Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“That’s it?” a young Noctis asked after he got out of the black car. There was an unimpressed look upon his face. He was flanked by two others his age — twins — that also exited the car and stood at his sides. They were just as outfitted with their own backpacks filled with learning material, blank notebooks, drawing pads, and crayons.

Before them was a rather humble-sized building: a red-brick school so named Cavaugh Primary School. The walkway leading to it was adorned with well kept small gardens and trimmed trees. It looked nice, but there was still something…lacking.

“It’s not like the Citadel, is it?” the female twin asked, reaching up and adjusting the blue bow that kept her ponytail tied up.

The back door of the car they had all climbed out of shut causing them look back at the older boy that stepped forward. The older boy adjusted his glasses, a rather stern look on his face for a seven-year-old. With a sigh, he composed himself and said, “King Regis has stated that Prince Noctis and House Chorus are to attend this public educational setting. You would do well not to be too rude about it.”

His words were a bit too well put together for most children his age.

“It’s so small, though!” the male twin piped up. He adjusted his backpack before standing a little more shoulder to shoulder with Noctis. He then pointed at the building before looking back up at the older boy. “Seriously, they cram a bunch of kids in that small building, Ignis?”

The boy sighed again, closing his eyes. “They do, Tandem.”

“Will you be joining us, too, Iggy?” the girl asked, turning a smile in Ignis’ direction.

“It’s not for me,” Ignis replied stiffly. There was annoyance in his tone mixed with some faint tinge of disappointment. “My education must be conducted within the halls of the Citadel — Mother has told me that it is the ideal setting for me.”

“Boo, not fair…” the girl replied, pouting. “I want us to learn at the Citadel, too…”

“It’s not all bad, Prim. Dad says that this way we can grow up alongside the people of Insomnia. These are the people that we’ll one day have to watch over and guide,” Noctis said; he made it sound like that was all there was to it. He started walking ahead only offering Ignis a small wave in goodbye. “We’ll see you after school, Iggy!”

Ignis offered them a bow as the three started walking toward the school together. The last that the trio heard from behind them was the car door opening, closing, and then the car driving away.

This was the start of Noctis and his future Arms of the King’s days attending public school.

Over the duration of the school day, there was plenty of attention that went toward Noctis and the two kids that he arrived with. Introductions to the class made the kids murmur with excitement once Noctis introduced himself as ‘Prince’. Then both Primam and Tandem introduced themselves, their family name lending credence toward Noctis actually being the Crown Prince he claimed he was.

“So you’re really the Prince of Lucis?” a boy asked. A crowd gathered around Noctis’ desk in the room during their lunch.

“What’s it like being the prince!?” a girl excitedly asked. “How many maids and servants do you have?”

Tandem, while busily eating his food, seemed to be keeping an eye out over the kids that surrounded the Prince. At the very least, it looked like Noctis was taking everything in stride, a big smile on his face as he entertained each of the questions that was being slung his way.

“Yeah! There’s only one Prince of Lucis, and that’s me,” Noctis was overheard saying. “We got a whole bunch of people that work at the Citadel that do things for me and my dad. Maybe…hundreds?”

“Twenty cleaning staff,” Primam corrected. She had been standing behind Noctis since her meal was already finished. “Twelve personal servants within the Citadel that tend to different people on the Lucian Royal Council. Many more on standby if something happens!”

“And what are you, exactly? One of the prince’s servants-in-training?” came somewhat of a snide remark from another one of the kids. There were some chuckles and giggles that bubbled from others in the crowd.

“N-No,” Primam stuttered in response. She felt her skin prickle with the offense she felt.

“We’re gonna be Noct’s Arms of the King!” Tandem spoke up, putting a lid on his bento before standing up and approaching the crowd. He placed his hands on his hips, a determined look on his face. “We’re gonna be some of the best fighters that Noct has by his side, so you better watch out for calling my sister a ‘servant’!”

Noctis smirked to himself, folding his arms over his chest. He looked proud of himself. “Yeah, and it’ll be way cooler than my dad’s Arm of the King, because while he gets one? I get two!”

This caused a small series of ‘ooh’s to rise from the children. Attention was redirected toward Tandem shortly after.

“Do you get to learn how to fight with swords!?” one of the children asked. “O-Or maybe you get to shoot guns like some of the Royal Lucian Guard?”

“Of course we get to learn how to fight with swords. It’s what we’re meant to do!” Tandem replied. Of course, that was only a partial truth — and Primam was about to open her mouth to speak up on the matter until someone else interjected.

“So you’ll be some of the best fighters in the kingdom!”

“Psh, I’m already one of the best fighters.” Tandem struck a battle-ready pose, a wide, toothy grin on his face. He was really only mimicking some sentai warriors on the television shows he and Primam only had small privileges to watch on weekends.

“Yeah? You gonna tell Mollie that next time you see her?” Noctis teased. “She had you pretty good during training.”

“That was just her being lucky!” Tandem quickly shot back, scowling at Noctis as his face flushed with mild embarrassment. Of course the Prince laughed; getting under Tandem’s skin for a moment had been amusing.

Before too much more could be prodded at or discussed, the bell chimed. That was the signal to the end of the lunch period.

School was over for the day, and the trio waited patiently for the familiar black car to arrive. All the while, Noctis seemed to have been in good spirits, a wide smile plastered on his face. Tandem also seemed to have this delighted look on his face. Meanwhile, Primam was more contemplative. She had been a little less talkative than either her twin or Noctis.

When eventually the car arrived and Iggy exited to open the back door for them, a question escaped his lips: “How was your first day of school?”

“It was great!” Noctis chirped as he entered into the car, he crawled over onto the far side before dumping his bag onto the floor haphazardly and buckling himself in. “I’m probably gonna make something like a hundred — no — two hundred friends at this rate!”

“Yeah right. If anyone’s gonna be making that many friends, it’s obviously gonna be me!” Tandem teased as he hurried in along after Noctis.

Primam paused and looked up at Ignis. “It was fun when I got to do the reading and writing lessons.”

Ignis’ expression turned to one of mild bemusement before he relaxed his posture a small bit. “I’m glad to hear that you all had something nice happen.”

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Primam’s lips with at least Ignis’ approval before she finally was the last one to get into the car to go back to the Citadel. When the door closed behind her, Primam set her bag down and got buckled in alongside her brother.

When Ignis got back into the passenger side of the car and buckled in himself, the car lurched out of the driveway. Looking back behind the chair, Ignis glanced over each one of them: Noctis, Tandem, and Primam. It seemed evident that both Tandem and Noctis were eager to go back, but Primam seemed a bit more withdrawn than the other two.

“Excited to go back tomorrow?” Ignis asked, settling back into his seat.

“Yeah, of course!” Noctis piped up. It seemed someone liked the attention he had been given.

“I am! Now I have to kick Mollie’s butt in training this time, though. Otherwise Noct’s gonna tell everyone she’s stronger than me. You can’t have the Eyes of the King being stronger than the Arms!” Tandem said, determined for other reasons it seemed.

Primam fidgeted a moment before looking up and out the window, watching as the buildings passed by. “The teacher said that tomorrow, we get to go into the school’s garden to learn about taking care of the vegetables they’re growing there. I’m excited for that.”

“Uncle says gardening can be a valuable skill,” Ignis said. The driver chuckled in response.

“Indeed. I’m glad you’re looking forward to it, Prim. Maybe I can show you the Citadel’s own gardens for a bit and how they’re taken care of if you take a shine to it.” The driver was Silex Scientia, Ignis' uncle. It had fallen to him to ferry the children back and forth from school for now.

Primam’s attention immediately snapped forward as her expression brightened. “Really!?”

“Really. I won’t force you to care for the gardens — only ask you to help tend to them if you’re interested. Sound like a plan?” Silex asked.

“Y-Yeah!” Primam grinned, and perhaps looked the happiest she had that entire day.

“Will Mum and Dad be fine with that?” Tandem mused aloud. The question made Primam’s expression immediately fall.

“Who cares…” Noctis spoke up. He then leaned forward, offering Primam a determined smile as he looked past Tandem. “I’ll just tell Dad to tell them to cool it if Prim likes gardening.”

Noctis’ reassurance was enough to make Primam’s smile return. “Thanks, Noct…”

Chapter Text

Embers danced across ruby colored scales of a marilith, her serpentine body glinting a dangerous molten gold at times as she slithered around the destruction she caused. Her piercing yellow eyes scanned the area, looking for anything that might have survived her onslaught until she caught sight of a young boy.

The boy was disoriented, bleary eyed, and trying to process the blood that pooled around him, warm and wet. It was from that of a dead woman who laid on top of him.

The boy could only look at the red stains upon his hand, delirium fogging his senses.

Slithering forward, the marilith towered over the boy, watching him with this mixed expression of disgust and intrigue. In her six arms, she held a scimitar. Each of her hands adjusted their grip on the hilts of their blades, ready to strike at the boy who dared to still draw breath — who dared to defy her wrath.

Soon, he would fall by her blade as well.

Before she could strike, a brilliant flash of blue streaked across the marilith’s face, cutting her cheek. Looking at her assailant with a shriek, she focused all her attention on the regal-looking man donned in black that appeared seemingly out of nowhere with a small army of guards at his beck and call. Weapons shimmered into existence around the man — the same brilliant blue, crystalline in appearance as they swirled around him before being directed to attack the marilith further.

Words were shouted and actions were taken in attempting to subdue the creature, but to the boy everything seemed to fade in and out of focus. The words sounded like muffled cries, struggling to permeate the dense cotton of shock that filled his head. The impact of the metal blades was softened to a dull clinking in his mind. Warm and cold colors mixed together; the fire and night sky mingled with one another midst the battle of his saviors and the marilith that had killed everyone else within the car he was riding in.

Everyone in the envoy.

Everyone in the car with him.

They were all dead.

It happened so fast.

Of course that was all the boy could remember of that event before the world around him went dark and his head fell back against the blood stained ground. The shock of everything finally secured its grasp upon him.

The battle with the marilith raged on until an airship flew by overhead and dropped a container over top of her, sealing her within. Everyone could hear her scream, her voice muffled. All she could do within was desperately slash her blades against the steel walls.

A confused murmur spread across the guards, but the regal-looking man took this opportunity to call back his guards in order to retrieve any bodies they could while he rushed over to the dead woman and unconscious boy. Scooping them both up, one in each arm, he fled with the rest of his guard as the occupants of the airship descended down upon the container with the marilith to secure it further.

Those that were not helping to secure the marilith stood guard, holding up banners that were largely white with a red border strip against the pole. A red strip that went horizontally across the flag was a largely visible feature. In the middle of the flag, golden dragons facing each other while intertwined at their tails around a sword, a crown atop it, and a wreath underneath.

It was the flag of the Niflheim Empire.

Chapter Text

Taking a trip to Tenebrae was no simple feat.

Crownsguard were called upon to travel alongside the car that Regis was taking to the nearest port that would sail him across the sea. It was a nondescript vehicle, chosen to keep people from growing too interested in what a royal vehicle was doing outside the Wall. It was necessary for some modicum of safety.

Unfortunately, this was a long trip from the crown city all the way to the coastal city of Garex that still stood within the region of Cleigne. In that time, there was a sense of peace, especially in the times that Noctis had roused from his slumber to interact with either Regis or Aurae.

Getting to safe havens blessed by the Oracles was always Noctis’ favorite on their journey. Camping out under the stars was always so wondrous, but what really seemed to bring joy to Noctis was when Aurae helped wheel him out close to the water so that he and his father could go fishing. Having something that he knew he could do from his wheelchair made him feel accomplished. Plus, pending on the catch or catches that he and his father reeled in, they also had a delicious meal for the day prepared by Aurae as well.

For Regis, getting to see his son laugh and enjoy himself was worth it. Despite the fact that Noctis needed the wheelchair while his body fought off the Starscourge with the help of Aurae’s healing, times like that made it feel almost as if nothing bad ever happened. Even if only for a moment.

Noctis mostly slept in the car during the trip, his body being cared for by Aurae as she utilized her magic to soothe his body and hopefully his mind. It was like this for the four and a half days it took to drive to the port city of Garex. Upon arrival to the city, Noctis was actually awake to see the rainbow sign that read ‘Welcome to the Rainbow Port!’.

Regis regaled and educated Noctis on the city of Garex as they pulled up to the ticket booth to get their tickets for passage across the sea into Gralea. Once they were in the eyes of the public, however, Regis was quick to keep their appearance at the city more casual. Regis made one thing clear to everyone: there was to be no mention of traveling out into Gralea’s territory.

Crownsguard were ordered to carry out more menial duties of retrieving food and necessities for them. Meanwhile, the next ship going out to Tomod was leaving in the next hour. By the time they were able to board the ship, Noctis finished his food and was happily snacking on something called martabak that Regis mentioned. Aurae cleaned up some chocolate that was smeared across Noctis’ cheek after they had gotten settled.

All of this was new and rather exciting for Noctis, though. The weight in his heart had been temporarily lifted as he took in the sea salt breeze and watched the ocean waters. He was going to sail across all this to get to Tenebrae.

As exciting as all of that was…a yawn escaped Noctis, and he called for Aurae to take him to their room so that he could sleep.

Just like the car ride, Noctis mostly slept through the trip of a week or so at sea. There were only a couple of days out of that week where he stayed awake for a few hours longer than normal. On those days, Noctis sat along the stern with his father, fishing lines cast out to sea. Those fish were captured and released; even if that was the case, the prince simply enjoyed the thrill of being able to reel in anything that tugged at the line.

Then, just like that, the ship docked at the port in Tomod. Another port city, but with tall brick buildings that seemed to have no protection against any daemonic threats. That, in and of itself, was a curious discovery to Noctis when he saw how peaceful the town seemed. Even with those observations, Aurae pushed his wheelchair alongside the others as they made their way to the nearest hotel to rest up from their voyage as well as book their train tickets a couple days in advance.

Little to no interaction was shared with locals or even at shops. All Noctis really knew in Tomod was the inside of the suite of the hotel in the city until he was wheeled out and taken to the train station with his father and everyone else. Aurae had been patient in telling him about their stay in Gralea and how being here within the continent was a risk, but one that was necessary so that he could be healed of his affliction.

“So Queen Sylva can heal me of the Starscourge, Auntie Aurae?” Noctis asked.

“That’s right. As Oracle, she has the divine power to heal those that have been touched,” Aurae explained. “She and her line have done great things for people all over Eos. She has a daughter a little older than you, but maybe you two can be friends during our stay at the Fenestala Manor?”

Noctis made a face showing he was a little disgruntled by the idea. Aurae sighed as she saw this.

“At least be nice while we’re there. We will be their guests, after all.”

Noctis’ face softened to more of a pout before he nodded in acknowledgment and settled in his seat. 

Before long, he was sleeping once again.

Chapter Text

It had been a couple of months since Regis had gone away with Noctis to Tenebrae. Routine had to be kept in mind as the Chorus twins were made to adhere to their training and chores. Noctis not being at their side was greatly felt between them. More so were the harsh training sessions that left both Primam and Tandem winded and exhausted by the end of the day.

Still, they had to persist. After all, they were not the only ones who felt the missing presence of not just the prince, but the king as well.

The halls of the Citadel were often empty… Silent, mostly. Only the occasional staff member would walk through, seeing to what needed tending to in the king’s absence. Any time that Primam and Tandem were made to come to the Citadel so that their parents could see to their duties in the wake of Clarus Amicitia’s absence as well, they often wandered close by, sometimes making their way out into the royal garden.

It was here that they found Ros of House Viridis at one point, tending to some of the plants alongside his uncle, Arbor. However, once both Primam and Tandem caught sight of the older man, smiles spread over their faces as they hurried over.

“Master Arbor!” The address came at different intervals from the twins. It had been some time since they had seen the familiar man of House Viridis.

“Not with your parents?” Arbor asked once he looked up at the garden's new visitors. He offered as much of a warm smile as he could, only momentarily wiping the sweat off his brow as he did. Locks of light brown hair clung to his face — same as Ros. It seemed the two of them had been out here for a while.

“Mother and Father have to fill in for Master Clarus while he's away in Tenebrae…” Primam said as she slowed and walked toward Arbor and Ros both. Her smile faltered slightly. Both of them had dirty garden gloves on their hands, but it seemed like Ros was in the middle of using the garden trowel to make room to move one of the new flowers into the bed.

Primam reaffirmed her attention on Arbor. “Mother’s left for the Glaive HQ to meet with Captain Drautos, and Father’s tending the things Master Clarus entrusted him with today.”

“Mm… Ever the diligent ones, I suppose…” Arbor commented, his attention returning to the garden bed as he took one of the potted flowers and got it fit into the hole Ros had dug. His expression was relatively unreadable for the most part.

“Do you know when everyone is coming back?” Ros asked, taking his trowel and digging another hole. He looked up at the twins with an expectant and hopeful look in his eyes.

“No… Why would we?” Tandem asked as he finally meandered closer to stand not too far from the garden bed himself.

Ros shrugged in response,his attention going back to the help he was providing. “Mother never usually leaves so abruptly… The two of you are Noct’s future Arms of the King. You’re always with him. Thought you’d know something.”

Primam glanced from Tandem back toward Ros.

“All we know is Noct’s been hurt…” Primam slowly revealed. She brought her hands together, fidgeting. “Mother mentioned that it may be some time before they all come back.”

“And how have the two of you been in that regard? At home without having to trail after Noctis?” Arbor asked, moving another flower to the newly dug hole while Ros scooted aside and worked on a new one. “Well, I hope? I know Gratia can be a bit of a—”

“She’s been making us train harder,” Tandem cut in, squatting down next to the rest of the flowers that had yet to be moved from planter to garden bed. His eyes were glued onto them, noting the slightly glittery texture of the petals. “Said that we need to be stronger for Noct. Said that we can’t allow him to be hurt like that again. As if it was our fault he got hurt in the first place…”

Arbor stayed silent for a while before sighing and then taking his gloves off. Patting Ros on the back, he offered a small smile and said, “Take a break. Go get something to drink and wash up. I’ll meet with you to take you out for lunch.”

With a nod, Ros rose and removed his own gloves, placing them next to the rest of the flowers yet to be relocated. Once Ros disappeared out of the garden, Arbor looked over at Tandem and Primam, standing. His form loomed over them as he neared.

“Knowing your mother since we were kids, I know she can be a bit…difficult,” Arbor sighed. He watched as Tandem rose back up onto his own feet to give his full attention to the words being spoken. “And the two of you don’t have it easy, not by a long shot. Not with how you two are expected to carry the title of Arm — Arms — of the King. Should you two need it, know that House Viridis’ halls are open to you both.”

Primam’s shoulders relaxed as she grinned up at Arbor. Tandem also smiled, his hands going to his hips.

“Thanks, Master Arbor,” Primam said.

“Yeah, thanks,” Tandem followed up. “And it’s good to see you back at the Citadel!”

On the fifteenth day of August, both Primam and Tandem were approached by none other than Mollis of House Somnium. She was attempting to keep a smile on her face as she presented them both with neatly wrapped gifts.

“Happy birthday!” Mollis said as cheerily as she could manage. The only reason Primam and Tandem themselves had not forgotten their own birthdays was because Mollis always made the effort — not just for them, but for all of their noble peers.

It was touching how their birthday was not forgotten by her… Neither was the prince’s as she produced another present, just as neatly wrapped.

“Make sure Noctis gets this when he returns?” Mollis asked. “Besides Ignis, you’re the only two I know see him since…well, since you go to school together.”

The present became just one part of many that was expected to see its way into Noctis’ hands when he was back from Tenebrae. As the school year really started picking up, Primam took on the responsibility of accepting Noctis’ assignments to bring back for him. His seat remained empty for a number of weeks, and the question of when he would be back became a tired answer from the twins: “We don’t know.”

It was around this time that whispers and rumors began to travel, student to student. These little rumors took no time to reach Tandem nor Primam’s ears, either. How students began to snicker and gossip: “They’re just like my grandparents — white hair and everything. Bet they just forgot when the prince is supposed to be back.”

“Ew! Who would let old people come to school that isn’t a teacher?”

Without the prince to make their own status as his future Arms of the King something of a novelty, the twins had become a target of ridicule and teasing. The weight of his missing presence left a sizable gap, and the weight that bore down grew more and more on the twins’ shoulders. It was Primam who felt it more, many times biting her tongue as she usually did. Tandem recognized it, though… The way her eyes watered and her cheeks flushed — it was the same as when they were being scolded by their mother.

There was one particular day when the twins were picked up by Silex and Ignis where Ignis seemed to notice the change in Primam’s general disposition. Looking back behind his chair once he was settled, he said to her about Noctis’ assignments: “You should let me handle those.”

“It’s for Noctis,” Primam replied defiantly, her cheeks still red from that day.

“He’ll need them completed and turned in. I can help,” Ignis pressed. “You’re clearly handling too much on your own.”

“I can give you my homework if you want!” Tandem chimed in with a grin, leaning forward and pressing a hand against the back of the passenger side chair. He had been doing everything in his power to remain as unshakable as Gladio when it came to holding himself together. As far as Tandem was concerned, he needed to remain strong for his sake and Primam’s.

“I am to be Hand of the King, not ‘Hand of the Arm’...” Ignis said in response, narrowing his eyes at Tandem.

“You can’t do these for Noctis, Iggy…” Primam said, furrowing her brow. She clutched her backpack a little more protectively. “If we gotta do our own homework, he’s gotta do his, too! You can’t do everything for him!”

“I don’t do everything for him!” Ignis’ tone became laced with a hint of annoyance. “What does that say about you, anyway?”

“Now, now…” Silex spoke up at the wheel of the car as he drove them back. “How would the king and the prince react when they came back and saw that the future Arms and future Hand are bickering? You are all meant to be at Noctis’ side, caring for him and ensuring he becomes the best King of Lucis as can be. Like me, you will become part of his Royal Council.”

“I’m not bickering…” Tandem quietly said, settling back into his seat and crossing his arms over his chest with a bit of a pout on his face. Indignation welled up within him.

Silex sighed, the barest audible hint of annoyance of a guardian having to deal with three kids within. He glanced up in the rear view mirror to have a look at the twins, and then reaffirmed his gaze upon the road. “It is…amazing that the three of you manage to look out for and care for Noctis already.”

Ignis settled back into his own seat, looking out the window. With a bit of a pout. He already knew the scolding was on its way.

“Ignis, Primam is right, though. There are some things the young prince must do for himself, and it may be harder for him to take care of when he’s back. You can help him with it, just don’t offer to do it for him. He must come into his own as our future king.” Silex looked over at Ignis briefly and reached over, clapping a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Again, he looked in the rear view mirror, his gaze settling on Primam as he reaffirmed both his hands on the steering wheel.

“And Primam…” Silex started, eyes going back to the road. “You have to know when to distribute the weight you carry. Every day, you bring back stuff and hold onto things. It’s okay to ask for and accept help from others. Especially when it gets too much to take care of.”

A pout grew on Primam’s face, and she clutched her backpack more tightly to herself. She sniffled slightly and nodded. “I…I can try, I guess…”

Tension hung thick within the Chorus estate whenever Primam and Tandem observed their parents as the days dragged on and the king had not returned with everyone else. It was more palpable outside on the training grounds of their estate. Despite the sweat that trickled down their brow down to their jawline, despite the aching muscles and the exhaustion, Primam and Tandem were made to continue. Their mother still barked out orders.

“Again!” she would command.

And so the twins would, training weapons in their hands as they put to practice what they were taught. Thrusts and parries, swings and swipes, guards and blocks, punches and kicks.

“Again!”

Calluses formed on their hands. Tandem spent a night wrapping Primam’s blistering hands and tending to them with antiseptic as she cried. He looked on as her hands shook from the sheer exhaustion and pain — how they shook with the sobs she bit back.

“Again!”

Tandem could see the worry in Primam’s eyes. In all of this, she was no match for him. She was slower…she might still have put some of the others to shame with her training, but Tandem could read her movements before she could even strike. She was weaker, too, unable to break past his physical defense.

“Again!”

‘Left side open…’ Tandem mouthed as subtly as he could to Primam before he pressed an attack toward her.

As soon as Tandem swiped the wooden blade, Primam parried and then kicked him where he said he would be open.

It was not satisfying. And why would it be? This was not indicative of real combat — combat that the two of them were training for. Primam knew this. She knew that if they ever saw combat with actual daemons or others out there that wished to do the Crown or her people harm, they would not mouth little clues or hints at her to take advantage of.

“Again!”

It was a word that echoed through both their heads.

Chapter Text

A furrow of thought was deep upon Aestus’ brow as he walked down the halls of the Citadel from the Intelligence Bureau. He held a neat envelope in one hand that bore the black, stamped-on-crest of House Vox; also stamped upon it in red were the big, bold letters: CONFIDENTIAL. His hands would have been shaking in anticipation had he not trained himself to tame his more notable tics.

As it stood, there were things of concern that had reached the Ears of the King, and Aestus was trying desperately to connect the dots within the confines of his mind. He was going over the multitudes of strings that were loose and merely blowing in the winds of his failing logic.

An attack on Queen Aulea and Prince Noctis on their return trip from Cape Caem…

Why? For what purpose would Niflheim so brazenly attack? Though the prince survived, the queen very much had not. That was like to incur rage within not just the king, but the citizens of the kingdom as well. Not to mention the fear.

That in mind, it would not have come as a surprise if the Glaive were further bolstered -- perhaps recklessly so -- to contend with the Niflheim forces. Still, that would have meant a number of resources that would have had to go toward that. The Crystal’s magic was not as big of an issue… Space within the Wall, however? There were already growing concerns among the people of Insomnia…

Aestus paused in the middle of the hallway.

Was that it?

Was Niflheim trying to back Regis into a corner to cede the territory of Lucis to them? Or perhaps they were hoping that Regis would become so desperate or blinded by rage that he would bring all of Insomnia’s fighting power forward to eliminate before they were ready? The very fact that Noctis still lived meant that there would be tightened securities and concerns over everything.

Could be that they were trying to incite civil unrest as well… Make the people leery of the Crown in order to mutinize against the king?

Bringing his hand up, Aestus bit down on his thumbnail as he furrowed his brow.

There were so many different things that could have been at work.

“Furrow your brow any harder, and you’ll have wrinkles well before you’re fifty!”

Aestus recognized that voice, and he straightened his posture before looking up at…himself. Standing just down the hallway several yards away from himself was the spitting image of him: Aestus Vox. Though…this double of his was wearing, instead, a navy blue suit versus the gray and red one he wore that day. Bringing a hand to the bridge of his nose, Aestus sighed and shook his head.

“Vera…” Aestus sighed. “Much as I’m glad you’re taking well to the Disguise spells, it is whiplash hearing your voice come out of my mouth.”

Still…Aestus was glad to see how well Vera's mastery over her own magic was coming along. A smile tugged at his lips as he straightened his posture and approached. Honestly, he wanted to have a good look at how Vera managed to pull off his appearance. It was not as if she herself was altered in any physical capacity.

Lifting a hand up, Aestus feathered his fingers over the top of ‘his’ head…or rather, through it.

“Hey!” Vera protested as her projection of Aestus’ visage shimmered and faded away in a crumble of crystalline magic. Underneath the guise was a shorter teen who, like the man in front of her, had raven colored hair. Her eyes were a bright green -- a contrast to Aestus’ reddish-brown ones. “No fair! I was practicing holding it!”

“Choose a different subject,” Aestus retorted, patting and then ruffling Vera's head, another sound of protest spilling from her lips. When Aestus retracted his hand, he then asked: “What about Ignis? I'm sure he'll appreciate it.”

“I tried once,” Vera recollected, swatting her elder brother's hand as it still lingered close by. “He said if I did it again, he'd use me to test how well he sharpened his kitchen knives.”

“Oh yeah? Would probably be useful training for you.”

Vera gawped in response and then folded her arms over chest. “My own brother wants to see me stabbed and killed to death by one of our own?”

“‘Killed to death’?” Aestus repeated with a tease to his tone, cocking his brow as an amused smirk fell over his lips.

“Killed. To. Death.” Vera doubled down on her phrasing.

“Right…” Aestus shrugged and proceeded to continue his route to where his new office was located. “Well, while you're dying to death by Ignis’ hand, perhaps you can expand upon your spells to actually master Mimic so your voice doesn’t give you away. Two spells at once to keep yourself undercover isn't only useful--”

“‘-- it's necessary to the survival of the members of House Vox’ . Yes, I know …” Vera replied with a bit of an exasperated, mocking intonation before she sighed with some annoyance. She then rested her arms at her sides before her eyes flicked down to the envelope that her brother held. She had noticed it before she decided to tease him. Pointing to it, she asked, “What do you have from Father?”

Aestus paused and looked down at the envelope. He then proceeded to hold it up so that Vera could read the bold red letters on it: ‘CONFIDENTIAL'.

“But I'm also a Vox! That crest belongs to me, too! That information is ours! ” Vera whined.

“Entitled much?” Aestus said, half in jest at Vera's expense. His expression fell after a moment, soon becoming apologetic. She was certainly of age to know more than he was allowing her, but the truth really was that he did not want her recklessly endangering herself once she found out what was in the envelope. Once she found out what Aestus was toying with committing to. “One day, Vera.”

“You’re always ‘one day, Vera’ this, ‘one day, Vera’ that! When will I get to actually learn anything?” Vera huffed, marching up to Aestus and shoving his shoulder lightly in her agitation. “You learned so much at my age! Father took you out on reconnaissance and undercover missions while I was left here with Lyra and Mum! You got to do everything expected of one of House Vox!”

“And you will, too.”

“ When? ”

“Soon.”

“When is soon, Aestus!?” Vera shouted. For a mercy, the halls were bereft of the wandering staff member.

Aestus’ jaw set and he looked away from her. He hesitated. The one answer he had is the one that was unbefitting of a Vox: “I don’t know.”

“Yeah, because that will convince me that I’ll ever get to see myself prepared for our House duties…” Vera scoffed and shook her head, her hands going to her hips as she also turned her gaze away. Looking at Aestus was only serving to agitate her further now.

Closing her eyes, Vera’s shoulders heaved with a sigh as she dropped her arms to her sides. “I just want to help. I want to serve the Crown like you do. Just… everyone already looks to you as the…the golden child or something of House Vox. But I know you can’t do it alone, Aestus. Every time I’m here on my own, I have to do what you did for me and Lyra. Goddammit, and now we have Nebula? She’s going to look to me like how Lyra and I look to you with how much less you’ve been home. How am I supposed to be what she needs when you’re gone most of the time like Mum and Dad?”

For a moment, Aestus’ gaze dropped to the floor, staring at the shadow cast below himself. An imperfect reflection marred by bad lighting and the patterns in the cut stone. Was this how Vera saw him now?

… She was too succinct for a--

No…she was raised to be as succinct as she needed to be. Even for a thirteen-year-old. Perhaps especially for a thirteen-year-old if the memories of Aestus’ own training and upbringing were of any indication.

Turning to face Vera, Aestus walked toward her and then placed a hand on her shoulder. Looking down at her, he waited until she looked back up at him, that look of hurt and indignation evident in her expression. Of course it hurt; Aestus had essentially been the one that looked out for Vera and Lyra as they grew up so far -- more so than their own parents.

“I’m sorry…” Aestus started simply. “I know that Dad and I have been doing too much and making it seem like -- no… We are keeping you out of the loop. You think you’re ready for the things I have the access to: you’re not . Sometimes I don’t even think I’m ready for the tasks that are given to me, Vera. I don’t want to burden you with what I have. I don’t want you to burden yourself with what I have…and I know that me saying this isn’t going to stop you. Hell, our situation will force you into it.”

Aestus reassuringly shook Vera’s shoulder briefly.

“Please…just…” Aestus sighed. “Be as normal a girl as you can be. For as long as you can… Whatever the hell ‘normal’ means for us.”

“There’s no such thing as ‘normal’ for us. ‘Normal’ is catering to the Crown -- to Prince Noctis and King Regis’ needs. ‘Normal’ is learning how to use magic to disguise ourselves and hide in the shadows. ‘Normal’ is learning that kids get to be kids until they’re eighteen. ‘Normal’--” Vera’s breathing got heavier as she blinked back tears. “‘Normal’ is knowing that we’ll never know what a ‘childhood’ is. Whatever a ‘normal girl’ is, Aestus, I. Can’t. Be. It.”

Time felt like it stopped after Vera spoke. The way she hung onto each word, fighting her own emotions to be able to actually say her piece struck Aestus.

She was right, of course. The way they all got to learn about the difference in how commoner children and the children of nobility were raised thanks to Noctis, Primam, and Tandem’s experiences made many of them realize just how abnormal they all really were compared to the ‘normal’ citizens of Insomnia.

Truly, it was such a privilege to have been born into a noble House.

“... I wish I could tell you,” Aestus finally said, rubbing his thumb along Vera’s shoulder before pulling it back. “But I’m not endangering you.”

Still, Vera looked up at him with that expression of hurt and offense. Her next words came out a hiss: “Being born a Vox is being born endangered! Hell, being born in any of the noble families may as well be the same as being condemned to having a disposable life the moment we’re brought into this world!”

Another statement that might as well have been true.

“Which is why I refuse to endanger you more than we already will be within our lifetimes.” Aestus’ voice was quiet. He knew that this was not something Vera wanted to hear. Not when she was so impassioned about who they were. Who she was.

“... It’s not fair…” Vera replied, clenching her hands into fists.

“I know…” Aestus breathed another silent sigh before he turned back in the direction of his office. “May you never be in my position in the future, Vera. Because it’s not a position I enjoy being in. Not in the slightest.”

With that, Aestus started walking once more, his gaze falling momentarily to the envelope. Anything contained within may as well have been a curse -- a burden to carry. Too heavy a responsibility to really bear on one’s own…and yet, it was expected of House Vox.

The burden of information too great was a weight felt in its entirety.

When Aestus finally got to his office, he closed his door, ensuring it secured with the telltale ‘click’ before he walked over to his desk and slumped into his chair. He brought a hand up to his face, rubbing his eyes as he tossed the sealed envelope onto his desk. This office, he thought once, should have felt like an accomplishment. Now, it simply felt like a prison -- and for many of the reasons that Vera brought to light and made him consider a little more deeply.

Sliding his hand down his face, Aestus inhaled sharply and then reached for the envelope. Opening it, he carefully slid out the papers and held them, asserting his attention upon them. Within the corner of the first page was a seal of a blue sylleblossom, marking the report as one from their allies in Tenebrae. Upon the papers themselves were scanned in news clippings and book passages.

His eyes scanned over the words, picking out the different words that made up the Vox code, piecing together the actual report. A pain, but one that needed to be done.

‘A sea of flame engulfed the garden land. A wilted rose returns to earth. Chip in the crystal, still glittering. Three doves still remain, nest in tatters.’

Aestus groaned, closing his eyes before he placed the papers down somewhat carelessly. He leaned back in his chair, head lolling against the headrest. After a time, he turned his gaze upward, eyes tracing the grooves and features in the ceiling above.

Reaching down, Aestus opened his desk drawer and pulled out one of his phones. Turning it on, he dialed a number on it and held it close, listening to it ring. He closed his eyes, leaning forward and propping himself on his desk as if it were the only thing that could keep him up. All the while, he kept hoping that the person he needed would have been on the other end.

“Speak to me, Spades.”

Aestus sat there a moment longer.

“... A mining excursion is required across the salt.” Aestus’ voice was a low rasp.

Silence lingered for a long moment.

“That’ll take the turn of four cycles for everything to get organized. Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“... Noted. Await the acquisition of our canaries.”

The line went dead, and Aestus hung up the phone before turning it off and shoving it back into his desk. He propped his elbows on his desk and then rested his forehead between his hands.

May the Light of the Crystal forgive him for what he was committing to…

Chapter Text

Roses always carried this sweet, delicate fragrance that was soothing to Ros. To him, roses were the smell of home, and home was where one would go for warmth and comfort. And so it was among the Viridis Gardens where Ros found himself idling, sitting on the ledge of the stone fountain that sat within the center. He was at least glad for this small mercy given to him since Pax made the call to summon Arbor back to the halls of House Viridis. While he got along well enough with Vera and Lyra, it just was not the same wandering the Vox estate as it was the Viridis grounds.

Sure, Ros could have stayed with his father, Frons…but for the most part, that would have meant being in the Viridis estate with no one but the housekeepers. While Hedera and Vinea were by no means unpleasant, Ros could not necessarily learn what he needed to from them. They were not blessed by the Crystal to utilize healing magicks.

To be fair, neither was Ros' father, but his father was at least a medical professional; a cardiologist. Frons could have at least provided Ros with basic know-how that was expected of the name Viridis. But, with being a cardiologist that did not exactly have a spot within the royal medical staff, Frons kept a job within the city of Insomnia that saw him out for days at a time.

Regardless, now that Arbor had returned to the Viridis estate, Ros was permitted to stay… Here. Here at the familiar manor. Here within the familiar gardens. The gardens were the most important part. The gardens were always the most important part. Now more than ever since his mother had been away in Tenebrae.

Walking past the fountain in the center of the rose garden, the water did well to block out the sounds of much else the closer Ros got to it. Just as well…it was not as if Ros often had company out here. If anyone, it was his mother whenever she had little to do around the Citadel.

Ros paused.

He supposed that his mother's tasks and responsibilities would have picked up now that his Aunt Aulea had passed away. That was how it worked, was it not? Before, Aunt Aulea was the one who took care of the Viridis Medical Center on the royal grounds. Now that she was gone, his mother, Aurae, was the second in line to receive the mantle of Heart of the King…

Ros looked down into the fountain waters as he neared, watching as the koi fish lazily swam around. He wondered if one day, he would be expected to do the same for his cousin, Noctis, when eventually he was passed the mantle of Heart of the King. Expected to drop everything and leave on a whim…

"There you are! Your father told me you might be out here," came a voice.

Taken out of his near-mindless wandering and turning, Ros saw an older man jogging over. The man stood just a couple feet taller than him, had similarly colored brown hair that was pulled back into a small ponytail, and, unlike Ros, had deep blue eyes.

"Uncle Arbor," Ros greeted.

"I wanted to talk to you. Mostly about some of the study materials that need to be gone over later, but…" Arbor glanced down momentarily as he walked over. "I also wanted to see how you were doing."

Ros shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"Better than bad. I'll take it," Arbor replied with a slight smile upon his lips. He then looked put upon the rose garden. "It's hardly changed since I was your age. Your mother and aunt used to play out here all the time."

"Mother tends the roses now. Shows me the ones she planted." Ros looked over in the direction of some rose bushes that were quite visibly different from the hedges that made up a majority of the garden. From that different bush grew yellow roses.

"She always liked the yellow ones." A small laugh fell from Arbor's nostrils as he glanced to them and then focused his attention back on Ros. "Even for Rosebloom, we would tease her about how they meant friendship. She would always go, 'good love comes from good friends. Why wouldn't you want to be in love with someone you call your best friend?'"

Arbor cleared his throat, having realized he was rambling to some extent.

"Hedera told me that your mother had you learning how to cast Esuna and your basic Cure spells… How have those been going?" Arbor asked. He neared the fountain and had a seat on the ledge while keeping his attention on Ros.

"I can use Cure…" Ros looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers out and then curling them into making fists a couple of times. He then grinned as he looked back over at Arbor. Talking about how his spells had been coming along was something that made him pretty proud. After all — "Mum said my Cure spell is really strong for my age. Said that it took her two years longer for her own spells to be as strong as I showed her our last session!"

Arbor's brow rose at the information, and his smile widened as he clapped his hands together. "Marvelous! That's wonderful to hear! What does your mother have you practice on?"

Ros pointed toward the flowers. "The roses for now. Most of the time."

"Huh…" Arbor hummed in thought. His brow set in a slight furrow as he contemplated the information he had been given more fully. "Do you feel confident enough to come with me to the Glaive HQ triage room and see about healing some smaller wounds and injuries on actual people?"

There was a pause as Ros scuffed the brick path with the sole of his shoe. He then shrugged again. "Mum hasn't had me work on big injuries before. The most she's had me do is heal a cut she's made herself on her arm. Just to see if I could. But…I guess I could try? Do the Glaive get hurt often?"

"A bit… We've been called in often for some of the larger injuries," Arbor revealed. He got himself stood back up and dusted himself off while straightening out his jacket. "The Glaive aren't blessed by the Crystal like we are… They have to get used to it and grow into it quickly versus being born with it and having it develop over time. That does tend to lead toward a lot of injuries — even if some of them do show great promise for wielding the Crystal's magic."

"Uncle Regis gives them the ability to use the Crystal's magic, doesn't he?" Ros asked, watching and then following after Arbor as they made their way back toward the Viridis manor.

"That's right. Only the Royal Family of Lucis has that ability."

"So the Noble Families have just been blessed for a long time by the Kings and Queens of Yore?"

"You have the right of it. Our family has been in service to the Crown since before records were readily kept. Or rather, more reliably kept…" Arbor replied, a pensive expression falling over his face as they walked. "We can go over some of that as well later, if you'd like?"

"Hm… Maybe!" Ros was more excited about using his spells and seeing if they were actually effective.

Arbor chuckled lightly. "Well…I'll see about pulling what I can from our records and seeing if the Vox Intelligence Bureau has anything we don't. In the meantime, while we're making our way to the Glaive HQ, let's talk more about your healing magic knowledge. I need to make sure my sister's been teaching you properly."

Construction was still ongoing for the Glaive HQ. The necessities were there, though there were still other aspects of it that were being expanded upon.

As Arbor explained it, the Glaive had only been in service to the Crown for the last three years — after Niflheim had invaded and destroyed many Galahdian homes. That was most of what Arbor touched upon, otherwise stating that the men and women in service to the Crown were those that chose to give their lives to defend their new home in Insomnia. When Ros pressed Arbor on additional information, he was met with very few explanations, merely the statement of, "It was what they chose when Regis made his proposition."

Ros' attention went toward the construction workers for a moment as they made their way down the halls. Windows were being fitted in all down the hallway, the area was quarantined off in the wake of what seemed to be a series of shattered glass shards showered upon the floor.

'What happened there?' Ros wondered.

Arbor reached over, guiding Ros down one of the halls. "Glaive triage is this way."

To Ros, the halls felt…barren and destitute in some fashion. They were certainly no gilded halls of the Citadel. No…these halls were much less intricate. Even when Arbor reached the door that led to the medical ward of the Glaive headquarters, Ros noted how it felt like there were fewer cabinets and places for supplies than that of the Viridis Medical Center on Citadel grounds.

"Eugh…seriously? I'm still nauseated from warp practice… On top of that, I gotta deal with the twisted knee from takin' that tumble!?" Ros looked over after hearing a rather loud voice speak up. The man it belonged to was clearly disgruntled. No one was readily visible, though Ros was sure that the voice was coming from behind one of the curtained partitions not far from where he and Arbor were.

"Sounds like you have your first subject…" Arbor said, his voice only loud enough for Ros to hear.

"C'mon, quit your bitching… You knew what we were signing up for when we were approached by the King. So we got a little extra skills under our belt thanks to him! We're gonna have to get used to it; nothing we can't handle after fighting in the resistance back home." The second voice had somewhat of a prouder rasp to it.

"I'm afraid a twisted knee isn't enough to warrant some of our other available medications… Keep some ice on it, keep it elevated, and keep it rested for about a week." A woman's voice this time. And that woman pushed past the curtains before coming to a halt with a start upon seeing Arbor and Ros. She bowed abruptly, blonde hair falling around her face. "M-Master Viridis, and Young Master Ros…"

"I'd wondered where they stationed you since I had left, Viola…" Arbor mused aloud. He then pat Ros on the shoulder. "In any case, I'm glad to see you well. I don't suppose your patient we overheard there would be open to having a Cure spell be used on that injury of theirs, would they?"

"… I-I wasn't aware that House Viridis would trouble themselves outside of the Royal medical needs…" Viola said, looking up and then straightening herself out as she stood back up.

"Ros needs first-hand experience in handling wounds and injuries. Since the Guard have been diversified since the Glaives' creation, we've had quite the shortage of Guard that can be worked with. But…we have plenty of Glaive eager to prove themselves," Arbor said. He nodded briefly toward the partitioned area.

"We…We haven't really gone over Cure spells and how they work with the Glaive just yet…" Viola said. "B-But I suppose now is as good a time as any. I wouldn't want to impede your work, Master Viridis…"

Turning on her heel, Viola beckoned for Arbor and Ros to follow along after her before pausing in front of the partitioned off section in the triage room. She then pushed the curtains aside. Sitting there with his leg propped up on a chair was a husky looking man, dark brown hair a mess on his head, and his knee looking swollen as thick as a melon — at least that was how Ros thought of it. The other man that was with him in a chair nearby looked a little leaner, his hair short — shaved close to his head.

Both men looked a bit confused for the company. And why not? Neither of them recognized Arbor or Ros. It must have been even more confusing to have had a boy of only ten years being brought before them.

"Apologies for the sudden intrusion…" Arbor said, getting that much out of the way.

Viola cleared her throat, addressing the men: "Libertus, Nyx…" Viola motioned toward the newcomers to the Glaive triage room. "This is Arbor of House Viridis, and this is Ros of House Viridis. I know that perhaps their names may not mean too much to you outside of Galahd, but they are, for all intents and purposes, medics of the Royal Family. That they are here today is…an unexpected boon. For you in particular, Libertus."

"What do you guys gotta do with us?" Nyx asked, his gaze going from Ros up toward Arbor. He was leaning forward, his elbows propped against his knees.

Arbor urged Ros forward. "My nephew needs to see how well his spells have been coming along. We were hoping that any injured Glaive might be amicable to expediting the healing process of any of their injuries. It sounds like you're the only one here for now, so…I do hope that you might be willing to allow the use of curative magic on you. I can assure you it's generally less risky than most pharmaceutical prescriptions with any allergy or side-effect concerns."

Nyx rolled his head to the side, looking over at Libertus. The choice was ultimately his. Libertus himself, however, seemed to be thinking hard on this.

"Never had magic used on me…but I know about the magic of the Oracles 'n how they cleanse the Starscourge…" Libertus mused, his brow knitting together as he contemplated what Arbor said. "Your magic's like that? Cos if it is, I guess you can give it a go."

"We can't cleanse the Starscourge…" Ros spoke up as he stepped forward. He hesitated for a moment. "But…we've always made sure that the Royals and Nobles are taken care of… A-And the Crownsguard. I'd like to know that I can one day be like my mother — like my uncle here with me — and be able to heal those around me, too."

Libertus threw a hand into the air after that, a look of defeat crossing his face. "Who am I do deny that? Alright, kid… Give me what ya got."

Ros' expression brightened as he held out his hand and neared Libertus' leg. Taking in a breath, Ros focused on his magic — what he had been taught. His fingers tingled as this soothing rush ran from deep within his chest out toward his fingertips, soon spilling forth around Libertus' knee. As the healing magic wrapped around Libertus' injured knee, Ros said, "Um… Right, I should mention that it's not uncommon for those healed by curative spells like this will sometimes feel tired soon after. My mother told me that it's because your stan…stamin—energy is also being used to speed up the healing process in addition to the healing magic."

"Thanks for the heads up, kid… Ros, was it?" Libertus' attention was firmly on his knee, fascination in his expression as it seemed the swelling was going down. "I mean, that's pretty damn amazing. I can already feel it workin' there. Already stopped hurtin'!"

A moment came where it felt like the flow of magic from Ros had nothing to latch onto, and that was when he pulled his hand back with a grin. "Really?"

Libertus pushed himself off of the chair he was sitting on and moved his previously injured leg around before putting weight on it and testing it out further. "Yeah! Hey, check that out, Nyx! Kid's got me all healed up in the blink of an eye. No need for ice, rest, or elevation for me now!"

"Just make sure not to do the same thing tomorrow, then," Nyx laughed. "Doubt you'll have Ros around to patch you up."

"Oh—" Libertus reached back for his chair and sat back down. "Never mind what I said about that rest. Y'weren't kiddin' about feelin' tired…"

"An injury that minor… Probably looking at just needing a good night's rest." Arbor smiled down at Ros, proud that his healing really was going off without too much of a hitch. Turning his attention back toward Libertus, he said, "I'll be sure to throw in a note to your superior about this so that you have the rest of the day off at least. Don't want them thinking you were faking your injury."

"Really? You'd go outta your way for me twice now?" Libertus' expression betrayed no amount of surprise. "'Preciate that. You noble folk aren't all too bad."

"Ever is it House Viridis’ duty to act as Heart of the King. To see that health and prosperity ring ever true for the Crown." Arbor gave a slight bow as he recited House Viridis' words of service. "As the Glaive falls under the responsibility of the Crown since King Regis founded them, so too is it our responsibility to ensure the health and well being of them in some capacity."

Chapter Text

Having been ennobled by King Regis was…a lot to get used to. Not just for Cor, but for his sister, Cera, as well. Once the bloodline had been blessed by the Crystal, both Cor and Cera had to get used to the wealth of magic that flowed through their veins.

More so was it an adjustment for Cera. On top of her pregnancy, she had to come to terms with learning how to control any magical bursts that presented itself. Meditation had been an imperative practice that Cor often caught Cera engaging in.

Now more than ever.

Today was one such day that Cor caught his sister sitting on the floor, eyes closed, doing well to maintain her breathing exercises. Whether it was for the Crystal's magic, or because of her pregnancy, Cor could not say. All he knew was that she resorted to this when things were particularly stressful for her state of mind.

"… I should have waited till after your baby was born… I'm sorry, Cera…" Cor quietly said. Cera cracked an eye to look over at him when she heard his footsteps within the new Leonis manor.

Cor never much swung by much — the house was more for Cera and her baby when it was finally born. After all, Cor had been more content with whatever quarters and lodging he had always been provided at the Citadel. They were all he needed: a bed, a bathroom, a desk. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Well… I told you to take the offer of ennoblement," Cera replied, opening both eyes fully and staring up at her brother.

"Guess we're both idiots, then…" Cor said with an amused scoff.

"You more than me."

This time, an actual laugh left Cor. "Yeah…that's fair."

Walking over, Cor sat down on the ground a few feet away from Cera, crossing his legs and staring ahead at the television cabinet. "It's been a couple of weeks now, hasn't it? We haven't really talked about it… Are you alright?"

"Oh, you know. As alright as a single mother expecting her first child can be. Now with the added headache of getting used to feeling the Crystal's magic with every breath." Cera huffed, slouching slightly and slumping her head to the side in the process. She then righted herself and looked thoughtful. "Sorry, I'm not mad at you."

Chewing on her lip, Cera then recollected: "… The noble children… They're all born with the Crystal's magic. I guess it's only right the baby I have gets that same opportunity… Especially if she's expected to be your successor…"

"… Are you mad about that?" Cor asked. While he was content with having accepted the responsibility of being a Crownsguard from such a young age, he dreaded the responsibility of one day carrying the mantle of Valor being placed upon the child Cera carried.

"Are you?" Cera's question caused Cor some pause as a crease formed between his brow.

He turned his gaze away. "… I don't know."

"Honestly…" Cera began, easing herself back up into a standing position. She cradled her stomach momentarily. "It does make me a little nervous. But if I'm being extremely honest with myself, I think my child being born with magic…perhaps later being taught to fight? Well, that's probably better for them than one day being told to cower in fear, or feeling like they can't do anything."

Cera cast her gaze down to her swollen tummy. "I don't want my child to feel as useless as I did knowing my brother was determined to risk his life for me."

Sun beat down on the Crownsguard training fields, and Cor found himself sitting down on one of the benches behind the fence line. His brow was knit together as a water bottle was held loosely in his grasp. There were moments where he glanced up every now and then, watching as Clarus stood out in the field with his son, the twins of House Chorus, and House Somnium's little girl. Cor paid some mind to them — how the House Chorus kids were sometimes easily fended off by Gladiolus, or how it seemed Mollis was quick to take advantage of an opening in order to strike.

All of them had their little quirks, and Cor had definitely been taking time to make note of that. After all, he suspected he would eventually be looking out after them at some point…

'Mollis is small and quick — lacks in strength, but seems to try to make it count when she finds an opening…' Cor thought to himself, watching the little redhead. His eyes then flicked to Gladiolus. 'He's unnaturally large for his age, which already works in his favor to grounding himself better against all smaller opposition if he anchors himself well.'

Which left the twins…

'Tandem is near inexhaustible for energy, which certainly puts everyone else's stamina to the test…' Cor's eyes drifted to Primam. 'As for Primam… She seems to hate getting into the fight, preferring to stand back. Though she certainly plays off of her brother well enough, using whatever distraction he provides to come in for her own attacks…'

Cor let out a drawn out sigh through his nostrils before he looked back down at the ground below him. His mouth pursed into a thin frown, and his mind wandered back to the discussion he had with Cera just the day before. He felt somewhat like a hypocrite — for all his uncertainty, he had to consider the fact that he showed himself exceptional enough to have become a Crownsguard at the age of thirteen. He had been the youngest in…well, a long time.

Still…he had been determined from a young age after he and Cera lost their dad, then more so after they lost their mother. That determination eventually caught the eyes of the Captain of the Crownsguard at the time. If anything, Cor was grateful that potential was seen within him…

To know that this was his niece or nephew's fate, though? Part of that made him feel uneasy. Even with Cera's reassurances or conviction.

For Cor, his place within the Crownsguard prior was for security — to make sure Cera had a roof over her head, and food on her plate. Now his place within nobility was different. He wanted to view it as the same, but all things considered, it was a seismic change that really weighed on him. After all, he was aware enough to claim that this was what he wanted to do. Aware enough to say that he never wanted Cera to have to do what he did. So when thinking about the idea of being born into duty that awaited Cera's child…it was something that made this sense of unease settle within him.

"Trying to bore holes into the ground with that glare?" came a voice.

Sitting up, Cor looked over and saw Aestus; he was dressed in something more sporty rather than a suit like he normally did. Sweat stains were evident in the fabric. Letting a scoff fall from his nose, Cor shook his head. "Didn't hear you arrive."

"I didn't mean to catch you unaware," Aestus replied. For a moment, the younger Vox's eyes went out toward the training field before he looked back at Cor. "Forgive me if I'm overstepping… You kind of seem like you have a lot on your mind."

For a moment, Cor chewed on the inside of his mouth. He debated answering Aestus genuinely, or trying to shrug off the concern. Whether it was genuine or false concern, Cor had no clue. One could never have been too sure with the Vox family. However…he did know Aestus perhaps had some thoughts — especially as an older brother that Cor had observed cared deeply for his younger sisters.

"… The ennoblement's left me thinking on whether or not it was ultimately a good idea to have accepted…" Cor finally replied, his voice low enough to keep the conversation between the two of them. Briefly, he shrugged, grasping his water bottle with both hands and then staring down at them. "Just thinking about Cera… Her kid. I know she told me to accept the offer of ennoblement if it meant I could do my own job better, but…"

Cor shook his head and then looked back out toward the noble children who were engaged in their training. Silence lingered between them for a time before Cor finally asked: "Do you ever worry about your sisters? What role they'll step into should anything happened to you?"

Aestus drew his arms behind his back and kept his gaze pointed forward. His jaw was set for a time before he finally gave a silent sigh. "I didn't used to. But recent happenings have made me think about it more, I can't deny that. What I do as Head of House Vox at this time is not something I relish the idea of Vera stepping into. It's not something I relish Lyra ever having to step into. Gods forbid Nebula ever have to… With tensions rising between Lucis and Niflheim as well…"

Listening to Aestus trail off, Cor took in the words spoken. At least he no longer felt like he was the only one that felt this similar sentiment in one way or another. Reaffirming his grip upon the water bottle, Cor gave a brief nod. He pushed himself up from the bench, taking a quick swig from his bottle before setting it down. "It's a lot to think about. Mors' decision to pull back the Wall still leaves a lot of the people uneasy."

"… I was only five when he finally passed…" Aestus said, not really responding to Cor in his entirety. "Certainly a bit too young to understand the gravity of it at the time. Though, now that I'm older…it worries me the lengths Niflheim has gone to in order to breach Bahamut's magic all of us carry."

And there was the reminder that Cor was just like them; that his sister and her unborn child were just like them. Made noble and now carried Bahamut's magic.

"… What…" Cor began, placing his hands on his hips before casting his attention back out toward the kids who were training. It looked like it was three-versus-one as Primam, Tandem, and Mollis formed an alliance to attack Gladiolus. His attention remained on them. "What should my sister expect when her kid's born? She's been struggling managing her own control over it — more than me. But…I just want to know what it'll be like for her kid."

"Magical capability won't usually manifest until a child is anywhere between six to eight years of age… There are some late bloomers…" Aestus' own attention went out to the kids as he hummed in thought. "Gladio shows no penchant for magic other than summoning his weapons, as you may have already noticed, for example. Same goes for Tandem. But Mollis…she's already shown promise in using Green magic. Simple spells like Silence and Leap are ones her father said she seems to have picked up easily on. As for Prim…no one has made any discernible observations on her capability."

Relief washed over Cor.

"That actually brings me a modicum of comfort. Just knowing my sister has time before anything shows up that she needs to concern herself with." Looking back at Aestus, Cor decided to change the subject now that his general curiosity had been sated; "At any rate, I noticed you've been training more these days. You mind having a training partner before the day's finished?"

A wry laugh escaped Aestus. "Depends on your definition of training. I fear I'd be no match for you when it comes to speed and strength alone."

"Don't worry… I think you'll have the upper hand on me… I need to get used to the magic I now have." Cor looked down at his hands; they were rough and scarred from his years of service. Hard to believe that he was entering another fresh training period. "Besides…if you're amenable, I wouldn't mind any pointers."

Aestus turned his gaze toward Cor, studying him for a moment. He then nodded in shallow fashion. "Then let us find a place to train."

Chapter Text

Today was the day of a test, Mollis was fully aware of that. She practically bounced with excitement as she gathered up her slingshot and the pouch of ammunition that kept all of the neat little rounds of metal packed away. Having gotten dressed, she peeked out of her room before tiptoeing down the hall quietly. Her smile remained on her lips as she quickly crept down along the stairs. No one else could have been heard, which meant Mollis was in the clear as she went to gather her shoes from the manor's entrance.

Eagerly, Mollis skittered along until she reached the double glass doors that led into the backyard where she often saw to target practice.

"What the baby doin?" said a rather unnatural voice that made Mollis perk up. She stilled at the door that led outside and then put her shoes down on the mat. Walking toward the voice, Mollis arrived at a rather large black steel cage. Inside was a gray parrot with a brilliant red tail. Opening the cage door, Mollis stuck her hand in at the bird's feet.

"I'm gonna play slingshot!" Mollis chirped at the gray parrot. It had made no effort to step up onto Mollis' hand just yet. Still, she retained a smile as she kept her hand there. "Do you want to come with me, Clack?"

In response, the parrot — Clack — bounced a couple of times on his perch before he tentatively reached a foot out and then stepped up on Mollis' proffered hand. Mollis held her arm up until Clack was perched up on her shoulder. With him safely up there, Mollis got her shoes put on, and both of them out the door into the back.

Clutching her slingshot in one hand, Mollis hurried along to the outdoor perch and stood on her tiptoes before getting Clack relocated up onto it. Skipping over out into the rest of the yard, Mollis hurried to get the targets set up — setting them up as best she can. There were some targets she had to stand on her tiptoes to place, and others she simply had to just settle with placing on flat surfaces she could reach.

Skipping back to her shooting spot, Mollis took time to reaffirm the line in the ground with her heel for a moment before opening her ammo pouch and lining up her shot.

Thwip!

Crack!

One of the closest targets bounced into the air, tumbling down to the ground soon after.

Mollis loaded up another round piece of slingshot ammo and lined up her next shot.

Twhip!

Crack!

Another target, this time a little further away, cartwheeled off of the stand. A smile spread across Mollis' lips as she pointed toward it and looked at Clack.

"Two for two! What do you think, Clack?" Mollis asked with a giggle. Of course, she was not necessarily seeking validation from the parrot, but he was a being capable of responding.

And in response, Clack shook his head sharply, beak working up and down a couple of times. His eyes then pinned as he imitated the crack! sound of Mollis hitting the bottle target. Nodding his head a couple of times, Clack then said, "Mollie good baby!"

"Yeah!" Mollis replied, throwing both her fists into the air with a couple of bounces on her feet. Turning back toward the targets, Mollis loaded up another steel marble into her slingshot and fired it off with less hesitation this time. The marble hit a little higher than she wanted, but it still made impact with the next target, making it tumble back off of the platform it was seated on.

It went on like this for a couple more targets. Mollis' aim was impeccable, and each time she hit a target, the longer her smile remained on her face. On occasion, Clack joined in with the occasional parroting of the sound of the targets being hit.

The sound of the back door opening made Mollis turn her head, her hair trailing behind her as she looked toward the disturbance. When she caught sight of her father, Ater, her expression of surprise went back to being a look of elation. She ran up to her father, her free hand pointing back toward the targets.

"Dad! I hit all the targets so far!" Mollis excitedly announced.

"That's what you've been up to this morning? Your mother woke up wondering what that sound was," Ater chuckled softly. He lifted a hand and placed it on top of Mollis' head. Walking forward, his hand slipped from her as he made his way out to pick up the targets that were on the ground. "You said you hit all of them? Did you miss any? And be honest."

"No! I hit all of them!" Mollis replied, jogging back up to the line. She stood rooted behind it, as if crossing it would have invalidated her achievements that morning.

"I count eight targets hit…" Ater said, having collected the heavy plastic bottles from the ground. He then stood and looked over at Mollis. "Yet I heard fourteen. Did you put any back up?"

Mollis pointed at Clack, who was preening himself.

"Clack made the sounds."

Ater sighed. "Mollie, you know your mother doesn't like you taking him outside without me or her out here with you. What if he decides to fly off?"

"He won't fly off…" Mollis said, pouting slightly and lowering her arm back to her side.

"That you know of… That he hasn't flown off is a blessing in and of itself." Ater began to put the targets back up. Some in higher positions than Mollis had been firing at prior, and some in similar positions that she could reach herself. Notably, though, Ater had set up three of the targets much further away than Mollis had not that long ago. Once they were in place, he returned, approaching Clack first and getting the gray parrot settled upon his shoulder before nearing Mollis.

"Well…what your mother doesn't know won't hurt her…" Ater sighed in regards to Clack being outside without proper supervision. Kneeling down, Ater made sure he was more at eye level with Mollis before he pointed toward the targets he set up. "Let's see you hit all of the targets. Pending how training goes today, I think I want to see about advancing you to something other than a slingshot."

Mollis gasped and grinned, hopping up and down. "I'll finally get to use a handgun!?"

Ater bit back a laugh, a huff escaping his nostrils, and he then shook his head. "Not yet, my little Mollie. No, you'll learn how to use a bow and arrow — a proper one."

"Like our crest!" Mollis exclaimed.

"Like our crest." Ater looked back out toward the targets and nodded toward them. "But first you'll have to show me what you claimed to have done. I want to see it for myself. Consider the test we spoke of the day prior begun."

Chapter Text

A month had passed since the fires that engulfed the surrounding area around the Fenestala Manor. Staff that worked the grounds were hard at work making sure the manor was cleaned up and taken care of — all while under the watch of the Magitek Troopers that patrolled the grounds. A new precautionary measure to make sure that none of the remaining Nox Fleurets got any ideas of escape. Not after King Regis, Prince Noctis, and their remaining retinue had been run out of the area.

Even more insulting and devastating was how the Nox Fleuret children were not allowed to go and mourn the loss of their mother. She had been their only surviving parent, and now that both their mother and father were gone, things were now mildly left to both Ravus and Stella. More Stella than Ravus, especially as the next Oracle in line.

"Do you think Prince Noctis will be okay?" Lunafreya asked one day as she, Ravus, and Stella sat at the largely empty dining room table.

"… King Regis managed to flee with the Prince. I'm sure they are safely back in Lucis as we speak," Stella replied, cutting into her food before taking a bite.

Ravus' expression soured, and he ground his knife down into his food, the metal screeching against his plate once it cut through. "Yes, and I'm sure he's living quite comfortably back home. I wonder how he even sleeps after such a cowardly display the day of the fires."

Stella's hands stilled before she laid her utensils down. Her brow furrowed slightly. "You know that Regis is not to blame for everything that happened. It was at the hands of Niflheim that Mother was struck down."

"In which they would not have been here were it not for the Lucian family!" Ravus spat.

Lunafreya recoiled at her brother's venomous words. "The Prince would have died had he not been delivered into our care, Ravus. You know the prophecy just as we do: he is the Chosen King. Mother could not allow him to die and be the reason our star is plunged into darkness."

"What do you know of 'darkness' anyway?" Ravus sneered, allowing his emotions to get the better of him. He set his own utensils aside. "We have lived under the thumb of Imperial rule for generations with false promises that they would allow us to maintain Tenebrae as we always have."

Sharply, Ravus motioned toward the windows of the dining hall. Beyond them, pairs of Magitek Troopers could be seen patrolling the grounds outside. "Thanks to the Lucians, we are nothing but lambs awaiting slaughter by Niflheim's hand!"

"We are not saying that what happened to Mother isn't a tragedy, Ravus!" Stella snapped, pushing her plate away with a clatter. She stood, glaring down at Ravus in the process. "But to blame King Regis for turning to the only person who could remove the Starscourge from the Lucian Prince is folly at best! Had our positions been reversed, Mother would have turned to the Lucian King for any of our sake!"

"Easy for you to say, isn't it!? Next in line as Oracle as you are!" Ravus retorted, equally heated. He also rose from his seat, his angry gaze boring back into Stella's own. "You get to oversee Tenebrae just as Mother did. Bet you're happy about that, aren't you? Excited as you've been to become the next Oracle."

Stella's hand flew up before it made contact with Ravus' cheek, eliciting a sharp hiss of pain from him.

Lunafreya's hands flew to her mouth as she gasped. Her eyes went wide as she watched on in horror.

Ravus looked back at Stella. He glowered at her until he noticed the look of sheer anger and disgust in her face. He then noticed the tears that lined her eyes.

"How dare you!?" Stella seethed.

"S-Stella, no, I didn't mean—" Ravus began, his expression having fallen to something more apologetic and surprised at himself. The area on his cheek where Stella struck him was already reddening.

"Oh, I think we both know exactly what you meant. How dare you even insinuate that I, in any capacity, am celebrating Mother's death…" Stella fumed, her rage boiling under the surface. She was doing everything in her power to fight the crack and warble to her tone as tears threatened to fall freely from her eyes. "You think I wanted to be on my way to ascend to Oracle like this? At the fall of our own Mother!?"

Stella shook her head, biting at her lower lip momentarily and sniffling before recomposing herself. "You speak of how can Regis sleep at night… I hope you can sleep well tonight knowing the heinous accusation you made of me. Because Mother would be ashamed of you right now."

Turning on her heel, Stella left the dining hall, the clack of her boots hitting the tile the only thing that could be heard as she left. Both Ravus and Lunafreya watched her go, though Ravus slowly slumped back into his seat, his head soon hung in shame. He made no effort to address Lunafreya, nor did he try to stop her when she slid her chair from the table and hurried along after Stella.

Once she was past the doors, Lunafreya called out: "Stella, wait!"

Stella halted, a sniffle audible from her as she lifted a hand to wipe her eyes. She shook her head slightly, shaking her bangs out of her eyes before turning to look at Lunafreya. There was no attempt from her to put on false happiness or contentedness. After what Ravus said to her, she could not bring herself to even attempt such a facade.

"Have you finished dinner, Luna?" Stella asked. She kept herself pointed forward instead of turning to look at Lunafreya.

"… I… I lost my appetite…" Lunafreya admitted.

"I see…" Stella issued a silent scoff at herself. "I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you off of your meal."

"I know…" Lunafreya fidgeted with the hem of her blouse, looking down at her fingers as she did so. "I know you're mad at Ravus… He said something very mean without thinking…"

Stella scoffed more audibly this time. "Thinking isn't something he's good at."

"He's still angry."

"That much is obvious, yes…"

Lunafreya frowned.

Stella's shoulders heaved with a heavy sigh before she finally looked at Lunafreya. Her cheeks and nose were flushed red with the anger and tears she had been fighting. Shaking her head again, Stella slowly approached Lunafreya and placed a hand on her shoulder while managing a pursed smile. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. You don't deserve my my ire."

For a moment, Stella rubbed her thumb on Lunafreya's shoulder, trying to wrangle her thoughts and formulate something meaningful. Or at least formulate something that spoke more to the maturity she wanted to express. Her eyes searched Lunafreya's own for a moment before she finally said, "What angers me is that Ravus' hatred and anger is misdirected."

"I think he's scared."

Stella's lips thinned in thought before she slowly nodded. "That I can understand… I won't say that I'm not scared as well…"

Rushing in, Lunafreya threw her arms around Stella, burying her face against her. "I'm scared, too. What will happen to us?"

Raising a hand, Stella gently stroked Lunafreya's head, her other arm wrapping around her in turn. "I promise you, Luna, I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to you. And just like I will ensure nothing happens to you, I will make sure that nothing happens to Ravus, either."

"Even when he's being so horrid to you?"

"Yes, even if he's being horrid to me…" Stella affirmed. She managed a more genuine smile, and she then gave an amused, if incredulous laugh. "Even with as…as childish as he is being right now, I know he still grieves for Mother. We all are."

"Do you forgive him?" Lunafreya asked, pulling back to look up at Stella.

Stella had to fight the desire to roll her eyes, and settled with another heavy sigh. "No. Not yet. Even if he didn't mean what he said, he still said it, and it still hurt. It still hurts. He needs to apologize before I think about forgiving him. Even if I understand his pain and why he hurts…that understanding is not forgiveness. He must work to make amends himself."

Lunafreya nodded slowly, taking in Stella's explanation. "I hope he apologizes soon, then…"

At that, Stella chuckled with a sense of disbelief. "It'll be like pulling teeth with him."

Chapter Text

Sweat trickled down the side of Tandem's face as his chest and shoulders heaved with the breaths of exhaustion he made. His brow was furrowed, and his gaze was locked with that of Gladiolus Amicitia. As it stood, their Houses were rivals: Arm and Shield. Both needed to be powerful in their own ways.

Tandem's foot anchored into the dirt for a moment before he glanced momentarily in his sister's direction. He could see how her arms trembled, how her loose strands of hair stuck to her face in sweat-slicked mats.

"That the best you two got?" Gladiolus taunted from the other side, a prideful smirk evident upon his lips. "C'mon, when our parents were our age, I heard your mother gave Dad a run for his money a lot of the time. Neither of you can even keep up with me!"

Charging in, Gladiolus shoulder rushed Primam, catching her in the chest and knocking her back across the dirt and grass. She tumbled, new grass stains marring her training clothes before she stilled and then slowly began to push herself back up. It was a sight that made Gladiolus scoff.

"Guess I'll be the Shield and the Arm," Gladiolus remarked, chuckling to himself.

"Arsehole," Tandem hissed. He launched himself forward, wooden sword in his grasp as he swung at Gladiolus. It was an open and sloppy attack that allowed for Gladiolus to parry with his own wooden blade and then scruff Tandem by the back of his neck once his weight had been displaced. The next thing Tandem knew, he was hurtled toward the ground, the wind knocked out of him as he was then held there firmly.

"If you wanna use grown up words, you'll be thrown down like a grown up, too," Gladiolus chided with a cocksure grin spread over his lips.

A growl left Tandem and he slammed a fist into the ground, frustrated. He glowered from his position of having his cheek pressed into the dirt up at Gladiolus. The sweat that clung to Tandem’s face now mixed with the dirt below.

It just was so angering! How cocky and confident Gladiolus acted during their training sessions! It was enough to make Tandem's blood boil under the surface.

With Gladiolus busy with Tandem, Primam had gotten herself back up to her feet. There was no hesitation from her this time around. She rushed for Gladiolus from behind, arms outstretched as she leaped at him. Hooking her arms around his neck and shoulders, her legs around his waist, she yelled: "Get off my brother!"

Tandem looked at Primam just in time to see her open her mouth and chomp down on Gladiolus' shoulder. It was an act that made Gladiolus let go of Tandem, then try to reach back for Primam. Of course, Tandem watched for a little longer than anticipated — he had never seen her resort to biting Gladiolus. Though…for all intents and purposes, it seemed to have worked effectively.

Gladiolus ended up grabbing Primam's hair and tugging to try and loosen her hold on him. All the while, a surprised, "Did you just bite me!?" fell from his lips.

Clenching his jaw, Tandem soon scrambled for his training sword. Reaffirming his hold upon the hilt, Tandem swung it into Gladiolus' abdomen with a yell. Primam distracting the future Shield with her unconventional methods provided enough for Tandem to get several swings in. He was not being gentle, either; Tandem was very much putting as much strength as an eight-year-old could into those swings. The only thing that softened those blows was the fact that each one of them were outfitted with training armor as well that soaked the impact.

"Hey, cut it out!" Gladiolus bellowed, leaning forward and reaching back to grab Primam by her sides. Once she was firmly in his grasp, Gladiolus threw her forward into Tandem after kicking him back. Both twins had the wind knocked out of them as they fell to the ground in a heap.

Placing his hands upon his hips, Gladiolus huffed and then looked down at his shoulder. His frown deepened as he saw what he could of the teeth marks Primam left behind on his bare shoulder. He did his best to shrug it off. Shifting his attention back toward the twins, Gladiolus watched them. Primam had gotten up and was helping Tandem up onto his own feet. Gladiolus met Tandem's gaze, the younger boy expressing a great amount of defiance and anger both.

"Prim, you okay?" Tandem asked, not taking his eyes off of Gladiolus.

"Yeah… I-I think so…" Primam replied, letting go of Tandem's hand and looking herself over briefly. "I didn't think he'd actually throw me."

"I'll do it again if you want to keep biting me, too!" Gladiolus quipped, jabbing a finger at Primam.

"No you won't!" Tandem snapped, leaning down to pick his training sword back up.

"Y'gonna stop me, pipsqueak?" Gladiolus widened his stance and held his arms out, preparing for Tandem to rush him again.

Tandem's grip tightened on the handle of his sword.

"Wait…" Primam placed a hand on his shoulder, her brow furrowed as she looked at him. She lowered her voice after glancing between Gladiolus and her brother. "Remember what Mum's said before: you can't just rush in all the time."

Shrugging off her hand, Tandem kept eye contact with Gladiolus. All he knew was that he wanted to keep wailing on the opponent before him.

"Your sister's got the right idea. If you quit now, maybe I won't beat your ass too badly." A grin formed over Gladiolus' lips.

Clenching his jaw, Tandem dashed forward once more. Wooden sword held at the ready, he went in for the strike. If anyone was going to be kicking anyone's ass, it was him!

Thankfully, the Chorus estate had been bereft of both Primam and Tandem's parents. Only one of the housekeepers was seen, and she seemed too busy tending to the gardens to see the twins come back home from training. The distraction there at least made it easy for both to slip in without having to have any discussions with anyone. Not to mention face making a training report to their mother.

"I told you to wait," Primam was saying, sighing as she rummaged in the freezer and then handed off an ice pack to Tandem. He was sat at the dining room table. Taking it from Primam with some annoyance, Tandem pressed it against his cheek, now swollen with a weal of purple skin.

"… I can't stand him," Tandem hissed, his brow furrowed.

Primam pulled a chair out for herself, the legs stuttering on the wood floor before she had a seat. There was this frown on her face as she thought about their training. She had not come out of the session unscathed. Though she had not noticed them in the moment, now that she was home, her legs and side had some bruising thanks to when Gladiolus had thrown her into Tandem.

"He seemed different," Primam commented after a moment.

"Huh?" Tandem's frown creased as he considered Primam's words.

Placing her elbow on the table and then propping her head in her hand, Primam went on: "I dunno. Meaner. Ever since the king and Noct came back from Tenebrae, Gladio's been kinda meaner."

Silence settled between the two of them for a time, and Tandem adjusted the ice pack on his face again. He scoffed and shook his head. "I guess. But I feel like he's always been mean."

A low hum of consideration left Primam. "Has he? He's been nice to me before."

"Well…you bit him."

"Because he was being mean."

Frustrated, Tandem placed the ice pack on the table's surface. "Mum said we can't expect him to be friendly all the time. Especially during training. He's gonna be Shield. We're gonna be Noct's future Arms. We need to learn how to fight better than him."

"I can bite him again."

Tandem looked at Primam, mouth slightly agape. His expression of disbelief quickly turned to amusement when Primam started giggling. Her laughing was infectious, and Tandem began to laugh as well, the bruise on his face smarting — thankfully not enough to make him stop.

When finally the two of them settled, Tandem brought the ice pack to his face once more to quell the throb. He grew pensive once more, his attention going out toward the expanse of their estate's property beyond the double glass doors that led to the back. There was plenty of patches that were flattened from years — generations — of Chorus members having used the grounds to train.

So their mother said.

"… Mum's gonna be mad if we can't beat Gladio," Tandem mused, leaning his cheek against the ice pack in his hand now. His brow furrowed when he thought about their training earlier. "He really rubbed it in our face — about Mum and his dad. About how Mum could easily beat him in training."

"Yeah, well…" Primam began, kicking her legs under the table as they dangled off the chair. "I'm pretty sure Mum's part daemon."

A snort left Tandem before he started laughing again. "You're lucky she's not home right now."

Primam shrugged. Then standing from the chair, she brought a hand to her chin. "We should go see Master Arbor and get our bruises healed up. Mum will be furious if we don't get them tended to before school tomorrow."

"Yeah…" Tandem sighed, pushing out from the table and standing as well. He looked at Primam before the two of them went to leave the Chorus manor. "You think we'll be able to actually beat Gladio eventually? He's already so much bigger than us."

"Master Clarus is bigger than Mum…" Primam replied, eyes flicking upward in thought. "If she's been able to beat Master Clarus, we should be able to beat Gladio. There's two of us and one of him!"

"We just need to train more with Gladio! Easy!" Tandem punched his fist into the ice pack in his opposite palm. "We'll beat him."

Chapter Text

"We can't keep homeschooling him…"

"I know."

"… And we can't enroll him into the Citadel's educational regimen."

"I know."

"If anyone finds out about his barcode, they're going to ask questions."

"I know."

A boy — only eight years of age — was standing in the hall, hidden behind the wall as he heard the two women in the kitchen speak in hushed tones. All the while, he looked down at his right wrist where the barcode they were talking about was marked upon his skin. A furrow formed between his brow, and the boy remained silent as he simply listened to the words being exchanged.

He had been prompted to sneak out and eavesdrop due to the previously loud discussion that had quieted over time. Certainly an effort to avoid waking him up — so he assumed.

The sound of shuffling papers could be heard.

"… I took the liberty of looking into some primary schooling options for Prompto." The first woman was speaking, and a sheet being pulled from a folder, or a set of other sheets was heard before the sound of it sliding across the counter surface. "This one's the closest. It's safe, and he can easily walk to and from it."

Silence from within the kitchen tempted the boy — Prompto — to lean over and take a peek from the corner of the hall. He could see both women, illuminated only by the dim light under the stove exhaust. One woman who had dark black hair in a bob-cut was leaning forward, elbows propped on counter with her head in her hands. The other woman had her fiery-red hair pulled back into a braided bun, and was also leaning on the counter at a side angle, her eyes fixed on the woman next to her.

When the black-haired woman moved, Prompto quickly hid back behind the wall once more, quietly shimmying toward where his room was located just a couple paces. However, he did not hear her shifting to start walking toward his location. Instead, he heard her pick up the paper with the school information on it before it was followed by further silence.

A sigh.

"… Do you really think it's fine, Dulce?" the black-haired woman finally asked.

"He needs a shot at a normal life as a normal kid," Dulce said in response. She then issued a sigh of her own. "For all the circumstances that brought Prompto into our life, don't you think he deserves at least that much, Nite? We can't keep sheltering him while also pretending that your reserves from your time with the Guard are bottomless."

"I know… You're right."

"When am I not?" Dulce asked in rhetorical fashion, a chuckle leaving her. Prompto heard the sound of a kiss being pecked upon the other, and then a soft scoff of resigned amusement from Nite. Then, the sound of paper being shuffled once more was heard before a more contented sigh.

"I'll go ahead and call this school tomorrow for myself…schedule a visitation to see it and talk with the principal… From there, speak with Pax about getting everything in order," Nite said.

Though he had originally gotten up to fetch himself some water, Prompto decided it best not to intrude upon his mothers. It seemed like everything they were talking about concerned him…and honestly, the subject made him uneasy. More when he looked back down upon his barcode — a topic he knew was touchy. Especially when it came to Nite and how she handled it.

Silently, Prompto tiptoed back to his bedroom and slipped back within to see if he could get to sleep.

"That wristband's looking a bit small these days, huh, kiddo?" Nite asked, kneeling down in front of Prompto and taking up his arm to look down at how the rather worn article of clothing was hugging against his wrist. It was leaving an impression into his skin at this point with how tight it had gotten.

"I guess," Prompto replied, turning his wrist over in Nite's hand for a moment.

They were standing at the entrance to their home, a brand new school bag filled with necessary work books, utensils, and a packed lunch within sitting next close to the shoe rack. Prompto had been asked to bathe and dress up in clean clothes the day prior, and he did as asked when he finally rolled out of bed. He had already been informed and talked to about going to school. The very idea of going was both exciting…and worrying. Worrying if only because of the wristband he wore whenever he went out into the public.

Nite looked at Prompto, her eyes searching his. He looked at her in turn, watching as she pursed her lips. It was something she did whenever there was something she wanted to say.

"… You want me to keep the wristband on, I know," Prompto began, looking down again at it. The wristband was, at this point, a dirtied beige color that could no longer adhere to getting cleaner no matter how many times it had been washed — the hints of green stars were faded on it.

"Dulce and I don't want you to get hurt because of the mark on your wrist. You know that, right?" Nite asked, her eyes going back down to his wristband. She gently brought her hand up and placed it over the back of his.

Prompto nodded.

"… I still don't really get why me being from Niflheim is such a big deal… Is it really that bad? Being from Niflheim?" Prompto quietly asked. His frown was more like a pout upon his face, though it still spoke volumes of how uncomfortable this whole situation made him.

At this, Nite sighed. Her expression became unreadable as she looked over Prompto again and then lifted her free hand to gently run her fingers through his hair. She allowed the silence to linger for a little while before she finally opened her mouth and replied with: "Unfortunately…some very bad and important people from Niflheim have done a lot of terrible things to the people of Lucis. Many people just…will see you differently if they know you're from there."

Prompto looked again at his wrist. Nite used both hands and got the wristband removed, setting it aside on the ground next to her. She then ran her thumb over the barcode before reaching into her purse and pulling out a newer, slightly larger wristband and slipping it over the marking.

"If anyone ever asks you why you wear a wristband so much, just say that it's lucky," Nite requested. She managed to smile up at Prompto, trying to assuage his own uncertainties that were most definitely there. "Mama Dulce made it, after all. She made sure that it's your favorite color."

A soft laugh left Prompto, and he turned his wrist over again, looking at the new wristband. It was an off-white with a grass-green stripe along the center of it. Looking up at Nite, a small smile found its way onto his face. "I know Mom left early…but I'll thank her for it when she's back home tonight."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that," Nite remarked, pushing herself back up into a standing position while grabbing both her purse and the old wristband. She then leaned back down to pick up Prompto's backpack to hand off to him. "Now, are you ready for your first day of school, Bee?"

With the question, Prompto's expression fell slightly. He shook his head in a shallow fashion. "No…not really. But…you and Mom gotta work — that's what Mom said. So I'll do my best!"

Bringing her hand to the back of Prompto's head, Nite stroked his hair before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his forehead. She looked at him with a gentle expression. "That's our boy. And if anything happens, be sure to tell either of us. We'll do what we can."

"I will."

"Good…" Nite got her shoes put on before reaching over and handing Prompto his. Once both had their shoes on their feet and respective bags readied, they walked out of the house and to the car.

The nerves that riddled Prompto were abundant, and as he sat in the front seat, he kept his gaze pointed out the passenger window. He was determined to commit the streets to memory — especially if the school really was close enough to walk to and from. Anything that lessened the hassle of having to make his mothers worry about him too much.

Chapter Text

Noctis sighed. It was a long, wistful sigh as he sat upon his bed, a Cosmogony of Eos book open on his lap. His gaze was elsewhere, having drifted toward the window, looking at the blue sky outside. Just like his gaze, his mind was elsewhere, too.

Visions warred in Noctis' mind.

Sometimes he was back wandering the halls of the Fenestala Manor — granted, with Lunafreya pushing his wheelchair. Other times, he had to shut his eyes tightly as memories of the fires roaring through the ritual grounds engulfed his thoughts. He could still feel the heat on his skin — he could still remember watching helplessly as the Nox Fleuret siblings were swept away, forcing his father to leave them behind.

A whine tore Noctis' attention away from the skies, his brow shooting up into his bangs momentarily. At the side of his bed was a white dog, a small bag secured to it.

"… Pr…Pryna? That's your name, isn't it?" Noctis asked. He reached down, his fingers brushing against her soft fur. He was surprised to see her. As he further processed the fact that she was there, Noctis frantically asked: "L-Luna! How is she? What about Stella? A-And their brother, Ravus?"

In response, the white dog bounced on its feet, yipping softly. She then got up and turned, dancing on her feet to indicate the leather satchel affixed to her. This prompted Noctis to reach forward and unzip the satchel. He dug around shortly, pulling out a familiar red journal — the same one Lunafreya had shown him days before the attack at Fenestala Manor. Looking at it reminded him that Lunafreya requested they write to each other using it.

"I must've forgotten it…" Noctis muttered to himself. At least it was in his possession now.

Turning back toward Noctis, Pryna barked at him. She trotted forward and nudged his hand with the journal. She did this again. And again. Until finally she looked at him expectantly and gave another bark.

Looking at the notebook, Noctis frowned in thought before he finally moved to open it. Of course, there was the pressed sylleblossom there on the very first page. He remembered he said he would see about getting a pressed moonflower sent in response.

As Noctis trailed his fingers along the pressed flower, Pryna had a seat, still looking at him with pert ears. He glanced at her, and then flipped the page where he saw some rather loopy cursive writing. Noctis had no idea what Lunafreya's handwriting looked like, but this must have been it. Looking it over, he began to read, processing the words slowly as he parsed together Lunafreya's words and how she wrote them.

Noctis,

I trust that you made it back to Lucis safely. I hope that you did with every fibre of my being.

The Fenestala Manor is largely unharmed, lest you worry. As am I and my siblings.

Ravus isn't happy. I can't blame him entirely…even if he is being mean to all of us. He and Stella got into a fight over dinner. She hasn't forgiven him yet. He did say something really out of line to her. I'll spare you the details — Mother always told me I shouldn't say things that aren't my place to say.

But…even with as mean as Ravus is right now, he's alive. That's all I can be thankful for right now. Especially since Niflheim has reinforced control over Tenebrae. There are their magitek troopers all over the manor's grounds, now. They make sure my siblings and I don't try to escape. They also make the staff of the manor nervous and scared…

Stella's set to become the next Oracle, though. Her ascension should be soon. I wish we could be happy about it. Even she isn't all that thrilled for the ceremony.

Sorry…I don't mean for this first letter I send to feel so sad. I want you to take comfort in knowing Stella, Ravus, and myself are all alive and well. Also in the fact that we can still keep in touch. If you'd like that. If you do, just write back and send the notebook back with Pryna. She'll know what to do.

Hoping you are safe and well,

Lunafreya

Noctis had to read over the words several times, his fingers tracing over the writing. He felt how the paper was marked with grooves with Lunafreya's writing, and he thought of how to respond. Looking up, Noctis gathered his crutches and hurried over to the desk in his room. Opening the top drawer, he rummaged around until he found a pen. He brought it with him back to the notebook, and sat back down on the edge of his bed. Uncapping the pen, he flipped the notebook to a fresh page, and began to write his response:

Luna,

Im happy to hear that your OK.

His handwriting already paled in comparison to Lunafreya's. As did his grammar — but that was something he had not been learning as diligently as others in his company had. There were some things he held onto, but his words were definitely far less refined than that of Princess Lunafreya's.

Im sorry that theres alot of trouble. All becos me and my dad came by. I herd dad talking about niffelhyme Niflheim being the ones who attacked mum and me at vacashun.

Im sorry about your mum to. My aunt has a son. Hes my cosin Ros. I was there when dad told him and uncle Arbor about her. I never saw Ros cry befor. Ignis also lost his mum and dad during vacashun…

Ill give you a big hug if we can see each other agan. I see Vera ask Ace for hugs if shes sad. Do you need a hug? If you do Ill give you one! The biggest one I can!

Noctis

Finishing up his writing, Noctis noticed how empty the bottom of the page felt. Where Lunafreya used a good portion of the page she wrote on before, Noctis' page was…definitely barren for a good chunk. Something had to be done with it…but what?

Tapping the pen against his chin, Noctis then got it. He drew him giving Lunafreya a hug — both of them with smiles. If he could not do it in person now, then he could at least draw it for her! When he was done, he drew arrows pointing at each person drawn to indicate 'Me' and 'You' when Lunafreya was to receive the notebook back.

Something still felt like it was missing.

"The moonflower!" Noctis exclaimed, capping the pen and dropping it. He collected his crutches once more and hobbled from his room.

Pryna watched after him curiously, casting a glance back at the notebook before trotting along after Noctis. She fell into step behind Noctis, acting every bit as if she belonged as possible. Together, they walked down the largely empty halls of the Citadel…at least until they were stopped by a concerned maid who hurried over toward Noctis after she caught sight of him.

"Highness!" the maid began, shoes clacking against the marble flooring. She looked upon Pryna with mild surprise. Deciding not to question the dog's appearance, she focused on Noctis. "Whatever are you doing out and about without Ignis or one of the Chorus twins?"

"I wasn't going to go far…" Noctis replied, frowning. He did not always need them to escort him around his own home. That was just unnecessary.

Noctis looked down, staring at Pryna for a few seconds before he finally went on to explain himself: "… I told Luna I'd send her back a moonflower from Lucis… I wanted to see if we had any that we could send to her. She gave me a sylleblossom when I was there with Dad. And I promised her…"

The maid hummed with some consideration to Noctis' words. Looking around briefly to see if there were others around, she then said, "Would you like me to find your uncle for you? As you well know, House Viridis knows the royal gardens well. Perhaps he can help you."

Noctis' eyes flicked upward with consideration. He nodded; "Uncle Arbor is probably the best to ask, yeah…"

It also gave him an excuse to maybe see Ros.

"Alright… Let's go find him, then," the maid said. She turned and escorted Noctis, her pace matching his speed as they walked the Citadel.

As it turned out, there was a whole intricate process to getting a pressed moonflower secured — and the time it took made Noctis antsy about being able to send the notebook back to Lunafreya. The process took literal days. Lunafreya must have been worried about not getting Noctis' written response — and that was nothing to say about Pryna!

However, it seemed Pryna made herself quite comfortable with a comfy bed and high quality treats given to her… She was treated kindly by the staff — for a reason.

Once King Regis saw Pryna trailing along after Noctis, he made sure to ask the Citadel staff to treat her as an esteemed guest. In a way, it was to humor Noctis…but the fact that she was here with no feasible way over land or sea…well, it had not been hard to piece together that the dogs of the Fenestala Manor were more than they appeared…

A week. It took a week for the flower to have been pressed, dried, and preserved before it could have been handed off to Noctis. When the pressed moonflower was presented to him, he beamed widely before he happily took it and absconded with it…though, not before remembering his manners and thanking Arbor for going out of his way to do such a task.

With the flower in his possession, Noctis hurried as fast as he could on crutches back to the notebook, Pryna in tow. It was left in his nightstand for safe keeping along with some decorative tape — black with stars and moons on it. Flipping the notebook to the page he previously wrote on, he tucked the flower inside, securing it there with a strip of tape.

Pryna barked, tail wagging behind her as she looked at Noctis expectantly.

"Bet you're excited to go back to Luna, huh?" Noctis asked, smiling down at Pryna.

Again, Pryna barked.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it!" Noctis laughed. He closed the notebook and then eased himself onto the ground, sitting there as he grabbed Pryna's leather harness from under his bed. He got her to step into it before he fastened it snugly — albeit a little sloppily.

Pryna did not seem to mind at least…

Unzipping the leather casing, Noctis slipped the notebook inside. He scrubbed Pryna's head and ears before patting her one last time. "Deliver that back to Luna safely, okay?"

Pryna yipped in understanding.

All it took was a blink, and Pryna was gone.

Chapter Text

For a while now since Noctis’ return from Tenebrae, Ignis took note of how it seemed like the desserts went mostly untouched. From chocolate cookies to Noctis’ otherwise favorite of strawberry shortcakes — they were nibbled on at best. It was an interesting observation, and Ignis chalked it up to Noctis still processing the events that transpired while he was overseas.

When the second week passed and Ignis noted Noctis’ continued lack of enthusiasm regarding the sweets given to him, Ignis finally asked: “Has something been wrong with the desserts, Prince Noctis?”

“I kind of want the dessert I had back in Tenebrae…” Noctis sighed, rocking his fork back and forth on his plate while he propped his head up with his other hand. He pursed his lips before he placed his fork down on the table. “But every time I think about Tenebrae, my mind only lets me see the fire.”

A frown grew on Ignis’ face. He then brought a hand to his chin in thought.

"… Perhaps you can explain it to me…" Ignis began in response. "Maybe I can make it for you."

Noctis looked up, surprise etched upon his face, brow soon hiding into his bangs. "You'd do that?"

"If it's something you want. That's my duty as Hand of the King, right? To make your life easier," Ignis replied, a small smile appearing upon his lips. "If it'll ease your burden, then I shall endeavor to make the dessert for you."

Flour littered the counter tops, mixing bowls were haphazardly placed, and several baking trays of varying goods were strewn about. Arms folded over his chest, Ignis looked upon the newest baking tray with an array of cookies. Burnt cookies.

This was supposed to be a simple task! The royal chefs always made it look so easy when he was learning from them over the last couple of weeks. So why did his baked goods look like they had seen the fires of Ifrit? Honestly, it was so infuriating!

Taking in a breath, Ignis scraped up the cookies from the sheet and set them aside on a plate to be disposed of later. He at least had to count his blessings that it at least seemed like there was not too strong of a burning scent that lingered within the air. Still…it was so disheartening to see the results of everything. This was not the first batch that went awry, and he was certain that it most likely would not be the last…

Okay, time to take it back from the top.

Ignis gathered his notes that he took when watching the chefs and bakers when they were preparing everything. He took time to measure out the flour, butter, and sugar once more. Again, this was supposed to be simple. Three ingredients! It was a perfect recipe for beginners!

At least that was what it was supposed to be…

Maybe it would have been better if he actually worked alongside someone who knew their way better around the kitchen. Perhaps he could have even asked his uncle for some pointers or assistance.

Too late for that now. At least for the day. Besides, with Prince Noctis still needing time to rest and recuperate since returning from Tenebrae, these slow moments in the Citadel's kitchens could not have been wasted.

Still…

Ignis gathered the platter of burnt cookies and sighed. Turning, he nearly flinched and threw all the cookies onto the floor at the sudden appearance of one of his peers — another noble whose House served the Crown. Her smile would have been misconstrued as teasing had Ignis not come to know her habits and general disposition.

"… Mollis…" Ignis calmly greeted after he recomposed himself.

"Sorry, Iggy," Mollis giggled, bringing a hand to cover her mouth. "I thought I smelled something good, so I wanted to see what was being made. Then I saw you!"

A straightforward rundown…

"Are you making something for the Prince?" Mollis suddenly asked, pointing toward the plate of less-than-presentable cookies.

"Ah…" Ignis' brow furrowed as he frowned. He shook his head. "No… They are not befitting of His Highness."

"Oh, okay! Can I have one?" Mollis chirped, rocking from side to side, keeping eye contact with Ignis.

"… They're burnt."

"Nuh uh." Mollis shook her head with her denial of Ignis' response. This only elicited a confused look from Ignis, complete with narrowed eyes.

Mollis then reached over and picked one up. She held it for Ignis to see. "Look! It's like my mom makes them sometimes! Dark and gold. She says that's how Dad likes them!"

Bringing the cookie to her mouth, Mollis took a bite out of it, Ignis reaching up to stop her. A look of exasperation settled on Ignis' face as he furrowed his brow. Even with as pursed as his lips got, Mollis continued to happily eat the cookie, looking no worse for comfort…

"… You don't have to pretend to like it for my sake…" Ignis finally said.

"But I do like it!" Mollis chirped, reaching for another cookie. She looked down at the new on in her hold, turning it over. "So it's a little burned… But I think it tastes good. I love crunchy cookies!"

Ignis winced, taking in a breath before looking at the platter of cookies. He had dismissed the very idea of even trying them had they not turned out like the image he had for reference. Though, seeing Mollis scarfing down the cookies she nicked from the platter, Ignis slowly reached over, his brow furrowed, and picked one up for himself. Like Mollis, he turned it over in his hand, scrutinizing and judging it.

Lifting it to his mouth, Ignis took a small bite.

There was…surprisingly not as much of a burnt flavor as he had been expecting.

He took another bite, larger this time.

"… It… It is good…" Ignis said, awe in his voice as he took up another one of his previously-thought-failed cookies.

Nibbling and crunching filled the otherwise empty air the longer that Ignis and Mollis ate the failed batch of cookies. Mollis looked content — Ignis watched her to make sure that she was not still just yanking his chain when it came to the flavor or consistency of the cookies. Even if he did taste them for himself and confirmed they tasted alright, there still lingered that little thread of doubt to his current capabilities.

"So why are you making desserts?" Mollis finally asked. Her big, green eyes peered up at Ignis, and her hand went over to take yet another cookie. She may as well… Ignis himself said that they were going to be thrown out otherwise, and he was not going to retract that statement…even if he had second thoughts to it at this point.

Ignis paused and leaned against the counter, looking at the cookies he made though did not fully appreciate. They were still far from perfect. Even if they did pass the taste test.

It took a moment for Ignis to compose his thoughts. Closing his eyes, he sighed and then explained it to Mollis who listened to him with rapt attention. As rapt as it could be maintained for an eight-year-old. She had plenty of questions, but by the time Ignis finished his explanation, she pointed a wide, toothy grin at him.

"That's so nice of you, Iggy…!" Mollis chirped. She gazed down at the new cookie in her hand and then placed it back on the plate. "I think you should try giving those to the other noble kids. Noct, too! If you want to make desserts that are good to Noct, you should see if they're good for everyone else!"

Ignis cast a bemused look in Mollis' direction. "Oh? Do you think that'd help make the dessert Noctis had from Tenebrae?"

"Maybe?" Mollis shrugged as she said it. She then started to leave the kitchen, only looking back once she reached the large double doors. Flashing another toothy grin at Ignis, she said, "But even if the others don't help you, I think they'd all be happy if you shared!"

Before Ignis could get a response in, Mollis pushed the door open and ran out without so much as saying 'goodbye'. Clearly, she had better things to do than to keep lingering around to speak with him.

Still, it was very much like her…

Ignis brought a finger up and curled it around his chin in thought. He looked at the plate and tray of remaining cookies. There was still a number of them left. Enough to give at least three or four per individual that would have appreciated them…hopefully. Maybe Mollis had a point bringing up the notion of sharing them. Maybe the others could be good ways to gauge how his culinary exploits are received.

Setting out about the kitchen, Ignis looked for some of the festive wrapping he remembered some of the staff used for special occasions and went to get the cookies packaged. He had the time… After they were wrapped neatly, he decided, he would go and make the rounds to see if the other noble children would have enjoyed them.

Chapter Text

Hot. Humid. Muggy…

'Just wait for it…' the girl thought to herself. She hid away in the foliage of the royal gardens. Though she had been tucked away there for what felt like hours already, she stubbornly stuck it out, knowing that her opportunity would arise any minute now.

The glass doors to the gardens creaked open.

Gasping silently, a smile spread over the girl's lips as she peered past the giant leaves of the tropical plant she hid behind. She was sure someone told her what kind of plant it was before, but that hardly mattered now. Especially when the girl's target walked in through the door.

It was hard to contain her giggles, but she clasped a hand over her grinning mouth before silently tiptoeing over the loamy soil. Thank the Six that the soft dirt cushioned and muffled her steps as she kept a watchful eye on the boy that had entered. The more that she skulked along the foliage, the closer she got to him. The closer she got to him, the more her grin grew behind her hand.

She reached out slowly and then finally grabbed the boy's sides. He jumped forward with a yell, knocking over one of the potted plants and stumbling back into the flower bed. The girl giggled, catching his look of surprise as he went down.

"Lyra!" the boy exclaimed, pouting as he crawled off the flowers. He looked at them with a frown, seeing how some of the flowers and leaves now had a wilted appearance from his falling on them. Gently cupping his hands around some of the flowers, he cast Lyra a disapproving look; "Not funny, Lyra! These are the royal family's flowers!"

Lyra's expression fell somewhat, her smile fading at her friend's scolding of her. A sheepish — perhaps mildly hurt — expression befell her face. Walking forward, she eased herself down to kneel next to the boy.

"… Sorry, Ros…" Lyra slowly said. "I…I didn't mean to ruin the flowers. Or…make you mad."

Ros huffed, not replying to Lyra right away as his hands started to glow with green mana as he focused his abilities. The flowers slowly started to right themselves, the bends and wilts slowly returning to their previous state of being — or at least looking — healthy. Lyra had seen Ros do this before…she remembered he had been getting better and better at using Cure spells and working his way up to Cura.

"… You're getting good at that," Lyra commented, resting her hands on her thighs. She watched the flowers a moment longer until they looked as if they had not been fallen into at all. In her wonder, Lyra found herself smiling a bit. "Have you been able to do this with anything other than plants, too?"

Ros stayed silent a moment longer, still pouting. He gingerly used a finger to move the stems of the flowers, observing them while he percolated on Lyra's question. With a sigh of relief, he finally turned his attention toward Lyra.

"… Yeah," Ros said, answering Lyra's question. "Uncle Arbor took me to the Glaive HQ to help with some of the injured Glaives…"

Lyra's brow went up, and her eyes widened. She leaned toward Ros with a grin, bombarding him with questions that welled within her; "And? What happened? What kind of injuries did you heal? Did your spells work?"

"Ugh! Slow down!" Ros replied with a huff, frowning. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Yeah, the spell worked. There was this guy and his friend…he had, uh…an injured leg. I don't think it was broken — a sprain, maybe? His leg looked all red and purple — but not super bad. Uncle Arbor let me heal it…once it was okay with the Glaive guy first, though."

A smile finally appeared on Ros' lips once he was satisfied with the flowers being healed nicely. Sitting back, he folded his legs so he was cross-legged. He seemed pleased with himself as he recalled what happened. "It was really cool, though! He got up after it healed and hopped around on his leg after I healed it! Like…! I did that!"

"That's so cool!" Lyra cooed, a grin still on her face. She was impressed hearing about this — hearing that her friend was doing something awesome. Leaning over, she bumped her shoulder with his, giggling. "I bet I'll be able to do cool things soon, too. Like what Ace and Vera do!"

Lyra excitedly balled her hands into fists, shaking them briefly.

"Like…! Can you imagine? Ace and Vera already know how to use so many illusion Green Magic spells! I want to learn how to do what they do, too!" Lyra giddily said, bouncing on her knees. "Going invisible? Learning how to disguise myself? Making different kind of images other people see? Even Ace and Vera know how to use magic to change their voices, too!"

"Yours and Mollie's families specialize in all kinds of Green Magic…" Ros said, musing to himself as his eyes flicked upward toward the glass ceiling. He grinned over at Lyra. "I bet you and Mollie could come up with new ideas with one another."

A look of realization settled on Lyra's face.

"Maybe! I know Ater's been teaching her some really cool ones," Lyra replied. "Like Silence! I remember Vera taking me out to the shooting range one day, and Ater used a Silence spell. It's so weird having everything just be so quiet around me. I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears!"

"What?" Ros looked mildly surprised at that. "You can't hear your own heartbeat like that!"

"But I did! I heard it like when you put the heartbeat listening thingy on my chest!" Lyra exclaimed.

"Stethoscope."

"Yeah!" Lyra then brought her hands up, her fingers put into a claw shape around her ears as she moved them around somewhat. "I could also feel it. My heartbeat in my head. When I told Vee about it, she told me that when things go so silent like that, you start to hear what's going on inside your body instead of what's outside. Cos that's all you got."

Lyra lowered her hands and then held up a finger in a matter-of-fact way. "She also said that people can be driven mad if kept in silence like that too long."

"What? That's crazy… How can silence drive people mad?" Ros asked, frowning as his face contorted into confusion.

Lyra shrugged, throwing up her hands in the process. "Beats me!"

She then grinned. "Honestly, I want to be doing something else, too. If House Vox is supposed to be the Ears of the King? Then I want to hear everything. If I have ways to listen where I want, when I want, then who else could say they're a better Ear than me?"

Sneaking around the Citadel was nothing new. It was, in fact, more of a pastime whenever Lyra used the excuse that she wanted to go and see her siblings. Much as the staff of the Citadel seemed to be worn to exasperation when it came to wrangling her and getting her back to her tutors.

Today, however, Lyra was free of her normal tutoring. So she was free to wander…for the most part.

Okay, so maybe not. But! Lyra skulked around the Vox Intelligence Bureau in just her socks (she learned it was a good way to muffle her footsteps as opposed to being barefoot or even wearing shoes!), dodging the notice of some of the staff that were working in the archives as she tiptoed around in search for a particular office in the back of the wing. Most of the frosted windows that allowed a vague peek into each of the rooms had been darkened — indicative of each person who usually occupied them as being gone. Though, there was a room where the light was on and the door was cracked ajar.

That was the room that Lyra wanted.

Quickly and silently padding down the hall, Lyra almost reached the room before a voice inside gave her pause.

Sure, she recognized the voice, but there was a kind of tension there that made her reluctant to open the door and announce her presence.

"—ware of the situation at large…" Lyra caught the tail end of something her brother, Aestus, had been in the middle of saying.

She hunkered down next to the door on the opposite side of where it was cracked. Tilting her head, she did her best to keep listening. Aestus' voice was not loud, and so Lyra had to strain to hear him. Even with the halls being as quiet as they were, bereft of the other staff that normally worked in the bureau.

"Even so, Vera is more than capable of taking on becoming the next Ears of the King while I'm away," Aestus spoke. He issued a sigh, and his tone became more apologetic. "I know you're not happy about me making this decision…but you knew that this is what my life is. What came with it."

Lyra pursed her lips. She was not sure who Aestus was talking to…but she had never really heard him speak so…kindly? to someone else. Or rather…not outside of her or Vera. Which meant that maybe it was her sister-by-marriage…no, sister-in-law, Cordia.

"Because I don't want another incident like back in 734… Too many lives were lost during that time," Aestus said.

That was…certainly before Lyra's time, and she sat there, counting on her fingers on how much time passed between then and when she was born. It was distracting enough that she had not snapped back to listen in on Aestus until she heard him raise his voice — a rare occurrence for him that she knew of. It was not scary…not entirely. Unnerving more than anything.

"You think I don't want to be here and try pretending to have a normal life? The solace I have is the training I'll be undergoing keeping me in Lucis for a handful of years before I finally make my way overseas," Aestus said. He sighed, and Lyra heard him pull out his chair to have a seat. His voice was further away now — only by a bit. "We shouldn't be speaking about this over the pho—I know. But you know just as well as I that speaking like this is a risk. Please, can we discuss this more at home?"

Lyra's face fell after she heard Aestus mention that he was going overseas. She had not heard about that. Not until now. Did Vera even know? Did their pa—well, it was likely that their father knew. He knew everything.

But still…a hollow formed in Lyra's chest. If Aestus was going to leave, who was going to help her with some of her spells now? Vera? Vera was still learning, too!

Keeping to herself, Lyra slowly got up and hurried away. All things considered, there was no doubt he would have been mad if she decided to show up. The last thing Lyra wanted was for Aestus to talk down at her, and sound angry with her. No, she decided it best to try and find Vera. At least then, she could have been spared any ire or disappointment if they were found together.