THE FESTIVAL

King Noctis Lucis Caelum paced in his study, feeling quite nervous and anxious. He kept looking at his hand before continuing to pace and rehearsed his lines in his head over and over. He needed to do this right, but to do that he needed to make sure he did not stumble over his words. But how could he, when he could barely contain himself around—

A knock startled the king out of his thoughts and he looked over at the door, his heart beating faster. However, to his disappointment, it was only his longtime friend, Prompto. The blonde man poked his head into the study and took note of his friend's rather disappointed expression. He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Noct. I thought you already… You know."

"I didn't. Not yet." Noctis huffed. "What if this is a really stupid idea? Maybe this isn't really her thing…" Anxiety began to set in once again.

Prompto hurried over to his friend and shook him. "Noct! Cool it! This is a great idea! She'll like it, you'll see! Besides, it'll just be you two! No interruptions, no pictures from me…" He chuckled.

"But what if she does say no? Or decides to just do some more work instead?" Noctis sighed.

Prompto rolled his eyes. "C'mon Noct! You know Light better than that! She would say yes!"

Noctis rubbed the back of his head. "I hope so…" He looked at his hand again, where he clutched two special tickets. The pieces of paper were slightly crumpled from being held in his fist too tightly every now and again. He had practically jumped through hoops just to get those special tickets early before the actual release, wherein the tickets would be gone within a few hours or days. Noctis had wanted to surprise his wife and queen by taking her to a special event that had been months away; and today in several hours, that event would begin.

The Moogle Chocobo Festival. A special carnival event that Noctis had been keen on attending, but he wanted to share the moment with Lightning and so he nervous rehearsed what he would say to her in order for her to agree. She had been working just as hard as he was; not only in her duties as queen of Lucis, but also the new leader of the Kingsglaive. She was a very hands-on monarch and that kept her busy. Noctis himself was always just as busy but now he wanted to enjoy the simple joys in life, along with his queen. He simply could not go alone.

Prompto pat his friend's shoulder. "You know Light; she can't deny you even if she wanted to."

"She can, and she had denied me before. But…I hope this is one of the times she says yes." Noctis said nervously.

The blonde man looked at the king as if he were growing a second head. "She's your wife, Noct! How are you so sure she'd reject you?"

With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, Noctis looked at Prompto seriously. "If you were in my shoes, wouldn't you feel nervous that Vanille might say no or not be in the mood to go, even if you do trust she would say yes and love to go? There would be that little voice in the back of your head…" Noctis gently poked Prompto's forehead with a finger, "…that would tell you otherwise. And besides, this is Lightning we are talking about, not Vanille. But you get the idea."

Prompto rubbed his arm. "Well…I guess you got a point. But I bet Light would love to spend some time with you! She may not look it, but she's also been getting kinda tired and the Glaives kept suggesting she take a break even if she says no. So…if you insist, I'm sure she'll agree to go to the festival with you."

"I guess. Where is she anyway?" Noctis had not seen Lightning all day, so far. And he was getting rather worried. She had not been called away for something urgent, had she? If so, he as the king would have heard word of it!

His worries were assuaged when another knock sounded and Lightning let herself in. Prompto gave him a grin and a thumbs-up before stepping away backwards. He waved at Lightning innocently, earning a raised eyebrow from the queen.

Once they were alone, Noctis cleared his throat awkwardly. However, this brought Lightning's attention back to him. "What was all that about?" She asked.

"We were just…talking." He hid the tickets behind his back, but his wife only gave him a look that made it clear she did not believe a word he was saying. Noctis could practically feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up; nothing seemed to get passed his Lightning.

"What are you up to this time?" She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at her husband.

Noctis sighed in defeat and moved closer to her until he was able to touch his forehead to hers. Lightning kept her eyes on him the entire time. "It's just…we've both been working our asses off lately…"

"Right." Lightning agreed quietly, patiently waiting for him to get to his point.

"I just thought…that maybe we could…spend some time together. Away from the palace." Noctis said slowly, trying to gauge her reactions. So far Lightning's expression remained neutral as she was waiting for him to say what he needed to say. The young king cleared his throat again and the hand he kept hidden behind his back twitched a bit from nervousness. He needed to say it now before Lightning decided to find out for herself. "What I'm trying to say is…" He moved his hand away from his back and showed her the tickets. "Will you…come with me to the Moogle Chocobo Festival today?"

Lightning stared at him, then at the slightly crumpled tickets; she could tell he had been clutching them ever so tightly if they were in such a condition. "And what about Insomnia?" She asked carefully.

Noctis straightened. "I arranged for Ignis to let us know immediately if anything happens and while we're gone, everyone will watch over the kingdom and the palace…" He was feeling nervous again; if he did not reassure her that he did cover all bases, she may not accept his offer.

Sensing her husband's worries, Lightning gently poked him in the forehead with a finger. "Take it easy. I just wanted to make sure you've thought this through. You are the king after all."

"I know. I know, but…I want us to just be Noctis and Lightning today. Just me, and you, and the carnival…" He said, stroking her cheek gently. "You don't have to say yes, I'll understand. I just thought—"

Lightning pressed a finger to his lips before he could begin to stumble with his words. "Calm down. I just wanted to know if you had made arrangements already." She stepped back. "Alright. Give me a moment; I need to speak with the Glaives."

"I already talked to them about this. So…is that a yes?" Noctis asked carefully.

The warrior queen gave him a look over her shoulder before heading out the door. "I just need to make sure they have everything in order."

Once she left the room, it took all Noctis had not to jump into the air and cheer for joy. He knew Lightning well enough to know that she had actually agreed to go to the carnival with him. He was grinning like a happy fool at the moment but he did not care; he would be spending time with his wife and he was going to savor every second of it.

~XIII-XV~

"You guys sure you have everything under control here?" Noctis asked his friends while he glanced at his wife who was giving her stern talk and instructions to the Kingsglaive, some of whom happen to be her longtime friends and comrades.

Ignis nodded. "Not to worry, Your Majesty. All is in order; you can be sure that your time with the queen will go uninterrupted. We have the palace secured."

"You have nothing to worry about Noct; Insomnia will be just fine." Gladiolus said with a wink. And Prompto took the chance to take a picture of Lightning who was speaking with the Glaives.

Noctis looked to where the Regalia was parked, waiting for its master to take it out for a ride. He looked then looked at Lightning who nodded at the Kinsglaive as they bowed their heads in respect the moment they were dismissed with a wave of the queen's hand.

Prompto grinned and snapped a shot of the royal couple as Noctis took his wife's hand in his own and led her down to the Regalia. The camera was then snatched out of the blonde's hands by Fang who just grinned as she looked through the pictures before trying to take a shot of her own, much to the pouting Prompto's dismay.

Noctis opened the passenger side door for his queen and she slipped in. They both knew the Moogle Chocobo Festival was being held in Altissia, and so Noctis decided they would be taking the Regalia for a fly there. He preferred to drive them there himself than to ask for a royal airship; after all this day was supposed to be just for him and Lightning alone.

"Someone's excited," Lightning teased as she took note of Noctis' quick movements when he got into the driver's side seat.

The king blushed and cleared his throat. "Well, I've been looking forward to bringing you to the carnival for a while." He gave her his most charming smile and Lightning turned to the window in an attempt to hide her blush and calm her rapidly-beating heart. Damn him and his modestly charming smile.

As the Regalia began moving, Noctis pressed a couple of buttons and right away, the land vehicle transformed; wings folded out and the roof returned over the monarchs' heads. Within moments, they were in the air.

Lightning resisted the urge to tell Noctis to watch out for lampposts; a running joke that had started when Noctis, Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto first tested out the Regalia's new flying upgrades; an incident which turned out to be short-lived when the wing grazed the top of a nearby lamppost, sending the Regalia off into the distance due to a malfunction caused by the not-even-terrible-crash against the lamppost.

The view from above was amazing and it soothed both king and queen as they traveled all the way to their destination; this way was faster than having the Regalia as a regular car.

Noctis reached over to turn on the radio and Lightning raised an eyebrow at the song that began playing. The tune was catchy but she never understood what the lyrics were supposed to mean, but Noctis would only smile and say he did not understand the lyrics either and that he only enjoyed the song anyway.

Lightning leaned back in her seat and watched as the scenery went by. Once in a while, she stole a glance at Noctis and allowed a small smile to grace her lips until he noticed her watching, and she would look away before he could see her. It only made Noctis smile as well; every little thing Lightning did, every gesture, expressions; it always reminded him what made her such a wonderful queen, a loyal and devoted friend, and an amazing wife.

He slid one hand off the steering wheel and placed his hand on top of hers. Lightning blinked and glanced at him. She turned her hand and held his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Noctis landed the Regalia and the car folded its wings back in, reverting back to its usual state.

The king and queen exited the vehicle and took in the sights before them. Altissia looked transformed; banners, balloons, statues, and signs full of moogles and chocobos littered the streets, the walls and every building. It was truly a festival dedicated to these fantastical creatures.

Lightning looked over at her king and took another look at his choice of clothing. Noctis had decided to dress for the occasion and was wearing a rather silly-looking (in her opinion) yellow shirt with a large moogle adding some white to it. On the chest was the logo print of the Moogle Chocobo Festival, with a moogle riding on the back of a yellow chocobo. He had black-and-white fingerless gloves, black jeans, sneakers, and to complete his ensemble, King Noctis wore a yellow hat shaped similarly to a the top of a chocobo's head, the front of the hat had a print of two black beady eyes with the color of orange to replicate the beak of the chocobo, two yellow flaps protruded from either side of the hat to mimic tiny chocobo wings, and on top of a hat was a little pom-pom, reminiscent of the one moogles had on their head.

It was silly, yet Lightning could not help but find it endearing. Of course, she would never say it out loud, and about such a ridiculous outfit. Though it did capture the carnival's spirit well enough. Unlike her choice of outfit which consisted of a white shirt, a white cardigan to go over it, brown pants, on her left wrist was a brown band, and her on her feet were black flats—she did not want her husband to pout at her for wearing those black heels since their height was not too far apart.

Noctis grinned and took his wife's hand, eagerly leading her to the entrance where a man stood there to greet the guests. He straightened as he saw the pair and Noctis handed him two little booklets—the carnival passports—and in them were the tickets. They were still slightly crumpled but it was obvious that Noctis had done his best to smooth them down and look presentable.

The man raised an eyebrow but just nodded and handed the tickets and passports back to the pair. "Enjoy the festivities!" He said as he let them go on ahead. They stuffed their passports into their pocket and began their little excursion.

Noctis took Lightning's hand again and they walked along the streets that were filled with laughing children and adults alike, balloons, confetti, and a lot of other colorful things. There were so many colors around them and the main centerpieces were always the moogles and chocobos; statues, plush dolls, posters, billboards. They were everywhere. Even the food in the cafes and restaurants had a theme of chocobos and moogles on them, especially the desserts.

"Where to start…?" Noctis wondered out loud. Looking around, there was just so much to do and experience.

"How about we start with something simple," Lightning suggested and nodded over to where a game seemed to be taking place. Someone was attempting to whack cactuars with a rubber hammer and was having some trouble catching the speedy little devils.

Noctis walked over and watched the spectacle, but once the current player gave up, the young king stepped in to give it a try.

Lightning stood by and watched as her husband seemed to have the time of his life playing such an odd game. Still, she was glad to see him so relaxed and already back to his usual fun-loving, laidback self. But it was clear to her that this was just the beginning of their day at the carnival.

Noctis smirked triumphantly when he won the game and turned to his wife who was merely watching with an amused expression. She shook her head at him with a small but fond smile on her lips before he rejoined her, and connected their hands together again.

It was much later, when the royal pair were riding a gondola—decorated with a chocobo statue for the occasion—that Lightning finally gave Noctis a look. "Of all things you agreed to do here, why did you agree to search for a bunch of birds that could be anywhere in this damn city?"

"Well as a king, I have to help people, right?" He joked lightly before adding, "Besides, we can't just leave a bunch of innocent little birds out in the cold."

"The weather is just fine…" Lightning glared at him lightly.

Noctis touched her hand gently. "Don't worry; this won't mess up our time together. We'll just grab whatever missing chicks we find whenever we see them. Since we're gonna experience this entire festival, I have a feeling we'll run into them anyway wherever we go."

Lightning's eyes widened and she turned her head to the side. "That's not what I was thinking." Her king only smiled at her and lifted her hand to his lips.

As the gondola docked, they stepped off and wandered the new area they were in. Once again, everything was decorated for the festival and just as colorful. Now, there were even mascots wandering around to greet the guests enjoying the festivities.

Noctis chuckled before the sound of crying stopped him dead in his tracks. Lightning stopped as well and turned towards the sound.

A child was sobbing while the father attempted to soothe the little one. The child continued to cry and point upwards, calling out in vain at a balloon that had escaped into the sky.

The young king and queen approached the scene silently as the concerned parent continued to calm his child down as best as he could. Noctis looked upwards; the balloon had not floated to far up yet. Lightning noticed the expression on his face and sighed. She knew what he was about to do, but she had no intention on stopping him.

In an instant, Noctis disappeared in a flash of blue light, appearing right where the balloon was. He grabbed onto the string of the wayward balloon before returning down onto the ground beside his queen.

Both father and child gasped at the sudden burst of speed before the little one's eyes widened when Noctis presented the balloon. "Don't let go of it this time, alright?" He said kindly as the child took back the balloon and smiled brightly at the young king.

"Thank you so much." The father said, shaking Noctis hand gratefully before heading off.

"Thank you, Mister!" The child echoed and waved goodbye with a free hand before running off with the newly claimed balloon.

Lightning ruffled her husband's hair. "Someone's a pushover."

Noctis laughed and gently knocked his forehead against hers. "Thanks, I appreciate that." He took her hand again continued onward. Lightning had to admit, she was truly enjoying herself. From the odd games, to the little detours she and Noctis took just to help someone, to even the silly little decorations.

The royal couple took a break at a café, and just sat in comfortable silence. The happy chatters of people was surprisingly nice to hear; after all it was a peaceful time and it was good to see that the world still held wonders that made everyone smile, even if only for a little while.

Noctis grinned as he stared at his cake when their orders arrived. Lightning raised an eyebrow, wondering what her wayward husband was up to this time.

Instead of responding, Noctis straightened and cut into his cake slice and took a dainty bite. He cleared his throat, seeming to try and deepen his voice just slightly before he smirked again and lifted his index finger upward. "I have come up with a new recipe!" He said suddenly, in a rather impressive-sounding impersonation of Ignis; accent and all.

Lightning snorted. "Cute," She said with a rather deadpan tone.

Noctis laughed. "Well you have to admit, that is what Iggy would say if he were here right now." He had another bite of his cake before sipping his cappuccino.

Rolling her eyes at him, Lightning reached over, napkin in hand, and wiped the foam from his lips. Noctis watched her silently as she did so. Before she could pull her hand away, he grabbed her wrist gently and leaned in, pressing a chaste kiss into his wife's lips.

The warrior queen looked surprised and her cheeks were then tinted pink at the tender show of affection. When Noctis pulled away, he too had a light blush on his cheeks. He was usually shy and had a hard time with expressing himself, but when it came to Lightning, he wanted to do his best to show her how much she meant to him.

She touched her lips with the tip of her fingers. "What was that about?"

"I just wanted to," Noctis said softly before kissing her forehead.

Lightning sighed and grabbed his hand. Her expression remained serious and the king wondered if he did something wrong until her expression softened and she pressed her lips to the wedding ring on his finger; Noctis could also clearly see her wedding band as well and it made his heart jump.

"You're a moron, you know that?" Lightning murmured; her soft and gently tone betraying her words.

The young king rubbed his nose against hers. "I'm your moron."

Both king and queen froze when they noticed a small crowd had stopped to watch them. Their faces turned red as they looked over at their little audience. They turned away and continued to enjoy their food, keeping their heads low.

There were murmurs; some people even recognized them as the king and queen of Lucis and would whisper and gush about them.

Lightning and Noctis were used to this sort of attention by now, but it was still a hassle whenever they were recognized or caught anyone's eye. Though they refused to let it bother them, and they continued on their way after they were done and paid for their food and drinks.

It did not surprise Lightning when they were once again asked to help someone. This time they ended up having to track down six moogle dolls that were, for some reason, scattered across the city, and take pictures of them. Noctis and Lightning had exchanged odd looks before shrugging and giving in.

"People can be so strange." Noctis mused as he and Lightning leaned against the railing to stare at the water, watching the gondolas that passed by under the bridge they were standing on.

Lightning agreed silently. "I guess without it, life wouldn't continue to be full of surprises. For better or for worse…"

"Hmm…" Noctis let out a long exhale and straightened. "Well, we still have a whole lot to see! So how about we—"

Lightning was leaning over the railing slightly, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Noctis tensed, wondering if he did something wrong. Perhaps she was not enjoying herself. Worriedly, he tried to reassure her that there was more fun to be had but she lifted a hand to shush him.

"Light, please! I swear, there's still—"

"Doesn't that look like a moogle to you?"

Puzzled at his wife's words, he looked around in wonder. What exactly was she referring to?

Lightning rolled her eyes and grabbed his chin between her fingers and made him follow her gaze. From afar, a gondola was approaching. On it seemed to be a couple, but what caught the king and queen's attention was the odd addition to the chocobo ornament that decorated the gondola. Hastily, Noctis took out his camera and pointed it at the ornament. On top of the chocobo's head sat a moogle doll; no doubt one of the missing ones he and Lightning agreed to find.

He snapped a picture of the doll and the gondola passed under the bridge. "That's one down."

"And five to go," Lightning said with a nod.

Noctis smiled at her and ruffled her hair. "My queen's got sharp eyes."

Lightning returned his smile with a smirk. "If I didn't you would have been assassinated by now, or going through another pointless journey, Your Majesty." She bowed.

"Good thing I have such a powerful queen who is also a Kingsglaive as my wife then." Noctis pulled her close to him.

Lightning chuckled and played with the hair on the back of his neck. "You're not so bad yourself, King Noctis."

The royal couple slowed down in their explorations of the city just to take in more of the sights of how impressive Altissia looked even with adorable and endearing new additions to them due to the event taking place, before stopping to watch a chocobo mascot wave at a couple of children and their families. However, the costumed man or woman suddenly spotted the couple and gestured for them to come over.

Puzzled, they did so and the chocobo mascot took Noctis' hands and hopped up and down excitedly before letting go and making gestures. When the king did not respond, the mascot began to do a little dance before looking at Noctis.

Lightning snickered quietly when she realized that the mascot had invited her husband to dance. Much to her amusement, Noctis went along with little to no resistance.

The mascot did a little twist and turn and Noctis followed along, mimicking the steps. When he managed to successfully do the dance, the mascot clapped their hands joyfully and was then joined by a small audience that had gathered to watch rather endearing spectacle.

Noctis rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment and he shyly waved away the mascot who was silently congratulating him. His eyes then met Lightning's and he smiled; she stood out among the crowd and it amazed him how easily he could easily reunite with her, no matter how far away they were from each other. He would always be able to find his way back to her, and her back to him.

He lowered his head in a bashful manner as he returned to his queen's side. "Hey."

"Nice moves, Caelum." Lightning chuckled, bumping her shoulder against his teasingly.

Noctis' cheeks turned red and he glared at her playfully. "You do realize your name is Caelum as well, right?"

"I was a Farron first before a Caelum," She reasoned and her husband's shoulders slumped in defeat.

Interestingly, after their encounter with the chocobo mascot, the pair encountered a moogle mascot on another sector of Altissia. Once again, they found themselves at the center of the mascot's attention and once again, King Noctis was pulled up front for a dance.

To Lightning, it was like endless amusement to see her husband dance in such a silly way beside a couple of mascots. She changed her mind when the large moogle costume suddenly turned to her, then looked at Noctis again before looking back at her. The mascot approached her hand took her hand, pulling her over to stand next to her better half.

Noctis smirked smugly when he realized that he was going to have his chance to enjoy some entertainment as well.

Much to Lightning's dismay, the mascot coaxed her into a dance and Noctis just did the same, earning a glare from her. She finally gave in when curious bystanders began to gather; she mentally told herself that the sooner he did this idiotic dance, the sooner it can be done with.

Both king and queen then found themselves dancing beside the moogle mascot and the crowd clapped along. The large moogle hopped up and down happily, silently cheering the royal couple on until the short dance came to an end.

When they were finally away from the crowd, and the mascot, Noctis laughed. "Nice moves, Caelum." He said, in a poor imitation of Lightning's voice.

The warrior queen took a swing at him and grabbed her spouse in a headlock, which he escaped and then proceeded to run away from her. Lightning gave chase, startling several guests as the two whizzed past at such an impressive speed that was almost inhuman.

Noctis laughed happily as he began to step the chase up a notch by warping.

The sound of his laughter reached Lightning's ears and her heart nearly stopped when she heard it. She hardly heard Noctis laugh in such a way and now that she heard how happy he was at the moment, she could no longer find it in her to be upset with him. But that did not mean she would stop chasing him. When she saw him warp, she followed suit and warped as well in a flash of red light, complimenting the flash of blue light Noctis left behind.

The king and queen of Lucis left a trail of wind in their way due to their impressive speed, or a trail of red and blue due to warping from one area to the next. The visitors would look about in confusion, wondering what had run past them.

Lightning soon managed to tackle Noctis to the ground and the young king laughed as he decided to surrender to his queen.

She cleared her throat when she realized that she was practically on top of him now, and stood up. Lightning offered him a hand and pulled him up to his feet. "You brought this on yourself." She huffed.

"I did," Noctis agreed with a nod.

As they straightened and dusted themselves off, Noctis stopped Lightning before she could head off. Grabbing her wrist, he turned her around to face him again and pressed a kiss to her forehead before he took his hat off and placed it on his wife's head. She looked at him with an off-guard expression.

"Looks good on you," He complimented and took her hand, pulling her along to continue their excursion. Lightning was thankful that he could not see her reddening cheeks.

~XIII-XV~

A couple of hours later, the day grew late and the sun was close to sinking.

By now Lightning and Noctis had managed to find and photograph every moogle doll there was to find. It was a relief to the royal couple that they had finished off that little chore; they had been running around searching for the moogles and runaway chocobo chicks.

"That was something, huh?" Noctis chuckled as he and Lightning stopped to take a break.

"And whose fault was it again?" Lightning had a smirk on her face, giving away that she was actually rather enjoying herself as much as her husband was.

Noctis rested his head on her shoulder. "You know…the best part of the carnival is tonight. We still have time to get cleaned up. Make sure the end of the day is just perfect…"

"Ah, so that's why you brought them along on this trip," Lightning murmured in realization. "Alright, so where did you book us?"

The young king grinned cheekily. "Where do you think? Only the best they have here. I already arranged for our things to be brought up to our hotel room while we were running around today." He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger.

"Hmm…so the king did plan ahead." Lightning purred lightly, sending a shiver down her husband's spine.

"As always…" Noctis bragged jokingly as he leaned down to affectionately nuzzle against his wife's shoulder and placed an arm around her.

They headed to the Leville hotel and Noctis stepped up to the counter. Employees bowed in respect as the king was handed his keycard to the room. Noctis just shook his head at them, feeling slightly uncomfortable, but Lightning was by his side to keep things calm and help boost his confidence. She stood tall and proud beside her king and Noctis always felt more like a king when she was with him.

When they finally got to their room, Noctis sighed in relief. He knew he was a king but he still could not help but feel slightly uncomfortable with such a status.

Lightning seemed like she was much more comfortable with it but he knew it was far from the truth; she was just as tense as he was when it came to her royal status and Noctis knew she had it worse than him due to the fact that she was not even of royal blood. She earned her place as queen when he fell in love with her and she had always had the streak of a natural-born leader. Despite having no royal upbringing, she always managed to keep herself calm and composed despite the expectations; though it was in thanks to her military background.

Whenever one felt pressured, the other would always stand by when needed, and for that Noctia was thankful. He could not imagine being king with Lightning by his side.

Lightning took off the choco-mog hat and tossed it onto the bed while Noctis sighed in content as he laid down on the soft mattress and sheets, ignoring his wife rolling her eyes at him. He only smirked and relaxed, feeling lazy from all the running around they had been doing.

"Lazing around already, King Noctis? This whole day was your idea." She reminded but received a lazy shrug in return.

"Even I get tired, Queen Lightning." He chuckled and nestled down against the pillows.

A suitcase sat in the corner of the room and Lightning brought it over to the king-sized bed, making the mattress bounce when she tossed it there.

"I never thought I'd miss seeing you." Lightning said in a low tone as she opened the suitcase and pulled out the contents. Noctis smirked and sat up to do the same. He pulled out the rest of the contents from the suitcase and felt a pang of pride.

The royal couple looked at each other and exchanged a silent agreement.

The evening was as beautiful as the day had been. The moon was full in the sky and the lights of Altissia lit themselves up, giving the city life for the night. The carnival was still in full swing and people were still eagerly experiencing everything there was to experience from the carnival.

But on this night, all eyes settled on the king and queen of Lucis as they passed by.

Gone was the casual clothing, now replaced by the ever-so regal Royal Raiment. Noctis looked every bit like a king in his pinstripe suit and pants, with a scarf with gold jewelry accenting it, and a black and gold pauldron on his left shoulder accompanied by a cape with intricate gold accents behind it that has a high-backed collar. By his side, Lightning wore her own; though mostly white and the design seemed to be a subtle hybrid between the king's Royal Raiment and the uniform of the Kingsglaive. Her pauldron—which she also wore on her left shoulder—was a slightly dark silver with similar golden accents to the king's own pauldron, her cape was also white with a high-backed collar as well, but the inside of her cape was an eye-catching red.

People could not help but stare; endeared by the noble aura of the royal couple. However this time, Lightning and Noctis cared not for the many eyes that were on them at that moment.

They strolled along the decorated streets, hand-in-hand, making their way towards a special spot that Noctis had notified Lightning about earlier. He knew how the night would end and so he wanted them to have the best view when it happened; it would be the perfect end to the perfect day.

"So, what should I be expecting from…whatever it is you are planning?" Lightning asked, glancing at her husband.

Noctis only grinned mysteriously. "That would be telling. Don't worry; you will see it when we get there. I'm sure you'll like it."

After that, Lightning said no more and just allowed her king to lead her onwards through the crowd and fun-filled streets. The mascots they walked by waved and even the familiar faces of a certain father and child greeted them in passing, the balloon still safe in the child's grasp.

Finally, Noctis stopped and Lightning stared at his back. He turned to face her and gestured. "Here we are; have a seat."

Looking around them, Lightning realized they were quite alone now in a secluded spot away from the crowds. In front of them was a bench and Noctis seated himself, and patted the spot beside him. The queen joined him and Noctis cast his eyes upwards, waiting. Lightning did the same.

In a matter of minutes, the sky lit up as fireworks took off and exploded into the night. The lights reflected in the water and even on the smiling faces of the people who stopped to watch the wonderful light show.

Noctis gazed upon the display, taking in the shapes they created once they exploded in the sky. The king turned his gaze to the woman beside him, to his queen. His heart stopped as he noticed the way the lights danced on her face, seeming to give her a heavenly aura, as if she were glowing. At that moment, he knew he was falling in love with her all over again.

His heart nearly stopped before it began to race in his chest, and even to this day he could still recall when he first saw her; merely a soldier who did her duty in keeping the peace, only to prove her worth and end up as a part of the Kingsglaive, the elite force who protected the king and Insomnia. She had been the only one who treated him like everyone else, not like a king or a man destined to inherit riches and a powerful title. She gave him the cold shoulder when they had first met, but they came to know each other, and when she became a Glaive, she kept her distance because she knew her place. But he did not care. Every battle he and his friends faced, every danger he got himself into, Lightning was always there. She protected him, defended his honor on more than one occasion; she was loyal, devoted, and managed to find a place in his heart whether she knew it or not.

He wanted to get to know her more, be her friend. He wanted to be there for her just as she had been there for him every step of the way despite how difficult he had been. She let him in for the most part and he had been lucky enough to see the gentle side of her, a side that hardly anyone saw except for a chosen few, one of them being Lightning's friends and her own sister.

He and Lightning had fought side-by-side more than once, even trained together when they had the chance to. She and her own pack had managed to fit in with him and his gang of friends. It made them a complete family, albeit an odd one, but a family nonetheless. He had even stood up for Lightning and protected her like she always did for him, even if she had only been doing her job. He wanted to.

Noctis knew he had fallen for her when he saw her stand alone; she on duty but she always looked so solemn and lonely. It was when he realized that Lightning had the tendency to live for others rather than for herself at times. She was snarky, rude at times and stoic, but a part of her was empty and he could see it, but he had been afraid. To afraid to let her know he wanted more, that he felt more. Even now he thanked the gods that Lightning was still with him when he could have lost her the moment enemies attacked Lucis.
She had been on the frontlines with her friends, keeping the citizens safe and driving away any enemy troops who dared step into the Citadel. Noctis did his part in the battle and his friends defended him just as he did for them. But fear struck him when he had gotten word that the Kingsglaive were having difficulties. Indeed he had seen how badly hurt Lightning had been, and she still rushed to his side, causing even more damage to her being.

Anger had consumed the then-prince and anything that stood in his way was easily destroyed; magitek soldiers, monsters, battle machines… Everything.

They had their share of wounds from defending one another and neither of them had regretted it. He knew he never regretted it; Lightning had become a part of him. But he could only hope she felt the same about him.

He had confessed to her and had feared it would end the bonds of friendship they had developed when unshed tears sparkled in her eyes. But Lightning, ever so standoffish, kept her cool, denying that she ever felt sad or alone, but he did not buy it. When he had embraced her, it felt right, she felt like she belonged in his arms, and he belonged in her arms when she did return his embrace.

They had taken things slow and Noctis knew he would not stay a prince forever. As the years went by, though he was still young, he was already considered a man and ready to take the throne. Lightning remained with him always no matter the circumstance. To Noctis, she had become more than just his personal guard, friend and lover. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He wanted to make her happy, to be the one who completes her.

Imagine his shock when it had been Lightning who got down on one knee and looked up with him with nervous anxiety; though her face did not show it, her eyes gave it all away. She had lifted a ring she held in her hand and asked him to marry her. He had refused, and Lightning looked as if her world had fallen apart, until he finally had his turn. When she finished her proposal, he got down on his knee and asked her to be his queen.

The bruise on his face he received for scaring her half to death had been worth it.

Now as they sat there with the fireworks still entertaining all of Altissia, Lightning turned to look at her king. She had a feeling he was thinking the same thing she was. She too had thought about it all; as a soldier and then a member of the Kingsglaive, she never believed in her lifetime she would be the one to hold the heart of Prince Noctis, now King Noctis.

It had been a ridiculous notion, but every time she saw him smile and every time she watched him just be a teenager and then a young man with his friends, it touched something inside of her. It warmed her for some reason and something inside of her said that she always wanted to see the prince smile.

At first she tolerated him and watched him from a respectable distance, but he kept moving closer to her despite his clear shy nature. He had been surprisingly bold despite all that and it scared her; it scared her that she might be falling for him when she was not supposed to.

Lightning still could not believe that she had decided to make the first move and asked him to marry her. Sometimes she still wondered what she had been thinking, but at the same time she knew she had wanted to. She wanted to be with him, keep him safe, be the one who could make him smile even though she had nothing much to offer him but her loyalty.

"Lightning?" Noctis' gentle voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

She shook her head. "Sorry… I was thinking maybe…we should head back to the Leville."

Noctis nodded in agreement and stood up, offering her his hand. She accepted and stood before following her husband back to the hotel.

Lightning waited in the room for Noctis when he suddenly decided to run off on a so-called errand. And so she sat on the bed, thinking long and hard about the day they had. She took off her pauldron and set it aside, rolling her shoulder.

Finally, the door to their room opened and Noctis stepped in, black hair looking slightly frazzled but he was smiling widely. In his arms were a bunch of pudgy chocobo chicks of several different colors. He approached the bed and sat down; the chicks actually looked comfortable. "I managed to find all of these little guys; I thought I'd let them visit our room for a bit." He chuckled.

"Is this how you normally court women?" Lightning said sarcastically, clearly not amused –or perhaps she was—by his antics at the present.

Noctis looked down at the chubby birds, then at his wife. "I believe this is what they call a dowry."

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up and let me see the birds."

The chicks were let loose and they explored the room curiously. Noctis watched them in wonder, clearly fascinated by the birds until he noticed Lightning gently petting a black chocobo chick that had settled itself on her lap. He grinned at her and scooted closer.

"You know…I'm also right here." He whispered.

Lightning continued to pet the bird. "Yeah, I know. I'm glad you are still here after all this time." She placed the chick on the floor, allowing it to explore with its friends.

"Always, Light. Never doubt that." Noctis stroked her cheek tenderly and leaned in to capture her lips.

She gave in easily, needing to feel his warmth. She had truly enjoyed their time at the carnival and it made her realize how much she appreciate even the simplest of gestures from Noctis; they understood each other even without the use of words. It was a testament to their bond, how close they had become over the years they came to know each other. They were both still young but already full-fledged adults who ruled a nation, but that did not change the fact that they were each other's confidant, and beloved, a rock and anchor, a safe place away from whatever cruelty the world may throw at them.

Lightning pulled her lips away. "You should return those birds…"

"Yeah, I should…"

~XIII-XV~

Noctis was happy to be in his queen's arms again when he returned a second time, this time after he returned the chocobo chicks to their rightful place. Now he would give all his attention to his queen, knowing she would do the same for him.

Their lips met again and almost immediately their hands moved to undress one another. They went slow, wanting to take their time and savor the moment. They were not the king and queen at the moment; they were merely Noctis and Lightning.

Skin touched skin and they instantly grew warm, eager to feel their beloved so intimately on this night. To be united again after what felt like forever. His lips danced along her neck and shoulders and she gripped his hair in response, urging him on until she took charge next. She dominated her king, kissing and marking him as hers, and hers alone. The sounds he made drove her to the brink of insanity, but she knew how to hold her primal urges back.

Noctis held her by the hips, moving up against her before he reclaimed his dominance. He moved his hips against hers and Lightning arched, tugging at his hair that was beginning to grow longer as time went on.

When they finally met intimately, Lightning gasped his name and Noctis moaned from feeling her tighten around him. He missed her warmth, he missed holding her so close like this and now he was going to show her how much she meant to him, how much he treasured her. He was eager and ready for her; solid and firm and she was burning for him in return.
His queen met his thrusts as sweat gathered on their bodies, their sounds of pleasure the only disturbance in the silence of their hotel room. They moved in unison, but also taking the time to tease their partner.

Noctis nibbled her ear and he could hear her practically purr; he had grown to love the sound and enjoyed hearing it whenever they had a moment alone. Nobody else knew Lightning Farron Caelum was capable of purring, after all. They continued to move against each other, growing more and more heated and eager, but delaying themselves just to prolong the pleasure. They wanted this to last for as long as they could help it.

Fingers traced every part of their beloved's body, recalling every flaw that made their beloved perfect in their own way. Every scar told a story, ones that they would never forget; some were of pain and loss, some of sacrifice and duty, and some of passion.

His hands ran along her sides, up and down her hips to her thighs and all the way to her shoulders while his lips lovingly feasted and marked her neck. Her nails left light grazes on his chest and back. It made him arch and moan; he loved it when she made him hers and in return he would claim her as his. His one and only.

Noctis finally let out a gasp as she clutched him even tighter. He cried out her name and heard his own emerge from her lips as they both reached the heavens together.

He carefully laid on her, resting his head on her chest, remaining within her. Lightning lazily ran her fingers through his hair as they basked in the afterglow of their lovemaking. She then felt him kiss the valley between her breasts and she looked into his eyes as they sparkled with life and she knew she had the same look in her own. She slid her hand down from his hair and caressed his cheek. He leaned into her touch before moving forward slightly to kiss his queen once more.

When they slowly pulled away, similar smiles made their way onto their lips and they shared a low but happy laugh as they nestled close to one another, enjoying and loving each other's company and warmth, enjoying just being together like this.

Noctis tangled his fingers in his wife's unique rose-colored hair while she played with strands of his dark hair. It was definitely growing quite longer and losing a bit of its spiked appearance, and she knew he might be on the verge of growing a bit of stubble, though he shaved it a day before.

With gentle hands, Lightning smoothed her finger into his hair, earning a pleased sigh of content. Noctis watched as she affectionately began to spike his hair up to how it looked usually. She looked so focused on the task he did not dare stop or interrupt her. It was rather sweet.

He kissed her forehead when she was done and a tint of pink made its way to her cheeks. She huffed but did not shy away from him, merely pressing her forehead to his. Their noses brushed against each other and they shared another smile.

As they lay there together, no words were needed; they both knew, and understood.

"I love you."

A little something for Valentine's Day.

I am still working on my other fics, and Sanctuaire. I just wanted to do something in honor of the Moogle Chocobo Festival event, and bring some Lightis into it, naturally. Hope you guys liked it!

Until then...