Author's note: Two updates in a day! Pretty good huh? Although this is a short update- I just wanted to finish off, and post, my five chapter long prologue so that I could finally get started with all the shennanigans that I have planned for our star cast! I hope ya'll like the fluff- I giggled a lot writing it xD
Chapter Five: A Little Hurt, A Little Comfort
Leaving Ignis with his daughter, the three men and woman set out towards the back of the diner. Prompto stared longingly at the milkshake advertisement stuck on the window of the diner, but followed behind the group immediately. His eyes flickered to Noctis' back, noting the tension in his stance as he hurriedly walked forward, trailing after a despondent looking Luna.
"I hope I wasn't too harsh on him…" Luna started. Noctis shook his head and held a hand up to stop Luna from voicing her unfounded worries.
"You did what you had to do. No way are we leaving Karina behind when we know Ignis is the only parent she has left." Noctis' voice was hard with resolve, mixed with a deep seated pain. Luna shot a worried glance at her betrothed and reached out to place a comforting hand on his bicep. However, at contact, Noctis pushed Luna's hand away and stared at the dirty wall of the diner, refusing to look at anyone. "Did my dad… did he say anything to you before he..." Noctis trailed off, not able to bring himself to finish the sentence. He didn't want to admit that his father was dead… that with his father's death, he was now the King of Lucis.
Luna sighed and nodded, forgetting that Noctis couldn't see her actions. Gladio made a noise of acknowledgement at Luna's gesture and folded his arms in front of him, levelling a soft gaze on the former princess.
"What did he say?" Gladio prodded. Prompto remained silent, just watching the exchange between the three. At the back of his mind, troubling thoughts of his adoptive parents ravaged his psyche, but he pushed the thoughts away and tried to focus on his friends who were right beside him. There wasn't much he could do about his parents anyways… he had left without saying goodbye after all. He had no way of knowing whether they were dead or alive. Whether they were within the band of refugees Luna had snuck out of Insomnia with…
"He told me to take care of Noctis. To see that he understood what it meant to be the Chosen King," Luna spoke softly, her eyes trained on Noctis' still frame. She continued, "He asked me to stand by Noctis always. To help him always… and to tell him that his love will always be with Noctis… that he," Luna gulped as Noctis' tear filled gaze turned to her, "that he watches over you, always." The Oracle finished relaying the King's final words to Noctis, her heart palpitating violently in her chest as she watched many different emotions drift across Noctis' emotive eyes.
"He didn't tell me shit," Noctis started, his teeth clenching as he spoke. "He just sent me away- he lied to me! If I had known, I could have been there! I could have helped- he might have still been alive!" Noctis yelled, finally losing his composure. Prompto jumped at the sudden rise in volume, but remained quiet as he was afraid that anything he would say would upset his best friend further. Gladio's eyes narrowed at Noctis' outburst.
"No, if you had stayed behind, you'd probably be dead too. He planned a strategic retreat." Gladio spoke, his voice hard and leaving no room for argument. Noctis glared at his shield before turning to Luna with angry eyes.
"Why did you go there? Why weren't you in Altissia? What if I lost you too?" Noctis bellowed, emotion filling his voice as he took a step towards Luna. Luna's eyes widened as she could only watch on as Noctis yanked her roughly into his arms and squeezed her tight, almost desperately. "What if you were gone too? What if the Empire killed you too?" Luna sighed, ignoring the discomfort that came with Noctis' too-tight embrace. Letting her arms wrap around Noctis' waist, Luna smiled sadly into the prince's jacket.
"But I'm right here, silly."
Noctis pulled away from Luna, suddenly feeling like he was a child again at the sound of her gentle, teasing voice. It was like they were kids again… her small smile melted away his confusion and anger momentarily, leaving him with the deep sorrow that plagued him as he mourned his father's death. The only parental figure he'd know- the only man who truly understood him. Regis Lucis Caelum, Noctis' hero.
"I know. Thank you." Noctis whispered, his voice broken as he cried, not caring that Prompto and Gladio were standing around the vicinity of his and Luna's embrace.
Prompto ripped his eyes away from the embracing couple and glanced at his bulky friend, only to find Gladio staring hard at the floor, his fists clenched at his sides and his teeth biting his bottom lip tightly. Almost as if he was trying to stop himself from speaking. Taking note of Gladio's self-enforced silence, Prompto sidled up to the royal shield and nudged him quietly. When he got the man's attention, Prompto tilted his head towards the inside of the diner.
"Wanna grab a seat inside and play King's Knight?" the blond whispered. Gladiolus sighed and raked a hand over his tired face before nodding silently.
"Yeah… I guess. If you buy me a drink too." Prompto rolled his eyes good naturedly.
"What is it with everyone demanding drinks from me?"
Ignis felt panic fill his chest as he stood stock still, watching the young girl cry on the trailer's floor. He'd never been charged with the care of such a young child. Noctis was at least thirteen before Ignis had taken any responsibility over him. Until then, the nine years he had known Noctis, he was merely an informal tutor- a rather boring playmate.
The royal advisor sighed and lowered himself quietly to the ground, right in front of the sobbing girl.
"Karina," he started, his voice unsure. He reached out, only to stop before he made contact with the girl. No… his daughter. Ignis suppressed a shudder at the thought of having a child he hadn't even known about. His Celia… kept such a big secret from him? Ignis shook his head. Never… she wasn't capable of such a thing. She was open, cheerful, and always spoke her mind. Incredibly bright, proud and unerringly selfless, Cecelia Marcellus could not have just kept Ignis out of the loop of his own child's life for so long.
No… that couldn't be right.
Ignis stared at the hiccupping girl in front of him and let out a sigh as his cruellest thoughts about the girl filled his mind. Celia's omission started to make slightly more sense within the context of his loyalty to the Crown. Even when he was with Celia, his duty always came first. If Celia wanted to spend time with Ignis on his day off, Ignis would excuse himself and make his way to the palace to bake the young prince desserts- because it made the prince happy. If Celia was feeling lonely, or even upset about her academy work, Ignis would brush her off and ask her opinion about the best possible method to incorporate vegetables into the prince's meals.
Celia never batted an eyelid. She never complained. The most she would do was heave a sigh and then jump straight into Ignis' proposed conversation, throwing in humorous quips here and there to elicit even the smallest smile from the stoic man's lips. Ignis released a breath he did not realise he was holding until he felt light headed, and refocused his attention on his daughter. He examined the ruffled girl and recognised Celia's forehead, Celia's soft skin, Celia's eyes, Celia's pout…
Ignis was also surprised to notice that Karina's hair was the same light brown as his, almost bordering a sliver sheen in the light. Her full lips were definitely his, as were her long limbs and, as much as Ignis was loathe to admit, her weepy temperament was also quite on par with his own when he was Karina's age.
The royal advisor sighed softly and reached out to place a gently hand on the girl's shoulder. Karina flinched at the contact, her sobs becoming deeper and less controlled. Ignis' eyebrows furrowed in disgust at himself. He was not being fair earlier. And he said such terrible things to the face of a girl who needed him.
He was a father, god damn it!
Ignis resisted the urge to groan in frustration- he had never done well with unexpected situations. That was Celia's territory- but she was gone. Reaching out with one arm for his glassed, which lay discarded on the bunk's bedside table, Ignis retrieved and wore them.
He could now see his daughter's grief and suffering in full clarity. And he loathed himself for it.
"Karina, I apologise for my behaviour earlier today. I do not fault you for disliking me," Ignis stopped speaking and observed Karina, who was now clutching her little fists to her chest, averting her gaze from him. "I understand your mother used to read you stories? I could read you a story, if you would like." Ignis let the suggestion hang for a moment, observing the small child before him as she squirmed before him, obviously trying to fight within herself to refuse the offer. After all, the mean man was the one who had offered!
After a few moments Karina nodded her head, relenting to the man who seemed impossibly bigger than she was. Ignis let out a bated breath and allowed himself to smile, a foreign warm feeling filling his chest. Although he felt vulnerable, he also felt invincible at the same time.
It was very strange.
Ignis reached forward warily and pulled his daughter towards himself, moving to stand up with the child. He frowned at the matted state of the girl's hair and general appearance. The girl really needed a good clean up.
"Before we get to the story, I would like to suggest you wash up for bed." Ignis furrowed his eyebrows at the not-so-pleasant smell that emanated from the girl's scalp. The sweat and dust of the desert really did a number on the girl. Ignis wondered if the Lady Lunafreya needed to use the shower facilities of the trailer as well, given that she had been on the trek with Karina. The royal advisor felt a pang of gratefulness to Lunafreya- not the Oracle or the Princess, but the woman. Despite being injured and tired, the woman did all she could to keep his Celia's daughter safe… to keep his daughter safe.
Karina's eyes filled with tears at Ignis' suggestion.
"No, you'll scrub me really hard and I'll get hurt!" Ignis frowned, shaking his head as he turned Karina in his arms so that she was facing him.
"But you need to be cleaned up. I promise I'll be very gentle." Ignis couldn't help but think, as he spoke to his daughter, that it would be the first time he was to bathe a young girl. Was it any different to bathing himself? Would there be anything inappropriate happening if he washed the girl? A girl who he didn't even know what his daughter until a mere moment ago? Ignis sighed and pushed the strange thoughts from his mind as he watched Karina consider his words.
"Okay… but Mr. Meanie has to take off his glasses!" Karina demanded, her pink lips in a very adorable pout. Ignis frowned at her address to him.
"Now Karina, you know who I am to you, don't you?" Karina remained silent for a moment before she averted her gaze and nodded, pout still in place.
"You're my Papa," she mumbled, quickly glancing up at Ignis' face. Hearing the title come from the girl's mouth did something strange to Ignis. He felt proud, protective… comfortable even- as if the girl belonged in his arms.
"That is correct, I am your father." The girl shook her head at Ignis' words.
"No, Papa." She corrected. Ignis sighed and nodded, feeling tired all of a sudden.
"Right, Papa."
The small, yet cheeky, smile that blossomed on Karina's face almost made Ignis stumble as he walked both himself and Karina towards the small, closed off bathing unit within the trailer. Remembering the small girl's rather forceful request, Ignis removed his glasses and placed them onto the small hand basin.
"Do you know how to bathe yourself?" Ignis asked, a little hope in his voice. That hope was removed when Karina shook her head, her wide eyes shining up at him with complete trust. Ignis found it hard to believe that the girl had vehemently been declaring her dislike for him as she cried hysterically for the better part of the evening. Feeling a headache come on, Ignis sighed once again and reached towards his daughter to aid her with ridding herself of the dirty clothes she wore. Before he removed the girl's soiled white singlet, Ignis paused and shot her a quizzical look. "Do you happen to have a change of clothes?"
The girl gazed up at Ignis and shook her head, gripping the ends of her singled with grubby hands. Ignis couldn't help but sigh again as he slipped the girl out of her singlet and brought her into his arms as he started the water in the shower.
"Not to worry, we'll sort something out."
"You think Iggy and Kari are okay in there?" Prompto voiced his concern, seated at the same booth he had graced earlier that evening. Gladiolus sipped his soda and shrugged half-heartedly, placing his phone onto the table with a sigh.
"It's Iggy, of course he's gonna be okay."
"Yeah, but he was kind of freaked out when Luna told him Kari was his," Prompto frowned as he brought his own soda to his lips. Galdio watched Prompto momentarily before he spoke carefully.
"He was pretty harsh, not that I can blame him." Prompto stared at Gladio, his mouth open in a gasp.
"Dude, he scared the girl shitless. She's freakin' five man!" Gladio nodded and played around with the straw in his drink.
"Yeah, and she scared him shitless too. Can you imagine having a mini version of your past love coming back to haunt you just as your whole world's gone to shit?" Prompto's eyes softened as he considered Gladio's rhetorical question.
"Now that you mention it, Iggy's got a pretty shitty deal. Now he needs to protect Noct and his defenceless daughter. I'm no expert but I don't think that's gonna go too well…" Prompto mumbled, straw in his mouth. Gladio nodded and took a sip from his own soda, wincing at the cool bubbles that burnt down his throat.
"Yeah, luck for him he's got us to help him take care of Noct, you know, in case his royal arms fail him or something."
"True that- we can also add the fact that Noct is capable of defending himself. Kari's too tiny to be slaying anything!" Prompto exclaimed. Gladio let himself chuckle at the blond sharpshooter's emphatic commentary.
"Yeah, but Karina's also got Lady Lunafreya protecting her. The woman's loyal and driven to a fault. She'll put her life on the line for the kid, as we saw today, if it means the kid will be protected." Prompto frowned at Gladio's suggestion.
"That's not gonna bode well with Noct, is it?" Gladio shrugged at Prompto's question, bringing his straw to his lips once more.
"Probably not. But it's obvious he's got a soft spot for the brat," Gladio smiled affectionately at the thought of the little girl. "Who knows, maybe Karina's gonna end up teaching us a lot about ourselves and others." Prompto nodded, taken aback by Gladio's wise words.
"Yeah… you're probably right. Still… I have a problem with all this," Gladio perked up at Prompto's troubled tone.
"Huh? What's your deal?"
Prompto furrowed his eyebrows as he stared in the direction of the garage, where the Regalia was being serviced.
"Where are we gonna fit all the extra people?"