Ignis was in his bathroom looking in the mirror. If he added any more hairspray to his hair, there would be no combing it flat for a week. And if he added any more cologne, he was sure he would choke her with the fumes. He couldn't be overpowering when they first met. That was almost worse than being underwhelming. He was more afraid right now of sweating through his shirt. He can't remember a time in his life when he was ever this nervous. Even the first time he met Prince Noctis, he wasn't this on edge.

"Someone got the jitters?" a deep voice chuckled in the bathroom doorway. Ignis jumped and turned, facing the muscular man who apparently entered his apartment without his knowledge.

"Gladio! You gave me a fright!" Ignis scolded his friend, holding a hand against his heart.

"Sorry, Iggy," Gladio laughed.

"How did you even get in?"

"I got a key, remember? This used to be Noct's place. Prince's shield needs a way in if there's an emergency."

"Yes, well, I am not the Prince, nor is there an emergency. So I'm not sure what made you think you could just invite yourself in unannounced," Ignis grumbled, going back to primping himself in the mirror.

"I knocked and you didn't answer, so I came in. What could you be doing in here that I shouldn't see? Although…here soon I can see why you would be mad. Wouldn't want me walking in on you and your new lady going at it."

"Gladiolus! Enough," Ignis snapped at his friend.

"Geez, Iggy. You really this nervous?"

"What makes you think I'm nervous?"

"For one, you keep biting my head off and you're irritable as hell. And two, your hands are shaking."

Ignis looked down at his hands a moment before balling them into fists in an attempt to calm the muscles from trembling. He then wiped them down the front of his pants. His damn palms were just as sweaty as the rest of him. He couldn't meet his future bride with soggy palms.

"I'm a wreck Gladio. What if she doesn't like me? What if I'm nothing like she expected? I was already warned by King Regis she wouldn't be happy about the circumstances surrounding our marriage. I must assure her happiness and make this transition as smooth and enjoyable as possible for her."

"Okay, wait a minute. First of all, I'm sure she will like you. Just…don't bore her with facts and books and…stuff."

Ignis just stared at his friend.

"Okay…maybe easier said than done for someone like you. Just…try and do things girls like, even if you hate it. Trust me. It will make you look really good. Flowers, candy, movie dates, shopping…it's gonna be torture to you but it will win you all kinds of brownie points."

"That doesn't sound torturous to me."

"Well, then you're gonna be golden! Just remember…if it's a guy thing and you would enjoy it…she probably won't. Although, you're a bit different. You aren't into a lot of super masculine things. So, it won't be so hard for you," Gladio shrugged.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ignis asked, confused. Was Gladio trying to say he wasn't masculine enough?

"Nothing. Now, onto the next point. Of course you're not gonna be what she expected. She doesn't know you. All she has to go on is what her mind has made up about you. Just don't be too different from your true self or you will either always be living a lie, or when you do let your true self show, she will accuse you of lying to her or changing who you are or some crap."

"Your advice sounds better than I thought it would be, I must be honest."

"I told you, if you ever need any pointers or anything…I got you! Now, last point you made. It is not your responsibility to make her happy. Yes, it's a good idea to try and you don't want to make her not happy. But she can't solely rely on you to be happy here. She's gonna have to find things here that make her happy. She's gonna have to build her own life here."

"While I understand where you are coming from," Ignis started saying after a moment of silence, "I wish nothing more than to be the happiness she finds here."

Gladio looked at his friend and smiled. He was genuinely happy for Ignis. He always worried about him and whether he would ever find anyone. Not because no one would like him, but he would never allow them to. He would turn girls away without realizing it. He was oblivious to flirting and would never even allow himself the luxury of caring for another person other than Noctis. He barely cared for himself sometimes it seemed.

"Well, I wish nothing but the best for you," Gladio told his friend, truly meaning it.

"I appreciate it, Gladio. Truly, I do."

"Come on, let's get going. Stop touching your hair or you'll ruin it. I'll drive you. And we can stop at the flower shop on the way."

"Thank you Gladio," Ignis sighed in relief. He was thankful his friend came over to help him. He knew he would be a mess and too distracted to properly drive. And thankfully he thought of something like flowers. Ignis would have shown up empty handed and looked a fool. With one last look at himself, and a quick check that he hadn't sweat through the armpits of his shirt, he grabbed his suit jacket and followed Gladio out the apartment door.

Y/N stood against the railing looking out over the vast ocean as the boat rocked lightly, carrying her to her new future. The goodbye with her parents had been nothing special. Rather quick, actually. She swore it felt like they were trying to get rid of her. She was always closer with her father than her mother. He at least whispered how much he loved and would miss her in her ear when she hugged him goodbye. The hug between her and her mother felt almost forced.

Saying goodbye to LeAnn was another thing. Her friend spent the night and they were up till almost dawn sharing memories and laughing together. Crying together. Hugging each other and making promises to call often and visit when they could. She came with her to the docks where she boarded her boat and they waved at each other until their figures vanished into the horizon.

She had been standing against the railing for the last hour. She should probably get some sleep. She barely got any last night. But her mind was racing too much for her to try and rest. Luna had nodded at her when she boarded, but seemed to be keeping her distance. She knew she was being rude by not talking to her, but she was too upset. She had been dreading this day ever since her mother told her of the marriage plans. Every so often she would gently raise her hand and wipe a stray tear that had escaped her eye off her cheek.

Maybe she should try and talk a bit to Luna. Honestly, one thing that bothered her the most about all this was how lonely she was going to be. She didn't know anyone in Insomnia, or any part of Lucis. And calling LeAnn wouldn't be the same. Luna was probably going to be her closest comrade. She was in the same position she was in, pretty much. They were both apart of arranged marriages they had no choice in. They were both being ripped from their homes to live in a strange land; away from the places they were raised to give their lives for. A presence behind her told her that Luna may have had the idea before she did.

"Y/N…are you alright?" Luna's gentle voice sounded from behind her.

"Yeah…I'm fine I guess. Sorry. I'm being rude, I know but….I'm just a bit upset."

Y/N didn't mean to be rude to Luna. She was known for her attitude and standoffishness, but Luna was nothing but kind and warm and she had nothing against her.

"No need to apologize. But, may I ask why you are so upset?" Luna pushed.

Y/N turned around and looked at her then.

"Are you not?"

"Why would I be?" Luna tilted her head, confused.

"Seriously?" Y/N scoffed lightly. "We're being sold off to men we don't even know to live in a land we know nothing about."

"You don't know about Lucis?"

"Only the basics. I couldn't tell you much beyond the politics."

"Oh. Well, it's really a lovely land! There's some beautiful places to visit! The place we are docking is a popular resort getaway. There's actually quite a few little towns. Lucis is a pretty big expanse of land. Most of it can be hot and dry, unlike Niflheim. But it's still quite beautiful."

"Good to know I guess," Y/N retorted. She didn't care what the place looked like. "What about Insomnia?"

"Oh, It's a huge city! Lots of tall buildings and places to see. Shops to go to, places to eat. A lot of people went there for refuge, so they have all kinds of cultures there. Accordian food restaurants. Tennebraen art and cloths for various clothing. I'm sure you will feel at home there if you look hard enough."

"I shouldn't have to search for home in my home. It should just feel that way or be that way."

"I think you will find yourself feeling more at home than you think," Luna assured her. "And we are both marrying fine men. They will help us get around and show us all we wish to see."

"How can you be so sure? We know nothing about them!"

"Oh, I actually know Noctis very well-"

"What?" Y/N asked in shock.

"We have known each other since we were children. We've visited each other often and write to each other each week. Marrying him will be like marrying my best friend," Luna smiled.

"Well, how nice for you! At least one of us is going to enjoy this shit show."

"Ignis is a lovely man as well, Y/N. Quite the gentleman. I've met him a fair share of times, too."

"Really? What can you tell me about him?" Y/N asked, letting her curiosity get to her.

"Well, he's very smart. Highly edu-"

"Educated, yeah yeah, so I've heard," Y/N interrupted. "That's what everyone says. Tell me something they don't."

"Hmmm…well, he doesn't speak a whole lot. He's more of an observer. But that's not a bad thing. He's always ready for anything that may be thrown at him. He's a great cook! He cooks for Noctis often. He's neat and tidy. I'm quite certain you will grow to love him."

"Honestly…he sounds like the exact opposite of what I go for. I'm not much for…nerds."

Luna chuckled into her hand.

"Yes, I suppose he is a bit of a…nerd. But so is Noctis, honestly. With his video games and comic books and arcade trips. Yep, definitely a nerd," she smiled.

"Couldn't they have offered me Gladio? At least he has good looks and a really great body, let's be honest. He's strong. He has a great smile. He could protect me if something happened-"

"Yes, but it is not his duty to protect you," Luna interrupted. "It's his duty to protect Noct above everyone else. Don't' you think that could be a bit of a conflict?"

Y/N frowned. She never thought of it that way. And the more she thought about it, she would be furious to see her husband put himself in front of danger for someone other than her. But Gladio was big enough, he could probably stand in front of both Noctis and her and still block both of them from danger.

"Ignis is more than you think he is. You will see. You just have to let yourself see it. If you constantly think he is less of the man than he truly is, you will never see him for all he can be."

Luna walked back to the seat she had been occupying most of the trip. Y/N wasn't sure if their little talk made her feel any better or worse. Who was Luna to tell her how to feel? They weren't actually in the same situation at all. She was marrying her childhood friend she talks to every week. Someone she knows everything about. It didn't sound like an arranged marriage at all. Y/N was the one who pulled the short straw. She was the one getting the worst end of the deal. Even Ignis was getting more out of this than she was. How did everything in her life turn upside down so suddenly and without any warning?

Y/N couldn't help but fiddle with the lace on her dress. She looked so very different from Lunafreya. The other girl was wearing a very slim fitting, periwinkle silk dress that went just a bit below her knees. There was no design on it or anything. No extra sewn fabric or even fancy sleeves. It was just a basic tank top look up on her shoulders. Y/N, on the other hand, was in a full gown. It was one typically worn in her country for meeting with high officials. She figured it would be appropriate to meet the King of Lucis in. It had a tight fitting corset bodice. There was white and deep purple lace intricately sewn on it. The sleeves were a white lace with rose designs. Her skirt was full and quite wide, thanks to the petticoat underneath. The skirt was more purple than white, unlike the top part of her dress. She almost wore one of her lace hats royal women often wore in her country, but decided against it. Thank the six the car she was in had AC. Luna wasn't kidding when she said it was hot and dry here. She was also thankful she had her own car. Her dress took up most of the room in the backseat. The car was a bit small for her tastes and looked like a teenager's sports car.

Drautos, the head of the Kingsglaive she thinks they called it, was driving Luna in the car in front of her. The two of them were riding in the King's Regalia. She assumed her car was Noct's. Her driver was Cor, head of the Crownsguard. She also had a royal guard of her own in the front passenger seat. Her mother insisted on him coming along and staying until the wedding. He was basically her only connection right now to home and assurance that she was being treated properly. She was at least happy to have him along. His name was Bernard and he had been part of her royal detail since she was just a kid. She grew up knowing him so she was very glad he was the one accompanying her right now.

They had a truck hauling their belongings. Luna didn't come with much. Just two suitcases. She, however, brought the three suitcases she had plus about five large boxes just like she told her mother she would. Luna seemed the minimalist, simplistic type though. From her looks to her wardrobe, to even the way she talked. She was quiet and always looked peaceful and happy. Absolutely the opposite of Y/N.

Everyone seemed to be in such plain clothes around here, too. She felt so overdressed. She looked over the top. She wasn't sure if standing out was a good or bad thing. She wanted to blend in a bit, beings that this was her new home and she wanted to feel a part of the new kingdom she would be living in and representing. But a big part of her wanted to stick out. To remind them all of who she truly was and where she came from. To represent her home and be a statement. It was going to cause trouble and quite a bit of unease, but the stubborn part of her didn't care and was willing to sacrifice social comfort to prove her point.

Looking out the window, she watched the landscape change. The resort town they had landed in was nice. Simple, but nice. It looked like a typical beach getaway. Nothing too special. A simple hotel and place to eat.

As they rode out of the town and up the large hill, the green grass gave way to red dust and very little, if no signs of vegetation. It looked like a deserted road that went on for miles. They passed what looked like a possible town. There was a tiny diner and motel and gas station. Next was a rusted, abandoned mine. It looked on the very verge of collapse.

They were still in the middle of the desert when they stopped to refuel. This supposed town had a name, Hammerhead, but was just a gas station and diner. Nothing more. How is that a town? Well, there was a car mechanic garage. And a camper? Apparently it was rented out for the night to those passing by. They didn't even have a motel available. Near the entrance was a man selling swords and various other weapons out of his truck. What kind of place allowed men to just sell weapons on the street? Was that even legal?

As they pulled up to the gas pump on the other side of the Regalia, Cor looked back at her before getting out.

"Would you like to stretch your legs, Miss? The diner also has a restroom if you need to use it or freshen up. We don't have much longer of a drive."

"A stretch would do my legs some good," Y/N responded.

Cor nodded and exited the car. He opened her door and helped her get out, careful of her dress. What a filthy place to wear white. Thankfully she exited on the opposite side of the car than the gas pump. Instantly the heat hit her. She could feel her forehead already accumulating sweat just standing outside. She walked towards the diner to use the restroom. Bernard was a few feet behind her, careful to give her personal space. He knew she hated someone right on her tail. He also let Cor help her out of the car instead of himself. Call it a test of the man's manners. Bernard was meant to be a ghost. To be there without being there.

"I'm simply peeing, Berney," Y/N spoke without turning around. "This place looks abandoned. I doubt someone it gonna jump me in the toilet."

"You stick out like a sore thumb, my lady. Who knows what thugs live around these parts. Your dress alone looks to be worth more than these people's monthly salaries."

Y/N silently agreed. Where the hell was the Citadel? This place spanned on forever. It was hard to picture a large bustling city and large castle. Her mother mentioned people out all hours in the streets. She had a hard time believing people could stand being out in heat like this any hour of the day.

As she walked into Takka's Pit Stop, as it apparently was called, a burst of cool AC hit her. Thankfully the place at least had that. She had to wonder just looking at the outside of the place. The diner's logo was plastered around. It was up on the menu hanging behind the cook. It was on the outside sign. It was even embroidered on the worker's shirt. She slowly approached the counter. The man behind it looked at her a bit taken back and stuttered out a greeting.

"Hello, can you please point me in the direction of your restroom?" Y/N asked. She knew how to have manners when it mattered. She wasn't a complete brat. Even though she trying her absolute hardest to not pull a face at the awkwardness of the gentleman speaking to her.

"Oh, uh…over there in the corner. Women's in on the right."

"Thank you kindly!"

Y/N turned and looked at Bernard before she went to freshen up.

"This place looks empty and harmless enough. Do me a favor and please find my purple backpack purse and retrieve my fold fan. I'm gonna need it when we get to Insomnia if the heat there is anything like this place. I don't want to be a drenched sweaty poodle when I meet the king."

"Of course, my lady."

As Bernard exited the diner, Y/N made her way to the restroom. She pushed open the door and hesitantly looked around. It seemed clean….ish. The floor was one of her biggest concerns. The last thing she wanted was the bottom of her dress to be black with dust bunnies clinging to it. The stalls were too small to think about using the toilet in her dress. She would need to practically remove it to even fit in there. Cor mentioned it wouldn't be too much longer until they were at their destination. She didn't have to go too bad so she decided to just hold it. Suddenly the door behind her opened, causing her heart to race a moment. She was suddenly nervous at the thought of having to converse with a local already. She knew they would ask questions about the way she looked and where she was from. She didn't want to seem stupid if they asked questions about Lucis. She knew nothing about this damn place, other than how boring and mundane it looked so far. Thankfully it was just Luna.

"Oh, hello!" she smiled at Y/N.

"Hey," Y/N whispered back.

"Were you going in there?" Luna pointed to the empty stall.

"Oh, no! Go ahead!"

"Okay, thank you!" Luna walked passed her and closed the door. "Would you even fit in here?" she asked.

"I was wondering the same thing," Y/N chuckled.

"Do you need my help? I can guard the door or something if you needed to remove your dress."

"Oh, no I'm fine. But thanks."

Y/N felt a little weird having a conversation with her while she was doing her business. She and LeAnn had done it many times. They were always going to the bathroom together when they went places. Or even at her place. But Luna was practically a stranger. The toilet flushed and Luna soon exited the stall, walking over to the sink to wash her hands.

"So, are you more nervous or excited now that we are almost there?"

"Nervous, I guess," Y/N answered. She hadn't been excited about any of this thus far. What would change now?

"Understandable. Like I said, Ignis is really nice. And so is the King. They're all pretty kind. No need to be nervous."

"Even your driver? He looks ready to kill someone."

"Drautos?" Luna giggled. "He just has to look hard and tough. He's the head of the Kingsglaive, which is known as one of the toughest group of fighters on Eos. He has a reputation to uphold. He doesn't scare me."

"I don't think Cor has smiled once either," Y/N retorted.

"Again, he has a reputation to uphold. Cor has always been rough around the edges. He's in no way unkind, though. Has he been unkind to you?" Luna asked.

"Well, no. But the least he could do is smile or something."

"They are probably saying the same thing about you."

"What?" Y/N snapped her head to look over at Luna, who was now leaning against the sink.

"Well, I haven't seen you smile once since we picked you up," Luna simply remarked, not realizing how offended Y/N was at the statement.

"Excuse me for being upset about leaving my family forever to move to a foreign country and be forced into marriage with a man I don't even know. Doesn't exactly make me want to smile. However, if I was back home and we were receiving not one, but two royal princesses as guests marrying into our kingdom, I would smile and greet them with much friendlier faces than they sent to retrieve us!" Y/N snapped and stormed out of the bathroom.

Luna was seriously telling her to be more happy? That she looked unfriendly? That these people were questioning her character? The fucking audacity! Urgh! What was with that girl anyways? How did she always seem so carefree and happy? OH! That's right! She was on her way to see her childhood sweetheart and best friend and live happily ever after with him as the Queen of Lucius! How fucking wonderful for her!

Y/N pushed open the diner door and felt the heat almost take her breath away. That didn't slow down her stomp back to the car. Cor was standing by her door waiting on her return having a quiet conversation with Drautos. When he spotted her, he quickly stopped his conversation and opened her door.

"Everything alright?" he asked her.

"Fine," Y/N growled out, squeezing herself back into the small backseat of the car. When she was settled in, Cor shut her door and Bernard turned towards her from his place in the front seat.

"I found your fan, Miss Y/N," he said, handing her the deep purple lace folding fan she treasured.

"Thank you Berney," she said, grabbing it from him and immediately opening it to use. She looked out the window as Drautos helped Luna into her car. She was trying her hardest to hold back tears.

This was it. Next stop, her new home. Her new husband. Her new life. The action of fanning herself helped to hide and small tremble in her hands. Her breathing had quickened a bit, but she could easily blame it on the heat affecting her if asked.

The more they drove, she was able to take her mind back off of things a bit and settle down. That is, until they came to a bridge. Looking out the front windshield, she was able to see a city looming on the horizon. They were here. And it was exactly as she had been told. A giant city with huge buildings. As they got closer, she could feel her stomach dropping again.

They had to make a stop at a gate before entering the city. Cor took care of the security. There were what looked like soldiers outside of both Luna's car and her own .The backseat windows rolled down, startling her a moment. The guards looked in both sides of the car at her in the backseat, while another man looked between her and a document in his hands. She felt immensely uncomfortable and as if she was under a microscope. One of the guards smiled and waved at her as he looked in the car. Another had walked over to Bernard's window and was asking him a few questions while writing on a clipboard in his hands. She had a hard time paying attention to what they were saying. She was paying more attention to everyone walking around the car with their weapons in hand looking in at her, their eyes raking her up and down.

"Berney…" she whispered out, feeling her anxiety rising.

"Everything is alright, Miss Y/N," Bernard interrupted his own sentence to the guard to assure her. "Simple security protocol." Bernard returned to answering the guard's questions and Cor glanced back at her. She made eye contact with him and his face seemed to soften a moment.

"Are you alright?" Cor asked. She mutely nodded her head a bit. "Just making sure you're who you say you are. That's all. Security is tight around here, but it's solid." She nodded again at him and looked back out the window.

She caught a glimpse of one of the papers in a guard's hand. It had a picture of her on it. Who else would she be? Do people not know what she looked like? Granted, she stayed out of the public's eye a lot and was rarely photographed. But surely, these people should know what she looked like if she were coming here. Did they think she was kind of imposter? She then remembered that almost nobody knew what Prince Noctis looked like. He was always out of the camera's eye and there seemed to be some kind of rule about putting his photograph in outside news articles.

Luna's car had already left, given the clear a few minutes ago. She guessed Bernard was what was holding her own car back from being given the clear. They seemed to be questioning him a lot. Finally, after a few more minutes, the windows rolled back up and the guards stepped back from the car. They began their decent into the city.

Y/N couldn't help but be in awe at the tall buildings. They seemed to go straight up into the sky. Each their own structures. Altissia had some high buildings, but everything was a piece of something else. It all wove together with intricate stairways and alleys. And it was just as described to her- blacktop and concrete. Dark buildings and roads for miles. Highways and byways and multiple lanes…they didn't even use cars in Altissia. They used boats and walked everywhere. Every so often a bike or cart would be going down the lane. But they really only had single lanes. Here, there were up to four at a time! Cars were everywhere. And people too. So many people. Stores and shops and cafes were on every corner. It was enough to make her feel almost claustrophobic.

Before she knew it, they slowed down for another gate. This one didn't take half as long to get through. Only Cor had to lower his window and present a card to the guard. Apparently the guards at the last gate had relayed their clearance to them. She was thankful for that. At least she didn't have to feel judged and scrutinized out in the middle of a large city like this by a bunch of guards again.

The crowds were still vast, even right outside the Citadel. That surprised her a bit. They let this many people so close to their castle? She glanced up in the sky at the building in front of her. It looked looming and dark. Almost medieval and more like it belonged in Niflheim.

Their car pulled around and behind the Regalia in front of the large set of stairs leading up to the large doors of the Citadel. She could see through the tinted car windows the King standing at the top, with his shield to his right. Beside him on his left was a younger looking man (or teenager it looked like) with a bulky guy standing to his left. That must be the Prince and his shield, she guessed. Noctis and Gladio. And beside the muscular shield was a tall, skinny man with glasses. Her fiancé.