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Veni Vidi Vici	By : Saber007 Category: Final Fantasy Games > Final Fantasy XV Views: 1503 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XV, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
"Is this truly how we are going to spend the day?" Imperatrix crossed her arms, mirthfully watching Nyx inspect the ground for his treasure. "You and Lunafreya are so carefree."
The oracle accompanied Libertus to the market to buy ingredients for Thea. The girl was set on learning how to cook at least one edible dish after all the verbal thrashings she'd received over the past days.
Her determination was endearing to the princess, but wasted on the matriarch. Thea wrote Lunafreya off as a lost cause in the kitchen. The girl either spilled or wasted ingredients and had little sense of mixing things. Still, the oracle did everything in her power to improve.
"It takes practice." He shrugged unabashed. "In my case, I can't help it. Doctors orders were to take it easy."
"Trekking through the river for scales is not helping your leg or arm."
"Yeah, it is. I'm retaining my muscle strength." The glaive bent low, reaching into the dirt and digging. "Can't sit on my ass all day."
"How many of these are you going to collect? We have half a bag."
"Tired?"
"No." The princess denied, tugging at her shirt.
Humidity and heat were bothering her, not fatigue. Worse, her hair was beginning to curl from sweat and it sat uncomfortably on her neck.
"Let's take a break anyway." Nyx held out the scale and Imperatrix opened the sack for him to drop it into.
"As you wish."
The glaive led the princess to the edge of the shore.
He rolled up his pants, removed his shoes, laid on the ground, and let the river caress his feet with its cool touch. It took him tugging the princess down for her to join him, which ended up with her sprawled on top of him.
"I do not know royal protocol in Lucis, but in Niflheim it is a capital offense to manhandle a princess." She pushed off a grinning Nyx.
"You just fell into my arms, Imperatrix. I know for a fact it's difficult to manhandle you." He chuckled.
The princess could put up a lot of resistance and if she really wanted to, could've gotten into a fist fight with him back in Insomnia. Instead, she played it smart when faced with a stronger opponent, saving herself a crushing defeat from him.
"You tell yourself the strangest things." The princess argued, mimicking Nyx and taking off her footwear to dip her feet into the water.
How could it be so humid and hot? She was so uncomfortable...
"You and Lunafreya aren't used to warm weather, are you?" Nyx eyed the casual clothing loaned to the princess.
He could pretend she was a traveller on vacation with how dressed-down she was.
"That obvious?" Imperatrix sighed.
Either she was becoming complacent in the glaive's presence or his eyes were too trained.
"The sweating is a dead-giveaway, along with the constant shifting. Lunafreya's handling it worse than you. Unsurprisingly."
The oracle was embarrassed to wear a shorter and lighter dresses, but it was necessary since the heat made her incredibly dizzy and faintish.
"The girl has not been anywhere but Tenebrae and Gralea. Frankly, I am relieved illness has not caught, considering her poor health."
"She's sickly? How was she doing all those crazy stunts in Insomnia?" Nyx's eyebrows rose skeptically.
"All the more reason for my irritation with her reckless behavior." Imperatrix dipped her hand into the river and brought it to her forehead. "Quite often I would search for Ravus at headquarters only to discover he had returned to his manor. After inquiring about the frequent trips, he confided in me that Lunafreya would repeatedly get sick from overtaxing herself. He could not bear being away from her bedside during those episodes."
Fear and love in tandem could make a person commit overbearing acts.
Ravus kept Lunafreya confined to Fenestella Manor to prevent the oracle from overusing her healing capabilities and from being attacked or abducted.
Anyone with ill intent could venture to Tenebrae, visit the chapel, and harm the oracle since the city had an open-policy concerning visitors. The country was open to all who would visit, pure intentions or not. Ravus's only measure against this policy was to either restrict his sister's movement or assign armed guards to her.
"It's really hard to put all this information with the pictures I already have of you all." Nyx groaned, scratching his arm and contemplating how much it would sting to dump the limb in the river to escape the itchiness.
"What do you mean?" Imperatrix pulled his hand away from the bandages, knowing he would break the skin and she would have to clean it up.
"Ravus is a cuddly bear for his sister. Lunafreya is the stereotypical sheltered princess. And you're…" He quit ticking off his fingers as he made his points to study the woman next to him.
Imperatrix wasn't some celestial princess on a poster anymore or an enemy to watch out for on the battlefield.
Though he'd still like to spar with her one day to see if she truly deserved her moniker of The Unbreakable Sword. Fat chance he'd be able to keep up with her now, impaired right side and all, but a man could dream.
By the Astrals, Captain Drautos had gone on and on about the woman's battle prowess and the danger of encountering her in mission debriefs. Nyx understood now those were moments of General Glauca hero-worshiping his student.
"And I am…still a filthy Niff?" Imperatrix provided impassively.
The glaive's observations were crude, but witty.
"What? No!" He scoffed, affronted. He hadn't let a slur pass his lips since waking up from his coma. "More like an unorthodox or weird Nephilim."
She smiled, pleased that he'd used the right term without any correction from her. "Unorthodox, I will accept. Weird, I will not. Why do you find me bizarre?"
"Uh, what princess takes on General Glauca bare-handed? And while we're on the subject, you're freakishly strong for a girl!"
Imperatrix's argument crumbled.
The general was a monstrosity she could barely overcome in full armor and weaponry. She had known it to be suicidal to face him in a party dress with fists raised. "I concede to that point, but I know…knew him. He would have killed me regardless. Better my blood be spilled in battle, than escape."
"Spoken like a true battle-maniac."
"You have no room to talk, Ulric."
He snorted. "You got me. I did battle giant monsters way outta my league."
"Back to your other point." The princess shook her head in benign exasperation. "My strength is average. I have an attendant twice as strong. One punch from her will have your insides crying!"
"I stand by what I said, you're freakishly strong which makes me fearful of coming to blows with this retainer of yours."
"There must not have been many female fighters on your squad if you think I posses impeccable brawn."
Nyx delayed in answering. "They were...mostly assigned as support units, rather than frontline fighters."
Imperatrix quietly huffed. Capable female fighters were a commodity in both nations it seemed.
Traditionalist ways were not always prudent. A woman could prove to be a valuable asset on the field. The princess was a testament to that, as was Tempesta, and the commodore, Aranea Highwind.
The princess fully endorsed women in the military where she could.
The sun began to set and the river gained an orange glow.
Half the day had gone by in the princess and glaive's hunt for scales up and down the coast. While the activity had been childish, it did have its merits. Nyx received his physical therapy for the day and Imperatrix had time to unwind.
In the future, she would have to convince him to train alongside Lunafreya to continue improving his limb functionality.
The glaive and oracle were going to love her new training regimen.
"We should return to your home." Imperatrix fixed her clothing and slipped her shoes back on.
"What's the rush? Eager for more of Mom's tongue lashings?" Nyx made no move to get up from his comfortable spot.
The princess blankly stared at him, silence stating what she would not.
He laughed at her. His mother had been on the girl's asses nonstop.
Lunafreya's lack of cooking skills and repeated attempts to learn both frustrated and moved Thea. Lesson after lesson ended with the oracle apologizing for ruining a dish and promising to do better.
Nyx had caught the girl sniffling in Selena's room and tried assuring her that his mom didn't mean anything by her gruff behavior and to shrug it all off. Lunafreya had nodded and thanked him for his encouragement, but she continued to mope when she believed herself to be alone.
At a loss, he brought it up with Imperatrix and somehow she managed to nip the crying episodes and Lunafreya appeared more determined than ever.
He was dying to know what the princes said, but she remained tight-lipped on the subject.
Imperatrix had been on the receiving end of many snide remarks about pompous imperials, barbaric machines, and the princess's odd features. She'd been composed when responding to all those insults, expounding on whatever topic Thea brought up as if they were having a normal conversation.
Nyx now knew a lot more about imperial culture thanks to his mom's belligerent prodding.
A lot of the population of Niflheim consisted of noble families from all over and that caused a lot competitive and pompous behavior, everybody wanted to outshine the other. Of the noble houses, only a select few rose to prominence from royal favor or military achievements.
Imperatrix's darker skin tone was inherited from her mother and many from her homeland considered the princess to be the product of an exotic marriage. The deceased empress was a foreigner that caught the eye of a young emperor and caused a fairly big scandal at the time.
After that tidbit of information, Thea went on to grumble about Iedolas's many marriages and subsequent children and her distaste with it. At that point, Imperatrix's smile became creepily malignant and Nyx had to chastise his mom at the expense of a slap to the mouth, but it put an end to hostile comments.
"Did you enjoy digging in the dirt, Princess? Didn't break a nail, I hope?" The glaive jibed.
Between an edgy Thea, irate townsfolk, and an anxious trio, they all needed a break.
"Strangely, I did find this venture pleasing. I cannot remember the last time I did something so trivial." Imperatrix admired a scale that gleamed a brilliant mixture of colors.
"Trivial?! There's nothing trivial about these gems!" He pilfered the object out of her hands and twirled it, letting the light hit it in a miniature rainbow. "Everybody uses these for all kinds of jewelry, it's one of Galahd's main items of trade."
The princess nodded in understanding. "I see. My apologies for being dismissive of your culture."
"Would you tone down all the formality when we're alone?" Nyx let out a long-suffering sigh. "I'm not on the clock anymore. I don't get paid to decrypt royal-speak."
She attempted to meet his request with a tick in her jaw. "…Sure."
"By the end of this trip, I'm gonna have you and Lunafreya talking like common ruffians." He gave her a patronizing pat on the shoulder.
"Doubtful."
They stood up and began the walk back to town.
As curious as the princess was about the jewelry business of Galahd, she refrained from prying too much into the mechanics as Nyx boasted once more of his skill.
He shared the story of how he constructed a necklace for his sister as a birthday present, but it ended up being used as a hair accessory since Selena just had to stand out from other girls in the village. The story was interrupted by a pair of males running towards them.
"What's wrong?" Nyx posed to Ander, the elder of the Zamia siblings and the less panicked brother.
"Lady Lunafreya's gone missing!" The younger, Hanh shouted shrilly and garnered a rough shove from his brother for the lapse in composure.
"You kidding me? She was with Libertus, how did that happen?!"
"We don't know, but he's been around the square asking if anybody's seen her." Ander pointed to the forest area beyond the town. "We've looked everywhere but there."
"With good reason. The sun's almost gone..." Nyx grimaced, dreading sending anyone into the forest.
"Daemons appear there even with the town's lights?" Imperatrix scanned the lowering sun, it would be gone by the time she retrieved her sword from the house and made it to the forest. In that time span Lunafreya could be beset upon by predators or venture further in and away from safety.
"Yeah, but it's not often they approach the town so we just set up a guard and stay out of the place at night." The glaive exhaled. "Let's go rescue our lost damsel, Imperatrix."
"It's not safe for you." Ander stepped in Nyx's way, blocking him from moving forward.
"It's less safe for Lunafreya. Outta my way."
"I'm not letting you go in there, Nyx. Go home and wait."
"Why waste time coming to get me then?! You could've been searching!"
"W-We came to ask for her help." Hanh nervously flicked his eyes to the eerily quiet princess."She'd cover more ground than you."
"Imperatrix doesn't know the area, involving her is counterproductive." Nyx shot them down.
Losing one princess was bad enough, he didn't need to risk both his charges.
The princess measured the boys asking for help and found their current behavior troubling...
Ander and Hanh Zamia were among the many that consistently glared and muttered about her whenever she entered the main shopping district.
The young males were in charge of the town weapon shop and often did miscellaneous errands for the older citizens. She'd witnessed their behavior during those runs and Hanh was acting substantially more skittish than usual. Additionally, in spite of the situation, Ander was maintaining that Nyx go home instead of assisting in a safer role like lookout or communicator.
Imperatrix hadn't known the glaive long, but she knew he'd never be satisfied with waiting while others took action. Something was amiss and she had an idea of what it was.
"Let us be off then. The longer we dally the more danger we put Lunafreya in." She spoke over the quarreling males.
"Are you nuts?!" Nyx rounded on her, forgetting about Ander trying to forcibly push him in the direction of his home. "You'll get lost and you've got no weapon."
"We have not the time." The princess pried his hand from her arm. "Find Libertus and retrace his steps. It is possible she is still in town."
If the princess's theory proved true then it was better for Nyx to obey Ander and stay out of the matter.
"Don't go giving me orders. Get back here!" He shouted to her back as she went with the brothers.
The new group of three sprinted all the way to Venandi Forest, named after the main island and home to much of the game the hunters preyed on in sport or in trials of initiating young men into the ranks of warriors.
Females were granted the option of taking the trial as well, but from what she'd seen they stuck to domestic roles. Galahdian culture held strength in high regard and males as young thirteen could undertake the initiation.
The people were warriors at heart.
"How old are you, Hanh?" Imperatrix kept her tone light, eyes shifting around for threats.
Ander had ran off to search in another direction, leaving her with a sweaty, jumpy teenager.
"I'm not a child if that's what you're thinking." He startled after snapping a twig.
"No. I wondered why your brother left you alone with me. Or why he would risk you in the first place."
"I can take care of myself, I'm not helpless! I passed the hunter's trial." Hanh whipped out a hammer from his belt and pointed it at her in a manner that was meant to be threatening, but lacked any real aggression. "D-Don't try anything funny, Imperial."
"Harming you is not my goal."
"R-Right. Finding Lunafreya is…" He twitched uncomfortably at her non-confrontational attitude.
Visibility became poor as the last light of sunlight vanished.
Imperatrix tensed and turned on a flashlight she'd been loaned. Hanh's breathing deepened and he snapped at the princess any time she made an effort to mollify his fear or suggest he return to town while she continued to search.
They went further in, arriving at a clearing.
"You must have been no older than five or six when imperial forces descended on Galahd." Imperatrix flicked the flashlight around, surveying the camping ground. She abstained from anymore subtlety. "You and Ander are orphans, as many in this village are. Retribution must have been your minds for many years."
The camp ground was open enough for a frontal attack. The shrubbery and tents would provide cover for long-range attacks.
The village didn't posses many fighters, as they joined the Kingsglaive, but the elders she'd seen could still do battle.
The camping ground would become a battlefield. Imperatrix was sure of this.
"They didn't attack…they slaughtered and destroyed." Hanh clenched his hammer, face emptying of emotion. "My parents hid me and Ander in the shop. Told us not to come out no matter what."
The princess faintly heard movement.
Her body tensed in anticipation and she twirled the flashlight in her hand. The object could be used to ward strikes until it broke.
"Lunafreya was never lost."
Hanh snapped back to reality, returning to his skittish self as villagers came into view. "Doesn't matter that you figured it out."
She heard arrows being knocked and a few approached with axes and swords. A decent force had been gathered to eliminate the crown princess of Niflheim.
Imperatrix almost felt honored that most the males from town were challenging her. They certainly were not underestimating her for gender.
Even without Libertus's warnings the princess had been expecting an ambush at some point.
No matter how much Nyx and Lunafreya might've reassured her of the inherent goodness or levelheadedness of the townsfolk, Imperatrix had seen over and again how anger and helplessness, coupled with loss could make monsters out of the best individuals.
Once more the princess would play scapegoat for people who'd experienced deep-seated pain and she could not fault for them for their madness.
"Kill her, Hanh! Show everyone you're a man of Galahd!" Ander yelled, breaking the oppressive hush and rousing the other's bloodlust.
The younger Zamia nearly dropped his hammer from the sudden attention.
"You do not have to do this." Imperatrix widened her stance.
The boy wasn't a threat. His heart hadn't been in this plan from the beginning.
The hidden archers were the major concern.
"Scared, Imperial Scum?" He spat, taking slow, unsteady steps towards her like he was a predator and the princess, the prey.
"Scared for you, yes. Your hands have not stopped shaking and likely will not."
"Don't make fun of me!" Hanh lunged and she side-stepped the blow. He rammed into the general store manager and was pushed back into the impromptu circle formed by the men. "Stand still and die!"
"Only an imbecile would do as you ask." The princess swatted his arm and he tumbled to ground, hammer lodged into the ground and useless to him.
Imperatrix felt bad for the boy. All the jeering and aggressive shouting was doing the opposite of helping.
Hanh told her he'd passed his trial so why were the villagers having him fight an opponent he clearly wasn't ready for?
Were they humiliating him? Or was this truly their idea of making him into a man?
"I should've known you weren't ready to be a warrior. That hunt was too easy!" Ander sneered at his brother.
Hanh curled in on himself as the yelling became derogatory.
The elder Zamia moved his ugly expression to Imperatrix. "And you're as arrogant as all those pigs, toying with my brother like that!"
He lifted his bow and let loose an arrow. The princess hastily leaned back to avoid the arrow striking her heart, flipping to regain her footing.
His opening shot started a free-for-all and Imperatrix was pushed to complete battle-mode, contending with frontal and aerial attacks. Her moves were restricted to defensive measures and the flashlight was quickly sliced in half and replaced with a stolen sword that she used to disarm attackers and slice arrows.
Unfortunately, a one-woman-army could only repel so many attacks. She earned nicks and cuts in various places.
Thea was going to be upset that she ruined her daughter's spare clothing...
"I've got you, Imperial!" Ander bragged as he got opening after the butcher knocked Imperatrix off balance.
His arrow got her in the shoulder. Another arrow came from above and imbedded itself in her back.
She growled and jumped back from a swing meant to decapitate her, losing her sword in the process. "Are you mad?! You were willing to shoot your comrade to get me?!"
The butcher came close to being butchered by arrows.
The princess was re-thinking her stance on nonviolence in regards to these civilians. They were actively trying to kill her and coming exceedingly close to it.
Normally, she would endure these kinds of experiences passively, but Nebula and Tempesta weren't there to provide aid.
If Imperatrix didn't fight back...they would eliminate her.
"I had a clear line of shot. I wouldn't have hit him."
"Who is being arrogant now?" She tugged out the arrow penetrating her shoulder and reached behind for the one in the back, but found it too painful to reach.
The second arrow had gone much deeper than the first.
"Quit talking! You're the one bleeding out." Ander knocked another arrow.
The villagers advanced on the wounded princess. Imperatrix reached into her boot, fingering the hilt of her dagger and praying that these people wouldn't force her hand.
She'd be back to square one with Nyx and Lunafreya if she spilled blood here.
"This is for everyone that died in the attack." Ander said what all his people were thinking, fingers poised to fly the final bird.
The sound of unnatural growling and sudden miasma polluting the air stopped the attack.
Everyone froze.
"Daemons!"
Imperatrix's blood turned to ice as two Iron Giants roared and swung their claymores, decimating the camp in one swoop. People screamed and abandoned all sense of logic, fleeing back to the village.
Except for two males.
"Hanh, what're you doing?! Get up and run!" Ander screeched, tugging relentlessly at his motionless brother. "Hanh! Got damn you!"
If the boy struggled to face the princess, then expecting him to function in the presence of two Iron Giants was illogical.
Imperatrix ran to the brothers and yanked on Hanh's other arm. "He is in shock, drag him!"
"Get away from him, Scum!" The elder brother hissed, juggling between moving the younger Zamia and striking at the princess with his bow.
"This is not the time!"
One giant slammed its blade on the ground, disrupting Imperatrix and Ander's balance. The other daemon advanced on them.
Hanh began shaking and crying, entering an episode of hysteria.
They would not be able to escape like this.
"Give me your sword." The princess commanded, standing upright and wincing from the broken arrow still imbedded in her shoulder. The fall had lodged it in further.
"You're insane!" He put a protective hand over the blade he hadn't drawn in the fight.
"Give me your weapon and flee with your brother!" She repeated in a tone that annulled any further arguments.
"Y-You're sacrificing yourself for us?" Ander's snarl marginally subsided, confusion taking the forefront. "Niffs…don't…"
"I am providing a distraction. I will not fall to these beasts." Imperatrix corrected him, holding out her hand expectantly.
Speed and evasiveness was her play once more. But twice the effort was required now.
One hit from either foe would shatter every bone in her body.
The princess greatly missed her equipment. She was constantly on the defense when she should be on the offense!
"Whatever. Take it then if you wanna die so bad!" Ander tossed his sword at her and hefted Hanh onto his shoulder.
Imperatrix twirled the blade, testing its weight before she met her enemies.
The daemons smashed their feet on the ground in irritation as the brothers escaped. The miasma grew thicker and their bodies glowed from magic surging inside them.
The princess charged at one before it could attack, jumping onto its sword and climbing up the beast. It roared and tried to swipe her off.
"You giants may be strong, but you lack intelligence." Imperatrix slashed at the foe's neck, dismayed that the sword couldn't penetrate the daemon's skin. "Improvisation it is then."
She stabbed the blade into the giant's neck and ducked as the other slashed its blade, slicing its twin diagonally from neck to chest. The princess held tightly to the pommel as her kill moved wildly from the assault.
The giants battered at each other, one in an effort to kill Imperatrix, and the other in defense of itself. The dangling woman wouldn't have to do anything as the giants essentially destroyed themselves.
Unfortunately, her injuries became too much and she lost her grip. The landing to the ground ignited the pain ten-fold and her vision swam.
"Ifrit preserve me, this hurts worse than a bullet..." Imperatrix breathed through the pain, rolling off her back and reaching back to inspect the wound.
The arrow was practically inside her back at this point.
The giants took notice of the whimpering princess and stopped fighting.
Those glowing eyes filled her with fear.
"I believe I have stalled long enough for them!" She sprung to her feet and made a dash for it.
To her shock, the Iron Giants were faster than they appeared and were right on the princess's heels.
She pushed harder to stay ahead of them and out of the reach of the claymores, swinging dangerously behind her. Trees fell in lieu of Imperatrix and one massive tree ended up falling directly in her path.
The daemon's wreckage cut off her escape routes and left the princess pinched between nature and the creatures of the night.
"I must find a way!" Imperatrix wouldn't give up.
Crawling over the fallen tree was feasible, but the giants would smash her in the delay...
"Duck, Princess!"
She obeyed and arrows descended on the Iron Giants, providing enough of a distraction for the villagers to emerge in a fury and attack them.
The previous people responsible for her current situation were now coming to her aid.
What a twist of fate!
"Wait, your attacks will not work!" Imperatrix warned them in vain.
The men kept up their attacks on the daemons, not wounding, but annoying the adversaries.
"Fear not, they will." Lunafreya appeared in the distance with Nyx and Libertus.
The oracle raised her hand and bright light illuminated the area, driving back the miasma. The daemons cried and recoiled from the light, becoming vulnerable to attacks.
"Everybody give'm hell!" Libertus leaped over the fallen tree and hurled an axe that got a giant in the stomach. He held out a hand to Imperatrix, helping her over the obstacle. "They did a real number on you..."
"The giants did worse." She mindlessly assuaged his guilt.
Neither he nor Nyx were to blame for the actions of their neighbors.
"Don't downplay what happened! You're bleeding all over!"
A whistle from Ander stationed in a tree got their attention. "Libertus, we could use those meat-arms of yours!"
"Shut your face, brat! You're lucky I don't knock your teeth in." He grouched, waving his arm threateningly.
Libertus had been ready to strangle the boy and the whole lot of cowards.
How did grocery shopping with Lunafreya turn into him being drugged, tied-down, and locked in a storage room? The ex-glaive could vaguely recall how he got to that point.
The boys invited him for drinks and the oracle sent him off after their taunts of Libertus babysitting Lunafreya got under her skin.
For a dainty, little girl the blonde could be snarky when she wanted.
Things got hazy for him after the fourth or fifth bear he chugged down. Ander and the old timers were out a drinking partner after this.
"We'll settle things later. Focus on the daemons!" Nyx instructed, struggling with his own bow and arrow.
His shots weren't on point since he couldn't move his right arm entirely the way he wanted, but that didn't stop him from firing, not when people he'd known since childhood were fighting for their lives in front of him.
"They are weakening, I can sense it." Lunafreya scrunched up her face in concentration, maintaining the light magic to the best of her ability.
She'd never used her powers in this manner and it was far more draining than healing.
"That's my cue then." Libertus joined the fray.
The others made way for the battle-seasoned warrior and supported him where they could.
"Get down here, Princess!" Nyx impatiently tapped his hand on the tree to snap her out of a daze. He kept it aloft for the princess to grab.
He'd been furious after realizing Ander and Hanh played him. Lunafreya had never gone missing, she was safe and sound with his mom the entire time.
While he went on a useless hunt, Imperatrix had been hurt by people he trusted to do the right thing. Clearly, he thought too highly of the lot.
What kind of man would attack an unarmed woman? One that wasn't resisting or putting up a fight?
At his worst, Nyx only bruised the princess and despite his threats in Insomnia, he wouldn't have killed her.
They were all on his shit list now.
"I can get down myself…" Imperatrix stumbled right into Nyx's arms.
Were he not prepared, they would've tipped over.
"Evidently not." The glaive steadied her and tried to keep the anger out of his voice as he made light of the situation. "Or is this you falling for me once more?"
This was the second time he was seeing her unfairly trashed. It didn't sit right with him...
"You can only dream of that possibility." She retorted, not liking how his arms were the only thing keeping her upright.
The adrenaline was wearing off and Imperatrix felt every gash, every bruise, every strained muscle, and the hole in her back.
The battle drew to a close with the combined might of Libertus's axes and Lunafreya's magic. The daemons disappeared with a final cry, taking their poisonous miasma with them.
"What're you doing?! What have I said about manhandling me?!" The princess pushed against Nyx as he picked her up as one would a new bride.
"I'm not manhandling you, I'm being considerate since you can't stand straight."
"You have no right to hold me so intimately! And how is this wise with your arm?"
He fixed her with a rakish grin that always wonover woman. "I can either carry you like a princess, or throw you over my shoulder like potatoes. Take your pick."
No way in Eos was Nyx allowing the princess to walk back in her condition. Yeah, his arm hurt from shooting and she wasn't light, but he could deal with a little pain to keep Imperatrix from fainting from blood loss.
"Enjoy playing the part of a steed then, Ulric." She ceased her exertions and closed her eyes, ignoring the grinning fool.
"Aww, look who's blushing. The stoic princess can be as adorable as a chocobo. Who'd have known?"
Imperatrix scoffed at the disgusting baby-talk, mentally willing her skin back to normal. "Do not compare me to those creatures."
He scoffed right back to mock her. "I'm sorry, as adorable as a dragon since that's your family's coat of arms."
Lunafreya's relieved cry concluded their banter.
She briefly touched the princess's arm, sorrowfully examining the older woman. "I am relieved to see you. I feared the worst..."
The oracle promised safety to Imperatrix and failed to uphold that vow. She should've done more. Spoken to the townsfolk or accompanied the princess.
Was Lunafreya naive to believe that the strong and rough townsfolk she'd come to like wouldn't give in to temptation and harm someone undeserving of their rage?
It was her duty to see the best in people at all times, but had that optimism blinded her?
Things were never going to be as simple and easy as they once were in Tenebrae...
XV
"What is this place?" Lunafreya tilted her head, regarding the neon sign with curiosity.
Hypnosis sounded mysterious.
"This pub is my baby. I think we all need a drink after the last few days." Nyx proudly smiled at the establishment he'd started up with Libertus.
At the time, his mom had vehemently opposed the place, thinking it to be a place for him to pick up girls and get wasted every night. It took a lot of convincing to get her on board with him owning a bar.
"This is our last night so lets end it right."
"I am more than willing to indulge in this." The liquid fire of alcohol would dull the throbbing Imperatrix felt in every movement.
The arrow had been extremely painful to remove.
Thea had the time of her life watching the princess squirm and groan during the process. The woman hadn't been gentle about it either.
If Imperatrix had known the woman was going to be so brutal, she'd have taken her chances with Nyx since he had experience taking out arrows. His clumsiness would've been preferable to his mother's dark amusement.
The princess was nearing her limit of patience for dealing with the people of Galahd.
"Knew you wouldn't say no." Nyx flicked his head at Lunafreya for confirmation.
"I do not mind."
"Whew, thought I was gonna have to convince you. Already had a bunch of persuasive arguments ready." The glaive opened the locked door with his key from home. "Welcome to Hypnosis, ladies."
The inside was reminiscent of a tavern. All kinds of pictures hung on the walls. Pool tables were off to the side. All the tables and booths were empty, save for the one nearest to the bar.
Upbeat music played lowly in the background.
"Finally, some girls to liven this place up!" Libertus raised his pitcher in greeting.
"C'mon, you're supposed to wait for us." Nyx snatched the pitcher and stole a swing. He coughed and handed it back. "Geez, who hits the hard stuff first?"
"I'm no lightweight like you, Nyx. I need something strong in my system!" The ex-glaive laughed, already buzzed and finding everything funny.
"It's not about being a lightweight, it's about building up to the good stuff."
"I don't need your formula-drinking. I keep it simple."
"Well, slow down for the rest of us to join." Nyx pulled out two chairs and offered them to the females.
"Not a chance! Either I get shit-faced or I'm liable to smash heads. Those guys won't leave me alone."
"I hear you…those idiots."
The guys that attacked Imperatrix had been hounding Nyx and Libertus to justify themselves, but neither of them wanted to hear any of the excuses.
The two Kingsglaive members became black sheep for aiding an imperial by coercing people to go back to the forest on the night of the attack. Them cursing out anyone who so much as looked at the princess wrong didn't help either.
"There will not be anymore…incidents, will there?" Lunafreya demurely folded her hands in her lap.
The thought of standing before an angry mob frightened her, not because she was afraid of danger, but because she couldn't bear looking the villagers in the eye.
The oracle could easily imagine herself in their place were this Tenebrae and Iedolas stood before her.
It was wrong for her to have such dark thoughts...
Lunafreya, try as she might, couldn't stamp out her shortcomings. They were what made her human, but she was an oracle first...
"Those punks are holed up in their houses, tails tucked between their legs. Nothing's happening now." Libertus set his drink a little too hard on the table, sloshing the liquid on the table.
Nyx yelped from the spill getting on him. "Really, man? If you break that pitcher you're replacing it!"
The ex-glaive burped in the middle of a laugh. "I own half this place. I can break anything I want!"
"That's your cue for water." He seized the pitcher and stood up, addressing the girls. "I'm gonna make some drinks for us. Don't mind anything this oaf does or says."
"I don't need water, I need some more booze!"
Lunafreya jumped in her seat from Libertus slapping the table with enough force to shake it. Imperatrix stabilized the tilting table on instinct and chuckled.
"You have never encountered a drunk before? Surely Furia put on a show once or twice?"
Her sister's teenage years were filled with late night partying, the kind that if not stopped by Imperatrix or an attendant, would end up in the newspaper.
The second princess was the source of sixty percent of the family's scandals.
"Ravus takes her away when she gets like that…and she is not loud..." Lunafreya pressed her finger to her lip in thought. "I would even say that compared to her usual energetic behavior, Furia is almost mellow when intoxicated."
"Your perspective of my sister is…skewed." Imperatrix chose her words carefully.
It could be that in the time she'd been married, the second princess's behavior changed.
Between Tempesta and Furia, the princess wasn't sure who was the rowdier drunk. For two small girls they could cause quite the trouble.
"How so?"
"For one-"
"Who are you guys talking about?" Libertus inserted himself into the conversation, but then shook his head, determining that the previous topic didn't interest him. "Now that I think about it, are you even legal to drink? You look like someone's teenage sister."
The oracle chilled at the remarks to her youthful visage. "I am twenty-four."
He bobbed his head. "Have you ever tried alcohol before?"
"I have...consumed ceremonial wine..." The icy stare fizzled as Lunafreya defended herself against Libertus's strange mixture of a pity-look and sniggering. "It is unwise for a spiritual leader to indulge too heavily in spirits. The oracle must be of a clear mind and body to serve the people."
"Tonight, you get to be incredibly unwise! I'm gonna get you absolutely hammered into the next century." A devilish air overtook him. "Think of it as a right-of-passage into adulthood."
"Not too drunk. Walking is necessary for tomorrow." Imperatrix reminded and then reclined in her seat, giving the go-ahead for the ex-glaive.
She was intrigued to find out what kind of drunk Lunafreya would fall into.
A prim, proper, and innocent girl on the surface could actually be a wild soul demanding to be let free. If the princess were to judge based on family, then the oracle would be a mopey one.
Ravus, when deep into a good bottle of wine, bemoaned all his problems and insecurities to nearest person available, which usually tended to be Imperatrix, as the commander kept mostly to himself. Those episodes were how the princess could look past all his sour posturing to see the despondent man in desperate need of a friend and confidant.
However, with how repressed Lunafreya's life had been, she was fairly certain the oracle would be a catastrophic mess on par with Tempesta and Furia.
The only question left was, would she be a violent or boisterous drunk?
"Drinks are here, people." Nyx passed around a variety of alcoholic beverages.
He twisted his chair around to lean on the back section.
"Why'd you give her a kiddie drink?! The Imperial Princess and me want to see the kid smashed!" Libertus raged at the frilly cocktail like it was at fault.
The blue beverage mixed with cotton candy was something Nyx created and named Selena's Mix.
It was a drink option the ex-glaive despised. Customers cracked jokes about it all the time to the point that Libertus started decking people that accused him of being girly for having it on the menu.
It wasn't him insisting on including that weak crap on their line-up.
"Didn't see that coming. Aren't you supposed to be the reliable-older-sister type, Imperatrix?" Nyx took a swig of his drink and groaned at the burn in his throat. "Why am I becoming the responsible one? This was my idea."
"Big Sister knows when to let loose." The princess gingerly sipped at her Amaretto Sour.
Nyx had prepared their drinks without asking for preferences.
"You clearly do not have the same concern for me." Her drink had plenty of fruit mixed in to combat the sour taste.
Did he chose this in light of her eating habits?
The Amaretto was crafted masterfully and if she wasn't careful, a blitz would be upon her. Drinks like this snuck up on people and had them riding sudden highs.
"I know you can handle yourself, that's why I didn't bother with a light course."
"I will pretend that is the only reason, Ulric."
He snorted into his cup. "Hey now, I'm perfectly capable of seducing a sober woman."
"So you admit to this being a pass?"
Nyx grinned. "Woman, you've been making passes at me all week. Falling straight into my arms whenever you get the chance."
Imperatrix colored. "I have not-"
"I do not require a handicap!" Lunafreya burst out, drawing the glaive and princess's attention. She'd been trying to get their focus since Nyx mentioned a lighter course for her. "I did mention that I am familiar with alcohol."
"I distinctly heard the words ceremonial wine." He corrected her. "Hence, the Bellini. My choice, as a licensed bartender for starters."
She wordlessly chugged down the Bellini to prove him wrong. The glaive sighed in return.
"That's more like it! You go, future queen!" Libertus bellowed, pushing his Kamikaze towards the oracle. His water left unattended. "Try this next. Do it in one go if you can."
Nyx and Imperatrix both objected that course of action, but Lunafreya would hear none of it.
She repeated her earlier accomplishment and coughed afterwards from her burning throat. Her smug look was ruined by the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.
"Yes, yes! I take back my skepticism, you're a pro, girlie." The ex-glaive vigorously shook the oracle.
"I did not just see Lady Lunafreya, the freaking oracle of Tenebrae, throw back vodka like a seasoned man and not pass out." Nyx muttered in disbelief, looking to Imperatrix for feedback.
"I can hardly believed it either..." She whispered back, pondering if she'd made a mistake in encouraging this behavior.
Unmindful of the whispering and on a high from Libertus's good cheer, Lunafreya slid her glass to Nyx. "Another, please?"
His jaw dropped and he wondered if he'd stepped into another dimension. Dainty girls did not drink hardcore like this.
"I don't know…I'm really at a loss here…" A hysterical part of Nyx wanted to laugh.
A shot and a cocktail had reduced the oracle to a quivering mess and she was valiantly trying to appear unaffected in an effort to prove everyone wrong.
The old citadel-soldier in him was balking at how they were corrupting a girl heralded as a spiritual leader.
Nyx was surely going to be burned in hellfire for this.
"I would like another and not the original one you gave me." Lunafreya stressed, stubbornness rearing its head again.
"Alright, alright." He gave in, finishing his Black Velvet before the girl could steal it. "I'm going to be struck by lightning or set on fire for this."
The glaive grumbled all the way to the bar.
"I see you have not finished yours." The oracle challenged the princess, blinking back the tears.
"It is not meant to be inhaled. Intoxicants must be consumed in moderation." Imperatrix demonstrated her point to the confrontational girl. "It would be prudent for you to slow down, Lunafreya. You will not like what happens in the morning if not."
"I thought you wanted her hammered? Don't ruin the fun!"
She squinted her eyes at Libertus. "You wished to see her blitzed, I wanted to see her buzzed. Did I not specify she needs to be able to walk tomorrow?"
"Gah, stop with the fancy words! It's giving me a headache." He ruffled his messy hair.
"If words confound you, then that water should be used."
"Water's for puss-"
The princess hushed him with her hand. "No, no, no. None of that offensive language."
"Offensive? Was he not referring to a cat?" Lunafreya touched her forehead after the others began to sway.
Or was she swaying? Her mind was playing tricks on her.
"Not...in that context." Imperatrix's hand remained on Libertus's mouth as he tried to continue his previous exclamation. "Pay no heed to it."
The ex-glaive kicked at the princess's chair in frustration and she detached her hand from his face.
"I need you to get caught up with the rest of us. If you're not done with that drink in thirty seconds, I'm force-feeding it to you." He demanded.
"This is not a competition." She twitched at the threat.
"That's what losers say, eh Nyx?"
"You've got no room to talk. Crowe and I outdrank you all the time." He set the next round of shots on the table. "They're right though, you've been draining that glass too long. Finish it already!"
"Why will none of you let me enjoy it at my leisure?" The princess mumbled mutinously.
As Imperatrix lifted the glass, Nyx tilted it upward with his finger and forced her to chug more. Her eyes slanted in vexation, but she didn't slap his hand away. He didn't let up until the glass was emptied of its contents.
"You try my patience, Glaive!"
Nyx groaned as if struck.
"Demoted, huh? Will this earn your forgiveness, Princess?" He held out a new beverage.
"Oh, my…you are trying very hard." Imperatrix gratefully accepted the Platinum Passion, an expensive gift she didn't expect to find in a local bar.
A glass in Niflheim could cost a noble fifteen-hundred gil, and a bottle, six- thousand.
"I have no choice but to forgive you, Ulric."
Such a gift was probably meant as an apology.
"Uh, I think a little more gratitude is warranted. That stuff is not cheap."
She halted in tasting the cocktail and smirked knowingly.
"I know that look and it's not what you think." Nyx rested his chin on his arm and grinned lazily at the princess. "You have to call me Nyx."
The princess chuckled, humming in approval after tasting all the delightful favors of her drink. "Your request is granted, Nyx."
"And you can't kill anybody in town…even though they kind of deserve it."
"Granted."
"And you've gotta start working with me instead spouting off orders. I'm not one of your flunkies." Nyx leaned back on his chair, tilting at an angle. "We're gonna have to rely on each other if this gang is gonna work."
Imperatrix nodded, recognizing that she'd been insensitively dismissive of him due to his injuries. Nyx's recovery was going well and he'd be back in fighting shape in the near future.
"Granted."
He decided to ride out the game just to see how the princess would react. "And you've gotta give me a kiss like princess's are supposed to do for their rescuers."
She sputtered. "Denied!"
"Is that a hard no or a I-need-to-convince-you kind of no?" Nyx set the chair back to a normal position.
"A hard no. Try again when you can actually fight and play the part of rescuer." Imperatrix regained her composure. "Going off your logic, Libertus is more my rescuer than you. I recall you playing the part of steed."
He sighed in mock disappointment. "Shot down so harshly! Maybe I should've gotten you drunk for this to work."
"Might have helped you."
They both jumped after Libertus broke a glass and Lunafreya blinked uncomprehendingly at her ruined dress.
The ex-glaive laughed it off and seized another shot. The oracle shrugged and continued blabbering about the extraordinariness of her dogs and with him listened intently as if he'd never heard anything more interesting.
The alcohol was really starting to hit them.
"Did you know what they had planned?" Nyx became serious.
"I had an idea…I underestimated how many would involve themselves." Imperatrix responded in equal severity.
"Why did you go with them then?" He set his glass down with a little too much force, cracking the glass. "Why didn't you say something?"
"What good would it have done?"
Imperatrix had been through situations like that before.
Stopping an ambush before it happened lead to the offenders repeating it on a larger scale. All-out repression resulted in the people stewing in hatred for the rest of lives.
Allowing them to vent in one controlled situation brought about change.
Most importantly, when the people saw that the imperial princess refused to take up arms against them and stood by nonaggressive responses, they eventually softened. Then the first steps toward harmony could be taken.
By not bearing them any malice, Imperatrix became not a figment of hate, but a figure of hope. A balm on a wounded city.
Nebula often bemoaned her tactics as masochistic and inapt for a princess.
How was it smart to purposely endanger herself just to assuage a few people?
Riots, kidnappings, and ambushes should be punished with death in his opinion. He was of the mindset that she was deranged for disassociating from her predecessor's more tyrannical methods.
Neither Imperatrix nor her father wanted to be known as tyrants. Despot rulers found themselves murdered well before their times.
"Are you serious? Don't be the stupid one of the group." Nyx jerked his finger at Lunafreya, who was still taking shots with Libertus. "She gets that job, not you."
"Why is that? Do you find her that inexperienced?"
The shot takers weren't the only ones buzzed. The glaive wouldn't crudely insult two princesses in one instance if he were sober.
"She's not that bad…just really...young and dumb. The early twenties is when you think you can do anything with no consequences." He sloppily gestured between himself and Imperatrix. "We're too old for all that! It's annoying, but we're going to have to be the example-setters."
"Do as I say, not as I do. That's going to be difficult to follow on this trip..." Imperatrix rubbed her temple. The slow drinks were kicking in. "How can we tell that girl not to be reckless, when we flirt so openly with death, you and I?"
The glaive deflated as he registered the truth of her words.
He nearly died on a daily basis. Going on an adventure with two high-profile members of royalty wasn't likely to decrease that statistic.
"Shit…you're right!" Nyx lowered his head back onto his arm. "Ugh, and I try so hard not to be a hypocrite."
"At some point we all become a mess of contradictions." She began eating the fruits from her previous glass.
"So philosophical..." The glaive raised his glass for a toast, getting some of the beverage on the floor. "To being hypocrites then!"
Imperatrix clinked hers against his, snickering at the absurdity.
Where had the conversation gone?
He had just been on the verge of reprimanding her and now they were making a pact to essentially "parent" Lunafreya.
"You two are so amicable! Not too long ago, you both were prepared to kill the other." Lunafreya slurred, pointing brazenly at her comrades huddled together on the other side of the table.
Where did they get off being so familiar?!
Nyx righted his chair and re-established space between him and the princess. "Isn't that what you want? For us to be chummy? Comrades don't try to kill each other."
"Yes, but…" She wobbled in her chair, blue eyes vacantly seeing past him. "Libertus just explained to me that you two have been flirting all this time. Not disagreeing like I thought! Why is flirting so complicated?!"
Lunafreya was plastered.
"Because adults can't be honest." Nyx snorted as he processed everything. "I can't believe you needed someone to explain that you."
"Stop treating me like a child, I am a grown woman!" Lunafreya jumped out of her seat and stomped her foot.
She didn't present the best image with her stained dress, askew hair, and flushed face.
Nyx and Libertus guffawed, furthering the wasted blonde's indignation.
"Stop it. Stop it this instant!"
Imperatrix covered her mouth to obscure the goofy smile she was sporting. Lunafreya was a delightful mess!
So Ravus's little sister fell into the category of a belligerent drunk.
The shouting and laughter came to an end after the oracle tripped out of her heels and the princess had to comfort the girl. Lunafreya swapped from angry to sad, crying at the unfairness of it all.
The boys couldn't get enough of the spectacle.
"Can you make it back with her?" Nyx supported most of Libertus's weight and cursed the man for being so heavy.
The ex-glaive was too drunk to walk home on his own.
"Good grief no, but do I have a choice?" Imperatrix clenched her jaw as Lunafreya wriggled on her back, agitating the wound.
The oracle was too old for piggyback rides, but this what they'd been reduced to after the teary tirade ended.
Tomorrow morning the princess was going to take a potion, she couldn't deal with the pain and the aftereffects of alcohol.
"I wish I could take a picture of this!" Nyx grinned widely. "I'm never going to look at Lunafreya the same."
"None of us will..."
The princess shifted her charge, lamenting her current circumstances.
XV
"Stay alive, boy! I better not turn on the radio and hear about you dying in a blaze of glory! And get that phone replaced and call home. And keep your hands-"
"Mom! I get it." Nyx said before things could get weird.
Thea scowled at her son, slapping him upside the head. "Don't interrupt me!"
"Yes, Ma'm." He grunted.
Would it kill her to say goodbye like a normal person?
The girls were waiting for him in the boat. It was time for them to move onto the next part in their journey.
"Come back home when you can, Nyx." Thea hugged her boy close, wishing he'd go back to being a tiny tot.
"I promise I'll be back when this is all over."
She steeled herself and let go of the last member of her family.
Libertus stepped forward and held out his hand.
"We don't need to draw this out. I've got proof you'll come back."
"Yeah, you do." Nyx took the hand and shook.
His other kukri remained with Libertus as a vow between brothers. They would always come back home.
His father's old hunting bow would serve as the glaive's main weapon until his arm healed and he could be back in the thick of battle.
"Well, I should…let you go…"
"Yeah…"
Libertus caved, hugging Nyx and blaming his blubbering on his hangover. The glaive chortled, playing along with the lie so the big oaf could save face.
This was goodbye for a good while.
"Uh, excuse me, Imperial Princess?"
Imperatrix took her eyes off the hugging males to focus on the newly arrived Zamia brothers. She hadn't seen either since the attack.
"I-I wanted to…to…" The younger brother floundered and found himself being shoved out the way by Ander.
"Why did you help us? It's been bugging me." He got straight to point.
Lunafreya groaned at the noise level and buried her face in Pryna's fur.
Everything was too loud and bright!
The princess stepped out the boat to engage the brothers. "To answer your question, I assisted because you were in danger."
"That can't be it. You're plotting something." Ander refused to believe that the imperial princess would help anyone.
Niffs were savages that destroyed and killed!
"Expecting us to lower our guards now because you helped? Then when you leave the MTs descend on us? Another slaughter for the Niffs?"
"Ander, that's not-"
"Shut up, Hanh!"
The younger brother shrunk from the reprimand.
"I'm right, aren't I?" Ander sneered at Imperatrix.
She smirked at the seething boy.
His anger was a transparent display to hide a toxic mix of gratitude and regret. His sneer couldn't even be considered a sneer, more like a confused frown.
"You are wrong on two accounts."
The wind was knocked of Ander's sail. "What?"
"I never utilize MTs, I find them abhorrent. Secondly, I expect you, your brother, and all who attacked me to get stronger."
"Who are you calling weak?! We had you!"
"Collectively as a group, you managed to wound me, but it took half your fighters to do so. That is…mediocre for a village of hunters."
She wouldn't criticize them for falling to pieces in front of a daemon, let alone two. Even seasoned warriors trembled and fell to Iron Giants.
Enemies of that caliber required magic from deposits, great amounts of light, or magitek to best. Were it not for Lunafreya, taking down two daemons would have been impossible that night.
Ander went red in the face from what he perceived as more arrogance. Hanh timidly reasserted himself in his bother's line of sight, not wanting things to escalate.
"She didn't hurt any of us, remember? She was jumping all over instead of attacking." He lowered his eyes miserably and kicked at the wooden dock. "Especially me…"
Hanh really wasn't ready to be a warrior. Tracking and killing a smaller-than-average Garula didn't entitle him to anything.
His weakness the entire night proved that.
"But…" The older brother became tongue-tied.
"Hanh." He looked at the princess's call. "You are not a terrible fighter. What you lack is confidence. Obtain that and the rest will follow naturally."
"Y-You think?" He perked up and then remembered why he came here at all. "I-I was trying to apologize earlier. It wasn't right to attack you."
Imperatrix laid her hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled gently.
"I forgive you, Hanh." She turned to Ander, knowing an apology wouldn't come from him, but still choosing to take necessary step towards something greater. "I forgive all that has transpired these few days."
The princess would continue to follow an old lesson imparted by her mother.
Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you. Those were words to live by.
"You're so different from what I had in my head." Hanh muttered, stupefied by the woman he'd talked himself into hating.
He felt really bad for thinking up ways to kill her just cause Ander told him to.
"Many people are once give the chance to express themselves." Imperatrix leaned closer to him, smile becoming melancholic. "I cannot give back what was taken from you, and nothing I do will ever erase that pain, but I ask that you do not drown in hate for the rest of your life. It is poison to youth."
The younger Zamia teared up and she squeezed his shoulder. "You're so different…I can't believe I almost…"
"It's so easy for you to say all that fancy crap." Ander snarled from his impressionable brother's blubbering.
How dare he cling to their parent's murderer!
So what if she helped them? It was her fault for everything!
"You haven't lost anything! You've got it made in that ivory tower!"
"How wrong you are…" Imperatrix let go of Hanh, hiding how much the elder Zamia's words struck her.
She'd lost much…
A tense exchange passed as Nyx approached. Ander exclaimed in frustration before grabbing his brother and leaving.
"May we please depart? I do not think the sea agrees with me today..." Lunafreya weakly raised her head.
She'd missed the entire exchange.
"As the lady commands." Nyx tipped his head and took the front seat, not bringing up what he'd witnessed.
At least Imperatrix got some kind of apology.
The princess returned to her seat and began rowing with the glaive.
Pryna whined, pulling away from her sick owner. Lunafreya double her efforts of hiding in the dog's fur and blocking out everything.
"First hangovers are the worst, aren't they?" Nyx asked rhetorically.
The oracle meant to hum in acknowledgement, but it came out as an undignified grunt. She blushed in mortification.
"Perhaps next time you will heed my advice? It is not give to belittle." Imperatrix rubbed the sick girl's back before reaching into a bag for the canteen. "Drink and keep yourself hydrated."
Lunafreya lifted her head to accept the help. The water settled nicely in her empty stomach.
"Thank-" She pushed away from Pryna to lean over the side of the boat.
Bile expelled from her throat. The oracle wanted to cry, she'd been vomiting since awakening.
Why had no one explained to her the ramifications of drinking?!
Ravus had told her in passing that consuming too much alcohol would leave her bedridden and she assumed that meant exhausted, not sick.
The agony!
"I should have stopped you after the flush entered your cheeks..." The princess pulled Lunafreya's hair out of her face.
Nyx studiously kept his eyes forward and rowed, offering a modicum of decorum to the girls. He also didn't want to be brought to nausea from seeing Lunafreya vomit.
The sound alone was making him sick.
"M-My choices are my o-own." She managed to utter in between retching and gasping for breath.
Imperatrix shushed her and maintained a firm grip on the girl to keep her from tipping overboard. Pryna frantically barked at her owner's distress.
"Why are princesses so stubborn?" The glaive posed to the sky.
More importantly, why were these two particular ones ruining his image of a princess?
Nyx might've bitten off more than he could chew.
- 5
- 6
- 7
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