Book Three: The Children of Fate

X - {EDITED}

*Running. The halls were long and narrow, daemons were chasing me. I held my arm as it seared in pain. My heart raced, my breathing heavy. I had been running for what seemed like forever. My legs ached as I ran to an empty room. The metal walls of the keep reflected my image back at me, revealing my face was part Magitek armor and part skin. My face was not my own but Prompto's when he was 20 years old. More daemons started trying to knock the door down. Once again, I was running down a long, narrow hallway. At the side of the hall was another room. Opening the door, I found myself in another part of the dream.

A child sat on the steps to the Citadel, holding a camera. I made my way towards her, realizing that it was me. The younger me seemed to have been crying.

"Hey! Sera, you're going to be late for the party!" Another girl came up to her. It was my first friend, Claira. My heart shattered when I saw her. The younger me wiped away her tears, putting the camera away before smiling.

"I'm on my way!" She giggled and followed Claira.

Another scene came into view. This one was when she found that Claira had been consumed by the Starscourge. More pain came with this scene than the last time.

"NO! Please stop this madness! Enough Bahamut!" I shouted, tears on the brink of falling.*

Sera jolted awake, panting a bit. Her eyes met with those of Prompto's. The sun had already risen and the train was moving once again.

"Nightmare?" Prompto asked in a soft, worrying tone. A small nod was Sera's only response. "Wanna talk about it?"

"It was just painful memories of Clara," Sera explained, feeling the stinging sensation of tears starting to swell up in her eyes. "It's a day, much like the signing ceremony and just before the wedding, of which I will never forget. No matter how much I pray to the Six to erase the day from my memory."

Prompto sat there, a worried look on his face, unsure of what to do or what to say. There was a long silence before it was broken with a knock on the door. Sera stood, her magic making a robe appear over her nightgown. Opening the door, she found the young girl, whose mother she had saved the night before.

"Ah, good morning!" Sera said with a soft smile.

"Good morning, Your Majesty. My mother wanted me to give this to you," the girl said, holding a gift in her hands.

"That's very sweet of you and your mother. Thank you." She carefully took the gift in her hands, opening it, her eyes widening at how beautiful the inside was. "It's gorgeous! I will certainly cherish this."

"You're welcome, Your Majesty!" And with that, the little girl scurried off. Inside the box was a card. It read:

Your Majesty,

Irina and I had this made for you. I hope you can accept this gift as a token of my appreciation.

Irina and Marianne

Sera looked at the dress inside the box and shut the door, deciding to change into it. Changing into the dress, she found it was a comfortable fit. The dress came to below her knees and was accented with intricate gold patterns. The black fabric laid off her shoulders, sheer black fabric over the skirt of the dress, a light dusting of gold and silver glitter laid on the sheer fabric. To wear with her new dress, Sera chose to wear her gold and black heels to complete the ensemble.

"How do I look?" she asked Prompto as she twirled around a few times so he could see her.

"Beautiful as always, my dear," Prompto said with a smile.

"Glad to hear that." Sera bowed her head and made her way to the dining cart so she could get breakfast. As she sat to be waited on, she couldn't help but watch the moving scenery, almost entranced by its beauty.

"Good morning, miss," Amos said, catching the newly crowned queen's attention. "What can I get for you?"

"Just a cup of Ebony will do for me," she responded, still slightly dazed.

"Something certainly has you in a tranced state."

"Oh my apologies. It's been quite a long time since I've seen daybreak. I've been surrounded in darkness for so long, the daylight seems to be so captivating." As she spoke, Amos placed the cup of Ebony in front of her.

Sipping on it, she kept quiet, still in thought. Her mind kept wandering back to the mother and daughter she had saved the night before. If the Starscourge was removed entirely, Marianne shouldn't have been so deathly ill. So what is going on now? Sera thought before hearing small footsteps approaching her.

"How do you like the dress, ma'am?" Irina asked with a curious look on her face

"I love the dress! It's so beautiful and just as importantly, it's rather comfortable," Sera responded, smiling happily, looking at the little girl with a gentle expression. "Tell me, Irina, where might your mother be? I wish to formally thank her for the dress, personally."

"She should be in our cabin."

"Could you be so kind as to lead me to your cabin?" And with that, Irina took the queen's hand in hers and led her to her mother, who was sitting on the bed, reading. Upon seeing Sera, Marianne set her book down and greeted her with a smile.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," she said, smiling.

"Good morning, Marianne," Sera responded. "I came to personally thank you for such a lovely gift."

"You're most welcome. I heard the news of your marriage. The dress you're wearing was not only a gift of thanks but also a wedding gift. I, unfortunately, was unable to make it to the wedding. I was overseeing the construction of the statue of you and your brother's statue."

"I should've halted all construction so that everyone could attend. It was my fault." She bowed her head as a sign of regret. "My deepest apologies. I really should be going now."