Eyes of the Beholder [Noctis Lucis Caelum Short Story]

Chapter I

Noctis couldn't help but roll his eyes at his skirt-chasing friend. "I've got better things to do then keep you company as you oogle at girls. So if you excuse me."

The Prince quickly proceeded to leave, but unfortunately Prompto immediately pulled him back.

"Like moping around by yourself is gonna do you any good." Prompto snorted. "Go on Noct. Don't be a party pooper."

"It's cool Prompto, I'm fine." Noctis protested.

Prompto threw his arms in the air, almost knocking Noctis in face. "C'mon man, you're a Prince! Chicks dig that!" He urged, poking Noctis in his chest "You know what girls would do, to get just a wave from you?"

Noctis sighed. "Fine." He blew the top of his bangs in frustration. Bringing his hand up, he gave the young females a friendly wave, adding a small smile as a bonus. As expected they all giggled.

"What's going on here? Since when did Noctis turn into Prince Charming?"

Noctis and Prompto both turned at the sound of the deep voice. Walking over to join them was Gladiolus.

"Ey Gladiolus!" Prompto waved. "How nice of you to join us! I like your mask."

"Gah, it's way too small for my face." He took the mask off to reveal the scar running down the left side of his face. "What are you two doing anyway?" Gladiolus asked.

Prompto butted in before Noctis got a chance to reply. "I've been teaching Prince Charming here some tips on how to pick up chicks." He said, buffing his chest up proudly.

Gladiolus threw his head back and let out a loud laugh."Ha! Like you can pick up girls yourself."

Prompto ripped off his mask from his face and planted his hands firmly on his hips. "The ladies love me!" He spat back, shooting a sharp glare towards their scarred friend.

Gladiolus continued to laugh. "In your dreams buddy."

A sour scowl fell upon the blondes face. "I don't see any girls chatting you up." He barked back. "You'll probably scare them away with that ugly scar on your face!"

"Oi!" Gladiolus countered and pulled Prompto into a headlock.

Noctis laughed lightly at the bickering of his two friends. He was somewhat glad that his friends were around. They were always able to make these gatherings bearable for him.

"Enjoying yourself so far?" Gladiolus asked Noctis, ignoring the muffled yells coming from the struggling blonde.

Noctis shrugged. "Eh, it's whatever. Not the first time attending such events."

"It's not just any event Noct. It's your birthday."

"Well there's always next year." Noctis replied.

Gladiolus chuckled. "Prompto does have a point though. You should socialize. Who knows? Maybe you'll get lucky."

Noctis snorted and threw a playful punch at Gladiolus. "Not you too Gladiolus."

"Hey, I'm just throwing it out there." Gladiolus said, raising his free arm in defense.

"Oh my god!" Prompto suddenly gasped out cutting Noctis and Gladiolus'. conversation. "I thought I was going to die." He coughed out for air after he managed to free himself from Gladiolus' hold. "I--" he coughed again "I couldn't breath."

"Oh don't be such a whimp!" teased Gladiolus.

"Whimp?!" Prompto scoffed and immediately regained his composure. "Bah!"

Would you like another go?" Gladiolus grinned. "Let's see how long you can last this time." He reached out to grab Prompto for another headlock.

Prompto quickly dodged away before he got a chance to grab him again."I'll get a raincheck on that one" he chuckled nervously as he slowly started to back away from the scarred male.

Noctis shook his head and laughed lightly whilst he watched in amusement.

Then, something from the corner of his eye grabbed the young Prince's attention. Slowly he averted his attention away from his two friends and into the center of the room where majority of the guests were located. As if there was a magnetic attraction, his eyes fell upon a young woman standing amongst the crowd.

Like many of the other young women, she too was wearing a beautiful gown and a exquisitely detailed mask to hide her face. However, there was something about her that deeply intrigued the Prince.

Suddenly, she turned her head and her eyes instantly locked with his. Noctis' breath hitched. He felt as though he was being hypnotized under her alluring gaze.

"Hey Noct!"

Immediately, Noctis was taken away from his trance when a firm whack was planted onto his head, causing him to wince at the sudden impact. He twirled around and glared at the culprit. "What was that for?" He grunted, rubbing the sore spot on his head.

"Dude, I called out to you like ten times!" Prompto bellowed, ignoring the sharp glares he was receiving from the guests.

"Sorry, I didn't notice." Noctis apologised. He then turned back to face the center once again. However, unfortunately to his dismay, the mysterious fair beauty was no longer there.

Prompto raised his brow quizically. "What are you looking at anyway?" He asked peering over Noctis' shoulder.

Noctis quickly shook his head at Prompto. "It's all cool,' he reassured. "I was just seeing things."

Prompto continued to stare in bewilderment at his friend. "Anyway, Gladiolus and I are gonna go get a drink. Do you wanna come along?"

"No thanks.You guys enjoy yourselves." He said, giving them a light pat on a the back. "I'm gonna go walk around for a bit."

"Uh, sure, see you in a bit." Gladiolus replied.

"And don't forget about the ladies!" Prompto yelled out as Noctis walked away.

The Prince didn't know what it was about her that captivated him. The moment their eyes met, Noctis felt an electric shock run straight through his body, paralyzing his movements and forcing his line of sight to be locked with hers. When she disappeared from his vision, Noctis had the sudden need to look for her again. To many others, she may look like an ordinary woman. But to the Prince, she was so much more.

Noctis made no attempt to exchange any words as he maneuvered his way through the guests. Some would greet him and try to start up a conversation, though he would only give a quick response before apologising polity and escape from the scene. The last thing he'd want to do was to get caught up in a conversation and waste all his time listening to nonsense he does not care about. Finding that girl was the only thing occupying his thoughts. Noctis whipped his head frantically from side to side and peeked over numerous shoulders, in hopes to catch at least a small glimpse of her in the mass of people. But to no avail, she was no where to be seen.

"Looking for me?"