A/N: A story request for Shiranai Atsune.

- Fem!Noctis x Ignis

"Master, go on, and I will follow thee
To the last gasp with truth and loyalty."

-William Shakespeare

Allegiance

He had always just followed, watching from behind.

They had been friends for years. They met in the gardens of the Lucis estate. She the sole heir of the king and he was there to undergo training for the possibility to work as part of the counsel or at least as an adviser someday. It was there that he laid eyes on her for the first time. She was hiding behind some bushes, in a dirt-covered dress, grasping a pair of scissors in her hands snipping away locks of black hair. Fragments of long hair fell to the ground. She kept attacking with a rapid, sleight of hand and flicks of the wrist.

What else could Ignis think of beside how impressed he was with the rapid cut. She was starting to look less like a princess, with one side becoming spikey; he was imagining that she might end up looking like an outlaw from a storybook.

He cleared his throat to get her attention. "What are you doing?"

"I'm cutting my hair," she replied, rising from the spot that she had been sitting at.

"Why?" he had asked, walking closer.

"Because I hate wearing these in my hair," she said, stomping on the ribbons laying in the dirt. "Because my hair keeps getting messy."

"I could help," he said.

She thought for a moment, her eyes shifted from a clump of hair in one hand to him. "Okay," she said simply.

"I'm Ignis Stupeo Scientia," he said, holding out his hand.

She smiled and took hold of his hand, shaking it. "Noctis Lucis Caelum."

Before they knew it, they were always together. It was because of her that it made staying bearable, even if his life's path had already been made. He was able get through those harsh lessons of the day knowing that he would see her afterwards. She was the center of his inner world. She was bossy, blunt, and yet had a natural grace. As the years passed, she grew quieter, always keeping it to herself, especially around others. It was her way of handling what she must be responsible for one day and that she must assert where she stands. Her always-ready smile appeared less and less, until it stopped after an incident. However, there was always the briefest hint of a smile in her eyes when it was only the four them, even when Gladiolus and Prompto did the most talking.

When it was just the two of them, it was where he could speak openly about what he kept to himself. His doubts of what his duties meant, where he stood in the long run. He realized that she did listen to him, even at times he always wondered if it was wrong to interrupt her calm, but there was always something on his mind that he wanted to let out. When she did say anything, he would notice that her voice had changed...he could hear emotion in it, something that she rarely let show. He was sure that there were things that she could not put into words and she was struggling to sort them out with herself. All the things she had to see and understand forced her to question just what her beliefs and where she would stand: Would she be able to take full command of the empire? Would the council take control whenever her father's rule ends? Would she have the support needed for her claim of the throne? A sad smile appeared on her face. It was the last question that she spoke of and the look that Noctis gave him that nearly broke his heart, and that was when he understood what she was asking and how she felt. It was that moment that he understood how much he needed her and...she needed him.

Before he knew it, he gradually saw her differently, even if he did try to suppress those feelings. It just became more difficult. He would always imagine her looking up at him, smiling warmly. Wishing for one of those rare smiles, instead it would always be a cool face that became a serious mask once again.

He only thought to take a passing glance, but ended up doing a double take. He was watching her bite her lip, eyes focused on the ground. It soon became too much; she started pacing rapidly around the room. She was nervous all right. Even though it was a surprising sight, he had never seen her that way. But another thing that really caught his attention was what she was wearing.

It was a simple and elegant slightly snug dress with sleeves that stopped just passed the elbows. The hem of the black dress swished delicately around just below her knees, as she went back and forth. It stopped mid-calf, showing little of her legs which held into sensible shoes. Her normally dark hair would hang and frame her face, but now some of her short locks were tucked behind her ears with bejeweled barrettes on one side. In his eyes, she had always been a lovely sight, but this made him feel even more aware and uncomfortable about how...desirable she was. Shaking that thought away, he slowly walked towards the room, tapping lightly on the door. "If you keep pacing around like that, you're going to wear out the floor."

At the sound of his voice, Noctis stopped and turned her head to him. "Well, having to spend an evening among strangers and their false flatteries, sounds quite exciting," she replied, in a calm, cool voice that he had grown use to over the years. "I wonder if they spend hours practicing how to butter up their words," she said with a glint in her eyes.

Trying to add and lighten the mood further, Ignis playfully offered his elbow for her to take. "I would accompany you, but unfortunately I am not dressed properly for the occasion," he said, gesturing at himself clad in a white button shirt, jacket, jeans, and a dog tag hanging from his neck.

"They are sending me and me alone to the capital," she sighed, walking passed him. As she walked ahead of him, then stopped. "So, how do I look?" she asked suddenly. She turned around with a hand resting on her hip.

Stunning was the word that almost slipped out. He managed to regain some of his composure. "It looks appropriate for the occasion," he replied.

With that answer, Ignis noticed Noctis glanced from him to her dress. An expression flickered briefly across her face that he could not quite place. Her eyes then narrowed slightly. "...I see," she said, turning away and disappearing down the corridor.

She looked almost disappointed. He wondered if she was...disappointed with what he said. That should be a safe answer. It was the correct answer, right?

It wasn't until the car finally left the estate that Ignis felt he should of declined more firmly about just surprising an unsuspecting Noctis. They were not asked to accompany her. While Gladiolus and Prompto chatted about in the back, he glanced to the seat where a neatly folded pile of clothes with boots laid there; he hoped that maybe bringing her more comfortable clothing would appease her when she sees them. His katana also lay among the pile. Duty was required of him to protect the future ruler against any kinds of danger and...to kill if necessary. There can be no hesitation.

When enemy soldiers had her cornered, it was the second time he felt overcome by fear. The first time was when he heard of her near death incident. His fingers brushed against the metal, pulling it out of the scabbard, holding it out in front of him. Cutting down bodies as he went, sinking it into warm flesh. By the time he reached her, there were piles of bodies and the air was heavy with the thick stench of blood. She was a bit ruffled standing amongst the ones, she cut down, but her eyes seems to be shining under the moonlight. She was just a little out of arm's reach, when her eyes shifted from the fallen soldiers to him. For a brief moment, he saw almost nothing in her eyes, filled with only coldness, indifference. Or was it the image of someone going through a discovery of power? It felt as if it showed so many untold stories, so much she was not telling him.

Noctis made a new friend. An aristocrat from Tenebrae. It seemed that the both of them hit it off quite well. In other words, he was glad that she has made a friend. It seemed that there are things even Noctis could not say or even talk about around the three of them. Maybe she need someone to have what people call it these days..."girl talk." She seemed harmless enough...Even though there was a feeling that he could not get rid of.

"Don't be foolish," he said, to her, as she was perched on the throne. It was after the attack on the empire and the death of the king, he hoped she would be logical about what to do next. She stood to glare at him and somehow he was taken aback by her stare. The icy blue eyes that seemed to freeze him to the spot, looking directly through him. "Are you now questioning me? I would hope that we will pay them back tenfold," she said curtly.

"We should run through the plan again," he replied as he tried to keep an even tone. "But I assure you we will pay them back a hundred fold." After a few seconds, she nodded, turned and walked passed him. "I won't bore you with details, but it will end with their deaths."

Everywhere around them, they could hear the screams of citizens as the enemy soldiers continued to march through the city. The both of them stood rooted to the spot. Gladiolus and Prompto were God knows where they are. On the other side gunfire continued to shoot across. Cries of pain were heard until there crashes of buildings. "The affairs of the nation are almost in ruin," Noctis said. "We must end this."

After a few more seconds of silence Ignis finally spoke. "We cannot bear such an insult," he said in a weary voice. He turned to look at Noctis, he knew that they, no, she needed more time. There was only one way and he knew that they would never see each other again. It was something that he ignored, until it was inevitable. "Noctis."

As she turned around he rushed towards her, his hand slipped around her wrist, her face was a mixture of surprise and confusion. "I have always followed you, I had hoped that one day I could walked along side you."

Why did she feel so far away when she was standing right in front of him?

"But in the end you and I walked different paths," he said sadly.

Noctis was at a loss of words, looking for something to say. "Why does this make it seem you are saying goodbye?"

"Because I pledged my service, my loyalty to you," he said simply. "That includes giving my life."

Finally pulling her close, his heart was breaking, but he felt happy after longing for a chance to finally hold her in his arms. Noctis shifted in his arms, finally pulling away. An expression that he was all too familiar with began to appear on her face, but there was something else unrecognizable that also appeared..., a subtle splash of crimson appeared briefly across her face.

"I did not give you an order to do that," she said, her voice cold and quiet. Her eyes looking directly into his. "Who is going to be my support when I establish my claims of the throne?"

Ignis stepped forward, but Noctis shot him a fierce glance that stopped him in his tracks. "Come back to me," she said, turning away. "That's an order."

"Hurry and go, I'll try to buy you some time," he said running the other way.

Ignis pulled the sword from its scabbard and held it out in front of him. Cleaning and sharpening the silver blade that glinted beneath the light, he turned it over in his hand, marveling at the skills of the maker. The blade itself could become too thin to use if he sharpened it too often. He wondered how much blood it would taste. He stared at the beast and soldiers behind it. "Come and I will give you hell!" he shouted. Ignis rushed and pushed through the debris attacking the beast and any soldier that had come close enough. Dust particles rose where gunfire scattered around.

Odd, though. His hand was not working that well, seems gone. The sword drops, landing at his feet. He then felt a punch in the front. Then another and another. Feeling the ground slapped against his back, he felt his fingers dragged across the puddle of his own blood. He saw them pull the trigger again. Bundle images rushed through his mind. Whispering the name Noctis as he felt his life seeping away from his numbed body. Yet, he suddenly felt physical pain. A gnawing pain eating away at him.

"Ignis! Ignis!" His name, called with a mixture of despair and desperation.

With a strained effort, he opened his eyes, fluorescent light shined. Noctis…...Noctis was calling out to him. He was lying in what to be an airship or some military vehicle. It was so much to take in. It was strange to see Noctis almost so shaken like that.

"My orders were to come back," she said in an odd voice, before going to the front of the controls where Prompto was already setting up.

He tried to turn over but a sharp pain shot through him, a large hand kept him in place. He stared up to see Gladiolus...and Stella. His hand snaked around Stella's wrist. His hand was bandaged, but still drenched in bright red, the blood seeping through. He watched her look at him with concern in her eyes and he tried to say, "I know you are hiding something, I can't prove it yet...but I am watching," was what he wanted to say, but his voice had disappeared and what came out was a dry wheeze. Instead, Stella just wrapped her fingers around his hand reassuringly, telling him that he will be fine.

Ignis fell silent, he closed his eyes for a moment, telling himself that he had to recover to do what he needed to do to protect Noctis. He had to recover, because he was no good wounded or dead. He will still follow his friend, his lady, his liege, until the end.

A/N: Thanks for reading!

-I hope whatever grammatical errors did not cause too much of a problem.

-Also, I hope it was interesting enough.