A/N: Another Au that has been floating around for a bit. I ended up having two different versions of the same Au and couldn't decided which one I liked best.

So here you go! The first chapter is the tie in that link both versions. The next two chapters are the different versions.

A decade. Ten long years of constantly monitored conversation. Of restricted visits to his friends. And now.. "How?" Mumbled Regis as he hugs Clarus and Cor for the first time in what feels like forever.

The smell, the warmth… oh how he had missed the touch of friends. Regis shuttered against them, and they simply held him tighter. Cor shrugged before answering his question. "Called in a few carefully cultivated favors. We needed to see you, to talk to you, one last time before It starts." Clarus nodded above Regis' head.

Regis took a deep shuddering breath. He had wished for the same but thought it impossible with how closely monitored he was. Six bless his friends, he would not have survived the last ten years without them. Regis held on for a few seconds longer before composing himself and stepping back. They had work to do.

"Thank you my friends. I don't know what I would have done without you by my side." Regis looked between Cor and Clarus. "Now let us make good use of the privacy Cor bought us. How are things going?" He sat down on his bed and waited.

He didn't have to wait for long as Clarus joined him on it, sitting close enough for their legs to touch. Regis had sorely missed the touch of human skin. MTs and less than careful doctors were the only ones who did so since his return to Insomnia. Cor came to stand in front of them, hands folded behind his back, in a military rest. Regis fought back the memories it summoned, he could fall apart after. When It succeeded. When they were free again.

"Everyone is in place and ready to move." Said Cor. "The ceremony will be live so once we move, so will the others." Regis nodded. He had little knowledge of the details concerning the Resistance within Lucis. By design as he was often interrogated when said Resistance accomplished a note-worthy feat. The drugs Niflheim used had too great an effect to risk knowing more than the fact it existed.

Clarus placed a hand against Regis' lower back. "You'll know when It starts. Head straight for me or Cor once it does. It's going to be chaos so if you can't find either of us then head for our old hideout. Just get yourself to safety. Got it?" Regis hesitated just long enough for Clarus to hiss, "Regis." before nodding reluctantly. He wished he could fight beside them but such a thing was beyond his abilities now. His magic was locked away like the Ring and the Crystal.

Cor checked his watch quickly, "We only have a few minutes left before the guards return." His eyes flicked to Regis', burning bright with a fire Regis had thought lost a decade ago. That more than anything gave him hope. If Cor was this certain of success then It was guaranteed. "For Lucis." Cor paused then added in a low whisper, "For Noctis." Regis swallowed hard and nodded with as much conviction as he could managed. For his son.

Cor and Clarus disappeared through the still unguarded door of his bedroom less than a minute before the guards, both MTs and humans, returned. Regis gathered the frayed pieces of his being, pulling them back under the walls that kept him safe despite all Aldercapt had done to break him, and started the long, difficult and painful process of getting dressed. It would, hopefully, be the last time Regis would have to wear the white Niflheim ceremonial robes imposed by Aldercapt while in his presence.

The ceremony was to start at midday. It was a celebration of the ten years of 'uninterrupted' peace across Eos under Niflheim's benevolent rule. Emperor Aldercapt had even been kind enough to allow Lucis to pay for his Empire wide procession during that year as he visited every corner of his realm and proclaimed the magnificence of his presence.

Regis had been forced to find ways to procure money for Aldercapt's use without putting the burden on his people. The Emperor, through his Chancellor Izunia, had been clear that if Regis was unable to meet his request then it would be seen as an excuse to place Lucis under complete military rule for mismanagement of funds. He had only succeeded because of help from some generous anonymous donors. (He had his suspicions as to whom they were. Especially after news of several Niflheim generals had suddenly been fired for improper fund managements. The missing funds matched the contributions. The generals were too loyal to Aldercapt to be responsible for the donations.)

Previous years had seen this day used as a day of mourning and remembrance for all the lives lost during the conflict. Regis' only obligation towards Aldercapt being to send an ever increasingly costly gift as 'thanks' for the peace. This year, with Aldercapt's desire to celebrate his own success, the day was to be festive and filled with celebration aimed at the Empire and its leader.