Flower • Noctis Lucis Caelum

one

Noctis grunted, running a hand through his raven spikes. 

Currently, he was being forced to wait outside a castle foreign to him. His father always forced him to follow whenever he was meeting other kings, hoping that his interest when it came to political matters would rise, but it was always in vain. 

The prince just waited in yet another garden, for the hundredth time. And of course, it wasn't a bit less boring than every past time.

"Being a prince is boring." he muttered under his breath. 

"Being a princess isn't much better." he suddenly heard a voice behind him. He turned around quickly, slightly shocked when he saw a young girl in a white dress stand there, a flower in her hands.

She had long, brown hair which was tucked behind her left ear and cascaded around her figure. Her eyes were big and honey-brown, slowly fluttering as she looked at him. He was sure he had never seen her before. 

But the question was, who was she? 

Was she a princess? 

He realised that he had been staring her like a deer in the headlights, lips parted and eyes slightly widened.

"Is that so?" he asked, completely forgetting to ask her identity.

"Definitely. When you're forced to be locked behind castle walls and nobody in the whole world knows of your existence...it can get pretty boring." She explained, her eyes falling on the white flower in her hands, a small pout on her lips. 

"Nobody can be locked away in their own castle." he scratched his head, confused by her words.

"Seems like you know little." she licked her lips before she smiled. "What's your name?" she asked the young man.

"I'm Noctis. Noctis Lucis Caelum. What about you?" he introduced himself, asking for her name in return. 

"My name is Irene. Are you the prince?" she asked, her eyes slightly widening at the thought, as she took a step closer. Noctis felt his cheeks burn as she got closer to him. She was a beautiful young girl but, he had to be honest, she looked quite sad. Her smiles seemed forced, and he was sure she didn't smile very often. 

"I guess I am." He scratched his head for once again. "Are you a princess?" He asked back and she giggled.

"I guess I am." She teasingly replied.   

"What are you doing here?" he decides to ask, curious of why she was in the garden all alone. "Shouldn't princesses be surrounded by their maids, trying on pretty dresses and riding white horses?" she laughed softly at the genuine question.

"I'm sneaking out." she shrugged, picking at the pure white flower. The ravenette raised an eyebrow at this. He was pretty sure that sneaking out meant that she was trapped somewhere, but how? 

This was her home, she was a princess. 

How could a princess be trapped in her own castle? 

"From where?" He was even more curious now.

"My castle walls." she breathed, picking the last petal of the flower. He did not know what to say, what to ask. She seemed so sad, and that made Noctis feel sadness inside his heart as well, something he rarely felt for others. 

Why was she sad? She seemed so kind, so sincere.

What was bothering her?

She opened her grasp, letting what was left of the once beautiful plant to slowly fall on the grass.

"Farewell, prince." she smiled at him before quickly brushing past him, holding her dress in her hands as she rushed back in the castle. 

Noctis was too taken aback to even chase her down, to ask more questions. He gulped, something was up with that girl and he was very much intrigued to find out what it was. He ran a hand through his black locks, her angelic face stuck in his head.

A sudden hand on his shoulder woke him from his day-dreaming and he turned around to find Cor, giving him a confused look. "Everything fine, prince?" He asked in concern and Noctis nodded, his eyes searching around for any sign of the girl.

"U-Uh, yeah. Is my father done?" He asks with a sigh, now his attention on Cor.

"Yes, his majesty is ready to depart. Come on, let's go back." Cor turned around and Noctis silently followed, a frown on his beautiful face.

Irene. 

Maybe one day he could see her again. Maybe when that day came, he could ask her why she looked so sad. 

Maybe somebody had broken her heart? 

Maybe, maybe, maybe.

Noctis entered the car, his mind still on that very girl. Her brown eyes and rose lips, her long brown hair that fell around her round, pale face. 

Her smooth skin and small frame that her white dress embraced beautifully. 

He had never seen somebody close to her beauty, he was so intrigued by her. Her voice was so sweet and calming, it made his heart melt when he remembered the few words they exchanged. Maybe one day he could meet her again. And that day, he could make her smile. She deserved to smile, it was a shame that such a beautiful face was not smiling truthfully.

But the prince had promised to himself that once the two crossed paths again, he would make her smile for him. 

He was sure he was going to see her again, he would not allow it to go any other way. 

And it would happen quite soon.