their earlier confrontation. Was it such a crime to allow Noct to live in ignorant bliss for a few days more? That was the question. One Ignis was hard pressed to answer. Had these circumstances befallen him, he would have desired to know immediately. Every moment spent in the dark would've been a moment wasted of preparation for an inevitability. But other than bid farewell to his remaining loved ones what preparations could Noct hope to make? And Noctis was certainly very different from him. He seemed to have found some manner of contentment with all his friends by his side. Ignis remembered the lonely boy who'd come to Tenebrae for healing all those years ago. Back then Noct had been so nervous and withdrawn, almost too afraid to meet their eyes.
It was difficult to imagine what Noct would want in this situation; perhaps he'd misjudged his stance. Yes, time was running out, but would there ever be enough, even if Eos stopped spinning on its axis? "I will take your words into consideration."
They returned to a much more jovial camp than expected. Everyone was up and involved in some activity or another around the revitalized fire. Noct and Prompto appeared to be engaged in some sort of mobile game, thumbs tapping rapidly against their devices. Ravus and Luna were dutifully taking notes on their remaining inventory. It was more than mildly unexpected that Luna looked away from the others and acknowledged their return with a tentative smile. Ignis had not known what he'd been expecting – most likely more of the silent treatment – but Luna's attempt at normalcy was a more than pleasant change of pace. They still might not see eye to eye on a matter of great importance, but the thought of wasting the few days they may have left with animosity between them made his insides twist.
A perfect distraction from the grim prospect came in the way of supplies set free from the armiger, awaiting his attentions at the portable stove along with a much desired can of Ebony. As Ignis made his way over he noticed a subtle exchange between Noct and Gladio. Briefly, he questioned if their morning run had perhaps been more premeditated than he'd first suspected. Had the others taken pains to circumvent further confrontation between Luna and himself? It was something he planned to puzzle out at a time of greater convenience. For now, Ignis busied himself with popping back the seal of his energizing elixir and sorting out breakfast for everyone. It seemed only seconds after Ignis sat back to let the oatmeal he'd decided on come to a boil that Prompto choked out a noise that very well could've come from a dying animal. "Dude, betrayal!"
"Don't know what you're talkin' about." Noct didn't even lift his eyes from his screen, still tapping away even as Ignis could hear a faint victory fanfare playing in the background.
"Seriously? You only survived that boss by climbing over my cold, bloody corpse!" Prompto reached over the space between them and shoved weakly against Noct's shoulder, his efforts only eliciting an amused snort from the king. "Can't believe you would use me – me – as a human shield. That's Gladio's department."
Noct still maintained his straight face in spite of Prompto's dramatics. "But you did such a good job of it."
"Dude, are you looting my corpse – you are! Ugh," Prompto moaned, folding in on himself in his chair and covering his face. The blond made an angry expression at Noct from between his fingers before continuing with faux seriousness, "Mark my words, Noct, I will have my revenge. Maybe not today, maybe not even tomorrow, but soooooon. Someday, somehow I will find a way."
Gladio didn't even glance over from where he'd started to pack up one of the tents. "Huh, why not just strangle him in his sleep?"
Prompto's rant grinded to an abrupt halt as he stared blankly at his large friend. "What?"
"By far your best option should you elect to commit treason." Ravus didn't miss a beat, still jotting down notes in that little notebook of his.
"Um, are you guys kidding, with these noodle arms?" Prompto held out his arms to either side and gave them a good shake, as if to demonstrate said gangly-ness.
"Actually, the necessary force required to choke someone can be accomplished by anyone capable of opening a can of Ebony." Ignis punctuated the claim by taking a long sip of his favored caffeinated beverage.
Prompto sat back up and eyed Ignis with a bit more trepidation than he had in the last week. "Well, that's mildly terrifying. I can't even tell if you're being serious!"
Noct scoffed. "Thanks, Iggy. That information oughta really help me sleep at night."
"As if anybody could buy you having trouble sleeping." Gladio rolled his eyes.
"It does seem to be what Noct does best," Luna agreed, managing to keep her tone completely flat and eliciting a noise of wounded pride from Noct.
Ravus nodded behind his notebook. "In a class of his own, I'd say."
"You guys are hilarious," Noct deadpanned.
And as he watched them all, animatedly teasing each other over something so small and mundane, Ignis couldn't help but wonder if Luna's resolve to allow them to remain in this state wasn't without merit. It was a fleeting fancy, one he knew better than to succumb to – but for just a little longer, perhaps this way they could remain.
(And if Luna smiled a bit more freely because of it Ignis would not deny the benefit.)
Ah, app game shenanigans, totally not based off anything I've done to a friend ever.
Anyway, next time I promise there will be some action and maybe some feels too. Hope your day is going wonderfully and if you enjoyed the chapter I'd love to here from you in the comments!