Ignis nervously scrolled through his phone, standing with his friends by the water fountain. He had contemplated sending a text to Y/N, letting her know he was happy to see her soon. He wasn't sure if he should though. He already feared that he had bothered her too much. Ever since the incident with Gladio in the Training Hall, he hadn't heard a word from her. He was never quite sure if he should give her space and leave her be, or let her know he was there for her if she needed him. It seemed every time he chose one or the other, it was the wrong choice. He couldn't deny that Gladio was right about one thing...girls were quite the mystery. Every time he thought he did something right, it turned out to be terribly wrong. He thought all the talk he had heard about girls being so complicated was simply immature males not taking responsibility for their actions. But even he seemed to be misunderstanding what they meant, now.

"How long did you say they would be?" Gladio grumbled.

"They should be here any minute. Relax and quit being a grump!" Noctis answered, engrossed in a King's Knight match with Prompto.

"Weren't we having enough fun without them?"

"Would you be this upset if only Luna was joining us?" Noct asked.

Gladio just looked away and kept pacing in circles with his arms crossed. Ignis knew Noct wasn't much of a fan of his fiancé either, but appreciated his friend sticking up for him a bit. And sticking up for Y/N. Sometimes he feared his closest friends would never get along with her, let alone take a moment to get to know her. Granted, he was still trying to get to know her himself, but it made things a lot harder when he was always made to feel guilty for doing so.

A familiar voice soon caught his attention. Looking up from his phone, he noticed Luna waving at them and Y/N a few steps behind her. She seemed to be looking anywhere except at the four of them. Even with all the tension and uncertainty, Ignis couldn't help the small flutter at seeing her again. It was both from excitement and nervousness. Prompto started elbowing him in the ribs.

"Whoa! Way to go Iggy!" the smaller boy whispered to him, winking.

He chose to ignore Prompto and tucked his phone into his pants pocket, standing to greet both of the girls. A small smile crept onto his face and he couldn't stop looking at Y/N. She looked a bit different today. She wasn't wearing such an elaborate gown like she normally did. Her dress was simple and hugged her figure a bit more. She looked lovely. He was convinced she would look good in anything, though.

"Hi guys!" Luna greeted them. "Sorry it took us a little longer. Traffic is pretty bad right now."

"It's fine," Noct waved it off. "So, um…did you guys, uh I mean girls, have fun?"

"Oh yes! Just wait until you see her dress, Ignis!" Luna exclaimed, turning to her fiancé's advisor. "She looks like an absolute angel!"

Ignis smiled and looked at Y/N. She was looking down a bit in embarrassment.

"Well, she always looks angelic but I'm certain the dress she found is nothing short of perfect."

Gladio mumbled something under his breath and rolled his eyes. Prompto looked up at the taller man and frowned a bit. He really wasn't a fan of her, was he? Prompto felt a bit bad and decided to cut the tension, he would introduce himself.

"Uh, hey!" he said a bit nervously. This was a princess he was talking to, after all. "I'm Prompto! Noct's best friend and future Crownsguard member!" He held out his hand for her to shake, especially proud about that last bit.

Y/N looked up at him and down at his hand a bit hesitantly. She really wasn't used to people shaking her hand. It just wasn't something she did back home. No one touched royals. You bowed to them. She almost let out a chuckle remembering the first time she arrived in Insomnia when Ignis shook her hand. The look of horror on his face at what he had done was comical, even if she didn't laugh in the moment.

"Prompto!" Ignis whispered to the blonde, slightly moving his head back and forth.

"Huh?...OH! I'm sorry!" Prompto started to pull his hand back a bit mortified.

"No, it's…it's fine," Y/N replied, reaching out for his retreating hand and shaking it real quick. "Princess Y/N." She knew just by looking at him that he wasn't like the rest of his friends. He wasn't raised in the Citadel. He wasn't familiar with royal protocols and mannerisms. He reminded her of her own best friend, LeAnn. Just a normal girl she happened upon when she was younger and had been attached to ever since.

"Well look at that," Gladio commented. "She's mingling amongst the commoners."

Everyone just chose to ignore him. At this point, they all expected he would just be snarky the whole time.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Princess Y/N! I've heard all good things!" Prompto smiled. "Our Iggy here is quite in love!" he said, wiggling his eyebrows comically.

"Hmm," she simply hummed in response.

"So…" Noct started. "Do you want to get lunch first? And, like, shop or something?"

"Sounds great! Right, Y/N?" Luna asked, turning to the quiet princess beside her.

"Sure," she responded softly.

"Uh, cool!" Noct replied awkwardly. He was still a bit odd around Luna. "Um, we can go to the grill restaurant next to the food court?"

"Perfect!" Luna smiled, as she walked up next to Noct and they started down the hall.

Gladio was right behind them. Not only was he keeping close to Noct, as he was supposed to as his shield, but he didn't feel like acknowledging Y/N yet. He still didn't get why everyone was so pissed at him over what happened. He's flattened the precious Prince's ass on the matt way more times than one.

Prompto skipped up beside his friend to talk with Luna while Ignis held back a bit to walk with Y/N. He hoped she wouldn't mind being by his side.

"You look very nice today," Ignis complimented her. "While I love your elaborate gowns, your dress today is very pretty as well."

"Thanks," she whispered. She wasn't about to suddenly swoon over some kind words.

"I've missed talking to you. I hope you got my messages and gifts."

"Hmm."

"I hope you understand how sorry I am for how things happened during your training. I have scolded Gladio multiple times over and even spoke with Cor about the incident. He's supposed to change your training-"

"We should catch up," she interrupted, started to walk in the direction the others were heading.

"Yes, of course," Ignis replied, walking beside her but still further away from her than he wished.

Y/N sat down at the table they were lead to by the hostess. This place looked very different than places she was used to eating at. And what was with this city and their dark décor? The inside of the restaurant was nothing but dark stained wood, almost black, deep painted statues ornaments, and deep cherry seating. The lighting was even so dark it was almost hard to see. The only good lighting was over the tables.

She was sitting beside Prompto, whom she didn't even know, and Ignis to her right at the head of the table. Unfortunately Gladio was across from her, but there was no way to really sit at the table and not be near him. She would just have to avoid him the best that she could. Her stomach was in knots the whole way here. She didn't want to have to talk with him or put up with him today. Or ever again, honestly. He actually scared her a bit. Any man that could throw a woman over his shoulder onto the ground, or even kick her, was no kind man.

She hadn't said much of anything to Ignis either. She was angry with him and didn't feel like putting up with his groveling today. The boy to her left had her a bit intrigued. He looked so innocent and wide eyed. He also didn't really look like he fit in with the people around this city; with his blonde hair and his white t-shirt and light jeans. Everyone was always so dark around here. Maybe he wasn't originally from here? But then how could he be a member of the Crowsguard? Were foreigners allowed to join the military forces here?

A hand gently placed on hers caused her to jump a bit. She looked up at Ignis, who promptly removed his hand, but kept looking at her. She glanced around the table and noticed everyone else was looking at her as well as was someone who was standing beside the table.

"Miss?" the waitress asked. "Your drink?"

"Oh, um…a sweet iced tea please," she told the young lady before opening the menu that had been sitting closed in front of her.

"Of course. I'll be back shortly with those."

She flipped through the pages a few times trying to figure out if there was anything she would eat here. She wasn't even sure how hungry she was. The knot in her stomach left little room for food. All she was really seeing was burgers and bbq chicken and pork. Fries seemed to come with almost every dish. This place was considered a grill and didn't really serve the type of food she liked to eat. She could usually find at least some type of pasta dish at every place she went to, but she supposed that was only back home where everyone ate pasta all the time.

"Do you like burgers?" an unfamiliar voice beside her asked.

She turned to look at Prompto as his blue eyes bore into hers. He sat waiting patiently for her to answer, even as she continued to just look back at him silently.

"Not really," she eventually answered in a hushed tone.

"Aw man! That's too bad. This place has some of the best burgers! Their steak is really good too! Do you like barbeque?" Prompto asked excitedly.

"Umm…I don't typically eat this stuff, no."

"Well if you need any good suggestions or are curious about something, just let me know. I've had pretty much everything from here. And it's all good!

Something suddenly dawned on Y/N. She didn't have any money. Well, any money she could use here. She wasn't sure if she should just assume that Ignis would pay for her. He's not the one who invited her out. He was her fiancé, but did that automatically put him in that boyfriend category that paid for her when they went out?

"Um…I need to tell you something…" she almost whispered, turning to Ignis.

He heard her and glanced her way. Realizing she was talking to him, he closed his menu and gave her his full attention.

"Of course. What is it?" he asked, adjusting his glasses a bit as a nervous habit.

"Well, I don't…" she stopped and looked around the table, noticing a few eyes on her. This wasn't exactly something she wanted everyone to hear. She was actually a bit embarrassed about it. A few of the people caught on to her awkwardness and went back to looking at the menus in front of them. She cleared her throat and continued in a quieter voice. "I don't have any money."

Ignis furrowed his brows together a bit. He didn't quite understand why she was choosing now to tell him this. It also never dawned on him that she would need money. Did she not come with any? Did they seize it when she arrived? Was she on some type of allowance?

"I mean, I have money but…I don't have any, um, yang? Yeng? I don't remember what it's called-"

"Yen?" Prompto interrupted her, finding the word she was looking for.

"Prompto!" Ignis harshly whispered before shaking his head back and forth for a second time today at the young man, hinting at him to not join the obvious private conversation.

"Oh! Sorry!" Prompto apologized before turning to start talking with Noctis who sat across from him.

"You don't have any yen? Is that what you mean?" Ignis asked her.

"Yes. I only have gil. And it's on my account. I don't even know if I have a way of using my account here."

Ignis completely forgot about yen only being used in Insomnia. It wasn't even used in the surrounding areas of Lucis.

"If you don't mind my asking, how did you purchase your dress today? You did buy it, correct? If it's the one you wanted, I hope you were able to buy it."

"Yea, uh…Cor used some sort of small plastic card in a machine and it paid for it. He said King Regis bought it as a gift."

Noct's head turned toward her when she mentioned his father. He was a little puzzled about him buying her dress and why, but wasn't going to comment on it here, so he went back to talking with Luna and Prompto.

Y/N tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and started looking around. Ignis could tell she was really uncomfortable talking about this right now and decided it was a conversation for another time. When they weren't around everyone. Especially because he caught Gladio glancing at the two of them, listening in.

"I will have to properly thank him. I am glad you were able to get it," Ignis smiled at her. He continued in a softer voice. "We can discuss this another time if you wish. I will purchase your meal, do not worry about it. In fact I will always purchase your meal. It's my pleasure to."

Ignis went back to glancing at his menu so she didn't feel obligated to reply. He didn't want her to feel like she had to thank him or make any sort of big deal about it. She was his fiancé. He would take care of her and buying her meals was something he took delight in.

"Thank you…" she softly said, before trying to find something she could possibly eat.

"Isn't he sweet?" Prompto whispered beside her.

She turned to look at him again and he was beaming and winked at her. He was absolutely nothing like the rest of these boys and she wasn't sure how to take it.

"Okay, back with your drinks," a female voice announced before placing cups in front of everyone. "Are you guys ready to order yet?"

Y/N still wasn't quite sure what she was going to go with but everyone started ordering. She quickly looked back over her options and by the time it came around to her turn, she still hadn't found any particular dish that spoke to her. She decided just to play it safe. She wasn't very hungry anyways.

"Um, I'll just have the large salad bowl please. No meat, just extra egg and no onions with balsamic dressing please," she told the waitress.

"Absolutely, I'll take your menus and put that in!"

"Tch….figures," Gladio rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath. "A fucking salad."

"Hey, I know from experience salads can be pretty tasty if you add, like, a lot of veggies to them," Prompto piped in. "And she doesn't' really like burgers or barbeque so it's really all she could order."

"Who the hell doesn't eat barbeque or burgers?" Gladio asked, scrunching his face.

"Well, we don't eat a lot of meat outside of seafood and chicken in Altissia," Y/N spoke up. "Farming isn't easily done in our city and it's expensive to import. Some people on the outskirts of Accordo farm, but they aren't anywhere near Altissia."

Conversation after that didn't really involve her. Luna had a way of drawing the attention of everyone at the table. She still felt herself getting a bit jealous every time Ignis would smile at her or talk with her. It was confusing to her own self because right now she didn't even want to talk to him. But she also didn't want the man she was supposed to marry to like anyone but her. That's all any girl wants, really. Is a man to have eyes for only her…even if she doesn't exactly have eyes for him back.

Prompto tried to include her in conversation. He would always turn to her and ask her a question or get her opinion on the matter. She only gave one word answers or kept them really short. When their food came, conversation didn't slow down any. These boys never had a shortage of things to talk about. It was interesting to Y/N to see the Prince as such a normal guy. Just a young adult male, who was still more like a teenager, hanging out with his friends.

Gladio did a pretty good job at ignoring her, which she was totally fine with. She could still admit that the guy was hot. She'd still climb that man like a tree. Which was very confusing considering all she could smell right now was Ignis' expensive and delicious cologne and he kept sending her sweet little smiles every so often and side glancing at her often. She made the poor guy a nervous wreck and it was obvious to her. She wished things hadn't gone so sour the other day. Maybe she could have gotten closer with him. She could be more a part of their little circle right now and enjoying the day with her fiancé. Why was the universe playing tug of war with her damn mind so much lately? She really needed to call LeAnn tonight. She put it off long enough. This was the longest she ever went without talking to her friend and she needed to spill her heart to someone.

After dinner, the group decided to walk around the mall a bit and maybe hit up a few shops. Y/N wasn't exactly pleased. It's not like she could buy anything anyways. It gave her a chance to look at what the people from here liked, though. A lot of the stores geared towards kids and teens all seemed to be the same. The same brands and same styles.

The group stayed in the general vicinity of each other, but drifted a little apart every so often. Gladio stuck close to Noctis and Luna, naturally, as their shield and to probably stay far from her. Ignis tried staying next to her, but she kept turning away from him and wandering to look at things every time he got closer than she wanted. She felt bad every so often, but was stubborn as a mule and still wanted to be mad at him. He drifted closer to Noctis but still kept an eye on her. Prompto sort of bounced between her and Noct. He basically made his rounds with everyone. She still wasn't sure how to always respond to his constant high energy.

Eventually they walked into a larger department store that mainly sold clothes. Luna was looking at some of the sun dresses and wanted to get a few outfits. The boys kind of just wandered around, looking at an item here and there, but not entirely interested in anything. Y/N walked through the aisles of clothes. Nothing was particularly peaking her interest. The dresses were nothing like the ones she usually wore. Would Ignis like her better if she wore something like this? Or Gladio? She held up a white dress with sunflowers printed on it. It was very flowy and thin. The length was about mid-calf. It didn't even look like anything someone from Insomnia would wear. Maybe that's what made her pick it up.

"Ooooh Iggy would totally buy that for you if you asked!" Prompto exclaimed from beside her. It startled her a bit, causing her to jump. "Want me to ask him for you?"

"Uh, no it's fine," she responded putting it back on the rack. "I was just looking."

"Are you gonna get something?"

"I don't know. This stuff isn't much my style."

"You and Iggy are soooo meant for each other!" he gushed.

"How do you figure?" Y/N asked, scrunching her nose a bit.

"You're both from Altissia. I mean, that's an obvious one. You both have the same accent…well, that kinda goes with the first one," Prompto stated naming things off on his fingers.

"Hardly makes us soulmates," Y/N comments, walking over to another clothing rack. Prompto wasn't perturbed though and followed right behind her.

"You both dress super sophisticatedly. You seem like you have high and impeccable taste. Totally Iggy, all the way!"

Y/N glanced over at him a moment. She assumed everyone thought she was odd for the way she dressed and looked. She didn't fit in at all. Ignis had mentioned something about it when they went out for lunch that one day. But it was always different having someone else confirm it.

"So, what, he's not your typical twenty-something year old into miniskirts and crop tops?" she asked.

Prompto laughed out loud at that.

"I think if Ignis ever showed up with a girl dressed like that, we would all assume he's having a stroke!" Prompto continued to laugh.

Y/N walked a few more isles and found herself in the athletic wear department. It reminded her that she had nothing to train in. If she was ever going to train again, that is. It was in her contract, so she assumed she would have to go back at some point. She didn't want to look stupid this time or hear Gladio scold her about her attire.

"Oooh workout clothes! This is more Gladio's specialty," Prompto said, still following her around. He saw her roll her eyes and huff a bit when he mentioned his larger friend's name. "Hey, uh…so you and Gladio don't get along or something?"

"Or something," Y/N responded.

"He's really not a bad guy, ya know! I mean, he comes across a bit harsh. And he's very blunt. That guy does not beat around the bush at all. Like at all! Sometimes his words can hurt your feelings, but it's just because he doesn't sugar coat anything, ya know?" Prompto waited for her to respond but she didn't, so he continued. "He means well though. And he's a great friend-"

"Well, he's not my friend."

"He could be! You just gotta bite back, you know what I mean?"

"No, actually. I don't," she turned to him, a bit confused.

"Give the guy some sass back. He either likes it when the ladies are swooning over him and batting their eyelashes and playing damsel in distress…or he likes when they give him some lip. And since you're off limits, being Iggy's girl and all, he's gonna want you to be the latter."

"Hmmm…I see. Uh, thanks," she told him. It was good info to keep tucked away, but it still didn't explain what he did. Prompto seemed to catch on to her exact feelings based on what he said next.

"I um…I heard about what happened. I kinda can't believe he did that actually. Gladio is normally about protecting the ladies…not hurting them." Y/N looks away and acted like she was looking through some of the leggings. "Noct is pissed at him. Tore into him a bit when he found out. Just…just don't hate the guy okay? I swear he's not as bad as he seems."

"We'll see," she quietly responded.

"You're a lot quieter than I expected," Prompto commented.

Y/N glanced at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Did you expect me to be loud and obnoxious?"

"Well, no. Just…I don't know. More talkative maybe? You seem so closed off. Is it because Ignis seems reserved? He can come off that way, ya know? Sometimes I think I annoy him when I talk. Other times, I know for a fact I annoy him cause he tells me to shut up," Prompto laughed. "But if you're worried about impressing him or something you have nothing to worry about. Guy is completely smitten!"

Y/N just glanced at him again before moving on to another rack of leggings.

"I know what it's like being the odd man out, if that's it," he continued on. "These guys grew up together and then I come along a couple years ago out of the blue. You just gotta keep talking to them and let them know you're there. Sometimes they slip into what I like to call 'royal mode' and get all official sounding. Uh, I suppose maybe you would do that…being a royal yourself and all. I meant no offense, I swear!"

Prompto held up his hands and she once again just gave him a look before looking back at the clothes.

"So, uh…" Prompto started, not sure of what to talk about next. "You thinking of getting some leggings?"

Y/N glanced over at his odd choice of subject. Did she looks like she wore leggings? To be fair, though, she did need to get some.

"I don't have any proper clothing to train in. I probably should get some at some point."

"Why not right now? We're already here. This is a pretty popular brand. They make all kinds of athletic wear."

"I don't-" she stopped herself before she could finish. She didn't want to bring up the subject of having no money again. "I don't know. I might need to look around a bit."

Prompto watched her for a moment before getting a look on his face like he suddenly had an idea. The next thing she knew he was gone. He went back over to where the rest of the boys were. Well that was fast. She had to admit though that it was a bit refreshing talking to someone. He seemed so easy to talk to and so unbothered by anything. He also seemed to have a pretty good idea of how she felt. Completely out of the loop in their friend group. Hell, even Luna belonged and had known them for a while.

A moment later Ignis appeared beside her.

"Did you find anything you want?" he asked her. "Prompto mentioned you might want something."

"Does it matter? I was just looking at this stuff so I have something better to wear next time I…." she trailed off a bit. Still not ready to approach that subject with him. "Anyways, I was just looking."

"Well, if you find something you like, please get it. I am more than happy to buy it for you. Especially if it is something you need and could use."

"You don't have to do that."

"No, but I want to. This is a good brand. They make a lot of athletic wear that is popular amongst Glaives and Crowsguard men."

"Yeah, Prompto mentioned that too. I don't know anything about this stuff."

"It's a good material. It whisks away sweat nicely. And it's thicker. A lot of leggings are made from a thin material and you can see right through. It's almost embarrassing some women still wear that kind of stuff. You should get a pair of these. I might also suggest shorts and a tank top. And not to sound intrusive, but they also make sports bras a lot of the women wear."

Y/N looked at him a bit embarrassed to be talking about her bras. He didn't need to know if she needed that kind of stuff. And how does he know what types of bras other women wear? The red tint to her cheeks clued Ignis in to her embarrassment.

"I can leave you to your shopping alone if you wish. Or I can call Luna over to help you if you want-"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you."

"If you need me, please come find me. I will be a short distance away." Ignis knew she was still nervous in public. As much as he assured her no one knew her, she was still on edge. They were also out with Noctis, who most of Insomnia recognized as the Prince now. They were getting more attention in public than they usually did and he noticed the looks of others making her nervous.

A short time later, as the group made their way to the registers to purchase Luna's summer dresses she bought, Ignis glanced back to where Y/N was. She noticed their movement and made her way over to them. Ignis was glad to see a few garments in her hands.

"Did you get all that you needed? We can stay back if you need more time," he told her.

"No, I'm fine. I got what you suggested. This should be good for now," Y/N solemnly told him.

"As you wish. If you need more, we can always come back."

Ignis led her to the register where he purchased her items. Gladio was about to make a comment on Ignis buying her shit but kept his mouth shut when he saw what she was buying. He's the one that gave her shit about getting something better to train in. It would be a bit too much of a dick move to then comment on her buying the items. He was doing a really good job at keeping his mouth shut this evening and not even acknowledging her. He was doing it to avoid conflict, not so much because he truly hated her. He honestly didn't. He didn't quite get why she seemed so mad at Ignis though. He didn't do anything.

The rest of the evening went by uneventfully. Y/N hung back and kept to herself. Prompto every so often would try and engage her or bring her into conversation, but she didn't seem very interested. Ignis wished he could talk to her more, or even walk closer to her. But just being around her today and having her answer him when he spoke to her calmed the nerves of his that had been frayed the last few days. It was enough comfort to make him feel at least a little better about the two of them.

After getting back to the Citadel, Ignis walked Y/N back to her room. The air was still a bit tense and odd between them and Ignis was thinking of a way to break the ice wall that was slowly building itself back up. He cleared his throat a moment before speaking up.

"If you don't mind, going back to what you brought up at dinner earlier. What did you mean by you don't have any money?"

"I do have money. Or at least I think I do," Y/N responded. "Unless they drained or froze my account. It's all gil, however. I don't know how to go about exchanging the money. Or how to access it. Back home I just had a code they used in their registers that billed the palace or I pulled money from the safe before going anywhere. I've never even heard of yen."

"I see. I will have to inquire about how to go about accessing your funds. I find it hard to believe no one thought to go over that with you when you arrived."

"I'm not lying!"

"Oh, please don't misunderstand! I'm not saying you are. I more so find it hard to believe no one here had the courtesy to help you. I will also find a way to get you a bank card connected to my account so you have something to use here."

"Your account?" Y/N questioned.

"Well, yes," Ignis started hesitantly. "I figure with us…with us marrying we would have a joint account. I mean, unless you wish to have your own or wait until after the wedding to square the kind of stuff away…"

"Oh…um, yeah, okay. I just didn't…think of that."

Y/N was surprised to hear Ignis say he would give her access to his bank account of all things! It felt so soon, but this whole marriage was basically a fast track. Would she need permission to use the money, though? Would he want to know everything she bought? He didn't quite seem the controlling type, but he seemed the type to be very tight with his finances. They arrived at Y/N's door and she started unlocking it as Ignis began to speak again.

"I'm glad you told me about it. Thank you for trusting me with that. Um, I wanted to talk to you a moment about training the other day-"

"I'm sorry I'm really tired. Thank you for today!" Y/N grabbed her bags from Ignis' hands and went into her room, shutting the door behind her. She felt a little bad leaving him out there like that after he just offered her something like full access to his money. But she really was emotionally spent from the day.

As she walked to her bed and laid down on it, sighing loudly, the emotions started hitting her all over again. Dealing with both Gladio and Ignis today wasn't something she had planned to do. Thankfully, it was relatively uneventful. She was a bit surprised Gladio didn't say much of anything to her at all. He typically always had something to say to or about her. Prompto being a buffer helped. So did Noct and Luna being there probably.

The most emotional part was probably picking out her wedding dress. She had so many conflicting feelings. She was excited about finding such a perfect and amazing dress. She was happy she got to pick one of her own gowns for once. She was upset she wasn't able to adorn the dress all of her female ancestors did on their wedding day. But mostly…she was upset her mother and best friend weren't with her to pick out her dress. That's something she hears every female gush over. And she did it basically with a stranger and a soldier.

Tears began to prick at her eyes. She got up and went to her dresser, grabbing a pair of pajamas and heading into her bathroom. After showering, brushing her teeth, and getting ready for bed early, she laid back on her bed. None of what she did helped distract her mind from all the emotional turmoil she was feeling. Her mind just kept racing and going over stuff over and over. She finally decided it was time to call her friend. She needed someone to talk to about all this.

It took more rings than usual, but she figured LeAnn didn't recognize her new number. Finally, her friend answered, making Y/N sigh in relief.

"Hello?"

"LeAnn! It's me!"

"WHAT? Where have you been? I thought you fucking died!"

"I know. It's a long story. Starting with them locking my phone!"

"Why the hell would they do that?"

"Apparently, I need to have all international calls and texts monitored!"

"So…are they listening in right now?" her friend whispered.

"No. It's more that our conversations are run through software that detects certain phrases and such. Basically just don't say anything bad about this place and you should be fine. And whispering won't help, by the way. If I can hear you, they can," she laughed.

"Shut up! It's the principal! So, they had to give you an entirely new phone? I wasn't even gonna answer this whack number!"

"Yup. They froze my other one. I literally can't use it for anything."

"Hold on," LeAnn suddenly whispered into the phone. "Yeah…it's just Josiah. I'm gonna go outside to talk," Y/N could hear her friend talking to someone else that just entered the room. "Okay sorry. So, what else has been going on? Have you been locked up or something too?"

"Locked up? No, I'm allowed to leave my room. The Citadel…I'm still unsure of the exact rules considering what happened after the contract signing. But before we get to that, what was that all about? Was that your mom? Since when would she be mad you were talking to me?"

"Since everything hit the news…" her friend informed her, as if she should know what was going on.

"What do you mean?..." Y/N asked, her stomach dropping as her heart thumped loudly in her ears.

"Tell me about you first. What's been going on-"

"LEANN! What. Is. In. The. News?" Y/N demanded.

Her friend sighed into the phone receiver.

"I'll see if I can send you a link. Are you sure I'm not gonna be flagged or something for this?"

"If anything, I'm the one who would get flagged. And why the hell would it be flagged? LeAnn, what is going on?"

Y/N could feel her hands shaking a bit. She was worried about what her friend was sending her right now. Maybe she should have called way before now. Something was going on and she had a feeling she was not going to like it. Her phone dinged, signaling a text had come through. When she clicked on the link, she swore her heart fully stopped.

Altissian Princess Y/N Turns Back on Country

WHAT? She tried reading the rest of the article through the tears that pooled in her eyes.

Altissian Princess Y/N has officially left the country and abandoned her crown. The Princess has fled the country and is rumored to be in Lucis with her long term, secret boyfriend. All this happened unexpectedly two weeks ago. With her abandonment comes a vacancy to the throne when her mother passes, which will now be passed on to her younger brother. This will make the first male to reign in centuries. It is not certain if the pressure became too much or if there is some hidden agenda behind the Princess' actions. It is highly advised you do not converse with the Princess if she reaches out to you. Any propaganda against the throne is to be brought to the Crown's attention immediately.

"LeAnn, what the fuck?" she yelled into the phone when she was done reading.

"Listen, I know it's bogus-"

"Is my mom not correcting them?"

"No one has been able to reach the Queen for word on the subject. So the media is basically having a field day with this. That's why I didn't want my mom knowing you called. She asks me almost every day if I've heard from you."

"Did you explain everything to her?"

"I'm not sure what I'm allowed to explain. After you left, your mom asked me not to discuss with anyone the details of your leaving. She said an official announcement would be made."

"Why doesn't she correct them? Why would she let them slander me like that?"

"I don't know. I found it all weird too. People are pissed. I was so worried something bad happened to you there and nothing you were told was true. Like, they kidnapped you and locked you away or something."

"No…nothing like that. Well, maybe kind of. This place is hell. But that's only because I don't want to be here." Y/N took a shuttering breath and wiped her eyes a few times. "This sucks! I'm over here pining for home and everyone there hates me! Is that all? Is there anything else?"

"Every other article says the same thing. They act like they're updating everyone, but it's the same story told a different way. If anything new hits, I'll be sure and let you know."

"I have to go LeAnn. I can't….I just can't…"

"I know. I'm sorry. I wish I could change what's going on but I'm afraid of what will happen if I do."

"No…I don't want you getting in trouble. Save my number but under a different name or something."

"Alright. Damn. This is all so bizarre. To go from you leaving to marry some random guy to you betraying the country. If anything, they betrayed you!"

"I tell myself that every day, LeAnn. I'll call you tomorrow or something."

"Okay. I'm sorry. Talk to you tomorrow. Remember I love you!"

"Thanks…" Y/N whispered as she hung up her phone.

What the hell was she going to do? Who the hell could she tell? Should she tell Ignis about this? Should she ask the King what the hell was going on? Last she heard, they were having trouble reaching the Queen and didn't have any sort of word from Altissia. This was all so confusing and so fucked. She laid her head down on her pillow, and once again, cried herself to sleep.

A/N:

Hello everyone. Once again this chapter is very late and I apologize. I ended up being admitted to the hospital and having emergency surgery. I got back home a few days ago and have been on bed rest ever since. I'm finally healing, but still pretty laid up. I've tried to edit this chapter so many times, but I can't sit at my computer desk. So I brought my lap top into my room, but I'm either always tired and sleeping from my meds or in pain and can't concentrate. So please forgive any errors in this chapter I missed or if something doesn't make sense. I blame the pain meds fogging my brain lol

But thank you for holding out. I will get the next chapter edited as soon as possible. It's getting easier for me to sit up a bit now, but still not great. The next chapter is the one I have been hinting at that you guys are probably going to enjoy. It's something you've been asking for for a while now….sort of haha A HUGE mix of angst and….well im not gonna give it away. But I'm aiming to have it edited within the week.

I swear it's always something with me. If it's not one thing, it's another. But thank you for your kudos, comments, and love for this fic. You guys encourage me to do more than lay around the house sick and sleepy lol