"Astrals above, we really are doing this..." Makina grumbled. She sat in between Gladiolus and Noctis in the backseat of the Regalia. She threw her head back against the seat and stared up at the sky.

"Don't get too grumpy, cupcake," the shield said. "It'll be a quick job."

"Can I at least throw something at him when we get back?"

"No."

She crossed her arms with a 'hmph' and looked away with pursed lips. "Damn reporters always getting away with everything..."

Not far from Galdin Quay, Ignis pulled the car over to the side of the road. Everyone stepped out of the vehicle since their destination was only reachable on foot.

Their journey to the mineral deposit took them across a rock bridge that naturally connected both sides of the highway and towards an outcrop. They also stumbled upon a large surprise in the shape of a bird. It was the enormous bird that had flown over them yesterday. Fortunately for them, it was fast asleep.

Prompto gasped in horror. "Oh em gee. We're supposed to get near that thing?"

Gladiolus glowered at him. "Pipe down before you wake it up."

They lowered their bodies to the ground and snuck around to the other side of the zu. They froze every time the creature adjusted in its sleep. On the other side of the slumbering zu, they located the garnet stone Dino sent them here to find.

Noctis picked up the stone and tossed it towards Makina, who easily caught it. "Here. You can throw this at him. Should make you feel a little better."

She laughed softly. "I'll aim for an eye."

Falling silent, they make their way back. As they maneuvered around the zu a second time, their movements went detected by the creature. Its eyes flew open alongside its unfurling wings. Flapping its wings, it took off with a screech.

"Off it goes..." Ignis said as he watched the zu fly away.

Noctis tried to calm his racing heart with a deep inhale before exhaling. "Oh, we made it out alive."

"Barely. I seriously thought we were at journey's end," Prompto huffed out.

"But that feat was fit for a king," Gladiolus stated before glancing at Makina and adding, "Or queen."

"Speaking of queen..." The marksman's eyes trailed over to the snowy-haired girl. "How did the whole ascension process work for Iona?"

Makina glanced at him and the other boys. "Wait, you guys haven't heard?"

"Nope," Noctis replied.

"Literary works do not entail such details," Ignis added.

"An heir is only granted the position of king or queen once their predecessor has passed or handed down the Ionus Sphere," she explained. She saw the puzzled looks on their faces and continued. "The Ionus Sphere is an artifact given to the Valtreus bloodline by Valtreus himself. It serves as a catalyst for the six elemental disciples. It is what Iona relied on to maintain balance between the six serpents. Of course, it is useless now due to Iona's destruction. However, my father still has it."

"He plannin' on giving to you anytime soon?" Gladiolus questioned.

"I'm...not sure. I doubt it since he has yet to locate all six serpents."

"There has been speculation the six disciples descended to Eos once Iona perished," the strategist said.

"Yes. There is evidence of their arrival on this world, but the serpents themselves haven't been seen. Hopefully, my father will find them before their presence on Eos stirs trouble."

"Uh, "stir trouble"?" Prompto parroted.

"Eos has its own gods to maintain balance. The six disciples threaten that balance. Let's just hope the Astrals haven't slaughtered the serpents," she responded. Holding out her hand, she created a small void the size of her palm. "Seeing as I'm still able to use my abilities to manipulate time and space, it's safe to assume Zin and Zen are still alive. I cannot say the same for the other four disciples."

Prompto slowly approached. He stuck his finger out to poke the small tear in reality, but Makina swatted his hand away. "Don't touch."

"Aw..." He whined with slumped shoulders.

Makina closed her palm, destroying the minuscule rift in the process. "As much as I would love to chat about the history of Iona and its deities, I've got a reporter to stone."

"Do show some restraint," Ignis said.

"Right..."

Returning to the Regalia, the royal retinue drives back to Galdin Quay. The moment they were back at the seaside paradise, Makina was the first out of the car. Noctis was stunned when she randomly appeared outside the vehicle. "Damn..." He climbed out and closed the door. "You seriously need to stop doing that."

"Sorry, but I just want to give our dear friend his gemstone," she said.

The prince felt a chill creep down his spine when hearing her. He walked behind her a few feet with the other guys following on their heels. "Just try not to piss him off too much. We still need a boat."

She stopped for a brief second before sighing. "Fine..."

They sauntered through the Mother of Pearl and towards the docks. They found Dino exactly where they had left him: sitting on the bench.

Remembering what Noctis said, Makina gently tossed the stone to the reporter. "Here." She restrained herself from throwing it at him.

The reporter caught it. "Nice work, Lady Valtreus! Sorry for giving you such a hard time. I just had to get my hands on this, even if it meant blackmail. You understand, don't ya? Y'see, I'm a reporter by day, and an amateur jeweler by night. This elusive little beauty's gonna become a masterpiece." He then glanced at the ring hanging from her neck. "Well, it won't be as fancy as yours since nothing compares to Ionian craftsmanship. Their jewelry was truly works of art."

Makina eyed him with curiosity. "You're familiar with Ionian jewelry?"

"Of course! There was this huge exhibition a few years ago. You could say it inspired me to become a jeweler. But I know you aren't here for stories. To make it up to you, I'll share a little scoop. That special coin you got-it commemorates the Oracle's ascension. That guy was tossing 'em out to everyone. Musta picked 'em up back in Niflheim. And speaking of freebies, here's one from me." Dino handed a bracelet to the princess. "Come back if you wanna buy more!"

Makina examined the garnet bracelet and was thoroughly impressed. "I must say, this is pretty well made."

"I doubt a souvenir like that could make its way into the hands of an ordinary citizen," Ignis said.

"Well, it's our pocket change now!" Prompto stated.

"Let's learn from history and book a place this time," Gladiolus spoke up.

"Wait," Makina chimed in. She met Dino's gaze. "What about the boat?"

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it, Your Highness. As promised, I'm in the process of securing your ferry tickets right now. Told ya, I'm a man of integrity. Should be smooth sailing from here, so lemme know when you're ready to ship out," the reporter answered.

Ignis, who was standing behind the princess with the other boys, said, "I admit I didn't expect Dino to secure us a ship."

"Well, must be pretty connected if he can pull some strings around an imperial embargo," Gladiolus added.

Prompto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that guy's one artful artisan."

"When will the ship arrive?" The snowy-haired girl inquired.

"The ship won't arrive 'til tomorrow," Dino replied. "How 'bout you find a place to spend the night?"

"Thanks, Dino."

"Of course, Milady. And if you need any company tonight, I'm your man."

Makina failed to notice Noctis tense up behind her as she laughed. "You're cute, but not that cute."

"Well, ya can't blame a man for trying."

She and the boys left the docks. Ignis and Gladiolus went to procure a room for them. Noctis and Prompto remained by her side as she sat at the main counter of the Mother of Pearl. They chatted for a bit until the prince suddenly stood up.

"What's up, buddy?" Prompto wondered.

"Pretty sure I saw a fishing spot near the beach when we pulled in," Noctis responded. He then grabbed Makina's hand and tugged her to her feet. "Tell Speccy and Gladio where we are."

"Oh!" Prompto took the hint and grinned. "Gotcha covered! You two have fun~!"

The princess followed Noctis' lead. They left the restaurant and headed to the fishing dock located along the beach. She stood beside him as he summoned his fishing rod and didn't hesitate to cast the line. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Did you really drag me along just to go fishing?"

"Weren't you the one who said to fish and you'd eat what I caught?" He remarked.

"Well, yeah, but I didn't expect you would fish when the restaurant nearby sells fish..."

Noctis kept his attention on the fish that were swimming by. "This also may be an excuse just for me to get you alone..."

A smile bloomed on the girl's face. "You don't need to make up an excuse to get me alone. We've been dating for two years now."

"Sure hasn't felt like two years. More like it's been a couple of months."

"Guess that means I'm not too boring," she snickered.

"You are far from boring."

Just then, a fish took the bait. Noctis began reeling in the fish with excitement glistening in his eyes. With all his strength, he managed to win the battle and claim the fish. Once showing his proud catch to Makina, he casted his line a second time.

Makina, although not a huge fan of fishing, was enjoying herself. She treasured her time with the prince and found herself smiling as he fished.

After claiming two more fish, Noctis fell silent as he awaited his fourth fishy victim. He was concentrating closely until he heard two men talking as they walked along the shore.

"I can't believe Prince Noctis is marrying Lady Lunafreya. I thought he and Lady Valtreus would be the ones to get married," a man with spiky brown hair said.

"Think about it. Marrying Lady Lunafreya will ensure peace. Lady Valtreus has nothing to offer the throne," his friend spoke up. "Why would he marry someone who can't offer him anything?"

Noctis couldn't believe what he overheard. He lowered his fishing rod and glared in the direction of the two men. When they were gone, he glanced worriedly at the princess. His eyes widen when he saw the sorrowful expression on her face. He also saw tears forming in her eyes. Ridding himself of the rod, he turned to her. "Hey, just ignore them."

"They're right..." She mumbled, refusing to meet Noctis' gaze. "I don't have an army or a kingdom. I can't ensure peace like Luna. I have nothing to offer the crown."

"Stop it," he hissed angrily. He hated how she talked about herself. She spoke as if she was worth nothing and it irked him. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and tilted her face upward. When their eyes connected, he felt his heart ache at the sight of a single tear trailing down her cheek. "You make it sound like you're worth nothing just because you can't give anything in return. I don't care that you don't have an army or a kingdom. All I care about is you and you alone. I love you, Makina."

She stared into his azure eyes, seeing they held the same mixture of emotions as hers. She was happy to hear his feelings, but their roles as prince and princess required sacrifices. Noctis needed to benefit what was good for the kingdom, not her feelings.

Reluctantly, Makina pulled away from Noctis. She lowered her head and placed her hands on his chest to keep him away at arm's length. "Your kingdom's safety comes before my feelings. Maybe if Iona hadn't been destroyed, this arrangement would've never been made. However, I won't linger on the "what ifs" and neither should you. Go to Altissia and marry Luna for the sake of Lucis. If you don't, who knows what the empire will do."

Noctis couldn't believe what he heard. "I thought you wanted us to be together. But now you're giving up without even trying?!"

"We don't have a choice!" She yelled, her voice cracking as more tears streamed down her cheeks. "Open your eyes, Noctis. This is the role that is forced upon us. We are of noble blood and sacrifices must be made. You should've known an arranged marriage was inevitable."

"Of course I did," he remarked. "But I was hoping it would be you!"

Lifting her head, she smiled feebly through her tears. "I wish it was me too, but it isn't." She lowered her arms and took a few steps back. "I want to wish you happiness, but I can't. Please forgive me, Noctis."

"Please, stop it," he muttered through gritted teeth. "I can't let it end like this."

"Please be safe on your journey to Altissia, and tell the others I'm sorry."

Noctis' eyes widen when he realized what she was doing. "Wait...!" He reached out to grab her, but he was too late. Makina was gone.

༻──── ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ────༺

In the hotel room, Prompto was laying on the bed. He was scrolling through the various photos he's taken so far. Every few seconds, he would look over at Noctis. He was worried about him since he returned to the room alone. He didn't even get a snarky reply when he offered to show him the image of when he tripped in the middle of a fight. He wanted to ask about the princess since she hadn't returned with the prince. However, he couldn't bring himself to ask Noctis anything. He groaned as his own incompetence before urging himself to speak. "Is everything okay, Noct?"

No response.

The marksman huffed and lowered his camera. "Someone's grumpy..."

Just then, Ignis and Gladiolus returned from enjoying the scenery Galdin Quay had to offer. The shield was the first to notice the princess was missing. "Where's cupcake?"

Still, Noctis didn't reply. He remained silent as he gazed melancholically out of the window.

The others knew something was wrong when the prince didn't answer right away. Ignis strode over to the raven-haired boy and called out his name. "Noct?"

Annoyed at them, Noctis sighed. "What?"

"Where is Makina?" He asked.

"Probably back in Insomnia now," he snapped.

"What?!" Prompto shrieked. He nearly dropped his camera as he scrambled off the bed. "She left already? I thought she was gonna stick around until the boat came."

Gladiolus saw the prince's dejected expression and pried further. "Somethin' happen on your little date, Your Highness?"

Noctis figured there wasn't anything to hide and told them about the conversation he and Makina overheard.

"I see," Ignis replied.

"What a couple of assholes..." Prompto muttered.

Out of all of them, Gladiolus decided to be the one to speak his mind. "Did you really think your little relationship would've lasted much longer? You're engaged to another woman, Noct."

"Like hell I wanna be!" Noctis growled, glaring ferociously at his shield. He flew out of the chair and stomped his foot against the floor.

"We are quite aware this arrangement bodes ill, but it is your duty as prince to see this through," Ignis stated coldly.

Prompto was in shock. He thought the advisor and shield would've supported the princess and not the Oracle. "I can't believe you two..." He was becoming angered with them. "What about Makina? Doesn't she deserve to be happy?"

"Of course she does," Gladiolus remarked with a growl. "Out of all of us, she deserves it the most after all the shit she's been through. But unlike His Highness, it seems she's aware of her duty as princess. She did the right thing by leaving."

Noctis clenched his fists tightly. His blood was boiling with anger. He prepared to swing his fists at Gladiolus, but Ignis intervened before he could swing his fists. "We too are Makina's friends and desire only her merriment, but there are other important matters to tend to. Personal feelings must be brushed aside to achieve peace for all of Lucis. As part of the peace treaty, you are to wed Lady Lunafreya."

"If you think we agree with this arrangement, you've got another thing comin'," Gladiolus said. "But you must see it through to the end whether you like it or not."

Prompto felt his legs become shaky and sat down on the edge of the bed. He glanced down at his camera to see he had stumbled across the pictures he took at their high school graduation. He scrolled through a few before stopping on the image of the prince and princess exchanging their first kiss on the balcony. He felt his heart ache and his lip quiver. He gripped the camera tightly. "Makina doesn't deserve this..."

"But it's what happened," Gladiolus remarked. "The sooner you accept it, the quicker you'll get over it."

"We have no intention of deflecting Makina's feelings. Alas, this matter is out of our hands," Ignis clarified. "If this decision were our own, she would need not suffer."

Prompto got back to his feet and pulled out his phone. "I-I'm gonna try to call her." He dialed her number and waited for her to pick up, but all he received was her voicemail. He frowned sorrowfully as he lowered his phone. "Maybe she's busy?"

"She is most likely with King Fellux. It would be best to leave it for now."

"I'll try calling her before we leave tomorrow," Noctis said before glowering at his advisor and shield. "Got a problem with that?"

"None whatsoever, Your Highness," the strategist responded.

"Good." He then proceeded to angrily leave the room, slamming the door behind him.

Gladiolus groaned in frustration. "He's gotta grow up sometime."

"Give him space," Ignis stated. "This is not easy for either of them."

Prompto remained silent. He glanced down at his phone with a melancholic frown. He sent a few text messages to Makina, but he never received a response. He gripped his phone tightly out of anger and sorrow. All he wanted was for his friends to be happy, but it seemed like there was no happy ending in sight.