Chapter Text
The princess and her group showed up right on time, arriving at the door to the Scientia household not long after the kids were safely inside the schoolhouse. The four of them were wearing plainclothes, and they’d left their cloaks wherever they were staying for the duration of their visit, though all but Lunafreya were still visibly armed.
“Welcome in,” Ignis said, opening the door for them with far less hesitation than the previous night. “Tea? Or perhaps you’d like breakfast?” He looked to Libertus for the answer, figuring that if anyone was going to take him up on the offer of food or drink, it would be him.
“‘preciate it,” Libertus replied, “but we’re going out. Aranea’s gonna show us around.”
She shrugged. “Thought we might do a little hunting to work up an appetite before lunch.” She turned to Gladio with a carefully neutral friendliness. “Wanna tag along?”
Gladio glanced up at Ignis from the couch, where he was lacing up his boots. Ignis had expected that they’d both be there to hear the more intricate details Lunafreya had left out the previous night, but then he’d expected that her entourage would be crammed in there with them too. If the others were going out for some exercise, maybe it made sense for Gladio to do the same. He could even chat with them in a more casual environment, where they might open up more, hunter to hunter. He nodded, so Gladio stood up and went for his sword.
“Sure. I could do with the fresh air.” He turned to Ignis and tilted his head. “You two gonna be alright on your own?”
Ignis waved him off. “We’ll be fine, unless another griffon comes through, in which case I leave it to the lot of you.”
Aranea hummed in curiosity, sensing a story. “Fought a rabid griffon couple weeks back,” Gladio explained, ushering her and the other two out the door. “It was pretty badass. I’d say you should’a been there, but, uh, well, it’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it on the road.” He waved goodbye to Ignis, throwing him a proud grin before shutting the door between them, leaving him alone with Lunafreya.
The lovely princess stood with her hands clasped before her, seemingly searching for a way to break into what was bound to be less than a pleasant conversation. Eventually she took a breath and said, “You… fought a griffon?”
It was as good a place to start as any, Ignis supposed. He huffed a tiny laugh at the awkward icebreaker and went to make them some tea (there was a coffee shortage lately and he’d already had a cup that day). “A few weeks ago, yes. It was a… harrowing experience, but we bonded over it, Gladio and I.”
“Are the two of you close?” she asked, clearly a segue into what she really wanted to know: what kind of people were raising Lucis’ hidden prince?
“Quite,” Ignis replied with a private smile, wondering if she would take it the Lucian way or the Tenebraen way. But they were here to be honest with each other, so he clarified with more detail. “We were introduced to each other before Noct’s birth, as the future heir’s eventual retainers, and we’ve been lucky to get along quite well in the years since. I imagine you’re aware that we had posed as spouses to conceal Noct’s identity?”
“Yes, the Crownsguard network and their allies were all informed, in the hopes that someone could find you.” She took a seat at the tiny kitchen table, careful to draw out the chair without scraping it on the floor. A tentative smile crept up into her cheeks. “Though Aranea tells me there’s more to your relationship than a simple act?”
Of course, Ignis thought. Knowing now that the woman was a spy, it didn’t surprise him that she could see past the several layers of deception. And it made sense now, too, that she had taken such obvious note of Ignis’ burning jealousy. “She’s right,” he said with a soft huff, annoyed to have been seen through so readily, but ultimately too pleased with the outcome to be upset. “Our relationship has never been simple; it couldn’t be, with everything we had to go through to get here. But it has become simpler in recent days.” He turned and set down a mug and steeping tea bag in front of her, and a little pot of sugar beside it. “We had a talk. As it turned out, we had both underestimated the strength of our devotion to one another.”
“And you’re together now?” Lunafreya asked, with just the slightest pause before the word together, as if she had deliberated between it and another word.
“Yes,” Ignis told her. He grabbed his mug and joined her at the table, slightly less careful about scraping the legs of his chair. “Although I don’t believe that Noct has noticed a difference. To his knowledge, we are and have always been just what we’ve portrayed ourselves as. I will say it is a relief to have one less secret to keep from him, although I’m not interested in revealing the others to him just yet.”
Lunafreya sipped at her tea. “Yes, it would be difficult to keep him safe with that knowledge, living in such a place. He would need to be moved somewhere more secure, if his identity were to become known. I am told that Meldacio has repelled Imperial attacks before, but I do not think the Empire would be so easily dissuaded, if they knew what was hidden here.”
“Then you understand why I want to remain discreet.”
“I do,” Lunafreya replied. She looked around the small room, out the gap in the single window’s curtains. “Does he have… fun?”
“More than necessary, sometimes,” Ignis said, chuckling at the memory of some of the nonsense Noct had gotten up to during their years at Meldacio. “We go camping out at the Vesperpool occasionally. Other than that he has school, friends. One particular best friend, Prompto, a little orphaned boy we haven’t officially adopted. They’re very close; like brothers, I imagine. I never had any siblings, personally.” He took a drink. “Yourself, Princess? I seem to recall the royal family of Tenebrae having two children?”
“I have a brother, Ravus. And please, call me Luna. I do not wish for you to think me simply a member of a political faction, someone whose schemes you must be wary of.”
A laugh bubbled up out of Ignis, disturbing the surface of his tea. “Do I really seem so paranoid?”
Luna shook her head. “No more than I would expect,” she said. “You were to be Noctis’ political advisor, were you not? A certain level of caution is understandable.”
“I appreciate that,” Ignis said, glad that she didn’t begrudge him his wariness. “But, to be completely honest, my concern about Noct’s well-being is… of a parental sort. Many days I find I haven’t thought of him as a prince once. I’ve acted the part of his father so long now that you’d be hard-pressed to remove me. I do truly think of him as my own. If I were still able to see him as the future king, this situation might be easier.”
“I’m sorry. I can only imagine,” Luna said, her voice full of compassion. “Would that I could release him from his future duties.” There was no ‘but’ or ‘if’ to bring the comment more in line with her known stance, and Ignis was glad that she was able to leave it at that. But he knew that even if they left the details unspoken, those details would still be there, simply unknown, and no less dangerous for his ignorance.
“So tell me of these duties. What exactly will be expected of Noct, when the time comes for him to take on this task?”
Looking down at the table between them, Luna took a moment to collect her thoughts. “I… would like to tell you that I understood it completely. Unfortunately, prophecies are not often as clear as we would like them to be. This is an old prophecy, based on an even older tale of betrayal among the gods, many eons ago.”
“Betrayal,” Ignis repeated, thinking back to the stories of Eos’ creation, and the beginning of the era of men. “You mean the tale of Ifrit?” Pieces began to arrange themselves in his mind as Luna nodded. “His anger towards the humans he had once patronized is said to be the cause of the War of the Astrals, after which the nations as we know them were founded through covenant with Bahamut. This… curse is related to that tale, somehow?”
“We believe so,” Luna confirmed. “Some think it was Ifrit’s final curse upon the world. Others believe it has more mundane origins. Regardless, it has been seen throughout history as a plague which only the Oracle could cure.”
Ignis frowned, seeing a hole in Lunafreya’s story. “Then what need do you have for Noct, if the Oracle can handle it?”
Sadness, perhaps resignation, came over Luna’s face. “It has always been the Oracle’s lot to hold back the Starscourge, but there is only so much that she can do. My mother… She worked tirelessly to stem the tide, but she was overcome. After King Regis’ death, the plague began to spread as it had not in centuries. Many towns in the Imperial countryside have been decimated. I am doing everything in my power to take up my mother’s position as quickly as possible, but I can already feel the weight that broke her. It grows heavier by the day.”
There was so little that Ignis could say to such an admission that he said nothing. Any apologies or thanks would sound like platitudes at best. “So what can Noct do to alleviate this …'Starscourge'?”
Luna took a deep breath and nodded, ready to move on from her own pain. “To our understanding, it is the Crystal of Lucis that kept the curse from overwhelming Eos, these many years. When Regis died, his magic no longer powered the Crystal.”
“Then if Noct can power the Crystal, things should return to normal?”
“...Yes,” Luna said, although it sounded nothing like an affirmation. “...For a time. But his power alone will not be enough to sustain it. The time will come that he will have to gather the power of past kings and offer that power to the Crystal.”
Something didn’t add up. The story refused to lie flat in Ignis’ mind, a tapestry laying rucked and wrinkled. “Why do you believe it will be Noct to gather this power? Why not his children? It could be any of the line of Lucis, correct?”
Looking uncomfortable, Luna folded her hands in front of her. “The line of Oracles has been gifted with the ability to speak with the gods via their messengers. I have received these messages from time to time. Some have been clear; others only hints as to what I must do. That is to say… I was told by the gods.”
“Ah,” Ignis said. It sounded so definite that for a moment he could not even conceive of combating it. But his desperation to keep Noct safe fueled a creative denial in him. “But, you can’t be sure? Perhaps you’ve misinterpreted this hint.”
Pityingly, Luna shook her head. “‘The hidden prince, twice named but never spoken, born in the house of crystal, now protected by flower and flame.’” A hint of amusement showed on her face. “I had briefly thought this might indicate that the prince was to be found near the rock of Ravatogh, but fortunately he was found somewhere more accessible. The flower and flame. Gladiolus and Ignis.”
“That is… fairly indisputable then,” Ignis admitted, feeling a bit exposed to have been spoken of by a messenger of the gods.
“Yes, I believe the other phrases speak for themselves,” Luna said, “at least to those who know.”
A light grimace came over Ignis’ face. “I can only hope the wrong people don’t figure it out.” He thought maybe they should have changed their names entirely after all, as much as he didn’t like the thought of living even more of a lie than they’d been doing. It was too late to bother, though, so he didn’t bemoan the situation to Luna.
“We have some intelligence about the Empire’s data,” Luna told him, “but not enough to say if they know of you two, I’m sorry. However, we’ve already sent word back to Tenebrae, and there are guards enroute to keep watch of the area. Discreetly, of course. I hope that will provide some measure of relief.”
“I can’t say I like the idea,” Ignis said with a sigh, imagining eyes on the back of his head while he was shopping at the market. He didn’t think it would relieve his anxiety about the situation as much as Luna was imagining. Still, it was for Noct’s safety, and he couldn’t begrudge that. “I appreciate it, though. I know it could be worse.”
Luna nodded, and then asked something he hadn’t quite been expecting. “Do you not care for the Crownsguard?”
Did he not? It was a difficult question to even consider. He couldn’t rightly say that yes he disliked them, because most of the Crownsguard members he’d met were good, loyal people, and of course the organization (if you could call it that) was well-intentioned and generally aligned with his values. He’d been proud to be part of the Crownsguard when he was fourteen and training to be the king’s right hand. But everything had changed when he’d found himself carrying the infant prince across miles of wilderness, clutching him to his chest all the while, fearful that the little child might be taken from him. The others just didn’t understand that. They couldn’t. And he didn’t think that had changed in the past five years.
Taking a deep breath, Ignis tried to explain. Whatever the Crownsguard as a whole felt about Noct, he thought Lunafreya might understand his position at least a little. “Time has changed the way I view the Crownsguard’s values, and my own. I would like to think that we’ll always be allies, but such a relationship will only work out if they can respect the choices that Gladio and I have made regarding Noct’s upbringing. I suppose… I’m afraid they might not, even with the backing of the Oracle.”
Luna smiled to hear the title she was working towards. “I hope that my guidance helps them consider their priorities, but I believe you’re underestimating your own power. Aranea’s was not the only word I had before I came here. I’ve spoken to the Crownsguard at length, and many of them have a lot of respect for you and your decisions.”
Frowning, Ignis said, “You made it sound as if they were champing at the bit to relieve us of Noct.”
“That may be,” Luna said, with a soft tilt of her head, “but not out of a mistrust of you or your abilities. I think they worry for the prince’s safety as much as you do, but without being in a position to do anything for him. Of course they want him nearer, but I do believe they’ll defer to your decision to keep him hidden here… if you speak to them.”
The advice sunk slowly and quietly into Ignis’ head as Luna sipped on her tea. Should they not have cut off the rest of the Crownsguard? Had it been too hasty a decision? Too immature? It was strange to think back on that time and realize that he and Gladio had been children, making choices that would impact their whole kingdom.
…Choices that might impact their whole world, if what Luna said was true.
Noct really was that important, wasn’t he? Not just to he and Gladio, not just as an individual. He was important: royally, cosmically. It wasn’t fair, but then was nearly any of this? Was it fair that he’d lost both his parents at a young age? That he’d spent his whole childhood thus far in a shack? Was it fair that Ignis had spent five years on edge, waiting for something terrible to happen?
Maybe… maybe it made sense for Noct to live somewhere safer. Ignis was sure he’d have everything he needed or wanted at the palace in Tenebrae, more servants to wait on him than he could ever use. He could have the charmed life he'd been born into.
Ignis sighed, something he’d found himself doing quite a lot these past few days, after several weeks of unprecedented contentment. Well, he’d known that blissful honeymoon period could only last so long.
Would Noct want to be a prince? Maybe he’d find it fun for a while, getting everything he wanted served up to him without complaint, but Ignis knew him better than just about anyone; the boy would be uncomfortable with the inevitable attention. He was perfectly happy to be the center of attention in small groups of his choosing. He came out of his shell when he was safe at home or out on a fishing trip, but he never spoke up in his classes and he didn’t like talking to people out about town. Having so many eyes on him, even if it was only the Crownsguard and the occasional Tenebraen dignitary, would be like a nightmare to him, and it would hurt Ignis just as badly to see him suffer.
He didn’t tell Luna that he’d second-guessed his decision; the canny young woman could probably tell. He wound back his thoughts to what they’d last been talking about: her opinion that Ignis should speak with the Crownsguard. “May I ask who you’ve spoken to? I presume some of the Crownsguard are in Tenebrae?”
Luna nodded. “Yes, some of the Crownsguard have set up permanently at the embassy, as well as some officials who managed to escape the city.” (Ignis hummed, and hoped it was not too clear the disdain he had for the idea of dealing with ‘officials’, which he assumed meant bureaucrats.) “He doesn’t tend to stay for long, but Cor Leonis returns to the city often, and I’ve spoken to him quite a few times. He’s never described himself as such, but the others seem to consider him their leader. In his absence, Dustin Ackers handles logistics. I would say he is who I’m most familiar with.”
“I suppose I should write to Dustin then,” Ignis said, as much to himself as to Luna. He started mentally composing a number of possible letters, unsure what to say after all this time, especially after his less than orthodox departure from the group. But he stopped his planning and returned his attention to the princess; it was rude to ignore a guest, even one who’d initially invited themselves in.
“He would appreciate that,” she told him with a soft smile.
The conversation fell into another quiet lull then, while they finished their drinks and listened to the bustle of the town just outside of the makeshift home’s thin walls. Ignis thought he probably ought to ask for more clarity about the tasks Noct would have to one day undertake, but he imagined that if Lunafreya had a very definitive answer then she’d have already offered it. Anyway, it wasn’t likely to be relevant just yet, and Ignis was fairly sure that they’d be in contact with the Oracle again before the prophecy came for its dues. The details were less important now than the outcome: that the Scientia family would be at least distantly reunited with its estranged relatives, but Noct would remain just where he was, allowed to live in peace for a while if not indefinitely.
When he dragged himself out of his thoughts, Ignis saw that Lunafreya was looking curiously about what she could see of the house from where she sat. “Would you like a tour?” Ignis asked, not sarcastic but with an edge of humor.
Luna seemed mildly apologetic to be caught looking, as if there was anything wrong with it. “Oh, thank you,” she said, though it wasn’t a yes. “I didn’t mean to intrude upon your privacy. This is just the only place I could be reasonably sure we wouldn’t be overheard.”
“It’s no problem,” Ignis told her. “Rather, compared to keeping Noct’s identity safe, having the Princess of Tenebrae inspect my home is of very little consequence. And I think I can confidently say that you rank among our few friends now, so what’s ours is yours, within reason.”
A shy smile worked its way onto Luna’s face. “Then… may I?” she asked shyly. “I still haven’t had the opportunity to see how many of the Insomnian refugees are living. In the absence of other leadership, it’s my responsibility to be aware of the needs of the people.”
Ignis laughed softly as he stood up from the kitchen table. “It may not be my place to advise a princess, but I won’t tell anyone if you’d rather simply be curious than claim responsibility over every living thing.”
Again Luna seemed caught; she bit her lip against a smile, and nodded as she stood elegantly. “Then, if you would indulge my curiosity, please.”
More than happy to, Ignis led Luna on possibly the shortest tour of a home that a princess had ever received. At one end of the hallway, he gestured into the room that had slept the whole family until quite recently. “The bedroom,” he said with a sweeping motion of his hand. “I’m told the bed is of above-average size among the townsfolk. It was gifted to us by the town’s mayor in thanks for Gladio’s work defending the town from daemons. Before that, the three of us crowded into a much smaller one. I daresay the larger bed allowed Prompto to adopt himself into the family.”
“Did he?” Luna asked, smiling.
“Adopt himself?” Ignis chuckled. “More or less. We’ve not officially adopted him, even by the lax standards of a land with no functioning government. But he spends ninety-nine percent of his time attached to Noct’s side. The last one percent is bathroom breaks.” He nodded for her to follow him to the other side of the hall, where he climbed up the ladder and into the boys’ loft. He picked up as much mess as he could in the ten seconds it took for Luna to follow him up.
Luna seemed charmed by just the idea of Prompto, and by the little room he clearly shared with Noctis, the clutter strewn between the two kid-sized beds evidence of more than one rowdy child. “Why haven’t you?” she asked Ignis, and he noted that she didn’t add ‘if I may ask’ or anything to pad what might be considered a rude question. He was glad she was losing some of that rigidity. Maybe it was impossible to be entirely proper in a house made of shipping containers.
Ignis thought for a moment about how to explain it. “I’ve thought about it,” he admitted, his smile just a touch rueful. “I’ve surprised myself a bit to find that I care about Prompto as much as I do, but it isn’t as much as he deserves, and it never could be. Noct must always be my first priority.” He sat down on the bed he was fairly sure was Prompto’s, idly smoothing some of the blankets down. “Gladio understands that, which is the only reason we can indulge in a relationship. If it ever came down to a choice between the two of them, Gladio would not begrudge my choosing Noct. But I can’t expect Prompto to accept that his parents would always prioritize his brother over him, so it’s better that he not see us that way. It will be less painful in the end.”
“I see,” Luna said, returning his sad smile. Ignis got the feeling that she had some thoughts about his explanation that she wasn’t airing, but she kept them to herself and sat in comfortable silence while he tidied up a bit more.
“Well, there you have it,” he said, once they’d returned to the front room. “Not quite a palace fit for a king, but it’s done the job.”
“It seems well-loved,” she replied, which was a diplomatic thing to say, though Ignis didn’t get the feeling that she was giving lip service. The princess appeared to be a sincere person, though not without humor. He appreciated that about her.
There was little else to do in the house, and with their companions still likely to be out hunting for a while, Ignis suggested that perhaps Lunafreya would like to see the rest of the town. “It’s no Lestallum, but Meldacio has its points of interest.”
“I’d be glad to,” Luna said with a nod, following him out into the town. “I’ve seen very little of any of the towns in Lucis yet. We traveled most of each day to get here, and arrived only a little before dark last night.”
“I doubt Meldacio is a shining example of Lucian culture and architecture,” Ignis said wryly, “but I’m led to believe that it’s a ‘shining jewel’ among the settlements that have popped up since Insomnia’s fall. We’ve even got a laundromat, if you can believe it.”
The ‘inner city’, clustered together under the great stone arches that had once protected the entirety of Meldacio when it was just a hunter’s outpost, now made up less than a tenth of the town, but it still housed some of their most important buildings, not least of which were the primary school (the secondary school classes were in the process of moving to a new building in the outer city), the bathhouse (which had a spa now, evolved slightly from the motley collection of bathtubs and toilets it had once been), and the general-store-turned-post-office. Ignis told Luna about some of their day-to-day, regaling her with thrilling tales of his various part-time jobs. To his mild surprise, she appeared interested in the minutiae, and not at all condescending about the fact that Ignis had occasionally scrubbed soap scum off of shower tiles for a few extra gil. (He didn’t tell her that he’d done it more to keep busy than for the pay; he wasn’t sure if that would paint him in a more or less indigent light, not that he especially cared.)
Out under the late-morning sun, they continued their tour by strolling through the shops quarter, where small businesses had begun to thrive and sometimes aspire towards medium-sized business.
“I believe that is Gladio’s tattooist,” Ignis said, nodding over to a little building where a faint buzzing could be heard. Ink drawings covered what could be seen of the walls through the open front door.
Luna simply said, “Oh!”, looking a little nervous about the idea, which Ignis thought was probably the normal reaction when faced with being stabbed repeatedly by tiny needles. He wasn’t particularly squeamish about the idea anymore, after he’d accompanied Gladio on a few trips to get his feathers shaded in, but he remembered shivering the first time he’d had to watch the artist wipe away what had seemed like far too much blood. That was before he’d started hunting with Gladio, and long before the griffon; he didn’t think anything less than a gallon could phase him anymore.
A little further out was a block of newer buildings: townhouses and small apartments that resembled homes one might have found in a real city, and (as far as Ignis knew) built to some sort of code more strenuous than ‘keeps the rain off your head’. “These are some of the newest homes,” he told Luna, as they watched people stream in and out. “They’re reportedly much nicer than the older places, including ours. The city offered us one, but we preferred to keep what we have. It’s closer to the school and the hunt board, and we’ve grown attached to it.” He didn’t bother mentioning that it was also safer, underneath the arches and farther from the dangers of the wilderness; he didn’t want to point out these houses’ flaws under the watchful ear of their residents.
Along the outskirts, they visited two of the town’s nicer destinations: the chocobo stables and paddocks, and the new park that sat behind it. Ignis called for Priscilla as they approached the outer field, where the chocobos who were allowed to come and go sometimes lingered. She didn’t come running, so Ignis could only assume she was out living whatever secret life she had outside of being their pet. He and Luna meandered along the fence, gazing at the other birds and sometimes petting the friendlier ones who approached them for attention.
“Tenebrae is too mountainous to travel by chocobo,” Luna said, gently scratching her fingers through the downy feathers on a bird’s face. “They’re amazing creatures.”
“I’m inclined to think so,” Ignis agreed, and he told her the story of Priscilla’s role in their daring escape from Lestallum, a tale she confirmed was barely more than wild rumor among the Crownsguard.
They were walking through the park a little further along the way, both appreciating the power of a bit of organized nature for making a place feel civilized, when a thought flitted across Ignis’ mind that made him laugh. “It’s nothing important,” he told Luna when she tilted her head at him curiously. He smiled, a bit embarrassed and yet pleased at how absurd the situation was. “It occurred to me that we might seem like a young couple, strolling about on a day like this. Not long ago, I’d have been very conscious of something like this, of how it might appear to others. Before Gladio and I spoke to each other, I was consumed by the thought that he and Aranea were an item, that others would see their affair and it would cast doubt on the story we’d crafted about our identities.”
“And that no longer worries you?” Luna asked, not retreating to less personal distance. She could see that Ignis was not uncomfortable with their friendly proximity.
“Apparently not,” Ignis replied with a chuckle. “I suppose it was never entirely about our facade. Once I knew for sure that Gladio harbored no feelings towards Aranea, the anxiety fled me as if it had never existed. Perhaps I should still care what others might think, but I can’t bring myself to be as concerned as I once was.” He considered Lunafreya, who was at least as beautiful as Aranea, slimmer but with a poise and elegance surely not easily matched. She was quiet and calm in contrast to Aranea’s striking boldness, and in many ways she matched Ignis just like their hunter companions suited each other. People certainly might look at the two of them together and assume they would find something appealing in each other, enough to lead them astray.
But it didn’t matter, because Ignis knew the truth of the matter, and his honest devotion for Gladio should be enough to persuade anyone who wasn’t literally blind. Perhaps people would gossip, but they would be toothless accusations at best.
Luna’s eyes crinkled, and her smile was warmer than the day. “I’m glad,” she said with a nod. “I know you have much to be concerned about already, without worrying that people could see you as disloyal.”
“They still may,” Ignis said with a shrug, “but it’s as you say: there are greater things to worry about, and greater things still to try not to worry about.”
The Oracle’s smile turned sympathetic at the mention of those greater things, the things she’d brought upon him. “Thank you again for listening,” she said with a soft sigh. “And for your kindness, despite my bearing such bad news.”
Ignis shook his head, having already taken strides towards accepting this new information. “It’s no fault of yours. Gladio and I are the odd ones out. It has always been Noct’s destiny to follow in his father’s footsteps. That I sometimes struggle to remember what that truly means is nobody’s blame but mine.”
“You really love him,” Luna said quietly, not at all a question, though not so bold as to be a statement.
“More than I ever thought possible,” Ignis told her. He wandered a little way down the dirt path carved through the park’s outer boundary, and gazed out into the wilderness that edged it. “I… never expected to be a father, you know. I don’t think most fourteen-year-olds expect to become parents exactly, but I knew from a young age that my life would be devoted to serving the crown. I expected not to marry, or ever have any relationships that might come between myself and my job. Sometimes I think… No, often I think that the fall of Insomnia was the luckiest thing that could have ever happened to me. It was an unspeakable tragedy, and yet it gave me everything I never knew I wanted.” He paused to let Luna draw up beside him and then admitted to her compassionate expression, “It may be cruel of me to even acknowledge that, but I can’t find it in me to feel guilty.”
She shook her head, understanding. “Guilt helps no one. It wouldn’t help Noctis become the man he is supposed to be.”
“No, and I know this,” Ignis said with a sigh. “Even so, it doesn’t hurt to have a friendly reminder from time to time.”
They finished their lap of the park in relative companionable silence, Ignis reflecting on their conversation and the weight that speaking openly to Lunafreya had lifted from his shoulders. He had long been the kind of person who kept his thoughts to himself, and even more so his feelings; he sometimes found it difficult to open up to Gladio, even now, and they were by all metrics each other’s closest friends. But it could not be overstated, the surprising effect of telling someone else about his worries, and knowing that they understood at least some of what weighed on him. And Luna was a good partner for it. She was someone he would have liked to be friends with, if such a thing were plausible. Speaking to her, he felt he finally really got what Gladio felt about Aranea, and he was glad that his amiable partner had something like that.
Although… It occurred to Ignis, along with a feeling of dread, that their friendship could have been exaggerated on Aranea’s part, just an aspect of her ploy to confirm their identities. Gods, he hoped that wasn’t the case, for Gladio’s sake. Ignis had been willing to let any number of ill fates befall her when he’d thought she might take Gladio away from him, but the thought that she might have been lying to him the whole time was almost equally repugnant.
“Are you close with Aranea?” he asked as they passed the paddock again and made towards the taphouse he was fairly certain they’d find their friends at. He knew the question sounded less than conversational, but he didn’t mind tipping his hand at Luna.
“Moreso recently,” she said after some thought. “She has worked with us several years, but our opportunities to speak had been few before we made this journey together. I might assume you know her better than I do.”
“I wonder,” Ignis said with a frown. “I was never very close to her myself, for reasons I’m sure you can surmise, but in recent years she’d become something like Gladio’s best friend, other than myself.”
Luna smiled reassuringly, the expression just touched with pity. “Oh, I see. I can make no guarantees, but I believe she is genuinely fond of your family, from the tales she’s told. It was her good word that allowed me to take this journey with such a small entourage; if she’d been less complimentary of you, we might be having a much different conversation.”
Ignis gave a huff of laughter at the unpleasant image of Lunafreya arriving at their door with a small army, ready to take Noct by force, based on Aranea’s word. He supposed it was a good thing he’d held his tongue as much as he did, if she’d held their fate in her hands like that. “I appreciate that she put in a good word for us,” he said, “but I wonder if her friendship with Gladio wasn’t exaggerated somewhat.”
“Aranea is as dedicated to our cause as you or I,” Luna told him. “She will do whatever it takes to see her job done. But she did not need to befriend you to discern the truth, and if the job was her only concern then I doubt she would have been so worried on our journey here. I shouldn’t speak for her, but I think she hoped very dearly that she would be forgiven for betraying your trust.”
It was only hearsay, but Ignis appreciated the princess’s view, and he hummed in thanks and consideration. He hoped it was true, but only Aranea could say for sure, and she probably wouldn’t say it to him. Hopefully she and Gladio would be better at hashing out their feelings together than he and Gladio had been for years.
Although the hunters weren’t there when Ignis and Luna arrived, they grabbed a table in the pub’s expanded courtyard and ordered drinks for themselves. “This is Aranea’s favorite alehouse,” Ignis explained, when Luna asked if he was sure they’d show up. He didn’t second-guess his decision, even after the realization that he might not know her as well as he thought. It would take an unusual amount of dedication to fake a bar preference, and what for?
The four of them did indeed show up not twenty minutes later, glistening with sweat, lightly blood-flecked, and looking invigorated. Ignis rose to meet Gladio with a chaste kiss, though Gladio seemed ready to chase after him as he withdrew, which Ignis could only assume meant he was in pretty high spirits. He squeezed Gladio’s hand as they sat close by one another, and muttered, “Have a good time, did you?” Gladio’s warm gaze was answer enough. Whether that meant he’d reconciled with Aranea or not, Ignis figured he’d find out later– possibly tomorrow, depending on how their evening went.
Between the four cool, stoic hunters, they managed to give a detailed account of their hunt: a couple of cockatrice that had wandered too far from their native Vesperpool, and their clutch of chickatrice too. Ignis wasn’t more invested in the details of this hunt than any other, but he listened with great interest as Gladio and his temporary companions added in their bits like cooks at a communal soup pot, each new ingredient forming a clearer picture of the final product, and telling something about the contributor in the process.
It was clear from their tale that Gladio had had a good time. He was in even more cheerful a mood than he normally managed, not exaggerated for the sake of the public or their company. Hunting was already among one of his favorite activities, and he always claimed that it was better with partners. Ignis didn’t know if the other two men were hunters, but they’d obviously been soldiers at one time, and Gladio had probably savored showing off and trading techniques with them. That Aranea was there as well probably bolstered his mood, regardless of any lingering stresses between them. He’d cared too much about her before to suddenly not enjoy her presence.
For her part, Aranea seemed relieved, as if a significant weight had come off her shoulders rather suddenly. She still seemed a bit bowed by the burden that had laid upon her before, not quite back to her smooth and self-assured persona. She and Gladio both looked younger than usual, and Ignis had to wonder for a moment if Aranea was faking her age as well (not that he’d ever asked how old she was supposed to be; he was given to believing that was a taboo subject for a lot of people).
Libertus was clearly excited about that ale Aranea had mentioned, and when the food and drinks came he looked so at peace that nobody would ever expect he was involved in political drama or that he held the oracle’s life in his callused hands. But he wasn’t just content to be in his own little world; he made a point of bolstering the others’ tales, bragging about their clever hits or artful dodges. He seemed especially proud of Gladio, though there was no telling if it was genuine fanboyish enthusiasm or if he just felt like propping up their youngest member a bit.
The final member of the quartet had been such a mystery to Ignis that he hadn’t even caught the man’s name until they’d all sat down to a meal. Nyx was finally coming out of his uptight ‘Glaive shell, and as Ignis watched him interact with the others he could see what made him a valuable part of the group. There was a familiar intensity to him; he gave the impression that he could be relied on. Ignis could see why Luna might have chosen him to accompany her, and why she looked to him with such trust.
He hoped these people, or people like them, would continue to be on their side when the time came for their own quest, whatever it might entail.
Lunch could run long when it was just Gladio and Aranea, but with the lot of them there was the real chance that it’d go on until dinner. Ignis had to get back to walk the kids home from school though, so he bid them all farewell.
Luna stood from her folding chair and smoothed her dress down. “May I come along?” she asked, a touch shyer than a princess had any reason to be, when she could have demanded the right to go just about anywhere.
“Of course,” Ignis said, with a nod he made sure not to let become a bow.
As they wound their way through the town, a flash of motion in Luna’s shadow started to catch Ignis’ eye. He thought after the first few times that he might just be seeing things; maybe he needed to get a new glasses prescription? But finally one of Luna’s little followers deigned to be seen.
“Miss Luna?” he said, catching her eye and glancing down at the mid-sized black dog trotting along beside her. “You seem to have attracted a friend.”
“Oh yes, this is Umbra,” Luna said with a smile, reaching down to pat it on the head. “He and his partner Pryna… accompany me from time to time. I believe they’re excited to meet Noctis as well.”
“Oh are they?” Ignis turned around and nearly tripped over another dog, similar in size and shape but a surprisingly clean white. “Well, it’s good to meet you,” he told the dog, fairly certain there was something special about the canines, something that warranted a level of respect.
Noct and Prompto were just exiting the schoolroom with their peers when they arrived, and though first they sought the familiarity of Ignis their eyes were quickly drawn to Luna, standing beside him, and then just as quickly to her pets. Ignis could see them perk up immediately.
”You’re about to be their new favorite,” Ignis said with a chuckle, as the kids hurried up to quickly greet Ignis and then pivot in Luna’s direction. They waited impatiently for an introduction, knowing better than to pet a strange dog, no matter how cute it was or how excitedly it wagged its tail.
Luna could see that all four were vibrating with anticipation, so she wasted no time in greeting the boys. “Hello. I am Luna, and these are Pryna and Umbra. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I’m Noct,” and “My name’s Prompto!” the two replied on top of each other, bouncing where they stood. “Can we pet your dogs?”
“Please,” Luna said, charmed. “I think they would enjoy that.”
The next several minutes were spent avoiding the jealous stares of other kids and their parents, who luckily paid more attention to the dogs than their owner. (Although, just how incognito was Luna even trying to be? The Oracle was a respected person throughout Eos, even among Nifs, but the Empire surely didn’t approve of Tenebrae hosting the battered remnants of the Lucian government.) When finally the boys had had enough to take a break, Ignis shepherded them all home and into the house, which was just starting to seem too small. Noct and Prompto sat on opposite sides of the couch and motioned for the dogs to sit on their laps, and Luna to sit between them. As soon as they had their hands sunk deep in soft fur, their heads turned towards her; there were stars in their eyes, and questions tumbling out of their mouths.
“Where are you from?” “How do you know Iggy?” “Do you have any more pets?!” “Are you staying here?”
Their attention never wandered for a moment, as Luna told them an abbreviated version of her story: that she was on a journey to explore the various sacred sites in Lucis, and she stopped to meet Aranea’s friends.
Noctis wrinkled his nose in thought. “But I thought you and Iggy and Gladdy were doing business together,” he said, a little too keen for Ignis’ liking, though deep down he appreciated when Noct refused to have the wool pulled over his eyes. It was befitting of a prince, even if it was inconvenient to the adults around him.
Before Ignis could come up with an excuse, Luna forged on. “Yes, your fathers agreed to assist me on my quest.”
“What can they do?” Noct asked, as blunt as a six year old couldn’t help but be, unaware of how comically rude he might sound. (Anyway, Ignis wondered himself what help they could possibly be to the oracle.)
“I need strong warriors to protect me along the way,” Luna explained.
Prompto frowned at a flaw in Luna’s plan. “But what about Iggy?” he asked, and Ignis had to restrain a snort of equal parts amusement and offense. The absolute cheek.
Luna appeared to be holding back laughter as well. “Perhaps he will help me decode the mysteries I find there,” she told the boys, and she didn’t seem to be lying. It hadn’t been the plan before (or if it was then Luna had failed to mention it to Ignis), but it seemed they’d just made new plans to keep with their new narrative. Anyway, it did make some sense. If Luna discovered anything relevant to their looming prophecy, Ignis would need to know about it.
After the boys had satisfied their curiosity about her, Luna turned the questions on them. How were they doing at school?; what kind of hobbies did they have?; what were their favorite colors? The two of them were happy to talk about themselves, and she was happy to listen. Ignis noted that she gave as much attention to Prompto as she did to Noct. In fact, she seemed surprisingly taken with him, as did her little white dog, Pryna. They both gazed at him like he was something special, not moreso than Noct, but not at all less.
While the three of them talked, Ignis worked on dinner, enjoying the background chatter. He was glad he’d planned ahead and made enough to share, because the hunters returned just as he set the sauce to simmer. There was a moment where Nyx made a stoic attempt to refuse dinner, but Aranea and Libertus made themselves at home almost immediately, and with Luna already sandwiched comfortably between the two kids, Nyx couldn’t protest very strongly. He sat cross-legged on the floor with his allies, and nodded seriously to Ignis when he handed him a plate.
Nyx seemed to find it difficult to treat Noct like a normal child, alternately paying too much and too little attention to the boy, but Ignis didn’t think Noct noticed, as surrounded as he was by friendly new acquaintances and fluffy wagging tails. Libertus was cool at least, as relaxed as he’d been at the pub, and very complimentary of Ignis’ cooking. Aranea seemed happy just to be hanging out again, without the shadow of worry hanging over her. The looks she gave Ignis, however, were notably different from how she’d ever looked at him before, and he could only assume it was because Gladio had told her the truth about their relationship.
Luna appeared more comfortable than she’d been since they’d met, something the others seemed to take note of as well.
Eventually dinner ended and night began to settle over them. Whatever revelations they’d had recently, the kids still had to keep a regular schedule, and so they all said their goodnights and goodbyes.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Luna said with a deep nod.
“It was our pleasure,” Ignis replied, and they both knew that although he was exaggerating somewhat, and despite the not-entirely-pleasant circumstances, they’d found an ally in each other; perhaps even a friend.
“We’ll be in touch,” she told him, and nodded to Gladio as well, trusting that Ignis would explain anything the others hadn’t. To the kids she turned and smiled. “It was nice to meet you, Noct, Prompto. Perhaps you can write to me sometime.”
“We will!” they promised in unison, apparently excited for the homework. They even happily headed to bed after that, and Ignis could hear them chattering to each other about how cool Luna was, what they were going to write, and whether or not Ignis might let them get a dog.
As soon as everyone was gone, Gladio wrapped him in a big hug, too content to bear much resemblance to the one he’d given Ignis when they’d found themselves alone the night before. “Missed you all day,” he said, nuzzling into Ignis’ neck, breathing him in.
“Something wrong with your company?” Ignis asked jokingly, winding his fingers in Gladio’s long hair.
“Nah,” Gladio told him. He pulled back just far enough to speak normally, instead of whispering at Ignis’ jaw. “They’re good sorts. Once you get ‘im hunting or drinking, Nyx isn’t as big of a stick in the mud as he seems, and Libertus is fun but surprisingly cool under pressure. We probably woulda ended up training together, if we’d all stayed in the city.”
“And, how was Aranea?”
Gladio’s smile turned soft, almost a little embarrassed. “She’s good,” he answered. ”We’re good. It wasn’t hard to forgive her once I knew she was loyal to Lucis. Y’know, she used to be a Nif, but she didn’t like how they did things, defected to Tenebrae.”
“And you trust her?” Ignis asked, although he expected her beginning meant next to nothing to Gladio. He’d never cared that Ignis wasn’t from a noble family, and he didn’t judge the outlanders for it either.
“Yeah,” he said, sounding like he’d given it some thought, but not had to think too hard on it. “It’s not where you’re from that matters, but where you end up.”
It was a nice thought, fair and equitable and just the sort of thing the hunters liked to espouse. Unfortunately, Ignis knew that it didn’t apply to everyone. “That’s certainly true for most people, isn’t it,” he said quietly.
Gladio’s smile faded and his hand on Ignis’ shoulder became heavier. “Did you guys talk about Noct some more?”
Ignis shook his head. “I’ll tell you about it later. I didn’t mean to detract from your reunion with Aranea. Truly, I’m glad you’re on good terms again.”
“Me too,” Gladio said, his smile returning. “Oh yeah, by the way, she says, uh, ‘congratulations’. Smug as hell when I told her she was right about you being jealous. The guys got a chuckle out of it too. Not at your expense! I think they were mostly laughing at me for being such a dumbass, and for being so head over heels for you that I didn’t realize Aranea was hot.”
Ignis laughed heartily, catching himself off guard with a snort. “Oh, I don’t believe for a minute that you didn’t notice how attractive she was, regardless of how you felt about me.”
“Fine, I knew she was attractive,” Gladio admitted, rolling his eyes. “I just didn’t realize she was hot enough to make you jealous.”
“Gladio, I’d have been jealous of a goblin if I thought it’d caught your attention,” Ignis said, chuckling. It was nice to be able to admit that so casually now, after the jealousy had pained him for so long. He didn’t even mind that others found it amusing too. They might as well.
With a warm little growl, Gladio ducked back close to Ignis and said, “You know just what to say to a guy,” and grabbed him by the hand and tugged him towards bed. Ignis went happily. Overall he’d had a fine day, a bit of a breath of fresh air in a literal and metaphorical way. It felt right to bookend that with Gladio’s embrace, and the knowledge that he’d gained wasn’t so heavy that he felt guilty indulging in his partner. If nothing else it was good to know that there were others on the case, people whom they could rely on to keep the future from their doorstep for at least a while more.
Knowing and understanding the threats that faced them were among Ignis’ greatest desires, but knowing when not to worry was a skill he’d worked to teach himself the past years, and it was one he planned to use that night.