Chapter Text
Creel was on the ground, clutching onto his face. Blood poured out of his nose, and cuts and bruises graciously decorated his face. His face had already begun to swell. Astra was held back by two of Creel’s men and away from their boss, but she didn’t despair. With an eerie calm, her eyes followed Creel as he moaned through his pain on the ground; it was obvious that he struggled to maintain his consciousness. The time between the first punch and the time she was apprehended by the pirates was short, but it was more than enough for her to beat Creel. But, she wasn’t done. After elbowing one of the men that held her in their face, Astra broke free and marched towards Creel. Every one of Creel’s entourage poured out from their corners and ran to stop Astra. Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto ran to her defense.
“Go get Noct!” Gladio yelled to Axel as he punched a pirate.
Axel nodded and ran to fulfill his mission. Astra didn’t summon any of her weapons. She used her bare hands to pummel through the pirates. Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto did the same; they had no intention of taking human life. But the pirates didn’t appear to share the sentiment. They pulled out their swords, knives, and daggers; they were, fortunately, smart enough to not use their guns. Fortunately, it appeared that only Creel had received any formal training. The rest of the pirates were sloppy and slow, but they made up for that in numbers.
“I recommend you stay put,” said Astra in a quiet and chilling tone, as she approached Creel.
A pirate pulled her back into the fray and away from their boss. A new group of pirates surrounded her, blocking her off from Creel. The pirates lunged at her with their blades and fists, but she didn’t even need to warp-dodge their attacks. As the fight carried on, Astra looked past the pirates and spotted Creel walking towards guns, hanging on a rack that leaned on a tree. It seemed everyone but the pirates could see that Creel had the intention of shooting them all even if it meant losing some of his own.
The cry of pain that emanated from Creel made everyone turn to look. Mere inches away from the guns that hung on the rack, Crell’s hand was pierced into the tree behind by Nyx’s kukri. Prompto’s eyes ran away from him to look at Astra. Her hand extended forward, clearly indicating she was the one who threw the dagger. Her eyes remained glazed, but they hid something different within them this time: bloodlust. No one moved. The pirates were probably shocked Creel could be taken down so easily; it was obvious he earned his position by exerting his strength over others and ruling with fear. On the other hand, Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio didn’t move out of sheer shock. Astra didn’t turn to look at them; she feared what she might see.
It was the pirates who broke the silence and continued the fighting. However, this time, less pirates approached Astra. There were a handful who tried stopping her slow and steady approach towards Creel, but their attempts were futile. After finally closing the distance between Creel and herself, Astra pulled out the kukri from the tree and Creel’s hand. His blood dripped all over the ground and covered his hand in red. He fell to his knees, grasping tightly onto his hand in hopes of stopping the bleeding. Astra lowered herself into a squat and peered at Creel.
Still holding onto Nyx’s kukri, Astra took Creel’s hand into her own, “Allow me.”
Fire emanated from Astra’s hand and burned Creel. He groaned and let a small yell escape as Astra’s fire cauterized his wound. But, she didn’t just cauterize his wound; Astra let the fire linger. She didn’t waver and showed no signs of stopping until Creel ripped his hand away from her. In an attempt to get away from Astra, Creel dragged his body away from her with a push but was met with a tree behind him. There was nowhere to go. Astra didn’t look away from him. She leaned forward, making Creel flinch, but she only wiped the bloody away from Nyx’s kukri with Creel’s own clothes and then sheathed it away.
It was quiet. Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis had taken care of all the other pirates. The pirates were fighting a losing battle, if it could be called that. Steps approached the camp. Axel and Noctis appeared and were surprised to find the remaining chaos that erupted in their absence. Noctis almost missed Astra. She looked small, squatting next to Creel, and yet it was obvious she was the one with power between the two. Her crouched figure appeared relaxed, while Creel’s was tense. Her gaze proved to be too heavy for Creel to bear, and he looked away. But, Astra held him by the chin to face her, “Do not test me, Creel.”
“You are obsessed with power. It poisons you,” said Astra as she moved her hand from his chin to his hair and pulled his head back. “And it makes me sick to know that leeches like you sucked my father dry of life— that he died so that scum like you could live.”
Astra let go of Creel’s hair and let his head fall down by the weight of gravity. He didn’t dare look her in the eye. Astra’s rage was quiet yet obvious, and Noctis had never seen Astra like that. Noctis wanted to approach his sister, but something held him back. It wasn’t fear, but Noctis didn’t really know what. Instead, he watched over her from afar.
“As a child, I could understand things like compassion and mercy as a concept. But as a practice? I always struggled. I angered easily. Still do. And I know it worried my father, and it worried me too. So, I played the part. Became the perfect princess Lucis needed, but even I’m not sure that’s who I am. You asked me who I am?” Astra stood back up, straightened her back, and looked down to Creel. “I am Astra Lucis Caelum, daughter of Regis Lucis Caelum and Aulea Caelum, sister of Noctis Lucis Caelum, sister-in-arms of the Kingsglaive and Crownsguard, and this is my mercy.”
Astra extended her hand forward and summoned a sword made of light. It looked similar to how the Royal Arms appeared whenever Noctis summoned them. But this was different. The sword appeared identical to the one she always used. The hand hovered in the air before Astra took it into her hand. It felt weightless in her hand, but she handled it delicately with care. Creel attempted to stand up, but Astra placed her hand over his shoulder and pushed him back down onto his knees.
“The right to stand for this ceremony is for those with honor,” said Astra, calmly.
Creel remained kneeling, recognizing his lack of honor. Astra widened her stance and lowered her body. At her side, she raised her sword and positioned it, ready to strike and pierce a kneeling Creel. There was silence. Creel had no place to argue; he knew his pleas were meaningless and would fall onto deaf ears. Noctis watched as Astra readied herself and her sword began to glow. It was blinding, but he didn’t dare look away. None of them did. A part of Prompto was afraid, but his fear wasn’t directed towards Astra. He feared for her.
The light from Astra’s sword intensified, and Noctis swore he could hear a sound, scaling to reach a climax. In a flash, Astra’s sword of light pierced Creel’s chest, and his head swung back from the impact. Astra met his eyes that looked past her and to the sky. The sun had set, and the crickets whispered to each other. The stars could be seen through the leafy branches of the trees, and the moon shined bright. Astra pulled her sword away from his body, but it had no blood. There was no wound on his chest. His chest fell and rose, and he panted for breath as if she had robbed it from him. The sword of light disappeared, and Astra’s calm demeanor remained.
“What— what did you do?” asked Creel, breathing heavily with surprise.
“Power poisoned you. So, I took it. Power made you savage and cruel— made you who you are,” spoke Astra. “And now without it, you are no one.”
Creel’s eyes widened. Mixtures of emotions flashed through his eyes. Astra could see fear, panic, anger, and countless more. But, Creel’s voice failed him even when he opened to speak. He let his body fall to the ground and held his face as he silently shook his head. Astra’s eyes slowly looked up from Creel and up to the night sky. From beneath the shading trees, she couldn’t find the moon even if its light shined down to grace her. Hesitantly, Astra looked to her brother. Her eyes were clear, and Noctis wasn’t sure if it was just the reflection of the moon in her eyes or if it was tears he saw. And for a split second, he swore her eyes glowed purple or a similar color.
“I’ll meet you at the nearest campsite,” said Astra, gently. “I need to be alone for now.”
The amount of times Noctis had watched Astra walk away from him in the past were too many, and now, Noctis had to watch it happen again. And with that, Astra allowed her figure to be engulfed by the shadowy bushes and trees. And the night had never felt this dark before.
Astra was already at the campsite by the time Noctis and friends arrived. She sat up on a boulder near the site, looking up to the moon. She noticed they had arrived but didn’t acknowledge their presence. Noctis didn’t know what to do. He knew Astra still needed time, but he hated seeing her like that. Ignis prepared supper whilst everyone else, including Noctis, made camp.
Noctis saw Prompto approach Ignis and whisper something to him. Next thing he knew, Prompto took a wet cloth and bandages and climbed up the boulder Astra sat on. Sometimes Noctis was jealous of how easily Prompto approached Astra because gods know that it was not easy. Maybe it was because Prompto was more social and outgoing. As children, Noctis and Astra were inseparable and communication between the two was sometimes even telepathical. But now, Noctis felt like there was something holding him back.
Prompto sat down beside Astra who still remained quietly looking at the stars. At this point, she was just looking up because looking down would make all the tears she’d been holding back fall out. And she didn’t know what face to make when she looked at Prompto or anyone for that matter. Astra could feel Prompto’s gaze on her. Astra finally looked at him when he gently took her hand and carefully took off her glove. Her knuckles were bruised and had some small cuts. Prompto ungloved her other hand to reveal the same bruising. He tenderly applied the wet cloth to her knuckles and tended her wounds.
“You’re not gonna ask me any questions?” Astra finally managed to get out.
Prompto smiled gently, “I don’t have any.”
“Don’t lie. I hate lying. Especially from those I trust.”
Still attending to her hands and without making eye-contact, Prompto answered, “I am curious but not— what’s the word? Inquisitive.”
“...It’s the same thing.”
“Is it?” asked Prompto in a playful voice, finally looking up to meet her eyes.
His smile was crooked, and his eyes were radiant. Even the night sky could not take the blue of his eyes.
“You’re finally smiling,” pointed out Prompto.
Astra felt that the corners of her mouth had indeed upturned without her realizing. The sudden realization made her face flush. A part of her hated it— made her feel like she was ignoring the havoc and damage she wrecked earlier. The other part of her liked it— liked him . Too many emotions hit her at the same time. Astra didn’t know what half of them were. The other half she was already awfully familiar with. Astra suddenly felt a cold sensation on her cheek thankfully snap her out of her thoughts.
“Ooh! Sorry! Should’ve warned you before,” said Prompto as he held the wet cloth on her bruised cheek. “Since it’s cold.”
Even with the cold compress on her cheek, Astra could feel Prompto’s warm fingertips grazing her cheek. She slightly leaned into his hand, surprising Prompto who didn’t pull away. But Astra could feel his fingertips beginning to grow cold, and so she took the cloth from his hand and remained applying it to her cheek. Prompto drew his hand away and rested it on his lap. Neither spoke even though there were countless words they wanted to say to each other.
Finally, Prompto spoke, “Uh, well, Iggy’s making dinner. We should probably head down.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” replied Astra.
Prompto stood up and so did Astra. Prompto slid down the boulder and offered a hand to help Astra down.
“Prompto,” said Astra, taking his hand. “Thank you.”
Holding her hand tightly, Prompto smiled, “ That’s what friends are for, right?”
Astra slid down the boulder with Prompto’s aid and joined the rest of the group at the campsite. Everyone was already in their seats except Axel who opted to sit on the ground. Probably because he wanted to leave a seat for Astra. They already had their dinner plate in hand, and Astra received her own after Prompto. Astra sat between Noctis and Ignis. Everyone conversed normally, but Astra noticed the occasional curious glances they stole of her.
“What exactly did you do to Creel back there?” managed to ask Noctis.
Still sitting down in his seat, Gladio punched Noctis’ arm and muttered with gritted teeth, “Real smooth.”
Noctis blinked blankly, “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I get it,” answered Astra. “It’s a...forbidden ritual of sorts.”
“Forbidden?” asked Ignis.
“Well, not forbidden. Just obscure and ancient,” explained Astra. “Kings of Lucis have been sharing their powers with their trusted for centuries. Naturally, some were traitors and so a past king devised a way to take the power back.”
“Don’t we just cut the connection?” verified Noctis.
“ Now we do. But that method wasn’t invented until later to replace the one I used. It was deemed too torturous for the trusted who simply wished to no longer hold such a power.”
“What do you mean by torturous ?” asked Gladio.
“There are some lasting complications that follow— mental and physical. Magic is deeply connected with one’s being and emotions. I didn’t sever his tie to just magic.” Astra played with the food on her plate. “It was more.”
The crickets filled the silence.
“I...I’m sorry. About today. But I’m not sorry for what I did. I’m just sorry you had to see that. It’s just been a while since I last snapped like that,” apologized Astra. “I thought I had it under control.”
Noctis spoke first, “You don’t have to be sorry for that.”
“Right. We’ve seen what you’re like when you’re menstruating,” added Gladio.
Mixture of unbelief and disgust adorned everyone’s faces, except Gladio. They all looked at Gladio who only shrugged apologetically, “What? I’m not wrong, and you all know it.”
“Maybe discussing the princess’ menstruation is not the most proper thing to do at the moment,” said Ignis, glancing at Axel who looked the most uncomfortable, and only then Gladio nodded in understanding.
“I would not expect such a remark from the one guy here with a younger sister,” retorted Astra.
Gladio answered, “It’s ‘cause I have a sister that I know what I’m talking about—”
“Well, I think it’s best we rest now,” interrupted Ignis, standing up from his chair.
“I second that,” added Prompto, jumping out of his seat to help Ignis.
The night was cool, and the crickets whispered to each other while everyone readied themselves for bed. They decided to sleep underneath the stars near the fire. Small conversations were whispered throughout as sleep slowly took their consciousness. Astra didn’t have any nightmares that night. The last thing she remembered was a familiar warmth holding her hand.