What the boy did that day shook the kingdom to its core. Never before that day had the knights been one sidedly killed like livestock. They were ashamed that a 13 year old child bested over 50 trained knights. As a result the training became much more rigorous over the past 4 years. They had to work twice as much and were punished twice as severely if something went wrong otherwise.
The people had more hope. The knights that oppressed them and the nobles who used them finally had something to fear. The Red Equinox became a symbol of the grim reaper for those with power and a saving grace for those without it.
After the loss of many knights, a new captain was appointed to the castle, and with him, he brought a new attendant for the princess. The attendant had silver hair, and was without a doubt one of the most beautiful women Lux had ever seen. “This is your new maid, Almitas.”
She was a woman in her mid 30s who looked like she had lost her spirit. The color from her green eyes was faded as if she was ready to die. The attendant would do the cooking and cleaning for Lux, who lived in an isolated part of the castle. Unknown to Lux it was to shelter her from the vile things that were going on in her home.
The princess had been training herself as well. She was probably the only one who was truly haunted by the events of that day. Everyone only knew of what others told them, while she was the sole survivor. Now that she was 17, she was of average height for a woman and she had a gentle demeanor that charmed those around her. Her long midnight black hair was unbound as it reached her waist. Her crimson eyes were covered in a layer of worry. She seemed detached from reality, only living to get stronger. Strong enough to protect her country from something beyond anyone’s imagination.
She inherited the magic of Salus, the griffin, and could likewise cover her whole body in armor and spread wings. Her armor, however, was white and gold, and emitted a feeling of holiness. Over the 4 years she became more determined and stronger than her 3 good for nothing brothers who only lived to please themselves. She was only second to the king in terms of strength overall. She realized she couldn’t quite yet fathom how strong her father was, she didn’t even know what kind of contract he had.
Nevertheless for some reason she knew that the boy was getting stronger and stronger. The expression on his face just before she passed out that day was engraved in her mind. The sorrow that was in his violet eyes. Even though she knew that he was evil and supposed to be the bane of the kingdom, she couldn’t help but feel sad for him. The distinct silver hair and the blue eyes are what she remembered to be the gentle boy who looked a bit childish. The monster with violet eyes is what terrified her.
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Over the years the attendant slowly became more friendly with Lux. Almitas stayed in the isolated portion of the castle with her. She was like a mother figure to Lux, since her mother died after giving birth. After 3 or so years Lux asked her if she had any family. To which she responded, “I don’t know anymore.”
The silver hair never left her thought as she mindlessly asked, “Is Noctis your son?” The answer didn’t come with words. The tears that ran down her cheek were enough to satisfy her curiosity. Lux simply responded by hugging Almitas. She burrowed her head into the shoulder of the princess and began to cry uncontrollably. After 15 or so minutes she began to calm down and then told Lux stories about the little boy that meant the world to her.
“You would never believe that the boy who made the kingdom feel this much fear was once a little boy who was shy and would cry if I left him alone for more than 10 minutes at a time. Noctis was a kind child who loved to help me around our small house. His father would work doing manual labor somewhere in the city from dawn to dusk 6 days a week. We would always take Noctis out on Victus’ day off. He was amazed by the smallest things, even if it was only a ball made of rags, he would happily receive it and would smile. That smile kept me and my husband going every week.”
“Around Noctis’ eighth birthday, a noble saw me and liked me for my unique appearance. He arranged for my husband’s death and then collected me and sent my only remaining family to be a slave. I was treated as a concubine for 5 years, until news got out that Noctis, my son, was the monster who contracted an ancient monster. The noble didn’t dare kill me in fear or Noctis’ retribution and at the same time didn’t want me anywhere near him. He sent me away to the castle where I started to take care of you. After these years I would even consider you to be my own daughter. Please, if you ever encounter Noctis again, remember that he’s my only son in the world.”
After a long silence, Lux asked in a voice filled with emotion, “Can I call you mother?” Growing up without a mother figure in her life was hard. It was something that all the other maids and attendants couldn’t do for her. Almitas was different though. After the initial month or so of being miserable because she was forced to do something for the country that she despised, she began to warm up to Lux. They talked more and more but Lux never talked about the Red Equinox and never asked about her past, that was until today.
Almitas responded by taking the unsteady princess and gently embracing her, with Lux’s head against her chest. “Of course.” With those words the princess who had done nothing but train for the past 3 years, without displaying her sadness or worries broke down into a fit of tears.
A year later, she set off on a journey of her own with permission from the king. She was going to subjugate bandits that were loose all over the country. Along with any other creature she deemed dangerous to the country. It was a test to prove her strength to her father.