Chapter 2: Ascension
Noctis awoke the next morning to the sound of a sizzling pan on the stovetop. It took a moment for him to take in his surroundings as he rubbed the sand out of his eyes. His complete homework assignment rested on the coffee table partly wedged inside his textbook. "Can't believe I actually finished." He said with a groggy yawn.
"Morning Sleeping Beauty." Lightning teased as she set two plates down on the coffee table with two cups of coffee.
Noctis looked up at Lightning and smiled. "Morning to you too Ms. Bedhead." He said referring to her signature look in the morning. Some of her rose colored locks stuck out in various directions which was one of the most adorable thing for the man to see. It was an ironic combination of messy and refreshing. She had on her white apron with a design of a moogle brandishing a frying pan etched into the abdomen—a gift from her sister.
Noctis exercised his habit of poking the furry pinkish red pompom of the moogle (which coincidentally rested above where Lightning's belly button was) partly because the attention to detail was impressive and that it caused Lightning to utter an uncontrollable giggle (more the latter). She pouted after her ticklish zone was exploited and growled with a mixture of frustration and embarrassment.
Noctis chuckled and then looked down at the coffee and grimaced at the more displeasing sight. He disliked the bracing, bitter brew but forced himself to drink it to appear more mature. Ever since he was a child all the adults around him drank coffee and the belief of linking the drink with maturity stuck with him. Thankfully the food on his plate was more welcoming. Eggs on toast, bacon wafting with steam, oven roasted baby tomatoes and several Duscaen Orange slices in a bowl. It wasn't anything extremely fancy but knowing Lightning made it gave Noctis a feeling of pride and warmth. "Wow, you cooked something. What's the occasion?" He asked with hint of sarcasm as he took a bite of his food.
Lightning rolled her eyes and sat down beside Noctis, "Oh haha… you're sooo funny." She said sarcastically. "I know how to cook some things you know. Sure my sister did most of the cooking when we were living together but I pick things up here and there." She took a bite of her toast and looked at the tv. From her peripheral she noticed Noctis separating the tomatoes from the rest of his food. "Don't even dare. Stop being so picky."
Noctis pursed his lips and sighed. He always disliked certain foods ever since he was a child, particularly vegetables. His friends were actually amazed that Lightning was able to get him to eat some. It was practically a miracle.
After discarding his reservations Noctis took a deep breath and stuffed one of the red pouches in his mouth practically gagged partly from the taste battling against his preferences and also because the current television program was showcasing his father, the King of Lucis walking with a cane. "Urk!" Noctis quickly seized the remote and flipped the channel to a blitzball game.
Lightning stopped in the middle of chewing and raised her brow. "Hey, I was watching that."
"O-Oh, sorry." Noctis murmured and turned back to the program. Even though the prince had taken precautionary measures as to tell his father to avoid mentioning him or his friends to the press in regards to his relationship with Lightning, he was still slightly paranoid of his secret being leaked.
Lightning sat back with her cup of coffee cupped in her hands. She took a small sip and breathed a sigh of relief at the small harbinger of the morning. "Hard to believe sometimes that the wall over Lucis is being maintained thanks to King Regis and the Crystal. It must be quite the responsibility."
"Y-Yeah…" Noctis said sullenly failing to mask his emotions which Lightning was quick to pick up on.
She picked her plate up and leaned in towards Noctis. "Something wrong?"
At the sound of her voice, Noctis perked up. "Yeah… I… I don't have enough bacon." As soon as he finished his excuse he quickly stole one of Lightning's pieces of bacon and stuffed it in his mouth.
"Hey! Give it back!" She ordered as she lunged forward and pinned Noctis down on the couch. She had him straddled with her knees pressed against his arms disabling his actions effectively.
"Too late!" The man managed to say before swallowing the morsel.
"You—!" Lightning glared at her boyfriend and pinched his cheeks. Noctis immediately winced and attempted to break free of Lightning's bind but to no avail. He could feel her legs squeezing his sides and in normal circumstances he wouldn't have minded the position, but the pain in his face protested otherwise. "You better buy more by the time I get back from work. Be it bacon, steak or... actually yeah, make it steak!"
Noctis could only nod as he withstood the pain which was thankfully a satisfactory response, enough for Lightning to withdraw as the stinging sensation pulsing through his face began to subside.
With a frustrated huff Lightning rolled off of Noctis and scarfed down the rest of her meal before dumping the dishes into the sink and made a dash for their room to change into her "uniform." In order to keep her ruse together as a retail associate, Lightning would leave the apartment wearing what she considered was a generic outfit consisting of dark colors whilst her real cadet uniform rested inside her bag.
"Alright! I'm taking off first!" Lightning shouted as she tied the laces of her boots by the door.
Noctis walked over to the entrance of the apartment with his plate in hand and his mouth full of food to see his girlfriend off. "Haf a naish day." He said clumsily attempting to hold crumbs from flying out of his mouth.
Lightning laughed and wiped the corner of Noctis's mouth with her thumb. "See ya~" She finished and dashed out of the door.
Noctis smiled as he savored the pleasantries the morning had to offer. Normally he would have easily slept in as he despised getting up early, but like many of the altercations he adapted into his lifestyle (for the better) with his relationship with Lightning he was finding change not too bad. He had a cleaner apartment, cooking lessons, arrived on school grounds punctually and more. His friends would often tease him on his maturity level compared to Lightning, after all his girlfriend was a year older than him. They felt she kept him in check when he was being childish such as his fiasco with vegetables.
After finishing his last bite of food Noctis cleaned his dishes, noted the time and calculated how long it would take to get ready for school as he slipped inside the restroom.
"Ahhhh… tsk…"
"Now that was a yawn!" Prompto commented as he jogged up to Noctis and patted his friend on the back.
"Just when I thought mornings weren't a bother…" Noctis turned to Prompto and held his fist up for Prompto to fist bump. "Mornin.'"
Prompto laughed as he returned the greeting. "Same to you buddy. So, check this out…" The blonde was usually full of energy no matter what time of day, but Noctis could tell he was especially excited for some reason as he watched his friend rummaged through his bag. After several seconds of haphazard searching Prompto retrieved a small black bag. "Tadaaa!" He beamed as he revealed a camera inside the pack.
Noctis smirked, "So you finally got it huh?"
Prompto cuddled the piece of technology and let out a satisfied sigh. "Yeah! I worked my ass off at the diner to save up for this baby and now she's all mine."
"Well then, you better make me look good." Noctis said sarcastically knowing full well Prompto would want to practice his photography.
"Right! Haha!"
The duo walked on towards their school grounds seen a ways off in the distance. Though the walk lasted about twenty minutes they never seemed to get tired of the scenery. The trees along the sidewalk which changed during the season (at the moment sunshine peeked through the small gaps of the green leaves), the smell of fresh bread baking from the local bakery, people walking their dogs and the occasional passing of a car all painted a picture of peace in the residential area of Lucis.
"See if you can get a picture of Specs while he's working at the bakery. Wonder if he'll smile."
Prompto beamed. "Good idea! I'll take a picture of those pastries he bakes too. Good food needs to be captured in the moment!"
The moment Prompto said "pastries" Noctis perked up. "Thanks for reminding me. He said he had a new flavor he wanted me to try."
"Still trying to recreate that dessert you shared with Lady Lunafreya way back when huh?"
Noctis shrugged. "Can't help it. It was tasty."
Prompto played with the lens on his camera and pretended to take some photos as they made their way towards the bakery at the end of the street. "How is she these days by the way?"
Again Noctis shrugged. "Ya know… good. We haven't really seen each other for years. All we have are the letters we send each other."
"Does Light know?"
"Of course. She sees me writing letters from time to time and knows we're just. Friends. Prompto." Noctis glared at his friend knowing that there was a cheeky grin plastered across the blonde's face.
"I know I know, I just imagined Lightning jealous. I bet you'd like to see her all possessive of you from time to time eh?" He jabbed Noctis on the sides playfully.
"Quit it." Noctis dismissed the matter with a scoff but privately imagined a jealous Lightning pouting.
"Alright, we're here! Good morning!" Prompto shouted as he pushed the door to the bakery open. A soft jingle was heard as the bell found at the top of the door rang alerting the staff of the arrival of customers. Small brown rectangular tables were scattered about the dark, hardwood floors. Vibrant leafy green plants hung from baskets strewn about the ceiling enhancing the atmosphere of nature in the building and the stone oven crackled with burning wood behind the counter separating the register from the kitchen.
The titillating scent of fresh baked bread enticed Noctis's nostrils and he immediately headed for the register. "Mornin' Coctura, is Ignis in?"
The young lady behind the counter gave Noctis a friendly smile as she finished tying her blonde hair into a ponytail and dusted some flour off her red chef coat. "Morning Highness. He'll be right out."
"Thanks." Noctis said with a nod as he leaned over the countertop to survey the pastries underneath the looking glass. "Going back to Galdin Quay soon? I'm sure they'll need their head chef back." He said casually as he eyed an attractive gateau decorated with fruits.
"Eventually. But it's nice here too. Just waiting for mom and dad to get back from vacation you know." Coctura explained before disappearing behind the kitchen doors.
"Right." Noctis responded absentmindedly as he continued to survey the delicacies.
"Hey Noct! Over here!" Prompto waved from a vacant table, beckoning his friend over. As soon as Noctis seated himself Prompto handed him the camera and tapped the screen revealing a fresh image of two birds behind the window in the midst of eating bread crumbs.
Noctis raised his brow amazed at the clarity of the image. "Hey, this is pretty good!"
"I know! I dig it too! All those sharpshooter classes made my hands pretty steady."
"Well taken." An additional voice chimed into the conversation as the prince's confidant entered the room with a tray filled with two saucers holding a puffy pastry lightly topped with confectioner's sugar. "I've added pineapple today Noct. Perhaps that was the missing ingredient?"
"Mornin' Ignis." Noctis greeted as he quickly took a bite of the dessert.
Ignis pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I trust you had a proper breakfast beforehand?" He asked as he handed Prompto the remaining saucer.
"Yeah. Actually Light cooked today."
"My word!" It was rare for Noctis to see Ignis so taken aback. "What has the world come to… Lady Lightning is cooking for his Highness?"
The prince couldn't help but laugh. "You know she'd slug you for a comment like that."
Ignis cracked a smile and nodded. "I merely jest. I'm safe to assume you yielded a similar reaction?"
"You got that right. It was a real pleasant surprise though." Noctis shut his eyes as he took in the flavor of the pastry.
"I bet…" Prompto said with an envious sigh. "It must feel awesome when your special someone cooks for you. At any rate this is great Ignis!" The blonde practically shouted as he pointed at his half eaten dessert.
Though Ignis was usually well adapt at hiding his emotions he seemed happy to receive praise. Noctis also knew he was an individual who despised being lied to, which is why he never sugar coated his commentary on the confidant's culinary feats. "Mmm… it is good… but… not quite the same."
Ignis quickly drew out his notepad and jotted down some notes. "Back to the drawing board. And it's about time for you two to head to class. Gladio also told me not to skip today's fencing lesson Noct. I'll be there to lead a hand as well."
The prince rolled his eyes and groaned. "Yeah yeah…" He murmured unenthusiastically as he wolfed down the rest of his food. "Be seeing you at 3:30 today then Ignis."
"Very well."
"Later Ignis!" Prompto waved as he and Noctis dashed out of the door.
"Alright. Today's the day cadets." Captain Titus announced as he walked down the queued line of soldiers saluting him. "Today… if you succeed, you'll be trading in your Crownsguard uniform for the official garb of the Glaive."
Lightning took a deep breath as the weight of the meaning behind the sentence just spoken loomed over her like a foreboding shadow. Her friends beside her were all in their mode of pre battle jitters as all the many other cadets were. Hope's fingers were twitching, Vanille's hands were clasped together, Fang was grinning from ear to ear and Snow was pounding his fists together.
"As you all know, each uniform is tailor made for the soldier as seen with the unique cowls and helms we sport. If you succeed the trial, you'll have free reign to design your armor."
Lightning could hear Vanille squeak with excitement at the additional comment. "I'm going with a panther." Snow whispered to Lightning.
"I'm pickin' a behemoth." Fang said boldly. "What about you Sunshine?"
Admittedly, Lightning hadn't the faintest idea of what to pick for her garb. All through the month she was hung up on the details of the trial, studying past traditions and methods of passing them. "I'll decide one the trial is done and over with."
Titus faced the line of cadets standing tall and intimidating in his bulky armor. "Without further ado, the theme for this year's ascension is the Glaive Battle."
The announcement was met with a mixed coupling of voices: some groans, some undiscernible murmurs, but mainly excited whispers.
Lightning herself was smirking. "Perfect."
"The Glaive Battle consists of pairing cadets against an existing Glaive member. After a one on one bout, the Glaive member will either deem you worthy or unworthy of ascension. Remember, it's not always about brute strength, but wit as well. Now let's make haste, let the pairing draws begin!"
"Good afternoon your highness!" Several of Noctis's underclassmen greeted him as he marched through the school yard to reach his usual lunch spot – the table at the northwest outdoor seating area of the school café shaded by a white and blue parasol in addition to a large leafy tree.
"Afternoon." He greeted back casually causing the young women to giggle.
After pushing the dark brown wooden gate housing the outdoor seating area open Noctis heard a familiar voice call out to him. "Over here Noct!"
Already seated at the usual table was Iris, Prompto fondling and surprisingly Gladiolus. Iris waved and raised a box neatly tied up with a lavender furoshiki causing the prince to smile.
Noctis jogged over excitedly and dropped his bag down at the base of the table as he pulled a seat open and plopped down. "What's for lunch?"
"Hahaha, you sure know how to treat a lady Noct." Prompto said as he snapped a picture of the neatly wrapped lunch box. "But Iris's cooking is top notch!"
Iris giggled and carefully undid the knot of the furoshiki and laid out four lunch boxes on the table. "And what are you doing here?" Noctis looked towards Gladiolus. He was wearing his usual workout gear. Sweatpants, sneakers, a hoodie and flexible cap. "Surprised you haven't been kicked out yet. You're clearly not a student."
Gladiolus scoffed as he took the lunch box Iris handed him. "Thanks little sis. And there are some advantages to being the King's Shield ya know. Meaning privilege to make sure your kingly ass isn't being attacked. And cause I was hungry and forgot my lunchbox."
Noctis yawned, "Sounds about right."
"Alright!" Iris clapped her hands together. "For Noct I made Grilled Wild Barramundi. Ignis helped me with the recipe." Iris watched as Noctis's eyes lit up as she removed the lid of the box revealing the seafood dish.
"This looks great!" Noctis said excitedly and exchanged a smile with Iris.
"For Gladdy some Prairie Style Skewers— oh also Gladdy I restocked the pantry with cup ramen."
Gladiolus already in the middle of his meal stopped momentarily and ruffled his sister's hair. "Awesome! Now I won't go hungry after a workout!"
Iris rolled her eyes and fixed her hair, "And for Prompto Spicy Long-Bone Rib Steak."
"Woohoo! You sure went all out today!"
"You've gotta teach me how to make this sometime Iris." Noctis said between bites of his food. "And maybe some more pasta dishes… or steak dishes."
"Did ya get into trouble with Light?" Iris asked with a hint of sarcasm as she dug into her own Grilled Wild Barramundi."
Noctis practically gagged and chugged down his water. "Was it that obvious?"
"Yeah." Prompto and Gladiolus answered in unison as they teared through their lunch.
Noctis leaned back in his chair and stared at the gently swaying leaves of the shady tree. "Remind me to buy steak later Prompto."
"Aye!"
"Hey Noct," Gladiolus started as he finished his fifth skewer, "I'm gonna stop by the Glaive headquarters later so I'll be late to practice. Ignis'll cover while I'm out so don't be late. Got it?"
"Yeah yeah…" The prince responded plainly.
"Ugh!" Lightning was sent skidding to the floor as her spear clattered down next to her. "Just my luck…"
*1 hour earlier*
"Cadet Lightning, you will be moderated by Glaive Furia." Titus instructed as he read from the rolled piece of paper he drew and unraveled from a black and gold box.
"Great…" Lightning groaned and released and exasperated breath.
Tredd smiled which to Lightning mimicked a serpent. "The terms will be a point match. If you knock your opponent to the floor you will gain a point and consequently if you are knocked down, you will lose a point. The time limit will be five minutes. Get prepped and appear in the training hall in fifteen minutes."
"Pretty straightforward." Lightning commented sounding slightly surprised at the clear cut instruction half suspecting more unfavorable balances.
Tredd began to walk away towards his barracks but halted at the entrance to the hall. "Oh… and one more thing. Leave your blade behind. I will provide your weapon of choice."
"And there's the clincher."
*Present time*
Having little training with the spear was evident as the scoreboard read "5 to 0" in Tredd's favor as the clock ticked down from "3:45… 3:44…" Lightning grabbed her spear and hoisted herself up and tried to recall Fang's battle form. She remembered watching Noctis and Ignis train with spears as well but only for a short time. Not enough information to merit any real helpful strategies but it was all she had at the moment. She had to improvise and knew the risk was great.
Lightning bit her lip and analyzed her surroundings. 'No environmental hazards. It really is just a matter of besting your opponent with the tools you have at your disposal. Tredd uses daggers… just like all members of the Glaive. A tool easy to throw… and with His Majesty's blessing a means of travel. Warping.'
The training hall was an astounding location amongst Glaive Headquarters all in its own right. The dubbed a "hall" it was actually an open air amphitheater where various Glaive initiations, trials, sparring matches and training exercises were executed. Lightning herself spent a large amount of hours in the area always looking to hone her skills. The actual arena was centered in the room, a circular raised platform surrounded by a ring of water.
Without her trusty blade at her side, Lightning was at a standstill. Working with a weapon she had no experience with was just like being paired with a new partner on a mission. No synergy whatsoever. "Guess it's time for a trial and error attempt."
"What's the matter Farron? Giving up already?" Tredd jeered as he balanced a dagger on his index finger.
Lightning clicked her tongue, "Far from it you pretentious prick." After muttering under her breath the soldier seized her spear and charged Tredd head on. She visualized the form Ignis used against Noctis and stomped on the ground using her feet as a source of power and thrust the spear forward.
Not anticipating such a burst of power from his opponent Tredd lost footing and fell to the floor but ironically managed to narrowly avoid the spear point due to the flop.
"Hey now?" Lightning planted the spear on the ground and looked down at Tredd with a smirk. "That's 5 to 1. Three minutes to go. Wanna quit now while you're still ahead… Glaive Furia?"
End Chapter
Xethear: Glad to hear that people are enjoying the story so far. Plenty more surprises on the way so 'til then, please enjoy! The next chapter awaits!
