Chapter 17: Intertwined
{Tenebrae: Fenestala Manor: June 13th 2002, 9:45am}
Lunafreya knocked on the door that lead to the room that Noctis was currently residing in. Just upon the principle of the matter, she had knocked, but when she received no response: she merely opened the opened the door. Sitting on the bed, barefoot was Noctis, resting with an unsure expression upon his face as he glanced up towards the door, midnight-blue meeting lavender-blue as the boy gave her a startled look after the unsureness passed. Lunafreya smiled as she shut the door behind her and started into the room further.
"Good morning Prince Noctis," she said as the boy flopped back onto the bed, feeling a moderate sting in his sides and back.
"What do you want?" she pouted.
"I was bringing you some medicine for your injuries," Lunafreya stated.
"What is that stuff?" the girl looked at him.
"Sylleblossom serum. It'll help heal you quicker," she explained as the black-haired boy shot her a glance from under his bangs.
Noctis stared onward at the girl in confusion whilst also looking at the deep purple-blue concoction settled into the glass. He knew what the Sylleblossoms were; they were midnight-blue flowers with purple tinges and sharp green stems that were native to Tenebrae, and capable of increasing the healing rate of those who ingested it when they suffered severe physical ailments. However, Noctis had also been told that the serum was bitter, thick, and tended to coat the mouth, tongue, and throat with a very thick substance. His nose crinkled in a manner that Lunafreya thought was rather cute due to his elfish features. The girl stepped forward and the boy glanced to the side.
"Prince Noctis, you need to try it at least…this will help heal your wounds and give you some more stamina so that you can start more rehabilitation. Please, it's not that bad," she assured him of this, but he merely looked to the side once more.
"Not interested…." Lunafreya puffed out her cheeks.
"You will take the medication or I will force you to drink it," she told him sharply.
"What?!" the boy shot up and turned his attention to her with a glower.
"You better believe that I will do that. Now, Prince Noctis, please just take the medicine," Lunafreya said sharply as she held out the tray with the glass of serum before him.
"I don't want to do this…"
"Fine…."
Noctis slowly reached out to take the glass from the tray as Lunafreya watched him make a faint face of discomfort before putting the glass to his lips and started to drink down the serum as Lunafreya smiled while he pinched his eyebrows together while continuing to sip down the serum. Noctis found the taste nothing like what he had been told it was; the drink wasn't bitter, but semi-sweet, it wasn't thick, but thin and light almost like water, and didn't seem to coat his mouth, tongue, or throat with the thick film like it was known to elsewhere. Noctis sat the cup down on the tray as Lunafreya held it out and then sat it down on the bedside table as he considered that already the aches within his sides began to feel better.
"There, not so bad, is it Prince Noctis?" she asked as he glanced down and then looked to her.
"Would you stop?" the girl knitted her eyebrows together in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Lunafreya questioned as the boy sighed.
"I don't like being called by titles….our parents want us to be friends….so…" the girl looked to him in curiosity.
"So? You want me to call you something else?" he nodded slowly.
"Just Noctis…..or…." the boy tisked a bit.
"Or? Noct? Do some people call you that?" Lunafreya asked him. Midnight-blue eyes looked up to her.
"He's so different…."
"Y-Yea…um…do people call you something else other than Princess Lunafreya?" she smiled.
"Luna, just Luna is fine Noctis…" the two sat in momentary silence.
"Thank you for bringing me the medicine," he said.
"You're very pale…" a delicate hand reached out and brushed his bangs from his face.
"I-I guess…" the boy felt his cheeks warm up a bit.
"I like your eyes," Luna said as she sat down next to him and he inched a bit away from her.
"T-Thanks…I think?" the Princess of Tenebrae smiled to him.
"So, what do you think of the Fenestala Manor?" the boy beside her shrugged.
"It's nice….but you should see Insomnia….it's actually really pretty," he said.
"Really? I've heard about it. Someone once told me that Insomnia shines like a jewel in the middle of the night…" Noctis nodded.
"It does…it's got a lot of towering buildings that look really new but have these ancient-looking sculptures around them and lots of black marble and designs on it…the prettiest is the Citadel in the middle of the night. I think the best part is the central garden….everything in there is black and white so in the middle of the night it looks like the flowers glow in the moonlight…" Lunafreya smiled.
"I think I'd like to see that," she stated as the boy hummed in thought.
"Well…maybe you could see it…." The girl sighed.
"I think it'd be incredible…Insomnia is known as the crown jewel of Lucis…" a faint squeak came from behind Noctis as soon as Lunafreya stopped speaking.
"What…Cari!" Noctis said as Lunafreya looked behind the boy to see a white, foxlike creature present.
"A….Carbuncle?" the boy nodded as the creature came over and pawed the boy's arm.
"She's my familiar. This is Cari, she….what?" he looked to Cari.
"Invite her to Insomnia! She'll love it there, besides….isn't Lunafreya pretty?" Noctis flushed again as he narrowed his eyes at the Carbuncle.
"Cari…" Luna laughed a bit as Noctis and Cari turned to her.
"She's adorable Noct. I like her…" she said with a smile upon her face. Midnight-blue eyes glanced towards her with curiosity, but a slightly knowing smile began to appear upon his face as Cari pawed him once more.
"Why don't you come visit Insomnia?" lavender-blue eyes looked to him with a gleam of excitement.
"I'd love to!" she told him as she came a bit closer, accidentally grasping his hand as she did. Deep blue met purple as the two children looked to one another before turning away, blushing in embarrassment.
"G-Good….um…." Luna smiled, tucking a strand of flaxen hair behind her ear.
"We should explore the manor grounds; there's a few more gardens and some really beautiful forest trails. I think you'll like it, besides…fresh air and sunshine will do you good…" the raven-haired boy rose a fine eyebrow.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she looked him over.
"You're really to pale…." The boy turned pink-cheeked at that as he frowned just a bit.
"I can't help that! My mom was pale too!" he said as she giggled.
"Then you must take after her. You know, I met her once….Queen Aulea….she was so beautiful and kind. If you take after her that means you'll be loved by your people too…but some of your behavior takes after King Regis….he's a good King and I think you'll become an amazing ruler one day, Noctis," Luna stated as he glanced down.
"Will you be there? When I become King?" she smiled.
"I will be if you want me too," she said before standing as he looked to her.
"What are we doing?" she turned to him, fair pink sundress flaring slight around her as she did so with a soft smile upon her lips.
"We're going to explore the trails today…." Noctis sighed a bit.
"Okay, but you know I'm not strong enough to walk long distances yet." She nodded.
"I can push you around on the trails: their paved," she explained.
Noctis tugged on his shoes and slowly got himself up off the bed, flinching a bit as he settled his weight on his legs. It was painful; however, it wasn't unbearable like it normally was. To his fortunance, the injury dealt to him wouldn't impede him from being able to walk and eventually run and do what he had always done prior to the accident. The young Lucian Prince sighed as he managed to get over to the blasted contraption that he was dealing with until he could walk better. Once he was settled down, the Princess of Tenebrae smiled and walked over to him. Midnight-blue eyes glanced towards her as she started to push him out of the room while he leaned back in the wheelchair, wondering what being around the girl would result in.
"Luna's not like the others…she's so nice…and she doesn't treat me like a Prince….just a person….it's nice…."
The two of them headed out of Fenestala Manor and towards the forest trails as Luna hummed a slightly merry tune. Noctis merely glanced to her in questioning as she smiled once again while the trees began to cast their shadows upon them. The two continued further into the forest trails while from the garden, Queen Sylva, King Acheron, and King Regis watched them go with smiles upon their faces. They left the two children be for the most part, only checking up on them periodically while they watched them become more comfortable around one another. King Regis had noticed though, that since Noctis had begun to spend time around Princess Lunafreya, that he had started to behave more like his old self: happy, curious, and eager to learn and experience new things.
However, King Regis did wonder how Noctis would behave once he was well enough to leave Tenebrae and return to Insomnia. As he pondered this the King heard a round of laughter from the nearby forest trails and looked over to see Noctis laughing at something Lunafreya had told him, causing the three rulers to turn to their children with looks of faint surprise and elation upon their faces as they soon disappeared into the forests that surrounded the manor. Queen Sylva smiled as she lifted a cup of tea to her lips and considered the future for her daughter. For many months, she had worried that Prince Noctis would be a poor suit for her daughter; however, now that she was able to see them around one another, all her worries had begun to vanish. She sat her cup down and looked to King Regis.
"It would seem your son is quite the charmer. He's already winning Lunafreya over," she said.
"That's a good thing….perhaps that means they're a better match for one another than we first believed them to be." King Acheron nodded with a smile.
"Friendship is the greatest foundation for a genuine relationship to blossom from," he stated. King Regis looked towards the forest trails.
"Lunafreya is good for him…with her, he'll be safe…" Queen Sylva looked down.
"The Ring weighs heavy upon you, doesn't it Regis?" she inquired with concern clear within her tone. The Lucian King took in a steady breath as he looked to the ring upon his hand.
"Yes, it doesn't belong to me regardless…" the two rulers of Tenebrae gave their friend a mournful glance.
"How long do you believe this will last?" King Regis shook his head.
"Regardless, we must put our faith in our children. They are the future of this world, our star amongst the millions out there," he stated as Queen Sylva nodded slowly.
"Yes, the Chosen King and the future Oracle will stand the greatest chances of saving us. We'll merely have to hope for the best." The two Kings nodded.
"We'll pray for their happiness," King Acheron said.
{Forest Trails: 11:45am}
Lunafreya continued to push Noctis through the forest trails, the two of them enjoying the silence and the slight conversations they shared. The Princess of Tenebrae merely smiled as her mind conjured the idea of them being around one another in the years to come. She had never truly had a friend before except for her mother's messenger to the Gods: Gentiana. However, when it came to those her age or close to it she was alone in the dream-like Kingdom of Tenebrae. Lucis though, seemed like a grand adventure to her mind, and the longer she was around Noctis, the more eager she was to escape her home country and see the world that he lived in.
"Noctis?" the boy hummed.
"What is it Luna?" he asked.
"Can I really go with you to Insomnia?" the boy nodded his head at her question.
"Why shouldn't you? It makes more sense to me if you do what you want. You'll be someone's Queen one day, right? Enjoy your life while you can: live it how you want," he said. Lunafreya smiled to him as she considered his words.
"Then, when you return to Lucis….I'm coming with you." Midnight-blue turned to her.
"Good," he said.
"You're very blunt, but it's a good thing." She laughed a bit and he glanced down.
"Your something else, you know that Luna?" he asked as she frowned.
"How so?" the boy merely glanced towards the path ahead of them.
"I can't….really seem to read you," he admitted with a faintly hesitant tone.
"Read me? What's that supposed to mean?" he shrugged at her question.
"You seem different….but you're sad here….I'm trying to find an answer I guess…" Luna smiled as she turned to the left of the path and went up a slight hill before they reached a large open hill that overlooked a sweeping valley full of small creeks and wild flowers. They stopped there, and Lunafreya stood in front of him before she held out her hands, causing him to stare onward at her in confusion.
"Silly, take my hands. I want you to walk with me," she said. He timidly reached out to her.
In that moment, Lunafreya found herself staring at a different situation than the young boy before her. Instead the terrifying sight of a blood stained teenager with black hair, pale skin, and midnight-blue eyes reached out for her with desperation in his features. He called her name, trying to grasp her hand as fear laced through his bright eyes. Luna took in a startled breath as the young Lucian Prince looked to her as she stared at him before grasping his hands with her own.
She didn't hesitate to pull him towards her, smiling just a bit as she noticed that she was taller than him before she took a few timid steps back and he followed her. Without a secondary guess, there was a vast amount of trust present in his gaze as he granted her a faint smile and she returned it as they continued to walk along the hill top until they stopped and she looked up to the sky and then to the valley below them. Midnight-blue eyes glanced her way before the boy sighed, finding the strength to stand while holding onto Luna's hand seemed so easy for reasons he wasn't even remotely sure of at this point; however, he felt nothing short of peace and warmth when he stood by her compared to when he stood alone. He let out a slight sigh and the girl looked to him in concern, placing her hand against his back as she did so.
"We can sit down if you need to," she stated.
"No, I'm okay….it's really pretty here." Luna smiled.
"Yes, it is…" she said as she looked him over a bit and he gave her a confused look.
"What?" she shook her head at the question.
"We should walk a bit more, it'll be okay. I won't let go," she told him as she moved to stand before him, grasping his hands once again as they walked further along the hilltop.
"I'm a little worried about this…" Luna shook her head at him.
"Short steps, deep breaths….everything will be alright, you'll see Noct," she said as he slowly nodded.
"Okay, I trust you Luna."
Those three words caused her heart to swell within her chest as she smiled to the boy before her. Without a second question, he trusted her so fully. Noctis was special, she could gather that much only because he saw people in a different manner than others did. Lunafreya continued to help him walk across the hill, thinking of the differences in them from only four days ago as she smiled and looked into his eyes. As she had said earlier, they were beautiful; but not just because of the color: because of what she saw in them. While Noctis had endured a great deal of pain already, he still had such a remarkable warmth and light to him that so many would have lost by this point. A smile graced her features as he stumbled just a fraction and she braced him.
"Sorry…" she shook her head, placing a hand into his hair.
"No, it's fine. We'll stop for now….Noct…do you want to come back here at sunset and watch the stars?" he glanced her way.
"Yea, I'd like that." She smiled to him as he stood straight.
"Then we'll come back here at sundown. Let's go on and head back to the manor so we can rest up, alright? Besides, it's almost lunch time and we need to eat something," she stated.
"Okay, Luna…lead the way…"
Noctis followed Luna back, walking slowly with her as she held onto his hands once more until they were back at the wheelchair. Despite that fact, Noctis felt as though he was perfectly fine. There was no pain or exhaustion that overtook him even as they went back down the trail and towards the manor again. Noctis looked to Luna as they talked and smiled to her in a manner that he felt he hadn't in quite some time. Despite that, he also felt as though he couldn't only be this happy if he was with her. A bright laugh left the Princess of Tenebrae as they exited the trail and headed up through the gardens and into the manor house before Noctis stopped the wheels of the chair as one of the servants informed her that lunch was ready and that the others were in the dining room waiting for them. The Princess nodded and thanked her before looking to him.
"How far is the dining room?" he asked.
"Just down the hall. Not far at all…why?" he looked to her, meeting her gaze.
"Can you help me walk there?" a smile reached her features.
"I'd love to," she said as she moved to stand in front of him before she grasped his hands and they started towards the dining room.
Noctis let go of one of her hands, and she took his hint, and moved to walk beside him, keeping a gentle, yet firm grasp upon his hand as they continued their walk until finally they reached the dining room. The door opened and the others inside looked up to see the two children there. Instantly, King Regis seemed to pause, seeing his son walking for the most part on his own as Queen Sylva smiled to her daughter and the young Prince while they entered the room and headed to the table. Noctis took his seat beside Lunafreya who smiled as she sat down and the others watched them momentarily, most with a smile while Ravus sent them a discomforted expression.
"Did the two of you enjoy your walk?" asked Queen Sylva.
"Yes, we're going go head back out at sundown to watch the stars on the hill nearby." King Regis looked to Noctis who nodded at Lunafreya's words.
"Is that okay?" the King of Lucis smiled to his son.
"Of course it is. Have you taken the medicine yet today?" he inquired.
"He did, I told him if he didn't take it willingly that I would make him take it." The others looked onward at the Prince of Lucis who gave the girl a playful glare.
"That's not fair Luna," he said.
"Well, it's the truth….after all…it wasn't that bad once you actually took it, was it?" she made her point and took a bite of her food before the boy sighed.
"Fine….you win," he stated with a glum expression.
"Yes, I do." The adults laughed a bit.
"The two of you are getting along well I see," stated King Acheron.
"I….guess…" King Regis smiled to his son.
"It's good to see that the two of you have found a friend in one another," he said to them as the two children glanced to one another and smiled.
"I think we have too." Ravus ate his meal in silence.
{Princess Lunafreya's Room: 4:50pm}
Lunafreya was packing up a few small things into a basket before she and Noctis left to head back to the hill to watch the stars for a bit that night. As she folded up two blankets on top of the things that the maid had brought her – two mugs of what seemed to be hot chocolate – the door of her room opened and a series of footsteps came towards her as the door slammed shut behind the person. Lavender-blue eyes turned to look at the person and found Ravus standing there with a frown upon his face while his sister gave him a confused expression.
"Ravus? Is something wrong?" she asked. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the items in front of her.
"Don't get to close to him…" the girl huffed.
"What do you not like about Noctis?" she questioned him on this as Ravus granted her a sharp glare.
"He's being used…King Regis wants to use him and you as pawns…" Lunafreya gave him a questioning look.
"Ravus, that's dumb! Why are you being so mean?" she asked as he gritted his teeth.
"They don't want you and the Prince of Lucis to be friends. They want to marry the two of you…their using the two of you as tools to be placed as a symbol of supposed union between our two Kingdoms in the face of the Nifilheim Empire. They're just using you Lunafreya, and your supposed friend too," Ravus stated as she stared onward at him.
A sudden smile came to her features as she considered what her brother was saying. It had crossed her mind that their parents and King Regis were hoping she and Noctis would become friends so that it would make it easier upon them to eventually become husband and wife – that was normally how things went in this sort of life – and that they wanted to unify their two Kingdoms to stand against the Empire that had caused such strife for those in the rest of Tenebrae and the other parts of Eos only caused her smile to widen as she pondered further upon the reasons and how she had begun to feel. In just merely four days, the black-haired, blue-eyed boy she'd been trying to help had found a place deep in her heart. Ravus looked onward at his sister and felt a look of pure horror grace his features as he realized that she was smiling.
"You're fine with this….aren't you?" he asked.
"I know it's my obligation as a Princess to be wed to a Prince. If its Noctis, then I will be happy….he is a good person Ravus…." The older Fleuret sibling shook his head.
"No! Lunafreya, he isn't! There is something terribly wrong with that boy…..he's not aware of it but he isn't like either of us!" he stated as his sister sighed.
"Ravus, whatever it may be…everything will be fine…." Her brother frowned.
"How can that be fine? Lunafreya, they just want to make you do as they wish," he said.
"No, if they wanted that then they wouldn't have granted us the chance to become friends. You see Ravus, if even though we're only just now becoming friends….I'm okay with it…" he looked down.
"You're to mature for your age sister….why do you want this?" she shrugged.
"I'm still a child, I don't know exactly why….but…if he's with me….then everything's alright."
{….}
If you're lost out where the lights are blinding…..
{….}
Author's Note: I've always noticed that Lunafreya was far more mature than the average child and while Noctis could be as well, he tended to be on the more reckless side. Luna and Noctis balance each other out because they're so different but so similar. Noctis also acts different around her than with others which is why I think he's so jovial when he's with Lunafreya but a bit more subdued when he's with the others despite him being a bit of an imp towards those he counts as friends.
Have a good day or night!
Sincerely,
ShadowDragon94.