Archive of Our Own

Noctis woke to the sensation of someone shaking and calling him. At first he thought it was Gladiolus since Gladiolus almost always woke him up in the morning - his friends claimed it was ‘safer that way’ or something - yet as he started to come around it was not Gladiolus’ strong hand on his shoulder it was a smaller lighter one. It was probably Prompto. It had to be Prompto.

“Highness, I need you to wake up.” It was not Prompto, the hand was gloved and the voice had a distinct tone, along with a unique accent. Ignis. Noctis let out a small moan as he stirred. He was lying on his stomach, head almost absorbed by the pillow, said pillow a little damp near his mouth. He blinked his eyes open only for them to close as his body and mind objected to being brought back to the waking world. Another shake and he made a louder groan and opened his eyes again. He blinked slow and heavy as his vision cleared and his eyes fell on the clock across from him.

It was eight in the morning.  It was eight. In the morning.

Noctis stared at the clock a little longer before rolling onto his back and stretching. He looked up to see Ignis waiting on him. “Ah good morning your highness. Sleep well?” He asked. Noctis stared at him for several long seconds, still trying to make sense of what was going on.

“Am I dreaming?”

“Nope. Sorry buddy but Ignis really is waking you up in the early morning.” The other voice was Prompto’s who sounded both sorry and nervous at the same time. Noctis was not a morning person. Being up before noon used to be unusual for him, and even on the road he was very groggy unless he got ten or more hours of sleep. Early bedtimes had become more common when the group hoped to get moving before the afternoon. However last night Prompto and Gladiolus had dragged the prince out to enjoy a late night event going on in Lestallum so today was ‘struggle to wake Noctis before noon’ day. Ignis was trying to be as patient as possible.

“I’m sorry to wake you but-”

“Go away.” Noctis said cutting his advisor off and rolling back onto his side.

“Yeah that’s pretty much what I expected.” He heard Gladiolus say to someone. To whom he had no idea and he did not care. “You're actually getting off easy Iggy, I say take advantage of it.”

“Highness this is important.” Ignis said touching him only for the prince to pull away, “I’m sorry to wake you so early, but we need to leave now.”

“Is the imperial army here?”

“Well, no, but-”

“Then it can wait. Prince's orders….” The prince in question yawned, his words slurring as slipped back to sleep. It was then that he felt himself be shaken again and he let out an irritated grumble as he was pulled onto his back.

“Highness I’m sorry, but believe me it is important that we return to Duscae as soon as possible.” Ignis said. “It’s a three hour drive. You can sleep in the car, nothing has stopped you before.”

“What’s so important that we have to leave at eight in the morning?” Noctis said his temper flaring up from the sleep deprivation.

“Uh oh, he’s getting grumpy.” Prompto said looking at Gladiolus. “Maybe you should have woken him up.”

“No, I like living.” Gladiolus said and Noctis gave the two a sleepy glare that went ignored as the largest of them spoke to Ignis. “Iggy I know you want to hurry back to the Astral Shard but if your theory is true Noct’s not going to be any good unless he’s well rested. Besides it’s giant rock, it’s not like it’s not going to be there later. ”

“Thank you.” Noctis said closing his eyes and finding his sprawled out position oddly comfortable. “Don’t know what you guys are talking about but one of you makes sense. Good night….morning...bed...going back to bed.”

“We need to acquire the Archaean Titan and it’s within the Astral Shard!” Ignis said louder than he had intended. He had his hand on his temples trying to keep his composure and failing. This was why Gladiolus usually woke Noctis up. “If we don’t leave now it’s possible that Niflheim could get to it before us.”

A few silent seconds followed and Noctis opened one sleepy eye. “Titan? Inside the Astral Shard?” He asked, the end of the question coming out more like a yawn than actual words. “Where’d you hear that?”

“In a mysterious facility containing vast amounts of information. You might know it as a library.” Ignis said trying to get his barrings. He took a deep breath ignoring Prompto’s chuckling. “I was doing some research last night. There’s a story where Titan reached this land when a star landed in this region eons ago. You mentioned sensing strong magic when we passed near the Astral Shard and studies have shown the rock has similar properties to a crystal. It’s quite likely that you were sensing the Archaean’s presence or something similar to what you sensed when we were searching for Ramuh.”

“It felt like Ramuh, but...different.” Noctis said closing his eyes trying to recall the feeling that went through him when they were driving near the Astral Shard. “More earthy … more … violent…” His voice trailed off as sleep took hold of him and Ignis gave him a light slap on the cheek to wake him up. He groaned and reopened his eyes.

“Well not all Archaean’s are created equal your highness.” He said and Noctis nodded in agreement. His eyes drooped again and he realized if he stayed lying down it would make for a long and frustrating conversation. He moved a little trying to sit up, his body disagreeing with him and wanting to lay down more. Ignis who was closest helped him into a sitting position. “According to the stories Titan is a powerful and influential Archaean. Also quite grumpy when woken up.”

“Sounds familiar, huh Noct?” Prompto said a grin on his face which Noctis met with a pout.

“I don’t know what your talking about.”

“Basically we want to go back and check it out, see if anything is there.” Gladiolus said. “I suggested we wait until the afternoon so you could sleep longer but Iggy wants us back in the area as soon as possible.”

“Niflheim will also be searching out Titan to use in this war.” Ignis explained. “Whether they are hoping to research it and see if it’ll help them understand Lucis’ crystal better, or they just want a powerful monster to send after their enemies, I don’t know, but best we don’t leave anything to chance.”

It took a few seconds for Noctis to process the information but when he did he nodded his blue eyes looking brighter as he woke up a little more. “Your right. We should look.” He said. “And I can sleep in the car?”

The question brought a smile to Ignis face as he put a friendly hand on Noctis shoulder. “We’ll wake you when we get there.”

“Alright, someone help me up.”

Gladiolus took the job of helping Noctis to his feet and steadying him until the room stopped spinning. After breakfast, Prompto insisted on the blueberry pancakes the hotel made, they climbed into the car. Gladiolus took the back seat with Noctis, who was already looking forward to going back to sleep and once seated curled up next to his bodyguard.

“Oh so I’m your pillow today?” Gladiolus asked not bothering to hide his amusement.

“Either you or the door and you're more comfortable.” Noctis muttered already half asleep as his mind conjured the image of Gladiolus as a large muscular pillow. He shut his eyes and felt Gladiolus put an arm around him.

“You okay if I put on some music Noct?” Prompto asked.

“Is fine.” The prince muttered not opening his eyes. Prompto grinned putting a CD into the drive. He turned up the volume, only to have Ignis turn it down take a quick glance in the rearview mirror. The prince was out cold, Ignis drove the car out of the parking lot and back onto the road.

The drive was quiet with the occasional conversation and music in the background. At some point a song Prompto really liked began playing and the blonde started singing very off key and very loud. Ignis had tried a few times to politely ask him to stop before ejecting the CD and asking him to put it away. Prompto responded by putting it back in and then turning the volume up so high it almost broke the speakers. To know one's surprise, Noctis’ nap did not last long.

The three hours went by quicker than expected thanks to music and lively conversation and before they knew it they reached the border point between the Cauthess Region and Duscae. The Astral Shard was in plain sight, still smoking as it had before a few days ago. Noctis looked up climbing a little out of his seat as he saw the smoke along with various lights only his eyes would notice. And something else, something that he was sure should not have been there.

“Whoa Noct! At least wait until we stop.” Gladiolus said but the prince took another look at the shard and frowned.

“There’s something there.”

“You sense something highness?” Ignis asked. His eyes widened as Noctis climbed further out of his seat. “Highness sit down!”

“Look there!” He said pointing up to the sky. Any protests to the prince disregarding vehicle safety fell mute when the others noticed an air carrier with Niflheim’s symbol emblazoned on the side flying overhead from the opposite direction. When they were closer to the shard Ignis pulled over to the side behind some rocks so their vehicle could not be seen. The boys climbed out of the car shutting the doors quietly and moved closer using the rock for coverage. Ignis and Gladiolus had Noctis move behind them so they could get a good look out.

There were at least two dozen magitek troupes but also two humans among them, unusual as Niflheim preferred to keep its human soldiers stationed in cities. There dress told Ignis that they were researchers and as they moved down the canyon with a few guards they were discussing something. What exactly they were discussing Ignis did not know but considering their location he had a good idea.

“Guess it’s a good thing we did come out here early.” Prompto said, “What do we do?”

“We’ll have to either wait for them to leave, or drive them away.” Ignis said. He looked among the robotic soldiers. There were far more than the group of four had faced so far. He looked behind him to Noctis who was looking out as well. “I doubt they’ll leave within the next few minutes.”

“Guess we’ll just have to fight them.” Noctis said and Ignis grabbed the boys shoulder before he could make a move.

“There’s far to many for us to handle, we’ll be overwhelmed. But with a distraction…” He thought for a second looking down at his hand and feeling the rubber material against his fingers. “Most magitek soldier’s are poorly made. No fireproofing.”

“I think I know where this is going. I like it.” Noctis said a dark smirk on his face.

The plan was simple. Prompto and Gladiolus would stay in there hiding place, Noctis and Ignis would go through the path around the rocky terrain and attack the soldiers from a blind spot using fire magic. There map showed a good one around the other side of the terrain. The two started in that direction going around to avoid the soldiers. In reality Ignis would prefer Noctis stay with Gladiolus and Prompto for his own safety, but it would be easier for Noctis to summon the fire spell than for Ignis to draw it from him. It would also put less strain on Noctis’ body, using magic was already taking a lot out of him now that he was drawing from a crystal halfway across the world. The last thing he needed to do was push Noctis too far past his limits.

The two made their way down the path Ignis stopping Noctis and both clinging to the rocks as they heard footsteps. He poked his head out to see one of the magitek soldiers scouting the area in rhythmic pace. A few steps forward and then looking left then right. Apparently it was not programmed to turn around and make sure it was not being followed. “I got it.” Noctis said as he moved out from his hiding place and snuck up on the robotic soldier. It moved a few more steps and then stopped to look left then right. Then another few steps.

“Hey don’t look behind you.” He said. The robot turned around and without hesitating Noctis summoned his partisan and thrust it through the the soldier’s chest. There was a screeching sound as gears fell out of place and wires snapped and the robot made a strange noise like a gurgle was coming out of it’s throat. Noctis let the the weapon vanish and stepped back as the robot fell over. “Told you not to look behind you.” He said. Ignis shook his head and walked past, shoving Noctis along with him.

They finally reached a spot where they could see most of the ravine yet where hidden well enough by the rocks and Astral Shard's great size. Ignis could see the location that Prompto and Gladiolus were still watching the soldiers. Once he and Noctis had made the proper distraction the other two were to pick off stragglers. Ignis surveyed the area and saw a large clump of the robotic soldiers near the base of the large crystal-like meteor. Perfect.

“Highness?” Ignis said looking at him. Ignis had found their target now Noctis just needed to open the link to the crystal. The prince put a hand on the rocks to keep himself steady as he closed his eyes. Even halfway across the world he could still feel the crystal pulling at him he just needed to follow that link to draw the its power back to himself.

He willed the crystal’s power to him feeling the magic crawl through his body, twisting it into a black magic that would conjure fire. He opened his eyes and Ignis noted they had changed from their normal blue to a sharp blood red. Noctis moved a little closer and Ignis pointed out exactly where he wanted the prince to launch the spell. “Right there.” He said as Noctis got a look at the large clump of soldiers. “One strong fire spell and that should do it.”

One strong fire spell. Simple enough, but it would be at long range. He could already see Ignis ready to steady him if said powerful spell made him collapse. “Do you need to move closer your highness?”

“No, this is fine.” Noctis said, apparently Ignis had noticed his hesitation, but as long as he had someone with him he should be fine. He focused on the group feeling the magic well up in him. They would not notice anything until he released the spell and by then there would be a loud explosion and a large amount of incinerated robots. He let the spell grow drawing more magic and letting it transform from a simple fire spell to the more powerful firaga.

He was ready to let go of the spell when he heard something neither he nor Ignis wanted to hear until after the ambush. Gunshots. Then screams. Prompto’s screams. “Noctis focus!” He heard Ignis say but the prince could already feel the spell choking. He tried to concentrate again but the group of soldiers was already dispersing and when he released the spell it was much weaker than either had expected. The flames burned through the soldiers charging their bodies and causing some light damage but they were all functional. Not firaga, the spell was barely stronger than regular fire.

However for such a weak spell something felt wrong and he knew it the moment he set it off. He felt dizzy and stumbled back. Ignis caught him before he fell over. “Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah.” He said. He felt weaker than he should have, his vision spun, his stomach and chest felt tight as he felt heat spread across him. He felt Ignis lean him against the rock, the advisors voice distant as his vision blurred.

“Highness can you hear me?” Ignis said. Noctis nodded, his head still felt like it was spinning. Ignis got a good look at his eyes, then face. They were fading back to blue and he was white as a sheet. Another sound of gunshots rang out reminding him that Prompto and Gladiolus were in danger, but their first priority was Noctis’ safety. Once someone knew where that fire spell came from they would be in trouble. He grabbed Noctis arm and wrapped it over his shoulder. “We should go.”

“No.” Noctis said pulling away stumbling a little. The world had stopped spinning and while he was still pale he felt a little stronger. “We aren’t leaving without Gladio and Prom.”

“Highness-”

Noctis was not listening. He looked down the cliff and without any hesitation summoned his sword and threw it into the ground below. He felt his body became weightless as he warped to it’s location letting it vanish and reappear in his hand as he landed on the ground. His first action was to stab the silver blade through a nearby magitek soldier, the weapon getting stuck and forcing him to make it vanish and summon another weapon to bash the soldier in the head with.

With one down another caught his attention and he warped out of the way just as the magitek soldier tried to swing its axe into his shoulder. Blue light trailed off him as he dodged the attack and summoned his sword. Magitek troops were simple minded, programmed to scan areas and attack their main target regardless of their safety. So when Noctis sliced through the soldiers arm, the only thing it did was try and attack him with the other. Noctis used the sword to twist the arm into the air and thrust his blade into the robot's side.

He could not relax after just two soldiers, there were more. He looked over to see Gladiolus’ holding his own against some and Ignis was likely trying to reach them as fast as he could. Prompto was surrounded and struggling moving all over the place as he desperately tried to get a shot in between the enemies axe swings. Without hesitating Noctis threw his weapon into the back of one of the soldiers stunning it preparing for another warp.

It was halfway through the warp that his felt a sharp hot pain flash through his chest. He landed hard on the ground not even close to his target. His vision started spinning again and he curled up into a ball as he felt heat and pain spread across his him. Something was wrong, something was very wrong and he cried out desperately as he felt more pain spread through him.

“Noct!” Prompto’s voice just barely registered with him, but the sound of gunshots was louder. Prompto had gotten out of his little jam and shot a soldier a few times in the head. Noctis’ looked up to see the blonde rushing over to him. “Come on get up!”

The prince looked at his friend who raised his pistol again to shoot a soldier that had apparently been coming for him from behind. His vision blurred and blacked out for a second before coming back. Noctis moved his arm to try and get himself back to his feet. He stumbled and looked up in time to see Gladiolus finish off another magitek soldier and Ignis join the battlefield. He felt himself slip as he saw Ignis summon his knives and throw them at another soldier’s body before rushing over to him. “Highness are you alright?” He asked. He helped Noctis to his feet, the prince stumbling as his advisor held onto him. “We need to get you to safety. You look ready to collapse.”

“I’m okay…I’m…fine...” He said more to himself than to Ignis. “Move!”

He pushed Ignis out of the way and summoned his greatsword. He slammed it into the side of the approaching magitek soldier. Even as he did this one movement he felt his strength failing him. With one strong push he struck the sword straight through it’s stomach region cutting the robot in half. It was then his body had enough, he fell over and passed out, his world becoming dark.

“Highness!” Ignis was by Noctis side when he collapsed and while he shook the prince's shoulders Noctis remained unresponsive. His eyes were closed, his skin pale, and a light sheen of sweat dripped down his forehead. Gladiolus was next to him the moment he had finished off his opponent.

“Noct!” He had seen Noctis collapse too. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. He…” Ignis was at a loss of words. His mind was racing trying to come up with an answer, but he knew one thing was clear. There were far to many enemies to fight off and with Noctis unconscious they were at an even worse disadvantage. “We need to go.”

He did not need to tell Gladiolus twice, the bodyguard was already on full alert putting himself between the prince, and there enemy. “Get him back to the car, Prompto and I will cover you.”

Ignis slung Noctis’ arm over his shoulder. They boy made no noise when he did so and that worried the advisor. As quick as he could he started to carry Noctis back to the car. Prompto stayed closest to them providing some cover fire to at least slow down some of the soldiers while Gladiolus fended off any that came close to him. Slower than he would have liked he got Noctis to the car and opened the door. He laid the unconscious man on the backseat. Noctis was unbelievably pale and seemed to just curl up into himself.

He shook his thoughts away as Prompto got closer. Ignis moved to the driver's side of the vehicle to start the engine and Prompto ignored the car door altogether as he jumped into the back seat. “Time to go!” He yelled as he reloaded his gun, aimed, and fired at one of the troops just before it could hit Gladiolus in the shoulder. The larger man did not hesitate he took the opportunity to rejoin the others in the car.

Once he was seated Ignis hit the gas and the regalia sped down the road. The soldiers followed for a few seconds before even there programming made them realize that chasing after a speeding car was a fruitless chase. Still just because the magitek troops stopped moving did not mean the group of men could relax. Prompto and Gladiolus watched the back and the sky for an ambush or an air carrier overhead. It was a long and quiet drive, after more a few long minutes Prompto finally spoke.

“Okay!” He said breathing out. “That could have gone so much better!”

Ignis said nothing. He checked the car mirrors to make sure they weren’t being followed.

“What happened?” Prompto said, looking down at Noctis, “No seriously what happened?”

“Hey hey, easy there Prompto.” Gladiolus said.

“I could ask the same thing actually.” Ignis said trying and failing to hide his frustration, “I thought the plan was to wait for a distraction before attacking.”

“We got ambushed.” Gladiolus explained. “Some were scouting further away and noticed us. Prompto shot it before it could hit me.”

Ignis nodded letting the information sink in. Knowing that made him feel a little more calm, it helped piece the picture together. He kept his eyes on the road. Gladiolus meanwhile looked behind him. Noctis was still unconscious lying on his side looking like a broken rag doll. “What happened to him?” He asked. “He looks...he looks...” Gladiolus could not come up with the right phrase. Saying Noctis looked dead was the most accurate phrase he could think of but he did not want to even think of entertaining that idea. Instead he went with the other. “He looks sick.”

“I don’t know,” Ignis said, “He was fine when we were going up the trail. He started to look unwell after casting the spell.”

“Well Noctis always looks a bit off after using magic.” Prompto said. Finally sure they were not being chased after he crouched a bit lower not willing to move Noctis’ legs. “Never seen him this bad after a simple fire spell. It didn’t even look that strong.”

“We were trying to conjure a more powerful spell. It’s likely he lost most of the magic from being distracted.” Ignis said. “He could still have been worn out just from drawing the magic from the crystal. Joining the fight could over caused him to overexert himself.” The advisor sighed taking a hand off the steering wheel for a moment to readjust his glasses. “I should have been more careful.”

“You had no idea he’d pass out.” Gladiolus said. Ignis said nothing. “Iggy, you can’t know everything that will happen to Noct when he does something. We’re working with a lot of unknowns, and as hard as we’ve tried to help him, we still know next to nothing about the crystal and why it does to him what it does.” He looked behind him again at Noctis unconscious form. “What I do know is that I’ll sleep easier when he wakes up.”

“So will I.” Ignis said. “I want to look at him as soon as possible.”

“Do you want to pull over?” Prompto asked. Ignis considered it. He really did want to pull over and have Gladiolus lay Noctis on the ground so he could look at him now, but he had no idea how much distance they had from the imperial army, if a carrier was just on there toes, or if they had a good several hours until they were in danger. Thinking his options, Ignis opted to keep driving. He drove for at least an hour before he found a large clump of trees that would provide ideal coverage. Slowing down he pulled off and ordered Prompto to get the first aid kit. He did not know if he would need it or not but better safe than sorry.

No sooner did he stop the car Gladiolus got out. He opened the back door and carefully lifted Noctis out of the car. As he held him he got a good look at Noctis pale face. His face was scrunched in a way that made him look like he was in pain. Gladiolus looked at him with a strange expression, a mix of frustration and worry. He wished Noctis was awake so that he could offer him a little comfort, so the young prince would know that he was there if he needed him.

Gladiolus carried Noctis into the shade where Ignis instructed to lay him down on the grass. He did so, leaving Ignis to his work and him to keep an eye out for any monsters that might roam nearby. Prompto looked around with the bodyguard, gun still in his hand. Ignis looked Noctis over, and removed his gloves. He put a hand on the prince's forehead and pulled back. Noctis head was drenched with sweat and his breathing was harsh, his chest rising and falling roughly. Ignis reached into the first aid kit and pulled out a dry washcloth to clean Noctis’ face. Along with being pale his cheeks were flushed red. Again Ignis put a hand on Noctis’ forehead and frowned. He felt very warm.

Ignis next thought was to take Noctis’ temperature, but he stopped rummaging through the first aid kit when he heard a small groan come from the prince’s lips. His eyes flickered open before closing again, but he still made some noise. “Highness?”

Noctis let out another groan rolling onto his side his body shaking as though he were cold. He had rolled away from Ignis so the advisor had to move a little to examine him. “Highness, can you hear me?” He asked. No answer just more shaking and heavy breathing. Ignis looked up for a moment when he heard Gladiolus and Prompto approach. Noctis moved again trying to get himself on his hands and knees. He slipped on the grass and almost on instinct Ignis reached out to steady him. Gladiolus was by the prince's side in a second, hand on his shoulder. “Highness calm down.” Ignis said, “Please lie down, you aren’t well.”

Noctis seemed to hear Ignis that time but he shook his head sweat dripping down his face. “Noct, what’s wrong?” Gladiolus asked.

“Think I-” The prince started but stopped as he coughed. His face turned green and Ignis knew what to expect before it happened. He kept Noctis steady as the prince threw up. He heard Gladiolus let out a startled gasp and Prompto make a noise that sounded like the sight had freaked him out. Ignis rubbed the prince’s back hoping to help settle him and when Noctis finished, his breathing becoming more even, and his body stopped shaking as much. Once sure they had past that episode he let Gladiolus handle him, the bodyguard taking Noctis into his arms now that the boy had begun to relax.

“Feeling any better little guy?” Gladiolus said. Noctis let out a small noise and looked up at his bodyguard.

“Not little.” He muttered before resting his head against Gladiolus’ chest.

If they were in any other situation Gladiolus probably would have laughed a little at Noctis’ denial of his height. Not today, instead Gladiolus held his limp friend close as Ignis prepared himself for what he guessed would be a long few days. He looked up at Prompto who had moved several feet away and seemed to be trying to distract himself from the scene by using a tree for target practice.

 “I knew there was something off about those pancakes.” Prompto said to himself. They had moved a little further inland under the cool shade of the trees. Noctis was cuddled against Gladiolus, but had not fallen asleep. He did not seem to be completely lucid either, almost staring blankly in a daze at the grass making the occasional noise as Gladiolus rubbed his shoulder. “I mean I thought they tasted a little weird but-”

“I don’t think pancakes are the source of Noct’s problems.” Gladiolus said, “Seriously calm down and take a seat. Ignis doesn’t need two patients.”

“Sorry. I just...don’t like seeing people sick like that.” The blonde said, but he did sit down. He looked at Noctis. “You feeling any better?” He asked. Noctis made a small noise and shook his head. He was still sweating and Ignis came back from the car with a bottle of water. He unscrewed the cap and poured a little into the face cloth dampening it. He put it to Noctis forehead.

“How’s that feel?” He asked. The prince let out a content sigh.

“Good.” He said. “Feel so hot.”

“We’ll get you cooled down.” Ignis said. First though he needed to have a better idea of what he was treating. Ignis took the thermometer out of the first aid kit. “Mouth open.” He said and with great reluctance Noctis let Ignis stick the thing under his tongue. The wait for a reading was not long thankfully, and after a few long seconds the thermometer beeped telling Ignis he could take it out. He did so and Noctis rested his head against Gladiolus’ chest. Compared to him, Gladiolus felt like a large brick of ice.

Ignis frowned when he saw the numbers on the thermometer. Noctis temperature was 102.8. “You have a high fever highness.” He said. Noctis said nothing letting his eyes close.  “Are you in any pain?” He asked. Noctis nodded. “Can you tell me where?”

“Head. Chest. Stomach.”

The head hurting could be a headache and Ignis recalled how Noctis had been clutching his chest when he collapsed. “Gladio can you lie him down again? I just want to check for injuries.” In truth he had doubts he would find anything as he had not seen Noctis receive any injuries, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Gladiolus did as instructed laying Noctis back on the grass, the prince groaning as he was moved. The face cloth slid off him as he was laid on the grass and Gladiolus placed it back on Noctis’ forehead. He then moved his fingers through Noctis hair gently rubbing his scalp. The prince responded contently, a small smile managing to reach his face. “Does that feel good?” He asked.

“Yeah.” Was Noctis sleepy answer. Feeling something cool on him along with his friends comforting presence started to make him relax. Not wanting to be left out Prompto took Noctis’ hand in his.

“I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about. Just a small chill that’ll be gone in a few days.” The blonde said trying to be positive. “You try and sleep and before you know it we’ll be back in Lestallum.”

“Sleep sounds pretty good.”

“Of course it does.” Gladiolus said, “You’re practically turned it into an art form.” The comment brought a small, pained, laugh from Noctis and Ignis waited for the prince to settle down a little before pulling his shirt up. He pulled the cloth past his stomach and noticed right away that something was wrong. Noctis stomach was bright red, except for two spots that were a pasty bright white. As he looked at them he realized they were blisters. Against his better judgement, and likely because of his current disbelief, he placed a gloved hand on one of the spots. Noctis reaction was immediate, the prince cried out as he felt pain shoot through him.

“Noct!”

“Highness I am so sorry!” Ignis said removing his hand. Noctis’ eyes were shut and he was squeezing Prompto’s hand so tight the blonde looked like he was in agony. He jerked violently which only caused more pain to go through him. “Hold him steady!” At Ignis command Gladiolus put his hands on Noctis’ shoulders trying to keep the boy from moving too much but also trying not to hurt him either. It was more challenging than it looked but slowly Noctis began to settle down, his grip loosening on Prompto’s hand. The blonde pulled his hand away.

“Ow ow ow!”

“Sorry…” Noctis said his breathing shallow.

“No no it’s okay!” Prompto said. He put his good hand on Noctis’ arm. “Not your fault. Okay?”

Ignis watched as Prompto tried to soothe Noctis and keep him calm. Noctis was in a lot of pain. Pain, Ignis realized, he had inadvertently caused him and the advisor found himself looking away in shame at his poor judgement. He should have known not to do that, but the injuries presence had stunned him. He looked at them a frown on his face.

“Iggy what’s wrong?” Gladiolus’ voice brought Ignis back to reality.

Ignis was silent still not sure how to answer. He pulled Noctis shirt up higher so that he could get a good look at his chest. It was just like his stomach, red, and there were some white spots on parts of his chest, smaller than on his stomach but still present and that made Ignis groan in worry. “I’m not sure how to say this, but highness, your covered in burns.”

“Burns?” Noctis repeated and Prompto crawled over to where Ignis was looking. His eyes widened in shock.

“Whoa! Noct you look like you got sunburnt really really bad.” The blonde said. “And those white spots? Those don’t look good.”

“They’re second degree burns.” Ignis told him. Prompto bit his lip and moved away so Ignis could reach the first aid kit. He pulled out a bottle of burn gel and frowned at it’s size. There was not enough to cool the entire area. In fact the burn location was far too large to take care of properly without medical assistance.

“This needs to be treated now.” He said, “I can cool the skin and clean them to the best of my ability but we need to get you back into town. The size of your injury tells me we should take you to a healer.”

“No!” Noctis said his voice coming out much stronger than it had been during the entire conversation. Somehow Ignis was not surprised. Noctis had spent more time either being treated by healers or in the hospital than anyone his age should. He hated them. “No healers. No hospitals.”

“Highness be reasonable. We don’t have the resources to treat an injury this size.”

“Just use a potion.”

“A potion will help with any scarring or if the blisters break, but they won’t help the burn itself. If this is not treated properly you run the risk of an infection” Ignis said. He hoped that Noctis would let up but to his dismay the dark haired boy shook his head.

“No healers.” Was Noctis’ response, breathier than before as his energy began to fail him. Ignis sighed, for a second he felt he was conversing with a stubborn teenager instead of the shy young adult lying in front of him. Of all the times and all the things to be stubborn about it just had to be now and this. He heard Gladiolus try and calmly talk him into it but whether it was outright stubbornness or Noctis being so worn out he was beginning to lose reason he did not know. What he did know was this was not the time to argue.

“Alright. No healers.” Ignis said. He saw Gladiolus look at him like he was crazy. “No hospitals. I promise.” He gave the bodyguard a quick wink and upon seeing the recognition in Gladiolus’ eyes brought his attention back to Noctis. “First I need to cool the skin. Prompto get me some more water and a towel.”

The blonde did so and Ignis placed the towel at Noctis’ hipline in an attempt to keep his pants and lower body from becoming too soaked. Gladiolus kept massaging Noctis’ head and sure enough the prince’s breathing became slower and more steady. He was either asleep or very relaxed. Ignis poured water onto the burns hoping that the water would do it’s job and cool his skin. He continued to look over Noctis’ injuries as his mind worked through treatment possibilities and potential complications.

The red areas would heal in a few days with the crystals help, it was the white areas that worried him. They would take longer to go away, even longer if they broke. When the last water bottle was empty Ignis began to carefully clean the wounds. Noctis flinched a few times but it appeared he had at some point fallen asleep, to Ignis relief. When he was finished doing what he was comfortable doing he put loose bandages over the blisters worried they might break and become infected if they continued to rub against Noctis clothing. Done he pulled Noctis shirt back down and breathed out a tense sigh he had not even realized he had been holding.

He wanted to give the prince a few more peaceful moments before they moved him but the sound of a carrier over there heads told him that they were running out of time. Noctis could continue to rest in their hotel room. After they paid a visit to the healer.

Prompto’s story regarding how Noctis ended up with burns all over his chest had been so over the top and hard to follow - apparently it involved Garula tusks, Goblin poison, and something about chocobo’s  - that the nurse at the ER took them in just because ‘no one could make that up’. Ignis found himself holding back a smile as he and the nurse escorted Noctis into one of the rooms.

Speaking of Noctis, he was awake and not in a good mood upon realizing Ignis had lied to him. He cooperated since they were already at the hospital and at that point it was better to just cooperate with the healers than fight with them. He lay on his back as she checked him over and got a healer. He was hooked to an IV to get fluids in his body and keep him hydrated and given some painkillers while the healer went about checking on his burns. He spoke to Ignis about proper care and Ignis took mental notes as he watched the burns be cleaned and cared for. He winced as he saw some of the dead skin peel off. Noctis did not seem to notice or even feel it, and Ignis hoped that was just because of the painkillers and not dead nerves.

The healer finished cleaning the burns and applied an antibiotic remedy before redressing them. He suggested an overnight stay but the moment Ignis saw Noctis glare at him he knew that was not an option. “We’re close by, it won’t be too hard to come back if something is wrong.”

There would be a follow up appointment in forty-eight hours to check on the burns. Ignis had a feeling that by then the crystal would have healed them enough there would be no issues. He wrote down the necessities for caring for the burns and the healer filled out a prescription for a strong painkiller and an anti-nausea medicine. Ignis thanked the healer for his time and escorted Noctis out of the room. As they left the hospital Ignis noticed Noctis glare at him making his displeasure with the detour known.

“There that wasn’t so bad.” Gladiolus said as they walked out, a hand on the prince’s shoulder. “In and out in what? An hour? Gotta be a new record or something.”

No response but the air was tense. Prompto spoke up to relieve the tension with the first thing on his mind. “Well it’s three in the afternoon. Who wants to grab something to eat? There’s that really nice Accordian themed restaurant down the road. Oh, how about we just get some pizza? Simple!”

“I’d rather go back to the hotel and sleep.” Noctis said. He had stopped glaring finding his energy to low to stay angry at his advisor. His eyes had drooped a little and he blinked heavily even as he stood. Not only that but the thought of food made Noctis’ stomach turn on itself, he did not feel like eating.

Gladiolus put a steady hand around him so that he could lean a little. “We’ll get you back to the hotel and get dinner while you're taking a nap.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Ignis said. Noctis nodded in agreement and let his friends escort him back to the car. Ignis drove them to the hotel and once in there rooms helped Noctis lie down. He was set in an upright position with a few extra pillows to keep him elevated.

“It’s probably not going to be comfortable sleeping like this but it’s best to try.” Ignis said and Noctis shrugged.

“It’s fine. I can sleep through anything.”

Noctis closed his eyes and tried to relax letting sleep take him. It was a peaceful sleep until a sudden shot of pain through his abdomen woke him up. He groaned as he opened his eyes to find his room dark except for a dim lamp near his bed and a light from another source. He looked around to find that he was alone in the room. His head was pounding and his skin felt like it had been pricked with several needles. The sound of a tv caught his attention and he realized slowly that the adjoining door was open. Prompto was laughing and talking about how stupid something was. Careful Noctis got up putting his hand to the wall to keep balance.

He moved to the doorway and looked in. A movie was playing on the television. Gladiolus and Prompto were watching, and Ignis was reading a book. They had gotten pizza - Ignis a chicken salad - and a few other things. Prompto was the first one to notice him. “Oh hey Noct!” He said. “Sleep well?”

“Don’t know.” Noctis’ answer made Ignis put his book down and look him over. They all could see it, Noctis’ skin was as white as a sheet. “What time is it?”

“It’s seven-thirty.” Ignis said looking at the clock. “You’ve been asleep for four hours. Are you hungry?”

The thought of food made his stomach churn. “I’m not that hungry.” He said. Ignis frowned, the lack of appetite was cause for concern.

“You have not eaten anything since this morning, highness.”

“I know. I’m just not hungry” He said looking away from them for a second. His eyes fell on one of the boxes which still had half a pizza in it. He could smell it from here and it was nauseating.

“You want a slice of pizza Noct?” Prompto asked. Noctis felt his stomach turn again and covered his mouth at the sight of the food, his gag reflex hitting him. Prompto stopped what he as doing, which had been reaching for the only box that still had something in it, and shuddered. “Okay...um…” The blonde shifted uncomfortably and looked around. He closed the box and tried to think of something else that could do. There was a box of cereal on the desk. “Uh, how about some cereal? I could pour you a bowl and you can join us. We’re watching The Spirits Within.”

“Why?” His question wasn’t to the food but to the movie choice.

“One of the few films available for free.” Gladiolus said.

“It’s actually not that bad.” Prompto said. “Rough around the edges but still pretty fun.”

“If you say so.” Gladiolus said and brought his attention to Noctis. “Come on join us. Better than just standing there.”

Noctis walked over to the bed and sat down next to Gladiolus. He had seen the movie before, it usually made him fall asleep. Prompto got up and began pouring him a bowl of cereal while Ignis made his way a little closer and removed one of his gloves to put a hand on Noctis forehead. “You’re still warm.” He said. A frown crossed his face and and moved Noctis head examining the color his skin. He was not sure if it was the lighting or not but Noctis seemed almost yellow in color. “How are you feeling?”

“My head hurts.” Noctis said. Everything felt like it hurt; stomach, chest, entire body, but at the moment the worst was the head. Ignis looked concerned and stood up to get some medicine. Apparently between when he fell asleep and now the prescriptions were already filled. He opened the bottles and pulled one pill out of each. He sat down on the bed just as Prompto returned with the cereal. The blonde placed one of the bowls in Noctis’ hands. Prompto had poured himself some cereal too, so Noctis had someone to eat with.

“Well dinner time.”

The cereal was plain, but Noctis found himself hesitating to eat anything.

“You’ll need to eat something or the medication will make you feel nauseous.” Ignis said and Noctis made a small noise.

“Ironic.” He muttered. He looked up at Prompto who put a spoonful in his mouth before mimicking the gesture, though with a smaller portion. He cringed as the cereal hit his tongue. It tasted strange, like dried cardboard or something similar. He chewed and swallowed. The food felt like it dropped into his stomach like a lump. The look on his face told the others that the experience was unpleasant. He ate little more than half the bowl before finding he could not stomach it anymore. Ignis took the bowl and let it rest on the table.

“If you get hungry don’t hesitate to eat something. You need to keep your strength up.” He said. Noctis nodded knowing his advisor was very right. Maybe after a little bit he would feel less queasy and could eat a little more.

Noctis took the medicine from Ignis, swallowing the pills with some water. He let his advisor take the glass and place it on the nightstand. Content Noctis leaned back letting his head rest against one of the propped up pillows as they watched the movie. He listened as the story played out and Prompto and Ignis started debating plot holes in the film. Gladiolus told them to shut up because he could not hear, but he soon started joining them in their debates. Noctis found a weak smile cross his face as he enjoyed there company in silence.

When the movie ended Prompto beginning flicking through the list of films to look for another one. “How about Resident Evil?”

“No.” Noctis said. Zombies were the last thing he wanted to watch.

“Perhaps something less gory.” Ignis suggested. Prompto considered the suggestion and continued down the list. He frowned, it would be so much easier to find a film if they were in alphabetical order.

“Oh they have Ex Machina on here! Oh no wait nevermind, that one’s not free.” Prompto said the growled in frustration. “Why do all the films that look good have to paid for?”

“It’s how they get you. They hang the prospect of entertainment over your head and let you choose between spending five hundred gil for two hours or dying of boredom.” Gladiolus said, “It’s a dirty tactic.”

“Also a genius tactic.” Ignis said not looking up from his book. “Highness is there anything you would like to watch?”

“Mmmm….” Was Noctis’ answer as he shook his head and looked at the clock. “Probably fall asleep anyway.”

“You always fall asleep during or just after a movie. Hasn’t stopped you from suggesting them on movie night.” Prompto said. Noctis looked at him.

“You always pick the movie.”

“No I don’t.”

“The last time I picked a movie you said ‘nope we’re watching this.’”

“Noct, you picked a musical.” Prompto said and Noctis frowned before a smirk formed on his face.

“That’s a good idea.”

Prompto looked confused as Noctis took the remote from him and scrolled down the list of options. He stopped on one film and Gladiolus laughed as Prompto groaned. “Les Miserables, I want to watch that.”

“Ah not surprised. You loved that film if I remember.” Ignis said.

“Yeah, the day it came out you were practically begging us to take you to see it.” Gladiolus said. He ruffled the prince’s hair as he thought fondly of the memory. “Never thought I’d see the day where you tried to get out of bed for a midnight release.”

“Indeed. That was...quite an experience.” Ignis sounded like he was trying and failing to hide a laugh.

Noctis pouted and would have crossed his arms if it did not hurt so much to move. “I loved the play and was dying to see the film and nothing was going to stop me.”

“Minus passing out from exhaustion.”

“Look can we just watch the film?” Noctis asked pointing to the tv.

“Doesn't look free.” Prompto said. “Oh well.”

“We’ll make an exception.” Ignis said. “Go ahead highness.”

“Yes!” Noctis cheered his face brightening a bit. Prompto’s in contrast soured as he glared at the royal advisor.

“You’ll make an exception for a musical but not for Transformers?”

“If you ever get sick I’ll consider it.” Ignis said a smirk on his face as the movie started. Prompto sighed but took a seat next to Noctis.

“I hate musicals.” He muttered.

“I know.” Noctis said resting his head on him. “And I promise if you get sick I’ll sit with you and marathon all the Transformers movies if you’ll put up with this one tonight.”

“That includes actually watching them.” Prompto said. “Not sleeping through half of them.”

Noctis mentally cursed himself but did not object. “Deal.”

The film played and despite being bored out of his mind, Prompto stayed awake to cuddle Noctis. The prince fell asleep about halfway through it during one of the quieter scenes and Prompto played with his hair a little before laying down next to him. Gladiolus and Ignis let the film run to it’s end as to not disturb the sleeping boys before turning off the TV and turning in for the night.

It was a little past eleven o'clock when Ignis fell asleep. He was woken at four in the morning by the sound of hurried footsteps and Prompto shouting. “Noct! What’s wrong?”

The answer was a loud gagging noise. Noctis was throwing up again. Ignis got out of bed and hurried into the other room Gladiolus not far behind him. Noctis had managed to reach the toilet in time to empty his stomach. Prompto had his ears covered trying to pretend he was not hearing such a terrible noise coming from Noctis’ throat and the advisor stepped in and rubbed Noctis’ back. The prince moaned clearly in pain. “Are you alright?” He asked and Noctis moved his head a little. “What hurts?”

“Everything…” Noctis said head resting on the bowl. Carefully Ignis moved him so that he could hold Noctis in his arms. The prince curled up against him making small noises as Ignis tried to soothe him. His fingers played with his bangs inadvertently touching Noctis’ forehead. His skin was hot.

“Highness you need to eat something.”

 Noctis’ reaction was slow but again he shook his head. This had been the third time he had refused to eat anything in the last few hours despite his advisors pleas. Ignis had hoped that after getting a little more rest Noctis would have regained some of his appetite. Instead the prince continued to rest against Gladiolus’ shoulder, eyes a deep dark grey not really staring at anything as the tv played low in the background. His eyes were mostly closed so he appeared to be sleeping, but truth was sleep was not coming easily for the young man, he kept waking up his body to hot to properly fall asleep. His face had taken on a yellow clammy texture and he was sweating again. Ignis had been trying to cool him with a wet rag.

“Can’t you just give him the medicine first?” Prompto asked.

“Unfortunately he can’t take it on an empty stomach or else it induces vomiting.” Ignis said.

“That’s not a very good anti-nausea medication.” Prompto said. Ignis said nothing as he put the bottle of tablets on the nightstand. “Well what about something to help him sleep? Isn’t there anything we can get for that?”

“I could stop by the pharmacy and get a sleep aid, but that also requires eating something prior to use.” Ignis said and Prompto let out a loud frustrated growl.

“Why does everything require food?” He asked louder than intended. Gladiolus kept calm as Prompto had his outburst keeping an arm wrapped around the exhausted prince. “Isn’t there anything we can do?”

“At the moment keep him comfortable and hope he gets some rest.” Ignis said. “I need to check on his burns. Gladio can you lay him down?”

Gladiolus nodded and shifted a little to move Noctis. The dark haired prince made a noise and his grip tightened on Gladiolus’ jacket. He did not want to be moved. Whether he knew why he was being moved was debatable, he just knew he was and did not want to be. “Just for a few minutes Noct, afterward you can try and go back to sleep okay.”

“G-gladio…" 

“I’ll be right here.” Gladiolus said as he laid Noctis on the bed. He put a hand on Noctis’ head and frowned when he felt how warm he was. Noctis’ face felt like it was on fire. “We’re all right here, okay and we aren’t going anywhere.”

He wasn’t sure if Noctis was cognizant enough to fully understand him so he kept a hand on his head to assure the prince he was not leaving. Prompto stayed close by. Ignis began rolling up Noctis’ shirt. He stopped when he could see the burns and frowned.

“Iggy?” Prompto asked looking over and almost jumped back. Noctis burns were worse. There were more white spots and blistering and what redness was left had gotten darker. Ignis shook his head in disbelief, he had expected the crystal to start the healing process, but instead Noctis looked to be getting worse. If his demeanor did not clue him in on his worsening condition the burns did.

They needed more bandages and needed to replace the ones that were already there. He reached for one and stopped when he noticed discoloration. The bandage had taken on an odd yellow coloring and liquid was oozing from it. Hesitant he pulled on the bandage a little and Noctis gasped from the pain. He stopped right then and there. The bandage was stuck. The blister underneath must have broken when Noctis rushed to the bathroom.

If the bandage was not changed and the wound cleaned then it was likely it would become infected. Ignis looked over Noctis again the prince’s breathing becoming shallow. He was exhausted, he had a fever - which had gone up over night - he was covered in burns, and on top of there a risk for infection. He had no idea what was going on or how to stop it. He looked at Gladiolus and Prompto the two with the same expressions he had and them thinking the same thing.

“We need to take him back to the hospital.”

Noctis was checked in immediately at the ER and transferred to the burn ward. He was hooked up to an IV to get fluids into his body and anesthesia to put him to sleep. Even when knocked out his breathing was shallow and his expression showed he was in a world of pain. Ignis and the others had to watch from outside and as the advisor watched the healers remove his shirt he saw the burns had began spreading to his arms. He watched in disbelief almost as though he was seeing a virus or curse spread through his friends body.

“They’re trying to get his temperature down.” One of the healers said. “Treat the burns, try and keep him comfortable. How did this happen?”

They had no answer and Ignis explained with as much honesty as he could before they were left alone to their thoughts. They waited outside Ignis pacing, Gladiolus standing against the wall arms crossed a terrifying expression on his face, and Prompto sitting in a chair legs bouncing as he tried to keep himself together. The silence was long, any conversation that could be forced snuffed out before it could begin. The seconds turned to minutes, then hours. Healers entered and exited the room and though Ignis was tempted to ask questions one look from them told him that there was nothing more they could tell him.

Finally the rushing slowed down, most of the healers went to treat other patients and the remaining two were constantly monitoring Noctis’ condition. Ignis watched through the window a solemn expression on his face. Prompto eventually stood up and joined him in watching. Noctis was still unconscious, thin wires pumping him with fluids, drugs, and other things to keep him going. “He’s going to get better.” Prompto said, “They're going to fix this. I mean they’re healers they have to. Right?” He looked at Ignis who said nothing then Gladiolus. “Right?”

Neither said anything, Gladiolus looked at the floor, his expression showing a large amount of guilt. He wished there was something he could do. He was Noctis’ bodyguard, the prince was a brother to him. He should have been able to protect him from something like this. “Hey are you listening to me?!”

Silence. Finally the blonde hunched over and looked back at the window. He had no idea what they were doing now, but one of them was writing notes on a clipboard. “How did this happen?”

“I wish I knew.” Ignis said hand going up to his forehead. “I feel like-”

“This isn’t your fault Iggy.” Gladiolus said.

“But-”

“We’re all responsible for him. If something happens to him…” Gladiolus trailed off. He did not want to think of where Noctis could go from here. “It’s on all of us. Which means it’s on us to figure out why he ended up like this.”

“And how exactly are we to do that?” Ignis asked, “He was fine yesterday! He woke up grumpy, was talking and laughing with us in the car. Perfectly normal.”

“Until we got attacked at the Astral Shard.” Prompto said, “He collapsed when he was warping and fighting.”

“He collapsed mid-warp.” Gladiolus said, “That never happens. Maybe one of those magitek soldiers did something to him.”

Ignis was quiet processing what his friends were saying. Then slowly he remembered something that he had forgotten about in the sudden chaos. “Before you two were ambushed, the plan was to surprise attack the troops from a distance.”

“Yeah you two made that climb to bomb them with a fire spell.” Gladiolus said. “Then we got ambushed. I saw fire so I thought that you still set it off anyway.”

“It wasn’t that powerful a spell either.” Prompto said.

“It was supposed to be more powerful.” Ignis said, “I told Noctis just one strong spell would do the trick. He was gathering magic, trying to cast Firaga or Flare.”

“Well what he did was neither of those.”

“No, no it wasn’t.” Ignis said. “He had enough magic to cast it, I could feel it on him. Yet he didn’t.”

“Why not?” Prompto asked.

“Well we did have to run in there early.” Gladiolus said, “Maybe the sudden change in plan and hearing gunshots distracted him?”

“Possibly…” Ignis said. “But distracted or not when he set off the spell it should have been strong. It should have released all the magic he had gathered.”

“Okay so, what happened?” Prompto asked. “What happened to the magic? Did it just vanish? Go back to the crystal? Or is it...”

Prompto talking made the thought click for all of them. Ignis frowned and looked back into Noctis hospital room. The healers were treating something red on his neck, burns were still forming on his skin. “It’s still inside him.” Ignis said the realization sinking in slowly, “And it’s trying to get out.”

“It’s eating him.” Gladiolus said, “Like a poison or something.”

Ignis nodded. It was a fair comparison. It explained the sweating and spontaneous burns. The vomiting may have been a side effect of his body overheating same with the headaches. “So, what do we do?” Prompto asked.

“We have to get it out of him.” Ignis said, “Which should be simple enough, if he’s conscious he can expel it slowly by summoning fire.”

“I don’t think Noctis is going to be strong enough to do that.” Gladiolus said. Ignis knew he was right, Noctis was in no condition to be trying to use magic.

“Then one of us will have to channel it through him.” Ignis said, but now they had another problem. They could only draw magic through Noctis while he was conscious and now he was under anesthesia to keep him asleep. If he was conscious he’d be in constant pain until he was knocked out again. The idea of putting Noctis through more pain made a knot form in his stomach. Ignis rubbed his temples, they brought him to the hospital in the hopes the healers could help him and now that they had a possible solution they may have just killed him.

“We need to get the healers out of his room and one of us inside.” He said, the question was how and where would they hide him.

He then felt something he did not expect. Prompto put a hand around his shoulder a smirk on his face. “Then we’ll need a distraction.” The blonde had an idea.

Ignis and Gladiolus sat down in the chairs and Ignis tried to keep his hands from shaking. “Relax, this is going to work.” Gladiolus said. The door opened and both healers stepped out. Ignis stood up almost on instinct.

“How is he?” Ignis asked. The two looked at each other, both of them looked like they were afraid to tell some kind of bad news but not sure exactly how to say it. Ignis could not blame them, it was not often they were working with this difficult a case.

“We’re not sure how to say this, but-”

“OH ETRO! WHY DOES IT HURT?!”

The four jumped and the healers turned around when they heard the someone shouting down the hall. “WHY DOES THIS HURT?! GAH! BLOOD! WHY IS THERE SO MUCH BLOOD?!”

The healers looked at each other confused before bringing there attention back to Ignis and Gladiolus. “Anyway, we don’t-”

“OH ETRO! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW KNIVES DRAW BLOOD?!”

Ignis winced and wondered if Prompto was actually enjoying causing this distraction. Gladiolus spoke up first. “You two might want to look into that.” Gladiolus said staring down the hall. Apparently he was thinking the same thing. “We can wait.”

“You sure.”

“Yes.” Ignis said looking at Noctis in the other room. “He would want you to help whoever is screaming. Always hated seeing or hearing people in distress. We can wait.”

The two healers seemed unsure of their insistence but mercifully did not continue to stay when Prompto screamed again. Once they turned a corner the two quickly got inside the room. Ignis stared as Gladiolus closed the door behind him and rushed over to Noctis side. “Highness…” He said looking him over. Noctis was unconscious but it was clear he was anything but comfortable. He looked worse than he did when they brought him in and Ignis had a feeling that if they did not do anything soon Noctis would not even make it another few hours. Ignis took the prince’s hand and closed his eyes trying to sense if there was anything unusual. Sure enough it was there, the feeling of warm magic that was suffocating inside his system. With that confirmed Ignis began the process of removing things.

“Are you sure you should do that?” Gladiolus asked.

“When he regains consciousness he will be in pain and he could thrash around, I don’t want him to hurt himself.” Ignis explained.

“And you know what you're doing?”

“I did a lot of medical studies during my advisor training, once you learn it’s hard to forget.” Ignis said remembering how Noctis had been under medical supervision so many times and how he hated healers so much that Ignis studied medicine just so that he could treat the young prince privately during his teenage years and even in the present day. Carefully Ignis removed the IV along with other things that Gladiolus didn’t really understand the use for, until finally what remained was the breathing mask for the anesthesia. “We have five to ten minutes at the most when I take this off until he starts to regain consciousness.” Ignis said. He hoped that Prompto could distract everyone that long, but that was not his only concern. Carefully he took the breathing mask off and Noctis coughed a little before settling down. “Watch the door.” He said and Gladiolus nodded his expression telling him that he hoped that Ignis knew what he was doing.

Ignis hoped the same thing but he would not voice it out loud. He watched Noctis hoping for some sign of life.

Five minutes past and slowly the prince began to stir and though he seemed content at first as he became more aware of his surroundings he also became away of his body's condition. He moaned his face scrunching up and Ignis took his hand. “Highness...Noctis can you hear me?” He asked. Noctis made another noise this one louder and it clear he was in a lot of pain. “Noctis look at me. Please.” Somehow Noctis did his eyes opening a little.

“Ig-nis.” He somehow managed to say before crying out again. His head turned and Ignis could see the burns on his neck.

“Noctis listen to me, I need to draw magic from you.” He said wincing as Noctis squeezed his hand hard. He was not sure if he could understand him. “You have magic in your body and it’s killing you, that is why your like this. I need to draw it out of you. Please let me.”

Again Noctis just screamed in pain but Ignis could feel something change, the feeling of magic begin to float around and through him. Relieved Ignis knew he could take over from here. He let Noctis continue to squeeze his hand, his grip weaker than it was a day ago and channeled the magic from Noctis’ body to his. He drew it from one arm to the other until it formed at his fingertips and slowly Ignis twisted his hand upward and concentrated it in his palm. With a flick of his wrist he got smoke and with another he got fire, soft content flames that he kept in a controlled environment. He watched it making sure he was drawing magic at a steady pace to not overwhelm either of them.

Every cry or scream that came out of Noctis mouth was painful, not just on their ears but also their hearts. Noctis in pain was the one of the last things they wanted to see, especially if it was pain because of them. Ignis tried to rationalize it as him trying to save his friend’s life, but even still. He was causing Noctis pain. “Iggy you might want to hurry up.” He heard Gladiolus said just barely over Noctis scream.

“I’m doing this as best I can.” Ignis said. He could feel the magic draining out of Noctis body and in turn the prince’s screams becoming weaker as exhaustion took hold of him. Just a few more seconds. He looked up to see one of the healers walked by and look at them in horror before rushing to the door. “Gladio!”

The door almost opened but Gladio pushed his body against it to keep it shut. “Open this door or I’ll call security!”

Ignis cursed under his breath but continued to concentrate on the magic he was slowly pulling from Noctis’ body. Just a few more seconds, Noctis was settling down, fatigue hitting him hard as he was drained of magic. Their was pounding at the door and finally the healer yelling for security.

By the time security had gotten to the room Ignis could feel the last of the magic in Noctis’ body leave him. The prince had passed out from exhaustion and Ignis watched him feeling terrible guilt over having to put him through all that. He put a hand on Noctis head, it was much cooler, running his fingers through his damp hair just as Gladiolus was pushed away from the door by three security officers.

Gladiolus and Ignis would not be welcome back at the hospital. They would be called when there friend regained consciousness and when he was well enough to be discharged, but they would not be allowed to visit. No one was happy with the arrangement but when Ignis calmed down and could think logically he knew that they were just doing what they thought was right. He hated it, but if he was in there shoes he probably would have done the same thing.

Thankfully just because Gladiolus and Ignis were banned from the hospital did not mean Prompto was. Despite the racket he made in the halls, no one caught him. No one even knew it was him making the noise and any suspicions placed on him were immediately dismissed when they saw him telling stories to some of the sick kids in the ER. He was deemed harmless and even a welcome sight. He promised he’d bring news back everyday, even if that news was just ‘he’s starting to look better’ or ‘he’s still sleeping.’ Which for the first week it was. The healers had told him that he was healing faster than expected but that it would still take time for him to get better. Gladiolus and Ignis took the news the best they could, which was in stride and reminding themselves that no news was still good news.

Finally day eight came and went. Ignis came back from cooking dinner at the garage Cindy was renting out and had given Gladiolus some fresh steak when Prompto slammed the door open. His hair was disheveled like someone had been playing with it. “Guys!” He shouted and the two were expecting the worst when they saw the huge smile on his face. “He woke up!”

It took a second for them to realize what Prompto had just said. “What?” Gladiolus was the first to speak up. “He’s awake!?’

“He was awake. For like five minutes.” Prompto said, “But he was. I talked to him a little.”

“And?”

“He’s really out of it because of those drugs! Like you know how I acted when I got my wisdom teeth out last year? Like that.” Prompto said running his fingers through his hair, “He kept playing with my hair and acting like I had a fat baby chocobo on my head.”

The other two looked at Prompto and then each other before chuckling. “Well your hair is fluffy like one.” Gladiolus said rubbing the blondes hair. Prompto pulled away from him and tried to fix his hair style. He excused himself to the bathroom to restyle his hair before joining his friends for dinner.

“So the healers are confused because of how quickly the burns are suddenly healing, they have concerns with him keeping up with physical therapy and all that, ” he said between bites, “but they say that at the rate he’s going he’ll be able to leave the hospital in a few weeks.”

“I don’t suppose us visiting is possible.”

“Yeah…” Prompto said his face turning red, “I tried asking about that and you two are banned for life.”

“Of course.” Ignis said not trying to hide his bitterness.

“But they did say there was a possibility that he could leave the hospital for a day.” Prompto said, “Come hang out with us, maybe we could get lunch, or just even rest back here at the hotel. Whatever really.”

That got their attention and while Gladiolus and Prompto thought of possible things they could do Ignis fell silent. Even after more than a week he could still hear Noctis’ agonizing screams in his head. He had to wonder, would Noctis remember anything that had happened? If he did not and he was asking questions should they tell him everything? If he did, would he hate him? Would he be upset? Or would he be forgiving? “Yo Iggy, you in there?” Prompto said and Ignis realized that the blonde was waving his hand in front of him. Ignis shook the thoughts out of his head.

“I’m sorry, you were saying?”

“I was saying maybe we should take Noct out to one of the clubs when he gets out of the hospital.”

Ignis motherly instincts kicked in right then and there as he tried to explain to Prompto why taking Noctis out to a dance club while he was still recovering from severe injuries was probably a very bad idea. And as he did this Gladiolus just watched and wondered how long it would take for Ignis to realize Prompto was just saying that on purpose to check whether or not the royal advisor had really been paying attention.

Each day Prompto came back to the hotel with a little more good news. Noctis was more awake, more aware of what was going on. He was holding conversations with Prompto that didn’t devolve into him just being fascinated with his friends chocobo blonde hair and was able to answer questions from the healers. They were all relieved to hear this but Prompto also knew that it meant that Noctis was starting to ask questions.

“How much longer am I doing to be stuck in here?” Was the second question that Noctis had been asking as he started to be more aware of things like time, and the fact that he was in a hospital surrounded by healers that were starting to annoy him. The questions they asked him every day were starting to annoy him. The fact they kept ignoring his questions also annoyed him. Noctis was starting to remember why he hated hospitals.

“They only said a few more weeks they never gave an exact time.” Prompto said. He munched on some pretzels that he had bought from a vending machine and held the bag out to the prince. “Want some?”

Noctis considered it then concluded that yes he did want to actually eat something and pulled a few out of the bag. He ate them carefully, his stomach still felt sensitive, but he was keeping food down. That was good news. “I’m trying to see if they can let you leave for a day so we can all hang out. Gladio and Ignis want to see you.”

“I wish they were here...”

“What I’m not good enough?” Prompto asked pretending to sound hurt. Noctis smiled and gave the blonde a light push in the shoulder.

“No you're perfect.” He said laughing a little and wincing as he felt some tightness in his chest from the laughter. His skin still felt tight. “They should be here. I don’t care if they violated some hospital rule they should be here. I want to see them. Prince’s orders.”

“Healer’s orders override prince’s.” Prompto said, “Plus they kinda can’t know your royalty.”

Noctis made a small noise and finished his pretzels before laying against the pillows. He had only been awake for an hour and already he was feeling very tired. “It’s still hard to stay awake.”

“The crystal?” Prompto asked and Noctis nodded. The rapid healing kept taking it’s toll, but Noctis would take it if it meant getting out of the hospital sooner. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No. Stay. Don’t feel like falling asleep just yet.” Noctis said.

Prompto gave his friend a sympathetic smile, Noctis already looked like he was half out, but he stuck around and continued talking until the prince fell asleep and even then he still stayed around watching television, and reading magazines to keep him company. When visiting hours were over he shook Noctis awake to let the young man know he was leaving and would be back tomorrow.

On day eighteen Prompto returned to the hotel with more good news, Noctis’ burns had healed enough that he could be discharged from the hospital and put in there care. The healers still were not sure why they were healing so fast and they were not completely out of the woods yet, the dark haired boy would need to come in several times a week for checkups as well as physical therapy, but the fact he would be out of the hospital and mostly in their care brought them some relief. For Ignis it brought a little anxiety but he ignored that for the time being.

It was the afternoon and Ignis and Gladiolus waited outside in the regalia while Prompto went in, a fresh change of clothes under his arm. The two waited outside counting the minutes down. When they approached close to a half hour Ignis started pacing a little. “Iggy calm down.”

“Sorry it’s just taking longer than I had thought it would.”

“Prompto probably has to deal with a lot of paperwork and stuff he’s not that good at. Stop worrying they’ll be out in a little bit.”

Sure enough they were. Someone passing by opened one of the doors for the two boys as Prompto escorted Noctis, dressed in the black shirt and pants Prompto brought with him, out of the hospital. The color drained from Ignis face when he saw that Noctis was in a wheelchair but after they got outside he saw him and Prompto talking about something. What he was not sure but he saw Prompto hunch over as though he had just lost an argument and started to help Noctis out of it. The prince’s frame looked fairly thin and shaky on his legs but with Prompto’s assistance he crossed the street to the regalia.

“Well look who we have here.” Gladiolus said looking Noctis over as the two boys approached. Once close enough Noctis let Prompto let go of him so he could take the last few steps on his own. Being careful Gladiolus pulled the prince into a strong and comforting hug. He pulled away for a second to get a good look at Noctis. He still looked pretty worn down, no doubt because of the crystal working it’s magic through him, but he still looked far healthier than he had a few weeks ago. “About time you looked more like your old self.”

“About damn time you two showed up.” Noctis replied.

“Yeah, sorry about that. You miss us?” Gladiolus asked.

“A lot.”

Gladiolus pulled the prince into another hug that the young boy gladly let himself be in enjoying the comfort of his bodyguard’s strong arms. When he let go Noctis turned to Ignis who had been watching the scene. Ignis had been looking him over, the healers clearly did what they could to keep him well nourished and hydrated but he still looked thinner than he should.

Noctis gave him a smile. It was opposite of the horrible contorted pained expressions on his face when Ignis was drawing out that remaining magic. Ignis looked at him not really sure whether he deserved to touch his charge after causing him so much agony. Noctis made the decision for him when he approached and practically flopped on him. “What’s with you? Not going to say hello?”

“My apologize highness.” Ignis said carefully putting his hands on Noctis back. “I’m happy you are feeling better.”

“Then actually give me a hug, it’s not like I’m going to break into a million pieces.”

Ignis made no change to his movements and sensing how uncomfortable the scene had become Gladiolus and Prompto began debating where to get lunch. It was eventually decided they would get food at a simple soup and sandwich shop. They decided to eat outside, Noctis’ request after being confined to the indoors for so long. Prompto helped Noctis sit down at his seat, while he looked much better than he did a few weeks ago it was clear the lack of movement had made him more than a little stiff and after deciding what they wanted him and Gladiolus went to place their order. There was a line at the register, a perfect time for Ignis and Noctis to talk.

“Prompto told me why you and Gladio couldn’t come in to visit.” Noctis said. “He had to tell me a few times. I was having trouble remembering some things for a little while.”

“You don’t remember?” Ignis asked.

“My last clear memory before suddenly realizing I was in the hospital was falling asleep watching movies with you guys.” Noctis said, “Everything else is hazy. I don’t really remember much from when I regained consciousness and started talking to Prompto either. I just one day realized he was there even though he told me he had been visiting and talking to me for a few days. It’s really weird.”

“He said you were under some strong medication and liked playing with his hair.” Ignis said.

“Yeah I don’t remember any of that.” Noctis said. “It’s all a bit of a blur.”

“Well, you’ve been through a lot highness. More than you should be.”  The two fell silent and Noctis watched some cars and people go by before looking back at Ignis.

“Thank you.”

The sudden thanks caught Ignis off guard. “For what?”

“For saving my life.”

“Highness I…” He started only to stop when he saw Noctis staring at him. Ignis broke the gaze keeping his head low. “I do not deserve your thanks.”

“Iggy, you saved my life.”

“But I caused you so much pain...”

“And if you had not taken that risk I would be dead.” Noctis said. “You did what you had to do to save my life, and if it's any consolation I don’t remember anything that happened in that room. I don’t remember being in any pain. The only thing I can even vaguely recall is hearing a calm voice that told me it knew how to stop what was happening. And you did.”

Ignis said nothing but considered Noctis’ words. “But still-.”

“Iggy I’m only going to say this one more time.” Noctis said. He put a hand on Ignis shoulder feeling the leather suit jacket. “Thank you. If it weren’t for you I would not be here right now. So don’t beat yourself over this okay?”

Ignis let Noctis’ words sink in and sighed. “I suppose if you tell me to I can’t refuse.”

“Prince’s orders. Stop worrying.”

Ignis let himself chuckle. “Well if you're going to order me to stop worrying may I please say something?”

“Fine.”

“We need to be more careful in the future.” Ignis said and Noctis looked up at him. “We can’t let something like this happen again.”

“Yeah. Your right.” Noctis said. “And it won’t. We’re smarter now.”

“Hopefully.” Ignis said, “Though I get the feeling Prompto is the same as ever.”

Noctis laughed a little wincing as he felt some tightness around his chest. Ignis put a hand to his back as Prompto and Gladiolus came back with their order. “Hope you two weren’t waiting long. Gladio had a huge order! We kind of held up the line.”

Indeed Gladiolus’ sandwich was by far the largest of them all. There were also two of them. He cut one in half and added it to Noctis’ smaller plate. The prince’s eyes widened. “I'm pretty sure this is a bit much.”

“You're skinny, and you need to put more meat on your bones. So eat up.” Gladiolus said. Noctis’ looked at Ignis almost pleadingly.

“You do need to put on some more weight highness. Anything you don’t finish now you can have at dinner.” He said. Noctis looked at Prompto who shook his head as he filled his mouth with potato chips. Noctis grumbled glaring at the food on his plate before picking up his sandwich and taking a bite out of it.

While they enjoyed lunch the boys talked and laughed, happy to have their challenge and trial behind them. It would take a little longer until Noctis was completely healed but the worst had passed. They would need to return to the Astral Shard eventually to acquire Titan and continue their journey but for now they were content to just enjoy the next few days in peace happy there best friend was alive and well.