Cordia (Final Fantasy XV fanfiction)

Chapter III

Chapter Warning

This chapter contains description/reference to suicide. If you're sensitive to that sort of stuff, you may want to not read this chapter and get a brief summary of it in the next one.

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The curtains scratched along the rail as they were pulled aside. Growling, Noctis tugged the blanket up and over his face, turning his back to the bright morning sun.

"Good morning, your highness," Cordia greeted, and she sounded particularly chirpy today. Strangely so; she was never usually in such a good mood when she woke him.

He let out a small, incoherent grunt in response. She was too cheery for the early hour.

"Cordia tells me you have a specific preference for breakfast, so I brought you what you like," she continued, and he felt himself frowning. People don't refer to themselves in the third person.

Slowly, he drew back the blanket. With a full frown, brows drawn together, he turned over on the bed to spot a girl who was definitely not Cordia. He was used to seeing bright green eyes in the morning, not blue.

Sitting up, he asked, "Where's Cordia?"

The short, brunette maid gave him a smile as she set the tray down on his lap. "She's fallen ill today, your highness. I've been asked to take care of you in her absence."

"Leave."

"I'm sorry?"

"Leave. I don't need you."

She was stammering now, looking more insulted than anything else. "B-But I was told to-"

"It doesn't matter what you were told." Noctis sighed softly, squeezing the bridge of his nose. "You want to help? Find Ignis and bring him here. If you can, do the same with Prompto and Gladiolus. That's all; after that, you're dismissed."

She curtseyed quickly and ducked her head, and soon after she hurried from the room, he was alone again. He eyed the tray and took a sip of coffee, in the end, and nearly spat it out. Cordia always made his coffee. This didn't come close.

Cordia was ill, the maid had said. She was never ill. Was it anything serious? He certainly hoped not- he wouldn't accept anything from anyone else.

He washed and dressed for his friends' arrival, and as he left his room, he found them in his suite, lounging on the couches. Prompto and Gladiolus had made themselves at home, with the blonde rooting through his mini fridge and Gladiolus with the tv remote in his hand as he flicked through channels. Ignis, however, was stood by the window, hands on his hips as he looked out at the skyline of Insomnia.

"Morning," Noct greeted, ruffling his hair with a hand. Cordia usually took care of it, but...

"Yo!" Prompto threw a hand in the air without taking his eyes off the screen in front of him as the daily news report gave the results of the latest football game that he'd missed.

Gladiolus at least turned in his chair and gave him a smile. It switched into a bit of a frown when he saw he'd entered alone. "Where's Cordia at this morning?" he asked.

"Sick." Noctis explained, shrugging, "At least that's what I've been told."

"And they didn't think to send someone else in her place?" Ignis turned to him then, folding his arms.

"They did, but I sent her away. I don't need to be babied, Ignis. Don't worry."

Ignis Scientia was the eldest of them, and he'd worked closely with Noct's father in the past. He'd came to know him and over the years, and they'd became close friends. He was probably the one with the most brains between them, too; he'd been raised as Noctis' advisor, and he had a rich knowledge of the history, language, mathematics, social diplomacy- name it and he probably had some knowledge of it.