It takes a village to raise a child

[starless_sky]

Lucis was celebrating the visit of King Ravus of Tenebrae/NIflheim. It was a combined nation now that the world was recovering and the empire had fallen. The Niflheim citizens had flocked to the one leader they had left, Ravus Nox Fleuret and they'd had great success to show for it. The nations were both recovering nicely. Noctis had hoped the world would come together as one nation and he wouldn't have to be King per se but he had wished for the moon and got a dose of reality instead. He was never going to get out of being the King of Lucis and being the post-war king was no easy task. Lucis had a lot of needs, more than enough to keep him busy for the rest of his life. 

Still he had a charmed life, he had Luna and their children, he had peace, his brothers, his life. All blessings. All about to be paid a visit by his brother in-law Ravus. The crown city was commemorating Ravus' visit, there were banners greeting him in the street and on buildings. The local news wished to interview him for a TV segment, he had many Lucian fans eager to see him and possibly ask for autographs. The biggest fans of course were Noct and Luna's 3 children; two daughters Aurora and Stella, and a young son, Sol. All of whom worshipped their uncle. or worshipped his gift-giving, Noctis was sure that had a part in it. 

Noct was ready for Ravus to make subtle jabs at him with his presents. Again. He was a decent father, hell he was a better father than his own father, didn't he get credit for that? It didn't matter. The kids lined up nicely in a receiving line for their uncle but all three fidgeted a bit. As soon as ravus appeared and as soon as they'd gotten their curtsies out of the way the girls burst into giggles and ran to hug their uncle. Sol was quite young and still in Luna's arms sucking on a toy. He cooed instead. The girls were beside themselves, it was holiday time with Uncle Ravus here. Noct was ready though, he had to be ready to keep up with his brother in-law. Still he smiled in earnest. 

"Ravus, good to see you. How was the trip here?" 

Comments

[sonoftenebrae]

Ravus may be the king now, but he's still just as petty and dramatic as always when it comes to his brother-in-law. He waits until he's finished handing out what will prove to be his first round of presents to his dear nieces and nephew before he even bothers to acknowledge Noctis.

"That's a traditional Tenebraen logic puzzle. You can go give it a try. See that your brother doesn't swallow any of the pieces. I'll come and check on your progress within the hour."

Finally, he turns to the King of Lucis. It would be a diplomatic nightmare if they weren't in a private chamber within the palace. He's learned to play nice(r) in front of the cameras, but in private, it's an entirely different, and more honest, dynamic. To tell the truth, it helps Ravus to have someone to vent his frustrations at, especially when he's forced to nonsense like television interviews and Lucian festivals. He privately wonders if Noctis uses him in a similar fashion.

"Noctis...long has it been since last I came her, and yet it seems not long enough. I much prefer it when I receive my sister's family at Fenestala Manor."

...which is to say, the trip was uneventful, no complaints other than the general 'having to be here'.

"Have you begun the girls' martial training yet? My sister has been uncharacteristically tight-lipped on the subject."

As much as Ravus does not want precious Aurora and Stella to ever need step into battle, he also fears the thought of them helpless in a time of need. Sometimes, guardians fail. Best for the princesses to be able to defend themselves, at least long enough for their uncle to get to them and destroy the threat.

With that in mind, round two of gifts, still wrapped up in a crate sent on to the royal guest-chambers, are starter weapons and Tenebraen-style armor for the girls.

[starless_sky]

Noctis is very accustomed to the subtle snubs Ravus brings to their visits. He doesn't take it too personally. Ravus just hates everyone except a very small circle of people. Like Luna and the kids end of list. He prefers his brother in-law be himself thus they are meeting in private. The crowds outside would prefer to make a spectacle of it all but Noctis hates that perhaps more than anyone. He would rather be the emotional punching bag for Ravus since he clearly needed one. He wondered if the staff at Fenestala Manor lived on eggshells or if Ravus was only this sour around anything Lucian.

The girls are gleeful with their present and scurry off with their brother to start working on the puzzle. They need to do well, they want to impress their beloved Uncle.

Noct watches it all with a smile. His girls getting spoiled, hurrying off with Sol making memories. He remembers how close they were to this not happening, to losing it all to the darkness or Niflheim.

"Good to hear. All the same, I'm glad you made the trip Ravus. The girls are hoping to escort you to the festival this weekend. It's nothing fancy but they love it and they hope you will to." so please be kind, Uncle, and humor them? He is certain Ravus won't have an issue with that since his nieces are involved.

"Uh training? That came out of nowhere." wait. What was he on about here? He didn't... he brought things didn't he? He brought training gear. He should have known. Noctis smirked and looked to his wife.

"What a great idea, Ravus, I think the girls should have begun last year as a matter of fact." looking pointedly at his queen. They'd disagreed on the girls receiving combat training at all and compromised on waiting a year but if Ravus was here and he had weapons as gifts... the girls wouldn't be able to resist that and the whining that would ensue, the begging to be allowed to work with them might wear Luna down. Maybe? Hopefully?

The girls needed to know how to defend themselves. They had great power and needed to know how to wield it. Noct fully expected them both to awaken as Oracles which would make their paths even more frought but having a good combat foundation would help.

But what was this about Ravus saving them? What about battles in Lucis? Were the girls to hold their enemies off while Ravus crossed oceans to rescue them? Why not lean on the Kingsglaive or the Crownsguard or oh, maybe, their father?

"You must be exhausted, I can have food ready in a few minutes if you like."

[sonoftenebrae]

Ravus loves his family and hates most other people, but he's moved Noctis to a new tier of 'tolerable'. It's as much of an upward motion as Noctis could hope to make in such a (relatively) short amount of time.

"It should not come as a shock. Discipline of the body promotes discipline of the mind. They need to be prepared for whatever the future holds."

They have so many possibilities: magic inherited from both father's and mother's blood, the crown, the mantle of oracle... all come with burdens that must rest upon strong shoulders. The Caelum Fleurets cannot afford to be soft. Two nations will look to them for guidance in their futures.

"We can discuss it further over lunch." No admission of weariness, just the acknowledgement that he could eat. Luckily, the midday meal doesn't oft get drawn out into the affair of state that dinners tend to be when he visits.

As much as he prefers to side with his sister and side-eye Noctis, the Lucian king may be his ally in this debate. It's a fate he could never have imagined in his angry teen years, when he'd cursed the name of all Lucians.