Zodiac (Final Fantasy XV)

|•XI•|

~3rd Person POV~

Waking the next morning, Ignis decided to take a small stroll around Lestallum. The slightly humid air seemed to provide comfort for him in a strange way after all that happened yesterday. He had some trouble sleeping last night due to a nightmare caused by Zodia's sudden departure from this world. The man was finally able to gather his thoughts after an hour and headed back to the hotel. Arriving in the lobby, he saw everyone was awake except for the princess.

"Ha! Guess who's the one sleeping in now, speccy?" Noctis crossed his arms in victory.

"Now all you have to accomplish is eat your vegetables," Ignis comebacks. Noctis' triumphant look falls to a frown as he grumbles to himself. Grinning faintly from his victorious comeback, he heads up the stairs to check on Zodia. His knuckles rasped against the wooden door, waiting for any type of response from the girl. No word or sound came from inside the room. Concerned, Ignis opened the door with a small creek and peered in. His emerald eyes traveled to the bed, spotting the princess tucked under the covers and curled in a ball. Her hair cascaded around her form like a shadowy blanket.

Ignis closed the door behind him and slowly approached the sleeping Zodia. Hearing her deep and even breathing brought reassurance to him, letting him know she was not out of his reach. While keeping his eyes on her, he sat next to her sleeping form and ran a hand through her silky hair.  She inhaled deeply and let out a sigh at his touch. Next, his hand was on her cheek and stroking her smooth and soft skin. This was enough to rouse Zodia out of her sleeping state and slowly open her eyes.

A smile graced her lips as she spotted Ignis. Her smaller hand covered his gloved one as he continued to stroke her cheek. "Good morning, Iggy," she greets.

"How are you faring?" He questioned. Zodia smiles and lets go of his hand. Ignis drops his hand from her cheek as she sits up and stretches a little. "Much better. I guess I'm the last one to get up." The royal advisor nods and gets to his feet. "Do not rush yourself. We will wait until you're ready, Zodia."

"Alright, I'll meet you all in the lobby once I'm done." She got off the bed and headed into the bathroom. Ignis left the room to join the others. The group asked how the princess felt once he had rejoined them. He gladly passed on the good news to ease everyone's worries.

After ten minutes of waiting, Zodia made her way down the staircase and greeted everyone with her captivating smile. "Good morning!" She cheers. All flew to their feet at the sight of the boisterous princess. A round of "good mornings" traveled all around as they greeted Zodia. After a small conversation, the young princess quickly changes the topic—her gaze directing towards her older brother. "Before we check out the Disc, we should look for the royal arms and ruins that Pisces shared with me."

"So, where to?" He asked without questioning her trip to the Celestial Court. "We can either head to Malmalam Thicket or the Rock of Ravatogh. Each location contains a royal arm and zodiac ruins," she replied.

"It would be wise to take caution to either destination. Both are treacherous and brimming with monsters," Ignis states.

"Not really much of a choice. We either climb a mountain or trudge through a deep and dark forest," Prompto shutters at the end.

"Let's head to the Rock of Ravatogh. It'll be hell, but we can put it behind us and then head to Malmalam Thicket," Gladio joined in.

"Yeah, let's go climb a mountain," Noctis declares. The five leave the Leville and head to their next destination. On the way, Prompto spun around in his seat to ask Zodia a question. "Did Pisces tell you which zodiacs were next?"

"Sadly, no. But, he did say if we needed help finding more royal arms to call upon him. Apparently, he's very knowledgeable about Lucis' past and the Caelum bloodline."