A new chapter is here! I know it took me forever, but none of my stories are dead, I'm just having a very intense summer and working four days to five days of week is tiring, I had forgotten lol. This new chapter includes the Ravus group, a brief apparition with Regis, Luna and Aranea meeting and lunoct fluff. Enjoy!

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Stranded

Chapter 21 – From monsters to babies…

At first they'd thought they could get away with just a race through the badlands of Duscae to find a Coernix Station, but Iris's chocobo was wounded. Ravus pulled her up onto his mount, Gladiolus having his own bird whipping about, but the daemons crackled to life as the night was setting in. One minute, the field had been open, and they had time, the very next, red eyes surrounded them, mindflayers hissing and one iron giant taking heavy steps toward them.

The two remaining birds panicked, throwing off their riders, Ravus taking the brunt of the fall for himself, Iris whining as her forehead was hit with a pendant around his neck. The wonder of what it could be struck her, since she didn't remember ever seeing anything around his neck. It had felt heavy like a dog tag, but with rough edges. Then she was pushing herself up and fighting against the dizziness. Ravus followed her suit, taking out his sword and looking for a way out.

"You kids take care of the mindflayers," he ordered them. "If even one tentacle touches Iris, I'm tearing you limb by limb."

"Fuck you too," Ravus groaned through clenched teeth.

They were all tired from a very long day of travelling and the last thing they needed was to pick a fight with monsters far stronger than they were.

"He can't hold a freaking giant all by himself!" Iris protested, her face pale in the darkness.

"Well, I'm not the one telling him that," Ravus groaned.

He raised his sword, instinctively calling for a magic that was a little more painful with each passing day. Ice would have to do, he had always been able to keep it in a small area to evade having the cold affect his comrades. Last thing he wanted was to give Iris a cold, but ice was definitely less dangerous than electricity. He tried to count the monsters quickly surrounding them, his head turning from the sharp movements of their tentacles. He felt Iris's back against his and couldn't help a mental shiver at the idea she could get hurt. He felt so weak lately, when he should be the strong prince protecting her. He cut through a curtain of wet tentacles, hissing through his teeth as Iris yelped and cursed, her battle rod hitting the mindflayers to no avail.

"They're more magic than flesh and they have no bones!" she complained.

"Which is why we should work together, Ris. I freeze them up and than you can break them to pieces."

He felt her pushing into his back, one of her hands actually brushing against his right hip in a gesture they had practiced time and again. They had a dozen signals they'd decided on, since she wanted to be one of his crownsguard no matter what Clarus or Gladiolus had to say against it. And Ravus followed what had turned into instincts over the years of training, leaning his torso forward and wrapping his arm over her waist. She kicked at the ground to jump, the prince using her momentum to lift her higher, helping her around in a swooping array that send her feet above her head, her rod rushing in the air as he stabilized her on his hip for a second.

"Not too heavy?" she breathed out, drawing out puffs of mist in the cold air surrounding them.

His shoulder did shake, and he wished he wasn't using that arm, but Ravus grunted in answer, helping her spin the rest of her 360, actually pulling her close to him in order to use his arm as a shield for her as his eyes flashed blue with the pulse of magic. Snow burst out of thin air, effectively freezing three of the mindlflayers where they stood. Her rod busted through them one by one, as though they were made of nothing but paper. Ravus could feel the muscles of her waist tensing as he she tried getting back to her feet at the end of their turn. Each of their combinations used to be perfect during training, but training had never taken into account the fact they wouldn't sleep for a full night.

How many monsters left…? He wondered, his attention still focused on the brunette he was holding up.

He spotted one hooded set of tentacles and realized Iris was tripping on her feet and forgot how bad his arm was aching. Instead he raised his sword with lightning-quick speed, activating his phasing without a second thought. Iris caught herself on her hands, feeling the weird ghost sensation of Ravus passing through her in a blur. And then he was tangible again and his sword was stabbing through emptiness as the Mindflayer dragged him into his grasp.

"Ravus!"

The prince couldn't hear her. A claw like tooth was digging in his back, planting a poison that immediately reached his nervous system. His mind was a blank at first and he would be grateful for it, because his head was stuck in the grasp of an octopus-like daemon. The tentacles stuck to his skin and gripped onto his hair. There was a foreign liquid, dark, gelatinous and the stench might be another reason why Ravus had lost his consciousness so quickly. His body grew stiff, bile gathering in his mouth as instincts fought off the awful sensations.

But in another plane, where his mind was being dragged, Ravus woke up to a familiar voice. There was no color outside of blue. It actually glinted and flashed every time he blinked.

"I was wrong. I was wrong, wrong, wrong."

Ravus held his breath, only then realizing that he wasn't breathing to begin with. Not in this place, wherever this was. But he could still talk, somehow, his lips unmoving and his thoughts making sounds that echoed in the blue myriad of lines and curves tracing symbols he could barely comprehend.

His first impression was the stars etched on a night sky, but that felt wrong, because they were bleeding into the ground. Running between his feet and rushing wherever his eyes could look. Spirals, stairs leading to empty halls, bricks and stones, sand and dust. Everything was engraved with those strange blurs.

"This must be justice if I was this blind…" the voice told itself.

Ravus's heart twinged as he recognized him.

"Father?!"

"Rave? Where… It can't be…"

There was no doubting it. The voice had grown higher with hope before shushing down once more.

"Father! I'm sorry, everything was my fault, not…!"

"Oh son, it's a bit late for looking for someone to blame. I'm rambling. Everything hurts, and I don't know anything about how he'll treat my people. Our people."

"Where are you, father? We'll get you out and…"

A heavy sigh cut him off, the blurry blues shifting as though an invisible wind had risen.

"Don't come back, son. I can see the things you hid from me now. If you come back, I fear your state will only get worse."

"You can't ask me to leave you on your own!"

"I'm an old man with no hopes left, would you have me go through seeing my second born walking through flames after what we did to your brother?!"

Ravus had a scream ready, but his throat closed up on itself as he felt the burn in his flesh. Red fell from the sky, the blue threads standing horizontally and vertically, surrounding him. Circling over, drawing squares and triangles that grew thinner as other voices rang.

"He shouldn't be here."

"Leave the boy alone," Regis opposed, his voice thundering.

And the thought his father was protecting him even now, knowing he'd lied…

Tell me what to do, he wanted to plead.

He had forgotten thoughts were sounds and fought against a blush as the blurs drew new shapes around him. Silhouettes draped in armors that were awfully familiar.

"Can he be worthy?"

"He's my flesh and blood, of course he can!" Regis declared.

Ravus understood they were talking about the royal arms as he recognized Somnus's headpiece on the taller silhouettes among them. The Kings of Old. His very ancestors…

He held back any thought, feeling smaller than ever, and right when the squares and circles closed upon him was when…

Gladio slapped him in the face.

"Wake up for fuck's sake! Two minutes with a mind flayer and you go K.O.?"

"Gladio, please!" Iris protested.

Ravus didn't fight back. There were tears in his eyes, his whole body was shaking, and there were burns on his shoulders and the back of his neck. Even his scalp was screaming in agony, the young man raising one hand to check if his hair was still there. It was.

"I…" his voice barely worked.

He had no idea if his strange encounter with ghosts from the past meant his father was actually dead or if the fact he'd mentioned everything hurt was a good sign.

It's a worse mess than ever, he mentally chided himself.

He forced a smile for Iris, since she was still mending her brother's wounds, the iron giant apparently vanquished at the cost of some blood and maybe a few ounces of flesh from the looks of it.

…

"Luna, we're going to travel with her for weeks," Noctis reminded her.

"And I'm going to be capricious and swollen and one expanding mess for about four more months!"

Noctis exhaled sharply through his nose, checking the time and noting there was only ten minutes left before the meeting with Ignis and Aranea. They wanted to be ready for their trip to Lucis and they had agreed to travel together, albeit Aranea's agreement had been given reluctantly from what the former advisor had told him.

"I don't like the impression I'm twisting your arm for this, but if you're fine with Ignis being a part of the trip, it's kind of hypocritical to ban his girlfriend due to her ties to the empire. He spent most of his life in Nifelheim himself."

Luna sighed, eyebrows furrowing as a wave of dizziness hit her. She needed a break from the sun and the tenacious humidity of the day and Noctis's annoyance instantly shifted to concern as he saw her wavering. He wrapped his good arm around her shoulder.

"You feeling okay?"

"Just a dizzy spell," she answered him, blushing slightly. She didn't like how weak she felt lately. "It has nothing to do with meeting a sworn enemy who had my men killed more times than I can remember…"

Just as she said those bitter words, Luna nearly bit her tongue, thinking back on the events that had taken place here. In Altissia. Where she'd sicced a raging Leviathan on the people, using her powers as a catalyst for her magic. She'd killed more people in one single strike than any strategy Aranea could have ever mustered in her lifetime. To say the princess had been ignoring those facts would be a lie, she had had more nightmares than was usual and even Noctis's arms weren't enough some nights. Nearly dying right after using all that magic was no excuse for the victims. With Prompto on their team, things didn't feel quite as black and white as before.

"I'm a horrible person…"

"Luna!"

Heads turned at Noctis's exclamation, since the Oracle had yet to make a public apparition since being admitted to the hospital. Rumors were going on about how her survival was an elaborate lie to keep people quiet.

"From what you've been telling me, Aranea is just as worried as I am."

…

Which was true. Ignis had coddled her without end to convince her to step back in Altissia, since wearing a veil to hide her face wasn't quite enough to reassure her. She had a hood pulled over her head beneath the bright red fabric and even a scarf pulled high to cover the lower half of her face. Ignis had wanted to tell her she was being paranoid, but there were still Wanted posters of her on a few walls, notices she definitely spotted no matter how hard her boyfriend tried to distract her whenever they saw one.

Lady Camila was so keen on being rid of anything imperial along with the blond clones Prompto called his brothers. Ignis gave Aranea's hand a squeeze as he sensed a shiver running up her spine, the woman pausing and shaking her head, mad at herself for getting so worked up. Her life had meant never being safe, but the few days alone with Ignis had been an oasis of warmth and love that almost made her believe her past was over with. Going back to the civilization meant going back to her fears. To the risk of being recognized and caught by either Altissians, Lucians or Nifelheimers. She had no idea which fate would be better or worse.

"Nea, relax, okay? I wouldn't take you into a trap…" he told her.

"I know that. You wouldn't have some sedative on you or…?"

"Love, if it's that bad…"

"It's not that bad, I was hopping for a different look on your face," she tried teasing him.

But he heard the shake in her voice as much as she did. She still wanted to hide. Stepping into the private room of a luxurious restaurant wasn't the best way to stay out of sight. There were already Cindy and Prompto in the room, both of them talking in low voices as they sat elbow to elbow at a round table dressed for six. Things were slowly mending between the pair.

"Scientia! Did you get your lady luck to finally step out of hiding?" Cindy greeted them.

Ignis deflated a bit at that, sensing the tension in Aranea growing even stronger.

"I'd be very obliged if you wouldn't tease my lady today, miss Aurum."

"Oh lords, now I feel like an old hag."

Prompto patted her back, giving the newcomer an appraising look. Aranea hadn't been able to fully believe Ignis when he'd mentioned the clone being a part of the princess's entourage. Surely the Tenebraen warrior wouldn't want anyone this related to Nifelheim around her?

Aranea tentatively pushed her veil back, making sure the hood would come off at the same time so she wouldn't look as conspicuous as she felt.

The door opened just then, making her jump, but Ignis had moved in between her and the exit, effectively blocking the view of any newcomers.

"We're pretty late, sorry about that, Ignis," Noctis apologized.

Which meant the princess was here. Aranea braced herself for it, turning on her heels, but the sight she was greeted with was quite different from the regal pictures she'd seen time and again.

The Oracle looked paler than ever, veins showing and her forearms were red and raw in spots where she had scratched herself out of sheer agitation. Her clothes were really large, as though she wanted to hide just as badly as Aranea.

'We just got here ourselves," Ignis reassured him.

The ladies acknowledged each other with a nod, unsure of how to even start. What were they supposed to tell each other? The only reasons they weren't still enemies was because their respective boyfriends were friends. That didn't erase everything that had transpired over the past few years.

"How about you guys take a seat before we break our necks trying to look at everyone, Didi and I?"

Cindy blushed at the use of her new petname, Luna smiling as she noted the fact Prompto was also blushing a little bit from the pilot's reaction, but Ignis and Noctis were too happy to drag their respective beloved to a chair at the table. Luna sat next to Cindy, Aranea next to Prompto, Ignis and Noctis clearly agreed on keeping a safe distance between them.

"It feels like either of us could pounce at any moment, doesn't it?" the dragoon managed despite the tension in her jaw.

"I'm not trying to be accusatory," Ignis seemed ready to apologize, but she cut him off with a raised hand.

"Not so long ago, I would have been pouncing. I'm not saying this to add fuel to a fire I didn't even start stoking to begin with, Lady Fleuret, but your last stunt…"

Aranea's knuckles turned white from how hard she crisped her fingers. She had suffered years to keep those men alive. A tiny sacrifice that had meant a lot to her. To her mind and her sanity and also her battered heart. Now it felt as though every pain and humiliation she'd survived had been for naught.

Except thinking that way is not fair to the people you were protecting in the first place, she reminded herself.

They had had years before the end. All she could be ashamed of was the fact she had survived and could now enjoy the bliss of being back with Ignis when all they had was whatever made up the afterlife.

"For what it's worth," Luna worried her lower lip, trying to find the correct words. "For what it's worth, I regret not being able to handle things differently."

Prompto swallowed, exchanging a look with Noctis, who was equally tensed. It was Aranea who broke it down, slapping her palm against the table hard enough to make Luna gasp and Cindy jump. In fact, Prompto jumped almost twice as high as the blonde.

"It's not like you were given much of a choice. I'm still trying to… I wish you no harm. And I hope you realize that thinking I could run to the empire to tell them about you is ludicrous. They would kill me on sight."

Luna laid one hand on top of another in front of herself, trying to remain calm. Aranea had sounded so matter of factly about it, no matter how many times it was reiterated, it was hard to believe the type of monsters the empire's leaders were. Ignis's effort to comfort the dragoon was pushed away, although it was more nerves than roughness at this stage.

"I've had enough of their ways," Luna declared.

"I guess that's something we can agree on," Aranea shot back, managing a genuine smile that was soon replaced by the questions running over her head. "You look ready to collapse, does that girl get enough food?"

"Oh, that's what eating for two does..." Luna defended herself. "I swear Noct, I'm fine, the dizziness is pretty much gone now."

Aranea blinked at that, elbowing Ignis in the ribs not quite subtly enough.

"When were you going to tell me?"

"Now? I don't see how it was relevant to…"

"The Oracle is pregnant, how is that not relevant? If we crash or…"

"Excuse me, but we are not going to crash under my watch," Cindy interfered.

"Where did you get your license, blondie, in some underground dive-bar?"

"Hey!" Prompto looked about ready to jump from his chair.

"Aranea, we'll get you your own ship in time," Ignis told her.

"With what kind of money are you going to do that?" Noctis asked.

Luna was too worn out to follow everything, but her eyes met with Aranea's as the voices rose a little more.

"This sounds like we're in for a lively ride, huh?" The dragoon smirked.

"I… I guess."

There would still be a few negotiations, Aranea wishing to take the helm instead of letting Cindy's ship run on autopilot, Ignis more concerned about the ingredients they had packed and the details about reaching Insomnia once in Lucis. When the waiter finally stepped into the room, it was to find five of the adults in the room arguing and debating the best course of action. The sixth one, Lunafreya herself, was fast asleep with her head lying on her arms.

…

"Should a pregnant woman get on an airship?" Noctis asked Cindy for the nth time.

The blonde rolled her eyes.

"Noctis, I told you I can fly," Luna interfered, "if anything, I'd rather be in the air than on the sea."

Noctis untied his buckle instantly, aiming to kneel by her seat and take her hand, since he knew she was still very fragile. She had been sick a few times and there was a rash spreading all over her arms and the top of her thighs. Hormonal imbalance was perfectly normal during pregnancy, but it didn't mean his princess was taking it well.

"You look tired," he observed worriedly.

"Because I always am, you kind fool," she told him, stroking his hair tenderly.

Cindy had only started rolling her eyes a second time when she spotted a blond head stepping in and held her breath.

"Ewww, guys, please! Put a warning of diabetes on the entrance to this deck," Prompto groaned as he waltzed in.

"Okay, no need to barf, you'll give my fiancée ideas."

"Noct!"

They were halfway done with the trip already, but it seemed that Aranea and Ignis for that matter had still to come out of their shell. Prompto had made quick friends with the dragoon over drinks before their departure, but Cindy was still worried about seeing the Nif-lady try and steal the control seat overnight. The blonde had literally started sleeping in the command room.

Noctis turned his attention back to Luna, taking a step forward as he still half kneeled in front of her, their knees touching as he put his arms on either sides of her.

"If you're tired, you should lie down," he observed.

She blinked at him before to offer a light nod, laughing as he pulled her up, holding her bridal style. She sensed his magic at work, helping his bad arm in carrying her, but she felt safer next to him than anywhere else. By the time they had reached their cabin, she had convinced him into giving her one long, hard and sweet kiss that made her toes curl inside of her boots. She flopped into the bed as soon as he laid her down, looking more relaxed than he could ever remember her being.

"You need to stop getting cuter like that, my heart won't be able to take it," he playfully cautioned her.

"Me, cute?" she repeated, mocking shock.

Noctis had had to deal with a lot of insecurities coming from his princess lately, and while he didn't want to get used to it, he had developed a few full-proof answers to that doubtful look she would take. He climbed onto the bed with her, giving her an appreciative smile before diving to lay a kiss on her stomach, lifting her shirt just enough to reach the skin.

"Noct, you know I'm ticklish!"

"So I can't say hi to the baby?'

Her heart melt a little at the protectiveness she felt emanating from him at that, and the way his hands gently stroked her sides.

"Was that a hello kiss?"

Noctis answered by peppering her stomach with a dozen more feather-like kisses, Luna actually pulling on his hair to make him stop as she felt the baby stirring in answer.

"You're waking them up!" she protested.

She knew what she was expecting and it wasn't twins, but Noctis had decided he wanted to keep the baby's gender as a surprise for when she would deliver and she wanted to respect his wish. She had been asking him for so much already…

"That won't do, not when I want your mother to catch up on rest," Noctis declared, giving a reprimanding look to her middle section.

She tugged on his good shoulder to have him lie by her side, because having him hovering above her like this was starting to stir her hormones, which wasn't desirable considering how exhausted she felt.

He followed her down, wrapping his arms around her, his left leg quickly circling her and she welcomed the closeness. Cindy had obliged them with the largest bed they could fit inside this cabin, a bed with a frame that didn't crack upon Prompto's express demand.

"We should really start listing names, shouldn't we?" Noctis noted, stroking Luna's shirt back down, her hand covering his as she flushed with contentment.

"Any idea you didn't mention yet?" she encouraged him.

"I was thinking maybe Dawn?"

"That would be… poetic. But not quite traditional for either of our family, isn't it? What about Gael or…"

"Ludmilla. Oh wait, Antonia. Since she's invaluable…"

"Noct, if we're making a list, we should be fair about the genders and…"

Frowning, he breathed against her neck, savoring the instant shiver it created in her. He wanted to ask her which gender he should focus upon, but he still wanted the surprise. He wasn't sure how to deal with the knowledge yet. He needed more than four months to be ready for fatherhood, so right now, looking after her and making sure she was happy… He was doing his very best hoping that would show him the way.

"Let me think about it. You know I've always hated how latin my name sounded. But since that baby is pretty much a surprise gift… Darius? Not Darla, that's for sure, I… "

"Darius is kinda cute," she cut him off.

"Is it? Are we having a boy then? We can't stop this early, I thought every couple were supposed to argue about this!"

She laughed, shaking her head when he insisted about whether the baby growing inside of her was a boy or a girl, soon laughing even more as Noctis threatened to tickle the truth out of her.

"That's not fair… you… you already got me cornered…! Noct!"

"Felix or Fiona?" Noctis insisted, keeping an arm around her and tickling her ribs mercilessly.

"No… way!" she was crying from laughing too hard by then.

"Tell me, Luna, you almost sounded upset earlier."

"I can't…"

He paused in the tickling, giving her just enough time to catch her breath before to go at it againm and this time she kicked and twisted, panting and finding her mind holding on to that name he'd picked earlier. Darius… Darius Lucis Caelum. She could almost picture their kid, with his little head held up high and a smile as large as Noctis's beneath wild black hair.

"It's a little boy," she managed.

Darius which meant giving and if that baby was anything but a gift life had sent their way, she had no idea what…

Noctis froze, his face red and his eyes widening. She was still panting, a laugh in the back of her throat and her ribs felt sore, but what she felt above all was her heart soaring at the tenderness that swept over her fiancé's gaze.

"We're having a boy?" he repeated.

Luna found herself nodding, carefully detailing his expression, the softness and the hint of panic beneath it.

"Not disappointed?" she couldn't help but ask.

"No, no. I'm sorry, Luna, I… You're giving me a son, there's no way I can be disappointed, I just…"

He paused, swallowing and she saw his face darkening as memories of his past threatened to swallow him whole.

"I don't want to mess him up. I've lost a family once, and he's going to be so small…"

Her heart broke when his voice did, something jumping within her as Noctis's embrace suddenly felt desperate.

"Noct, you'll be an amazing father."

"You can be certain I'll do everything I can to be that. I just…"

He looked so lost, and she cupped his face between her hands, shaking her head at him, having a very good idea of what he was thinking.

"I believe your father wasn't that bad of an example for you. And there's no absolute rule we need to follow. We can only give our son the best we have, and he won't ask for more."

Noctis somehow felt calmer at that, managing a cocky smile as a thought crossed his mind.

"He's got your DNA, Luna, of course he'll ask for the moon and the stars."

"I resent that!"

"I was teasing, just teasing…!" he apologized, kissing her following protests silent.

When she let out a throaty whine, he parted from her, knowing any more and he wouldn't let her sleep for the rest of the day. Noctis felt so much love for her at this instant, he was afraid his heart could burst. How was a baby he had never even seen but in weird echographies pictures able to turn him upside down like that?

She nestled between his arms, letting out a cute yawn.

"We're calling him Darius," Luna whispered.

"You sure?"

"You don't like it?"

She was nodding off by then, her breath reaching his chest through his shirt and if he could move just a little he would be able to kiss the crown of her head, but there was a knot in his throat as he thought of two crowns their son might have to wear… He forced himself to focus on her warmth. On the fact there were two heartbeats close to him instead of only one. His son. His flesh and blood. Not a new chance to have a younger brother and not mess things up, not a life to mess up with the crystal. A part of him and Luna that had been just enough to make a whole new life.

"Prince Darius," he tried it out loud. "It sure fits."

"Our baby prince," she smiled.

She sounded so happy, it was enough to erase his fears. Except the fact he wanted to settle things with the empire and Ardyn before the birth if possible. And he hoped his son could meet his grandfather and grow up with him around for a few years. That thought had him wonder how he would even tell his father about this, if given the chance to talk with him.

First you need to save him. He reminded himself.

To be continued…

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This should be the last chapter before Noctis and co reach Lucis. Which means that Ravus and Noctis might meet soon. I can't wait for this to happen, because you can expect angst. Let me know what you think. The last scene might be edited soon-ish, I really wanted to update a story, so if anything feels weird, feel free to tell me.