It's Been a While

Chapter 1: Familiar Faces, Distant Places

The journey had been long and treacherous. Nevertheless, Thaleia Cadeau had arrived at her safe haven. Duscae was a vast and scenic area filled with grassy plains, beautiful lakes, and breathtaking mountains. Any other day, she would've loved to wander around aimlessly and explore nature's creations but her heart was heavy with sadness.

"This is fine..." she said softly to the kind stranger that had offered her a ride to the nearest city limit. The elderly man simply nodded and pulled over at the Coernix Station, allowing Thaleia to exit the vehicle. She waved to the man as he drove away then quickly surveyed her surroundings before deciding to make her next move.

Lovely. She thought to herself as her stomach began to grumble. It had been two days since she last consumed any food, but that was certainly the least of her concerns. The Empire wanted her dead and she knew they wouldn't stop searching for her until the last member of the Cadeau bloodline was no more.

Thoughts of seeing her mother, Amethyst and her sister, Perojinny being dragged away by Imperial soldiers flooded through her mind. The sound of their blood-curdling screams haunted her memories. Despite the tragic events of what happened inside the walls of Insomnia, Thaleia recalled her father's final plea for her to evacuate the city. She wanted nothing more than to fight beside him but she knew her father wouldn't allow it.

Thaleia had already started her training to become only the second woman to serve as part of the Kingsglaive. She would have taken her rightful place in the future King Noctis' elite force. The fate of King Regis was still unknown, but Thaleia had willfully accepted the fact that her father was dead. There would be a time to grieve but now was not it.

Her stomach grumbled once more, reminding her of the current task at hand. "Right...food," she sighed, patting her belly. Desperate for something to get rid of her hunger pains, Thaleia made her way over to the local shop that was connected to the gas station. As she entered the shop, she took note of the fancy black car that was being worked on by a bubbly, young blonde.

The car looked familiar but she couldn't quite remember where she'd seen it. Shrugging her shoulders, Thaleia buried her curiosity about the car and began her search for something to snack on. She gathered a few of her choice favorites to tide her over before finally heading to the register.

"Find everything okay, miss?" the store owner smiled as he rang up her items.

"Sure did," Thaleia replied with a pleasant sigh.

"Come back anytime..." the man waved as he watched Thaleia exit his store.

Once she was outside, she noticed the caravan trailer that just so happened to have a few tables and chairs out front. Taking a much-needed sip of water, Thaleia eased down into one of the chairs and pried into her first snack.

At least it's peaceful around these parts. I can't stay too long, though. She mused while devouring the first bag of chips she purchased. With the exception of cars passing by on the highway and stopping for gas, Coernix Station was a pretty decent little hideout. Thaleia knew she could get at least a day or two of rest before she needed to disappear.

Taking a moment to put her feelings aside, Thaleia gazed out at the surrounding areas of Coernix Station. Aside from the beautiful scenery, she noticed something rather odd. It was a group of four guys emerging from the side of the highway. She squinted in an attempt to get a better look at them but alas, she was too far away to fully make out their faces.

From that distance, she could only tell that they were wearing all black. Wonder if that's their ride over there?She pondered, glancing over at the fancy car that the pretty, blond mechanic seemed to be shining up. Her gaze shifted back over to the group of men and she surveyed them carefully. As the group drew closer, Thaleia's eyes widened once she recognized the tattoos of the larger man in the party.

Gladio...

"Please tell me that we're done hunting those stupid Scorpions for today. I'm dying of thirst over here..." Prompto whined as he and his friends hopped over the guardrails to cross the highway.

"You're always dying of something and I'm pretty sure it's not just thirst," Gladiolus mocked, punching Prompto on the shoulder playfully.

"Once we've paid Cindy for the repairs on the Regalia, we can get you some refreshments before we hit the road," Ignis replied.

"Ah, you guys spoil all the fun. Right, Noct?" Prompto chuckled.

"Eh... sometimes," Noctis grinned as the four of them trotted back across the highway. Making a beeline straight to their car, Prince Noctis wasted no time engaging in a conversation with Cindy, the mechanic about their car. Ignis stood by and followed up with any routine questions involving the car and made sure that everything was in order.

While Prompto was busy eyeballing Cindy, Gladiolus had taken notice of the young, dark-haired woman sitting outside of the caravan. As the King's Shield, it was his job to protect Prince Noctis against any and all possible threats.

"Gladio..." Noctis interrupted, drawing the big man's attention away from the woman at the table and back over to him. "You all set to go?"

"Uh... yeah. Just waiting on Ignis to finish up at the shop," he nodded before looking back over at the woman. She was standing up next to her chair doing some minor stretches. Gladio's honey colored eyes followed her every move. She seemed familiar to him but he wasn't quite sure if he knew her.

One thing was for certain, Gladio appreciated a nice body whenever he saw one. His head tilted as he admired the woman's curves from afar. Her long chocolate cherry locks rested evenly on her shoulders and he couldn't help but notice the intricate dragon tattoo on her rib cage that was playing peek-a-boo from underneath her shirt.

Leia...

"Maybe you should say something instead of just gawking at her..." Noctis teased.

"Hey, I don't gawk!" Gladiolus scoffed, waving off a snickering Noctis and Prompto.

"I don't know, big guy... I'm gonna have to agree with Noct on this one. You're definitely gawking," Prompto chuckled. Gladio simply rolled his eyes in an attempt to ignore his pals. When he turned back around to look at the woman once more, she was gone.

Where'd she go?He thought as his eyes frantically searched for the caramel skinned beauty.

"Gladio..." Ignis piped up from the driver's seat of the Regalia. "We should head out now, as we need to get to Galdin Quay soon."

"Fine," Gladio sighed reluctantly. He did one final sweep of the station before sinking down into the backseat of the car.

"Hey, don't fret. I'm sure you'll see another beautiful woman soon," Noctis smirked, patting Gladio on his broad shoulder.

"Yeah, big guy... there's plenty of lovely ladies out there," Prompto added as the party of four hit the road once again. It was a beautiful day in Duscae, so Ignis lowered the top of the Regalia while they proceeded to Galdin Quay. Normally on long drives, Gladiolus would read one of his books but this time his thoughts were occupied by the mystery woman at Coernix Station.

I swear that was Thaleia...it had to have been her. I've seen that tattoo up close and personal a few times.Gladio smiled to himself as he recalled all of the fun times he and Thaleia had together. Aside from his little sister, Iris, Thaleia held a special place in his heart. He could only hope that he would have another chance to lay his eyes upon her beautifully familiar face once more.

**A/N: Hi, everyone! I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank you all for stopping by and giving my fledgling of an idea a chance lol. I'm a bit nervous to post this as it is my first story outside the realm of pro wrestling and WWE. I am relatively new to the Final Fantasy world, but I must say that after immersing myself into the FFXV game, this series has definitely gained a new fan. Anyway, enough of my babbling. Feel free to review (go easy on me, I'm a newbie at FFXV lol). Once again, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!**

Till next time...

~S (GladdysCupNoodles)