Author's note: Hi all- Turk 4 Life here! The game is so beautiful and tragic and I admit I randomly cried over a few days because I was hit by unrequited Noctis/Luna feels. So here's a newly hatched fic! Given the very young fandom, I have yet to see this concept written out- thus I have decided to have a go at writing something purposeful and serious (well as serious as I can get). Without any further delays, I present my latest work- forgive me if it's a little slow or awkward to read- I haven't written anything creative in over a year because of my thesis!

Chapter One: The Attack

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret was not your typical princess. That much could be said about the blonde woman who stumbled alongside the rest of Insomnia's refugees in her tattered white clothing. She stood out like a sore thumb amongst the dark greys and blacks the civilians wore. Those civilians who had energy to spare on idle conversation spoke in hushed whispers about the Tenebrae-native royalty who walked amongst them. Most of the conversation centred on her supposed engagement to the prince-now king- of Lucis. Mostly about how the whole affair fell through because of Nifelheim and their iron clad will to rule all of Eos.

Still, if Celia Marcellus had to bet on which was the safest position for her to walk amongst in the large crowd, she would have to bet on the spot right next to the princess. After all, the woman had magic flowing in her veins- she was the Oracle. If anything happened to her- or her daughter- the princess would surely be made aware and ready to help in an instance. And so Celia matched pace with the princess, staying close enough to be safe, but far away enough to not be noticed.

Wiping her brow with her free hand, Celia glanced down to make sure her five year old was still asleep. Sure enough, Karina Marcellus was fast asleep- unaware of the danger that could rock their lives in an instance. Heaving a small sigh of relief, Celia raked a gentle hand over her daughter's light brown hair and quickly pressed a kiss to her temple before setting her eyes in front of her, scanning for potential danger as she unknowingly inched closer and closer towards the Oracle. Although the crowd before her seemed unperturbed, Celia felt restless. An uncomfortable tingle travelled down her spine as she continued to walk forward, her arms tightening fractionally around Karina. Celia glanced at the Oracle and frowned when she noticed an alarmed look on the royal's usually composed features.

Something was coming.

Breaking her silence, Celia hurried towards the princess.

"What is it?" Celia asked, startling Lunafreya out of her thoughts. Blue eyes wide, the Oracle shook her head in a daze.

"The sun will set within the hour. My powers, as Oracle, can only heal those infected by the scourge. I cannot protect these people…" the princess trailed off. "I'm sorry, I am Luna- what is your name?" Luna asked, her voice adopting a friendly tone. Celia smiled in return and offered her free hand to the princess.

"Celia- and this is Karina- she just turned five," Celia nuzzled the top of Karina's head as she introduced her daughter to the young princess. Luna smiled gently, her finger gently tracing the soft skin of Karina's cheek.

"You are very proud of her."

"Yes, she is my all." Luna's smile widened as she retracted her finger from the delicate child.

"Then as your new friend, I shall cherish her all the very same," Luna declared. Celia flushed at the princess' quiet, yet firm proclamation.

"Friend? Okay then…" Celia trailed off, feeling her cheeks turn a rosy hue. Luna's smile faltered slightly at Celia's reaction to her words. Her reaction was very much identical to that of Noctis' when they were children- when she had just as easily proclaimed them friends so long ago.

"Celia… may I take this moment to speak with you as a friend would speak to another friend?" Luna asked, folding her hands together to prevent herself from fidgeting.

"Sure," Celia replied, a little bewildered, "you did just declare us friends. Go ahead- I'm all ears."

Luna smile gratefully at her new friend, noting her dark brown hair- the colour of the finest dark chocolate- and warm hazel eyes gazing attentively at her. She was really going to listen- just as a friend would.

"I'm afraid," Luna stopped and gaged Celia's reaction to her admission. The woman said nothing in return, yet she showed signs of interest in the confession. So Luna continued, "so much has happened and I've been able to do so little. My duty as Oracle is the guide the King of Kings… to help his fulfil his duty to the world. And yet… I find myself faltering." Luna stared into Celia's sympathetic eyes and found the courage to continue speaking her deepest thoughts. "Celia, have you ever wanted to just forget your duty- your place in society- and just be happy with the one you love?"

Taken aback, Celia tightened her grip around her daughter.

"Yes. But it's impossible."

"I know," Luna nodded, sorrow laced in her voice. "It's just… nice to think about sometimes. It seems you and I are more alike than I had initially thought. Heartening and saddening all the same," Celia gulped, knowing where the conversation was headed. The young mother glanced down at her daughter and lifted her gaze to Luna's sad eyes.

"Yeah… I find myself wishing I was more important than his duty, but I guess he's not to fault. He didn't know any better. He was always ambitious," Celia forced a smile onto her lips and glanced at Luna. "I couldn't hold him back, not when he wasn't ready for a simple family life. So I… left." Celia smiled sadly and sighed into her daughter's hair. The movement roused the sleeping child, but a few gentle rubs on the back brought Karina back into her dreamland. "It's okay though- I have Karina and Karina has me. I like to think that I can provide the love of a mother and a father." Luna nodded and looked ahead, the sun sinking further into the horizon.

"Maybe he's a different person now…" Luna whispered to herself. Celia sighed and nodded, having heard Luna's soft remark.

"Maybe… hey, I might be overstepping my bounds but I heard that it's been twelve years since you and the prince saw each other face to face. How do you know… you're still in love with him? You were only twelve when you met him. How could a kid be in love with another kid?" Catching sight of Luna's furrowed eyebrows, Celia shook her head in slight panic. "I'm sorry, my plebeian mind can't understand it, that's all!"

"Oh no, I didn't take offense. I was just thinking about what you said. You may be right- was that love? Or just a strong bond forged out of loneliness? I don't know… yet our correspondence these past years hint at something stronger than just friendship. Not that I have much experience in the area of romance," Luna explained quietly, almost shyly. Celia's mouth dropped, forgetting where she was and who she was taking to.

"Get out! You and the prince have been meeting up secretly?! If that isn't a royal scandal, I don't know what is!" Celia wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, making Luna giggle lightly. The humorous banter lifted a weight off of the Oracle's shoulders. She felt like she really was just another refugee, walking together with her friend towards the hope of a new life.

"No, nothing that scandalous I'm afraid. We've been exchanging letters through a notebook. My canine friend Umbra takes the notebook, delivers it to Noct, and then Noct writes something in reply and sends it back to me through Umbra." Luna sighed sadly as thoughts of Umbra brought along thoughts of Pryna. She was with Gentiana but still, Luna couldn't help but worry. The pup had a penchant for running off when no one was watching her.

"Oh yeah, I think I remember Ignis mentioning something about a messenger dog before-"

"Ignis Scientia? Prince Noctis' royal advisor?" Luna clarified, her eyes wide. Celia gasped and fumbled for words, not impressed with herself as she revealed her most well-kept secret.

"This is not fair- you're too easy to confide in!" Celia accused in jest. Luna winced and averted her gaze.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry…"

"No, no… sheesh woman, I trust you. I told you pretty much everything except his name. It was only a matter of time before I blabbed his name," Celia said, her voice filling with mirth as she watched the Oracle squirm beside her.

The sun was setting and the people around them grew restless, yet the two women confided in each other and continued walking forward towards an unknown destination amongst the crowd of refugees. Luna scoffed quietly and, in a very un-Oracle-like manner, stuck her tongue out at her new friend.

"You're delightfully terrible. I am really enjoying myself, despite the situation," Luna gestured towards the setting sun and the tired people around them. Celia nodded and hummed quietly in agreement. Gathering some nerve, Luna continued their previous topic of conversation. "So, Celia?"

"Hmm?"

"Noct and I met under special circumstances. He was gravely injured and needed my mother's help- the then Oracle- to heal his grievous wounds. I kept him company to keep him from feeling lonely- and to distract him from the pain. I was just wondering… how did you and Ignis meet?" Celia smiled at Luna's innocently curious prodding. The princess may have been the Oracle by title, but she was still a curious woman.

"My story isn't very special. Kind of typical actually- brilliant boy and brilliant girl get given an amazing scholarship opportunity for being complete nerds for the Royal Academy. Girl specialises in daemon research and boy specialises in battle tactics and the arts. Girl gets dragged to some geeky trivia night where she knows no one but her best friend. Turns out boy is there too. Girl and boy are stuck on the same team and we both know very little about King's Knight. He insists we at least try to get some right using our powers of deduction. I screw the whole thing up. He apparently dislikes me for a while, and I laugh at his discontent because he's so stuffy and upright… and then, out of nowhere, he's just waiting outside my combat skills seminar. I try to walk past but he kind of asks me out. Out of shock, I say yes… and then…" Celia's eyes glazed over as she quickly re-lived her short time with Ignis, those six long years ago.

"And then?" Luna prodded, her voice full of dreamy wonder.

"And then we clicked and everything was perfect. But then life happened. Duty happened. And shortly after, my baby Karina happened," Celia grinned at Luna, her heart beating hard in her chest. "Pretty typical story, huh?"

Luna shook her head, sadness in her eyes for Celia.

"You were forced to pick between two right options. Your love, or his life. You picked his life- if you were to pick your love it would have probably been a tragedy all the same. You're a very selfless woman." Celia flushed.

"You've embarrassed me twice within the hour. I think that's a new record." Luna couldn't help but break into a smile.

Before the young princess could quip back, she felt a heavy feeling of darkness fall over her. Celia stopped in her tracks too, familiar with the oppressive feeling that signalled the spawning of a daemon. Sending a look of concern to Luna, she stepped closer to the Oracle.

"This is bad news. I feel a big one coming out, and he wants to play." Luna nodded.

"Seems that way. I will hold the daemons off, meanwhile you and the other refugees must escape!" Celia rolled her eyes at Luna and stood her ground.

"I'm not leaving you here to fend for yourself. You seem to be a woman on a mission- I doubt it would end well if you died here. Don't you have a certain prince, sorry I mean king, to assist? You know, for the safety of the world and all that?" Luna frowned, Celia's blatant words hitting home. It was true- if she sacrificed herself for the people here and now, the world may is well die along with her. Noctis needed her. She needed to deliver the ring. Giving it to another was out of the question. It had to be her. That was the only way she could encourage Noctis to take on the burden. To reassure him that she would be by his side… always. Luna sighed and shook her head.

"You have a child on your person. It's dangerous for Karina to be here-"

"I know that, but it's dangerous everywhere! Karina is safest around you- the Oracle," Luna made a face, "I'm sorry to pull that card Luna but you know it's true. If I run off and leave you here, and you survive somehow… we'd be alone and we'd run into something else and we'd have no way of defending ourselves. I wouldn't be able to save my baby… at least when we're with you, we stand a fighting chance." Luna sighed, seeing the logic in Celia's words.

"You… have a point."

"Of course I do, I'm an expert!" Celia exclaimed. However, she quickly quieted down as she gazed down at her still sleeping daughter. "But… let's get to the real talk. If anything happens to me, I want you to take Karina and run." Luna nearly protested, but the look in Celia's eyes did not give her room for argument. Luna nodded in agreement and fingered the Ring of the Lucii in her pocket. Making a quick decision, she pulled it out and laid it out in her palm for Celia to see.

"And if something were to happen to me, you must deliver this to Noctis in haste. Do not lose it, do not sell it, to not wear it, do not show it to just anyone. It must be given directly to Noctis Lucis Caelum- the future of this world depends on it." Luna breathed heavily, gazing directly into Celia's eyes just as she heard the close range roar of an Iron Giant. Celia raised her eyebrows in question but nodded quickly in agreement.

"Sure thing. Direct delivery to the new king." Luna offered a small smile.

"Thank you."

"No worries- oh Eos I didn't know it was so close!" Celia screeched, ducking down as the daemon's huge sword whirled over her head. Luna's eyes widened marginally before she calmed herself down and reached deep into herself to tap into her white magic.

The shield took a few long moments to summon and the holy light surrounding her kept the daemons away from her person. As she summoned her light shield, Luna felt an impact against her legs, followed by a loud shriek of a child. Once the shield was fully formed, Luna allowed herself to investigate the small body the lay shaking at her feet, curled up on itself. The light shield did its job, reflecting the blows of the daemon's weapon easily as Luna reached down.

"Mamaaaaa!" the child cried, pointing at an eerily still body laying crushed under the daemon's enormous foot. Luna's heart dropped as she gently brushed the child's hair away from her crying eyes.

"Karina?" the young girl hiccupped, her eyes showing recognition at the name. Still, she kept pointing at the still body laying outside the safety of the conjured shield. Luna's eyes glazed over with unshed tears as she tried to coax the girl up with her, her body weakened from the train of the short-range shield. "We have to go sweetie. Please, can you get up?" Karina looked up at Luna with terrified eyes and shook her head.

"My shoulders and back hurt. And my elbows. And mama is under there! I want mama!" the child shrieked. Luna blinked back tears of sorrow as she watched the child struggle on the ground, unable to leave the safety of the shield.

"I'm so sorry darling. You have to come with me now. Mama's not going to be coming with us…" Luna did her best to ignore Karina's sorrow-filled cries as she hauled the child into her arms and began to jog away from the daemon. Luna was tired, but she made a promise. Her eyes set forward with determination, Luna blocked out the cries of the other refugees- a first for her- and ran forward, cradling the precious child to her chest.

Karina Marcellus Scientia was now in lady Lunafreya's care.