Note (*SPOILER*):

Ignis is not blind in this fic :)

Chapter 1: The King's Shields

"For Six's sake…please…PLEASE just be safe…" Prompto finally broke the silence, his quaking voice, laced with desperation as he clenched his fists tightly, on the verge of tears.

Ignis and Gladio stopped in their tracks, taking a while to digest those words as it struck a chord in them before they both turned to look at him.

Before this, there was this strong hope and unwavering determination that could keep them going. They stubbornly hung onto that, convincing themselves that they had never failed in their duties and that this time, they will overcome it too, like always.

But now, that fire has dimmed.

Ignis opened his mouth to say something in response, something that could light up that fire of hope in them again but closed them almost immediately as a wave of emotions suddenly engulfed him, turning away to hide his face. He couldn't find the right words and he knows that he didn't have the right to console anyone when he himself was losing hope.

Gladio remained silent, his face bore the expression of guilt and sheer hopelessness.

It had been almost a month since Noctis was last dragged away by Ardyn, the chancellor of Niflheim. This had happened right under their watch when they were on the train bound for Tenebrae.

They could only blame themselves for what happened as they let their emotions get the better of them at that time. If only they could put themselves in the prince's position. If only they could understand that he had just lost 2 of his loved ones, his dad and his fiancé, in such a short period of time while his country steadily falls apart. Such tragic events happening one after another, not giving him any time to recover at all or to grieve as he feels his responsibilities towards his nation weighing down on him. He was also trying his best to grasp the fact that he must be king despite his shortcomings. He must be king even if he is so greatly overwhelmed with the feeling of unworthiness that is holding him back.

He must be king even if he is afraid.

And yet, in the name of whipping him into a kingly shape, they chose to snap at him, trying to get him to toughen up instead of moping in despair. It's as if they're telling him that it is shameful for a king to shed tears which could only display weakness and that they, speaking on behalf of Lucians, don't need a weak king who can't keep himself together.

But they had forgotten that they too, had ever lost someone dear to them. They had forgotten how much of a wreck they were at that time. They had forgotten that even a king is only human.

"You think you're a king. But you're a coward."

Those words kept replaying in Gladio's head throughout these past few weeks as those were some of the last words he said in anger to Noctis, hurting him and causing him to break away from the group for a while to have some time alone to reflect. And that momentary absence of his Crownsguards presented the perfect opportunity for him to get swooped by Ardyn.

It started with the train suddenly screeching to a halt. Initially, the three Crownsguards simply ignored, preoccupied with their own thoughts until something familiar was spotted outside.

Seated facing towards the rear of the train, Prompto had been looking out the window, absently staring into the distance even after the train had come to a stop. A short while after, he noticed some movements outside from the corner of his eyes which caught his attention. Craning his neck to get a better view, he saw a suspicious ship parked beside the train. Still trying to register what was happening, he suddenly heard some noises coming from one of the cabins at the back.

"Did you hear that? Sounds like a fight breaking out at the back," he asked, turning to Gladio and Ignis.

"Is it?" Gladio casually responded, displaying a willful indifference as he picked up his book to read.

"Yeah maybe? And there's a big ship parked outside...Looks like one from...Nilfl.." Prompto suddenly paused.

"Is it?" Gladio responded again, not bothering that Prompto stopped midway, still maintaining his indifference.

That was when Ignis suddenly stood up, startling Gladio as he looked up from his book.

Wait. What? Niflheim?

Gladio came to his senses, tossing his book aside as he joined Ignis to look out the window.

As they busied themselves wondering why their enemy's forces were there, Prompto asked with concern, "Guys...Where is Noctis?"

Silence filled the cabin for a moment as they looked at each other anxiously, leaving the question hanging.

"Shit…Noctis!" Gladio exclaimed as he broke into a run, shoving people aside as he made his way to the back of the train where the source of noise was coming from. Ignis and Prompto followed closely behind, ignoring the other passengers' stares.

When they had arrived at the scene, all they could see was Noctis being pinned down to the floor, painfully struggling to get Ardyn's hand off his neck.

Noctis was certainly caught off guard when Ardyn suddenly appeared from behind him and whispered next to his ear.

"My, my, why are you looking so forlorn… your Highness?" he asked with his usual demeaning smirk.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Noctis snapped out of his thoughts and turned around quickly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked through gritted teeth as uncontrollable rage filled him. He lunged at the burgundy-haired man almost immediately as he suddenly recalled Luna's last moments and her face, contorted in pain after getting stabbed by the chancellor.

But Ardyn had predicted this and easily side-stepped to avoid his punch, causing the prince to plunge forward and lose his balance as he fell unceremoniously to the floor.

"Woah aren't you feisty…your Highness?"

Noctis shot a deadly glare and spat, "You son of a bitch…"

The raven tried to attack again, this time with his sword. He leapt forward, determined to thrust his sword into Ardyn in an attempt to avenge Luna's death. However, Ardyn quickly ducked to evade and caught a hold of the prince's wrist with one hand, successfully stopping his advances. The bigger man then threw a punch with his other hand, smashing into Noctis' chin. Noctis crashed to the floor hard, rolling to the side in pain but before he could even get up, Ardyn firmly grasped at his throat, pinning him down to the floor.

"And here I thought you were eager to see me so I was kind enough to come to you instead. I'm hurt, you know" Ardyn said, frowning mockingly.

"AHH…LE…LET GO! Y…YOU...PIECE OF…SH..SHIT! ARGHHHH…" Noctis winced in pain as he tried to pry the chancellor's hands away from his neck with all his might. He struggled in his grip, kicking in all directions, hoping to break free.

"Now, now, prince, watch your mouth. Didn't your father teach you not to be rude?" Ardyn strengthened his hold on his neck, further restricting the younger man's breathing. He watched in amusement as the raven squirmed under his grip, letting out small ragged gasps as tears started running down his cheeks from the pain.

Somehow, seeing the royal prince at his mercy, crying pathetically and so vulnerable, Ardyn's lips slowly upturned into a malicious grin.

This is going to be fun.

"NOCT!" the Crownsguards cried in unison when they arrived and immediately took out their weapons to attack the chancellor but…

Snap.

The clicking sound of a single snap of fingers echoed in the air throughout the cabin as time suddenly froze and everything stopped in motion.

The three Crownsguards fell to the ground in an instant.

That was it.

A snap of his fingers was all it took to immobilize the three. However, as if deliberate, they were kept conscious.

Ardyn inched closer to Noctis' face and whispered, "Look at that Noctis. Your poor friends had fallen and they can't get up." He chuckled menacingly, having fun as he watched the raven struggle violently in protest.

But it was not long before Noctis' face started turning pale and he slowly loses strength.

Ardyn loosened his grip. Upon being released, the prince held his hands up to his neck immediately and hacked violently, taking in large gasps of air as he rolled on the floor, groaning in pain. In between the coughs and with whatever little strength he had left, he tried to draw his sword again but Ardyn stepped on his chest hard to stop him.

"Uh uh…I wouldn't try that if I were you. You do that ONE more time…" the chancellor paused to glance at the 3 Crownsguards before leaning down to grip the raven's face in his hand, forcing him to look into his amber eyes, "and that's the last you see of them dear."

Noctis pried the older man's hand away from his face in frustration before lowering his eyes in defeat. He turned to look at his friends. He could see that they were trying their best to break free from Ardyn's spell. The desperation clearly shown on their faces. He suddenly recalled the fight they had earlier and looking at each of them, he casted a sad smile and muttered under his breath,

"I'm sorry…"

"Take him away." Ardyn commanded the Niflheim guards who were on standby outside the train.

Prompto, Ignis and Gladio could only watch as their prince tried to break free, crying desperately for them.

"IGNIS! LET GO YOU BASTARDS! GLADIO PROMPTO! LET GO!" Panic could be seen in the raven's eyes as he was taken away.

They witnessed as Noctis got led away by the Niflheim guards.

Ardyn was the last to leave, stopping at the doorway to take one last look at the prince's shields on the floor. He smirked at them, doffing his hat while he took a bow before stepping out of the train, humming jovially as he walked away.

But they couldn't move. Couldn't even respond.

So utterly helpless.

It was not until the Niflheim ship that was parked nearby flew off were they then able to move again.

But it was too late.

"Damn it…DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!" Gladio punched the wall hard with his bare fists, again and again, so overwhelmed with anger.

Ignis slumped to the floor, simply hanging his head low as he got wrecked with guilt.

And Prompto stared at the sky sadly, watching as the ship disappeared into the distance. He bit his lower lip hard and silently said to himself as he clenched his fists,

"The king's shields, huh?"