A/N: Thanks for sticking with me so far! I love exposition and character development, so I apologize if you're hoping for the events of the game to happen right away. We're getting there! Not too much longer now :) And please keep it up with reviews, favs, follows.. it all gives me life! Love you all!
Chapter 15:
Life was relatively quiet after Inertia had unearthed the Niflheim plot to infiltrate the Citadel. For a little while, at least. She returned to her duties as ambassador, reporting to Lunafreya all she had accomplished, though she left out the part about Barrick and the Empire. They would discuss incognito via Griseo and Gentiana, and it seemed Luna was dealing with her own mess back in Tenebrae. She had managed to get the date of the wedding pushed until the week after the peace treaty signing, but now she had plans to be at the signing herself. Without giving away her secret - which Regis had agreed to help hide, so neither the Oracle nor the Prince would stress anymore than necessary before their impending marriage - she firmly disagreed with her Lady, noting that her own presence at the armistice would suffice.
But Luna was stubborn.
My position on this will not change, Inertia. Griseo's eyes practically rolled as he portrayed Luna's words to his master. Though I do appreciate your concern. Good day.
"Typical," She spat, crossing her arms. Lunafreya was as infuriating as she was beautiful, as stubborn as she was pious. These were things she usually adored about her Lady, but today she was not amused. How could she make her understand her life would be in danger if she came, without revealing how close Niflheim had come to infiltrating the Crown City? Her intended home after her marriage to Noctis?
She closed the documents on her computer, looking towards the window. Whenever she was angry, she would always take up her arms and work out her frustration on unwitting training dummies, or real life sparring partners. Such opportunities, however, were few these days. Though she could train with Cor and the others, considering he'd extended the invitation himself, how could she possibly explain her affinity for the Lucian Arms and magic? It would hurl her into a world of trouble. Something she wished to avoid ever since the incident with Barrick and the Roadhouse. But Nyx would be there. She hadn't seen him since that night, and she missed his earnest eyes and genuine smile. And she could bet he'd be one hell of a sparring partner.
Do you wish to train with the men and women outside?
Griseo's own voice this time.
"My wishes matter not," Inertia sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I shouldn't train with anyone. My presence here has caused enough grief."
Miss Inertia, Griseo put a paw on her lap and it surprised her. She patted his head, smiling down at him. As much as he was her Guardian, she liked to think she was his, too. Do something for yourself for a change. If not for you, then for me.
He licked her face and she laughed, hugging him around the neck.
"I can't say no to you, can I, Grizz?" She stood and rushed to her apartment and towards the closet. If she was gonna do some training, she certainly shouldn't be in a dress.
Noctis was bored.
He and his friends had been training with the Crownsguard recently, instead of the Glaives. The Guard was good, full of strong, able-bodied soldiers, but none of them could warp or use magic like the Glaives. So for the Crown Prince, they weren't nearly as challenging.
But now they weren't even fighting the Guard anymore.
Cor was prattling on about how King Regis was gonna infuse his power into Gladio, Iggy, and Prompto so they could summon their weapons at will and use magic like the rest of the Glaives so they could better protect his son. He was explaining to them how it would feel to be able to do so, and what side effects they might experience in the next few days. Blah blah blah.
He didn't mean to be so unattached, but he'd been through this a thousand times since he could walk and talk. Plus, there were other things on his mind.
Things like Luna.
He tried not to freak out at the fact that, soon, he would be married. To Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. The Oracle of Tenebrae.
He'd waited for so long to see Luna again, he'd wanted for so long to see her again, and he'd be lying to himself if he tried to say he didn't have feelings for her. Sure, maybe they hadn't been in the same room since their childhood, but they continued to talk over the years through Umbra, her black Messenger dog. They shared a book together in which they wrote messages to one another, and he ferried it back and forth between them. Sure, there were mobile phones and social media and things… but something about their book felt intimate and personal.
And to him, she was the only girl he'd ever wanted.
Girls growing up in school had tried to flirt with him. Talk to him. Date him, even. Maybe they thought he was cute, but he figured it was probably since he was the prince. Royalty had a way of making people lose their minds a little. But he'd never been interested. Instead of going to parties on the weekends, he'd stay home and wait for Umbra to bring that same old book by again so he could stay up and talk to Luna. He'd play video games with Prompto, or spar with Gladio and Ignis, all while waiting for that same, stupid little brown book to show up again and hear what she had to say.
It was like the girls at school didn't even exist.
Even still, that didn't mean he was ready to marry her. He'd never even gotten to take her on a proper date. What if she regretted it the minute she saw him? What if he fucked it all up and they were miserable for the rest of their lives together? Not like a King and his Queen could divorce, exactly, which might be worse if they were unhappy…
His thoughts were interrupted when Inertia Izunia showed up behind Cor, still preaching his sermon to his retinue.
"Excuse me, Marshal?" She cleared her throat. He blinked, losing his train of thought, and even the Crownsguard and Kingsglaives all around had stopped sparring to listen in and watch.
"Oh, Lady Inertia," He bowed quickly, and everyone standing did the same. Noct would have, maybe, were he not splayed on the ground, drawing figures in the dust. Damn. Maybe he really was a lazy prince. "What can I assist you with?"
"I thought, perhaps, I could join in on the training exercises today?" She inquired innocently. Noctis blinked. Her?
She was little, for one thing. Short and slender. Then again, he didn't look particularly strong, either. She was very feminine, this bright-eyed, well-spoken girl who he couldn't picture even managing to hold up a sword, let alone swing it. She'd been at the Roadhouse with Iggy and Gladio when that maniac had blown it up, so her resolve was strong, at least. She'd been courageous enough to get away. He shrugged when Cor looked at him for approval.
"Let her, if she wants," He dusted off his knees, rising to his feet. "We could always use fresh sword arms out here."
"You heard the Prince!" Cor announced to everyone on the field. "Welcome Inertia of Tenebrae with open arms!"
She smiled when everyone applauded, a little red in the face.
"My gratitude," She curtsied a little, readjusting a binding on her wrist. Something hardened in her eyes, and they darkened, intimidating Noct a little. She looked totally different now, even when nothing about her had changed. "So. Where do we begin?"
She'd ceased using daggers the day Ravus broke her heart.
It was another half a year before he came back after bringing Loqi with him the last time. His hair was growing longer, his face more tired, but she mentioned nothing of it, seeing as he was no longer speaking to her. He came alone this time - Loqi was nowhere to be found.
He only looked happy when he spent time with his sister. No time was allotted for her. Though she expected that, now.
So it was to her shock when he invited her to train, like they had in the old days. From when things were simpler. And their feelings were pure.
"Meet me in an hour. Don't be late," He warned, walking off as brusquely as he'd arrived. She wouldn't miss it for the world. Maybe now they could finally talk about their feelings. She was 18 now - a legal adult in most parts of the world. Maybe now they could be a little more normal. For once.
He was already waiting on the practice field, sword in hand, when she arrived.
"Ready yourself," He advised with a nod. She obeyed, stretching a little, unsheathing her daggers. She wasn't sure why he was being so demanding of her now - what had happened to the king, patient Ravus she'd grown up with?
"I'm ready," She called out. He was on her in an instant, and she barely had time to react, catching his sword between her daggers at the last second mere inches away from her face. He hesitated in such close proximity to her, their breaths already uneven and ragged, and she took the opportunity to tell him how she felt.
"You look good," She smiled. His eyes went dark, and he pulled away from her, coming at her again with another blow. She reeled, narrowly missing his swing. "Your hair's so long now."
"I'm aware," He spat. "What of it?"
"N-nothing," She stuttered, blocking another swing of his blade. "I was just noticing."
"How observant of you," He sneered, kicking her leg out from under her. She fell to the ground, air rushing from her lungs. She heaved, winded. "Get up!" He yelled at her. She winced, tears brushing the edges of her eyes. Not from the pain of the injury - from how nasty he was being towards her.
"Why are you acting like this?" She rolled onto her side, trying to force herself back up with tired arms. "All I've done is miss you."
"Oh, is that all?" He waited for her to stand, but before she could grip her daggers, he came at her again. She barely dodged his attack, ducking underneath his blade. The sun hit the steel of it just right, momentarily blinding her.
"Yes!" She wiped tears away from her eyes, feeling for her daggers that she couldn't see. "What happened to the promise you made me? What happened to the Ravus who swore he would always care for me?"
"Fool," He murmured. He came at her again, but this time anger flared to life in her gut, and she caught his blade with her daggers again, spinning herself around to come at him, now. He parried her attack, but faltered, feet stuttering on the ground. She took the opportunity to lunge at him again, but he was prepared, and bunted her attacks away with ease. "That Ravus died the moment you opened your legs for Loqi."
Stunned, she didn't even fight him when he tackled her to the ground. Loqi told him about that? Why would he even admit to raping her in the first place? She was paralyzed by the weight of what he'd said, by the memory of Loqi on top of her, breath in her ear, her empty prayers that had sought the gods who never answered.
"Did you even think of me while he was inside you, Inertia?" He was on top of her, seething, baring down on her, blade at her throat. "Did you even think of the promise I made you when you let him claim you as his own?" He shoved the sword harder at her throat, and she could feel its cold steel on her skin, realizing now Loqi had never admitted to raping her - he'd told it as though she wanted it. Wanted him. "You were supposed to be mine!"
"ENOUGH!" She screamed. Her voice broke, but her resolve was strong. She kneed him in the crotch - she didn't even care if it was a dirty move - and he grunted in pain, falling off of her. She took the opportunity to take her own daggers to his throat, face inches away from his own.
"I belong to NO MAN!" She hissed at him. "I am not yours, or his, or anyone's! The only one I belong to is ME!" She was crying now, her daggers trembling at his throat. "He raped me, and you're angry at me?" She lost her nerve, kneeling back, weeping openly. He took the opportunity and flipped her over again.
"STOP CRYING!" He screamed. She reflexively brought her daggers to her face to defend herself from his attack, but he lit alight with thunder itself, turning purple, something he'd never done before, and the blade cleaved cleanly through her daggers. They fell to the ground with a quiet thud, and she was left with broken handles, terrified at the anger in Ravus's eyes above her. Her voice caught in her throat, and she couldn't make a sound. She watched him, chest heaving, waiting for him to finish her off. But the moment never came.
He dropped his sword beside her, rising to his feet. She swore she saw tears in his own eyes as he walked off and left her there, trembling in the dirt, gripping the handles of her daggers because she didn't know what else to do, even though now, they were utterly useless.
"You'll use one of our weapons," Cor instructed her, showing her to the racks of arms by the bathhouse. She grimaced - Cor wasn't gonna let her reveal her secret. It was probably better that way, but she hadn't fought with a normal arm in a long time. Hopefully she wouldn't get her ass handed to her. She looked them over - swords, spears, shields, daggers - she flinched a little when she saw them - but nothing she was looking for.
"Do you have any shurikens?" She wondered aloud, looking up to the Immortal. He smiled down at her, and it was the first time it reached his eyes. There was something fatherly about him, even if he was a hardass.
"I believe we do," Cor hadn't even had a chance to answer before Nyx was presenting her with one with a bow. She beamed.
"Hey, Nyx!" She grinned at him, taking the shuriken from his grasp. It was a pretty thing, all steel and embellished details, but she still missed the Star she'd become to accustomed to. He must have remembered her weapon of choice at the Roadhouse that night — and must also have been in on the scheme to not let anyone know her secret. "How have you been, Ulric?"
"Just fine, milady," He danced from foot to foot. "Was wondering if you'd do me the honor of a little match?" She looked to Cor, who nodded in approval, laughing a little.
"You're on, Hero!" She raced to face him across the dirt, itching to start. She'd been waiting for this. Diplomacy was well and good for the politicians of the world, but in her blood, she'd always been a fighter. So why didn't you fight Loqi the night he hurt you? A small voice in her head wondered. A fire rose inside her at the thought, and she came at Nyx with probably more rage than she needed to, rage truly intended for Loqi, Ravus, and, most notably, herself. But he'd be fine. He was a hero, after all.
Prompto watched in awe as Inertia danced around Nyx like a ballerina. She was here in one instant, and gone in another, flowing around his attacks like water. None of them were fighting anymore, and even Cor didn't mind, he and the Glaives and Crownsguard alike watching Nyx the hero take on the ambassador of Tenebrae, and it was a shockingly great match. He kept up with her, but she was better, and no one knew how. She was quick, and she was clever, and though she was little, what she lacked in size she made up for in dexterity, and Prompto fidgeted with the blade in his own hand, the one Cor had been showing him how to use for the last few days. Gotta know how to use a blade, Cor had said. Even if you never use one. He still wasn't allowed to fire the gun, though.
"How is she so good with a shuriken?" He asked aloud. He was sitting in the dirt, as was Noctis. Ignis was perched against the bathhouse wall, Gladiolus polishing his sword, the two of them oddly quiet, though they watched intently. They were surrounded on all sides by glaives and guards who were just as in awe as them.
"I wonder where she received her training," A voice spoke up from somewhere, but it wasn't one he recognized.
"Is it commonplace for the Oracle's lady-in-waiting to receive martial training?" Another asked.
"She's good," That was Noctis. Prompto blinked at him in dismay. Damn. If Noctis said she was good, she must be. He hardly said that about anyone.
Not that Prompto couldn't figure that out for himself. She was giving Nyx a run for his money, and Nyx was about the best the glaives had to offer.
"Did you hear?" Another voice he didn't recognize. "Apparently, she can use the King's magic like we can. Can even summon up Royal Arms or something."
What?
"I hear that's how she saved some of the people at the Roadhouse," Another voice added. "She erected a barrier, like the glaives can."
"Apparently she took on the guy that blew up the place," Someone else observed. "I heard he's a Niff."
That much Prompto knew. But he didn't know she was able to use the same magic as the glaives. As King Regis. As Noct.
He chanced a glance beside him at Noctis, whose jaw was clenched, rippling with an emotion he couldn't name. His eyes were dark, and angry, and focused ever forward. He knew he'd heard the same conversation he had. All Iggy and Gladio had told him was not to let on that Niflheim had managed to infiltrate the city - neither of them had said anything about Inertia's proficiency with the Lucian Arms and magic.
He looked up at Iggy and Gladio, neither of whom said a word. Ignis met eyes with him and quickly looked away. He seemed… ashamed, maybe? Gladiolus wouldn't even dare to look away from the battle in front of him.
Cor was on the other side of the training grounds, and hadn't heard a thing. Instead, he raised a hand in the air as Inertia had Nyx pinned to the ground, arm behind his back. Somewhere along the way, she'd disarmed him of his blade, and she had dropped her shuriken.
"Lady Inertia of Tenebrae is the winner!" Cor announced. Everyone erupted into cheers, and even Nyx grinned up at her from his place on the ground.
"If I had to get my ass kicked, I'm glad it was by a good looking lady like you," He said as he got to his feet. She laughed, her hair falling out of her pretty little bun and around her face. There was dirt on her face, and on her clothes, and Prompto couldn't help but think it was the most beautiful he'd ever seen her. Not because she was dirty - because she was having fun.
"I challenge you, Inertia."
Prompto's mouth fell open when he saw Noctis on his feet before him.
"Noct, you can't-"
"Shut up, Prompto," He snarled under his breath. Prompto shut his mouth, lifting himself to his feet with the blade Cor had given him to stand beside his best friend. Nyx raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Ignis and Gladiolus hadn't said a word, though they had each stopped what they were doing. The whole training arena was quiet.
"I accept, my prince," She bowed, brushing the hair out of her face. She reached for her shuriken on the ground, but Noctis stepped forward.
"Not with that," He scoffed. "Come at me with your true power."
He heard Ignis's breath hitch in his throat, and Gladio's teeth clench. Time stood still. Cor stepped forward, finally giving himself away.
"Your Highness, if you mean to imply the Lady of Tenebrae hasn't been offering her best-"
"She knows what I mean, Marshal," Noctis glared at her. "Don't you, milady?"
Inertia's face never changed. She nodded at him.
"If your Highness so desires it," She conjured a shuriken out of thin air, then, shimmering blue and white against oppression of the thing that hung heavy on the training grounds.
Noctis followed suit, conjuring instead the blade Prompto had grown so used to seeing him wield. They eyed each other, neither of them moving.
"Well, what are you waiting for, Lady Inertia of Tenebrae?" Noctis taunted. Her title sounded bitter in his mouth, souring Prompto's own pallet. "Game on."