Don't hit me please.

The trip had turned out to be much longer that he expected, three weeks passed and there was no date set for their return to Pulse. The prince was starting to grow more and more attached to Lightning, it was inevitable for this to happen; Hope blamed the princess and her charms, her beauty, her strength but overall… her personality was what had captivated him. She was unique in her own way, she was tough and strict, just like Serah told him, but she was still gentle and loving, she rarely showed it to many people though and he was grateful that he was one of the lucky chosen ones.

It would be more often that the princess would smile at him, hold his hand and even brush her fingers against his cheeks to place a silver bang behind his ear. Vanille loved to tease him about that, saying that she rarely showed that kind of affection to them. Lightning was not known to be a friendly individual, at least not inside the palace with the people that knew her the best, that is.

Hope was starting to wonder if she had really meant what she said about not being feminine or gentle at all. She did have her rough moments, but she was still definitely a lady, even that one time when she decided to beat Snow up for treating Serah like a ragdoll, she was graceful while beating the man up. The prince had been amazed at the great combat and magical skills the woman had, it was an amazing sight indeed… especially the crying blond knight at the end of their match and the constant whining of Serah at her sister for treating her guardian like that.

Of course Lightning only retorted with "It's his own fault, I told him not to do it." Hope had laughed the entire evening.

It kind of made him cringe a bit when he realized that she was much stronger than him, he felt somewhat hopeless and distraught, he'd never be able to protect her if the time came when she needed him. It was more likely that she'd be protecting him instead of the other way around.

He had come to admire the princess, Lightning was someone he could spend the rest of his life with and he liked that idea. The only thing that worried him now was if she thought the same way about him. He greatly doubted so, there was nothing special about him and he had only given her a hard time since they came with his constant whining about Noctis… it was not his fault he felt so insecure of himself after having one look at the dark-haired knight, he had everything the prince couldn't offer to the princess. Noctis was everything he wanted to be.

The boy frowned and let out a sigh. It was not fair for Lightning to be married to a brat prince like him, she was much too mature for that and it kind of hurt him that he accepted that himself, he wanted to change, to be better than the knight.

For the first time in his life he wanted to be better for someone else than himself, he wanted to become a better man for a woman, a woman he had begun to love.

He still blushed when he thought about it; it was true, he was in love with the princess and there was nothing he could do about it, he felt it from the bottom of his heart and he knew his feelings were real, it was impossible to try to deny them anymore and it only made him hurt to imagine that Lightning probably didn't feel the same way about him.

He felt pathetic, of course he fell in love with her, it was impossible not to, she was perfect, at least to him she was.

It was somewhat frightening to even think about it, it made an unpleasant shiver travel down his spine. Hope had the feeling that she probably saw him as a little brother most of the time; she looked after him and was constantly worried about his well being, the only exceptions being the times they got a bit… 'intimate' wasn't really the word he was looking for, the most they had done was kiss and innocent displays of affection like holding hands.

He wished with all his heart that she could look at him like a man. Hope worried too much about the princess' feelings, but what got in his way the most were probably his own insecurities; just thinking about Noctis made his stomach toss and turn with an unpleasant feeling, the way he looked at Lightning was enough to make him boil with anger and jealousy.

Hope knew that the knight couldn't really get in his way, especially not after getting to know Lightning a little more, he knew that she would never betray him, not after making bows in front of the altar. He knew she was a good and faithful woman.… It was her duty.

He cringed at the thought.

The prince was now lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling while Lightning readied herself for the day. He sighed softly and wondered if they'd bathe together one day… he shook his head slightly and quickly pushed that thought away, he blushed a soft shade of pink and grunted under his breath. It was more often now that he had these kinds of thoughts and it made him feel a bit… dirty. He was still a teenager after all.

He groaned softly and rolled on his side, pulling a soft pillow over his head, he groaned again but the sound became muffled through the fabric and feathers.

"Are you trying to smother yourself?" Lightning asked with a small chuckle. "I didn't know I made you want to end your life so badly."

Hope stood up quickly and looked at her with wide eyes, his blush darkening tenfold. "Of course not!" He pouted and rolled his eyes. "You know I'd… never want to leave your side."

Lightning smile and shook her head slightly, "You say that because you don't know me enough yet."

"Well I want to know you better," He retorted and crossed his arms over his chest; he sat cross-legged on the bed and sighed. "I really want to know you better." He murmured and looked at her with a smile.

Lightning brushed her slightly wet hair and smiled. "I'm glad." She said softly, she was being sincere when she said that, she had grown really fond of the boy, she wouldn't want him to leave her side, not now.

"Light?" Hope hummed softly as he stood up, walking a bit closer to her.

"What is it?" Lightning answered back while pinning some blue and green jewelry to her hair, holding it up in an elegant but simple style, she was still wearing her undergarments, revealing her delicate shoulders.

His breath caught in his throat, he ran a hand over her shoulder delicately, feeling the softness of her skin. He leaned in and pressed a tiny kiss at the nape of her neck. He felt her tense up a bit under his touch stepped away quickly.

What had gotten into him?! "Sorry, I-I didn't mean to…"

Lightning shook her head, still not looking at him. "Sorry about what?" She asked quietly.

Hope looked at her back, his eyes traveling up her neck, her ears were slightly red. He smiled a bit.

"I was wondering, if you'd want to teach me some magic?" Hope asked, still a bit embarrassed.

Lightning blinked and looked over her shoulder to look at the prince, her cheeks still a bit red. "Of course I'd like to," She sighed slightly with the smallest smile on her lips. "You don't have to look so embarrassed, Hope; it's been three weeks already, we're not strangers anymore, right?"

He nodded with a small blush. "I know but, it's still a bit weird," Especially now that he had come to terms with his feelings. "Besides I could say the same to you."

"It'll stop being weird eventually, it has for me," She admitted quietly and placed her hand over his cheek. "I'm happy that it was you I had to marry," Lightning smiled. "I'm glad to have met you."

Hope stared at her; he couldn't believe the words he was listening, he blinked and leaned into her touch without thinking, his hand raised and placed itself over her own, pressing it closer still to his skin. "It makes me really happy to hear that." He murmured while closing his eyes.

He stepped closer to her and warped his arms around her waist, hugging her tightly as he buried his nose in the princess neck, inhaling her sweet scent, she smelled like rain.

Lightning's lips parted as she tried to speak but the words wouldn't come out, she closed her eyes and decided to wrap her arms around the prince's shoulders, pulling him closer and pressing her lips to his temple.

Hope's hands traveled up her back until they reached her shoulders, he kissed her neck softly and caressed the princess' bare arms; he breathed out softly and pressed another kiss just below her earlobe.

She let out a slightly shaky breath and arched her neck, granting the prince better access. It was embarrassing, feeling this kind of sensations with a boy much younger than her… but at the same time she couldn't help but relish in the feeling… but what she enjoyed the most was the fact that it was Hope who was doing it, it sent shivers down her spine knowing that it was him that was making her feel this way.

"Hope…" She murmured under her breath as she tried to push him away slightly.

"No," He muttered back and hugged her tightly. "Don't push me away," he demanded and held her close. "Please don't." He leaned out of their embrace slightly and looked at her with determined eyes.

She looked straight at him and bit her lower lip slightly; she had to look away from him when she felt his eyes piercing her, looking straight at her very soul.

"You're my wife." He said harshly, but then sighed. He really wanted to be closer to her… he really wished they could behave like a married couple.

"I—" Lightning tried to speak but was soon stopped by a pair of lips against her own; she closed her eyes and kissed back. No matter how much she tried to deny it, she wanted this too.

His hand traveled from her shoulder to her neck, then to her cheek. He parted their lips and stared at her. "When I said I wanted us to be closer I meant it in every way." He said with a dark blush covering his cheeks, spreading all the way to the tip of his ears.

Lightning couldn't help but blush as well, hearing shy Hope say those things was not something she was used to, it wasn't really like him. But then again he was really serious when it came to marriage.

"I want to as well," She admitted with a sigh. "But it feels like I'm robbing you of your innocence…"

The prince frowned. "So you'd rather if someone else did it instead?" He asked bluntly.

She looked at him wide-eyed and her mouth moved in a silent protest, she frowned and tried to calm down. Just the fact of thinking of someone else with Hope made her insides churn. "No," She hissed. "No one else can touch you but me."

Hope was truly shocked when he heard her say those words; he hadn't expected that reaction at all. He buried his face in her chest and breathed in. "Then prove it to me," He whispered. "Let us be closer."

"Lighting… I know I'm young, but I do know what I want."

Lightning looked at him and pursed her lips, she really didn't know what to do, she couldn't possibly make Hope wait a couple of years until he was older, but she had to admit she wouldn't be able to wait either, it was already hard and it had only been three weeks since they met each other.

Her hand raised and tangled itself on the silvery locks; she brushed them slightly "I'll try, ok?"

Hope smiled.

Lightning decided that the best place to teach Hope was the garden, that way if anything bad happened the castle wouldn't catch on fire… in the worst case scenario of course, but just to be sure she decided ice magic was less dangerous for now.

The prince was having a hard time keeping up with Lightning, she was very skilled with magic and he had a feeling her was slowly starting to get to her nerves. He couldn't even cast a simple ice spell and Hope knew she was getting impatient.

However he was wrong, the princess was actually enjoying herself while trying to teach the young heir cast some magic, it made her go back to the days when she taught her sisters. She was having fun, something she hadn't done in a long time; it even made her smile looking at the prince's determined face.

"I can't!" Hope whined and threw his hands in the air. "How can you make it look so easy?!"

Lightning chuckled and lifted a hand in front of her, a small icicle formed in her palm. "Because it is," She chuckled. "You just need to concentrate."

"…I'm really bad at this," He sighed defeated. Back home he never managed to perform any kind of magic, the only thing he was really good at was swordplay and archery, and due to this his senses had honed with time, he could tell if someone was near, Hope was always very aware of his surroundings.

"Come on Hope! You can do it!" Serah called from her resting place under a willow nearby. Yuna and Vanille were there too chatting happily with each other, having their afternoon tea in the garden for a change, also to show their support to the prince. But let's be honest, Serah only wanted a reason to spy on the couple so she could tease them further.

The youngest had shown great improvement in her health, and she thanked Hope for that, she claimed that seeing her sister so happy had made her feel better in no time. She was thankful to Hope for making Lightning smile again; it had been a long time since she saw her eldest sister so happy with someone other than them.

The younger princesses were accompanied by their ever loyal knights, Snow and Fang were sitting next to each other bickering about something. Hope had met Yuna's Guardian only a week ago by accident, since the princess didn't go out of her room much he hadn't had a chance until then. Lulu was a powerful sorceress and this perked the prince's attention, it was not every day that he met a Guardian with such strong magic, they were usually specialized in close combat rather that spells.

Noctis was there too, standing near the princesses, it made Hope uneasy when he looked their way, the knight's eyes would always be fixed on them, but whenever he looked at Lightning, Hope noticed the sadness in his eyes, it even made him feel… sorry for him. The prince knew how Noctis felt about Lightning, it was obvious just by looking at him.

Hope looked away from the knight; he sighed and looked at Lightning. "I'm sorry for being such a slow learner." He murmured.

The princess smiled and walked closer to him. "Hold out your hand." She instructed.

He obeyed and held his hand up; he bit her lip and sighed again.

"I'll help you," Lightning murmured and placed her hand under Hope's, her fingers brushed against his and it caused a small shiver to travel down his back.

Hope shook his head a tried to clear his thoughts. However this didn't go unnoticed by Lightning, she was much too sharp for that, a trait she had inherited from her father.

"Try to concentrate," She murmured and gripped his hand slightly. "Think of something really cold, cold enough to freeze."

The prince exhaled softly and closed his eyes. He tried to imagine winter in Pulse, white and freezing, blizzards strong enough to cover the castle with a layer of ice, making it look like a crystal. He breathed out and frowned slightly.

"You're almost there," Lightning murmured and gripped his hand tightly. "Hope!" She exclaimed with a happy tone. "Look."

Hope opened his eyes and stared at the small icicle that was floating above his palm, his eyes widened and he turned to look at the princess with a bright smile. "I did it!" He laughed, the small crystal melted, wetting their hands but he paid no attention to it.

"I knew you could," She smiled at him and brushed her hand through silver hair. "You just had to try harder."

"Thanks," Hope smiled. "For teaching me."

"It was not—"

There was a flash of blue as Hope's eyes widened. He pushed the princess away, he felt a sharp pain through his back as he clung to Lightning's arm; he wheezed and fell to his knees, Lightning with him.

"Hope!" She screamed and held him close, she hugged him and noticed a sharp cold object sticking out from Hope's back, an icicle as thick as her arm was piercing Hope's chest. "No… No!" Lightning said breathlessly, she felt hot tears gathering in her eyes as she held him closer.

"Princess!" Noctis screamed and ran towards them. "Guards!"

Snow and Fang stood up and jumped away from the princesses while Lulu created a magical barrier around them.

Vanille stood up and tried to approach Lightning and Hope when the barrier came around her, preventing her from walking any further.

"Don't leave!" Lulu instructed. "There's an intruder in the castle and by the looks of it, it's a sorcerer, it's too dangerous."

"But Hope's hurt!" Serah exclaimed and stood up as well.

Yuna frowned and wobbly stood up, reaching her hand out for Serah to take. "We can't help right now, it would only worsen the situation if we leave the barrier, we'd be in danger as well." She murmured softly, even though she was aching to go to the young prince's side.

The three knights formed a circle around the fallen prince, all of them alert in case the intruder decided to show himself again. The guards were already moving and the alarm resounded throughout the castle.

Hope's breathing was becoming heavy and labored; his body was limp against Lightning's arms, he opened his eyes when he felt something warm hit his cheek, he opened his eyes and looked at Lightning's face, the tears running down her cheeks.

He lifted his hand and caressed her cheek with a shaky hand. "D-don't… cry…" He managed to breathe out. "Tears don't… fit you…" He said while rubbing a tear away with his thumb. "I like it better when you smile."

"Hope…" She murmured. "You should have let it hit me instead…" Lightning sobbed softly and leaned into his touch,, the icicle piercing him shattered, his blood dripping to her dress and onto the floor, a small crimson puddle forming rapidly.

"How could I?" He murmured in a low voice. "I… l-love you… too much…" He smiled at her and closed his eyes, his hand dropping limp to his side. Lightning's eyes widened as she tried to shake him awake but to no avail.

A scream echoed through the castle.