The Snake and the Widow (FFXV x OC)

Chapter 1

Veronica's POV-

"What are you doing here anyways, Veronica?" Ignis asks as we finish making introductions. "It's a bit odd and out of place for you, isn't it?"

I nod and turn towards him, the smile falling from my face. "It is my duty to serve my king, even if it costs me everything," I start, sparing a glance towards Noctis. "King Regis had one last request of me, and that was to find his son and help him in any way I can."

"A direct order from his majesty," Gladiolus replies, but cuts himself off as Noctis stomps over to me. Shock is evident on his face, along with a light hint of anger.

"You were there?" he asked, to which I curtly nod. "If he trusted you so much, why didn't you protect him?"

I frown as Gladiolus puts a hand on his shoulder, the young prince shrugging him off. "Why didn't you save him? Why aren't you dead with him?"

"It is not my job to protect the king!" I retort, standing my ground before the crown prince. "It is my job to serve, for I am no shield. He gave me his last request and I intend to follow it, but don't you dare assume that I didn't put my life on the line for his majesty."

Noctis' eyes go wide, and after a moment he slowly backs away. "I'm sorry about him," Ignis says as Gladiolus goes to scold the man. "He's going through a lot, but that's no excuse for his behavior."

"It's fine, Iggy," I reply as I take in a deep breath. "Honestly, I would have reacted the same. But like I said, I'm here to aid him in his quest, whatever that may be."

"And we thank you. We can use all the help we can get, so let's load back up into the car and we'll inform you of our plan of action."

"Is someone forgetting something?" Prompto then asks, raising his hand while glancing over at me. "I'm pretty sure we would have noticed someone sitting on the trunk of our car. So how did you do that?"

"Oh, that little parlor trick?" I ask, stifling a giggle. "Well, Noctis isn't the only one with a unique set of skills. I'll explain them on the way if you'd like."

"Prepare yourself, Prompto," Ignis says as we make our way back to the vehicle. "You're about to be amazed."

I took the open seat between Noctis and Gladiolus in the back as the others climbed in. After informing me about their preparations to Hammerhead, everyone besides Ignis inquired about my skillset. "Well, I happen to prefer using daggers and guns, I'm not really skilled in anything magical," I start, Gladiolus leaning a bit to the side so he can face me better.

"And as for what Prompto asked earlier, I have my own little brand of abilities that others would call supernatural. Three, in fact. The one you witnessed was a cloaking ability."

"Cloaking?" The blonde tilts his head in confusion. "Are you a chameleon or something?"

"Kind of. I can turn myself and anything I touch invisible, as long as I keep physical contact with them. The bigger the object or number of people requires more energy, so I try to save it when I can. That goes for any of my skills, so do try to keep that in mind before relying on them too much."

"Woah, really?" Noctis asks. "That would have come in handy."

"Maybe you should keep that in mind then before getting so brutish with a lady," Ignis laughs as he pulls the top of the Regalia up. Not soon after, rain begins to pitter patter along the windshield. I hadn't even noticed the clouds in the sky until now. "Truly, you should mind your manners. Anyways, please, do continue."

"Right, the next thing works similarly in terms of energy and limits. I can teleport myself, things and people as long as the destination is somewhere I've seen and been to before. Same limits apply, size and number cause strain on my body. I only really use my teleportation in fights."

"It's kind of like your warp-strikes then, Noctis!" Prompto says. "Only it doesn't really get more powerful the farther away, huh? But Noctis can only warp himself, so it's already different."

I can't help but smile at the excited blonde, though a pang goes through my heart at how friendly he is. "I suppose so. But if you'll pardon me, I'd like to keep the last one to myself. It's nothing really too helpful, so I hope you understand."

Ignis eyes me through the rearview mirror, but the others look at each other before nodding. Part of me is thankful that they didn't pry, and I hope the fatigue I feel now was hidden well. To be honest, I had used up much of my strength getting to this point.

It's been a never-ending fight to escape after the fall of the king.