Noctis had not come expecting anything. A routine errand, a stop along the road but then his eyes caught on you and everything inside him jolted to a halt.

He moved before he could think. His hand closed around your arm, firm but shaking and he pulled you out of the stable into the shade behind the barn. His hood slipped back, dark hair catching the light as he stared at you, disbelief sharp in his eyes.

"Where have you been?" The words tore out, rough, as if dragged from the pit of his chest. His grip tightened, his voice rising. "Do you have any idea what it was like, not knowing? Do you know what went through my head every single day?"

He looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes, his expression caught between anger and relief. His voice dropped, lower now but no less raw. "You just disappeared. No warning, no reason. Everyone thought the worst. I thought the worst."

His hand slipped from your arm, though he did not step back. "And now… I find you here. At a farm. Like none of it mattered."

The words cracked, his throat tightening as he forced them out. "Why?"