Chapter 3: Confession

                                    

                                          
I didn't expect them to come back by night. They all arrived dirty and exhuasted. Noctis acquired the royal weapon and thanked Talcott for the advice. We all hung out in Noctis' and co's room and played some cards and King's Knight for an hour or so.
                          
Everyone fell asleep, well that's what I assumed an hour after I left Noctis and company's room. I lied and claimed I was getting bored, which happens often. They continued to play their games as I left their room.
                          
The real reason I left was because of my ring. It started shocking my finger. It was Ardyn testing the tracking device to see if I was still alive. He usually checks on me since I go on a lot of monster hunts. I guess he cares about me in an odd way.
                          
I entered my room, quietly closing the door behind me. I walked into my bathroom and changed into my pajamas. I splashed my face with cool water and patted it dry. Grabbing a plastic cup next to the sink, I filled it with ice cold water. I pulled off my ring and dropped it in the cup, watching it fall down to the bottom.
                          
I quickly brushed my teeth and laid in bed, staring at the ceiling for what felt like a few hours. It's normal for me to be unable to fall asleep. I've always had this issue since I was a kid. That's the reason why I hate the mornings so much. 
                          
Rolling over onto my side, I thought of Prompto. He sounds like a good kid but he's his son. He's an MT. He's from Niflheim. I honestly don't feel too keen about him being by Noctis' side. I've read about him but there wasn't much in the records I found. 
                          
Out of urge, I checked my phone. 1:22 A.M. displayed across the screen.
                          
I heaved a sigh and sat up, wiping my eyes. "Guess I'll go look at the disc."
                          
I slid my feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers. I threw an oversized hoodie over my body.
                          
I strolled through the dimly-lit city of Lestallum, making my way towards the overview of Cauthess. Breathing in the night air, I slowly walked down the smooth roads to the stone edge. I noticed Gladio standing near one of the mounted telescopes.
                          
The sight of him made me smile.
                          
"Hey," I lightly bumped his arm as I stood next to him, propping my elbows on the ledge and looking at the disc.
                          
"Hey," he switched his attention to me. "I figured you'd be out here eventually."
                          
I giggled. He knew me so well. "Of course."
                          
There was a moment of silence. I laid my head on his arm as we stared at the disc and its blue energy waves. We were enjoying each other's company. It's been too long.
                          
"You know," he chuckled, "I've always wanted to go here with you."
                          
I stayed quiet, listening.
                          
"I remember you always telling me you wanted to go to Lestallum. To see the city market and eat from the ramen food truck," he paused and looked at the disc, "Then see the Disc of Cauthess with your own eyes."
                          
"Gladio," I trailed off, holding his hand.
                          
He held a firm grip over mine as he struggled to speak, "The day you left, disappeared, I was waiting to give you something. You, you didn't show up and I would wait again, day after day until I slowly realized you weren't coming home. Not a single word from you. I thought you just left."
                          
"Hey," I lifted my head up and softly placed my hands on his face. He flinched at my touch. A tear trailed down my thumb. We stared into each other's eyes and I saw so much sadness in him. He must have been so hurt. "I'm here now, okay? I didn't leave you. I would never do that to you."
                          
"Then where did you go?" He gritted his teeth and held my wrist, keeping my hand on his cheek.
                          
I looked down and sighed, "I was in Niflheim."
                          
"Heh, out of all places."
                          
"It's not like I wanted to go there. The day I, disappeared, I was out on an errand from my mother. She told me it was really important and that I just had to go do it for her. Apparently, that errand turned out to be a bargain chip. She gave me up to the imperial army so that she can have all the riches in the world."
                          
"You never liked her," Gladio commented.
                          
I let out a small laugh, "Not one bit. She wasn't my real mother anyway. But during that time, I was pretty much a prisoner. It sucked. They kept me in the dark until the Chancellor, Izunia, took custody over me. A couple weeks ago, he let me go, just like that. Then I just settled here, in Lestallum, taking on monster hunts everyday until news broke out about the attack on Insomnia.
                          
"I was so worried about you. I wanted to call you or at least check up on you. But I was too scared, too afraid that you didn't want to see me ever again. Then all of a sudden, Iris showed up along with you and Noct the same day," my voice started to break.
                          
He buried my face into his chest. "I yearned to hear your voice every second that passed by. I never lost the hope of you coming back."
                          
I started sobbing so hard. "I'm so sorry."
                          
I felt his fingers combing through my hair, comforting me as I cried. I missed this man so much. I missed being wrapped in his warmth, being in his presence. I missed playing with his hair and watching him show off his muscles. So many memories that could've been relived.
                          
It's all Ardyn's fault.