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Most twelve year olds don't have a shit list. Even fewer have an Astral on their shit list. Less still have most of the Hexatheon on their shit list, though Noctis would admit that most of them were significantly lower on the list than Bahamut.
Noctis Lucis Caelum was no ordinary twelve year old, though. Not anymore. Not since he woke up, one pleasant and aggressively sunny summer morning, in the body of his twelve year old self. Or maybe he woke up with the memories of his thirty something year old self - the one who had died in the remains of the very building he awoken, pierced by the weapons of those who'd come before him. Sacrificed to bring back the dawn, all apart of the Crystal's - Bahamut's - prophecy.
He wasn't really sure which idea sat with him the most easily - whether either was even better or worse. To be twelve and have his life upended by memories and phantom feelings of a future that has yet to be and may never will be? Or to be thirty and be forced to hijack the life of a child who had yet suffer so terribly, to have that child's life taken over by a version of himself who had died? The more Noctis thought about it, the deeper the pit in his stomach felt, the worse it twisted and churned like the seas when Leviathan awoken. After a few days of trying to make heads or tails of waking up the way he had (of waking up at all), he'd settled for shoving those feelings aside and refusing to examine it all further. It was the past. Or the future that might not be. Thinking about it too much just made things too hard to understand.
Those first few days, though, worried everyone. Though Noctis himself didn't feel like he was behaving too strangely, to everyone else, it had seemed like he was suddenly quite different. Quieter, more reserved. His gaze lingered in a way that children's seldom did, thoughts clearly more careful. He looked at everyone like he hadn't seen them in years - looked at his father with a pain he just couldn't hide. Gladio and Ignis, at least, he'd seen not too long ago in his memories - different, of course. This Ignis could see, still, and this Gladio had yet to feel the weight of his burden as the Shield of the Chosen King. If Noctis had anything to say about it - which after all the shit he's gone through or maybe remembers going through but hasn't quite, he will - they never would go through any of that. The Astrals would have little choice in the matter.
No one could get an answer as to why he had suddenly began to act differently and Noctis wasn't interesting in giving them one. Even if they did believe what had happened, he didn't want to burden them any further with knowledge of the future. It was bad enough that his father had watched Noctis grow, knowing that one day his son would simply die for the world. Noctis had never been a father, but he couldn't imagine that was easy on him. So he wouldn't do a thing to add to their burdens, let Ignis and Gladio worry about things that, in his memories at least, would never really matter. Let his father believe, at least for now, that the only tragedy in Noctis' life would be losing his father and then dying for the prophecy. Let them all think that Noctis bore no weight beyond that of being twelve and the prince. Perhaps the memories of the attack that injured him a few years ago and the attack on Tenebrae, but nothing more.
Even once he'd gotten himself more in sorts, though, it was clear he wasn't behaving how they expected he would. Likely too different from before waking up again. But Noctis didn't know how the remedy that. He couldn't remember how to be twelve anymore. Instead, he just went about and tried to be happy that he could at least live. Even with the dread of what might come to pass still floating over his head, unbeknownst to anyone else.
All the while, he'd make his plans. Carefully constructed plans to change things, to figure out how to outdo the prophecy. That was the tricky part, really. To change things to be better, yet still result in the cleansing of the Starscourge. He very quickly determined that to do that, he was going to have to find Ardyn. Who was certainly in Niflheim. That would be another part of The Plan he'd have to figure out - besides, while he could feel some familiar power ripple within him, the blessings of the Astrals he had gathered before, he'd didn't have the power he had when he'd killed Ardyn before. That was another conundrum to figure out, things he was finding more and more of as he fleshed out The Plan.
It was a couple months after Noctis' thirteenth birthday (second of it's kind, yet still a breath of fresh air, as the last time he'd celebrated his birthday was when Insomnia still stood), that Noctis put The Plan into motion. The biggest issue was transport, but as young as he was, his face wasn't plastered all over like it would be when he was older, so he could manage with public transport, foot, and hitchhiking if it came to it. Once he was out of Insomnia, he could probably find a Chocobo outpost, too. He'd spent months gathering supplies, as well. Sneaking away camp supplies into his Armiger, along with food and water. He'd be able to hunt, once he was on his way, but it was better to be prepared. He sneaked a few weapons into his Armiger as well - nothing special, but they would do against whatever he might encounter along his travels - or whoever. There was always the chance he'd be recognized as the prince.
Once he'd gathered all his supplies and sneaked himself some money to help along the way, especially for getting out of Insomnia, all that was left was to wait until the night and sneak out. He'd made sure he knew the patrol routes to ensure that no one caught him as he sneaked through the halls, lighter on his feet than a normal now thirteen year old should be. He felt a bit bad, knowing he'd be leaving with little explanation - everyone would probably think he was kidnapped, but if they knew what he was doing, they'd do everything they could to stop him.
Noctis would take the prophecy into his own hands, one way or another. The worst that could happen was that he died again.
Noctis' planned route took him to multiple tombs, those of his ancestors he had once gone to before. Having those weapons would be useful, for The Plan, even if it meant foregoing a more direct route. Besides, it would help ensure that no one found him, unless they caught on to the fact he was hitting up the tombs of his ancestors. His end destination was, of course, Ardyn. Which meant he technically couldn't be sure where he'd find the man, but he suspected Gralea was as good of a location as any. With the time it would take to make it there, what was a possible few months of waiting around?
Besides, there were other pit stops on Noctis' route. He'd considered making stops where the Astrals rested, but with the feeling of their blessings still running under his skin, he knew that would be unnecessary. None of the ones who had granted them their aid before were the ones that were particularly high on his shit list.
Again, Bahamut was the top Astral on that list.
"Well, well, look who's come to pay me a visit." Ardyn was as cocky sounding as ever, the smugness evident in his tone even though he didn't have anything in particular to be smug about right now. Noctis wasn't sure if smug was his default inflection or if he just always sounded smug but wasn't actually. It didn't matter much, not necessarily, but Noctis couldn't help the wandering of his thoughts.
Ardyn probably wasn't always like this, not that Noctis could fathom what Ardyn really would have been like, long ago. Perhaps it was only Ardyn himself, and maybe the Astrals, who knew the sort of personality the Accursed had before he was, well, cursed. Or at least, before the curse took hold. Now, of course, the only personality that Ardyn had was one that sought revenge and would do terribly awful things to get it. Noctis could - wouldn't - overlook that, nor would he forget the things that Ardyn had done before Noctis awoke. Luna's death, tricking Noctis into pushing Prompto off the train, or the fall of Insomnia were all things that, at least in Noctis' memories, happened. And they were just the tip of the iceberg, especially as there was almost certainly more Noctis didn't know. Things that Ardyn had likely already done, even now.
In some ways, Noctis thinks he might pity Ardyn. Feel bad for him, at least. He was a pawn in the prophecy as much as Noctis was, and Noctis was sure that, just as he hadn't known the details, Ardyn hadn't either. So perhaps he hoped to be able to find a resolution that didn't prolong Ardyn's suffering, at least. He wasn't sure if there was an option that could give Ardyn another chance, nor was he sure that Ardyn deserved it… but Noctis hoped there was and that Ardyn did. A happy ending for all.
Regardless, Noctis would likely need Ardyn's help to derail the prophecy.
"Not listening, are we?" Ardyn had probably been saying other things before that, he certainly did like to talk, but Noctis hadn't been paying all that much attention. Maybe it was stupid to get so distracted while standing right across from a man who was so dangerous, especially without anyone else to cover Noctis if a fight were to break out, but Noctis just hasn't been able to help himself. Too much was on his mind, nowadays.
In lieu of an answer, Noctis just asked, "Wanna tell Bahamut to go fuck himself?"
The look of surprise on Ardyn's face was a foreign expression. "What," Ardyn asked, face scrunched up in obvious confusion.
"Well, his prophecy is dumb." Noctis elaborated, "So I was figuring we could probably work around it. Somehow. I mean, I'm sure we couldn't come up with anything worse than dying. And he's at the top of my shit list."
"I'm surprised you'd suggest such a thing," Ardyn's voice returned to the light, teasing lilt it often had. It was just as aggravating as before, but Noctis was willing to ignore it for the sake of The Plan. "Did you run away all the way here just to see me?"
Noctis knew well that news of his disappearance had spread well outside of Lucis. It was assumed that he had been kidnapped, and once word got out, he was a lot more careful about the possiblity of being recognized. On that road trip, a lifetime and a decade ago, they were not subtle at all, even though they though they were. Now that Noctis needed to avoid both his allies and his enemies, he'd been properly careful. But Ardyn knew who he was and he knew just as well as Noctis what everyone thought had happened to him. Soon enough, people would assume him dead, which is why Noctis was trying to keep The Plan on a tight schedule.
Sighing, Noctis cut to the chase once more, ignoring Ardyn's attempts to prolong the conversation, "Do you want to fuck with Bahamut or not?"
"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? Oh, pardon me, I forgot…" The cheeky look Ardyn gave Noctis told him that Ardyn had not forgotten that Noctis' mother was dead at all. Bastard.
Deciding that Ardyn wasn't taking this seriously, Noctis turned, "Fine, I'll handle it on my own. Just figured since he screwed us both over, you'd want to join." He paused, casting a glance back at Ardyn, "I mean, he's made you wait around this whole time and he'll deny you your throne again. So it's not like you don't have reasons to want to get back at him. The prophecy ends with both of us dead, whether we like it or not."
He watched Ardyn, for a moment, then turned back to look at the door. He had every intention of leaving, as it seemed Ardyn was in fact not interested in helping him. Which would definitely make the last bit of The Plan more difficult, but maybe he could find Luna and convince her to help him in some way. Surely with the help of the Oracle, it might be possible to overturn the prophecy. Really, that might have been a good amendment to The Plan regardless.
As he opened the door, he heard Ardyn say, "I suppose you have something in mind?"
Shutting the door again, Noctis turned back to Ardyn, grinning.
"Noctis?" Luna gasped, Pyra and Umbra leaping to their feet, standing between her and - well, not so much Noctis as it were Ardyn.
"Hi, Luna," Noctis waved, the whole puberty thing of currently being thirteen making him feel terribly awkward. She was his fiancee, with him until the end, despite his death. Even though he didn't think he loved her, not like it sounded like his dad loved his mom, he did love her all the same. Realizing she'd died had been awful. Seeing her alive, here and now, was delightful. She looked as radiant as when she'd spoken at Altissa, or even when she'd been injured by the Hydrean, aiding him in her trials. "You, um, look nice."
Behind him, Ardyn stepped to the side, eyeing Pyra and Umbra with something that was less caution and amusement.
Luna's gaze dashed between Noctis and Ardyn, "What are you… and how…?" Her gaze landed on Ardyn, "And why is he here?"
He supposed that lacking the context about Ardyn that Noctis had, his presence here would be pretty strange. That, and she didn't know about Noctis' own plans. Yet.
"The Prince of Light here," Ardyn began, gesturing at Noctis, "Wants to… take Bahamut down a peg, as it were."
That wasn't exactly how Noctis would phrase it, but he also was pretty sure Luna wouldn't appreciate how Noctis would put it, either. He crossed his arms, "The prophecy ends up with all of us dead! I don't see why we can't just tell Bahamut to shove it."
At the very least, Luna shouldn't be surprised to learn her fate - she had always seemed aware of it. Then again, maybe she'd only learned it later, it was hard to say. The only real surprise should be that Ardyn was in any way connected, as no one had suspected him to be the Accursed. Just incredibly suspicious and incredibly dangerous.
Noctis would admit that there was a part of him that didn't want to let Ardyn anywhere near Luna. But Luna wasn't a weakling herself, and right now, The Plan would probably work best with all three of them. If Ardyn tried to hurt her, he'd make Ardyn pay. If it came to that.
Eyes once again darting between Noctis and Ardyn, with the added target of Pyra and Umbra, now, Luna persed her lips. "This could end… very badly."
"Or it could free us from the prophecy."
She was clearly considering it all, elegant and poised as always. Noctis always admired Luna's grace and the seeming ease that it came to her. He didn't have the motivation to even try to be like that, though maybe he might have to learn if he actually lived long enough to be king and be king of anything that wasn't fighting to survive. At least with Ardyn's help, Noctis was pretty sure they could pull it off even if Luna declined to help. Well, as long as she didn't do anything that might hinder their efforts.
Like tip his father or anyone else off about where he was, right now. Or where he was almost certainly headed, with his stated goal.
Luna took a deep breath, "Explain to me how you intend to… do this."
Noctis had been missing for a few months shy of a year, what should be his fourteenth birthday just hours away. By now, it seemed too likely that Noctis was dead - if he had been taken by Niflheim, the odds were that death was the kinder option. That didn't make his absence any easier.
Everyone seemed to blame both each other and themselves. Why hadn't any of the gaurds realized something was up? Why had Noctis' disappearance only become known when Ignis had gone to wake him up? Perhaps something had been missed, yet there was no indication as to who took him. Or that he had even been taken at all.
But Noctis wouldn't run away, why would he?
Gladio had spent the time between now and then training. Beating himself up the only way he knew how, in an effort to become stronger. So that if Noctis did come back, he could protect him. It was plain to see that Gladio put at least some blame on himself, if not all of it. For not protecting his king, even if Noctis was still only the prince. Not that it seemed like there was much Gladio could have done.
King Regis was devastated, of course, by the disappearance of his only son. There was still lingering concern from the days that Noctis had suddenly fell silent, shutting himself away from everyone else. Concern for how he'd changed since then, the sudden skill in his spars with Gladio, the ways that he seemed to suddenly know his schoolwork better than ever before. The way he was quieter, yet when he did speak, it was like he had to stop himself from sounding more like his father. It had all been weighing on the king, on top of his usual concerns, and the disappearance had only made things worse. He pushed forward, of course, but some days, it was like he was barely awake.
Ignis, having seen the evidence, or lack thereof, struggled to convince himself that it was a kidnapping. He knew, in theory, that despite nothing pointing towards it, it was the most likely reason. Princes didn't exactly run away that often, and certainly not so successfully. He'd have to make it past all the security in the Citadel. Then again, so would any kidnappers. So Ignis tried all he could to not entertain the idea that Noctis had run away more than he had to. Because if he thought too much of it, then he'd start nitpicking everything he could have done better. Ways he could have tried to convince Noctis to stay.
Maybe, it had all begun to weigh on Noctis. Not just being the crown prince, but the weight of the prophecy, too. Knowing that, one day, he'd be expected to bring light to the world. That was a lot for someone to worry about, especially someone like Noctis, seemed to hate to have the burden of his birth alone, let alone the prophecy. So maybe Noctis had finally had enough and decided he could skirt around his future by simply leaving it all behind. Becoming someone new, somewhere else. Somewhere that he might not be recognized.
Regardless of if he never comes home or is dead, Ignis made Noctis a birthday cake. He made it the night before, because he knew that Noctis would not come home for his birthday and fully intended to simply stare at the cake until the minutes ticked by and the hour reached midnight. Then he'd put it away and perhaps see if he could convince others to eat it with him, a hollow celebration of their beloved prince.
At 11:55 PM, a burst of magic so powerful it knocked Ignis over resounded through the Citadel. Later, Ignis would learn it could be felt throughout not just all of Lucis, but the world. Right now, he fears an attack.
It's easy enough to trace the source - the room the Crystal was kept in, the guards knocked out. King Regis and Gladio's father, Clarus, the King's Shield, lead the charge with the Marshal not far behind. There are other guards with them, and at the very back, Ignis trailed, joined by Gladio. If this were an attack, they'd be… not of no use, but likely to be told to run. Yet something drew them there - it drew Ignis, at least, and he was sure Gladio had felt it too.
As the doors to the Crystal swing open, Ignis hears King Regis gasp, "Noctis?" His voice was quiet, almost reverent, yet filled with disbelief. "And… Lady Lunafreya?"
Then, Clarus added, "The Niflheim Chancellor?"
Ignis wished nothing more than to be closer, to be able to see better as to what was going on. What would Noctis, Lady Lunafreya, and Chancellor Izunia be doing here, together? At the Crystal? Was this some kind of Niflheim plot?
Then, the voice of Noctis rang out, with just a few subtle cracks to remind them all that he was facing puberty still. "We told Bahamut to take his prophecy and shove it up his-"
"Noctis!" The voice of who must surely be Lady Lunafreya hissed. "Such words are ill fitting of a prince."
A third voice added, "Now, now, children, we should all take a moment to bask in our accomplishment." Ignis could only assume this voice belonged to Chancellor Izunia. "We now live in a world free of prophecy and daemons. And," He added with emphasis, "I no longer respond to the title of Chancellor."
Noctis snorted, "I didn't see you send a resignation letter,"
"I think they'll get the message," Izunia replied, flippantly.
"What is going on?" King Regis asked, relief and confusion now simply confusion and exhaustion. Ignis checked his watch, despite his wrist shaking. 12:02 AM. It was Noctis' birthday, now.
It's Lady Lunafreya who speaks, this time, actually attempting to explain something clearly. "It is as… as Mr. Izunia said. The prophecy would have killed Noctis, the Accursed, and myself, so we… took it into our own hands. That magic was the world being cured of the Starscourge." She sounded tired.
Ignis couldn't help but get caught up on that first part, though. That Noctis were to die in the course of the prophecy.
Clarus seemed to gesture, likely towards Izunia, "Then why is he here?"
Izunia laughed, "Why, my dearest nephew here requested my assistance, and who am I to tell him no? Especially when it would be something as delightful and foiling the Draconian's plans?"
"…Nephew?" King Regis repeated.
There's a beat, then Noctis said, "Oh, yeah. Ardyn was the Accursed, Adagium, y'know. All that. And since he was Somnus Lucis Caelum's older brother, that would make him like. Our many great uncle."
"What," King Regis breathed.
Noctis continued like his father hadn't said a thing, "Hey, we haven't had dinner, could we get something to eat?"
A rather loud rumble of a stomach reverberated. "Ah, yes, though perhaps something light. I'm afraid I haven't needed to eat in two thousand years." Izunia commented, so casually, as if there were nothing odd about what he'd just said.
"What," King Regis repeated.
Having been patient enough - and surely he could be forgiven if he were perhaps a little impatient today - Ignis called out, "Prince Noctis! Do not forget, it is your birthday tomor- well, today."
Judging by his tone of voice when he responded, Noctis must have perked up a bit, "Specs?" He replied, then added, "Wait, birthday?"
With half an amused tone and half an annoyed one, all of which was perfectly understandable in this situation, Gladio added, "Yeah, you're fourteen now!"
"What?" Noctis squawked, sounding just a little like his father, "Already?"
"It seems you have lost track of time," Lady Lunafreya said, tone soft and fond.
It sounded like Noctis was a bit embarrassed when he responded, "I've been… busy!"
Amused, Izunia added, "Why yes, he was hard at work collecting the weapons of his ancestors before he'd even come to find me. Although I suppose they were all along the way… After that, the plan moved rather quickly, as you've seen."
Clarus let out a long suffering sigh. There would be time for more in depth explanations and stories, at another time, Ignis was sure. After the three had eaten and perhaps after they'd all gotten some sleep. Maybe they could even celebrate Noctis' birthday, first, although Ignis would admit some unease about Izunia's presence, even if he denounced his role as Chancellor and both Noctis and Lady Lunafreya seemed at ease with him. Still, he'd hate for Noctis' fourteenth birthday - or any of them - to be mired by questions.
Perhaps next time Noctis chose to take off unannounced, he'd at least take Ignis and Gladio with him.