Jewel of Lucis | FFXV

Chapter XI

"None of us said a word about Noct or Mia... They just showed up and then... Poor Jared..." Iris sobbed.

The group seemed to gasp in unison. Noctis and Euphemia looked at each other in shock, unsure of what to say. Prompto leaned forward from his position on the bed, while Ignis stepped forward. Gladiolus clenched his fists and bent down. "What do you mean?" He urged. "What happened to Jared?!"

"They killed him!" Iris shrieked. "There was nothing else we could do!"

Behind them, the door to the hotel room slowly opened, revealing Jared's weeping grandson. Talcott kept his fists clenched as he cried. He couldn't seem to look at the King, or the Princess, despite his incredible admiration for the two of them. Noctis approached Talcott slowly and bent down in front of him. "Listen, Talcott." He sighed. "It wasn't right... I should have been here to protect you all."

Talcott wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "I couldn't stop them!" He cried, his face still buried in his clothing.

"I'm not going to let the empire get away with this." Noctis placed his hand on the young boy's shoulder. "They'll pay for what they've done here." Noctis's face hardened. "I promise you that."

Talcott looked up at Noctis for the first time. He stared into his eyes, and cleared his throat. "I believe in you..." He nodded slowly and looked down. With nothing more to say, he retreated to his own hotel room to grieve on his own.

Iris looked up at Gladiolus, her eyes red and puffy. "I'm taking Talcott, and we're going to Caem." Prompto placed his forehead in his hands in response. "We can't just stay here and do nothing." She sobbed. Gladiolus bent down and embraced his younger sister.

Noctis looked down. Although concerned for Iris and Taclott's safety, he couldn't help but allow them to move on and help the cause they all fought for. "I understand."

Euphemia sat down on the edge of the bed. It seemed selfish, however, she couldn't help but be grateful at the fact that neither her nor Noctis were in the Leville at the time of the attack. She pushed those thoughts away and cursed herself for even thinking of it.

That same night was long and silent for the rest of the group. Noctis and Euphemia retreated to bed, not before Euphemia had taken a cold bath. Her fever disappeared after her recent nightmare, however, she found that it returned within the time it took to arrive back at Lestallum. By the time she reached the bed, Noctis had fallen into a deep sleep. In spite of this, she could hear this thoughts racing and his heart pounding. His power, even in his resting state, radiated off of him. He was having a nightmare.

Euphemia scooted herself into bed beside him and placed a hand on his forehead. She closed her eyes and focused deeply on his mind. In his dreamstate, he fought thousands of Imperial soldiers. With each and every battle, his clothes tore, his weapons tired, and his desperation increased. She focused on calming him to the best of her ability. Eventually, Noctis settled. After all he'd done for her, she felt it was the least she could to do help him, even with something as little as putting his mind at ease. As she tucked herself in, Jinora hopped onto the bed and curled up at the siblings' feet.

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Euphemia found herself up and moving before the sun arose. She opened the door to the bathroom after a cold shower and allowed herself to take in the smell of a fresh breakfast prepared by Ignis. As she looked around, however, Noctis and Gladiolus were found on the balcony, talking amongst themselves. Prompto chomped away happily at his fresh Chocobo eggs, while Ignis cleaned up his cooking supplies and placed them in their proper cabinets. Euphemia opted to head over to the balcony and find out what the plan was for their journey to Caem. "Good morning." She placed her hands in front of her and clasped them gently.