The Far Edge of Fate (Final Fantasy XV)

CHAPTER 19 - THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

The boat was (thankfully) ready by the time they got back to Caem. They spent one more night in the rickety shack by the sea before setting off for the lighthouse where the harbor Cid and Cindy had slaved away fixing the broken boat hidden beneath. It was a smart idea, Aaralyn had to privately admit. Sequestering a royal harbor away in case of emergency in the cliffside of a nondescript area of Lucis was a good getaway spot and an even better way of getting around Galdin Quay's apparent shutdown of any boats. Aaralyn hoped they'd open back up soon, if only for Lucis's sake. Trade was profitable and prominent in the coastal town and, at least according to Cassielle, the Quay had dealings with Niflheim long before it became a part of Lucian territory and was part of the reason why Insomnia grew to be so technologically advanced as compared to the rest of the world. At least before the war, that is.

Aaralyn was an odd mixture of relieved and anxious as she followed the others up the hill. On one hand, it was nice to finally be on her way to fulfilling the promise she'd made to Lunafreya. On the other, she and Noctis still hadn't properly talked and Aaralyn had vainly tried to make their friendship fit back into their normal routine, but it was clear something had shifted. There was no going back after that night, especially since Noctis still hadn't taken the braid out of his hair. There was no way that wasn't a coincidence, especially since he knew what it meant to her and her people. Aaralyn couldn't help but wonder how the boat ride would be, with the unspoken air between them even thicker than usual.

"We're not forgetting anything, are we?" asked Ignis. Aaralyn snapped her attention to him as he lingered outside the mouth of the lighthouse. "Everything's all packed and essentials and weapons are all in the Armiger?"

"Yes," Autumn nodded. "I triple-checked everything. We're good to go."

Ignis hummed, pleased. They stepped into the interior of the lighthouse. It smelled musty and was filled with boxes that looked older than Aaralyn with a rusting elevator in the center of the room. Ignis held up his hands to shepherd everyone on board, but he glanced back out the opening and gave pause. Aaralyn turned to see what he was looking at and found a small black dog padding up the slope toward them. A green patterned satchel hung from around its neck, where a tiny brown notebook was tucked snugly inside. The dog barked once in greeting as Noctis jogged to meet it.

It took Aaralyn a moment to recognize the dog—it was Umbra, one of Lady Lunafreya's faithful canine companions. He and his sister, Pryna, were messengers of the gods themselves, much like Gentiana. They'd been with Lunafreya all her life and she and Noctis had used Umbra's divine powers to spirit their notebook back and forth over the long years. Noctis had never let anyone—not even her—read the contents of their correspondence, and Aaralyn had never thought to pry, but she couldn't help but be desperately curious as Noctis knelt to scribble down in the pages, especially knowing that Noctis mentioned her and the others to Lunafreya. However, she couldn't see much over his shoulder, just a postcard of Altissia glued to the front and something scrawled in beautiful handwriting underneath.

Noctis didn't take long in his response, closing the book and tucking the notebook safely back into Umbra's satchel. He gently rubbed the dog's ears, who barked fondly at him, before darting back down the slope. Noctis rose, watching the dog go until he turned around and returned to the group. Aaralyn couldn't stop herself from looking at the messy braid that still hung in his hair.

"Was Lady Lunafreya well?" Ignis asked as he herded everyone onto the elevator.

Something strange was in Noctis's expression. For a split second, Aaralyn thought he glanced at her. "Yeah. She's in Altissia, waiting for us."

Ignis pressed the button so they could descend into the harbor. "Luckily she won't have to wait much longer."

Noctis didn't reply, pursing his lips and remaining silent.