Prompto Argentum was running as fast as he could home. He was carrying a large package under his left arm, a proud grin plastered on his face.
Upon reaching the small house located in one of the many alleys of the crown city, he quickly checked the post as he usually did, and then opened the door.
"I'm home!" he said excitedly once he had stepped inside.
His grin almost immediately faded: as he had feared, he was the only one in the house. He flopped onto the closest chair, a hint of sadness on his face.
"Guess a picture will have to do."
He then walked to his room where he proceeded to take off his civilian clothes and opened the package to reveal his Crownsguard outfit. Prompto put it on and snapped a picture of himself which he printed and attached to the fridge in the kitchen, together with a note.
"Let the adventure begin! See you after the wedding! Love you Mum and Dad, P."
Checking the clock on the wall, he gasped and rushed once again to his room to collect the clothes and all the material he would be needing during their journey to Altissia. It only took him ten minutes to pack everything since he didn't really have much other than his camera and phone. He considered bringing some of his old comic books, but decided that Noctis would most likely have his own, and could picture Ignis's face scowling at them for filling useful space in the car.
After taking one last, longing look to the house in which he had spent nineteen years of his life, Prompto locked the door and started running toward Noctis' flat.
The crown prince, who happened to be his best friend, lived in the heart of the city, close to a park where Prompto loved to stop by to take pictures of birds preparing their nests, or people walking their dogs or anything that would catch his eye. So he couldn't resist when he saw some beautiful, bright-colored flowers just by the pond. He took his camera, knelt on one leg and started snapping away.
Prompto traveled to a world of his own when he took pictures, and would easily get distracted and forget about his surroundings.
He thought he had heard someone call his name, but it had sounded far away and faint and when he finally turned around to check, there was no one to be seen. He blinked several times in confusion before standing up and marching toward his original destination.
Iris had spent most of her day preparing for her brother's departure. Gladio would be leaving the following day to accompany the prince to Altissia, where he was to marry Lady Lunafreya, the Oracle, as established many years ago.
She had accepted the fact that her love for Noctis would never be requited, nor possible for that matter as he was the king-to-be and she just a common citizen.
Trying to refrain the tears that so desperately wanted to escape her eyes, she focused solely on her last day with her brother. She would miss him, even if he would be away only for some weeks.
She imagined that, once the whole party returned, things would change: Noctis would be a married man and would live with his bride, maybe even have children and Gladio would be even busier protecting the royal family.
Iris sighed and began to fumble with the hems of her shirt, somehow feeling uneasy and agitated. Unable to bear it any longer, she grabbed her jacket and left the house.
She wandered around the crown city without really having a set destination, and her feet automatically brought her in the proximity of Noctis' flat, just beside the park.
She stopped when she noticed the flashes of a camera, and immediately recognized a familiar figure knelt by the pond. Smiling to herself for having found a friendly face, she walked through the park and reached the concentrated photographer who had carelessly abandoned his backpack on the grass.
"Hello, Prompto!" she said jovially, only to find herself waiting dumbly for a reply that never came. She blinked several times at the distracted blond boy before blushing, feeling extremely awkward.
"Right" she mumbled, before stepping away. Her day just seemed to get worse and worse.
Her brother would leave the following day, her crush was to get married and one of her friends acted as if she didn't even exist. She pondered for a moment the possibility of dropping by Noctis's apartment to wish him luck, but decided against it. If her little trip proved to be as fruitless and awkward as the rest of her day, she would gladly try and spare herself the embarrassment. Besides, the prince would surely be at the Citadel to discuss the last preparations with his father, King Regis.
She therefore marched on, without realizing she was approaching the Citadel itself. Once she found herself at the entrance doors, she noticed a man sprawled on the floor. She rushed to help him, and the man smiled kindly at her, though a little embarrassed.
"Thanks. Just can't seem to get the hang of these things" the man said, taking the crutches that Iris had picked up for him.
The girl noticed his beautifully made black-and-white uniform, and immediately realized he must be one of the Kingsglaives, the officials responsible of protecting the king himself.
The man, who introduced himself as Libertus, told her about his recent accident on the job which had costed him one leg, and Iris explained who she was in return.
"Amicitia? You mean-?" Libertus asked.
"Yes, my father and brother are in the Crownsguard. Noct and I are friends» Iris answered with a nod.
"Huh. So you have business with the prince? And you're waiting here for him?" Libertus asked once more, and Iris confirmed his theory.
"Sorry to say, but I think you missed him. He should probably be home by now" Libertus explained "Was it important? I'll call the driver and see where they are now».
"What? No, you don't-» Iris tried to stop him, but the Kingsglaive had already reached for his phone, calling another Kingsglaive named Nyx. She heard Libertus ask whether the prince had already been escorted to his place, before thanking his colleague and confirming it to Iris.
"Well, if he's your friend, why don't you just meet up with him tomorrow?" asked Libertus. The man immediately wished he had remained silent when the girl in front of him almost started crying and spoke in a choked whisper.
"Or...maybe not» he said awkwardly.
"It's just...today is a special day" she replied, shifting from one foot to the other, trying not to embarrass herself further.
"Ohhh, I see. Didn't know the prince was that kind of guy" Libertus smirked, and he was genuinely relieved to see a smile creeping up on the girl's face.
"I guess he is…" she mumbled.
"Well, it might be hard to get a hold of the prince, but I'm sure he'd take a call from a friend. If it's urgent, why not? You have his number don't you?" Libertus continued.
"What? I-I've never called him before! And my brother'll get mad at me if I do" she muttered awkwardly.
"Then you leave him to me! If today's really so special, you better call him before it's too late!" he encouraged "You'll regret it if you don't".
Feeling suddenly brave at Libertus' words, Iris took her phone and dialed Noctis' number for the very first time. When he answered, she felt her heart skip a beat.
Iris mustered the courage to tell him to be careful out there, and he thanked her warmly before hanging up. It was such a short phone call, and Noctis had seemed in a hurry to finish the conversation with her despite his kind tone. Iris felt possibly even worse than before the call, but Libertus didn't seem to have noticed and instead told her she had done the right thing. She forced a smile on her face and nodded, trying to sink the uneasiness she was feeling.
Next chapter: the boys clean Noctis's apartment before their departure. Iris is forced to make an important promise to her parents.