Chapter 31: Seeking
{Citadel: May 12th 2007, 5:02pm}
"Um, Noct? Are you sure we should be doing this?" asked Prompto as he looked at his friend.
"It's not illegal! So why are you so worried?"
"Maybe because your dad requested your presense at the conference but you're deciding to play hooky instead?! That might be why I'm worried!" Prompto stated.
Noctis rolled his eyes at the situation and the reluctance of his friend. Yesterday evening after Noctis had returned to the Citadel, his father had informed him that he would be required to be present for a press conference discussing the ceasefire, and his marriage to Princess Lunafreya of Tenebrae, and to be prepared for the session and to dress properly for the event. Unfortunately for King Regis, something within his son snapped at that point and the boy had said nothing until today when he had grabbed Prompto and escaped the Citadel at the break of dawn. At current, the black-haired, midnight-blue-eyed Prince of Lucis was dodging the Kingsglaive who had been sent out to find him in order to bring him back to the Citadel for the conference. However, Noctis Lucis Caelum had no intention of being present for it.
"So?" he asked his friend.
"So?! Your dad sent the Kingsglaive after you! What did you do exactly?" Prompto looked at his friend as they remained hidden in an alley way.
"Skipped out on a stupid press conference. He's wanting me to stand there while he talks about this damn ceasefire and my marriage to Luna…" Noctis mentioned.
"That doesn't seem so bad, why not go?" Prompto couldn't ever quite understand his friend, but he did not see the reason behind doing this.
"Like I want to stand there and be gawked at while he talks about something I don't even agree with. I'm not going to be a piece of meat thrown at the wolves just because he's too damn proud to admit that he's wrong about this…"
"Yea, but…"
"Being rebellious are we?" asked a voice behind the Prince and his teammate. Both looked towards the person standing there and saw Marshal Leonis present with his arms folded across his chest and a scowl upon his features.
"Holy Crap! How did he find us?!" Prompto yelped as he stood to try and run while Noctis tensed where he was.
"Did my dad send you to find me?" Noctis asked.
"Yes, and he wishes to speak with you now that the conference is over…" Marshal Leonis grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt.
"Good, I did what I set out to do," Noctis muttered.
"Do you think that his Majesty will view it as you just not wanting to come to the conference? Prince Noctis, you were supposed to be there in support of this Kingdom," Marshal Leonis stated.
"I don't support the notion of the ceasefire though…" the man sighed as he grabbed Prompto and the two boys were lead to the car.
"That may be, but there are appearances to uphold and you having forced roughly twenty members of the Kingsglaive to scour all of Insomnia looking for you since this morning has done nothing but cause panic. King Regis believed that you were in danger up until a few moments ago when I located you and Prompto. Do you have any idea how worried he's been?" Marshal Leonis questioned as he ushered the two boys into the back of a car before he got in himself and started driving.
Noctis sighed as he leaned back in the seat of the car – his car to be more precise – as he considered what was coming. Prompto may have been a worried mess; however, Noctis found himself only ponder the situation, but not truly caring about it. Since the ceasefire had been declared, things seemed to have been going into a downward spiral, never ending and constantly causing more trouble than he felt it was worth. Closing his eyes, the Prince tried to discern why his father was so insistent upon him following the protocol of Royalty, when he'd honestly never cared that much about it before.
King Regis had sent Noctis to a public school – it had been an academy, but most of the schools in the area were – he had let him grow up around children his age, learn what he desired to know, he let him explore the outskirts of the city, and had encouraged his curiosity. His father had prepared him for his life as a future King of Lucis, teaching him alongside his Council and those who had been selected to train him as a Crownsguard member, to always place the betterment of his people before his own desires, to strive for their happiness and to never surrender to the whims of others.
Yet, here they were, sixteen years down the road of Noctis learning what it meant to be a true King to his people and then his father had done something that went against everything he was taught, everything he'd known, and everything he felt was right: he has surrendered. His father had elected to not put his people's best interest before his own, he hadn't chosen to strive for their happiness, and he had caved to the whims of their enemy. Noctis looked out the window of the car, wondering why these things had come to pass, and why his father and his Council, had chosen to place Lucis as nothing more than a footnote in history.
"We're nothing but rats in a cage to the Nifs….and now that we're not fighting…that's all we'll ever gonna be…"
It was some time later that Noctis stood in the audience chamber before his father with Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis nearby. They stood by the door while he stood before his father, the emotion of anger rolling off of the Lucian King in waves that made Noctis feel sick to his stomach as he waited, under the man's scrutinizing gaze for his argument to begin. Why Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio had been forced into the room with him and his father he wasn't certain: but it couldn't have been good. Lately, tensions between himself and his father had been rising, and at current, Noctis was certain that things had reached their boiling point and had continued to do so. Taking in a steadying, yet visibly shaken breath King Regis looked to his son.
"How could you be as foolish as to act out at a time like this?" he asked.
"I wasn't…I just….didn't want to be there at the conference…" King Regis shook his head.
"This isn't about what we wish for. This is about the betterment of our Kingdom, and peace," he stated.
"Yea, betterment…that's not how I see it…" King Regis looked to his son with a narrowed gaze.
"Noctis, you must show good faith in this situation. The people are anxious and by you electing to run amok within the city, causing me to send out members of the Kingsglaive to find you, further concerning the people, and then you choose to not appear at the press conference. You must be aware that the support you and I show for this treaty is vital," the King stated to his son who tisked.
"I don't support this, I don't like the idea of us going against what we've all been taught!" King Regis shook his head once more.
"What we were taught is ways that cannot stand in the present," the King of Lucis said this in a sharp tone, and Noctis narrowed his eyes.
"Sometimes the old ways are better. Not everything that glitters is gold after all…" the man before him glanced to Prompto who winced.
"You even dragged a subordinate into this situation. What would you have done if he had been held responsible?" King Regis inquired.
"I would have stuck up for him! That's what leaders, and Kings are supposed to do! Stand up for their people!" Noctis kept his gaze upon his father and the King took in a steady breath.
"That is what I am doing: choosing to end this senselessness and finish this war," King Regis answered.
"This war was always pointless, I agree with that! But what I don't agree with is not doing this the right way! Nifilheim chose to kick us while we were down and play with us like we're their toys! That's not what the people want I'm sure." The King looked to him.
"And have you spoken with the people? Have you inquired what they wanted?" Noctis looked down, shaking his head in knowing that his father was correct there, but not being able to bring himself to agree with the events unfolding all the same.
"No, I haven't…." Ignis glanced to Gladio, the two feeling the tension rising in the room as Prompto tried to keep himself from speaking in defense of his friend.
"I see….then don't assume things based upon your own desires. We have complied with the Empire's requests, and thus you will have to comply with the facts of this world, just as Princess Lunafreya will," King Regis explained and the boy sent him a sharp glare.
"I never wanted this! Luna didn't want this!"
"This world doesn't consider what we want Noctis, and we are not strong enough to…" Noctis shook his head.
"Dammit! Why don't you grow a fucking backbone and make a stand?! You're stronger than they are! We all are stronger than them! Why not put an end to this once and for all?!" he snapped and King Regis narrowed his gaze, finding the words biting, and cold.
"I am, when you and Princess Lunafreya are married, you will be forming a peace between the Kingdoms. It is the responsibility of the both of you, and…." Once more Noctis cut him out.
"I'm not a tool for you to use! Luna isn't a tool or a bargaining chip that you or anyone else can just put to your disposal. We're people! We have a pulse! To hell with responsibilities and things that this world wants us to do! You nor the Empire controls us!"
King Regis slammed his cane down upon the ground, silencing the boy as he stared down upon the boy who merely narrowed his gaze at him when the King looked to him, and took in a deep breath. Noctis felt as though his father had become someone he couldn't recognize no matter how hard he tried, while King Regis stared at his son in questioning of who he was becoming. The King and Prince of Lucis stared onward at one another for a brief second longer as King Regis drew himself to full height, looking down upon the boy before him as he stepped down from the stairs of the throne and stared into the boy's midnight blue eyes.
"I am the King of Lucis, and you are the Prince. Princess Lunafreya has submitted to her task as a member of a Royal line in addition to her position as Oracle. You are the Prince of Lucis, you will one day wear the crown as King. Until then, I suggest you submit yourself to that fact and choose to obey your King's decree. Enough of these games Noctis, you will do as you're told….am I clear?" King Regis inquired. The boy looked down, seeming to draw into himself a bit before he turned his gaze back to his father and bowed in a formal manner.
"As you wish, your Majesty…." With that the boy straightened himself out and casted him one final look before he left.
Noctis walked briskly away from his father, pain embedded deep into his heart as he kept his gaze down and walked past his teammates before leaving the audience chamber only for the three of them to bow swiftly to the King and left. As the King stood there, his mind replayed the events, and the notion settled into his system all too late that he had overstepped a boundary that he hadn't known existed. King Regis placed his trembling hand over his face, tears threatening to spill forth as he recalled the expression upon his son's face and the way his sharp eyes had looked.
Without question, everything that the boy had stated was true, but still King Regis knew that was no turning back. Nifilheim had chosen their play and won the battle, but while the King of Lucis knew they found themselves victorious: they had another thing coming to them. The old, wise King of Lucis settled himself down upon his throne once again and took in a steady breath as he felt the Crystal and the Ring of the Lucii continue to slowly, but steadily chip away at his life while his mind comprehended the fate of their world that both Noctis and Lunafreya held within their capable hands. The man took a look about the grand throne room of the Citadel, the place where many Kings had sat before him and as he did so, he heard a song filter into the air.
Children of the land do you hear…..
Echoes of truths that once rang clear….
Two souls intertwined…
One true love they did find…
Bringing land and heavens near…
The King eased back, closing his eyes as he listened and let the song carry him back to times that were once easier and more peaceful. The times were his wife still lived and his family wasn't the broken shell that it was now. It was a time when Noctis appeared genuinely happy, when the painful tragedies of his life weren't as present as they were now: when the world in all its gruesome might hadn't changed him. The King, once more took in a steady breath, listening to the song of the woman who sang as it captured the air with its magic.
But flames that burned full bright, soon fell dark….
Memories dimmed by shadowed hearts….
In the waxing gloom, did wane the lover's moon…
Watching as their worlds drift apart….
"Here yet again is a reminder of the times that have at last come upon us," muttered King Regis as he looked to the ceiling of the throne room.
Within the other end of the Citadel, rested Noctis and his friends. The young Prince of Lucis was settled at his window, looking out amongst the city, watching the life below and beyond his sights. Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto had elected to remain silent, busying themselves with whatever they could find until Noctis was calm enough to carry a conversation with them. Midnight-blue eyes turned towards the horizon beyond the walls of Insomnia, the clear blue sky and the vast landscape holding his gaze while he looked onward at the potential that laid beyond the safety of this city, with its serrated skyline.
One soul's cry….
A passion dwelling within….
Sacrifice, a final plea to her kin….
Yet this bond of hope, by treachery was broke….
Scattering her words to the wind…..
Noctis looked up from his constant gazing and around him in search of the source as a familiar song rent the air around him. The voice was gentle, careful, and soft that reminded him of Luna's voice but was still different. Yet, this voice echoed within him something that he vaguely recalled from his younger years as Noctis felt an ache develop in his chest while he listened onward at the song that by now had captured the attention of his friends.
Swelling over long, seas of blood, are a song….
And death an afterthought….
To those who fight for naught….
"Noct?" asked Prompto.
"Shush…" the boy heard the line echo, and then once more the song continued.
A throne, lying empty….
A reign, incomplete….
Alone, for eternity…
A pain, without cease….
Noctis recalled this song, from many years ago as a small child when he had first taken an interest in the stars and found himself desiring to know more and learn about Cosmology as he looked at the starless sky, the sun high within it as a gentle breeze came by, brushing along him, rustling his hair and carrying onward past the towering structure of the Citadel and deep throughout the city as Noctis listened, doing all he could to pinpoint who had sung this lullaby once before.
Children of the land, answer this….
Why must you turn to empty bliss?
Tell me why break trust, why turn the past to dust?
Seeking solace in the abyss….
"Do you hear this song?" muttered Ignis.
"Yea, and it's making him act odd…" Prompto stared onward at his friend as he kept looking about the sky, almost as if it held the answers to where this lullaby, or judging by the sound of the lyrics, this requiem was coming from.
Tell me why create, a circle none can break?
Why must you let go, this life you were bestowed?
This I fear, I'll never know….
Never know….
"Noct?" asked Prompto as the boy continued to stare onward around him, feeling strange as the song echoed throughout the city.
"Noctis?" the boy still didn't look at the three of them. Prompto walked forward and spun the boy around shaking him as he blinked and looked to him.
"Hmm? W-Wha…what happened?" Ignis frowned.
"You were in a trance. Are you alright?" he inquired.
"Y-Yea…I think so…" Noctis looked to the side, contemplating what had happened.
"You really spaced out man, are you sure?" Gladio probed on this but the black-haired boy shook his head.
"I-I'm fine I just…ack…" a hand went quickly to the front of his head, causing the three of them to come to the boy.
"Noct? What's wrong?" Prompto asked.
"It's nothing….just a head ache. Promise…" Ignis sighed.
"Well, I believe it's best to get some rest. We are heading out the day after tomorrow," he stated.
"Right, I'll be fine here tonight guys. Just go home and finish packing up….you're my best men at this wedding after all…" Prompto frowned.
"You're still going to go through with it?" he asked as Noctis sighed.
"If I don't there's no telling what they'll do to Luna or Lucis for that matter…as much as I hate it…my dad's right….I don't have a choice…not with this at least…" Ignis took in a steady breath.
"Just be safe, and make sure you're ready to finish our preparations for tomorrow, and that you have a session with Marshal Leonis tomorrow. Gladio, don't forget to complete your check list, the same goes for you two: Prompto, Noctis," he stated.
"We got it. No problem…" the two teenagers nodded and then looked towards Ignis who nodded once.
"Very well, have a good night Noct. We will see you tomorrow," he said as he pushed the other two out of the room as Noctis glanced towards him.
"Yea, see you guys tomorrow…" with that the door shut and Noctis took in a deep breath as he moved over to his bed and flopped back upon it, leaving the window open as he laid an arm across his eyes, blocking out the headache he was developing from the stress of the entire mess that had become his life.
"For just a moment…I'll ignore this world…"
{Top of the Citadel: 7:05pm, Sunset}
King Regis stood atop the Citadel, overlooking the entirety of the city as he waited for General Clarus and Marshal Leonis to arrive. A decision had been made today by the King after the events of the conversation – or lack thereof – between himself and his son to begin the process of preparing safety nets for his Kingdom, as was his onus as King. As he waited, his mind prepared for the inevitable and what must be done for the perpetuation of his people, his territory, and his child. While many Lucian citizens doubted the choice made by their King, the man who stood atop his castle, knew that these choices would have the same outcome whether he had elected to sign the treaty or not. A moment later, the door to the roof of the Citadel creaked open and the King turned to see Marshal Leonis and General Clarus present, having brought what he desired. The man nodded, as Marshal Leonis held within his hand a black satin pouch of a small nature, and in General Clarus's grasp, was a leather-bound journal, brimming with tabs and old envelopes of reds and blacks. These two items, and the one that King Regis personally possessed were left to their secure hands to one day help his son fulfil the task he would have to overcome in order to save their world.
"The time has come," King Regis stated.
"Are you certain?" the King nodded slowly.
"Noctis will not understand the truth if we do not lay the path for him to follow, and the darkness is growing far too thick for him to see the light ahead as of now," King Regis informed his friends and comrades of this matter and Marshal Leonis took in a steady breath.
"Is that why you requested this? That these things be brought for us to send them out of his grasp, but to guide him to them when the time comes?" the King shook his head, turning to the two of them.
"No, only what I possess will go ahead of him on this journey. What the two of you possess will be granted to him along the way, prior to and during the truth's reveal," he said calmly as General Clarus looked to the journal, tied together with strings of black satin.
"A journal full of letters and truths, a weapon from a loved one, and something that safeguards us all…" the King Regis nodded at the man's words.
"The events that the three of us orchestrate from now on will become what solidifies our choices. We are to protect our future, and that lays in Noctis's hands, and Lady Lunafreya's guidance," Marshal Leonis stated.
"Quite the task to place upon the shoulders of a sixteen-year-old and an eighteen-year-old…" King Regis smiled.
"They will do fine. Now, our orders are as follows. Marshal Leonis, please remember my orders and no matter what happens, I beg of you to follow them," he requested.
"Yes, Your Majesty…" Marshal Leonis felt anxiety quiver within him, as he knew what his could would demand.
"The journal must make it out of Insomnia before the signing ends, I order yourself and Monica to exit the city as soon as the Empire arrives at the Citadel. The journal once everything is made clear on the intentions of the Empire will go to Noctis once he meets up with you," he stated.
"Are you certain that this is a trap?" asked General Clarus.
"I am. Therefore, we must send our preparations now and be sure that what we have chosen to safeguard, shall be shielded."
"And thus, what happens to the items which we will send forth?" questioned Marshal Leonis as King Regis took in a steady breath.
"The journal and its truths, go with you and Sergeant Elshett, Marshal Leonis." The man nodded.
"Yes, Your Majesty," he stated.
"Clarus, your job will be to inform Captain Drautos of the situation. Please let him know that the Crownsguard will handle border control while the Kingsglaive must be scattered throughout the city." General Clarus bowed.
"Yes, I understand," he said as King Regis held out his hand, summoning a weapon forth.
"The shard you have with you shall go with me now and I will be sure it arrives to the proper place personally." The Marshal handed the King the pouch he carried and the King placed it within his pocket as he grasped the weapon before him.
It was a dual sided spear, the length ending at roughly six-foot or so. It was silver and black in tone with intricate curving designs in gold upon the base of it while each blade was encased at the bottom of it with fresh water pearls of white and black. At the ends of the encasements were two fragile-looking chains that bore crystals in the shapes of stars upon them on either side of the spear's blades while the blades themselves were ornately done with runes and scroll work encasing finely polished moonstones. It was a beautiful weapon, and it had been created many years ago for a beautiful woman whom King Regis had desperately loved, and just like her: it was time to let the item go. Marshal Leonis and General Clarus knew this weapon well as it often sat beside none other than Queen Aulea herself in her younger years, and had later been added to her husband's arsenal of weaponry after her passing as a Royal Arm. King Regis took in a deep breath and released the weapon, sending a wish for it to return to the place where his wife was buried in order to protect it, and just as the thought came to mind, it vanished into particles like stardust before completely disappearing all together.
"Her weapon? You sent it to her tomb?" inquired General Clarus.
"Yes, just as when I die all these weapons, including my own will go to a resting place for the next King to claim them." The two then understood what their King anticipated happening.
"How are you certain?" asked Marshal Leonis as he took the journal from Clarus.
"Because, one as old as I am….understands when death has begun to creep into your existence…" King Regis smiled to them and they nodded, not questioning his judgement.
"Very well, Your Majesty," they stated.
"Thank you. Now please, prepare for what is to come…" they once more, nodded before bowing to their King.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" with that King Regis walked away and the two men followed, the three of them knowing what would soon come to pass.
{…}
If you face the fear that keeps you frozen…..
{…..}
Author's Note: Noctis decided to stand up against something he didn't believe in and learned that there was another way to go about it despite still having to fall in line with the requirements of the peace treaty for now, King Regis also learned that no matter how many years you have sat upon a throne, it is never easy being the one in charge, a strange lullaby has returned, Noctis has started having some problems arise that related to the game's events, and King Regis, General Clarus, and Marshal Leonis have a plan in place while all along King Regis – just like in Kingsglaive – knew what the Empire was planning and devised a plan of his own.
Now, if that's not a lot going on: then I'm not sure what is. So, here we are on the cusp of the end of the first Final Fantasy XV story and there is still so many more questions to be asked.
I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and has a good day or night, wherever you may be!
Sincerely,
ShadowDragon94.