SPOILER ALERT: Despite this being an alternate ending of the game, there are still spoilers along with my alternate ending that actually did happen. Be warned.
If you made it past the spoiler alert, grab some tissues, and enjoy!
"The road for us, well..." An older Noctis stared down at the cold, lifeless body of Ardyn Lucis Caelum, then back at his bodyguard, advisor, and best friend.
"...It...ends here." Noctis murmured, eyes downcast to the ground before going back into a more proper, kingly posture.
After the final fight with Ardyn, the night sky continued to possess Lucis in it's horror. It was eternal night, which meant the Daemons were no longer a struggle to find, but everywhere.
Though, the four enjoyed the silence, knowing it would only last for a few minutes until more Daemons would appear, and thus the fighting would begin once more. It was only fact that nothing would change if the Scourge of the stars continued to sprout longer nights.
Noctis, however, was on his last leg. He was only 30 at this point in time but rather old looking. Close to looking crippled under the big cape and fatigues, he would have not had much time in the world in the first place. That is, if a sacrifice wasn't even required.
Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis- they all looked in good enough health to keep going. Noctis was grateful because of this. Despite Ignis and his deteriorating sight, he knew there could be nothing to stop the three from only getting stronger, and surviving this war that was amongst the most traumatic for Lucis in history.
"Can't change fate now, can we?" Gladio says as collectively as he could, facing the way he believed where Noctis was considering his blindness. "You got a world to save, King."
Noctis' lips turned from a casual expression to that of a frown.
He was supposed to have gone into the throne room already.
He was still here.
The daemons didn't come yet, everything was still quiet, and better yet, Noctis had time to say and do everything he wanted to before leaving, and dying.
"For the fate of the world, I guess..." -a bit of the younger Noctis still resided in the man- "-you guys know what I have to do. To rid of the world's darkness, I'm needed as a sacrifice," Noctis looked down at his ring.
"once I'm gone, I can guess this ring is gone too, and the Caelum bloodline ends."
The group was dead silent; they all knew what would happen to Noct, but if they opened their mouths, if they uttered a word, the only thing that would come out is bitterness. Bitterness they couldn't figure out another way to save the world. Bitterness that they may be left alone to revive it once their king would save it. Bitterness their road trip was so far behind them now. Prompto may have missed the Regalia before, but, boy, did all of them really miss that banged up engine before heading into the building of the crystal. Why they left it there, well, it was a big mistake. With no time to ever retrieve it, they left their memories to die along with the empire's.
However, the three men continued their focus on their Prince, their King before them. If these were his last words, they would cherish them until the day of their own demise.
"But...because of that...I want to do one last thing before I leave."
Noctis got closer to a specific blonde.
"Prompto,"
Prompto's eyes widened; he had been looking down the whole time, unable to look at Noctis' face without tearing up, knowing that this was the end of their journey.
Gladio had kept a hand on Prompto's shoulder in comfort, a bittersweet tragedy such as this bringing all of their emotions together again after so many years of waiting for their glue to return from the crystal. Noctis was really what kept them together, but in this moment, they all equally suffered, therefore equally bonding.
"when I die, Lucis needs a new King. I..." Noctis let the words escape his lips, and kept them open even once delivered. They shook a little with the effort on what he would say next.
"I want that person to be you."
Prompto's jaw dropped, Gladio stared in dumbfounded shock, and Ignis was in quiet amazement. Noctis had grew up to be a mature man, the way he was handling it all. But, what made Ignis even more amazed was whom Noctis picked to be his heir; the person who was always labeled as weak, as scared, and as emotional.
Noctis stripped himself of the cape of his Kingly Rainment, before putting it on Prompto. He grasped the button and with his shaky, frail fingers he secured it on Prompto. Prompto, however, watched his actions in a frenzy of his own. Noctis spent the fuel he had left in his body to give Prompto all he could.
Noctis looked at Gladio and Ignis now. "You're no longer my bodyguard and my advisor. You're his."
"W-Wh-" Gladio cut himself off, eyes wide at his sudden decision. Protecting Prompto now would be a whole different routine. They would be forced to stay together this way, and a part of Gladio thought this was why Noctis made him and Ignis continue their previous jobs instead of changing them.
He wanted Prompto as king, and, without saying, wanted to keep them all together.
"N-Noct, I...what are you saying?" Prompto shook his head. "I can't be King. You know that. I'm not as strong, not as brave...I've been worthless this entire time in our group and you know it."
Noctis fastened gloves he had on Prompto, before grabbing his shoulders and looking him in the eyes. Gladio had pulled away moments before.
"Prom," Noctis pressed. "look at me...."
"I...c-can't..." Prompto stayed looking down, about to burst out crying. He held back tears: he knew with one look there would be incredulously incoherent weeping coming out of him.
"You can. I want you to look at me."
Prompto finally looked up, gulping as his body made small tremors. He tried hard for his best friend, for his last request, trying not to bawl, not to sputter out cries and whimpers and make the situation worse than it already was.
If this was any other time, Ignis and Gladio would have stepped in and asked Noctis if he was right, if this was what he really wanted. But, if Noctis was about a mile away from his deathbed, and this was his last wish, they were sure it was something he deeply desired and couldn't go on without. They also assumed it would be the right decision, coming from a near dead man.
"After this whole trip with you, Gladio, and Specs...I've learned something. With my friends, it wasn't hard getting all of the Royal Arms: it wasn't hard hunting, it wasn't hard killing. I mean it when I say if I had to do it again, it would be easy," Noctis' took soft breaths after he said it, that being the only sound that could be processed in the deep brief silence.
"but what wasn't easy wasn't being physically able, it was more than that. I didn't listen to people's warnings. I-If I just...-"
Noctis' grip on Prompto's shoulders were tighter. He looked down. Prompto shook his head, watching his buddy with eyes ready to bleed of tears. His lip was quivering. He heaved a bit but stayed standing.
"...If I stopped thinking with my head all of the time, if I realized things 'weren't as linear as I thought, the future could have been different. I could've changed everything, we wouldn't be here right now...I don't care that I was chosen by the Gods, I could've changed this fate somehow if I was so 'chosen.' But..."
Noctis grit his teeth, he himself trying not to cry. He persevered as well, but even more than Prompto. He kept a hard face, a stiff body, and eyes more intense than they ever were in all these years of the adventure. "you always were attached to the things I was never attached to. You listen to people, you're emotional...you don't need physical strength to be a great King, because you can gain it later. Emotional strength...I could never establish. I was a...I still am...a coward. You listen to your heart instead of thinking everything is some set in stone trilogy, and if that's not considered a strength, then maybe people aren't seeing what I've been seeing for so long."
Noctis pressed his forehead against Prompto's and closed his eyes. This caused Prompto to finally crack. He began to weep tears of longing for the way it was all before, before this tragic mess.
"Let my requiem go on with you."
Noctis took out his Engine Blade while in this stance, setting it in between the both of them and waiting for Prompto to take it. Once he reluctantly did, Noctis pulled away. Prompto held the engine blade with his gun still in his pocket with nimble, shivering fingers. Cold breath escaped Prompto's red lips as he watched his best buddy slowly fade by first passing down his prized royal belongings.
"Noct," Ignis murmured, turning to where he guessed Noctis was by his voice. "you have forged into a fine young man indeed."
"All thanks to you."
"To see you go, is truly a change of scenery I will not be prepared for."
"Say hi to Lunafreya if you see her up there, alright? Don't be a wuss in the afterlife too, Noct." Gladio intervened with crossed arms, trying to stay strong for his two other friends. However, he was nearly in hysterics just like Prompto was. Ignis was the last one to keep it together, and even he was hanging on by a string.
Noctis, instead of usually nearly punching Gladio for the backhanded insults, grinned. "I won't be, I promise."
Prompto had been taking scattered breaths as tears wouldn't stop escaping his baby blue eyes. Once he stopped crying, he shook his head, before finally standing like that of a legend, of a warrior, of a King. He kept a fierce, stern stare as he watched his best friend ready to take flight and leave the rest to him.
"Stand tall for me."
"I'm ready," Prompto spoke in a serious tone. "you can count on me...-"
"-that's what friends are for, right?"
Noctis, seeing Prompto finally stand strong for him, for the last time, smiled.
He turned to the throne room, beginning to walk away. As he did, daemons also appeared near his friends. He heard the daemons and knew their time would not be long. He put his hand out like a wave, knowing this would be their last chance, their last glance, and their final words.
Noctis took a big shaky breath as his legs turned to jello, but continued on his trek to eternal peace. His lips quivered out of fear and pain, and tears danced in and blurred his vision. He croaked out:
"Right."
Thank you for reading, lovelies! Be sure to review if you can, tell me what you think! :)
This title was actually inspired by the song King by Lauren Aquilina; I would give it a listen because me, being a musical person, really feels like the song is Noct talking to Prompto right now. The feels. Hnnnnnnn.