𝐧𝐲𝐱 𝐮𝐥𝐫𝐢𝐜 (galahdian) wrote in revoltic, @ 2018-06-19 11:56:00 |
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It had felt so good to get out of that bed and to move, even if it was a short distance. The doctor wanted her to increase the distance each day until she was expected to be discharged. It was a promise she was intent on honoring, and Luna was not one to make promises she did not intend to keep. After that walk she was relieved to hear the nurse suggest a shower. Luna was eager to feel human again, especially since she had no idea how long she had been encased in that amber. Showering had been rather exhausting considering she had had surgery only a day before, but it was still a relief to change into a fresh gown. She smiled when she realized the linens on her bed had been changed as well.
It was shortly after her shower that she received a message from Nyx informing her of his visit. In all honesty, she hadn’t expected to see him ever again. Her fate had been declared long before that and although she had been well aware there was no coming out of her destiny alive she still continued to give others hope. Knowing he was alive and well brought her joy because while she had known him for only a short time he had made an everlasting impact. At her request her nurse brought her a comb and Luna did what she could with her hair, deciding to simply leave it down. She did not have the proper supplies to pin it up or to braid it. She would worry about that after discharge.
Asking her nurse to assist with moving the chairs next to the bed to the window (which the nurse insisted she do so Luna would not overstrained herself), she settled into one of the chairs, draping a blanket over her lap as she waited patiently. Umbra had come with her book, which Luna slowly looked through. The meaning behind every message brought back memories of two children who desperately needed to remain in contact. She stopped on the page with the pressed sylleblossom and smiled gently, running her fingers carefully on the stem so as not to break it. It was the only one of it kind in this world and Luna would take care not to break it.
While he'd been pretty laid up since he'd been taken out of his amber pod, things hadn't exactly been quiet since his arrival. Which was maybe a good thing. Distractions to keep him from having to think too hard on everything that had happened before he'd woken up. And it - sort of - had been working so far. The sudden influx of people from their home was just another in the line of distractions. And while Aranea and Iris weren't really anyone he'd known all that well, mostly just known of - the Princess definitely did not fall into that category.
It was strange, he couldn't help but think as he made his way back to medical, the way that you can know someone for such a short amount of time, but yet have them make such an impression. Noctis had told him what had happened to Lunafreya, at least in general and the specifics had seemed like something that still weighed far too heavily on Noctis so Nyx had left it at that. It hadn't much been a surprise, given the way that the Princess had talked, but it had hurt nonetheless to know she had fallen to such a fate. Seemed unnecessarily cruel in a long series of terrible things that had happened in the wake of the failed treaty. And if anyone deserved a second chance, well, it was Lunafreya.
Nyx checked in at the desk and was shown to the proper room, where he paused for a moment in the doorway. The hospital gown was a far cry from the finery he had last seen the woman in, but Lunafreya was no less regal because of it. No less the stubborn and headstrong Princess he'd been lucky enough to know, if only briefly. He lifted his hand and rapped lightly on the door before he started to move in.
"Princess," he greeted softly as he stood before the chairs, not moving to sit until he would be told to do so. Because while you could take the Glaive out of a Kingdom and tell him he's the King's half brother, you still couldn't break the habits.
The events that had lead to that fateful day were of her own choice. While she had kept her own fate in secrecy, daring not to tell anyone no matter how much she might have trusted them, the way in which she spoke at times would have easily suggested she knew she would not return from the altar alive. Noctis had taken that news far from well, and she couldn’t blame him. Even so, there was nothing in the world that would have stopped Luna from carrying on with her destiny.
When she heard the knock at the door and Nyx call out she turned slightly in her chair to look at him. She smiled warmly, “Hello, Sir Nyx.” She motioned to the other chair, “Please, sit. I have enough people watching me around here, and from what I understand you deserve to rest just as much as I.” She felt less exhausted than she had when she first awoke, but she still had a considerable amount of healing to do . She closed the notebook then and rested her hands on the top, waiting for him to settle in.
He nodded and sunk into the other chair, movements slower than they might have been before. While he was in far better shape than he'd been, he still wasn't even close to a hundred percent. Something that probably hadn't been helped by him stubbornly leaving medical before he probably should have.
Nyx gave another good look at Lunafreya before he spoke. And it was a relief in a way, that she didn't much look that different from what he remembered only a handful of weeks prior. The clothes and hair different of course, but it wasn't like Noctis or Prompto, suddenly a decade older than he had last seen them. He smiled warmly. "Just Nyx is fine," he pointed out.
"It's good to see you," he added. The alive part unsaid. "I trust they've been taking good care of you here?"
Luna watched as he took his seat, noting the difference now compared to what she remembered from when they parted ways. Libertus had been a fine replacement, but if Luna was going to be completely honest with herself she had wanted Nyx to be the one to deliver her from harm. However, his friend had been in no condition to fight and she was forever grateful for his help.
She waited until he was absolutely settled before nodding and with a little smile said, “Then you should call me Lunafreya. I believe you’ve earned the right to address me by my name.”
“It is nice to see you too, Nyx,” she said with a warm smile. It was strange not being pursued by some manner of beast or soldiers. That had been what life was all about during their short time together. Of course, when it’s one’s duty to protect the Princess at all costs it’s no surprise that adventure would be a part of the bargain. “They have been very diligent in their work. The nurses and doctors have kept me informed of my progress and I should be out of here in two days if I continue the way I have. What of your progress?”
Nyx gave a small nod at the request. "Alright then, Lunafreya." And he's reminded a little of Noctis' instance to the same when he had first arrived. No titles. But then there was a whole other thing at work there that Nyx later learned of. Idly he wondered if Noctis had told Lunafreya yet.
He leaned back in the chair a little, hand settled on the arm. "Two days isn't that bad," he offered with a small smile. "You'll be out of here before you know it." Okay maybe that was a stretch. Being laid up in any sort of medical ward sucked and time dragged like one couldn't believe. But he could fake a little optimism for Lunafreya.
He gave a bit of a half shrug at the question. The road ahead of him was one he tried really hard not to think of - knowing that it would be months before he was back to even close to normal, and that his old normal may not be something he'd ever really reach again. "Well, I'm not - you know - dead, so that's half the battle there I guess," he answered, a sort of deadpan tone to the words that made it hard to tell if it was a joke or not." He paused. "They said they can work on getting me set up with some kind of replacement limb in a few weeks." Another little shrug. "Guess it's pretty common around here - lots of workers in the mines have them."
Even being called Lady Lunafreya was no longer necessary where they were. Certainly not between friends. Luna was uncertain she wanted to share her lineage with anyone outside of her immediate group. She knew Noctis was eager for her to meet his friends, so titles hopefully would not get in the way there. She was not Princess Lunafreya here. She seemed pleased when he agreed to calling her by her name.
With a little nod she looked out the window in front of them. The city was indeed quite large. Even from this room she could see why it felt so much like Insomnia. For a moment it felt they were back there. “It appears I am healing faster than expected. I attribute that to my being Oracle. I suspect at this rate I will be out of here Friday or Saturday. They’re more concerned about the amount of blood loss I experienced, so they’re keeping a close eye on blood work.” It felt almost as though they hadn’t parted ways at all.
Luna glanced at him with a little smirky grin. “I am glad you are not dead.” She didn’t know his story after they parted ways. She had headed to Altissia to fulfill her path, while he stayed behind to fight. Like so many from that point on, she never learned his fate and still hadn’t. “I hope you plan to rest in this time you’ve been given. It’s amazing the sort of prosthetics they’ve developed in this world. I’m certain whatever they make for you will be more than sufficient.” She paused, contemplating before asking, “Would you mind telling me… what happened after we parted ways that day? How you sustained your injuries?”
"I'll try to keep that in mind," he replied in regards to the resting comment. Though there was a small smirk that played on his lips that indicated he might not be able to a hundred percent guarantee that be would. Downtime and getting rest weren't really concepts Nyx handled well. If anything he was all but counting down the days until he'd get outfitted with the arm and could start training.
The question itself was a little harder. Those last hours he'd had before the sun started to peer over the horizon. The final blows given to a man he had once held in such regard, the defeat at knowing even at the end Drautos hadn't been able to see the error of his ways. He could still feel it. The echoes of that power that thummed in his veins. Called to him almost. And maybe that was why he had hesitated when Noctis asked to poke around, to see if any Lucian magic lay dormant in him.
"The Old Kings came to my aid, helped me to defeat General Glauca -" he paused. "Drautos," he corrected. Not some faceless general, but his own Captain. His mentor. "The price was my own life," really there was no point in pussyfooting around it. The ring demanded a price and he had paid it. "At sunrise. It was - surprisingly peaceful," he did assure her though. And it wasn't a lie. There had been a peace to it, knowing his fight was done. Knowing he had helped to assure a future for those left behind. Considering the violent way Ravus had lost his own arm, and the way Tredd had gone, Nyx figured he had gotten off easy.
"There was nothing they could have done to save my arm, the damage from the deal I had made was too much." He paused and offered Lunafreya a soft smile. "I'm alright, Lunafreya," he assured. "You don't need to worry about me, okay."
Luna left it at that. He would either heed her words or he would not. She knew as well as anyone how difficult it was to break old habits, so even she needed to be reminded to rest. Particularly after sustaining her injury and the resulting blood loss. If they hadn’t gotten to when they had she would have been much worse off. She had thanked the nurses and doctors, and any other staff she came across that morning, expressing her gratitude. That wouldn’t change anytime soon. Luna quite literally owed these people her life, just as much as she owed Nyx.
Luna listened quietly to his explanation of events the followed their parting of ways. When he announced his life was the price of the Old Kings’ power she looked at him with surprise. Few moments truly surprised her, this being one of them, and it was quite evident by the look of shock. The moment quickly subsided and although it concerned her she merely nodded, “I am glad that although you went much sooner than preferable that it was peaceful.” She paused then before continuing, “Whatever magic brought us here, I wonder if it senses when someone is about to die and it brings them here for a second chance.”
She had come out of her last moments with a permanent scar, one that was easily covered up. Her’s was not as noticeable. Either way they would live with those constant reminders of what hold have been their respective deaths. “You sound like Noctis,” she said with a tone of amusement as she looked back out the window. “I constantly worry about others and there is nothing that will change that.”
The truth of it was Nyx always assumed he'd die younger than most. The life of a Glaive really. He'd had no grand illusions of old age. No, he always figured he would die young and bloody on some battlefield. A good soldier's death. And so he had always lived with that in mind, lived in such a way that when the inevitable did come, he wouldn't be leaving much behind. No one really to mourn the loss of just another Glaive, no one to leave lost and afloat. That he managed a death that served others and happened to be relatively peaceful at the same time was something of a miracle.
He huffed a small laugh as Lunafreya continued and brought up Noctis. It was still… surreal. Settling more but still a concept that still felt more than a little foreign, and maybe always would. "You know funny you should put it that way."
His hand moved to his knee, picked at a loose thread in the pants he wore. And he was sure he looked every bit the picture of what he was about to tell Luna - what with the sweatpants since pants with actual buttons and or zippers was out of the question still, and a t-shirt and hoodie combo both of which didn't quite fit right. But then Noctis tended to lean to some questionable outfit choices himself so maybe it was right on. "He's - uh - Noctis is my brother," a small shrug of his shoulder. "He found out when I first showed up, they asked him to come give a blood transfusion - same blood type - and he figured it out from there."
Luna had always known her life would be cut short. It wasn’t something she shared with anyone and while she hadn’t lied about it she had certainly kept it a secret. What good was it to tell the world she would only be around for so long? That her destiny would be what would eventually get her killed? It did no good to dwell on something she knew she could not change. It was a choice she had made to help Noctis in those days, a choice she was well aware that would ultimately lead to her final acts. It was something she had come to terms with.
She was about to make some remark about why it was funny, and then was hit with that piece of information. If she had been shocked before, it was nothing compared to now. She looked fully at Nyx, absolute shock etched all over her face. That was certainly something she hadn’t expected. She never would have guessed they were brothers, let alone related. But then the powers of the Old Kings… “That must be why the Old Kings allotted their powers to you.”
She blinked at the mention of Noctis figuring it out. “He’s being very quiet about a lot of things, isn’t he. I had no idea.” The shock that she felt steadily turned to joy, a bright smile now replacing that look of shock. “This is fantastic news. I’m so happy to hear that. How do you feel about that?”
"King Regis -" Nyx paused, his lips pressed together for a moment. It was easier almost, to view Noctis as his brother than it was to tackle the mountain that was King Regis being his father. It was proving hard enough to live with that vivid memory of watching the man struck down when he viewed him just as a King, the thought of adding family to that was daunting as all hell. "He stood up for me to them," a small smirk, "I don't think the Old Kings much viewed me as anything… bastard and all." And it wasn't necessarily self deprecating. Just the facts. That's what he was after all.
Nyx offered Lunafreya a small smile. "He might have not wanted to overwhelm you with a lot of information right away." And he was sure Noctis and Lunafreya had more important things to talk about than him.
"It's -" he started and then trailed off with a small shake of his head. "It's a lot really, but it's good? I think?" There was something about Lunafreya that made her feel easy to talk to, to open up to. Much like he had in those short hours they'd spent together before. "I've always liked Noctis, it'll just be an adjustment I think, to see him as a brother instead of royalty." But he was more than willing to try. And so far it was going well.
While Luna wanted to make a remark that that wasn’t true, she couldn’t deny facts. However, she wasn’t going to state that aloud. He had said it just now himself and there was no point denying or confirming it for him. “They allotted you their powers even if momentarily. That speaks loudly of your character more than your lineage.”
Luna nodded slowly, “I suspect you’re right.” She thought briefly of how Noctis explaining how sometimes it was difficult for him to speak about things. Writing seemed the best way to get him to open up, even though she would have liked him to speak more freely.
Luna smiled, “I think it’s wonderful. It’ll be good for both of you, I think.” While her own brother had made it quite evident he was hungry for power Luna was still silently aware of his weaknesses, and even if horrid a Ravus could be he was still her brother and Luna loved him. It was a volatile relationship, but Luna believed it helped shape who she was. She hoped Noctis and Nyx would have a healthier relationship than she had with Ravus.
Nyx nodded a little. "Hopefully," he replied. They were friendly enough and once Nyx had actually started to dig into the idea he could feel the connection there. As strange as that one was. But still, there was that warriness that maybe he'd wind up nothing but a disappointment to a kid who had never had much in the way of family. He'd certainly try not to be though, that much he could do. Not just for Noctis, but for their father - a man that Nyx owed a lot to and if being there for Noctis could repay even a little of that, all the better.
"And you?" he started, shifting the conversation. "What happened to you after everything in Insomnia?" Noctis had told him a little, but it had clearly been hard for the young King to talk about and Nyx hadn't wanted to press. "I heard you managed to fulfill that destiny of yours," he offered. Which was to say if she wanted to leave it at that, it was fine. But he'd listen if she wanted to touch on it more.
It was funny how they both worried about being disappointments to the same man. While they were entirely different reasons, Luna would have understood the concern. Being such an important part of Noctis’ destiny, she now had to figure out how to live without that duty. There was no longer any need for gains of power in his name. The darkness had been defeated. Her part was finished. Or so she thought.
At his inquiry she fell silent for a moment to collect how she would explain to the man who had protected her on her journey that it was all for her to eventually give her life. “I made it to Altissia on my own. Libertus remained behind to wait for you.” She suspected he found out soon after that about Nyx’s fate. “I did indeed fulfill my destiny. As with you and the Ring of the Lucii, my destiny meant the cost of my life.”
Nyx watched her for a moment - as though looking for any resentment or anger towards the words Lunafreya spoke. But there was none. Just an acceptance, a knowing she had done what she was supposed to do and grace at accepting the consequence of that. It was pretty fucking incredible really. Not something most people could do. But then - Lunafreya wasn't exactly most people was she.
He leaned forward so that he could rest his hand on top of hers, a bittersweet sort of smile on his face. He would never wish that kind of fate on anyone - well, nearly anyone - but he knew how important it had been to Lunafreya to complete the task set upon her. It was a feeling he could understand completely. To give one’s life in some greater picture than yourself. It was worth it, but that didn't always make it completely right either. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said sincerely, "but I am glad you fulfilled your duty, I know how important that was to you." And wasn't that just the kicker. Duty over even your own life.
Acceptance perfectly summed up how Luna had felt about her duty. It was far more important than anyone could ever possibly dream. Far more important than herself. It was something she knew must be done. What was the loss of one life in the greater scheme of things? Luna was the necessary sacrifice to banish the darkness. Perhaps it was unfair to drop that into the lap of a child, but Luna had accepted it with grace and poise and whatever front she put on in order to hide the truth from the people was necessary.
That simple gesture, though he may not realize, was so similar to Noctis’ the previous night. She glanced at his hand and then to him, a little smile there. “It was necessary. I knew for a long time what my duty entailed and I would fight no matter how long it took in order to complete it. You helped me along the way and I wanted to thank you sincerely for playing such a crucial role.” Luna glanced at their hands and moved one of hers to rest on top of his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “We have both been gifted with a second chance at life. Whether or not the gods knew, I intend to use it wisely.”
He wanted to tell her that she didn't need to do that - thank him. That he had done what needed to be done and nothing more, there was nothing special about his actions, nothing that any true Glaive wouldn't have done. Their lives for the Kingdom, it was the way it was supposed to be. Nyx had long since given up any grand ideas of a long life, long since lost any notion of seeing a ripe old age. His expendability was something that ran deep, something that he might never not feel on some level. Being thanked for doing something as simple as his duty was a hard pill to swallow. Somehow though, he doubted she'd much let him get away with it. So instead he gave Lunafreya a small smile and squeezed her hand back. "You're welcome."
Nyx was quiet for a moment as he mulled over the words. He was more than certain the gods had nothing to do with all of this, but who was he to voice that denial to someone like Lunafreya. He nodded a little. "I'm glad to hear that," he started. "If anyone deserves it, it's you." A second chance not only at life itself, but a life for herself. Free of the duties that had been placed upon her from a young age.