She stood in the gym, the prince before her, as he placed on some light armor.
"Dad said you're going to be my bodyguard."
Selene nodded. "Those are my orders."
He reached for a sword and threw another towards her. "Then show me what you got."
She caught the sword with ease, her eyes scanning it for a moment before she raised her gaze to the prince. Noctis took position, as he did Selene eyed him carefully, she mimicked his pose and waited for the prince to attack first.
On the first attacks all she did was evade. She didn't use her weapon and just watched as Noctis moved. When he grew more impatient and angrier at her tactics, she began parrying his attacks. And liked before, Noctis quickly realized that he wasn't able to catch her off guard.
He grew annoyed and as he attacked with anger, Selene quickly disarmed him and threw him on his back.
He hit the ground with a thud and he fought for breath as his heart drummed in his chest. "Why didn't you attack me?!" He shouted, his eyes glued on the ceiling, he refused to look at her. "Aren't you angry at me for what I said yesterday?"
Selene blinked, she sheathed her sword and stared at the young prince on the floor. She waited for him to get back up, when he didn't she sighed and sat next to him. For a moment she said nothing, they just sat there in silence, until she spoke. "You have good speed… and your strength is also good for someone your age."
"Gee, thanks…" He mocked as he sat up. "Even though I couldn't best you once…" He mumbled in complain.
Selene smiled, that remark reminded her of the old Noctis. "I have different training..." She paused, her fingers drumming against the hilt of the wooden sword... she spared him a glance. "I'm not mad at you, but I know you're mad at me for leaving."
The young prince didn't say anything as he reached for his own sword and placed it on his lap.
"I had to leave, Prince Noctis."
"Just Noctis." He said instantly, Noctis was surprised with how quickly he'd said that, it didn't sit right on him having her saying his title... like they were strangers...
Selene too was surprised by the quick response, but she was happy that he still allowed her to call him by his name.
"Did you leave because of the Daemon?" He asked, as he scratched the wood, trying not to look at her.
She gripped the sword in her lap as the imaged passed before her eyes, Selene breathed slowly and looked at her hands.
"Do you know how my mother died, Noctis?"
"Dad… told me."
She smiled, of course the king would tell him… it wasn't a secret, but she didn't like talking about it… "I was 3 years old. We lived close to the sea, my mother liked it and so did my father… the nearest town was a little further from us, my parents liked their privacy…" The memory was something she never liked to relive… "Every child knows… they are taught from an early age, that… we are not to leave the house at night. Because there are monsters out there."
Noctis stared at her and noticed the slight tremor in her shoulders and how she gripped the sword until her knuckles grew white, but she continued with her story.
"It was quite fast."
His eyes widened as he heard those words. 'It can't be? Did she?'
A smile appeared on her lips as she recalled the insignificance of it all, how it had been faster than what they say or show in the movies. "All I remember was screaming, a red glow a warm embrace turning cold…" She looked at her useless hands, and she could see the blood. "My mother gave her life to protect me." She looked at him and smiled, she was aware of the tears that fell from her eyes. She'd come to terms with it… but it was still a terrible memory. Trauma, was what Sirius had called it… "I still remember the pool of blood coming from miss Anna and the blood coming from you." She bit her lower lip.
"I thought you were dead, Noctis. I felt powerless, weak and useless! But, when I saw you moving, I knew I had to do something." She scoffed. "But what can an 8-year-old do, before a monster? If your father hadn't saved us, would we still be alive?"
"You left, because you thought we should have died?" He said out loud. In all truth, sometimes he wonders if he isn't indeed dead… or still in a coma, like the one he'd been in, and this was all a dream, and everything that was happening was nothing more than fantasies that his brain was creating...
"No, I left because I couldn't stand to feel so USELESS! That all I could do was delay your death with mine! The sole thought of it disgusted me! I wanted to be stronger, I wanted to be able to DO something, to be useful! I NEEDED to be stronger! That's why I left, Noctis." She reached for his arm, poking it with her finger. "Because you need to become a person who will rule others and I need to be a person who can protect her own life and the life of others. That's… the reason why I left."
Something... was wrong about those words... she wasn't sure what, they were exactly what she had felt, what she feels, but something was wrong... Selene blinked as she saw the lights around them shift slightly, but return to normal. Why had they shifted?
He pondered about her words, about her reason… and about that night. He too had worked to get stronger, because he too had felt weak and useless.
When Selene placed herself before him and when he had to leave Luna behind in order to run... he had been too weak...
"I…" He began. "I understand… I also felt like that, but…" His gaze lifted and he locked gazes with hers, it was the first time in a long time... since he stared so deeply into her eyes. "Why didn't you say anything?" Selene flinched at his accusation, Noctis didn't finish. "It's been years, Selene! My father, ME, everyone in the citadel who knew and cared for you, we were worried! I was terrified! I thought that you were dead! We all did! Was it that hard to send a letter?"
She felt guilty for that… every time she'd been hurt, every time she wanted to run away, when she'd think about them, hear about them through her lessons… she'd thought about them, thought about sending a letter, something to say she was alright but…
"I couldn't…"
"Why not!?"
"… May the gods be a guidance, to the Chosen King."
Noctis blinked, what did that mean? He knew it was the code for the… His eyes widened. "They… didn't let you?"
"No, its not that…" She sighed, this was something she wasn't supposed to say. "Noctis, we can't have an identity… we can't have a past." Selene used her sword to get up, she looked at the wall in front of them. "And above all, you can't allow others to know about your past, family, friends... to enter the organization, you must leave all behind, and become loyal to its cause." She swung the sword sending a small gust of wind as it stopped.
He didn't know what to say… Noctis stared at his sword for a while. He'd been hurt for so long, he truly thought she was dead and when Selene returned he wasn't sure what he should feel besides rage and betrayal… but, he never wondered about Selene. 'She was 8…' He only began holding a sword at age 10, and the first exercises were just stamina building… his real training with instructors started later on… even then it was a bit hard, the bruises that the armor couldn't protect hurt. He looked at Selene, his father told him, for someone to be a Guardian they had to go through hell… 'Did… did she get hurt?'
"You should go rest, you still have your duties and tomorrow you have school, right?"
"Yeah…" He rose from his spot and walked to place the sword along with the others. Noctis stared at it for a moment before he looked back at Selene. "Selene."
"Hn?"
"I'm sorry I said I wanted you dead…" His lips curled into a small smile. "I'm glad you're alive…" As the prince left the training room, he failed to see the expression the Guardian held, an expression that disappeared as soon as it appeared, one of both surprise and happiness…
"Me too…"
Regis smiled as he heard the report. His son and Selene seemed to finally have made peace with each other.
The first week was awkward, but with time, the two pre-teens resolved their issues and the relationship he once had seen seemed to gradually return.
They joked at meal time, and he was always glad to hear stories about the young Oracle. He still felt guilty for leaving the princess behind, but he was glad that she had someone like Selene by her side.
The king looked at his retainer and thanked him for the report before sending him away with a smile.
As he was left alone with his Shield and the Immortal, he didn't expect the two to ask about his protégé.
"Your highness… I heard the young Selene is back."
"Ah, she is. I'm thinking of ingress her in Noctis school." He mentioned as he reached for some papers. "That way she can do her job as his bodyguard." Honestly, he only wanted to give Selene a normal live, to show her that she could still be a normal child.
The Marshal and the King's Shield eyed each other. "Sire, I beg your forgiveness, but we don't agree with this decision." Cor explained as he bowed his head.
Regis stopped what he was doing and looked at the two waiting for an explanation.
"The Crownsguard has been in charge of the Prince's protection… and we know Lady Selene's former whereabouts was with Princess Lunafreya… she could be a spy for the Empire."
He didn't say anything. It was usually best not to reveal a Guardian's identity… that was both for the safety of the Guardian and for those of his/hers loved ones… The king tapped his finger on his desk, as he thought about what he could say that would convince the other two to accept Selene. He stared at Cor. "Then what would you suggest? I trust Selene, but what would you suggest for her to win your trust?"
The Immortal shifted in his spot as he thought. "For now… we would like to watch her… and," He looked at Clarus.
"I would like her to prove herself."
"Prove herself?"
"I ask that his majesty allows a duel between Selene and my son! If she can't defeat Gladiolus then please remove her from the Prince's bodyguard position."
Regis leaned back on his chair as he pondered their suggestions. He looked at Cor. "You also want the duel?"
"Yes."
Gladiolus was 16, he'd already shown great strength and ability, he had earned the right to call himself Noctis Shield, the boy had promise… 'But is he strong enough to fight a Guardian?' He thought. He'd seen Selene and Noctis sparring, she was strong and agile, but he'd never seen her being serious… 'Her father was a different man whenever he had the need to be serious in a fight…' He wasn't sure if it was the Ariadust bloodline or the training of the Guardians.
He raised his gaze towards his friends and nodded. "Very well." He wasn't certain, but… something told him, Selene wouldn't lose.
She avoided another blow and attacked. Her eyes fixated on Noctis who was breathing harder.
"Again."
He grunted and threw at her as many punches as he could, never making a hit. When he was done, she counter attacked. One hit to the shoulder another to the leg and the Prince fell.
"Argh! Really!?"
She sat next to him and pocked his shoulder. He grunted, because that was the place, she'd hit him.
"You're worse than Gladio!"
Selene smiled, he had no idea… "You need to keep your arms closer to yourself, also don't wander your eyes too much, its predictable where you want to strike, one quick scan on your opponent and then decide where you want to attack." She then tapped his legs. "Move your feet more, you'd be surprised what a good footwork can do."
"You mean like Ignis?" He pointed as he spared her a glance. Selene nodded, she'd seen Ignis fighting, he was very strategic and keen to notice his opponents' flaws.
"Train with him next time and get some pointers from him." She then tapped his chest with the back of her hand. "Right now, before you advance to harder moves, focus on the basics and train regularly. Your body needs to get used to the constant fighting, don't rush."
He looked at her for a moment, she wasn't even breaking a sweat. He rose with a grunt and accepted the towel when she handed it.
"Did you train like this?"
"No."
He waited for Selene to say more, but she didn't. It had been two weeks since she came back. After that day, they slowly climbed away from the awkwardness of six years. Noctis told her what he had done, and Selene told him of her time with Luna, but she never mentioned the other four years after she left…
"Is it a secret? What you trained with… them?"
Her gaze moved away from him. "In a way, yes. But…"
"But?"
"You don't want to know, Noctis. It's not something a person feels comfortable listening or talking about."
Her eyes were cold and lacking emotion when she said that, it was odd and worrying… 'What did you do, Selene?' He wanted to ask, but couldn't… not when he could clearly see it wasn't something good…
"Come on, we'll be late for breakfast."
"Yeah…"
Selene leaned against the table and looked at the board. She read the white lines on the black board. It spoke about their world…
The teacher brought the painting of the Six Astrals. "As everyone knows, Eos was born from Chaos. With the creation of Eos two great powers came into existence. The six Astrals who protected the world from all harm that would threaten it, and the Light…" He pointed at the shining light that was dictated above the Gods. "The light was a treasure, to be used when the time was right, the Gods protect it until that time… but… one clan stole the Light."
She tensed at those words and gripped the pen in her hand.
"The Ariadust clan! They stole the Gods Light and used it against them!"
Her heart drummed in her chest as she heard those words.
"In attempts to protect the people of the world from the destruction the Ariadust clan caused, the Gods fought against them… it was hard but finally they were able to exile the sinful clan to the other side of the world, and in order to keep us safe, they rose the great Rift."
Lies. She clenched her jaw, to stop herself from saying anything.
"Unfortunately, the Light was stolen away from the Gods and never seen again… but thanks to this, we were able to make the world as it is now." He sighed. "Unfortunately the Ariadust family was persistent in their destruction, and some were able to escape to our side of the rift. Several scholars believe that the fall of the Meteor was caused by them."
She raised her hand. "Sir. What about the other side of the world?"
"It is a no man's land. A cursed place, a place only the sinners go to…"
She didn't ask anything else. She remained quiet as the man continued with the history lesson. "History is told by the ones who survive." Selene didn't remember when and where she'd heard those words. But like she expected, it pissed her off.
When class finished she waited for Noctis at the locker room.
"Hey, did you enjoy your first day?"
Selene looked at him for a moment. 'You too were taught that we are enemies. That we are sinners.' She faked a smile. "It was pretty boring actually."
He chuckled at her response. "Well, aren't you regretting saying you wanted to be my bodyguard."
'What will you do... when you know the truth about me?' "This and that are not the same." She tilted her head. "Although I must admit, I prefer Luna, traveling with her is much better."
They exited the building and looked towards where Ignis was waiting, instantly Selene smiled and rushed towards the older boy.
"Ignis!"
The glassed boy smiled and gave her a hug. "It's good to see you Selene, I'm glad you're not dead."
She giggled in his embrace. "I second that."
Noctis, smiled at the two, Selene and Ignis had always gotten along nicely, then he noticed someone next to the car and he was surprised. "Gladiolus?"
"Yoh!" The big man said with a smirk as he stared at his prince. His eyes then fell on Selene and it turned harder. "Are you the one they call Selene?"
She looked at the man before her, strong build, tall, hard eyes… 'Oh?' She smiled. "Yes, and you are?" She was being polite, she knew who he was, not only had she read the report, but she had also heard from Noctis about his Shield.
"Gladiolus." He pointed at himself. "I'm from the Amicitia family! I'm the King's Shield!"
"I see, Selene." She extended her hand for him, Gladio looked at it for a moment and then back at her.
"What classifies you to be Noctis bodyguard? I heard, the King said so, but what assurance do I have that you're any good if Noct gets in trouble?"
"Gladio!" Ignis warned.
As the two began fighting, she glanced towards the corner of the building up ahead. 'One, two… at least five, I'm guessing.' She'd felt them all day, they were keeping Noctis safe as well as watching her.
Her gaze shifted back to the older boy as he argued with Ignis a smile etched on her lips. 'Ah, I see… I guess I should have known.' Her smile widened. "Would you like prove?"
The three boys were caught out of guard by her words, and more so by the intensity of her eyes. She didn't seem offended by Gladio's words, in fact she seemed quite content by it.
Gladio stared at the girl before his eyes… she seemed to be the same age as Noctis, only fourteen years old, how could she be so confident? His father told him to test her, at first, he thought just oppressing her or showing her how big he was would be enough, but now… He crossed his arms over his chest and eyed her. "You think I'll go easy on you just because you're a girl?"
Selene shook her head and smirked. "If you did, I would be disappointed."
Ignis and Noctis stared between the two and before he could intervene Gladio laughed. 'Interesting.' He thought. "Haha, you're quite cheeky for your age. I like it, meet me at the gym, tomorrow at noon, we'll see if you're worth the spot." With that the older boy left them…
Noctis turned to Selene who was smiling.
"Gladio is strong, you know."
She gave him a glance and nodded. "I know."
"Then why must you fight him?" Ignis pointed out, as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "He's telling the truth when he says he won't go easy on you. He takes his job seriously, we all do."
"Oh? Do you think I'll lose to him, Ignis?"
The prince and his advisor shared worried looks. Noctis knew Selene was stronger than him, she was skillful and good in a fight, she'd proven that with their training. But she was still the same age as him. They didn't know whether or not she was capable of fighting for real, or if that had merely been a way the King found to keep her safe. After all, even if Noctis lived a fairly normal life he was still the crown prince and there were always guards ready to defend him if needed…
"We're just telling you the facts, Selene."
She hummed but said nothing else as she walked out the school.
Regis chuckled as he received the report of what had happened. He should have known Selene would accept the duel. 'I guess there was nothing to worry about.' He turned his gaze to his Shield and smiled.
"Your son might get the beating of his lifetime tomorrow."
The man raised his eyebrow. "Forgive me, my King, but I don't think Gladiolus will lose to a 14-year-old…"
Regis smirk didn't leave his lips as he leaned against his chair and stared at his old friend, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.
"How about we bet on it?"
He stretched his legs and arms, doing a light warm up before he took the wooden sword. Ignis stood next to him with a grave expression.
"Did you have to pick a fight with Selene? She might have been missing for the past 6 years, but she is still his majesty's protégé."
Gladio ignored him as he swung his sword, doing complex swings and downward slashes, followed by rapid crosswords ones. He released a breath and looked at Ignis. "If she was just hanging around Noctis as a princess I would be fine with it. But she said she was his bodyguard, not to mention Noctis has been training with her too." His gaze hardened as he stared at his glassed friend. "As Noctis future Shield and as a Crownsguard how can I let a little girl act so high and mighty! Aren't you pissed as well?"
Ignis shrugged his shoulder and pulled his glasses off to give them a cleaning. "I've known Selene since she came to the castle, I got along just fine with her. She was a good company for Noct, she made him work harder, true, that she is a little different now." He finished the cleaning and re-positioned his glasses. "She was reserved and shier in the beginning, but eager to learn and make friends… but now she's bold and honest, there is still much of her past self in there, but I must admit it the way she is now, suits her."
"Yeah, I was also impressed how she stared me straight in the eyes and accepted the duel, but still…" Gladio turned towards the entrance as he heard something, with a serious expression, he swung the weapon and stared at its edge. "I won't go easy on her, if she wants to come here and act all smug saying she was lady Luna's bodyguard and now she'll be Noct's then she must, at least, prove herself!"
Ignis followed his gaze as he heard Noctis voice, at the entrance of the training room the two teens entered, still in their school uniform, the prince looking a bit worried while Selene had a relaxed and smiling expression.
"Good afternoon." Selene greeted as she walked leisurely towards Ignis, she removed her coat and as she prepared to remove her shirt, the three boys blushed and quickly Noctis and Ignis jumped at her.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
Selene blinked her eyes and slowly she showed she had a top beneath her shirt. "Aha, how cute, relax boys, I agree with Sirius when I say I'm not ready for those kinds of missions." She mused as she removed the cloth and folded it over her coat.
"You and I will need to go over certain etiquette lessons after this!" Ignis said, feeling his ears go red, he, Noctis and Gladio all looked away from her.
She rolled her eyes and sat down to remove her stockings. When she was finished, she reached for some fingerless gloves and as she tied them, Selene turned towards Gladio with a smirk.
"Ready?"
He nodded and pointed at the weapons, they had quite the selection. "Choose your weapon."
Selene stared at them and shook her head, adjusting the gloves. "It's fine."
Gladio snorted and swung his sword over his shoulders as he eyed her. "I'm keeping my promise missy, I won't go easy on you."
She tied her hair in a ponytail and walked, barefooted, in front of him, her lips quirking into a smirk, her eyes shining with excitement. "Ditto."
She raised her hands, he raised his sword, the two eyed each other, for a split second before Gladio moved. He stepped forward, sword in hand, brandishing towards her.
Selene remained still, at the last second, she stepped to the side avoiding the strike, of course, Gladio recovered quickly enough and brandished another attack.
Noctis watched them go like that for a while, he attacked she evaded. 'She's doing the same as she did with me.'
"Are you just going to evade, all the time!? That's a good way of saving Noctis!"
She didn't react to his taunting and as Gladio stepped forward to attack again, Selene did the same, she avoided the sword and stood right on his face.
"Wha!?"
She easily disarmed him and crumbled his posture, Gladio fell on his back.
"You have great power," She said as she placed the sword on the ground. "But you lack flexibility, you should fight people that are light on their feet, it'll help with your reaction time."
Gladio scoffed and rose. "Nice talk for someone who can't even raise a sw-"
He didn't have time to finish as the wooded sword stopped right beneath his chin, his eyes glanced towards Selene who held it with one hand, she gave him a sweet smile and flipped her wrist throwing the sword up, for Gladio to catch.
She leisurely walked back to Noctis and Ignis who both had their jaws dropped she smiled as she tapped them close. She leaned down and grabbed her clothes, hanging her coat over her shoulder. 'This should do for them to believe my abilities.' She thought as she stood straight. 'Now, all I have left is my report and the homework the teacher gave out.' As she turned to the exit she stopped and bowed, calmly. "Your Majesty."
The other teens turned and indeed at the door was King Regis, his shield and Cor the Immortal Marshal. Regis was smiling as he turned to Gladio's father who sighed and placed a Gil on his hand.
"Thank you."
"You bet on this?" Noctis asked surprised.
"Just for fun."
As they spoke the Marshal approached Selene as he stood before her, she tensed.
'This man?'
He gave her nod and spoke. "May I request a sparing as well? As the leader of the Crownsguard."
When Gladio asked, she was certain she could win, even though he was two years older, he hadn't been trained like her, she could hide her true skills and still win… This time she wasn't so sure… Cor was… different. "With all the respect sir, I don't think I'm that cocky to fight the Immortal Marshal…" She tried to avoid it.
He frowned at her words but insisted. "Don't worry, I won't harm you, I promise."
Her gaze hardened as she looked at the man before her. Selene clenched her jaw, she hated to admit it, but it annoyed her to be seen as a weak person.
She threw her things to the side but contrary to her fight with Gladio she reached for a lightweight sword and took her stance. "As you wish."
Cor watched her carefully, he was certain now that he saw that glint in her eyes. A swirl of power and strength, something that went beyond King Regis power… 'I was right… when she was young I didn't notice, but now I'm certain…' He also reached for a weapon and placed himself into position. Before he could analyze her strategy, he was caught off guard when she leaped towards him. Nevertheless, he deflected her thrust and followed with an attack of his own.
Selene stopped it, but the sheer force caused her to be thrown back, a few steps from him. She hissed as she stared at her trembling hands, her sword at the Marshal's feet. She frowned and shook them off, reaching for another sword on the rack.
'This man, he has the same smell as a Guardian and…' She clenched the hem of the sword. If the Marshal was on the same level as the Guardian's that meant she needed to be careful, but there was something else, something she could feel was similar to herself and Sirius, but at the same time, different.
She stared at him for a moment, her entire training flashing in her head and she clenched her sword. 'Fine, let's see how far I can go.' She took another stance, one that she had used on Sirius many times before. Her right leg moved forward as her left stood back, she rose the sword and placed the blunt edge over her wrist and waited.
Cor's eyes widened at the stance and he held his weapon. They circled each other, searching for a place to strike and like before Selene was the first one to attack, however as she launched her weapon at him, she shifted to the left, feigning a feint and striking his side, there was a loud pack! Of the wood hitting each other, her hands trembled as she fought his strength.
'Heavy!'
He tried to shove her away like before but to his surprise she released her weapon. Momentarily losing his balance Cor watched as Selene switched to hand-to-hand combat.
She tried to throw him to the ground, like she had done with Gladiolus, but he quickly jumped away from her legs, however, the girl didn't give up and he watched surprised as she grabbed the sword on the floor and quickly stroke again.
He deflected it and quickly strike at her guard-less back but just as he was about to make contact another sword deflected his attack and that momentary lapse allowed Selene to attack him on the other side.
The Marshal still defended with his hand, but he stood back and looked at the girl who now had two swords in her hands.
'When did she?' His gaze quickly shifted to the ground, and he understood. The sword she'd released before was gone. He glanced back at her.
Her eyes were shining, and she showed no fear, instead there was determination and a cold calculated bloodthirst. He repressed the shiver that descended his spine, he had seen those eyes before, when he was young…
"You have your mother's terrifying eyes." He voiced aloud, as the words reached her, Cor saw how Selene blinked the bloodthirst away.
"You knew my mother?"
"I met her on my journeys, when I was younger… you have her eyes… the eyes of a beast…"
Selene flinched at the comparison, it was one she knew too well, one that was attached with her bloodline. They all had those golden eyes, some the color was a dull gold, like Sirius, but Selene was well aware that her eyes were lighter than the usual… and many compared those eyes with those of beasts…
She was even more cautious of him, now… Cor seemed to know what she was… Selene tilted her head. "I don't remember much of my mother."
"You were too small when she died… I also knew your father… we sparred many times."
"… Was mother strong?"
He said nothing as he stared at her. In his adventures outside the city, he'd met several men and women who were strong, but only Sylvia held the same shine as Selene's eyes… and only she was the closest to killing him… "… Terrifying."
With that final word, Cor turned from her, he bowed to his king and prince and left for his duties.
Selene blinked as she scratched her neck, her eyes locking with his majesty.
"Does that mean I get to keep my job?"
The king gave her a shrug of his shoulders and smiled before he too turned to return to his duties.
She frowned, she didn't like the Marshal, she didn't hate him, she just didn't know if she could trust him, and she had a feeling he was of the same thought... and she also had a feeling that he wasn't all he seemed…
The phone rang with a happy and annoying tune, one that Sirius had deliberately placed on her phone, she wanted to change it, but it got there because of a bet she lost to the man, in other words, she couldn't. Chaos, she hated losing!
She reached for it and opened the call, without caring to see who it was, she knew.
"This is Selene, if you are an annoying person, please, don't call again, if you have any blackmail intel on Ravus, send me a picture first."
The voice on the other side giggled. "Unfortunately, I have no black mail on my brother, does that make me an annoying person?"
"I'll give you a pass this time." She said with a smirk as she sat on the bed. "What's up, Moonpie."
Luna giggled at the new nickname and leaned on the sofa, Pryna on her lap snoozing off.
"How are things over there?"
"School is boring! How can anyone go there!?"
"They go there to learn."
"You can do that just by reading books."
"But you learn to read books in school."
"I learned at home."
Luna sighed. "Yes, but other people learn by going to school…" She hesitated as she said the other words. "And, Noctis-sama?"
"He's fine, he'll send you the book soon, so send Umbra over."
"Hmm, okay."
Selene rose and walked towards the balcony. "Honestly, do you know there are phones nowadays? Why not call him like you do me? Or send a message?"
Luna smile flattered as she scratched Pryna's nose. "You know they have my phone bugged."
"So? That doesn't stop you from calling me."
"If they found out, I would be forbidden from going outside. The people need me."
Selene sighed as she removed the curtains and opened the door to the balcony. A cold breeze brushed across her face and she leisurely jumped on top of the railing and sat, with her legs dangling over the edge. The city lights twinkled pushing away the darkness. She stared at them for a moment.
"Say, Luna."
"Hm?"
"Why do men fear the darkness?"
The princess blinked and stared at the phone before returning it to her ear and answering. "Because monsters hide in the darkness."
"Monsters are everywhere, not just in the shadows."
"Did something happen?"
She sighed and stared at the sky, the pollution of the city lights made it impossible for her to see the stars.
"Not really, I sometimes just wonder…"
"What?"
"Has man forgotten how to look up?"
She stared at her kingdom, the soft scent of the Syleblossom reached her nose, the twinkling lights that indicated the life of people always made her happy, but after she heard Selene's words she couldn't help herself…
Her gaze shifted upwards.
"Oh? This is rare, is the princess feeling melancholic?"
"Sirius." She turned around to find her brother's assistant before her.
He smiled at her as he leaned against the railing. "Ravus was wondering why you looked so gloom during dinner."
She smiled at him and looked at the sky. "Say… do you fear the darkness?"
"Why do you ask?" He asked curious, chin leaning against his hand.
"Selene asked me."
"Hmm… then I guess my answer is, no."
"Why? Monsters come out at night, they hurt people!"
Sirius smiled as he looked at the princess. "Monsters are everywhere, Luna, not just in the dark."
She blinked and held her arm. "Selene said the same… what does that mean?"
"It means that people sometimes are scarier than monsters." He said as he looked at the sky, "Besides, if there was no darkness, you wouldn't be able to see the stars."
"The stars?" She looked upwards, the night sky was something she rarely wanted to look at, but like Sirius said, it was a beautiful sight.
"Man created light, because he was afraid of the darkness, but he forgot, that in darkness light shines the most brightly."
"… Selene said we forgot to look up… what does that mean?"
Sirius smiled for a moment before his gaze turned serious. "It means we stopped looking towards the future."
Luna felt a dreadful sensation running down her spine as his words echoed in her head. Sirius words sounded like a warning one that she couldn't understand, and one that made her heart shudder in fear.
She looked towards the night sky as she clenched her hand above her heart. 'We stopped looking up…'
Above them, resting on the opened windows a golden butterfly flapped its wing gently. It didn't take off, nor did it try to, it just stood there, opening and closing its wings, almost as if it was waiting…
AN: Happy New Year to you all! Since its new year I decided to go looong with the new chapter! It's a bonus!
Yay, Noctis and Selene made up! And I decided to explain a bit about the Ariadust family, but don't forget, not everything the gods say is the truth.
Well, I think this hour has 5 parts, and I think the next part is smaller, I've been tinkering with it, it might not be long until I publish it, but lets see.
A friendly reminder, this is a fanfiction, I don't own FFXV nor its characters, all I own is my own twist to the story and my OC's. Until the next part, then my dears!