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Chapter Text

“Noctis! Run!”

Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum looked up from his phone as his father yelled at him. He was sitting in the royal conference room along with delegates from the Niflheim Empire and Lucis. The cease-fire talks had been under way for hours and Noctis had tuned it all out in favour for playing his favourite game on his phone. Turns out, he should have been paying attention.

His father was on his feet at the head of the table, his chair having been pushed back in an obvious haste to stand, his hands clenched tightly at his sides and a thunderous expression on his face. Next to him, Emperor Iedolas Aldercapt sat, staring straight ahead and looking rather bored. What was going on?

Then his father’s words registered. Run? Why?

Before he could think any more on the matter, the Prince was hauled out of his seat by none other than his advisor, Ignis, and pulled towards the main door. They hadn’t taken more than a few steps before the doors blew open and armoured Niflheim solders poured into the room.

“What?” Noct stammered out as the room erupted into chaos. His wrist was clamped tightly in Ignis’ grip and he winced as the pressure increased. They stumbled to a halt as the soldiers fanned out, weapons at the ready and pointed at every Lucian citizen in the vicinity.

“Ignis? What’s going on?”

Ignis went to answer, but before he could even get a word out, a heavily-armed Soldier stepped forward and ripped the prince out of his grip and wrapping an arm around his neck in a choke-hold.

He watched on in horror as Noctis struggled against the pressure, flinging his arms up to try and push the weight away from his airway. The prince started to gasp as the pressure became too hard and started to cut off much-needed oxygen. Ignis started forward, pulling a small dagger from a holster at the small of his back, but was quickly ambushed from behind by another attack.

The room fell into a hushed silence then, only Noctis’ strained breathing breaking the quiet. It was only then that Noct could see that his father had moved from the head of the table and was now half way between it and him. His sword was gripped tightly in his hand and the glass-like Royal Arms weapons spun around him lazily. Emperor Iedolas had not moved from his seat.

“What is the meaning of this?” King Regis bellowed out, watching the scene unfold in front of him in horror. When Cor had come to him during the beginning to the treaty talks and said vastly increased Niflheim army numbers had been spotted around the borders of Insomnia, Regis had very quickly come to the conclusion that all was not right. He did not dare take his eyes off his son currently being held captive by the enemy. He had almost lost him not once, but twice, and he wasn’t going to go through that again, hence the reason for telling his son to get out before all hell had broken loose.

The Niflheim Empire were obviously after the crystal and there were currently only two people in Eos who could control its power.

“Let go of my son!” he commanded when there was no response to his previous question. Regis lifted his sword to almost shoulder height, pointing it directly at the man who held his son. Lightning started to flicker along the length of the blade. If he needed to, he could warp-strike the soldier before he knew what was happening and get Noctis out of the way before the assault began.

Noct winced as the pressure tightened around his neck slightly before releasing all together. He let out a gasp of relief, only to stop as the arm was replaced with a sharp blade that pressed against the hollow of this throat.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Emperor Iedolas finally spoke. “You do anything to harm myself, my delegates or my soldiers and your precious prince will die where he stands.”

Regis forced himself to lower his weapon as he saw a thin line of blood drip down Noctis’ throat from the knife. He couldn’t – wouldn’t – risk the life of his son. His family was all the king had left in life. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to ensure his safety.

“What do you want, Iedolas?”

Iedolas smirked before beckoning over his soldier.Noct found himself being pushed forward as the soldier holding him moved towards the Emperor. They passed his father and Noctis struggled to keep his composure.

Stay calm. Do what they say. I promise I will get you out of this.

With those words conveyed in a single glance, Noct nodded very slightly to let his father know his message had been received. He glanced back at where Ignis had been standing and saw he, too, had been captured by an enemy soldier. His advisor was now on his knees, head bent and his hands cuffed behind him. A gun was pointed at his head.

They reached the Emperor and Noctis forced himself not to shake in front of Iedolas. He was the Prince and this was clearly a pre-planned attack on Lucis; he would not show any fear to this coward that had used a treaty cease-fire talk as an ambush.

“What do I want?” came the sarcasm-tinged reply. “What does every nation except Lucis want? I want the Crystal, of course.”

Of course they wanted the crystal. With Lucis being the only nation on Eos to still have a crystal, they were the powerhouse of the world and the only nation able to control magic. To combat against the great force that came with owning the last remaining crystal, Niflheim had begun to build their forces using robotics and technology. And with the fall of Tenebrae, they had built the greatest army in all of Eos.

The only thing that had kept Insomnia (and Lucis) intact through all of this was the Wall; a magical barrier that covered the entirety of Insomnia that was all but impenetrable. It had kept the city safe for years and even after many attempts to breach the Wall, Niflheim had never succeeded. Noctis had come to hate the Wall. Yes it kept them all safe, but at what cost? The crystal had started draining the life from his father to keep the Wall up and in what seemed like an instant, the King had gone from being young and strong to old and frail.

“You say you want the crystal Idola and I know you plan on using Noctis as a way of gaining it’s power. But I will never let you harm my son while I’m still breathing.”

Iedolas smirked, his weathered face once again becoming very sinister. Dread shot though Noctis. He had a feeling he knew exactly what Emperor Aldercapt planned to do. His father had been played from the very beginning.

“Then we’ll just have to make sure you stop breathing then, won’t we?” he paused, “Your Majesty.”

In that instant, Noct felt the power his father was drawing to him. His sword once again appeared in his hand and the King wasted no time in warping towards Iedolas, swinging his sword in a great arc in hopes of possibly decapitating the man. Noctis used the distraction to draw some power of his own, thanking his father for beginning to teach him how to use the crystal only some months earlier.

Metal clashed against metal as the two leaders of their kingdoms met in a ferocious battle. Noctis warped out of the hold of the soldier, wincing as the knife against his throat sliced through his skin slightly. He pulled a dagger from the Crystal and raced over to where Ignis was being kept captive, slamming the blade into the soldier’s chest and grabbing his advisor before the gun aimed at his head could be fired.

Gunfire echoed through the conference room and Noctis had a passing glance of some of the Lucis representatives being gunned down where they knelt. His father and Idola were circling each other in a deadly dance and after breaking the cuffs holding Ignis’ hands together open, he planned on going over there to help his old man out.

Idola needed to die.

“Highness!” Ignis’ voice carried over the gunfire and clashing of swords. “We must retreat! The Emperor cannot get his hand’s on you, or the crystal.”

“I have to help my father!” he retorted, getting ready to warp over to him. As he did, Noctis managed to see his father look over towards them and speak something.

Get him out!

Ignis’ hand on his shoulder stopped him and Noct glared as he was yanked to the side and pushed into a small alcove on the far wall.

“Your father appointed me as your advisor, Noctis. Right now I am advising you that we need to leave. His Majesty’s wishes are for you to get to safety.”

“I can’t leave him! He needs my help!”

“Your Highness!” came the desperate call as he darted out of the alcove and back into the fray. Immediately several Imperial soldiers blocked his path and Noctis cut through them with ease. His dad needed help.

A sudden pain sliced through his right arm and Noctis glanced down to see a cut bleeding on his upper arm, most likely from a dagger or sword. Pushing the pain to the side, he continued on, slashing through the enemy. He thought hard about the training both Gladio and his father had pushed on him, drawing on the crystal’s power, as well as muscle memory to get him through.

What seemed like hours later, but in reality was only a few minutes, Noctis made it through the soldiers and towards his father. It was only then as he paused for breath that the prince noticed the haze spreading across his vision.

He blinked, trying to clear it away, but found it only made it worse. The grey haze started to darken at the edges and everything wavered for a moment before stilling once again. The Niflheim troops in front of him had started advancing on him and Noctis struggled to keep himself balanced enough to begin warping through the attacks.

King Regis parried a blow from Emperor Iedolas and swiftly delivered a counter attack, letting his sword vanish before calling forward the Star of the Rogue and flinging the great weapon at his enemy. The Star was great for long-range battle and keeping your foe at bay, which was exactly what the King had intended.

He need to get to Noctis. The boy had decided to not listen when told to run, and was now directly in the middle of the fighting. He risked a glance over at his son and Regis had to halt momentarily as he saw his son stagger and sway.

The Imperial troops were advancing on Noctis and it seemed like the young prince could not keep himself steady, swaying and stumbling as he tried to keep the soldiers at bay. Dodging another throwing dagger, the King threw a ball of fire at Idola and he smiled when the elder man let out a yell as he was singed by the flames.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the King watched his son begin to warp-strike a Nifleheim trooper, only to reappear a few steps from where he started. He could see the dazed expression on Noctis’ face as the boy stared down in wonder at his hand as the weapon he was gripping vanished.

Something was wrong.

When Regis had decided to start teaching Noctis the ways of using the crystal’s power only months before, he had been very pleased to find that his son was a natural. It had taken a while for him to master the basics of summoning a single dagger, but once he had got it, the rest was easy. He had picked up warping in only a matter of days.

But now it seemed that his son was not able to complete a simple warp-strike.

Regis skirted out of the way of another attack and started to race towards Noctis, flinging several elemental attacks at the soldiers approaching his son. He had barely made several paces before Noctis’ eyes fluttered shut and the prince dropped to the ground in a boneless heap.

“Noctis!”

The King warped over to his son, ignoring the outraged screech from the Emperor and cast a wave of lighting in a spreading circle around them. He called forth more power from the crystal and in moments a glittering shield rose up from the ground to encase the two royals.

“Your Majesty!” a voice called from behind. As Regis gathered his unconscious son in his arms, he turned to see Ignis Scientia kneeling behind him and also inside the shield. He was glad to see that the young Advisor had made it to the safe zone, knowing he could help his son.

“Help him. He collapsed suddenly and I don’t know why. He was unable to warp or keep his weapons from disappearing.”

Placing his son on the ground and under the careful eye of Ignis, Regis was now able to focus the majority of his attention on the battle raging around him. He could see Cor Leonis battling with several soldiers to his right, and his sworn shield Clarus Amicitia dodging a heavy barrage of gunfire on his left.

So many bodies littered the ground, both hailing from Lucian and Niflheim. Regis had to fight to control the rage at the Emperor for even daring to attack them. This was exactly what he had tried to avoid with hosting the Peace Treaty talks!

“Your Majesty?” Regis turned to face Ignis, who was leaning over his son, carefully examining something on his upper arm. “There is a cut here made by a sword or knife I believe may have been coated in poison. There is a slight green-tinge to the wound and surrounding skin.”

Ignis looked slightly dismayed at the diagnosis. He glanced up at the King. “I do not have anything on my person that would help rid the poison from His Highness’ body. We need to get him out of here and get him to a healer, soon.”

Noctis’ was pale, a tinge of pink to his cheeks signifying the beginning of a fever and his breathing was laboured. It must have been an extremely fast acting poison to affect his son this quickly and so harshly.

“Aright,” the King spoke. “Do whatever you need to keep Noctis alive. I shall work on getting us out of here.”

As much as he wanted Iedolas Aldercapt dead this very instant, his son’s life was more important.

Hold on a little longer my son.

Chapter Text

Gladiolus Amicitia lazed against the wall of the training room as he waited for his training partner to arrive. Who was ten minutes late already.

Just as he was ready to give up and call it a day, the door burst open and a very exuberant blonde man ran into the room, skidding to a stop and gasping for breath like he’d just completed a 100 metre sprint.

“Sorry I’m late!” Prompto Argentum panted, bent over his his hands on his knees as he tried to get air back into his starving lungs. He had been detained at the Citadel entrance due to the security having been beefed up for the peace treaty talks and the new guard on duty hadn’t recognised him. It had taken almost fifteen minutes to find someone who could verify his identity and let him in.

“The guard at the palace entrance didn’t know who I was!” he explained, somewhat put out at the fact. It wasn’t like he didn’t hang around with the crown prince at all...

“Sure Prompto... excuses, excuses!” Gladio teased, pushing himself off the wall and ambling over towards the younger man. “You just wish you had an excuse to get out of training like Not does.”

Their prince was currently attending the Lucian/Niflheim peace talks with Ignis and even though Gladio had been pissed at first for not being invited to stand guard, he was kinda pleased now. It would have been extremely boring with all the politics talk and there would be plenty of time to stand guard when Noctis eventually ascended to the throne. Gladio would have bet his weeks wages that the prince was already asleep, or very close.

“Noct has excuses to try and get out of everything, Gladio. Everything except sleep that is!”

That was true. The Lucian heir was well-known for wanting his sleep, having taken to nodding off at the most inopportune moments, or the best moments, depending on who you asked.

“Let’s not waste any more time, shall we Prompto? The meeting will be taking a break soon and I’m sure Noct will want to see some friendly faces by then.”

The blonde man nodded, grinning as he stripped off his coat to be dressed in his workout clothes. Gladio did the same while also grabbing two of the wooden practice swords resting against the wall and throwing the second one at Prompto.

Prompto caught the sword and held in a childish moan. He despised sword training. He was much better with guns as he didn’t have quite the upper body strength Gladio did to wield them.

“Ready?”

“Yup!” and with that Prompto lunged, swinging the sword around to land a blow on Gladio’s shoulder, only to find his attempt blocked by the other. The wood smacked together and Prompto grunted, trying to keep his sword pressed up against Gladio’s so he couldn’t counter immediately. His arms strained against the force of keeping his sword locked with Gladio’s and Prompto came to the conclusion that if he continued to fight like this, he was going to lose, and badly. When it came to brute strength, there was no contest as to who was the stronger. He was going to have to rely on his speed and agility.

Prompto paused for a second before whipping his sword under Gladio’s and ducked low to avoid the swing as his partner lost his balance and stumbled forward. He quickly spun around on one foot, low to the ground, before standing up and bracing himself for the next wave of attack.

They danced around each other for a while, eyeing up the other’s stance and formulating a plan of attack. Prompto knew that while the taller man was much, much better at wielding a sword, he was also slower due to his impressive bulk. Whereas the blonde was slender and after all his years of running to lose weight, he was pretty damn fast now too.

“You think you’ll finally win a match Prompto?” Gladio smirked. It was a running bet between the four friends that the (very unlikely) day Prompto won a spar against Gladio, the taller man would have to bend the knee and proclaim Prompto as the better swordsman and essentially be his slave for a day (but only when he wasn’t guarding Noct).

“The day of the reckoning is here!” Prompto exclaimed, more than ready to have the better swordsman claim defeat. Prompto was about to lunge forward to strike when a loud rumble shook the training room.

“Wha? Was that an earthquake?”

The two halted in their tracks. It wasn’t long before there was another rumble, this time accompanied by a loud explosion and screams.

“That’s no earthquake! What the hell is going on?” Gladio exclaimed, racing over to where their gear was stashed and pulling on his combat boots and outer clothing in a hurry. He glanced over to see Prompto doing the same. 

Leaving the practise swords lying on the ground, the two raced out of the training room and towards the main part of the Citadel. Prompto glanced outside as they ran, gasping as he saw multiple Niflheim drop ships circling above Central Insomnia. Thankfully the Wall was still up, so they were unable to land or drop bombs on the city below.

“Is this an attack on Insomnia? Are we being attacked?”

“I don’t know Prompto,” the bodyguard stated, dark eyes scanning the halls for any enemy combatants. “Something isn’t right that’s for sure, but that explosion came from outside the Citadel and most of the foreign delegates and soldiers are currently in the with the King and Noct. I’m really hoping it’s not related to the peace talks, but with those Niflheim drop ships above us, I’m not sure...”

They continued to sprint down the hallways, encountering no enemy soldiers, but there was also an alarming absence of Lucian guards. Gladio knew the majority of the palace guards were stationed around the conference room, but surely others had been scattered about the Citadel as well.

It was then that Gladio heard the gunfire. It pierced through the otherwise silent corridor and after sharing a horrified look with Prompto, the two sprinted down the remaining hallways until they reached the wing of the palace that housed the royal conference room.

Prompto made to run directly into the waiting area outside the room, but was halted all of a sudden when Gladio threw an arm out and pushed back against the wall. He went to ask what the hell the taller man was doing, when he was silenced with a glare and a hand over his mouth.

Peering around the corner, Gladio could see several armed Niflheim soldiers scattered amongst the waiting room. The Lucian guards were either on their knees in front of the Niffs or lying prone on the floor. Gladio could see dark patches of blood staining the guards clothing and splattered all over the ground.

Gunfire and the clashing of swords still came from inside the conference room. He turned to his friend and whispered.

“There are armed Niflheim soldiers in that room, holding Lucian guards hostage. We are going to have to get through them before being able to help whoever is still inside the conference room.”

Prompto gulped. “Do you... do you think Noct’s still in there? And the King?”

“I don’t know, Prom,” Gladio sighed. “We can only hope they’ve managed to get away. Obviously these ‘peace treaty’ talks were just a cover for that damn Idola to attack Insomnia from within. Since the Wall is still standing we can safely assume both the King and the crystal are safe, but I don’t know for how long.”

“Noctis!”

Both men gasped when they heard the King call out from the conference room. The pure horror in his voice made the two tense, share a look and then spring into action.

Prompto lunged towards one of the Niflheim soldiers, barrelling into the man with such force that it caused both of them to topple over and skid a few meters along the floor. A scuffle ensued with the blonde man trying to the weapon away from the soldier. He dodged as a dagger appeared out of nowhere and tried to slash at his face, before wrapping a hand around the troop’s wrist and twisting it backwards. A satisfying snap sounded as the bone broke and the soldier let out a strangled yell. Grinning at the sound, Prompto quickly grabbed the knife out of the now-dangling and useless hand and swiftly stabbed the man in the throat.

The soldier slumped to the ground, blood pouring from the cut to this throat and it wasn’t long before he was dead. Prompto disentangled himself from the man and stood up just in time to see a gigantic sword swinging his way. Eyes wide, he quickly dropped back to the ground before countering with a stab with his stolen dagger. It bounced off the armour and Prompto was forced to skitter backwards in order to avoid more blows coming his way.

In forgetting that the soldier he had just killed was lying behind him, Prompto tripped over the body and found himself sprawled on his back, head hitting the ground with a resounding thump. He opened his eyes just in time to see the sword swinging towards his face.

“Prompto!”

There was no getting out of this one, Prompto realised. He was completely defenceless, having dropped the knife when he fell. He closed his eyes in preparation for the fatal blow, only to open his eyes when there was a gasp and then the thud of a body hitting the ground reached his ears.

“Get the fuck up, Prompto!”

Gladio stood above him, fending off another Niff with a stolen sword. Several of the Lucian guards that been held hostage were now standing and fighting against their captors. The odds had evened in their favour.

“Here,” Gladio spoke and suddenly an object was flying his way. Prompto caught it and smirked. This was more like it! It was a gun, of Lucian design, so Gladio must have got it from one of the guards. Now this, he could work with.

It didn’t take them long to dispatch the remaining soldiers in the waiting room and before long, Gladio found himself racing into the conference room where members of the Crownsguard were fighting the more elite Niflheim soldiers and even the Emperor himself.

However, in the middle of the room the King, Ignis and an unconscious prince were stranded inside one of the King’s shields. Gladio growled and after slashing his way through several people, was able to make his way to the royal family.

Regis looked up at the feel of an unfamiliar presence. “Gladiolus, Prompto!” he exclaimed, shocked and relieved to see the two men. He motioned to them to come forward and created a wave of distracting magic so they would be able to slip inside the barrier without being harmed. While he did, the King took the opportunity to survey the battle raging outside their little bubble of safety. Idola was engaged in battle with Cor, the two flinging swords at each other, while the Emperor swapped to guns occasionally and Cor called up on the crystal’s power to dodge effectively out of the way. His loyal friend had never liked using the power through Regis, knowing how much energy and life was being drained from him by just powering the Wall.

“Cor! Clarus!” he called out, hoping to catch their attention, but not so much as to distract them. He had an idea to clear the room, but he needed all Lucian delegates and soldiers out of the way first. Cor was too busy to come, but shortly after he called out, Clarus made his way over. Regis quickly outlined his plan to his sworn sword and after the man shared a quick word with his son, went on his way to start evacuating those still alive.

“What’s wrong with Noctis?” Prompto exclaimed when he saw the pale, gasping form of his friend.

“He was poisoned,” Regis explained, brushing the back of his hand across his son’s forehead. “We need to get him to a healer and find an antidote.”

“Damn it!” Regis looked at his son’s blonde-haired friend as he swore. “Gladio and I were training when the first explosions went off and we raced here as fast as we could. My bag is still in the training room, but it has at least one antidote in it!”

The King swore. “Gladiolus, if you could please carry my son, I will ensure we can get out of here and get Noctis somewhere safe to administer that antidote. Ignis, cover Gladiolus and Prompto keep a watchful eye on the enemy for me,” he instructed the younger men.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” was the rely from all three of them. Even amidst all the chaos and destruction, he couldn’t help but be extremely proud of the men who had chosen to be by his son’s side.

Standing tall, the King of Lucis surveyed the rest of the conference room. Dead bodies littered the floor, their blood staining the stone a dark red. The fighting was almost non-existent now and Regis sighed in relief. Cor was still locked in battle with Idola, but he could see that the Emperor was tiring and the King knew the man would be planning his escape very soon.

“Cor! Clarus!” he called out, signalling that they needed to vacate the immediate area now.

Closing his eyes, the King called out to the crystal, requesting power. He felt the power come to him in a rush. It was almost like being hit by lightning. Static racing through his body, Regis snapped his eyes open and knew instantly that they were glowing a deep crimson.

“Iedolas!” he bellowed. “This has gone on long enough! You dare infiltrate my kingdom and try to steal the Lucian crystal and my son. No more. This ends now!”

And with that the King unleashed his full power. A wave of fire swept outwards from the barrier, racing towards the emperor like a tidal wave, destroying everything in its path. The flames devoured the bodies in an instant, leaving nothing but ash in its wake.

Regis kept his eye on Iedolas the entire time, watching in satisfaction as the old man’s face twisted in rage and then fear. He called out but Regis was unable to hear what he said over the roaring of the flames.

Just as the flames were to reach the Emperor, a blinding flash of light erupted from his last known position.

It was then that Regis felt it. A coldness swept through his being, nothing like he had ever felt before. It felt like his soul had been ripped from him and all that was left was a hollow shell. His eyes reverted back to their original colour and the fire faded until there was only a lingering heat left. The shield around the five of them shattered, pieces of glass-like substance falling to the ground and vanishing.

“What... what have you done!?”

Standing next to Iedolas Aldercapt was a soldier, dressed in white. However, Regis knew that this was no ordinary soldier. This was the former Prince of Tenebrae; Ravus Nox Flueret.

Ravus smirked as he looked upon the King and his companions, now vulnerable. “You know very well what has been done, King Regis,” he sneered. “This was just a pretty diversion. Your so-called Kingsglaive protecting your precious crystal is dead and your crystal is now the property of the Imperial Army.”

Clenching his hands into fists at the news, Regis mourned the loss of the member of his Kingsglaive. They had not deserved the fate they were given. But he was unable to mourn for more than a few seconds as there were more pressing concerns. He knew without a doubt Ravus was telling the truth. He could still access the power of the crystal, but only a fraction of what he had been able to previously. It was like the crystal was scared, protecting itself from outside influences that weren’t from the Line of Lucis.

“You won’t get away with this, Iedolas,” Regis promised. “And you will never get Noctis.”

The sounds of approaching Magitek troops reached the group, Cor, Clarus, Ignis and Prompto all going on high alert. The former two had silently approached them as soon as the shield had gone down.

“Hold on to each other,” Regis instructed, reaching out and gripping his son’s arm which was resting across his stomach as he lay in Gladio’s arms. As soon as they were all connected, Regis did something he never thought he would have to do. He ran.

Iedolas had to hold back a scream as the King warped the group of out the room and past the soldiers running in. They had the crystal, but there was one more important part they needed to make it work.

He nodded to his companion. “Find them. Kill the King and any of the others. Bring the prince to me.”

Outside the citadel, the city of Insomnia was in disarray. It had been tense even since the Niflheim ships had appeared above the city, but moments ago the citizens had watched in horror as the Wall had flickered a few times before shattering completely. The Wall which had protected them for so many years was gone. The enemy ships started the descent into the city, thousands of soldiers jumping from the back of the ships as they got close enough to the ground.

The Fall of Insomnia had begun.

Chapter Text

Ignis almost vomited when King Regis warped them out of the room. It was the most dizzying, uncomfortable thing he had ever felt. How on Eos did the King and Noctis do it all the time? It felt like your body was in two places at once, being left behind as you instantly reappeared somewhere else. If he ever had to do that again, it would be far too soon.

“Hurry,” the King ordered as they all caught their footing. Ignis was inwardly pleased to see he wasn’t the only one affected by the sudden displacement of their bodies. Both Prompto and Gladiolus were looking a little green in the face. Cor and Clarus however, looked as poised as usual, most likely from having experienced warping many times before.

“We must make haste. Noctis does not have time for us to take breaks. I’m afraid Insomnia is not safe for us any longer.”

As if to cement the King’s fears about their safety in Insomnia, several large explosions rocked through the Citadel. Ignis steadied himself against a wall as the place rocked, several small pieces of debris raining from the ceiling. He looked over to see Gladio curled over the prince, protecting him from any falling rocks. Clarus was doing the same for the king.

Gladio looked down at Noctis and cursed. The crown prince had paled even further in the short time since warping out of the treaty room and his breaths were coming in short, sharp gasps. Sweeping his unruly hair off his face, the swordsman saw that sweat was beading on his face, but when Gladio placed a hand on his forehead, the skin was cool and clammy. Not good.

“Your Majesty!” he shouted over the continued explosions and rumblings as the Citadel continued to be assaulted by the enemy forces. “Noctis is getting worse. We need to hurry!”

Sliding his arms under Noctis’ knees and neck, Gladio was able to lift the prince into his arms. A hand gripped his upper arm and he looked up to see his father standing beside him, giving him the extra strength needed to stand with the extra weight of the prince weighing him down. Not that Noct was exactly heavy.

Noctis groaned as Gladio settled him into his arms a little better now that he was upright. His face screwed up in pain, but he remained unconscious.

Sighing in relief as the prince settled back into the land of the unaware, Gladio nodded his thanks to his father and steadied himself as another explosion rocked the Citadel. They were close enough to the outside of the building now that they could all hear the continued gunfire piercing the darkening sky, accompanied by the screaming and wailing of scared and dying Lucian citizens. Gladio found it hard to hear, he didn’t want to know what the King was feeling right now.

He had no idea how they had done it, but the Niflheim Empire had somehow managed to infiltrate the protected city of Insomnia and steal the last remaining Crystal. Even with the King’s awesome power, the Wall had fallen and now the citizens he had sworn to protect were dying in droves.

The Lucian King looked over at their small group, huddled together around both himself and his son, attempting to protect themselves from the falling debris. No one had escaped unscathed. Cuts and bruises were visible on almost every visible piece of skin and they were all coated in dust from the damage to the Citadel’s infrastructure.

“Damnit,” Regis cursed as he realised the futility of their situation. Here they were, trapped inside the Citadel as it was being bombed from the outside and hunted by the enemy soldiers on the inside. His son was unconscious and slipping closer to death as the poison wrecked havoc with his body, and as for himself... with the majority of the Crystal’s power gone and his weakened body, he was almost more a hindrance than a help. They needed to find a safe place to regroup, treat Noctis and come up with a plan on the best way to leave the city.

Leave the city... It was the last thing the King wanted to do. Insomnia was his city. It was his people that were dying on the streets. At the very least he owed them to fight and attempt to take the city back, even if it cost him his life. But Noctis had to live. It wasn’t just because he was his son, although what father didn’t want their child to live? No, Noctis had a greater calling.

“Cor!” he called to his loyal Crownsguard. “I want you to go to the training room and procure this antidote. Take young Prompto with you. We will make haste to the safe room in Noctis’ wing and will wait for you there.”

The safe room had been installed shortly after the daemon attack when Noctis had just been a child. Even though the New Wall kept back the Empire and the daemons, he did not want to risk his child’s life any more than he had to, so a high-security room had been built beneath the prince’s bedroom. Only a handful of people in the Citadel knew it existed, and fewer yet knew where it was.

Cor nodded his agreement and turned to the young blonde-haired man. “I will get you to the training room. It is your job to get the antidote once we are there. I will stand watch.”

Prompto nodded shakily. He didn’t really want to leave the safety of the group, but Noct needed the antidote and only he and Gladio knew where his bags were. So that left him, as Gladio was currently carrying the prince. Swallowing, Prompto pulled out his gun, making sure it was all in working order and that he had enough bullets.

“Okay. I’m ready.” Locking eyes with Ignis and Gladio, he sent them a shaky smile before running off after Cor, who was already disappearing around the corner.

“This safe room...” Ignis ventured, looking directly at the King and Clarus. “It really exists?” He was slightly hurt by the fact they had not told him about it. As Noctis’ royal advisor and primary caregiver, you would think they would have let him know about something as important as a safe room for the prince. He glanced over at Gladio and noticed the larger man looked as put-out as he felt, which meant the sworn shield had not been notified either.

“I am sorry, Ignis, Gladio, for not informing you of the confirmed existence of this room. I was hoping that it would never have to be of use.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. But I feel that his conversation can wait. I do not think we will be safe here for very long.”

The King nodded his agreement and pushed off the wall. Ignis couldn’t help but notice the wince on the monarch’s face as he placed weight on his braced leg. Immediately, Clarus wrapped a hand around the King’s upper arm to steady him.

“Let us move on.”

It took nearly half an hour to make their way to the East Wing of the Citadel where the living quarters were. Increased Imperial presence was noticed as they crept through the halls, keeping themselves to the shadows as much as possible. King Regis was able to still use the crystal’s power to shield them, but his strength was waning and his power was only but a fraction of what it used to be when the crystal was under his protection.

Ignis wondered how Prompto was getting along with his mission. Noctis was becoming more and more ashen by the minute and his breathing was hitching. He wasn’t responsive at all any more, having dropped into deep unconsciousness fifteen minutes before. Not even the stimuli of pain garnered any kind of response.

Clarus stopped ahead, turning back and placing a hand up in the universal sign for ‘stop’. “The safe room entrance is just around the corner and slightly down the hall,” he whispered. “We disguised the door behind the large painting of the Queen.”

Ignis had walked past the stunning portrait for the late Queen Aulea maybe thousands of times in his years of service to the royal family. Never once had he thought it any more than a painting. They had disguised the entrance well.

“Will we be waiting for Cor and Prompto before entering the safe room?” Ignis asked King Regis as Gladio shifted his hold on Noct.

“We must not linger any longer. I am afraid I have taxed myself too much and with Noctis still unwell, we are severely unprepared should the Imperial Army discover our location.”

With the hall being clear of any enemy soldiers, they group quickly made their way to the Queen’s portrait. Ignis and Gladio watched as the king bowed his head to the painting of his late wife, before lifting a hand and placing it against the canvas. A burst of light erupted from the king’s hand and spread across the painting before shattering into small shards. Clarus was then able to push his fingers under the side of the frame and push the heavy picture to the side, the frame sliding across the wall to reveal a normal sized, steel door with a touch pad integrated into the door.

King Regis stepped forward and placed his palm next to the pin pad and waited a few seconds before a beep sounded and then keyed in a 10 digit code. The door unlocked with a click. He went to push the door open, but was stopped by Clarus.

“I will go first, Your Majesty. Gladio, you come behind the King and Ignis, if you could take up the rear?”

With that cleared up, the four of them made their way down the stairs and into the safe room, the door clicking shut behind them.

Gladio looked around in awe as the lights came on. The ‘safe room’ was more like a safe house – it was huge! The entire area most likely covered the entire area of Noct’s personal rooms. The main room had several doors branching off into what looked like sleeping quarters, a kitchen, bathroom and even a weapon’s room. Several security monitors were set up around the room.

“Lay him down here, Gladiolus. I will see if there is anything still viable to use from the first aid kit.” Clarus instructed as he strode off to the bathroom. He was silently furious at himself for overlooking the restocking of the safe room’s first aid kit. If he had kept on top of it, there would be plenty of usable antidotes to help the prince. But he had been tied up so much with the upcoming treaty talks and signing, it was one thing he had completely forgotten about.

Gladio carefully placed Noct onto a couch that had been placed in the corner of the room. He was dismayed to see that the prince didn’t move at all once he was lying comfortably.

He stepped back as the king shuffled forward.

“Here, Your Majesty,” Ignis spoke from behind them, pulling a chair up so that the monarch may sit beside his son in some form of comfort.

“Thank you Ignis, Gladio,” Regis thanked the men before lowering himself into the chair. He reached out and placed a hand on his son’s forehead and brushing his unruly hair out of his eyes.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Your Majesty.” Regis turned to see Clarus standing beside his son, a few bottles and creams held in his hands. “There is no viable antidote, but I have found a few potions and elixirs that might help until Cor is able to return with the antidote.”

“Of course, Clarus. Thank you.” The king stood up and moved his chair closer to Noct’s head so he was mostly out of the way so Clarus could start his treatment. “Ignis, would you mind helping Clarus? Gladiolus, there are several security monitors in here that are tied into the cameras around the Citadel. Can I ask that you get them operational so we are able to check on the situation outside.”

With the tasks given out, Regis was able to focus directly on his son. He watched as Clarus unwrapped the bandage covering the wound on his arm. The cut was deep and still bleeding sluggishly. But what was most distressing was the spider-like veins spreading out from around the wound. They were dark purple in colour and the skin surrounding the cut was slowly becoming a greenish yellow in colour. The poison was working fast enough that it had already entered his bloodstream and was now working on corrupting the skin around the wound.

“I can fix the wound with no problem. A few potions will take care of that. The elixir might slow down the spread of the poison a bit too, but we need that antidote to reserve the damage it’s doing to his nervous system.”

“Do what you must, Clarus.”

The first thing Noctis noticed as he woke was how much his body ached. He felt as though he had been trampled by a Behemoth on one of the guys’ hunting trips. The longer he was conscious, the prince realised just how weak he was. There was no strength running through his body, not even enough to lift a hand. It was like he was cocooned by concrete.

He was that weak he couldn’t even open his eyes when he finally tried to. After several attempts, Noctis gave up and continued to lie in the void between awake and asleep. It was only when the muffled sounds of voices penetrated his rather nice partial-sleep, did Noctis.

Whatever he was lying on was unbelievably soft. But cold. It didn’t feel like his bed, or any other piece of furniture he owned. Where on Eos was he?

Noctis tried to move his hand, inwardly cheering as he felt his hand twitch at the effort. He had tried to lift it off whatever he was lying on, but a twitch was better than nothing. Very soon after his momentous achievement, the prince came to the conclusion that maybe moving was not the best idea.

Pain rippled down his arm, shooting from his fingertips all the way to the join at his shoulder. If just a twitch had caused that much pain, how excruciating would full movement be?

“Noctis?”

Not wanting to risk moving again, Noctis decided to try words instead. He went to speak, but all that came out was a very low moan. Oh great, even words were beyond him.

“Hold on, my son,” and a warm, calloused hand was gently placed on his shoulder before drifting across his cheek and brushing away his hair that was always in his eyes. “I have sent Cor and Prompto to retrieve an antidote. You will feel much better soon, I promise.”

Dad? What was his dad doing there? He must have been hurt pretty bad for his father to be at his side. It wasn’t as though the king didn’t love him, it was that the man was incredibly busy running a kingdom and trying to keep everyone safe, he barely had enough time for his son anymore.

But what had happened? Why was he in so much pain? Why was he so weak? Nothing was making sense.

“...Dad?” Noct finally managed to croak out, his voice hoarse and sounding like he had swallowed a thousand razor blades.

“Hush, my son. Just rest. Everything will be okay. I know you must be confused, but I will explain everything when you wake.”

Noctis slept.

Chapter Text

As soon as they split from the rest of the group, Prompto felt out of his comfort zone. Well, more so than usual. The whole invasion thing was waayyy out of the blonde’s comfort zone. He was just Noctis’ friend from school; a commoner. He didn’t come from a royal line or even an upper class family. He wasn’t paid to put his life on the line to protect the prince or the king. Although, it wasm his life-long dream to one day be apart of the Kingsglaive or even Noctis’ own Crownsguard when he was eventually crowned King.

Gladio had laughed in his face when Prompto had first approached him to ask about what the requirements were to join the Kingsglaive and if he would help him train to get to that standard. The mocking laughter had hurt, but Prompto had understood Gladio’s reaction. After shedding all the excess weight from his youth the blonde teen was now thin, but he was also rather scrawny, genetics not allowing him to gain much muscle at all. There was no way he would be ever be able to wield a sword like the greatsword Gladio hefted around.

It had been Ignis who had come up with a solution. While Gladio specialised in large sword combat and backed up with shields, Ignis had been training in the art of daggers and polearms, which were much lighter and better equipped for leaner, faster men. Prompto had given the daggers a try but had found he was still rather unwieldy with the small blades. Several other weapons were trialled with no luck. Until they tried him with a gun.

Prompto had turned out to be a natural sharpshooter. No matter the target, he always somehow managed to get a perfect shot. The blonde teen had been absolutely ecstatic that day and ever since he had dragged Noctis or one of the others down to the shooting range so he could practise his skills.

“Stay sharp, kid!” The harsh command snapped Prompto out of his thoughts and back to the current situation; the situation he was totally unprepared for. So far they had encountered no Imperial soldiers, but Prompto knew that could change at any moment. The sounds of explosions and people screaming were still filtering through the broken windows of the Citadel, letting the two Insomnians know that they were still most definitely under attack.

Thankfully it did not take them long to make it to the training room. Prompto was rather glad he trained in long distance running. He’d done a lot of it that day!

“Make it fast, kid,” Cor instructed as he gave the room a quick recon. “The room’s empty. I’ll stand guard over there and out of plain sight.”

Prompto ran inside and quickly located his and Gladio’s bags. He grabbed his med bag, quickly checking that there was indeed an antidote within before zipping it back up and slinging it over his shoulders and securing the straps.

“Got it, Cor!” he called out as he ran back over to where the man was keeping watch. Prompto stuck is head out the open door to check if the hall was clear before darting across to the alcove a few meters away. He nodded to Cor, who was almost invisible standing amongst the shadows, his sword gripped tight in one hand.

“Let us not waste any time then,” Cor replied. “Prince Noctis does not need us to dally. I will take point. You need to switch the backpack to your front Prompto. You will be keeping on my six and the last thing we need is for an Imperial soldier or MT to sneak up behind you and damage anything in that bag.”

Prompto went to argue as he thought the words a little callous; what about him? Did it not matter if he got hit with a bullet? But then something occurred to Prompto. Cor was treating him as if he were apart of the Crownsguard. To the elite few that belonged to that club, it didn’t matter if they perished, as long as they completed their mission and that the royal family was safe. The sharpshooter had to bite back a grin at that. Cor the Immortal was treating him like one of them!

Cor stepped out of his hiding spot and brought this sword up into an offensive position. He would not be caught off guard. He knew he had been rather harsh towards the prince’s young friend, but in the larger scheme of things, both his and the young Prompto’s life meant nothing unless the king and prince lived. Nothing else mattered. That was his duty.

“Are you ready, Prompto?” He quickly looked over his shoulder just in time to see him switch the backpack to rest against his chest, pull out his gun and nod. “Then let’s go. The prince requires the antidote as soon as possible.”

They moved silently thought the halls, side stepping any rubble that littered the floors. Every now and then they would stumble across discarded bodies swathed in blood, the majority of them Imperial guards and MTs but there were still many Lucian soldiers scattered amongst them, having died protecting their capital. Cor found himself sending out a silent plea to the Astrals to let them rest in peace as he recognised a few of the fallen men and women; friends who had once been apart of the Citadel Guard.

Bizarrely though, they met almost no resistance from the Empire. Cor could still hear the explosions and gunfire coming from outside the Citadel walls, but inside? It was virtually deserted. The emptiness was making this mission very easy comparably but it also made Cor very unnerved. Something didn’t feel right.

“Where… where is everyone?” Prompto whispered, voicing what Cor had been thinking only moments before.

“I’m not sure. But wherever they are, it can’t be good. We’d better make haste.”

It wasn’t until they reached the throne room that they ran into others. Cor instructed for Prompto to wait and stay hidden while he checked the room. He ducked around the corner and peered inside, noting the state of the doors that had been left open. Burn marks, bullet holes and gouges from swords decorated the heavy wooden doors, remnants from the battle that had been waged only hours before. Cor just wanted to check if there had been anything of importance that may have been left behind and possibly missed by the Empire.

A platoon of MTs were standing inside.

Cor cursed inwardly. He had suspected that there may have been some remaining behind once the Emperor fled the city with the Crystal, but to have them inactive and grouped together in the throne room? It didn’t made much sense.

His gaze moved to the far end of the room and Cor felt the breath stop in his chest. The reasoning behind the platoon of MTs suddenly made perfect sense.

Ravus Nox Fleuret was sitting on the throne.

Rage erupted inside Cor unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was bad enough that the Empire had betrayed the treaty and attacked Insomnia. It was bad enough that they had openly declared war by directly attacking the royal family and stealing the crystal…

But then to sit on the throne that had belonged to the Caelum royal family for 2000 years? No one, no one except King Regis was allowed to sit on that throne. Not even Prince Noctis was allowed once he had come of age. That throne was for the Lucian King and no one else.

Cor clenched his fists around the hilt of his sword, desperately itching to stab the bastard in the heart and throw his body off the throne. He fought back the urge though. Attacking the commander of the Imperial Army would do them no good at the present time. Oh but how he wanted to.

Deciding to fight that battle another day, Cor started to back out of the throne room. He was stopped in his tracks as Ravus spoke. Fearing that he had been seen, Cor stilled and gripped his sword tighter, dropping into a fighting stance.

“I didn’t know that you were still here,” Ravus said to an unknown man that had suddenly stepped out of the shadows. “I thought the Emperor would have his pet chasing after that blasted king and his progeny. They seemed to have vanished, General Glauca.”

So the infamous General Glauca was also here. Cor was reassured in his choice not to engage Ravus now knowing who had been waiting in the shadows. He would not have stood a chance against the best fighter in the Imperial Army.

“So it seems,” the General replied, his voice somewhat muffled from behind the helmet of his armour. “I have a feeling I know exactly where they have gone though and it wont be long before the king is dead and the prince is on his way to the Emperor.”

Cor almost dropped his sword as Glauca took off his helmet. This couldn’t be…

He had wondered how the Imperial Army had breached the walls of the Citadel so quickly and how they had known exactly where to attack. But the thoughts had been pushed back in favour of trying to get the royal family to safety. But now… now it was all clear.

There was a traitor in their midst.

“Well well!” Ravus laughed and clapped his hands. “You sure are in a giving mood today. I would kill to see the look on King Regis’ face when he figures out that the great General Glauca of the Imperial Army and he beloved Kingsglaive Captain Drautos are one in the same!”

Cor knew that he needed to get back to the king – now. This new information had completely destroyed every plan they had thought of so far. Drautos knew where the prince’s safe rooms were. Cor needed to warn the king about Drautos and they needed to get out of the Citadel.

“You’d better hurry,” Ravus was saying. “The sun is going down and without that fancy wall protecting the city, the daemons will be coming very soon.”

Shit!!!

With everything that had happened, Cor had completely forgotten one very important reason why the crystal was needed. The New Wall kept out the Empire, but it also doubled as a daemon-repellent. For years the citizens of Insomnia had been safe from the creatures that came out at night, but now… after having their homes ravaged by war, they were also very vulnerable to a whole different kind of enemy.

Damn the Empire and their selfishness! All this chaos, death and destruction because they wanted something they didn’t have… for that power.

“Prompto!” Cor hissed at his young companion. “We need to go, now! Stealth is not an issue anymore – time is.” Well, time had always been an issue, but back then they thought they were going to be able to bunker down for a while to recuperate. Now that was no longer an option. Noctis needed to be awake and able to move as soon as possible.

“What happened? Who was in there?”

“I will explain when we get to the safe room, but for now we need to go!” At those words, Cor took off, quietly jogging past the throne room before breaking into a full-out sprint once he was a safe distance away. Behind him, Prompto did the same.

Thankfully Cor knew exactly where the safe room was and without the need to hide, they made good time, only having to stop once to dispatch a couple of MTs that were patrolling the halls. Before long, they skidded to a half outside the late Queen Aulea’s painting. The Marshal knocked on the wall beside it six times in a pattern. Two knocks then a slight pause, then three fast knocks followed by a longer pause and then one final knock. It took a few tense minutes before anything happened in response.

A silvery sheen, not unlike the shields the king could conjure at will, erupted over the portrait before breaking into small glass-like shards. Cor copied what Clarus had done earlier and pried his fingers under the frame-work and slid the painting to the side, revealing the safe-room door.

Prompto watched wide-eyed as Cor placed his hand on what looked like palm-scanner and then entered a long code into the pinpad. Several seconds later the door opened with a hydraulic hiss. He quickly followed the Marshal down the stairs, flinching slightly as the door clicked shut behind them and sealed shut with another hiss. They walked in the dim lighting to another door, which Cor pushed open to reveal Clarus and King Regis standing before them, swords in hands.

“Cor…” the king breathed in relief. “Thank goodness you have arrived and in good health. Did… did you get it?”

Cor nodded and motioned to Prompto, who let out a squeak before pulling the bag open and extracting the precious antidote. He handed it over to the king, hands shaking. Now that they were safe and had successfully retrieved the antidote, the adrenaline rush was beginning to fade.

Regis took the antidote from his son’s young friend, bowing his head in thanks. “You have my eternal gratitude Prompto Argentum. I am sure that Noctis will want to thank you as well once he wakes. You may see to your friends now if you wish and there are some rations and water in the kitchen if you are in need of those.”

Prompto just nodded, a little unnerved at being thanked directly by the king.

“Now please excuse me while I attend to my son.”

The king knew his words were rather formal, but it had always been a fall-back of his under times of extreme stress. He was pretty sure this counted as one of those times. He would apologise for his actions later once he knew that Noctis was going to be okay.

He turned to Cor as Prompto ambled over to where Ignis and Gladiolus were seated. Placing a hand on the man’s shoulder, he spoke. “Thank you, my friend.” Tears gathered in his eyes but Regis refused to let them fall.

“It was my honour, Your Majesty. Although, there have been developments that you and Clarus must know.” Cor glanced at the other man standing on the other side of Regis. “But first, go tend to your son.”

Those words weren’t ominous at all, Regis thought. Giving Cor’s shoulder a light squeeze, the monarch strode over to where Noctis lay. He was pale and clammy, sweat beading on his forehead as he gasped for every breath. Even with the several elixirs and potions, the wound was still very raw. It had stopped bleeding some time ago, but the poison was still spreading in the form of dark, jagged lines leading away from the slash.

Noctis had woken a few times since they had reached the safe rooms, but he had been delirious and barely coherent. Lowering himself into the seat next to the bed, Regis opened the antidote bottle and wondered the best way to administer it.

“Pour some on the wound first, Your Majesty.” Regis turned to see Ignis standing behind him, knowledgeable eyes sharp behind his glasses. “Antidotes work best ingested, but I fear that in his current state, Noctis will not be able to swallow the liquid. Pouring some onto the wound first may bring him round enough so that he may do it himself.”

That was a good idea. It was becoming very clear to the king that he had chosen very well for his son’s advisor.

“Thank you, Ignis.”

Removing the bandage covering the wound, Regis grimaced at the sight. The infection had spread and the wound itself had started to turn green, pus and blood seeping from the parted skin. Steeling himself for the pain he was about to cause his son, Regis let a small amount of the antidote slip from the neck of the bottle and splash onto the wound.

The effect was immediate.

Noctis screamed.

As soon as the medicine hit the wound, his son jerked awake, eyes wide and bright with fever. He thrashed around, contorting his body in a way that it looked like he was trying to separate himself from the pain.

Noctis cried out as the pain intensified. He had been blissfully asleep until the most agonising pain he had ever felt ripped down his arm and through his body.

After the initial wave, the pain lessened a little, enough that he was able to open his eyes properly and take stock of his surroundings. Looking up Noct saw his father sitting to his right, tears glistening in his eyes.

“Dad?” he croaked out, coughing as the word caught in his throat. “What’s… what’s going on?” He grimaced as another stab of pain raced down his arm.

“You were injured, Noctis. Quite badly. I know you are in pain and you must have many questions, but I need for you to drink this.” Noct blinked a few times as his father wavered in out of of focus. He was holding out a bottle of medicine.

“Let’s get him sitting up a little, Your Majesty. He will be able to drink it a bit easier that way.”

Noctis glanced over to see Ignis standing beside his father, Prompto and Gladio shadowing him a few paces back. Noct allowed Ignis and his dad to prop him up against a few pillows so that his head and upper body were almost vertical. Not that he had the strength to stop them. As it were, his head kept lolling to the side as if it were too heavy for him and his eyes kept rolling in his head.

His father went to hand him the bottle, but Noctis found himself unable to grasp it. He had started trembling and there was no way he had the strength to grip the antidote tight enough. Instead the prince decided to rest against the wall and allowed Ignis to tilt his head back.

“Open your mouth, Noctis. This may cause you more pain and I am sorry in advance, but you need this, son.”

Noctis obeyed his father’s request. He was still really out of it, not entirely sure what was going on. Everything hurt. That much he was certain. If this was going to get rid of the pain, he would do whatever was asked of him.

Suddenly he was choking. While he had been away in his own thoughts, his father had started to pour the antidote into his mouth and instead of swallowing it, he had tried to inhale it. The precious liquid spilled out the sides of his mouth and his body tried to expunge the foreign substance.

“Breathe Noct!”

Wow. He hadn’t realised he had stopped. It took him a few moments to get his breathing back under control. It seemed that he must have swallowed a little of the antidote as he felt much more together and he was able to look at his father and only see one of him.

“Shall we try that again?”

Nodding, Noct let his father tip the rest of the bottle into his open mouth. This time, he was able to swallow all of it and it wasn’t long before a burning sensation spread from his abdomen and throughout his body. At first it was pleasant, but it quickly went straight into agony territory as the medicine went to work purging his body of the poison.

Regis watched as the antidote worked through his son’s body. Noctis’ eyes were screwed shut in pain as tremors wracked his body. It was hard to witness, but it was working. The jagged dark lines were starting to fade and the horrible green tinge around the wound had started to turn into a healthy, healing pink colour.

The king gripped his son’s hand tight as the prince slipped back into sleep. This time he was poison and fever free.

The tension in the room suddenly dissipated. Noctis would live another day.

“Your Majesty?”

Regis looked up from his sleeping son to see Cor and Clarus standing together, expressions serious. It was obvious the men had been talking. Something was wrong.

“I know you wish to stay with Prince Noctis, but this is important.” Clarus implored. “Cor has brought troubling news and we need to discuss what the next plan of attack is. I fear that we are no longer safe here.”

And with those words, the tension was back full force.

Chapter Text

Regis could clearly list his favourite days. Among the top five were the day he met Aulea, his coronation as King and the day Aulea said yes to becoming his Queen. However, the day that topped everything was the day Noctis was born.

It had been a long and arduous road to be graced with a child. The King and Queen had tried for several years, but Aulea had struggled to get pregnant and unfortunately even when they succeeded, the pregnancies did not last long.

Every pregnancy brought with it, fear; fear for Aulea’s health and fear for the unborn child. They never announced the pregnancies anymore, for fear of it not lasting. However, that fear slowly turned to joy and excitement once the fifth month had been passed. They started to breathe a little easier. Even so, when asked if they wanted to know the gender of the future heir, the King and Queen elected not to know. Just in case.

Their worries were unfounded. For nine months later, their precious little prince came screaming into the world, perfectly healthy. Suddenly, Regis wasn’t just a King and husband, he was something far more important.

He was a father.

Noctis was everything they could have ever hoped for. He was the picture of the royal family, with his pale skin and dark as night hair. His eyes however, were all his mother’s – a stunning, vibrant blue. He was perfect.

The prince quickly became the focal point of their lives and the King and Queen couldn’t have been happier. Auela had been granted six months leave from her Royal duties to tend to her newborn son. Regis had only been allowed two weeks, even though he had wished for many more. He did have a Kingdom to rule over, after all. Thankfully he had an amazing retinue; Clarus, Cor and the Elder Council taking up the mantel while he spent time with his wife and child.

They were also blessed with a very happy child. Noctis was an almost perfect baby; sleeping a lot of the time and very rarely cried. The only time he would protest vehemently was when he was taken from Regis’ arms. Apparently the prince was a Daddy’s boy – much to Regis’ delight!

The years passed quickly. Regis continued to govern over Insomnia and Lucis with Auela and Noctis at his side. Many times they had been asked by the public if there would be another royal child, and while they had never publicly said ‘no’, they had decided not to try for another. After speaking to many Citadel doctors, they had discovered it would be unlikely for Auela to survive another pregnancy.

Noctis was more than enough for them.

Then, when Noctis was only two years old, Auela fell ill. At first, it was just a minor sickness and she was prescribed rest and medicine. However, when she never recovered, more doctors were brought in.

Six months later, Regis held his wife in his arms as she slipped into a sleep she would not awaken from. Noctis lay beside them, staring blearily at his mother as he fought sleep, unaware of what exactly was going on.

Regis now had to raise his son alone. As soon it had been known that Auela would not survive, she had started preparing the King for the time where he would be doing it alone. But nothing she did had prepared them for the gaping hole she had left in their lives.

One of those preparations were for Noctis. Two playmates, who would eventually become his son’s most trusted men. Ignis Scientia, the almost six-year-old nephew of one of the Citadel’s councillors, would be trained to become the chamberlain and royal advisor to the prince. And Gladiolus Amicitia, at age six, would carry on his family’s legacy and become Noctis’ sworn shield. Gladio’s father, Clarus Amicitia, was one of Regis’ most trusted Crownsguard and very dear friend.

Even though there was still at least two years between Noctis and his future retinue, Regis hoped that it would not hinder them too much and an unbreakable friendship would form.

Years passed.

Noctis was five years old when the prophecy was revealed. Regis was contacted by the spirits of the old Kings of Lucis.

After thousands of years, the Crystal had found it’s Chosen King – Noctis.

Regis’ world shattered in an instant. He had pleaded with whatever deity would listen to spare his boy, to use him instead. He couldn’t lose his son. Not his precious baby boy, the child Auela and he had tried so hard to bring into this world.

His son, who was currently being force fed some soup in order to get some of his strength back. They were readying themselves to leave the safe rooms as soon as possible. Cor had revealed what he had seen and heard earlier, and both Regis and Clarus did not want to risk staying any longer.

As much as Drautos’ betrayal stung, the King knew he could not dwell on the fact. Drautos knew ever inch of the Citadel; he knew every escape plan and contingency. Unfortunately with that information in the hands of the enemy, they had to stay one step ahead.

Regis’ focus was getting his son out of the city and to Lady Lunafreya. Cor and Clarus had found that request a little strange at first, but the King had revealed why with a heavy heart. The Astrals had imparted a message through the Crystal, not long before the signing ceremony and subsequent theft.

Just two words: It’s time.

He had been dreading this moment since Noctis had first been revealed as the Chosen King. It was time for the prophecy to be fulfilled, time for Noctis to start on his journey that would rid the world of the starscourge. It was also a journey that would end in his death.

Regis needed to speak to Noctis.

Standing, Regis gripped the cane Clarus had procured for him tightly, wincing as his bad knee flared with pain as he placed weight on it. He looked over to the kitchenette are, a sad smile flicking across his face as he took in the scene before him.

Noctis was pale, but he was smiling. His blonde-haired friend was gesticulating wildly at the prince and his Crownsguard, obviously recounting some wild story that required the use of demonstrations. The four of them burst out laughing as Prompto managed to slip and fall backwards onto the floor. He was unharmed, but Regis could see the red of embarrassment scattered across his cheeks.

“I’m sorry to have to break up this riveting story-telling time, but I must speak with my son before we depart.” Regis felt bad for interrupting the four friends, knowing that there wouldn’t be much time for laughter in the coming weeks.

Noctis looked up from Prompto’s splayed form on the ground when his father spoke and spotted the King standing only a short distance away.

His dad needed to speak with him? While the King had spoken with Clarus and Cor, Noct had been brought up to date with everything that had happened since his collapse in the conference room. It was hard to believe that the Crystal was gone… that the Empire had successfully infiltrated Insomnia and brought down the Wall. There was no telling what their enemy would do now. Would they storm the rest of the city with their ships? Or wait for nightfall and let the daemons do the work for them?

Noct had never been more angry in his life. He wanted the Empire to pay for what they had done.

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Ignis’ voice roused Noct out of his thoughts. “Would you like us to vacate so you can have some privacy?”

“No,” his dad replied as Noct glanced up at him. “That is not necessary. We shall move to the bedroom.”

It was a serious talk then.

Noct nodded before hauling himself to his feet, blinking a couple of times as the world swayed around him. Even though the poison was gone, the whole ordeal had left him weak and struggling.

A hand on his arm steadied him and Noct flashed Gladio a small smile in thanks before following the limping form of his father into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

“What’s up, Dad?” Noctis asked before flopping onto the bed face down, relishing the feel of the cool pillow against his somewhat still feverish skin. Taking in a deep breath, the prince rolled over before pushing himself into a sitting position, back pressed against the wall. His father had lowered himself into the plush armchair placed next to the bed. “Is everything okay?” a pause. “I mean, apart from the obvious...”

The exchange was rather informal, but it had always been that way ever since Noct was a kid. Regis had always specified that behind closed doors there was no need for any kind of formality. He wasn’t just the king, he was also his father.

Noct watched his father inhale deeply, his posture tense. “There are a few things I must tell you before we leave the Citadel, Noctis. Some of them will not be easy to hear and I wish I did not have to say them.”

Well that wasn’t foreboding at all.

“Okay?” Noct shifted slightly on the bed, pushing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs. “So what is it?”

His father seemed to be preparing himself on what to say and it was making Noctis really nervous.

“You are aware of the prophecy of the Chosen King?”

“Yeah,” Noct replied. “Luna told me about it when we were in Tenebrae. Apparently I’m some Chosen King who will help rid the world of the Starscourge? She didn’t tell me how exactly to do that though.”

“Luna told you correctly,” Regis confirmed. “For thousands of years the Lucis Caelum family has ruled over Lucis and protected the Crystal – gifted to our family by the Astrals so many years ago. Before this, there was a plague that ravaged our planet, one of darkness. It caused sickness and death all over, in the form of a plague and the appearance of daemons. It is known in this day and age as Starscourge.”

Noct knew most of this already, as it was general history reading for the Royal Family. He and Ignis (well, mainly Ignis) had gone through almost every book in the Citadel library after he had found out about the Chosen King, trying to find out as much as possible.

“A prophecy came with the Crystal,” Regis continued on, his voice low and solemn, “one that spoke of a King who would rid the world of the Starscourge once and for all. No one knew who this Chosen King would be, until it was shown to me through a vision when you were five years old. The Astrals had finally picked a King – you.”

Okay so he was some Chosen King, that much he knew. But he still didn’t know how he was supposed to do that.

“Yeah, so the Astrals chose me. But why? And how am I supposed to do it? They didn’t give you an instruction manual with the vision did they?” Noctis was also a little apprehensive as to why his father was finally talking to him about this now.

He watched as his father fought not to grin, and lost. “No, I’m sorry son, there was no instruction manual I’m afraid,” he said with a laugh. The laughter was infectious and before he knew it, Noct was chuckling away too. For a moment it was like time had slid to a standstill and they could just enjoy the time together.

Their laughter tapered off and the room slipped into silence. Noct could hear the muffled voices of his friends coming from the other room.

“Dad… why are you telling me all this now?”

Regis clasped his hands together in front of him to try and stave off the trembling. He let out a shaky breath. “With Insomnia, and Lucis, in open war right now, a lot of things could go wrong.” He locked eyes with his son, trying to get the courage to say what he needed to.

“There is a chance I may not make it through his, son-”

Noct jerked upright, eyes wide. No… “Dad!”

Regis help up a hand to halt his words. “Listen to me Noctis. I am no longer young; I am old and weakening and even with the magic from the Crystal, I am not as strong as I wish to be.” Biting back a wince, the King pushed himself up from the chair and limped over to the bed. He motioned for Noctis to come forward and as his son moved to the edge of the bed, his legs hanging over the side, Regis knelt.

He took his son’s hand in his own. “The only thing that matters is your safety. If I am to die so you are safe, so be it.”

The prince had always known that one day his father would die, but to hear that it could happen so soon…

Tears started to build in Noct’s eyes. “But why?” he croaked, “Why do I matter more than you?”

“A child is always more important to a parent. You will always come first, Noctis.”

It was time for the truth.

“There is another reason,” Regis continued, fighting back his own tears as he looked upon the man his son had become. “Just before the signing ceremony, I went to the Crystal and was given some information about your role as the Chosen King. You are to meet with Lady Lunafreya and with her at your side, you will forge covenants with the Astrals. The added power will aid you in your quest to abolish the Starscourge.”

The tears started to fall.

“Dad?”

“I am so sorry my son,” his dad cried. “’The King of Kings shall be granted the power to banish the darkness, but the blood price must be paid. Many sacrificed all for the King; so must the King sacrifice himself for all.’”

Noctis found it hard to breathe. Did that mean what he thought it meant? His dad was fully crying now, tears running down his cheeks in streams. Noct found his own tears start to fall, breaths coming in heaving gasps as the enormity of what his father had just said started to sink in.  

Arms suddenly wrapped around Noct and he found himself engulfed in an embrace. Noct gave into the hug and sobbed into his dad’s shoulder, all while Regis whispered ‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry’ over and over again in his ear.

To save the world, I have to die?

Chapter Text

Cor watched as his King and Prince disappeared into the bedroom, the door shutting with a resounding click. He wasn’t privy to what they were going to talk about, but he knew it was serious. The Crownsguard Marshal hoped the royals didn’t take too long though, as they really did need to get a move on.

He glanced over at Clarus, who was putting together the last of the supplies; mainly curatives and food. All the weapons were stored in Regis’ armoury and even Noctis had his own smaller version that his friend’s weapons were in.

“We almost ready to head out?” he asked the Shield.

“Yes. Just waiting on His Majesty and Prince Noctis. I fear that we are running out of time. Regis is aware of the plan, so my thoughts are to let Gladio, Ignis and Prompto know what we are planning and they can inform the prince if Regis has not done so already.”

That sounded like a good idea to Cor. “Do you know what His Majesty wanted to talk to Noctis about? He seemed… sad.”

Clarus sighed. “No, Regis never said anything. I asked if it could wait, but he said he needed to talk to Noctis now, just in case something happened and he wasn’t able to later.”

Cor rubbed at his temple, trying to stave away the headache that had taken up residence there. “This whole thing has just been one big shit show. Damn the Empire!” he growled out, hands dropping to his sides and clenching into fists.

A hand landed on his shoulder. “I know how you feel, my friend. But we need to think with a level head right now. Anger is good in the midst of battle, not in a technical retreat.”

Taking in a few deep, calming breaths, the Marhsal nodded and started over towards where the prince’s retinue was waiting quietly.

Ignis looked up at the sound of footsteps approaching, quickly rising to his feet as the Marshal and Shield came to a stop before them.

“Am I correct in thinking we shall be moving out shortly?” The future advisor had not missed the tense conversation between the King and his men earlier. Shortly afterwards, he had asked to speak to Noctis and Clarus had started to gather supplies while glancing at the security monitors every few minutes.

“You are correct, Ignis,” the Shield confirmed. “Once His Majesty and the prince are ready, we shall be making haste towards the secondary basement where the Royal vehicles are currently stored. I take it you are aware of the position of such basement?”

Ignis nodded.

“Good,” Clarus replied. “Once we are there, Regis and Noctis will join myself and Gladio in the Regalia, while you, Prompto and Cor will take the Star of Lucis. We have marked out two routes to take, one for us, one for you, to get us out of the city as safely as possible.”

Clarus placed a map of Insomnia down on the nearby table, flattening out the crinkles with a hand before motioning for them all to take a look. Ignis quickly memorised both routes. “Are you sure it is safe for both His Highness and His Majesty to travel together? If the Empire is to find out… they could take out the royal line in one hit.”

“You certainly are an observant one,” the Shield chuckled. “Yes I did mention this to Regis earlier, but he said that Noctis must travel with him. He also mentioned that the Empire might also think the king and prince would separate for that exact reason. Keeping them together might work a little better.”

That was also a good point. Ignis had an inkling that there was more to it than that though. Not that he could blame the king, but ever since Noct had collapsed at the signing ceremony, His Majesty had stayed very close to his son. There had been a sadness in his eyes that Ignis had stopped a few times as the king sat beside his unconscious son’s bedside. Something else was going on.

“What about communication?” Gladio enquired, speaking up for the first time.

“I have several secure and encrypted phones for us to use for communication. But only to use if absolutely necessary.”

Ignis dropped his gaze back to the Insomnian map, taking in all the red crosses that signified a confirmed Imperial presence. “Are you sure taking such recognisable vehicles is a good tactic?”

“We were going to take unmarked cars, but both the Regalia and Star of Lucis are sturdier and more equipped to handle the fast pace we will need to be travelling at. The night is almost upon us, so we will also be somewhat hidden by the darkness.”

Ignis went to ask where the rendezvous point was, but stopped when the sound of the bedroom door opening echoed in the room. All of them turned towards the door as the King emerged, his eyes bloodshot and rimmed with red. He tugged haphazardly on his clothing before limping over to the fridge and grabbing out a bottle of water and dropping into a nearby chair.

Moments later Noctis stepped into the room and Ignis had to hold back a gasp at his prince’s appearance. His hair was dishevelled and standing up in every direction, as if he had been running his hands through it continuously. Noct’s face was so pale it was almost translucent, his eyes severely bloodshot and with dark marring the skin underneath them.

He was walking slowly, as if in a daze, eyes looking forward but it seemed like he wasn’t seeing anything at all.

“...Noct?”

It took a few seconds, but Noct slowly blinked a few times before turning his head towards them.

“Are you alright, Highness?” Ignis was seriously worried now. What on Eos had happened in that room to cause such a drastic change in the prince?

“I...” Noct stammered out, trying to bat away the cobwebs in his mind. He knew he was acting strange, but it wasn’t as though he’d had a lot of time to come to terms with what he’d just found out. Then again, if he didn’t pull his shit together soon, his friends would start to ask more questions and if there was one thing Noct had decided, it was that they could never find out.

“I’m fine,” he eventually answered. “I’m just tired.” That seemed like a normal response, right? He was always up for more sleep.

The look Ignis shot him made the prince think that his advisor had no way in hell bought his answer, but nothing else was said. Noct let out a breath he had been holding.

“Very well, then. Maybe you can rest once in the car once we get to the Regalia.”

Wait, the Regalia? “Are we leaving?”

“Unfortunately a change in situation has made it imperative we move, Your Highness,” Clarus answered, his expression hardening. “It has been revealed that there has been a gross betrayal amongst our most loyal subjects.”

What?

“Who?” Noct demanded.

There was a pause. “Titus Drautos, Your Highness. Cor spotted Drautos speaking with Ravus Nox Fleuret on the way back with the antidote. According to what Cor overheard, Drautos and General Glauca are one in the same…”

Noct immediately looked to his father, who confirmed the tale with a nod. Drautos was General Glauca? The same man who was in charge of his father’s Kingsglaive was also the man who attacked Tenebrae and killed Luna’s mother?

“I don’t understand. How did you not see this before now?” Noct growled, his voice rising with every word. “I trusted you to protect my father, and you let a traitor work close to him for years! It’s no wonder the Crystal was taken! They knew the entire layout and inner workings of the Citadel! My dad almost died because you couldn’t do your fucking job!” He was fully yelling by this stage, but Noct didn’t care anymore.

“Noctis Lucis Caelum!”

Noct actually jumped at the sound of his father’s enraged shout. King Regis was now on his feet, a swirl of blue magic circling around him. He was angry.

“That is not Clarus’ fault! Nor is it Cor’s, or even my own. Drautos, it so happens to be, is a master manipulator and very good at stealth. He slipped by all of us. Clarus is the King’s Shield and he shall be treated as such. You are a Prince, now act like it.”

Regis’ tone softened at the crestfallen look on his son’s face. “I know you have had a rough day, Noct.” Rough was putting it mildly, but his son did not want anyone to know, so he would respect his wishes. “Tensions are high and tempers are flaring. It may be best if we make haste. Once we are settled and safe, we shall sit down and talk – all of us – okay?”

“Okay. Sorry Dad. Sorry Clarus.”

Damn, it was like he was fifteen all over again, his emotions all out of whack. Although Noct did think he deserved some slack. It’s not every day you’re told you have to save the world, but to do that you have to die…

He looked over to where his best friends were standing, huddled together. Gladio looked furious at the news of Drautos’ betrayal. He had really looked up to the man who controlled the Kingsglaive – had even taken a few lessons from the guy.

Ignis just looked worried, his brows drawn together in concentration as no doubt no less than ten escape plans were running through his mind.

Prompto looked scared and Noct couldn’t blame him. His best friend hadn’t been brought up in this world. He had only just started training with them six months ago as Noct had pleaded with his dad to let Prompto try out for his Crownsguard.

“Nothing to apologise for, Your Highness.” Clarus bowed his head at the Prince. Stress levels were high, an outburst was accepted and pushed aside.

“Alright, if everyone is ready? I suggest we move now rather than later,” Cor said, picking up a backpack full of supplies before handing out several others to Clarus, Gladio, Regis and Ignis.

“Clarus will take point,” Cor announced. “Gladio behind him, with Regis, Noctis and Prompto in the middle, followed by Ignis and then myself bringing up the rear. No matter what happens, protect King Regis and Prince Noctis at all costs.”

Noct bristled a little at those words, but he was silence by Regis holding up a hand. “That is a sound plan, Cor. Let us leave this place.”

It took almost double the time usually took to get to the secondary basement. Noct was glad someone else was guiding the way, because he sure as hell wasn’t paying attention to the route they were taking. A couple of times they’d had to stop and hide while a patrol went past, all of them not daring a breath in case they were discovered.

As they made their way through the Citadel halls, Noct found himself paying extra attention to all the little things; paintings, statues and just the architecture in general. He wanted to remember the place he’d called ‘home’ for so many years. As they’d left the safe rooms, both he and his father had asked for moment with the portrait of his mother. Would he ever see the Citadel again? And if he did, would it even still be standing?

A terrifying roar split the air and the group skid to a halt just outside the doorway that would take them down to the basement levels. Sharing a glace with his father, Noctis strode over to a nearby window and peered outside.

It was dark outside. He couldn’t really see much as the view of the outer Citadel walls were obstructed by trees. But he could see smoke, illuminated by lights and fires, billowing into the night sky. If he listened hard enough, the terrified screams of Insomnian citizens echoed throughout the city.

Noct jerked back from the window in surprise as a huge, lumbering thing appeared in the courtyard. It was at least 20 feet tall, covered in armour and held a great, flaming red sword in one hand. The thing was roaring into the night sky and each step it took made the floor tremble.

So that was a daemon…

The only one Noctis had ever seen in person was the Marilith, 12 years prior. He knew there were different types of daemons, but never had he expected that.

“Dad?” he questioned, moving back from the window as his father and Clarus stepped forward. “What is that?”

“A daemon known as a Red Giant,” his dad answered, staring out at the monster stomping around outside. He turned to Clarus. “If the Giants have already made their way into Insomnia, we may have to take a little more care than we had planned.”

Regis turned to Noct. “Red Giants are one daemon I would avoid like a plague, Noct. They are immensely strong and have almost no weaknesses. The only thing I have found that hurts them are weapons imbued with the power of light, or the Royal Arms.”

Nodding, Noct vowed to make sure he was never in the position to have to fight those things.

“Let’s keep moving.” Cor instructed before pushing open the door and disappearing into the dimly lit stairwell. The rest of them followed. Just as the door shut with a clang behind them, an explosion rocked the Citadel. Noct had just taken a step down the stairs and lost his balance, tipping forward before being jerked back as a hand clamped tightly around his wrist. He yelped at the pain as something in his wrist was strained.

“Easy there, Highness,” a low, gravelly voice spoke from the darkness. More hands reached out and manoeuvred the prince back onto his feet. Once he was steady, Noct cradled his injured wrist to his chest and managed a small, pained smile at his shield.

“Thanks Gladio.”

A potion was thrust into his view and Noct let Ignis take his hand and break the potion over the bruised and swelling skin. Instantly the pain vanished and the swelling started to ease. The bruises would start to fade in a short while.

King Regis watched on as others helped his son. When Noct had started to fall, he had reached out to grab him, only to come up short as Gladiolus got there first. Then he had to stand back and watch as Ignis took care of his injured wrist.

He was conflicted. On one hand, Regis was upset that he was no longer the one Noctis turned to in his times of need, yet he was also very pleased. He had chosen well for his son’s retinue. They would stand by Noctis no matter what.

The rest of the trip to the basement levels was uneventful. There were no cameras in the stairwell, only on the other side of the doors on every level, so they were able to talk freely amongst themselves. Noctis was very glad Prompto was there with them. In times of stress, his best friend lost his filter and would babble about anything and everything. At the present time, he was moaning about a particular level on Kings Knight that he just couldn’t get past.

Prompto’s chatter also managed to get Noct’s mind off his imminent death for a while.

Finally, the reached the garages. Cor entered a code into the pinpad beside the door and after a series of beeps, the door swung open to reveal a large, concreted space.

The Regalia, his father’s pride and joy, was parked in the middle, black paint gleaming under the artificial lighting. Parked next to it was Noctis’ own car – The Star of Lucis. It had been a twentieth birthday present from his dad and boy did Noct love that car. It went fast.

They had only made it halfway across the garage before the floor started shaking.

“Noct!” The prince had been glancing around, trying to figure what was causing the shaking when he was suddenly pushed to the side. Seconds later, Noct found himself being herded towards the cars.

Noctis was quickly bundled into the back seat of the Regalia and Clarus yelled at him to buckle his seatbelt before pushing his father in next to him and slamming the door shut. The prince winced as an exceptionally loud bang ripped through the garage and the right side wall exploded in a shower of concrete.

The Regalia jerked once before Clarus was able to get the powerful vehicle under control and the engine roared as it took off. Noct instinctively ducked as a wave of Magitek troopers clambered through the rubble, immediately firing off shots at the retreating cars. Bullets hit the back and sides of the Regalia, pinging against the metal and one even lodged itself in the rear window. Noct was never more glad for bullet-proof glass.

Both cars sped up, travelling at almost insane speeds as they entered the tunnel that lead to the surface. Noct was glad to see his car following the Regalia, a few dents in the sides, but otherwise intact.

“Stay down please, Your Majesty!”

“Keep your head down, Noct!”

Both the Amicitia’s called out simultaneously as bullets continued to pepper the car. Noct quickly obeyed, sliding down in his seat as much as the seatbelt would allow. He reached out with his injured hand and grasped his father’s hand, gripping it tight as the Regalia slid around a corner at top speed.

And they were out in the open.

“Shit!”

Hovering above them, concealed by the dark of the night sky were three Imperial ships, only the red lights along the sides and back making them visible to them.

They kept barrelling forward. They couldn’t afford to stop. Getting out of the city (and staying alive) was the top priority.

The Regalia sped underneath the ships, before turning left at the intersection. The car with Ignis, Cor and Prompto would turn right.

Noct risked a glance out the window as they turned, just in time to see one of the Imperial ships fire a rocket at his car. The projectile headed straight for the Star of Lucis and Noct watched in horror as it swerved out of the way, the rocket slamming into the ground next to the car.

The world exploded in a fireball of red and yellow. Noct screamed as the car lost control and rolled, glass shattering as it skid across the ground on it’s roof. Seconds later, it flipped again, suddenly becoming airborne and flying through the air before slamming into a nearby building in a crumpled heap.

“NO!” he screamed again, fighting against his father’s hold as he desperately tried to escape the confines of the Regalia as it drove away. Just as the car turned another corner, Noct watched in horror as the car carrying two of his best friends exploded.

Chapter Text

Nyx Ulric motioned to his charge to stay hidden while he moved out of their current hiding spot. Explosions had been going off every few minutes in every part of the city, but this one had been particularly close and had come from in the direction of the Citadel. He crouched low and moved slowly away from the office building. A glance back showed no sign of a head of blonde hair and the soldier let out a sigh. For once the princess was going to listen.

The sound of screeching tires penetrated the air and Nyx frowned at it, wondering who on Eos was brave enough to try and escape the city by vehicle. Ever since the initial attack, Imperial dropships had started picking off any vehicles that they had spotted. An easier, and safer, option was on foot and stick to the shadows.

As it were, three dropships were hovering above one of the back entrances to the Citadel. It wasn’t one that was well known, but Nyx had been told about it only a few weeks back.

Staying low, Nyx pulled out his daggers and gripped them tight and readying himself for the inevitable battle that was about to occur. He was on a very important mission; protect Lady Lunafreya at all costs. He had been on his way back into Insomnia with Lunafreya when the Empire first attacked. She was to eventually wed the prince, joining the two countries in marriage.

Well, obviously the whole marriage was a scam… Nyx thought. The princess had not been adverse to the marriage, and from what Nyx had heard, neither was the prince.

His attention was suddenly diverted to the present time as the reason for the screeching tires became very apparent.

The King’s car, the Regalia came into view, racing along the street. It was followed by the prince’s car, the Star of Lucis. Both vehicles were being hammered by Imperial bullets.

Nyx watched in fascination and then horror as one of the Imperial ships hovering nearby took aim and fired a missile at the Star of Lucis. Gods, he hoped neither the prince or king was in that car. The car swerved at the last second and Nyx let out the breath he was holding, only to suck in another as the missile detonated. The resulting explosion sent the Star of Lucis into an uncontrolled spin. It rolled upside down, sliding the across the asphalt for a few meters before catching on something and becoming airborne.

Seconds later, it crumpled into the building and exploded.

Nyx didn’t hesitate. Sliding the daggers back into their holsters, he took off towards the crashed car, trying desperately to see if anyone had survived.

He reached the car in record time, quickly throwing open a back door and grabbing the sleeve of someone’s jacket and pulled them out of the burning wreck. A shout of pain echoed as the man hit the ground with a thud. Nyx ignored that in favour of trying to pry open the front passenger’s door. It was stuck, the metal having constricted when it hit the building.

Grunting with effort, Nyx managed to open the door far enough to peer inside to see if the occupants were breathing. He was shocked to see the driver of the car was none other than the Marshal of the Crownsguard; Cor Leonis.

Cor’s eyes were open, but he was barely conscious, head lolling to the side enough so that Nyx was able to see the large gash on his temple. Blood flowed freely down the side of his face. Other than that, Cor seemed to be unscathed.

The passenger was actually conscious and alert and it took Nyx a second to realise who it was. Ignis Scientia, the prince’s advisor and chamberlain. His glasses were askew on his face, thankfully unbroken. Pieces of glass were embedded in his cheek, most likely from the broken front windscreen. He was blinking back blood from where a particularly large shard had sliced open the skin above his right eye.

He had to hurry. Flames had started to lick at hood of the car, and Nyx wasn’t comforted at the smell of gas in the air. They were bloody lucky the entire car hadn’t gone up when the first explosion happened.

“Can you move?” he asked the two. He couldn’t open the door far enough to get in. They were going to have to climb into the back or scramble over the broken windscreen and onto the hood, which was currently slowly being engulfed in flames.

“Yes, I believe I can,” Ignis replied. “Marshal?” Cor didn’t respond, his eyes having slipped closed. Damn it. At first glance it looked very much like a concussion.

“Hey! Ignis! Cor!”

Nyx started at the loud shout coming from the other side of the car. Cor jumped slightly, having forgotten about the guy he’d pulled from the back seat first. He straightened up, looking over the roof to see a young blonde man sprawled on the ground and trying desperately to get up.

“They’re okay, kid!”

He turned back to the front seat as Ignis unclipped his seatbelt, wincing as he twisted his body sideways so he could wrench his legs out from where they were currently trapped. “I’m going to need some assistance in getting the Marshal out. If you wouldn’t mind?”

There was a slight pause as Ignis caught his breath. “Prompto!” he called out, “are you alright?

Prompto – that was the kid’s name. Wasn’t he the prince’s best friend?

“Yeah I’m okay!”

“I can’t get your door open. It’s either climb through to the back or try and get the Marshal’s door open,” Nyx explained. He glanced anxiously at the flames. “And we have to hurry.”

Ignis nodded, “Alright. I need you to break the glass on the driver’s side door. I will attempt to free the Marshal and then manoeuvre him out the window.”

Nyx rounded the back of the car, ripping off his jacket as he went and wrapping it around his hand before slamming his fist into the glass.

Instantly the glass shattered (Nyx was surprised it hadn’t broken in the crash) and brushed away any shards. Inside the car, Ignis summoned a dagger, the sharp weapon appearing inhis hand in a shower of crystalline sparks. The royal advisor quickly slashed at the seatbelt holding Cor in place before leaning in, wrapping his arms around Cor’s and started to haul the man out of the car.

Thinking quickly, Nyx slid through the window into the front seat and helped untangle Cor from the mess that was his side of the car. He had to tug at his legs a bit to get them free from under the destroyed dash. It would have been much easier had the steering wheel not been in the way.

“Is… is he okay?” the blonde kid – Prompto – asked as they finally got the Marshal out and lay him on the ground.

Nyx didn’t honestly know the answer to that question. At a quick glance, Cor definitely had a head injury. A mild concussion by the looks of it. But there could be some internal injuries they weren’t aware of.

Now that the three of them were safely out of the car, Nyx turned his attention to his surroundings. Surprisingly the Imperial ships had vanished from the airspace around them. Unease swept over him as the Glaive figured that they had gone after the Regalia, which no doubt housed the King and Prince.

“Here,” a voice sounded from his right. Nyx turned to see Ignis standing there, a potion in his outstretched hand. Beneath the blood drying on his face, the wounds had started to knit back together. Behind Ignis, Prompto was helping Cor to his feet, the older man wavering slightly before straightening. “You have several lacerations on your arms.”

Oh. Nyx took the potion cracked the bottle over his arms, watching as the healing magic washed over him and closed the wounds.

The car was engulfed in flames by this stage. Maybe another reason the Imperial ships left was because they thought the occupants of the car were dead. Surely if Nyx hadn’t acted so quickly… he shuddered at the thought.

The Glaive turned to Cor. “Sir!”

“Soldier,” Cor returned. “What are you doing here? I was under the impression most of the Kingsglaive were out at Insomnia’s border.”

“I was, Sir,” Nyx replied. “But at the last minute I was tasked with another mission...” he trailed off.

Shit. He had completely forgotten that his ‘mission’ was currently hiding away in a nearby building. She was going to kill him.

Cor’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “And what mission was that? Who gave you the order?”

“I took on the mission myself. I thought the prince would appreciate that his bride-to-be was safe.”

Several pairs of eyes widened. 

“Lady Lunafreya is here, in Insomnia?” Ignis asked, aghast.

Nyx nodded. “I found her wandering outside the city limits. She was captured on her way to Altissia and brought to Insomnia with the Imperial Army. Don’t know why. I was bringing the princess to the Citadel and to the king and prince when I heard the explosions. She’s staying hidden in a building over there.”

“Alright then,” Cor said, walking towards the building as he processed everything he had just been told. They needed to proceed with the original plan, even though they were minus a vehicle. “We will collect Lady Lunafreya and make our way to the rendezvous point. It… might just take a little longer than originally planned. Thankfully the phone survived the crash, so I will make a call to His Majesty to let them know we are all in one piece and update them on our revised plans.”

Prompto, still trying to get over the shock of the crash, stared blindly ahead. He was already desperately trying to process everything that had just happened, and to now find out that Luna was in Insomnia? It was almost too much.

“-okay?” He snapped his head up at the words, not realising that everyone was now staring in his direction.

“Huh?”

Cor’s lips pursed into a harsh line as he let his eyes take in the kid’s appearance. It was obvious that he wasn’t handling everything well. His blonde hair was a mess, sticking up in every direction, no doubt due to the amount of gel he used. Dark bags hung beneath glazed and weary blue eyes, his face covered in dirt, bruises and dried blood. It wasn’t until he looked closer that he noticed the trembling though.

“Are you okay?” he asked again, pleased when blue eyes tracked in his direction. Reaching out, he placed a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “I know this has been tough, kid. But we’ve got to keep going.”

“Y-yeah,” Prompto stammered, a hand snaking up to rub at the back of his head. He gulped back the fear bubbling up his throat. He was terrified. Adrenaline still flowed through him from the crash, but it was slowly starting to ebb away, just leaving pure fear. “I-I’m okay. Don’t worry bout me!” he finished with a grin. Just fake it till you make it… Out of all of them, he was the weakest link. He didn’t have anywhere the training Cor, Ignis and Nyx did and even Luna was the Oracle. But he wanted to be strong for Noct…

“Nyx!”

Prompto jumped as a very feminine voice echoed out of the darkness. He stared ahead at the building entrance hey were currently standing in front of. How had they got there so fast? Man, he really needed to keep track of these things…

His thoughts stalled as the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on appeared before him like an angel. The angel was dressed in a white dress with black and silver embellishments. Several tears adorned the material, and dirt stained parts of the white dress dark. Her pale blonde hair was tied in an intricate hairdo, with a few strands of hair falling out in disarray. Pale skin was covered in dirt and a few bruises. She was a mess, but even with all that…

“Luna!”

Lady Lunafreya…

Prompto had wanted to meet Lunafreya ever since he had rescued her dog Tiny – Pryna – all those years ago. He owed her so much, as she was the one who finally gave him the confidence to do something about his body insecurities and if it weren’t for her, he never would have befriended Noctis.

Nyx raced up to Luna, giving her a look over to make sure she wasn’t injured in any way. Once he had determined she was okay, he turned to the others.

“Guys, meet the Princess Lunafreya of Tenebrae. Luna, this is Cor the Immortal, Marshal of His Majesty’s Crownsguard.” His hand motioned to each person as he introduced them. “This is Ignis Scientia, Prince Noctis’ chamberlain and royal advisor. And this is-”

“Prompto!” Luna cut in, eyes sparkling with delight.

Prompto startled. She knew who he was? The next thing he knew, arms were wrapping around him in a tight hug and he stiffened at the sudden physical contact beforeforcing himself to relax and enjoy the embrace. Prompto let his eyes slide close as Luna whispered in his ear.

“I am so glad I finally get to meet you, Prompto.”

“Me too,” he murmured back, pulling out of the hug to stare into Luna’s amazingly blue eyes. She was so pretty. Noct was lucky to have such a gorgeous bride-to-be!

“As much as this is heart warming, we really do need to get a move on. I’ll call His Majesty and update him on the situation and then we will head to the rendezvous point.”

Prompto looked over at Cor, who was standing next to Nyx and Ignis. In the dim lighting, he could see that they were all smiling.

“Heh, sorry bout that!” he apologised, cheeks burning with embarrassment. “Ready to go when you are!”

Luna’s hand slipped into his own and she flashed him a dazzling smile as they started off into the darkness. “Let’s go find Noctis!”

Noct continued to yell as the Regalia turned the corner and he was no longer able to see the fiery crash that had possibly claimed his friend’s lives. He blinked and tears slipped free, sliding down his face and wiping away the dust and dirt in tracks.

The king watched as all fight left his son and he slumped back down in his seat. His head was bowed, hair falling into his eyes and clenched fists rested on his knees. Regis reached over and pulled his son into an embrace, gripping him tight as his body shook with sobs.

He didn’t know whether the tears were for his friends in the other car, his recently discovered destiny or a little of both. The reason didn’t matter. He just had to be there for his son.

The two Amicitia’s in the front were silent as the king comforted the prince in the back. Gladio looked to his father, noting the tense purse of his lips as he drove through the darkened streets. They could still make out fires from the Citadel in the rear-view mirror and smoke billowed from several buildings. Roars and screams occasionally sliced through the air, the daemons still wrecking havoc around the large city.

Even though they had passed the initial blockade and surprisingly hadn’t been followed, it didn’t mean they were out of danger yet. The Imperial ships had a way of showing up at the most inconvenient times.

The sudden blaring of a phone’s ringtone sounded through the silent car.

Gladio almost jumped out of his seat, cursing himself inwardly as he watched his father calmly pull the phone out of his pocket and place it in the holder on the dash, pressing the ‘answer’ key and turning the speaker phone on.

“Clarus?”

It was Cor.

In the back seat, Noctis shot upright, eyes wide as the Marshal’s voice came through the speaker.

“Cor,” Clarus replied. “Are you alright? Are the others okay?” He glanced in the rear view mirror to see Noct staring at the phone. His eyes were bloodshot.

“Yeah, we all made it out okay. Thanks to Nyx.”

Noctis didn’t even hear the last part. Ignis and Prompto were okay!He felt a couple of tears slip down his cheek, this time in happiness.

“Nyx? What’s he doing near the Citadel? He was on border control the last I heard of him,” Clarus was saying as Noct tuned back in.

“He was. Apparently he got sidetracked with another mission...” Clarus eased the car into a side street that hadn’t been blocked by rubble, putting it in park but letting the engine idle in case a quick getaway was needed.

“Another mission?” Regis enquired, interrupting the conversation. “Cor, what happened? Are the Imperial ships still around?”

“Your Majesty, I’m glad to hear you are okay.” There was a pause. “The ships disappeared not long after the car exploded… Sorry about your car, Highness.” The last part was directed at the prince.

“As long as everyone is okay, I don’t care,” Noct answered.

“Everyone is fine. Nyx was stalking out a nearby building when he heard the crash and was able to get us all out before the car was engulfed in flames. He was-”

“-protecting me.”

Noct gaped at the voice coming through the speaker and unbeknownst to him, his father mirrored the same expression.

“Luna?”

“Noctis! It is so good to hear your voice once again.”

Regis was slightly dumbfounded. The last he had heard was that Luna was isolated in Tenebrae. She was to wed Noctis at some stage, but nothing had been set in stone. Yet here she was, in Insomnia of all places.

“She was found wandering outside the Wall, having escaped a Niflheim ship,” Cor explained. “Nyx took her in and was bringing her to the Citadel to meet up with Noctis, Your Majesty.”

“I’m glad you’re safe, Luna,” came the quiet voice of the prince.

“As am I, Noctis.”

“We are without a vehicle now, so it will take us a little longer to make it to the rendezvous point I’m afraid,” Cor explained. “Your Highness, there is someone here who would like to speak to you.”

Noct frowned before reaching into the front seat and grabbing the phone off the dash. Turning the speaker function off, he brought it up to his ear.

“Highness?” Noct let out a siogh of relief. It was Ignis.

“Hey, Specs. You okay?”

“As well as can be. And before you ask, Prompto is fine. I’m sorry we don’t have much more time to speak, I just wanted to ask how you are?”

Typical Iggy. Always thinking of him, even when it was them who almost got blown up. “I… I thought you were dead,” he shuddered at the thought. “But I’m glad you aren’t.”

Ignis chuckled. “I too, am glad. We must be off now, but first-”

There was the sound of the phone being dropped. Someone cursed in the background but a few moments later-

“Noct!”

Prompto…

“Hey Prom! You okay?” Noct asked, unable to help the smile spreading across his face as his best friend spoke. They talked for a short moment before Ignis took the phone back.

“We must go now. Can you please place Clarus on? Cor wishes to speak to him. I will also give Luna your regards. She is eager to meet up with you.”

Even with the dire circumstances, Noct couldn’t help the slight blush that dusted his cheeks. “Sure, Specs. See you soon, yeah?”

“Of course, Highness.”

“Bye.”

Noct pulled the phone away from ear, closing his eyes briefly and steeling himself before handing the phone over to Clarus. “Cor wants to speak with you.”

He tuned out a little after that, leaning back against the seat, exhausted. So much had happened in such a short time. The effects of the poison were still lingering and his mind churned with the idea of his supposed destiny.

“Are you positive it was her?”

Clarus was almost in tears.

“I’m sure Clarus. Iris got out. She’s with Monica, Jared and Talcott. Nyx saw them at the Wall and managed to get them a car. They’re heading to Lestallum with other refugees. Made plans to stop off at Hammerhead to see Cid first.”

Noct had completely forgotten about the rest of Gladio’s family… He was pleased to hear Iris managed to escape Insomnia. So many people hadn’t… including Gladio’s mother. It made him wonder about Prompto and Ignis’ families. Had they made it out? If they didn’t, were they still alive?

“Thank you for letting us know Cor.”

Clarus ended the call and turned to his son. Gladio was staring at the floor, head bowed. He placed a hand on his shoulder, knowing that words were virtually useless at this stage. He glanced in the rear-view mirror at his King.

“I’m so sorry, my friend.”

The Fall of Insomnia had claimed so many lives already, and it would take many more before it was over.

Chapter Text

Regis looked over into the back seat and chuckled at the sight before him.

Noct had fallen asleep, head resting against Gladio’s shoulder, mouth open and slack in his sleep and he was snoring ever so slightly. Black strands of hair had fallen forward and obscured most of his face, Regis only able to glimpse his mouth and part of his cheekbone.

They had swapped seats not long ago, Regis wanting to speak to Clarus and Gladio was more than happy to oblige.

“He always did fall asleep when I took him for rides in his car. It was a sure fire way to get him to sleep as a baby,” he reminisced. “Auela always hated it when the Regalia was unavailable. For some reason, the other cars we had wouldn’t work the same.”

“I’m pretty sure Noct can fall asleep anywhere, Your Majesty,” Gladio countered, rolling his eyes at the sleeping prince lying against him.

“That may be so, but the Regalia has always been a fond sleeping spot for my son.” It was said with a warm smile.

They were driving through the darkened streets of Insomnia and had been for the past hour or so. Thankfully the car had not been spotted by by any Imperial patrols and it seemed like the troops had disappeared as the hour got later. No doubt to avoid unnecessary losses to daemons roaming the city streets.

A bout of luck had also meant they had not run into many daemons at all either and the ones they had encountered had been the low-level type, like goblins or imps. Clarus had chosen the route well.

Noctis had fallen asleep only twenty minutes into the ride, no doubt exhausted by the days events. The fact that he had confirmation of both his friend’s and Luna’s safety would have relaxed his son enough to sleep. They also had to remember that the prince was still recovering from the earlier poisoning.

Regis ran a hand through his dishevelled hair in an attempt to tame it. It seemed crazy that it had all begun less than twenty four hours previous. So much had happened.

“It looks like the sun will be rising soon,” Clarus’ voice broke through the King’s musings. His Shield glanced at the watch strapped to his wrist. “It’s almost four AM so I would hazard a guess that the daemons will be retreating very soon and we’ll only have the Empire to evade.”

“That will be one less thing for us to worry about then,” he said with a half grin. “Although I must admit, it was somewhat nice to be apart of the action once again… Reminds me of our younger days, travelling around Lucis.” He aimed the last sentence at his friend.

“Back when you were a wayward teenager, Your Majesty?” Clarus joked. “Those were the simpler days!”

Gladio watched from the back seat as his father and the King joked around. Even with the dire circumstances, it was nice to hear the laughter. It helped dissipate some of the tension that had been enveloping the car. There was one person who wasn’t being affected though – the sleeping prince.

Noct was really out of it, Gladio noted as he shuffled a little in his seat to ease the ache from staying in one position for too long.

He took that moment to give his prince a once-over. Noct was pale, not alarmingly so, like earlier, but still more grey than was healthy. His hair, skin and clothes were all covered in a fine layer of dust and there were patches of blood splattered all over.

Gladio managed to lean over and peel apart the tattered edges of his shirt sleeve, unravelling the bandage wrapped around his arm and peering at the healing would underneath.

It didn’t look too bad.

The antidote had cured the poison, and the potions had healed what they could, but the fact he had gone so long without treatment meant they weren’t able to work as well as they should have. The wound had mostly closed, any indication poison gone, but there was still a slight redness around the cut. It would take a little longer to fully heal.

Hopefully it wouldn’t scar.

“How is he?”

Gladio jerked upright, almost dislodging Noctis from his shoulder. He managed to catch him before he fell sideways onto the floor. Amazingly, Noct managed to stay asleep.

“He’s exhausted, Your Majesty.” Then again, they all were. It had been a long day… “The wound is healing nicely though,” he added.

The King let out a sigh. “I fear we are all becoming weary, Gladiolus. Unfortunately it seems as though it will be quite some time before we are able to rest comfortably.”

“I’ll rest when Noctis is safe, Your Majesty,” Gladio implored. That was his job. Protect the Prince at all costs, even with his life if need be. He was technically resting right now, so if they ran into trouble, he would be able to fight at his full potential.

Regis had to really hold back from rolling his eyes Gladiolus was just like his father.

The ringing of a phone interrupted the otherwise silent car. Gladio carefully fixed the dressing on Noct’s arm while Clarus spoke to whoever was on the other end of the phone.

After a few muffled grunts and single words, Clarus hung up, carefully handing the phone over to the King so he could keep an eye on the roads.

“That was Cor,” he explained. “The others have managed to get another vehicle and will meet us at the original rendezvous point. They ran into a few daemons, but apparently a technique used by His Highness’ friend helped immensely and they are unharmed.”

“Prompto?” Gladio blinked, surprised. “That spindly kid? I know he’s been training hard, but to take on daemons?”

Clarus laughed at the indignation in his son’s voice. “Cor was saying they managed to utilise the guns Prompto wields to create a sort of ‘flare bullet’ that temporarily startles daemons and tricks them into thinking the sun was risen.”

“Holy shit!” exclaimed Gladio, and then quickly realised who’s presence he was currently in. “Ah… sorry, Your Majesty.”

Regis chuckled at the stammered apology. “It is quite alright, Gladiolus. No need to apologise. I too, had the same thought.” He turned to his Shield. “That is a rather ingenious use of bullets. I dare say we should look into that more thoroughly when the time is right.”

“Agreed. They will come in extremely handy now that the Wall has come down.”

That statement killed the conversation very quickly. It would take some time to get used to the fact that the Wall no longer protected the crown city. Gladio hoped that it wouldn’t take long to retrieve the Crystal from the bastard Niff’s and provide Insomnia with it’s protection once more.

But… was it really fair? Yes they had enjoyed the protection of the Crystal for so long, but at the expense of the King’s life. Gladiolus glanced down at the sleeping prince lying limp across his lap. Was it fair to subject Noctis to the same fate?

“Your Majesty,” Clarus spoke, his voice quiet. Gladio looked up from Noct, only to lock eyes with the King, who was looking at his son with an expression the Shield couldn’t quite decipher.

Both of them looked out the front window as Clarus pointed something out.

There, visible on the horizon, was the top of the Old Wall. And above that, the beginnings of the dawn.

Regis let out a sigh of relief. They were far from safe, but the goal was in sight. With the rising sun, the daemons would disappear and with them gone, it would make traversing through the ruined city just that little bit easier.

Although, as the sunlight hit Insomnia, it was much clearer to see the damage that had been ravaged in the night. Both daemons and the Empire alike had done significant damage and Regis ached at the sight of his ruined city.

In the light of dawn, they saw glimpses of bodies lying prone in the streets. Many were half buried among the rubble, but more often than not they were left lying in the open for the creatures to pick at. Regis had to fight back tears as they passed the partly buried body of a woman, her hair the colour of blood splayed out on the dusty and debris covered ground. In her arms lay a small child, only a few months old by the looks of it. Both the parent and the child had the pallid, grey tinge to the skin that only the dead managed.

Regis glanced once more into the back seat, staring at the sleeping face of his son and couldn’t help but remember how Noctis had looked when he was just a child.

“Clarus. Stop.”

His Shield shot him a look before sighing and obliging. He slowed and pulled the Regalia over to the side of the road, but did not turn the engine off.

“Your Majesty...”

“I know,” Regis replied. This was probably not the safest thing to do, but he couldn’t just leave them.

Clarus sighed again. “Of course, Your Majesty. Shall we?” He turned to his son. “Gladio, stay in the car with Noctis. We have something to take care of quickly.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes. Nothing to worry about. His Majesty just wishes to pay his respects.”

Noting the sombre tone, Gladio nodded. He had seen the woman and her child as they drove past. He glanced at the prince asleep on his shoulder. “Just make it quick? I know daylight is coming, but I still don’t like him being out in the open like this.”

Clarus shot a look at his King before turning back to his son. “You and me both son, you and me both.”

Regis slowly made his way over to the fallen building, ambling over the larger pieces of debris that were scattered over the ground. Wincing as his bad knee twinged with the strain of navigating the uneven terrain. The Empire had hit this part of the city hard.

“We must not stay long, Regis. There are those that are still living that require our help.”

“I know, Clarus,” he replied, bending down to kneel in front of the fallen woman and her child. The king reached over and gently pulled the eyelids down over death-glazed eyes.

“I’m sorry, my friend. Chantelle was an amazing woman and I know she will be missed dearly.”

Regis knew the pain of losing the woman you loved. It was not something he would wish upon anyone, less his closest and most trusted friend. Clarus had revealed a year before that they had unofficially separated, but she had stayed around for Iris and Gladio. The toll of never seeing her husband had proven to be too much and when Gladio had formally joined the Crownsguard, she’d had enough.

“Even though we hadn’t been together for a while, I still loved her. I know she still loved me too. With her spending so much time outside the Crown City for her work and research, we could almost pretend that nothing had changed.”

Taking one last look at the bodies before him, Regis sent out a silent prayer to the Astrals so that their souls may pass on peacefully. He hoped they helped them more in death than they did in life.

He placed a hand on the rock beside him and started the arduous task of getting to his feet. Regis managed to get halfway before the pain in his knee forced him to stop.

“Clarus,” he said with his teeth clenched against the pain. Immediately a hand appeared by his face and Regis did not hesitate to grab it and let his Shield help him the rest of the way to his feet.

Together they shuffled back to where the Regalia waited. In the morning light, Regis could see the damage that been inflicted on the vehicle. Multiple scratches covered the black paintwork and as they got closer, he could see several large dents pushing the metal inwards. There was even a large crack on the back seat window that looked ready to shatter at the slightest pressure.

Noctis stirred as the sound of a car door shutting filtered through his dreams. He soon became aware that he was leaning against a warm, moving thing instead of what would normally be the cool leather that was common in Royal Fleet cars.

“You awake, Sleeping Beauty?”

Gladio?

Noct forced his eyes open, confusing wracking his brain as to why on Eos he had fallen asleep on Gladio. He blinked, trying to clear the sleep from his eyes and stared up blearily at his Shield.

“Ugh,” he moaned, shifting in his seat as he lifted his head off Gladio’s shoulder. His entire body ached. But none hurt more than his arm. Taking a quick glance at it, Noct saw the dirty, bloodied bandage wrapped around his upper arm. When had he been hurt?

Frowning, the prince shifted to sit upright in his seat and found himself staring at his father.

“Dad?”

Everything came rushing back.

“Oh gods...” he breathed, eyes wide. “Is everyone okay? What happened? How long have I been asleep?”

–

“How are you feeling, my son?”

Noct glanced over at his dad, who had turned in his seat and was peering into the back, concerned.

His dad looked wrecked. Pale skin covered with patches of dirt and several scrapes. The lines on his face seemed deeper than usual and his eyes were weary.

“I… I think I’m okay.” Noct paused to give himself a once-over.

Bandaged arm where one of the Niff soldiers had managed to slice (and subsequently poison) him, headache no doubt from the resulting poisoning and injuries he had sustained escaping the Citadel.

“I mean, I’ve felt better, but considering the circumstances I’m okay,” he said with a small smile. “At least I’m alive.”

“Indeed you are, Noctis. And we are all very glad to see that you are awake and feeling better.”

“Ditto,” Gladio interjected from beside him. Noct looked over to his Shield.

“Thanks Gladio.”

That earned him a smirk. “Well, anything for you Princess.”

Noct squirmed out from under Gladio as he leant over and ruffled his hair. “Gladio! Stop!” he laughed, battering back at his hand and pushing his shield away from him.

“Alright you two,” Clarus spoke from the drivers seat, sending a warning glance through the rear-view mirror. “I’m glad to see you awake again, Your Highness. We need to keep moving however. The rendezvous point is not too far away, but we still need to proceed with the utmost caution and that includes keeping unnecessary noise to a minimum.”

“Sorry Clarus,” Noct apologised, the moment of fun over. “Let’s get moving then. We don’t want to keep the others waiting.

–

They made it to the rendezvous point without any more hassle, much to all of their surprise. Clarus and Gladio exited the Regalia first; Gladio scoping out the area to make sire it was safe, while Clarus stood guard over the King and Prince.

The two royals were left to their privacy.

“So, truthfully, how are you Noct?”

“I…” he honestly didn’t know. The last twenty-four hours had been earth-shattering to say the least. First the Empire had broken the treaty before it had even been signed and attacked, he’d been poisoned and then his destiny had been revealed. There had been barely any time to process one of those things, let alone it all.

“I don’t know,” Noct admitted. “So much has happened… I feel okay physically I guess, but Dad, how do I tell the guys about my so-called destiny? Do I tell them?”

Regis sighed. “What you tell your comrades, only you can decide.”

“Yeah,” Noct breathed. “But what would you do, Dad? I don’t think they would take it very well. Gods, I don’t think I’m taking it very well.”

Noct scratched idly at the bandage on his arm, his head bowed as the tears came to his eyes.

“Dad… what are we going to do? The Crystal has been taken and our home is gone. I’m a Prince. I know I’m supposed to be strong for the people of Lucis, but I’m scared and I don’t know what to do!”

“Noctis,” his father spoke quietly, breaking through his rambling. “Listen well my son.”

Noct blinked back the tears and looked up at his father.

“All your life,” Regis continued,” all I have wanted to do was protect you; whether it be from daemons, bullies or a nightmare. I could wish for nothing more than to be able to protect you for the rest of your days.” A pause. “Unfortunately, as dictated by the prophecy, it is something I cannot do.

“What the Empire has done this day is nothing but an act of war. They have deceived us for far too long and I have no doubt that they will pay for what they have done to our home and to our people. But do not let that distract you from your calling, my precious son. The timing is unfortunate at best, but you must go on. The darkness must be purged and as the Chosen King, you are the only one who can accomplish this task.”

“But what about the Crystal?” Noct interjected. “What about Insomnia? What about taking our home back?”

“You just let me deal with that, Noct. As soon as we reconvene with others, I want you, Lady Lunafreya and your retainers to take the Regalia and leave the Crown City.”

“What? No! I won’t leave you here to die!”

Regis reached over the middle compartment and placed a hand on Noct’s shoulder.

“There is a time where a prince must rise up and take the mantle of king. The prince may not be ready, but he must accept his duty and move ever forward, never looking back.”

Noct nodded his understanding, shoulders shuddering with the effort of holding back his sobs. He knew what this was. This was a King passing the mantle. This was a father saying goodbye to his son.

A knock at the window startled the two royals out of their conversation. Noct looked to see Clarus and Gladio staring at them, and behind them were several people Noct had been itching to see for some time.

“It’s all clear. You’re safe to come out now,” Clarus said. He opened the front door to let his king out as Gladio did the same for Noct.

Once out of the restrictions of the Regalia, Noct didn’t hesitate. Before his feet had fully touched the ground, he was moving. In only seconds, Noct had enveloped his father in a tight embrace.

“I love you Dad,” he whispered into his Regis’ shoulder.

“And I love you too, my son.”

Releasing the embrace, Noct stepped back and couldn’t help the huge smile that erupted as he saw his friends standing before him – alive.

They were all dirty and dishevelled and Noct could see dried blood and several cuts adorning their skin, but they were still alive and Noctis had never been so happy. Even though he had spoken to them not that long ago, there had still been that fear that something could have happened between then and now.

“Prompto! Igyy!” he called out, taking a step forward, only to be stopped in his tracks as he was tackled by Prompto.

“Noct! Man am I glad to see you! I was so worried. But you’re here now!” It all came out in a rush and Noct struggled to get a word in over Prompto’s frantic words.

Laughing, Noct pulled himself out of Prompto’s octopus hold, wincing slightly as the cut on his arm pulled. “Settle down blondie,” he said with a smile, holding his palms up in a stopping motion, “I’m okay. I’m glad you’re okay too.”

“Your Highness.”

Noct looked over to see Ignis standing a few feet from Prompto, clearly giving the two friends some space to catch up.

“Iggy...” he breathed. The older man looked a wreck, but he was still standing tall and dignified as always.

“I... I am very glad to see that you are well... Noct,” Ignis replied while moving closer, his steps a little unsure.

Noctis blinked back tears. Ignis was always very proper and very rarely called him anything other than ‘Highness’ or ‘Noctis’. For some reason, hearing the nickname coming from him at this time, really meant something to Noct.

“Heya Specs. I’m really glad to see you’re okay too.” He quickly moved forward and wrapped Ignis in an embrace, quick enough that the chamberlain couldn’t stop him.

So caught up in the moment of seeing his closest and dearest friends, Noct had momentarily forgotten about one other very important Princess that he had been very excited to meet up with again.

Standing back in the shadows, was Lunafreya. She watched as Gladio approached and Prince and his retinue and in moments they were all smiling and chatting quietly in between each other.

She made her way over to where the King was taking a moment to be by himself.

“Your Majesty.”

Luna bowed her head at the King standing before her. It had been years since the Oracle had seen the ruler of Lucis, the last image being as she let of his hand and let him and a young Noctis escape the burning Tenebrae. She could have gone with them, but Ravus… Luna hadn’t been prepared to leave her brother in the hands of the Empire, alone.

King Regis had not aged well, that much she could ascertain. Keeping the New Wall up was quite clearly taking a toll on the monarch, his hair now completely grey and new lines marked his handsome face. The cane he always had by his side spoke volumes to his deteriorating health, as did the bulky brace on his knee. Luna couldn’t help but feel sadness for the man. After literally giving up his life in order to protect the citizens of Insomnia, the treaty he had placed his faith in had gone so horribly wrong. It was as though the last ten years had meant nothing.

Even with his visibly deteriorating health, King Regis was still a picture of great strength. The man let his face betray nothing. He had to be under great stress, but after keeping a watch over him for several hours, the only emotions Luna had seen flicker across his stoic features were a slight measure of anger when more bad reports came in, and love; love when he looked at Noctis.

The King seemed to drink in the sight of his son, eyes roaming over every inch of Noct as if he was committing the prince to memory. Which Luna was sure he was doing.

“Lady Lunafreya,” Regis replied, bowing his head also. “What do I owe to receive such a pleasurable visit from the Oracle this day? Have you yet not spoken to Noctis? He will be delighted to see you.”

Luna smiled. “I thought we should speak first. I wish to allow him time with his friends before I speak to him. A few more minutes will not matter. There are also many things we must talk about,” she trailed off, hoping the King was able to read between the lines.

He was.

This was going to be a very difficult conversation, of that much Luna was certain.

Regis sighed as he heard Lunafreya’s words. He had known this was coming, but that did not mean he was looking forward to it. It looked as though the Oracle was not exactly happy about the upcoming conversation as well.

“Shall we move somewhere more… private?” Luna motioned to where Noctis and his retainers were conversing.

“Of course,” Regis acknowledged. “I shall just let Clarus know of our plans. We will not be able to stray far.”

Luna watched as the King haltingly made his way over to where his own retinue was standing. Clarus and Nyx were deep in conversation and Cor was on a radio speaking to one of the few Kingsglaive and Crownsguard members that had survived the initial attack and were now stationed around the city. Regis placed a hand on Clarus’ forearm, pulling the man’s attention to him. They spoke quietly before Clarus glanced over at her, Luna replying to his gaze with a small wave. Regis nodded at her and she waited for him to make his way back over before they relocated to a quiet corner, where they were out of sight of Noctis and his friends, but still within range of Clarus and Cor should the need arise

“I ask you to forgive me in advance, Lady Lunafreya,” Regis began. “This... this conversation will not be easy for me.”

“I understand, Your Majesty,” Luna said as she sat down on the stone wall, clasping her hands together as they lay in her lap.

“Please, call me Regis,” he implored, staring down at the woman who, in a better world, would become his daughter-in-law.

“Very well then,” Luna replied. “Then you must drop the ‘Lady’ and address me as Luna or Lunafreya.”

Regis chuckled at her stubborn attitude.

“Then we are in agreement… Luna?”

“Yes, Regis, I believe we are.” It was strange to call the King of Lucis buy his given name, but she couldn’t exactly deny a King’s wishes…

“Down to business then?”

“Yes,” Luna whispered, mind racing with how to start this conversation. “I apologize for the frankness, but what - what have you told Noctis?”

“I’ve informed Noct of the bare basics… I know I should have told him the whole truth, but I just could not bear to see the look on his face… Noctis is aware of what he must do and of what the consequences will be,” Regis revealed with damp eyes. “He was understandably upset once I revealed the truth, so I decided not to continue on.”

Luna closed her eyes in despair. If there was anyone who could relate to Noctis’ state of mind, it was her. The King and the Oracle, destined to defeat the starscourge.

Neither would make it out alive.

“Noctis is not aware of my part in all of this?” she asked, gazing up at the King’s weary face. “Are you aware?”

“I am aware of what the Oracle’s part is in the Chosen King’s quest,” Regis said quietly. “The Astrals were kind enough to impart that much information. For this, I am terribly, terribly sorry Lunafreya.”

“There is no need for apologies, Your Majesty. I have been aware for quite some years what my part in all of this has been. And I am both happy and proud to stand by Noctis’ side, to help and guide him in this most troubling time. Over the years I have come to admire, even I dare say, love, Noctis. I would have been so happy to be his wife. I know now that is not possible, but it will not stray me from staying by his side.”

“Luna…” It was clear that the woman before him was a very strong individual, both in heart and body.

“Convincing the Astrals to give Noctis a chance to form a covenant will kill me,” she spoke, no waver in her voice. “My flesh will begin to fail me, as the toll is taken. I am unsure whether I will be able to endure all six, but I will not stop trying until my last breath. You have my word.”

Regis held his breath as he listened to the beautiful young lady before him pledged her life to his son.

“I have no need for your word, Lunafreya. I can already see it in your eyes. I know in my heart that you will protect my son with everything you have. My son loves you dearly, even if he is unable to properly express those feelings.” Regis paused, taking in a slow, deep breath.

“I would have loved nothing more for you to become my daughter.”

Luna smiled, tears darkening her vibrant blue eyes.

“I would have loved nothing more than to be apart of your family, Regis.”