Final Fantasy XV was always a favorite of mine in the series, and now that I've beaten it, it would be nice to write a story where neither Noctis nor Lunafreya dies (who else cried? I can't be the only one!)
Summary: Stolen from Insomnia as a child, Noctis was raised in Tenebrae under the care of the House of Fleuret. Knowing nothing of his true heritage as heir to the throne of Lucian empire, one fateful meeting will throw everything Noctis has known upside down. Loyalties will be tested, bonds will be forged, and Noctis will be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice for the fate of Eos.
Setting: AU
Rating: T
Pairing: Noctis/Lunafreya
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Reluctant
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Chapter I
"Your majesty, Prince Noctis is missing!"
Regis was instantly awake and dashing out the door before the poor soldier could finish his sentence. Rounding the corner to where his son's room was located, Regis flung open the doors and discovered the Kingsglaive searching every corner for signs of an intruder. Upon seeing their king, they paused but their leader merely walked past them in a daze, stopping only in front of his son's empty bed.
"Who did this?..." he whispered in a tone rarely used.
The others exchanged nervous glances with one another.
"Who was it?!" Regis demanded in a louder voice.
"There were no signs of forced entry nor evidence of a fight. Whoever the kidnapper was, Prince Noctis willingly let them into his room."
"My son trusts everyone who is around him, which means there was a traitor within my walls and I was completely oblivious to it!" Regis slammed his hand on the frame of the bed.
"We'll do whatever it takes to bring the prince back," Cor swore.
Looking up at his old friend, Regis gave a weary nod and gripped the bed-sheets tightly with his left hand.
"Bring him home Cor..."
-Twenty three years later-
"Luna? This isn't the time to be playing games!"
A young male with dark locks paced through the halls of the Fleuret mansion, scouring the rooms for his charge. Lunafreya had a habit of running off in the middle of their sparring lessons, and today was no different. Halfway through their usual routine, she feigned needing the bathroom and disappeared inside the mansion. Twenty minutes had passed before he decided to go look for her.
Passing through a door, voices drifted from inside that caught the man's attention and he paused outside.
"Mother...the Astrals have been calling out to me. I-I'm afraid," Luna's voice echoed within the small room.
Queen Sylva stroked her daughter's hair and smiled as Luna's hands trembled. Her daughter's powers were strong, perhaps even stronger than herself, but until her death, Lunafreya would not have to take on the duties of the Oracle just yet. Until the time came, Sylva wanted her daughter to enjoy a normal life despite their current conditions. With Tenebrae granted limited autonomy by Niflheim purely due to the Oracle's influence, there was only so much she could do.
"Be strong my little Luna. The Oracle's duty is to support the True King and rid the world of the Starscourge when the time comes. Do not fear, I will always be with you no matter what happens."
Lunafreya glanced down and bit her lips while Sylva continued stroking her daughter's hair. Not wanting to intrude on such a private moment, he was about to leave when Luna's next words caught his attention.
"What of Cael? You promised we would have our wedding at Altissia."
Sylva chuckled quietly at this.
"In time my daughter, I will arrange for the ceremony. Now, I assume he must be looking for you," Sylva's eyes flicked upward at that moment towards the door.
Cael knew he was caught and politely knocked on the wood several times.
"You may enter."
He walked in somewhat sheepishly and bowed to his queen.
"I hope I wasn't intruding on anything," he said, his cheeks flushing bright red.
"You're not here to take me back to sparring lessons are you? I always end up bruised because of you," Luna huffed, straightening herself beside her mother.
"You give me bruises too, do you have any idea how much that trident of yours hurts?" Cael retorted, pulling her against his chest and giving her a kiss on the head.
The Queen of Tenebrae smiled to herself as she watched the two young lovers talk quietly. To everyone outside the House Fleuret, Cael was Luna's chosen guardian, the one who will guard her when her time as Oracle arrives. To the royal family however, he was no mere protector. Sylva, her daughter, and her son knew of Cael's true identity.
He was Noctis Lucis Caelum, the heir apparent to the throne of Lucis, and the long lost son of King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII.
When Niflheim heard news of the Crystal of Lucis having chosen the True King, they planted a spy within the walls of Insomnia and waited for the chance to whisk away the young prince from his home, to prevent him from fulfilling the prophecy of ridding the Starscourge. At the time, Sylva knew the young prince would be killed should he be allowed to be taken back to that horrid place. Using whatever influence she had as the current Oracle, she managed to persuade the empire into letting Noctis grow up within her home.
The only condition was he could not be told of his true heritage, and a story was concocted of how he was found on the streets as a young boy by her.
Sylva knew Regis never stopped looking for his son, not even when he visited her several years ago. She had to hide Noctis from his true father back then by having Ravus take him and Luna on a picnic outside the mansion, only allowed to return when the King of Insomnia was gone.
"Forgive me old friend..." she whispered quietly to herself.
After bidding good evening to her mother, Luna pulled Cael out of the room and towards the bedroom they shared together. To outsiders, it would be strange for the Princess of Tenebrae to share a bed with her chosen guardian, but the two practically grew up together and had grown accustomed to sleeping in the same bed. Besides, they were to be wed soon, there was nothing strange about that anymore.
"I overheard your conversation earlier," Cael said softly when they were inside.
"The voices are growing stronger Cael...the Astrals are warning me of the Starscourge," Luna sat down on the bed and exhaled a quiet breath.
Taking her hands in his gently, he began rubbing small circles on the backs of her hands. The burden of being the next Oracle was starting to take its toll on her, Cael knew from the way she thrashed about in her sleep, sometimes covered in sweat. He lost count of how many times he woke up to wipe her face with a cool towel.
"Remember the book you used to read to me when we were little?" he asked, looking at the corner where said book rested.
"You mean the one about Astrals and the Chosen King?"
A nod.
"Do you...believe in that story?"
"As much as I believe in you as the next Oracle," he said with a smile.
Lunafreya wanted so desperately to tell him the truth about his heritage, but it was forbidden by those residing in Niflheim.
"Do you think everyone will attend our wedding?" Luna leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes.
"Of course. You are the princess of Tenebrae after all."
Their quiet moment was interrupted by shouts followed by gunfire echoing from the halls. Instincts immediately kicked in and Cael grabbed Luna's hand, while his free limb conjured a sword from seemingly out of the air. Lunafreya recognized this as a sign that the man she had fallen in love with was indeed the lost prince of Insomnia, for only those of the Lucian bloodline could wield its power the way Noctis did.
To say Sylva was shocked was an understatement when General Glauca suddenly appeared with a portion of the Niflheim army. Caught off-guard by his sudden appearance, the only thing the Queen of Tenebrae could do was demand why he was barging into her home with guns drawn.
"I believe it's time you give us the boy," Glauca ordered, crossing his arms with a sneer on his face.
"I will do no such thing. We had an agreement many years prior."
"Times have changed, the Starscourge is fast approaching and we cannot allow anyone who can stop it to live."
The doors flew off their hinges as a MT body was thrown back, its mangled armor lying in a wreck on the carpet floor, green liquid oozing out from all its joints. Both Glauca and Sylva turned their attention towards the door to see Ravus, Lunafreya, and Cael standing there, the two males bearing murderous expressions upon their faces.
"You take the right, I'll take the left?" Ravus suggested, tightening his grip on his sword.
"With pleasure," Cael growled, positioning himself in front of Luna.
Faster than the army, and Glauca, could react, the two cut down every MT flawlessly until only the general himself remained standing. Rushing over to her mother, Luna pulled Sylva away to a safer location while the duo focused their swords on the Niflheim intruder.
"Give me one reason not to cut off your head right here and now!" Ravus hissed.
"Gentlemen, is this how you were raised to treat guests? I guess your manners in etiquette must be refreshed."
Glauca whistled sharply and a Magitek armor broke through the walls of the manor, immediately opening fire upon the unsuspecting four. Ravus dived out of the way and protected his younger sister and mother, while Cael fought the machine. Warping around the room despite the little space he had, Cael looked for a weak spot and teleported on top of the machine. Plunging his sword into the back of the robot, a hard twist followed a violent tear, and the giant machine was rendered useless.
Cael fell to the ground breathing heavily, the effort having put a strain on his body. Lunafreya was about to rush over when she saw Glauca standing behind her beloved.
"Cael! Look out!"
The tip of a sword protruded from Cael's chest before he even had time to turn. Glauca laughed gleefully as he plunged the blade deeper, giving it a few twists for good measure. An agonized cry escaped from the latter's lips as the sword was withdrawn, and Cael fell onto his side, a hand holding his bleeding wound. Sent into a fury by the mere sight of his friend's condition, Ravus was prepared to launch himself at the general until Sylva stopped her son.
"Get Noctis out of here. Bring him to Insomnia! We can no longer keep him safe here," Sylva whispered urgently to her children.
"But mother-"
Sylva cut off her daughter's words with a hug and squeezed Ravus' hand in hers.
"Look after your sister and Noctis, do not let any harm come to them."
Ravus reluctantly nodded his head.
Before Glauca could deliver the final blow, the Queen of Tenebrae threw herself between the sword and her young ward whom she had grown to love as a second son. Luna screamed her mother's name while Ravus tugged her out of the room, an unconscious Noctis over his shoulder.
The general made to follow but was stopped in his tracks by a icy storm that seemingly materialized from nowhere. Recognizing this as the power of the Glacean Shiva, he ordered his troops to withdraw from the mansion and return to Niflheim.
"How is he holding up?" Lunafreya frantically tried to examine Noctis' wound, but Ravus prevented her from doing so.
"Don't hold me back brother!"
"We aren't safe yet!"
Gentiana was suddenly by Luna's side, the High Messenger's serene expression was a sight for sore eyes as the duo made their way towards the area where their transportation was kept.
"The car has been prepared for your travel to Insomnia."
"Gentiana, help Noctis! Please!" Luna gripped her attendant's arm tightly.
Glancing over to the unconscious body of the Lucian Prince, Gentiana signaled for Ravus to gently lower him to the ground. The sword wound was deep, nearly cutting through several major arteries. Blood seeped from the laceration, staining the young prince's clothing a deep crimson. Hovering a hand over the injury, Gentiana used her powers to freeze the cut.
"He will need proper medical attention and rest if he is to recover from this," she said when the task was finished.
Lunafreya wiped her eyes on the back of her hand.
"Thank you."
"Now go, I will remain behind in case they try to follow."
Both Ravus and Lunafreya knew of Gentiana's true identity as the Glacean Shiva, and did not question her motives. They understood she was more than capable of holding her own, even if reduced to a human form.
The siblings hurriedly made their way towards the car and Ravus pulled onto the main road.
Insomnia was their next destination.
To be continued...
Review?
This version of Ravus is on friendly terms with Noctis since they grew up together
Please let me know what you think of this.
Celsius Fate~