Flower • Noctis Lucis Caelum

four

"What is it now, Lightning?" The princess asked as she opened the door but her eyes almost dropped to the floor when she saw who was standing right before her room. "Prince Noctis!" She gasped placing her hand above her lips in shock. He smiled awkwardly, waving at her. 

 "Hello, princess." Real smooth, Noct.

 She looked around, making sure nobody had seen them, before grabbing him by the collar of his T-shirt and pulling him inside her room. "What are you doing here? How did you get here?" She bombarded him with questions once she had closed her door, still stating at him as if he was fake. He couldn't be there, not for real. He smiled for once again, scratching his head.

 "Well, it wasn't easy." He recalled the eenie-meenie balcony mistake. "But I had to see you again." He suddenly took her hands in his. "And here I am." He finished. She couldn't help but smile at the young fool. He hadn't even realized how dangerous it was for him to be roaming around the castle like that, but right now she was just happy to see him again.

 "I wished to see you again as well." She admitted, her cheeks turning soft red. That was enough to put the prince at ease, knowing that she shared the same feelings. "Come on, take a seat." She said as she also sat on her bed. He sat beside her, his eyes never leaving her sparkling ones. 

"This is actually very exciting, nobody has ever been in my room ever." She exclaimed as silently as she could, trying to hide her childish excitement. Noctis didn't fail to notice her sudden happiness, something that made his heart melt. How could she keep getting more and more beautiful?

"So, princess Irene, why were you so eager to hide last time we met?" He couldn't hold himself, he just had to ask. He noticed that she started biting her lower lip, probably out of anxiousness.

 "This isn't something I usually tell anyone." She sighed and rolled her brown orbs. "That's probably because I don't even have anyone to say it to." She mocked her own self before adding; "and because it actually is forbidden information." The princess surely was a little weird, but Noctis didn't seem bothered by it. She seemed fun, and different, something that intrigued the young prince even more.

 "I'm good with secrets." He encouraged her and scooted a little closer to her. She signed and connected eyes with him.

 "If I tell you, will you promise to come see me again?" She asked like a little child who's asking for ice cream from her parent. Noctis smiled at her adorable expression and nodded.

"Of course I will." He assured her.

"I'm... I'm not allowed go get out of the castle. I'm barely even allowed to get to the garden, especially without somebody watching over me all the time." She quietly admitted, dropping her head in embarrassment.

 Noctis tilted his head in confusion, wondering why that was happening. "And why's that?" He questioned her and her cheeks turned a shade of deeper crimson red.

 "Well..." She began and sighed. "My father believes that I will not fit in the world. You see, I have the powers of a sorceress and I can't quite control them yet." She scratched her cheek and continued. "So he thought that it would be better to keep me hidden from everyone. Better for them, better for me. That's what he said." She shrugged as she finished. Noctis could not believe in his ears, what kind of father was the king? 

What kind of father would do that?

"And you've never been out of the castle?" She nodded in agreement.

"I've never seen Alexandria, or Insomnia, or any part of the world for that matter." She admitted shyly.

 The prince placed his hands above hers, giving them a light squeeze. "What if I told you that I could show you the city? And even more?" He suddenly suggested, earning her full attention. 

 "But... How? I am being watched by so many soldiers and my guard would not allow it." She fought, trying to explain the situation to the prince.

"Well, they didn't see me coming in. They won't see you go out, and I'll bring you back safe and sound before they even wake up." He assured the brown haired woman who listened at him carefully.

 "Could you really do that?" She moved closer to him as she stared at him in shock and wonder. The prince nodded, a soft smile on his lips.

 "I will show you everything you ever wished to see. I can promise you that. I'll take you away from here and show you the world." He stood up, her hands in his. "What do you say?" He asked her. The girl stood up as well and opened her rosy lips to reply, when Irene's balcony door suddenly opened, revealing an out of breath Prompto.

"Noc-- Noct..." He placed his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "We gotta-- gotta-- go. Soldier-- Saw us-- took care of him." His tongue was sticking out. "Ignis-- angry, gotta go-- now." He finished, feeling his throat dry from all the climbing on the balcony.

 Noctis was a little taken aback but he decided to follow his friend. But not before he said goodbye. "I will come again soon, I promise." He squeezed her small hands. "Just wait for me." He smiled and she nodded.

"I will be waiting, Prince Noctis." She assured him before he let go of her and rushed towards the balcony.  He looked down, only to see Gladio and Ignis shoving an unconscious body behind some bushes. 

"What did you do?!" He angrily whispered to the blonde.

"He saw us!" He defended himself. "Don't worry, he's just sleeping." He explained and Noctis sighed in relief. The last thing they needed was a dead body.

"Now, we probably have to be fast because we may or may not have been spotted by some weird pink haired woman who has been chasing us around the garden for quite some time." Prompto said in a breath with a huge grin to try and cheer Noctis up. The prince shot daggers at his friends as with his eyes.

"I'm going to kill you." He growled before grabbing the back of his jacket and warping towards the others.