The royal retinue found themselves in the office of Camelia Claustra. They had been welcomed into the estate as soon as they'd arrived. The first secretary sat at her desk, her fingers laced together.

"Thank you for coming." Her gaze shifted to Ryella. "As for you, the Oracle wishes to speak with you personally."

Stunned, the girl placed a hand against her chest. "M-me?"

"You are Ryella Praesidio, correct? The young Guardian who once allied herself with House Fleuret?" She nodded in response. "Yes, Lady Lunafreya requested you by name. I'll have a guard escort you to her."

One of the guards stepped forward. Ryella looked to Noctis for a response. He gave a small smile and a nod for her to go. Nervously clutching her hands in front of her, the girl followed the guard out. They left the room. Ryella looked around at the halls and rooms they passed. They climbed some stairs before finally reaching their destination. The door they'd stopped at looked just like any other, but once the guard opened it, a familiar face was waiting on the other side. Lunafreya was seated in a chair, staring out a window with Pryna laying on the floor beside her. The young woman turned her head, her eyes lighting up upon seeing her friend again.

Ryella stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind her. "Luna?" She hurried over, falling into Luna's arms while wrapping her own around her in return. "I can hardly believe it! I've missed you so much! I constantly worried about you!" She quickly pulled back upon hearing the blond cough. "Are you...alright?"

Luna clutched at her chest, seemingly in pain. "Ryella...while I am overjoyed to see you again, I wish that the circumstances could be different. I have a favor to ask of you."

The brunette rested a hand on her shoulder. "Anything."

Lunafreya met her green-eyed gaze. "Already my flesh has begun to fail me. I...I don't know how much longer I have." A sorrowful expression crossed Ryella's face. "Even so, I will fulfill my duty. I shall use my strength to awaken the Hydraean." Ryella understood the toll the covenants had on the Oracle's body. The thought of losing Lunafreya though, filled her with sadness. "For it is my calling, and I cannot neglect it. So here I ask of you, Ryella, to join me once more for the rite. It would make me so happy...to have you by my side again, even if only for a short time."

The Guardian took a moment to wipe her watery eyes, and smiled weakly. "I'd be honored to join you...one last time, Lunafreya."

The blond woman smiled sadly, noticing the tears wanting to spill from her eyes. "Please, do not cry for me. I am undeserving of your tears. After all I put you through when I sent you away... I hope you can forgive me."

"I was never angry at you," Ryella assured, smiling kindly. "While I was hurt and confused at first, I understood why. You didn't want me to get mixed up in all of this. But you should know, a Guardian protects their masters, not the other way around."

Luna smiled. "I can see how much stronger you've become in my absence, both as a Guardian, and as a person. Reynard would be proud."

"Things changed after I met Noctis. I learned so much from my new friends. The times we spent together, the hardships we faced, they all helped me to grow." She blushed lightly at the thought of Prompto. "I've even learned...how to love again."

"I'm so happy for you, Ryella. I cannot even express my gratitude for everything you've done."

Ryella enveloped Luna's hand with both of hers. "Don't mention it. I'd do anything for the people I care about."

Lunafreya's expression turned somber. "I feel I must warn you though, Leviathan may try to control you."

"C-control me?" she echoed.

"Guardians were designed to be obedient, to both their masters and the gods," Luna explained. "As such, the gods can influence your actions and manipulate you."

Ryella immediately thought back on the Archaean. "Titan did something like that back in Lucis. He spoke to me, and although I couldn't understand him, I knew what he wanted me to do. And so I acted accordingly."

Luna hummed. "So you've experienced it before. Truthfully, Titan was much kinder than I suspect Leviathan to be. I fear what her wrath may do to you."

Ryella shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I'm not afraid. I will follow you, no matter what."

Luna smiled. "I know you will. By the way, Camelia brought some clothes for you. Once I learned you were in the city, I requested for you to join me for the rite. After all, you must look presentable for a public appearance." She stood, leading the girl over to a wardrobe. She opened it up, taking out a couple of formal dresses. "Pick whichever you prefer."

Ryella looked between the two. They were both beautifully designed and were just the types of clothes she liked. She decided on one and took it from her friend, holding it up to look over. Luna urged her to put it on to be sure it fit. She walked away and kept her back turned, allowing Ryella to change. The brunette began undressing when a question popped into her mind.

"Hey, Luna? Have you heard anything about Nero, the black dragon?"

"I have not."

"He's been hunting me. I ran into him back in Lucis. He terrifies me, and yet, I want answers as to why he attacked us, and why he's still after me."

"Then he's probably within the city now. I doubt he'll interfere with the rite. He surely knows what a god can do to him, so you need not worry about him harassing you here."

Ryella grew silent, knowing Luna was right, although she still couldn't help but wonder. She finished changing and examined herself in a mirror. Her dress was a blue-grey color with white flecks at the top and black lining the bottom. The dress itself was short and sleeveless. The heels that came with it were also black, along with a matching glove, armband, and necklace.

(This is the dress)

"How does it look?"

Luna turned around, smiling at her friend. "Wonderful. A dress befitting a noble Guardian. You should keep that one."

"I think I will. It's been a while since I've dressed so formally."

"You should get going. Your friends might be waiting for you." Ryella nodded in agreement. "And please, not a word of my condition to Noctis. I do not wish for him to worry about me."

"I won't say a thing."

"Then I suppose I should see you back here tomorrow. Preparations for my address and the rite are being completed as we speak."

Ryella went over, giving her friend one last hug. "It's been great talking with you again."

Luna returned her hug. "I agree. Look after Noctis for me, as his Guardian."

"I will. I promise."

A bit saddened, Ryella left the room. Returning to her friends, she found that they'd already finished negotiations, and awaited her outside the estate. When they saw her new clothes, they began questioning her.

"What's with the new outfit?" Prompto asked. "Not that I'm complaining. You look pretty."

The girl blushed. "Th-thank you. I have to look the part if I'm to join Lady Lunafreya tomorrow."

"What?" Gladio raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Join her?"

Ryella proudly held her head high. "I am to accompany the Oracle for the address and the rite. That's why she wanted to speak with me."

Ignis smiled lightly. "You must be pleased to act as her Guardian again. As for us, things will be quite different. Gladio, Prompto, and I will be on evacuation duty, and Noct will make for the alter. The empire is certain to move in once Leviathan has awoken."

Ryella nodded in understanding, all while noticing the concern on the prince's face. "And Luna? She okay? I felt a bit of your sorrow back there."

The girl's eyes widened ever so slightly. She forced a smile. "N-no, she's fine. Just...preparing for tomorrow. And I was just feeling a bit down because, um, I was reminded of the separate paths Luna and I must walk." Noctis didn't fully believe her, as her stutter made it obvious, but he didn't press the matter. Luna was alright for the time being, and that's all that mattered. "Being present when the Hydraean awakens is actually risky for me."

"Whaddya mean 'risky'?" the blond inquired out of worry.

"Do you remember during Titan's trial? He called out to me. Luna said that the gods can call upon Guardians, and even control them. The Archaean didn't actually force me to do anything, but Luna fears that Leviathan will."

Prompto moved closer, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you shouldn't do this. What if something happens?"

Ryella gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm not afraid. Besides, I'm doing this for Luna."

Noctis sighed. "It's your decision. We can't stop you. Just be careful."

She nodded. Prompto suddenly grinned and moved to her side, draping an arm around her shoulders. "Well, we can worry about that stuff tomorrow. How about we take that tour around the city? Still wanna see the sights?"

That caused a bright smile to spread across his girlfriend's face. "Oh, I'd love to!"

"You two have fun," Gladio said. "We'll see ya later."

Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio left their company, deciding to do their own thing. While Ryella was a bit anxious about the rite, she decided to put it out of her mind. She didn't want to make herself sick with worry over the whole thing, especially since Luna would be counting on her. Instead, she'd allow Prompto to treat her to a fun day out around the city. That would surely ease her nerves and allow her to relax. Plus, she wanted to treasure the time spent with him. The boy slipped his hand into hers. He walked with a skip in his step as he lightly tugged the girl along.

"This is so exciting! We've gotta check out that Leviathan statue! Oh, and maybe we could grab a snack too!"

Ryella giggled. "Prompto, slow down. We have all day to do all those things."

The blond stopped, looking back at her with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'm just really eager to see and do everything. But you're right, no need to rush, especially since I get to spend the entire time with you." His thumb rubbed over the top of her hand. "So, where would you like to go first?"

"How about going to see that statue?"

"Great! We can take a gondola there!" He looked around. "Now if I remember the brochure right, we need to go to Listro Park. I think the gondola to take us there is..." He pointed in a direction. "That way."

He led Ryella along, his hand never leaving hers. As they walked, Ryella glanced around at the scenery they passed. The chatter of people in the busy streets were all she could hear, and the smells of various foods and flowers caught her nose. Even though she was curious to find the sources of the scents, she decided to first go to Listro Park, where Prompto really wanted to go. After a bit of walking through the maze-like streets, they found the gondola that would take them to where they wanted. They climbed aboard, and the kind gondolier took them away.

The gondola drifted down the linear waterway. Sitting side by side, the couple gazed out at the beautiful city. Prompto noticed the sparkle in his girlfriend's eyes and smiled. She was so enraptured by the sights that she barely looked at him, at least until she rested a hand against his knee. She glanced at him with a joyful smile and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her waist in response, laying his head against hers. He hummed in content, relaxing for the duration of the ride. Once they reached their destination, Prompto was back to being his excitable self. He helped the girl out of the gondola and tugged her up a flight of stairs.

"There it is!" he pointed out.

In the center of the area was a huge statue. With a shallow pool underneath it, it rose up like a massive fish out of the water. A single long horn spiraled out from its head. Ryella knew that it was meant to depict one of the various aquatic forms the sea goddess was said to have.

"Wow..." the brunette breathed out. "It's huge!"

"C'mon!" Prompto urged. They approached the statue. "I read in the brochure that you could do something with wishes here." He read over a nearby sign about what to do. "Write a wish on the paper bird. Throw the wish bird toward the mouth of the Tidemother. If the wish bird flies into the sea goddess's mouth, she will grant you your wish." He grinned. "Sounds fun. Wanna give it a go?"

Ryella nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I'd like to try it."

Prompto saw a stand nearby that had a box of paper birds. He hurried over and grabbed a couple, returning to the girl and handing her one. After borrowing a pen from the man at the stand, they took turns writing down their wishes. Ryella scribbled a quick request on the wing of her bird. She read over it to herself. I wish that one day, my boyfriend, my friends, and I will live happily in a world free from darkness. Satisfied, she passed the pen to Prompto. While the boy wrote down his wish, Ryella took aim. With her bird in hand, she pulled her hand back and threw it forward, releasing her bird. Prompto looked up to see her wish bird bump into the statues belly.

She frowned as her bird fell into the pool below. "Oh no... It didn't make it."

"Hey, no biggie," Prompto reassured her. "It's just for fun."

Her frown turned up into a small smile. "I know. I was hoping to make it though."

"Well, now it's my turn. Wish me luck." He took aim, pulled back, and tossed the bird. It flew upwards, farther than Ryella's had, and it landed into the mouth of the statue. The boy fist-pumped. "Score!"

Ryella bounced lightly, her hands balled into fists and a bright smile on her lips. "Way to go, Prompto! That was amazing!"

"Think my wish will come true?"

"I hope so..." She hid her hands behind her back and leaned closer. "So? What did you wish for?"

The gunman's face grew red, embarrassed about telling her. But he decided to anyway. "I wished that...my friends, a-and you...will always be by my side."

Ryella shyly hugged him. "That's a wish that will come true. I can guarantee it." She smiled up at him. "Mine wasn't much different. I wished for all of us to live happily in a world free from darkness."

Prompto returned her hug. "Then that means both of our wishes should come true." He pulled away, looking past the girl. "Y'know, I've had my eye on that gelato ever since we got here."

The girl looked over her shoulder, seeing a vendor selling gelati. She couldn't help but giggle at how easily Prompto had been distracted. "Let's go get some, then."

The two walked away from the statue, descending the stairs and approaching the vendor. Prompto fished out some gil from his pocket and looked at the girl. "Go ahead, pick a flavor."

Ryella scanned over the variety of fruity flavors they had. "I'll take strawberry, please."

"And I think I want chocolate," Prompto said, holding out his gil.

The man politely took the payment and grabbed a couple of cones. He scooped out each of the types of gelato they picked, plopping them onto the cones. With a small "thank you" from the blond, he gratefully took them, handing one to his girlfriend. They went to a nearby bench to sit down and enjoy their cold, sweet treat. Taking the spoon out of the dessert, Prompto greedily shoveled a spoonful into his mouth. He swallowed it and licked his lips afterwards.

"Mmm, now that's delicious!" He glanced at the girl beside him, laughing lightly at her tiny nibbles on her gelato. "Ryella, don't be afraid of your dessert. It's not gonna bite ya."

She couldn't keep from laughing at his playfulness. "I know that, silly. Don't judge me on my style of eating."

"I'm not judging, just saying. It's actually pretty cute." He leaned closer to her. "Why is it that everything you do is adorable?"

She immediately blushed and turned her face away. "I-I don't know..."

The gunman chuckled. "See? There you go again. Adorable." He was quick to bring out his camera and take a picture, putting it away just as swiftly. "So? How's it taste?"

Ryella's blush faded and she smiled at him. "It's really sweet, I love the taste."

"I know, right? This gelato is sooo good!" An idea suddenly popped into his mind. "Oh. Em. Gee. I just realized the combination we can make. Chocolate and strawberries, the two flavors that were meant to be together!"

Using his spoon, he scooped up a bit of his gelato, then took a little from his girlfriend's. He shoveled it into his mouth, tasting the mixture of flavors. The combination was scrumptious.

The blond hummed lightly. "Ryella, you've gotta try this! It tastes just like actual chocolate strawberries!"

He scooped up a bit of both flavors a second time, then held it up to her lips. She gingerly enveloped the spoon with her mouth, tasting the combination. After sliding the utensil out of her mouth, she swallowed the tasty mixture of flavors.

"Oh, wow," she breathed out, a blissful smile on her lips. "That is so yummy. I could eat that every day."

They ended up combining most of their gelato instead of eating the separate flavors. Neither of them minded sharing anyway. Once they were finished with their desserts, they left Listro Park, taking the gondola back. With Prompto having done what he wanted, he allowed Ryella to pick what to do next. She only really wanted to explore and see the sights, so that's what they did. With their hands connected, the girl followed her nose, leading her boyfriend around to the many food and flower vendors. While Ryella was preoccupied with sticking her nose into the different types of flowers at a stand, Prompto's eyes caught sight of a nearby jewelry vendor.

There were so many beautiful necklaces, rings, bracelets, and other accessories. There was a small tab amidst the jewelry that he read to himself. Want to prove your love to her? Give the gift that glitters forever. It clearly meant wedding and engagement rings. Prompto shook the idea from his mind. Whoa, shouldn't be thinking that far ahead. I mean, yeah, I really really like Ryella...maybe even kinda love her...but there's no way we should even think of marriage yet. Although he told himself that, he couldn't help daydreaming about a day when he could wind up marrying Ryella.

"Prompto?" The blond was snapped out of his daydream by the very girl he was thinking of. She had her head tilted cutely to the side, giving him a questioning look. "Did you hear me?"

He slowly replied, "U-um...no."

She laughed. "Didn't think so. You looked deep in thought." His face heated up. "I said, you should smell this lavender. It makes you feel at ease."

Prompto leaned down toward the purple plant, inhaling its scent. "Mmm, you're right. It has a calming effect on you. Makes me wanna take a nap."

"Let's look around some more before that though."

The two got moving, continuing their exploration of the city. They spent hours looking around, grabbing snacks, and riding gondolas. It seemed to all fly by as night approached. The couple went on back to the hotel, finding their friends in their room, playing King's Knight on their phones.

Gladio looked up from his screen at them. "Have fun, you two?"

"You were out all day," Ignis pointed out, a faint smile on his lips.

"Course we had fun," Prompto cheerfully answered. "I always have fun with Ryella."

Ryella nodded. "Not to mention the beautiful scenery is so romantic when you see it with someone special."

Noctis smiled at them. "We had a bit of a look around ourselves before we came back here a few hours ago."

"So, anyone else feel like watching some TV before bed?" the gunman asked.

"Meh, I was planning on playing video games in a bit," Noctis responded.

Gladio shot them both a smirk. "Besides, wouldn't you lovebirds rather be alone? I mean, it'd be kinda awkward seeing you two making out for the duration of a show."

Both Prompto and Ryella's faces lit up. The boy swiftly took his girlfriend by the hand. "Geez, we wouldn't do that! But if that's the way you feel, we'll just watch in Ryella's room instead!"

Embarrassed, Prompto tugged the girl along, leaving the room. They went straight to her room right next door. Once inside, they calmly turned on the TV and sat down on a loveseat. With the remote in hand, Prompto flipped through a few channels.

"Anything in particular you'd like to watch?" he politely asked.

"Not really."

The boy settled on a simple romantic comedy. He then draped an arm around Ryella, and she leaned against him like she always did. Prompto's hand glided across her shoulder and upper arm, his fingertips feeling her soft skin. He pressed his lips to the top of her head.

"Y'know, maybe it was a good idea to watch alone." Ryella picked her head up to meet his gaze. "I'm not really into a lot of PDA, so when it's just us, I can show my affection without anyone staring."

He swiftly pushed his lips against hers, surprising her. But she returned his kiss, nevertheless. With his free hand, he snuck down to her stomach, almost immediately finding her weak spot and rubbing it. The girl moaned against his lips and pulled back. Prompto laughed at her embarrassed pouty face.

"I told you not to do that," she lightly scolded.

He hugged her. "Sorry, I couldn't help it! Your reaction is just too cute! Besides, no one else is here to hear you."

Unable to be angry at the cheerful boy, Ryella snuggled into his chest. He began leaving light kisses on the side of her head, and trailed his lips down to her neck. He lovingly nuzzled against her skin. His warm breath on her neck made her shiver, and a light gasp escaped her lips as soon as she felt contact. His lips were pressed gently against her skin. The girl seemed to melt, clinging to his upper arms and instinctively tilting her head to the side to allow him more room. He took notice of her reaction and inwardly grinned. He remembered from the magazine that her type of response was a purely positive one. With her approval, Prompto continued leaving kisses all along her throat and shoulder. She hummed and gasped several times, a blush staining her cheeks. The blond finally paused, inhaling the familiar scent she wore.

"Hey," he said, pulling back a bit. Ryella turned her head to look at him. "I just noticed something. How come you almost always smell like vanilla?"

She blinked at him, a bit surprised by the sudden question. "Because vanilla is my favorite scent."

The boy grinned, moving back down to her neck. "It's becoming mine too," he murmured against her skin.

He gave one last kiss to her neck before finally pulling away. The two snuggled up and spent the rest of the time watching the show until they were tired enough to go to sleep. That's when Prompto finally parted with his girlfriend for the night. He had thoroughly enjoyed his day with Ryella, but tomorrow, he knew they'd have to focus. The rite would start soon, and there was no telling how things would turn out.