Disclaimer: FFXV charactes belong to Square Enix. Queen Dione is my original character.

Note:My second fanfic here! This time, with an OC of mine~ I did really enjoy writing this one shot, because it brought me many feels in this cold winter ;w; I do hope my readers enjoy reading it too~!

~Letters to Santa Claus~

"Dear Santa Claus,

I have been a bery good kid, but father say I'm too small to own a car

I really wan a car

Can you give me one? Pwease!

P.S: I'm nice to Igis and Graudious too!"

The Queen finished reading her only son's scrawling worlds on the plain paper. It was short, and had so many grammar mistakes that it brought laughter to her as she read. She turned to the sleepy husband sitting next to her and spoke with a proud tone:

"My King! Our son has written this letter today! Isn't he a bright child?"

"Of course." Regis leant closer to his Queen. His eyes got heavier as the night fell deeper into silence. "He is almost four, and he is the rightful heir to the throne, after all…"

But none of his word stayed in the Queen's mind. She held the letter close to her heart, smiling softly as she thought of her little Prince.

"He is also adorable! Mmh, I wonder if we should get him a toy car, the small one he can sit in and drive around the palace…"

"You should not indulge him too much. And I still do not encourage you to tell him such fairy tales; he needs to focus on learning how to rule the kingdom."

"But Noctis is still a child!" The Queen raised her voice a little; although, a hand of hers held the King's, placing the small letter inside. "I would never let anyone or any throne take away the childhood he derseves to have!"

With a soft sigh, Regis gave up. He could never win any fight against his beloved wife. He loved his family too much. Beside, deep inside his mind, he agreed with the Queen, that Noctis was still too young for the complicate life of royalty.

Regis place a kiss on his wife's brunette hair. "Toy car it is, then."

Queen Dione happily embraced her husband. She had won, once again. This just showed how much the King loved her and her son. They were truly the Royal family that everyone looked up to, admired as a role-model.

That Chirstmas, little Prince Noctis received his toy car. And just like every other child, he believed Santa Claus was real.

Years had passed by. Every Christmas, his parents always pretended to be Santa Claus, to fulfill his wishes. They secretly stole the letters he left on his table, then bought the presents he asked for. He never asked for anything too much, but merely toys and sometimes, fairy tales books. At midnight, when young and childish Noctis was in deep slumber, the Queen snuck in and left the present under the decorated Christmas tree in his chamber. And when the sun rose, she would have the pleasure of watching her son jumping around, shouting and bragging about his presents, about his Santa Claus. As for Noctis, he thought it was a dream, he's sure he'd seen Santa Claus came to his bed, and kissed on his forehead as he slept. Both the King and Queen smiled in their hearts when their son told them so, but they never revealed the true identity of this Santa Claus.

That winter, their Christmas changed forever.

Cruel fate took away Queen Dione's life. She was traveling with her son when an accident suddenly happened. Noctis was alive, but his mother could never be his Santa Claus again.

It was also the time the ten years old Prince discovered this mysterious light of Etro. Even when he grew up to be a man, he never forgot the first expiring soul he'd ever seen was his own mother's. It was a curse, not a blessing to him.

That sorrowful eve, the King put down a wrinkled letter on his desk. The scrawling words faded away; it must have been his son's tears on the paper. Tears were also on Regis cheeks as he silently read, with his wife's voice echoed in his head.

"Dear Santa Claus.

Winter has come again, and I am writing another letter for you.

I might not always be a good child, but I promise I will be a better son, a better Prince. I will not ask for any present, I will not ask for anything in the world. But please, please accept my final request.

Please return my mother to me.

…"

The King threw his letter into a small, wooden box, where his Queen kept all the letters Noctis had written every Christmas. He had grown through the years, his handwriting and grammar had improved. The King wiped away his tears and smiled softly as he thought about his wife. He could still feel her presence here, right beside him, as if she'd never left.

The young Prince decided not to sleep that night. He had stopped crying, he merely sad down near the Christmas tree. He must stay awake! He must wait for Santa and his mother!

But Noctis soon fell asleep to the sound of ticking clock and the loneliness. The King stepped inside the chamber, this time, with no present. He tried his best not to make any sound, even the slightest sound of his shoes on the floor. To his surprise, he found his son sleeping there, soundly like an angel. The child mumbled many times the word "mother" in his sleep. Dione had gone, now this child became everything he had left in this world. The King made a promise to his deceased wife that he would raise their son to be a better man than he was, to protect his future family and be a better King to his people. Regis gently sat down, took a blanket and place it on top of the sleeping child.

The action awakened Noctis. He sat up immediately. Using his little hands, he rubbed his eyes. He shouted out loud in half conscious state, "Santa Claus!"

But it was silence. Noctis then noticed his father's figure next to him. He suddently realized something.

There was no Santa Claus. It was his parents all this time. They knew what he wanted, and they always granted his wishes. All the tears that he had tried to hide fell down in one moment. His father quickly embraced him in his arms without a word. They were crying together like that for a very long moment, until the Prince exhausted himself, and his voice trembled beside the King's ear.

"M-Mother… Mother…"

"She never leaves us, my dearest…" His father whispered as he patted the boy's back gently, "She is always here with us, in my heart, in your heart…"

"Will I see her again one day?"

"Of course, you will. She is waiting for you, in heaven, with Santa Claus."

Noctis let go of his father. He wiped the tears on his chubby cheeks, and said very loud, so his words could cover up the sorrow:

"Then I will be the best King in history! I will make mother proud!"

Another tear fell down, but he was not sobbing anymore. His father held a hand up and placed it on top of his head, to show his pride towards the little son. No world came out from the King's trembling lips, but young Noctis understood everything he could not say.

There was no more letter for Santa Claus. The Prince had grown up so fast after that night. He never cried, nor let anyone see his true emotions. He kept an empty heart for his deceased mother. But as a tradition, once every year, father and son gathered around the Christmas tree, to celebrate a quiet holy night, with the presence of Queen Dione in spirit.