Chapter 1: Strange Beginnings

A/N: Been a while since I wrote anything so I thought I would get back into the swing of creating stories lol. Been hearing a lot of hype about Final Fantasy XV and thought I should join the band wagon. I know the storyline of the game was a little chopped up and confusing so I thought I would do my interpretation of the game. Be prepared for random silly adventures as Noctis tries to save his Kingdom!

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XV, I just own my oc's.

Enjoy!

/

The role of a King was never an easy one. He must be the pillar of strength for his people in times when they felt weak. Must make difficult choices that could decide the fate of his kingdom. And in worse cases must sacrifice a life in order to save millions.

The role of a King was not a glorious title; it was a burden.

That was what ran through King Regis's head as he stared at the massive crystal before him. So many lives had been lost because of it. So many innocent souls who wanted nothing to do with the war. And yet they perished just because the enemy wanted to show what would happen if they didn't win. All of this heartache due to a simple stone.

"How many must die before you are satisfied?" Regis asked wearily.

The crystal hummed showing that it was very much alive and breathing.

" I have seen many deaths, but now I only look forward to one" it warbled.

"And only then can I rest"

Regis leaned heavily on his cane, feeling the weight of the crystal's words. He knew of whose death it spoke of. The one that threatened not only the line of Lucis but that of Eos itself. In order to see that death became a reality a heavy sacrifice had to be made. One that he desperately dreaded to offer up.

"You will take responsibility for whatever unfolds" he warned gravely.

"As must we all" the crystal reminded.

Regis bowed his head as he hobbled towards the balcony. Staring towards his kingdom he realized that he had more than just the fate of his people in jeopardy. He didn't know what was going to happen next in this cruel game of life. All he knew was that he was soon going to pay the ultimate price.

"May the gods forgive me"

/

Whenever a child saw something new, they would think it was amazing. Be it going to the park, seeing a movie or just meeting so mine, it would leave an impact on them and change their perspective on life.

Rachel was no different as she started at the television and watched the figures skating across the ice. With their sparkly outfits and mesmerizing moves, it was as if she was seeing a living breathing princess.

her mother would chuckle seeing her face be glued onto the screen, never taking her eyes off the dancing figures.

"Aren't they pretty, Rachel? They look like actual princesses don't they?"

Rachel looked up at her mother, her eyes sparkling with delight.

"Do you think I can be a princess like them, momma?" She asked hopefully.

"Of course, sweetie" her mother said.

She knelt down and cupped her small face within her hand.

"Every girl deserves to be a princess. When you get older, I'm sure you'll be more dazzling than those princesses on TV"

Rachel beamed with happiness. She vowed to follow on her mother's promise no matter what. When she got older, she was going to be the most dazzling skater to grace the screen and amaze thousands of little girls like her.

Chicago, Illinois, 17 years later

"Well mom, you were right. A lot of girls can grow up to become princesses; I've seen it first hand. But…I'm sorry to tell you, that's where the bad news comes. I'm not sure where I went wrong or what I did, but somehow…I didn't end up as a princess"

Rachel let out a sigh as she made her way through the busy streets of Chicago. Ever since that day where she vowed to become a figure skater she had worked tiredly to make that dream a reality. She signed up for every dance and skating class she could get her hands on, competed in local tournaments, even took a few dance classes at the Chicago Fine Arts Institution.

She put all her heart and soul into this dream but it seemed it wasn't enough. Her coach claimed that she wasn't showing enough emotion in her routines, but deep down she felt that maybe it was because she wasn't 'princess' enough.

So here she was, failing yet another tryout that would get her a spot in the local competition. She was so close to getting it yet so far from it.

"Looks like I'll have to wait until next year" she sighed

She looked towards the sky wondering what her mother would have to say about this.

"I tried mom, I really did. But I guess society seems to think otherwise"

So in prefect rejection fashion, she decided to stuff her sorrows with some well deserved junk food.

Buying a couple of hotdogs from a local street vendor, she sighed contently at her little feast.

"At least you don't care if I'm a failure or not" she muttered to her food.

She went to leave but noticed a commotion coming from a little away from where she stood. Crouched on the ground was a poor homeless woman who was trying to shield herself from a group of teenagers harassing her. They would throw stuff at her, called her names and tried messing with her stuff.

That simply made Rachel's blood boil. It was one thing to make a person feel low but it was another to beat them at their low point.

"Hey!" She yelled as she stormed over to them.

"Get the hell away from her you creeps! Leave her alone!"

The teens just shrugged her off and continued to bother the homeless woman. When she got closer she shoved the boys out of the way and stood in front of the homeless woman.

"Are you deaf? I said get the hell away from her!"

"Hey, we're not doing any harm, we're just trying to clean up the trash around here" one of the teens said.

Rachel growled as she glared murderously at them.

"This is a human being, you don't treat people this way" she snapped.

"We're just having a little harmless fun"

"Yeah it's not like we're hurting her"

"Harmless fun?" Rachel said seriously.

She searched through her duffle bag and pulled out a taser gun, pointing it a them.

"How about I take you brats and laugh as you flop around on the ground? It's just harmless fun, right?"

She fired it off a few times to prove a point. The teens freaked out and ran away before Rachel could make promise on her threat.

"Don't you ever bother anyone else on the streets again, you hear me?" She shouted.

"Little punk asses"

With the brats gone, she put her taser away and turned to the homeless woman.

"Are you alright, ma'am?"

The homeless woman nodded as she tried to gather her things.

"Y-yes, thank you"

Rachel knelt down and helped gather the rest of the woman's things.

"Kids these days, I swear they get stupider with each year" she scoffed.

She patted the woman on the shoulder and helped her up.

"Come on, let's go somewhere nicer" she ushered her away from the streets to some place nicer where there wouldn't be bratty kids.

/

Sitting at one of the park benches, Rachel produced one of the hotdogs she bought earlier and handed it to her new companion.

"Here ya go, one Chicago style hotdog, way better than the New York style"

The homeless woman accepted the food gratefully with a big smile on her face.

"Bless you, dear"

The two ate in comfortable silence, enjoying the scenery provided for them. The homeless woman took the chance to study her mini savior and noticed skates hanging from the girl's bag.

"You're a skater, dear?"

Rachel nodded as she wiped some relish from her face.

"Uh-huh, been skating since I was five"

"You do it for fun or professionally?"

Rachel gave her companion a lop sided grin.

"Goal is to be professional but so far it isn't working. Failed my tryout to be in the next competition and now I need to wait until next year"

"Oh, I'm sorry"

"Eh, nothing to be sorry about, it was my own fault for being not 'princessy' enough"

"Princessy?"

"Oh, that's what I like to call figure skaters" Rachel explained.

"They're like the super stars in the sporting world. They always look so beautiful and graceful on the ice that you wonder if they're real"

"Why would it be so important to be 'princessy'? I thought that sport was just about skating on ice and making sure you don't fall" The homeless woman replied.

Rachel just looked lost in thought as she stared at her hands.

"Because I want to be able to inspire little girls and show that they can be something as enchanting as a princess on ice" she smiled.

"There's nothing more exciting than seeing a child be amazed by something they've never seen before. If I could make an impact on someone and make their life a little better, show them just a little bit of magic, or even take their mind off the harshness of reality for a little bit, then that would be enough for me"

She gave the homeless woman a cheesy smile, feeling embarrassed for saying too much.

"That sounds pretty childish if you think about it"

The homeless woman gave her a tender smile.

"Not at all. It's comforting to know that there are still people out there who have the same mindset as you do. Most people don't think that way anymore"

Rachel blushed and looked at the ground.

"W-well I still have a ways to go before I reach my goal. Can't really make an impression when I'm not competing. How else will I be noticed?"

The homeless woman grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Don't beat yourself up, you have time" she said.

"And you don't need to be in some fancy tournament or be on television to make an impact on people. You easily did it just now when you helped me out"

She reached into her coat pocket and pulled something out.

"I want you to take this. It's helped me get through the rough times and I have a feeling it'll help you out"

Rachel looked at the item that was given to her and saw a small intricate gold band with small rubies going around it.

Shocked and alarmed, Rachel tried to give it back.

"Oh, I possibly couldn't take this. You need it more than I do"

The homeless woman shook her head and pushed the ring back.

"I'll just have it stolen if I keep it, besides it's served its purpose for me" she said.

"You keep it on you at all times, if you do I just know good things will come your way"

Rachel looked hesitant but slowly accepted the ring.

"Thank you"

She looked up and noticed the street lamps coming on.

"It's getting late"

She pulled out her wallet and took some money out to hand to her new companion.

"You get yourself a place to stay for the night. I don't want you sleeping out on the streets when it's dark out"

The homeless woman gratefully accepted the money.

"You really are one of a kind, kid. I'm praying for good things to come your way"

Rachel smiled at her and gave her a pat before walking away.

"Hey kid"

Rachel turned around and saw the homeless woman give her a meaningful look.

"Just remember to keep being yourself. You do that and you're gonna be just fine"

Rachel gave a small smile in thanks and continued walking away.

The homeless woman sat on the bench for a while just enjoying the peace and quiet.

Then all of a sudden a small critter poked its head out from underneath the bench and slowly crawled out. It was an odd looking animal of sorts. It had the body of a fox except it's fur was that of a light green color and its ears were rather large. And what made it stand out was the red jeweled horn coming out of its forehead.

The homeless woman smiled when she saw the strange critter.

"Buncy! I was wondering when you were going to show up"

Carbuncle jumped onto her lap with a scornful look upon its face.

"This place is like a zoo. I couldn't get anywhere without people staring at me" he spat.

The woman chuckled as she stroked his fur.

"Well, you are super adorable so how could they not look?"

Carbuncle just huffed and looked at where Rachel left.

"Do you think this is a good idea? She seems like an unlikely choice"

"Oh trust me, it'll be perfect" the homeless woman said.

Her eyes suddenly turned to gold as Crimson hair poked from her cap.

"She'll do just fine"

/

Rachel stared at the rind the homeless woman had given to her. She found it rather odd that someone who lived on the streets would carry something so valuable.

'Maybe it belonged to a family member and she didn't want to sell it?" She thought.

But then why give it to a stranger? She was thinking of giving it back but something in her head told her to hold onto it.

She studied it some more taking it over how intricate and beautiful the design way. She had never seen anything like it before.

Against her better judgement she went to slip the ring on her finger.

"It would just get lost if I kept it in my pocket or something"

The moment the band slid onto her finger, something strange happened. One moment she was standing in the middle of the park and then in a flash of light she was gone.

/

Insomnia M.E. 755

Noctis was called many things in his life. Prince, son, friend, sworn enemy of mornings, King of fishing, picky eater, lazy, quiet, future king of Lucis- the names went on. As such with many titles came many responsibilities.

As the future King of Lucis it was up to him to protect his kingdom and the crystal from enemy hands.

For as long as he could remember, his father had dealt with an ongoing battle with Niflheim. The menacing empire had try to take over the kingdom, taking neighboring regions as prisoners, including the home of his childhood friend, Lunafreya. His father tried to keep quiet about everything, saying there was nothing to worry about, but he knew better. This war was taking a tole on the King's health, aging him to the point that he looked older than he really was. He didn't know how this war was gonna end but he hoped that it wouldn't end with his father's death.

Ignis drove him back to his apartment, his mind kept gravitating over the thought that his fate was to take over for his father.

Ignis saw him sulking from the rear view mirror as he drove.

"You're awfully quieter than usual"

Noctis just sighed as he stared out the window.

"Just got a lot on my mind" was all he could say.

Ignis just continued to drive, never taking his eyes off the road.

"That last meeting with the councilors was rather grim, but with events as of late I would be surprised if they had anything cheerful to talk about" he said.

"Just makes you realize that being king isn't as grand as everyone thinks" Noctis said.

"Important titles come with important responsibilities" Ignis reminded.

Noctis just closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on.

"Let's just hope this war ends before I'm placed on the throne. I don't feel like going grey before I'm thirty" he tried to joke.

"Let's just hope whatever move the king does next will not be drastic" Ignis said.

"I don't think the kingdom can handle any more casualties"

"Casualties, right" Noctis sighed.

"Can't have any more drama added on our plate"

No sooner had he thought that, the strangest thing happened. All of a sudden a girl appeared-as in literally appeared on the road that they were driving on.

The girl looked confused for a moment then terrified as she saw the car approaching fast.

"Ignis!"

The advisor quickly slammed on the brakes but it didn't help as the car slammed into her, causing her to fall to the ground.

Noctis and Ignis sat frozen as they saw the scene unfold before them.

Noctis was called many things and it seemed associated with murder was just added to the list.

/

A/N: I feel kinda bad making Ingis be the one who nearly ran over Rachel with the car, but I thought it would be funny seeing everything in order Ingis do something like that. Sorry if this intro was a bit random but then again so was the beginning of the game lol. Things will start to fall into place as the story goes on I promise you.

So what do you think of this chapter? What's so special about that ring? Why was Carbuncle in Chicago? Who is the homeless woman? Why will Rachel be perfect for her plans?

Please review and tell me what you think! Also would love feedback would like to hear what you would like to see in the story!

Take care!