Chapter 4:

The first time he saw her, he was totally caught off guard by her.

Prompto was excited to get started with his martial training in preparation for their journey to Altissia so Noctis could wed Lunafreya. He'd never really felt like he belonged anywhere - from the time he was a kid up till now. He'd been shy as a kid, and his parents were never really around, and growing up going to the same school as Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, he had gotten used to blending into the wallpaper. He was chubby, and he had glasses, and he liked to take pictures and not really talk to anyone. He was used to escaping into himself, his own imagination, quite often. But ever since he and Noctis had become fast friends in high school, the feeling of being adventurous was intoxicating. He couldn't wait to try other new things he'd never done before, to go places he'd never been or seen before, and if learning how to fight was what it took, then so be it, he'd do it. Plus, he thought maybe he'd be half as cool as Ignis or Gladio or even Noctis himself if he could brandish a weapon of his own.

Maybe that's why when Cor was explaining to him that he couldn't take the guns home with him until he'd proven himself capable of handling them WITHOUT posing a risk to others or himself, he didn't notice her enter the Hall. It was Prompto's first time here himself, and he was overwhelmed by the way the Citadel reached for the sky above him. Did giants live here? Why were the ceilings so high? Even when they talked their voices echoed off the vaulted ceiling and the arched walls; the acoustics here were crazy! He wondered if they ever hosted any concerts here. He'd have to ask Noct about it later.

But that all fell out of his head when he saw his King rise abruptly, and when his friends immediately followed suit. He blinked, confused, but pushed back from his chair too, because if the King was standing, it must be important. Everyone was looking towards the entrance, so he craned his neck that way too. It really sucked being shorter than Iggy, Noct, and Gladio; he could hardly see her when she stepped forward.

But the closer she got, the more his eyes bugged out of his head, he was sure. She was gorgeous… the others made fun of him for falling in love with every girl he saw, but she was seriously stunning. Surely even they had to think so too? She was classy, and mature, not like the other girls he crooned over at college. She was wearing white, too, but she wasn't Luna. Who else wore white but Lunafreya? The Oracle was the only one ordained to wear white… wasn't she? Well, besides her ass-hat older brother. Technically, white was reserved for House Nox Fleuret. Prompto didn't pay that much attention in school, but even he knew that.

So was she a part of House Nox Fleuret?

He'd find out later that she was actually Lady Lunafreya's retainer, but until then, he was content to just stare at her. Noctis had to drag him out of the Hall after they were dismissed. He was so shellshocked by her that he forgot to move his feet.

"Who was SHE!?" He asked excitedly, running ahead of his friends. So maybe he should be thinking more about the marksman training he'd be starting tomorrow… but where there was a hot girl, there was a happy Prompto Argentum.

"Lady Inertia Izunia of House Nox Fleuret," Ignis gave him the perfect answer. Great! Prompto could stalk her on social media later. "Lady Lunafreya's sole lady-in-waiting, who began in her employ around 7 years ago."

"Specs, chill," Gladio clapped Iggy on the back, and Prompto snorted a laugh at the look on Ignis's face. "You're not in the Hall anymore, you don't have to impress anyone."

"One must always be prepared to impress, for the forging of a habit takes longer than the ruin of a reputation," Ignis shot him a smug look. "Your own father's words."

Before Prompto could compliment the sick burn, or Gladio could clap back at Ignis, Noctis had finally spoken up. He hadn't noticed how quiet he was being until then.

"Do you think that means Luna's here?"

They looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Prompto didn't have any better idea than the rest of them, but Ignis and Gladiolus hesitating, sharing a look that seemed kinda weird. If he knew any better, he'd have said they were hiding something. But what did he know?

"Most likely, no," Ignis shrugged. "My guess is Lady Lunafreya has sent an ambassador in her stead while she continues to make preparations in Tenebrae."
Aw. That was a shame. Prompto had really wanted to see Luna again ever since he'd helped her puppy Pryna as a kid. She'd been the one to send him a letter, thanking him for nursing her back to health, and also asking him to become friends with Noctis. In a way, Luna was the reason he had been motivated to try to break out of his shell, and actually not be alone anymore. He had a lot to thank her for. And he was happy that Noctis would get to marry her; they were practically made for each other. Noctis had been over the moon for her since as long as Prompto could remember. He never crushed on anyone at school, and he never took girls out like all the other guys at school. No matter how much the other girls wished he would. Prompto would catch him looking at pictures of Luna on his phone, and while he was always nonchalant about it, Prompto knew Noctis had it bad.

"Come on, Noct," Prompto punched Noctis in the shoulder, trying to turn that frown upside down. "You've already got a wedding date. If I marry Inertia, does that make us in-laws?" He wondered dreamily, only half kidding.

"They're not related, chocobo-brain!" Gladio punched him right in the kidney, and he groaned, limping away. He was happy to hear his friends laugh, but he couldn't get her out of his head. What a woman.

The next time he saw her, he was mortified.

It was only his second day of training with the Glaives and, most notably, Cor the Immortal himself. The Prince, the Shield, and the Steward were all a lot more advanced than him, so of course it made the most sense that he get the most difficult trainer. Guess they figured if anyone could make him a halfway decent fighter in the next three months, it would have to be the Marshal himself. He was tired, and every muscle in his body hurt. Working out casually and going for runs was one thing, and Prompto liked to think he was a pretty decently in shape guy. But keeping up with the elite, hand-picked warriors of the King of Lucis was another thing entirely. Ignis and Gladio ran circles around him, and even they were struggling to keep up. Noctis looked bored, as always, even when he was warp-striking himself silly and heaving for breath halfway across the training grounds. He was training with the Captain, Titus Drautos. A big, hulking beefcake who was coming at Noctis in ways Prompto hadn't even imagined. And even though Noctis was struggling to dodge and parry and practice his footwork, he still looked bored. The guy always looked bored.

Prompto was laying on the ground, face to the sky, hands over his eyes.

"Cor, buddy, just… gimme a minute…" He pled, heaving for breath.

A cute girl with dark hair and a heavyset guy with a ponytail snickered as they walked by him, and he tried not to think about all the eyes on him as he lay there, pathetic and weak.

"Do you think the empire will give you a minute, Argentum?" Cor spat at him from somewhere up high. He could hear Ignis and Gladiolus laughing somewhere far off.

"Did you think this would be easy, gunslinger?" Gladio taunted him. Prompto groaned from his spot on the ground.

"Can I go grab some water at least?" He begged. Cor chuffed what he could only assume was an agreement, so Prompto bolted to his feet, desperate for a chance to drink something cold and relish the feeling of the air conditioning on his skin for the few seconds Cor would give him.

There was a water fountain just inside the doors of the training facility, and Prompto made a beeline for the thing. He surprised himself; as tired as he was and he could still race for the cold embrace of water. Gods, water. His throat was so dry he thought for a second he'd swallowed some of the sand dusting the ground outside.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you…" He repeated desperately as he bent his head to drink the sweet, cold nectar of the Astrals. He hadn't ever been this thankful for water in his life. The fire in his throat subsided, and the sweat pouring from his brow didn't seem nearly so suffocating now that he had had something to drink. He stopped, sure if he drank anymore he might throw up after resuming his training with Cor, but still he gripped the side of the fountain, gasping for air. Two days and Cor still hadn't even let him fire the fucking gun.

"Um, pardon me?" A voice interrupted his thoughts. "Is this yours?"

He looked up, water still dripping from the side of his mouth, to see her standing there. He could see her more clearly now, and that wasn't a good thing.

Beautiful, light blue eyes danced over a freckled face, straight nose, full lips, and sculpted cheek bones. Fuck.

"Uh…" He stuttered. Words. Words? He needed words. What were those? Suddenly he couldn't remember anything about them. Everything about her was pretty. Even her voice was pretty.

She raised an eyebrow at him, shoving her hand a little more towards him, and only then did he look down and see she was holding out to him his bandana, the one he always wore on his arm for good luck. His "lucky rag," he called it. Yeah, real original. With all the sweating he was doing, it wasn't really a surprise it slipped off.

"Th-thanks," He managed awkwardly, taking it from her. He tried not to think about how his sweaty hands must feel against the smooth skin of her palms, and what she might think of him if she could tell it was because he was absolutely fucking terrified of her. Pretty girls had scared him for as long as he could remember; it wasn't exactly an attractive trait to most of them.

"I believe it slipped from your arm when you came running inside," She offered gently. He blinked. She hadn't just gotten here? She saw him come loping in like a baby deer just learning to walk? Even better.

"O-oh…yeah…" He laughed awkwardly. Uncomfortably. Desperately. Think of something to say, moron, anything!

"It must be hard, training with the glaives and the Marshal out there in the heat today," She continued. He tried to form coherent thoughts in his brain, but nothing was coming to him. Abort mission!

"Y-yeah, real hard," He nodded fervently. Say something else, idiot. "And hot." Duh, stupid. "I'm Prompto. Um. P-Prompto Argentum."

"Nice to meet you, Prompto Argentum," She laughed, and he wasn't sure if she was laughing at him or with him. "I'm Inertia."

"Yeah, you're like, the only other girl I've seen wear white besides the Oracle," He stammered. Life: 1. Prompto: 0.

"Well, I'm a representative of House Nox Fleuret, so…" She winked at him. It was so small he almost thought he imagined it. Was she flirting with him? WHAT WAS EVEN HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?

"Yeah, um," He fumbled with the bandana in his hands, wringing it out of nervousness. He realized he was standing in the way of the water fountain, and nervously tried to step out of her way. "Sorry, were you trying to get a drink?"

"Oh, no," She smiled, sincere. "My office is down here, I was just coming back from lunch."

"Oh, lunch… food…heh.." He trailed off, only just now realizing how hungry he was. Food sounded so good. Maybe Ignis would whip them up something special tonight. Was he drooling?!

"Right...So, um, what weapon is it that you wield?" She asked innocently. Why did she have to ask him that? Now she'd think he was talented like the rest of the guys on the field, instead of completely inept like the nobody he was. The worst feeling was disappointing people. Sometimes it was easier when he used to blend into the wall.

"Uh, I'm…" Gladio's words rang in his head. "I'm a gunslinger," He nodded, trying to convince himself as much as her.

"Oh?" She inquired seriously. "Are you very good?"

"I never miss," He beamed at her. Did he seriously just lie right now? Why had he lied to her? Cor hadn't even let him shoot the damn thing yet.

"ARGENTUM! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!" Cor. Of course. Great timing.

"Uh," He looked towards the training grounds nervously. Cor would kick his ass when he got back. "That's my cue."

"Duty calls," She nodded with a smile.

"I'll see you later, Inertia!" He waved awkwardly, taking off at a trot. She waved back at him. She waved back at him! He didn't even care that Cor would go harder on him the rest of the day, or that his knees were shaking and his body was aching and his stomach was growling for food. He was giddy the whole rest of the way back to the training grounds.

"She talked to you?" Noctis asked between sit-ups, skeptical. Prompto nodded furiously, trying not to trip over his own feet as he practiced the foot drills Cor had given him.

"My lucky rag fell off when I ran inside," Prompto was heaving for breath. "She picked it up for me at the water fountain. I think she's an angel."

"So what'd she say to you, stud?" Gladio was taunting him, he knew that, but it made his chest swell with pride all the same. He tried not to envy the big guy, doing chin-ups at the parallel bar stationed just outside the bathhouse all the Glaives used. Sweat dripped down his muscled physique, and Prompto could feel the jealousy well up inside him. If only he looked like Gladio…

"She said it must be hard work training out here with the Glaives," He criss-crossed his feet, just as Cor had shown him, though he had a feeling he didn't look nearly as graceful doing it. "And she asked me what weapon I used."

"And, did you tell her big brave blondie wasn't even allowed to use his gun yet?" Noctis was laughing in spite of himself, and Ignis shot him a look when he saw Prompto's face fall a little.

"Seriously, why won't Cor let me shoot it already?" Prompto took the pistol that was holstered at his waist, admiring it in the sunlight. It wasn't loaded. Cor wouldn't even let him have ammo. "How does he expect me to fight if he won't let me use it?"

"Now, now, Prompto," Ignis tried to console him, looking up from the dagger he was sharpening. "I'm sure the Marshal wishes for you to understand the foundations of combat before actually having you attempt to brandish steel."

"Actually, the barrel's forged of mythril," Prompto corrected Ignis. "It enhances the magical properties of whatever ammo gets loaded into the cylinder."

"Damn, ok, technophile," Noctis interjected, hugging his knees. "Talk anymore and you're gonna hurt Specs's feelings."

"On the contrary," Ignis scoffed. "It's about time Prompto exceeded me in some school of study."

"I wonder if he sleeps with it under his pillow, too," Even Gladio was getting in on the fun.

"I'm, uh, standing right here, guys," Prompto cleared his throat, uncomfortable. Hellooooooo, he wasn't a total idiot! Most of the time…

"We weren't saying it quietly," Noctis rose from his spot on the ground. He must have tired of his sit-ups already.

"Ok, whatever, the point is, I don't see why Cor has me running around like a chocobo on speed, doing drills and learning fancy footwork and stuff if he isn't gonna let me ever fight back," Prompto was all but pouting now. A big hand clapped him on the back, and it made him cough.

"Because if you don't learn the basics, you aren't ever gonna get the chance to shoot that pretty little thing in the first place," Cor was here now, his commanding voice silencing all four of them. Prompto gaped; he hadn't even heard him approach. The big guy was lighter on his feet than he would've thought. They'd finished their training for the day; the four of them were just lingering now, working on assignments he'd given them for tomorrow. That way, they could head out, grab dinner, and not have to worry about doing anymore work for the rest of the night.

"So when are you gonna let me shoot it, then?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. "Or even let me load it with bullets?"

"When you're ready," Cor crossed his arms, eyeing all of them. "And no sooner. Anyone else want to complain about my methods?"

Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio were all silent, and Prompto swallowed. How big of a mistake had he just made?

"Good," Cor's voice practically made him shiver. "Now get out of my sight."

They didn't argue. Grabbing their things, the four made their way towards the Citadel. Prompto could feel his shoulders hunch, defeated.

"Come on, man," Noctis clapped him on the shoulder, giving him a smile. "At least you got to talk to a pretty girl today."

Somehow, that didn't make him feel any better. What kind of girl would give a guy a second glance if he could never do anything right?