Isolated || Promptis

Chapter Three

And this is how it looks when I am standing on the edge
And this is how I break apart when I finally hit the ground
And this is how it hurts when I pretend I don't feel any pain
And this is how I disappear when I throw myself away

          - Breathe Into Me, Red.

As the weather was getting warmer and the leaves started growing back on the trees, my mood got even worse than usual. The fact that I wasn't allowed to go any farther than the royal garden was frustrating me even more now that the weather was getting better. Normal people of my age would go outside to be with friends or something like that, but I was locked behind the huge gates that surrounded the Citadel, kept away from any kind of freedom.

I double-checked myself in the mirror before leaving my room, planning to go to the Royal Garden for a walk. I didn't bother calling Ignis to escort me there; my father would have to deal with me walking around on my own more often.

The Royal Garden was the only outside area I had access to, so it would have to do. I told myself I was simply taking a break from my enormous pile of schoolwork I had for economics, but in reality, I was procrastinating as usual, delaying all my work until the last second and probably forgetting to do about half of it.

"Your Highness." A voice came from behind me just when I had closed the door to my bedroom, making me turn around. A woman with short, brown hair quickly made her way towards me and bowed, giving me a kind smile. She was holding a recording device in her hand. "Would you mind answering some questions from the citizens of Insomnia?"

I frowned and scanned the girl once, not liking this at all. She was no doubt a reporter. How the hell did she get this far in the Citadel? Shouldn't a guard have stopped her to check her identity? I swear, reporters had a way to get everywhere.

"Prince Noctis?" The reporter interrupted my thoughts, still smiling. It was an obviously fake smile, though, and I knew she really didn't want to be here right now. I would have to be careful with the way I spoke to her, though, or she'd write badly about me in the newspaper. Father would be furious.

"My apologies, I have a very busy schedule," I said politely, giving her a nod. I tried to walk passed her with the idea of leaving. Emphasis on 'idea'.

"But your Highness." The girl put her hand on my arm to stop me, and one look at my angry expression made her realize that wasn't the smartest idea so she quickly let go. "The citizens are worried about the war. They want to know if it's ending soon."

"There is nothing I can say yet. Please tell the citizens to remain hopeful, and to believe in my father," I told her, giving her another nod before quickly striding away from her. From her footsteps, I could hear she was following me and soon enough, she appeared next to me again, walking by my side. Perhaps it'd been a bad idea not to call Ignis.

"But how do you expect us to remain hopeful when we haven't received any good news in so long?" she asked, aiming the recorder at my face.

I sighed and shook my head, quickly checking if anyone was around. Luckily, I spotted a patrolling guard, and I signalled for him to approach me. He hurried towards me and gave me a quick bow.

"Could you please escort this lady towards the exit?" I asked, to which the guard nodded.

As the guard gave me another bow and put his hand on the reporter's back, the woman stepped away from him. "Your Highness, you can't just leave us in the dark!"

"Just believe in my father. He will be the one to end this war, and to bring back the peace," I said. I once again gestured to the guard and he started escorting the reporter away from me, the woman willingly walking along this time around.