From the Heavens (Final Fantasy XVI)

𖥸 XLVI 𖥸

Once reaching the shore, Clive kept a close eye on Lyra as the stablehands prepared Ambrosia. There was a moment when she tried to sneak off and transform, but he intercepted her before she could make it too far. He trapped her petite frame in his arms. "You truly are struggling with behaving at the moment."

"Of course I am!" Lyra protested. "You manhandle me all the way to the shore and won't let me escape... What are you plotting, Clive?"

"A surprise," he simply replied.

"Could this surprise truly not have waited until after I spoke with Gav?"

"It could have, but I prefer not to wait. In your current state, you need this more than ever." His arms around her waist tighten, her back flush against his chest. He tucked her head underneath his chin and whispered to her. "I do this because I love you more than you'll ever know."

She sighed heavily and leaned back against him. "I know... I love you too, but I would prefer not to be kidnapped the next time we go on an outing together."

One of the stablehands appeared from the stable with Ambrosia. The chocobo was ready to depart.

Clive lifted Lyra onto the saddle before climbing on behind her. He took the reins and Ambrosia took off. Traveling across the deadlands, they soon cross the border into Sanbreque. They stopped a couple of times so Ambrosia could rest and drink.

When Lyra noticed they were drawing closer to the southeastern shore along the Holy Empire, she asked, "Is our destination the beach?"

"One of them, yes," Clive replied.

Her brows furrowed. "One?"

"Just be patient."

She pursed her lips and leaned back against him with a defeated sigh. "All right, all right."

A couple of hours later, just as evening set in, they arrived at the southeastern shores of the Holy Empire.

Clive jumped out of the saddle and helped Lyra down. He glanced at her to see she was staring out across the sea. "When we were children, you told me how much you adored the sea. Do you remember our time near the shoreline on the outskirts of Rosalith?"

A smile graced her face as she turned to him. "I do. I collected shells and tried to make charms for you, Jill, and Joshua, but they fell apart in the end. Regardless, the three of you took the only shells that remained intact and thanked me. Perhaps I should attempt to recreate the charms. All I need are shells."

Clive smiled back at her. "Lead the way, my lady."

Lyra began scouring the shore for seashells. Clive was walking behind her, watching her fondly as she examined shell after shell in search of the perfect ones. She found what she needed after an hour and she put the shells in the satchel attached to Ambrosia's saddle.

Happy with the shells she found, she proceeded to walk down the beach with Clive right next to her. They walked across the shore together and came to a stop when the sun was about to dip beyond the horizon.

"The sun sets on another day," Lyra said just above a whisper. "And it is not guaranteed to rise again. As the world currently is, such a thought is horrifying."

"It will rise again," Clive replied. "There will come a day where tomorrow is promised to us. But for now, we will make the most of the time we have."

"That is all we can do."

He took her hand just as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. "There is one more place I wish to take you."

She nodded. "Of course."