~3rd Person POV~

Ignis reached out and grabbed one of Zodia's arms quickly. He pulled her to his chest just before her body hit the hard ground. The royal advisor fell to his knees with the princess in his arms. The others gathered around, worried about the young girl. Noctis crashed to his knees next to his sister with frightened eyes. "What's wrong with her?"

"I'm not sure. Something happened to her after making contact with you," Ignis replies, failing to keep himself calm. Even though he had gloves on, he could feel her body growing cold. Panicking, he quickly checks for a pulse but fails to find one. Frantically, Ignis lays Zodia's body gently against the ground.

"W-what's going on?" Prompto asked as he watched Ignis. "Her heart's stopped," he said in a shaky voice. Placing both of his hands on her sternum, he began performing CPR. Every few presses, he would check on her pulse, but he still couldn't find one.

"Will nothing we have help her?" Gladio asked, trying to keep himself composed. Ignis shook his head, continuing the presses. "No curative will help us. We're on our own." Noctis stared down at his little sister and felt tears threatening to fall. "C'mon, sis—don't leave us!" He gripped one of her pale hands in his own.

Ignis tried everything he knew for ten minutes straight. Every attempt failed, making him crumble on the inside. Devastation soon started to consume his whole body as he stopped trying to resuscitate the princess. His form slumped over her body in complete and utter defeat, holding his sorrowful feelings at bay will all of his strength.

"No... no—no! She isn't gone!" Noctis shouts in hysteria. The prince tried to shake his sister awake with tears in his eyes. Gladio pulled Noctis away from Zodia and snapped some sense into him. "Enough!"

Prompto let out sobs and tears streamed down his cheeks. The poor, devastated boy had to remove himself from their presence to calm himself down.

Finally snapping back to reality, Noctis slumps in Gladio's hold and lets out a loud scream. The only one who could bring himself to look at Zodia was Ignis. Thousands of memories with her beautiful smile and melodic laughter filled his mind. Losing all control of his emotions, he pulled her limp body into his arms and cradled her against him. He never told her how he truly felt about their relationship. He had wished they become more than friends and spend the rest of their lives together. Sadly, she was gone and there was nothing he could do.

Ignis rested his head atop hers, praying to the Six to not take her from him. Running a hand through her soft, midnight black hair brought no solace to him. His hand rested against her cheekbone in defeat. When he moved it down to her neck, his fingers found a pulse. A small gasp escaped him as he looked down at her ghostly face. The first thing he noticed was the color returning to her face—the familiar rosy cheeks he fell in love with. A small groan emitted from her throat as her eyes slowly opened. Staring into her sparkling aquamarine eyes with his emerald ones, Ignis' devastation was overwritten by euphoric feelings at the sight of her opened eyes and her beating heart.

Not caring who saw, Ignis hugged Zodia tightly in his arms. He made sure not to hurt her in case if she was in pain from her previous state. Zodia's hands shook as she clung to his blazer. Her breathing was a little heavy but not to a point to cause concern. The others hadn't realized the princess was alright until she began to speak softly. "The Archaean—that's who Noctis saw in his vision."

Hearing his name, the prince snapped his head up and stared at his awakened sister. He scrambled to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "H-how?" Completely confused, Zodia glanced at her brother. "What happened while I was passed out?"

Prompto stormed over and kneeled beside her. "Zodia, you didn't pass out. You... you died." The princess looked back to Ignis, who confirmed Prompto's information. "Your heart stopped for ten minutes. Every method I attempted—failed."

"What happened?" Gladio questioned. Recollecting her memories, she glanced at the four men around her. "After I saw the same vision as Noctis, Pisces showed me the Celestial Court. It's where all the zodiacs gather once awakened. Pisces—he told me to keep away from the Archaean. A vision came to him and Niflheim was just a piece of it. Besides that, he couldn't say much about it. Not even he could understand some of the imagery."

"This does not bode well. If our travels do take us to the Disc, your life could be in danger," Ignis said, his grip on her tightening. She loosened her hands from his blazer and let them rest on her stomach. "Pisces also shared the location of two royal tombs and more zodiac ruins."

"We'll worry about that later. For now, let's head back to Lestallum. You're still a little pale," Noctis said, patting his sister's head. Not arguing, Zodia nods and tries to get to her feet with help from Ignis. He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from falling. With slow and small steps, the two were able to walk at a decent pace. When the group started closing in on the Midgardsormr's prowling grounds, Ignis stopped in his tracks. Following, Zodia's eyes traveled to the giant snake not far ahead.

"Oh, I forgot that thing was here," she grumbled. A small chuckle escaped the royal advisor at her remark. The two could use the same rocks they hid behind to escape the snake's sight, but the problem was their pace. Even if they did hide—the moment they moved from cover, the Midgardsormr would lung at them. Ignis knew he couldn't protect Zodia in the current state of her situation. She was an easy target and the monster wouldn't hesitate to sink its poisonous fangs into her.

Without warning, Ignis scooped Zodia up in his arms and ran with the others to pass the snake. It spotted them for a mere second but chose to not pursue. Once safe, Ignis set her back on her feet gently. She thanked him with a slight blush and hid her face within her hands. As they regrouped, Prompto handed Zodia the pendant and charm.

"When did I—"

"They fell out of your hand when you collapsed. I picked them up for you," he responds with a smile and a faint blush. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she took the objects from him. "Thanks, Prom." He nods, his smile widening.

The group made it back to the Regalia in one piece. Concerned Zodia still was not feeling all too well, Ignis insisted she sit in the front seat. Prompto happily obliged by hopping in the backseat before she could say a word. Ignis started the engine and drove them back to Lestallum, glancing over at Zodia every few minutes to check how she was feeling.

Safely back in the city, they all were exhausted and decided to rest for the remainder of the day. As they entered the lobby of the hotel, the five spotted Jared and Talcott. "Prince Noctis! Princess Zodia! Welcome back!" The energetic young boy greeted with a wave. A smile graced Ignis' lips as he glanced at him. "Your story came to a happy end."
Jared, seeming to be a little shocked, chuckled lightly. "Well, well!"

Zodia, who decided to tune out the rest of the conversation, delved into deep thought. She fiddled with the pendant and charm until an idea popped into her head. "I'm going to head to the market for a bit. I'll be back!" She said and stormed off. Ignis tried to grab her before she left, but she was too quick. On complete instincts, he took chase and followed her.

Remembering what happened at Greyshire Glacial Grotto, his small jog turned into a full-on sprint. The feeling of her cold skin against his and the sight of her lifeless body was burned into his mind. He couldn't shake the image from his mind as it ran rampant. It would be something that would haunt him for awhile.

Clearing his mind for only a few seconds allowed him to spot Zodia buying a silver chain and a golden one. He watched closely as she placed the charm on the golden chain and turning it into a bracelet. With the silver chain, she slid the pendant on and tried to clip it around her neck. A groan of defeat slipped from her lips for not being able to snap the hook properly. Ignis found himself smiling at her frustration and decided to help her in this small endeavor.

Gently taking the silver chain from her, he gingerly moves her long hair out of the way and latched the hook perfectly. "Thank you, Iggy," the princess said without looking at him. Ignis found himself messing with her soft locks, trailing a few strands through his gloved fingers. "Intuitive as ever," he chuckled lightly.

"It's not like we've been together for twelve years and I haven't gotten used to your presence," she said, sarcasm dripping from every word. "It's so easy to know when you're around because the air around you is calming and completely different from the others. Maybe it's just because I've spent more time with you than my actual brother."

The smile that adorned his lips soon widened at her words. He continued to look at her with affection brimming from his emerald eyes. He watched as Zodia took a step back and rested her exhausted body against his. Being the shortest person in the group, who was only 5 feet and 3 inches tall, Zodia barely reached his chest.

A gentle breeze blew through the market as the wind tousled her hair. The smell of her shampoo, peaches and orange blossom, filled the air around him. It was a scent he was all too familiar with since he was introduced to the princess. Though only a fragrance, it brought him comfort—knowing she was alive, well, and within his reach.

"Shall we head to the Leville?" He asked, breaking the silence. Zodia nods and both head back to the hotel. Ignis went to his room after he escorted Zodia to hers and Iris'. The royal advisor shut the door behind him gently, noticing the others were playing cards. Noctis met Ignis' gaze and stood up with his cards in hand. "How's Zodia?"

"Exhausted, nonetheless. Besides weariness, she's in tip-top shape," he replied in an upbeat manner. All three of them let out a sigh of relief from the news. "I thought we lost her earlier," Gladio admits.

"You're not the only one, big guy," Prompto murmurs.

"I'd be raising hell if she did." Noctis threw his cards on the table and flopped on the bed next to the window. Gladio chuckled and glanced at Ignis. "I'm sure Iggy would've joined you on your path of destruction. Suddenly losing the woman you love to the hands of one of the zodiacs."

"Well, thanks to her new connection with Pisces, she knows where we can find two more royal arms," Prompto exclaims. Noctis sat up and ran a hand through his raven hair. "She mentioned the Celestial Court. If Pisces showed her the location, that means it won't be the last time her heart will stop beating. That visit didn't kill her, but it did rip her away from this world."

"She was here psychically but not mentally. The way to the Celestial Court must be only accessible by the soul of the Queen," Ignis prophesied. As he finally drew a conclusion with help from Noctis, his worry resurfaced.

"Have you also noticed her symptoms of her illness are disappearing? I remember she would cough a lot and get fatigued just from walking to her room," the blonde comments.

"The marshal did mention the illness was from her contained powers. Now that she's using her abilities, the illness is vanishing. Good for her, but it's also bad because if the Empire learns of how strong she is, they'll become more desperate to get their dirty hands on her," the bodyguard states. Ignis fixes his glasses and sits on the edge of the bed. "I am delighted to see her recovering. As Gladio mentioned, we must keep our guard heightened on our travels." Noctis nods in agreement, letting his hands fall to the soft sheets below.

"No one's touching my sister."