A/N: So this is an au that just wouldn't leave my mind. Basically the ages of the characters in ffxv are swapped.
Noctis is the 113th king of Lucis and Regis is his son.
Gladiolus is the father of Clarus (and has adopted Cor). Iris is Gladio's sister but she's older and head of the Kingsglaives.
Ignis took Weskham under his wing.
Prompto helped Cindy with Cid.
The annual ceremony to welcome the new year was always an over-the-top, extravagant and wasteful event in Noctis' eyes. The money the council insisted on spending would be better used on helping people in difficulty throughout Lucis.
"Are you listening Noctis?" Ignis sighed, bringing his attention back to the present. Noctis gave him an apologetic smile. Ignis shuffled the papers in his hands, "I was saying that the ceremony will be starting soon. Queen Lunafreya is waiting for you."
Noctis nodded, finishing the paperwork Ignis had put in front of him before he got up and stretched. Ignis tutted, walking around the desk to straighten the suit Noctis was wearing into perfection.
"Thanks Specs. Let's go get this over with." Noctis said. Ignis smiled, bowed and followed as Noctis swept out of his office with all the dignity of his position.
Gladio, Prompto, Lunafreya, Ravus and the rest of their entourage were waiting for them in the front hall. Noctis could hear the throng of his people just waiting their appearance. Gladio grinned as they arrived, "About time! Ready to go Your Majesty?"
Noctis teased, "Must I?"
Queen Lunafreya laughed and walked over to hook her arm in his, "I am afraid so, my dear Noctis. Let us go greet the good people of Insomnia and Eos." She ignored the glare Ravus was giving her and walked over to the doors with Noctis.
The doors were opened with great fanfare as announcers introduced them, "His Royal Majesty, the 113th King of Lucis, Noctis Lucis Caelum and Her Royal Majesty, Queen Oracle of Tenebrae, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret." The roar of the crowd was as thunderous as always, Noctis lifted his free hand and waved to them. He heard the others join them as the photographers started talking pictures.
Noctis escorted Luna to the microphone before stepping back to let her do the traditional opening speech and blessing of the new year. Luna raised her hands in an open gesture towards the sky and waited until crowd grew quiet. Noctis discreetly looked around the plaza, spotting all the news crew capturing every moment of this annual event with an exasperated mental sigh.
"Welcome to all of you in this cold New Year's Eve. May the Astrals' blessing be with you." Luna started. She took a breath to continue her speech when lights appeared above her, materializing into her trident. She grabbed it and a ray of light shot out into the sky.
Bahamut appeared. Taller than any building around, the patron astral of Lucis declared, "The time has come for the Chosen King to complete his destiny." The Draconian pointed at Noctis, "Go forth and seek Our blessings." As suddenly as the Astral had appeared, Bahamut disappeared leaving a stunned crowd and an even more stunned Noctis.
In the chaos that followed the very public announcement, a familiar voice called out angrily. "Dad! What in Ifrit's furry ass is going on?" Regis stomped over, the young Clarus following right behind.
Noctis glanced over at Lunafreya before answering, "Not here Regis. Let's head back into the Citadel." His lips twitched at the language Regis had learned somewhere. Continuing with the ceremony was useless. Gladio was by his side, eyes shifting around in search of any threats as they headed back into the relative safety of the Citadel.
Ravus was staying close to his sister. Lunafreya seemed out of it to the point where only Ravus' careful hand kept her from falling a few times. Ignis lead the way to the large office reserved for private meetings and made sure they were all comfortable before locking the door behind them.
Regis didn't wait a second longer than he needed. He stared at his dad and demanded, "Now can you explain what the hell that was?" Clarus was just a step behind him, outwardly looking calm and composed but Noctis could see the tenseness of his shoulders.
Noctis looked over to Lunafreya, she was still unresponsive to Ravus' attempts to speak with her. Prompto was hovering around them both, bouncing between looking worried for Luna and looking worried for Noctis. The looks that Gladio and Ignis were sending him were just as bad.
There was no going around it. Regis was only a few months short of his 19th birthday, old enough to understand the enormity of what might happen. Noctis sat down heavily and considered how to explain the situation to him.
"You are aware of the Prophecy that was given to our line when Bahamut bestowed the Crystal upon us?" Noctis confirmed first. Regis nodded, frowning as he waited for the explanation. Noctis sighed, passing a hand over his face as he continued, "The King of Light is anointed by the Crystal of Lucii. Only the Chosen King may destroy the scourge from Eos and save the planet from eternal darkness." Noctis paused awkwardly and added, "I was chosen as that King at birth but there was never any indication of when I should start my so called destiny."
"Until now." Muttered Gladio. Regis glanced sharply at his father's Shield with a deepening frown. Noctis mentally swore, his son was sharp. There was no way he wouldn't notice there was something more than what he was saying.
He was proven correct when Regis returned his attention on his dad and asked, "And? What else are you hiding? Because if it was just about you leaving for a while to go talk with the Six then you wouldn't have hidden it from me. So spill." Regis crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot on the floor.
Noctis winced but he didn't have the chance to say anything before Lunafreya spoke up suddenly. "As many have sacrificed all for the King, so must the King sacrifice himself for all." Her voice was soft and tired, her gaze determined as she looked at Noctis with sadness.
"The Six have called for the Chosen King to come forth to accept their blessings. The time has come for you to embark unto your destiny." Luna paused, "There is no time left. The Scourge has been growing in strength and will soon plunge Eos into darkness."
Regis dropped his arm, "Sacrifice?"
"You mean His Majesty has to die?" Clarus exclaimed. Gladio reached out and put a hand on his son's shoulder, shaking his head when Clarus glanced at him.
Noctis slowly nodded, "That right. This… isn't the way I wanted you to find out but I suppose we no longer have time to arrange things to our liking." Noctis stood and walked over to stand in front of Regis, "I'm sorry, I wish we had another 20 years to share but we don't." He looked over to Lunafreya and nodded once.
"I will announce my resignation effective immediately at tomorrow's banquet." Noctis looked at Ignis, "I trust the paperwork can be given to Weskham without too much trouble?"
Ignis bowed and nodded, "He is already taking care of the majority of the Prince's paperwork. I will instruct in the last remaining documents he has not yet been acquainted with before we leave." Ignis paused for a moment before saying, "We should be able to leave without any issues in a week if that is quick enough for Her Majesty Lunafreya?"
Lunafreya closed her eyes, soft white light illuminating her surrounding and Ravus' tense features. Ravus looked ready to explode, his hands closed into tights fists that shook by his sides. Only Lunafreya's hand on his forearm seemed to keep him from doing just that.
"You may have up to two weeks to prepare for what needs to be done but not a day more." Lunafreya finally said. Ignis gave her a thankful bow, two weeks would be plenty of time to ensure a peaceful succession even with the Council's stubbornness.
Gladio shifted, "Good, it'll give me enough time to get the Kingsglaives and Crownguards in order. Clarus is a bit young to take my place as General so Iris will take over for me." He squeezed Clarus' shoulder and added in a near whisper, "She'll finish up your training too."
Clarus tensed up, "You're planning on dying too, aren't you?" His voice was bitter as he looked away from his dad.
Gladio shook his head, "No but it's going to be dangerous. We need to be prepared for all eventualities." Clarus reluctantly nodded. There was a lot of things to do so Regis and Clarus were told not to say a word to anyone and sent away.
As the door closed on them, Noctis collapsed on a chair, "Damn it, I thought we had more time Luna!"
Luna pressed her lips together angrily, "So did I, something must have changed for Bahamut to have appeared in such a manner but I cannot guess what."
Ravus growled, "And yet here you are about to throw your life away because the Astrals demand it of you!" He paced in front of her, "Are you certain we do not have more time? Or a way to buy more time? Perhaps if we destroy more of Niflheim's Magitek Factories?" Lunafreya reached out and took his hand gently, shaking her head in denial. Ravus' shoulders slumped down, he had worked so hard to ensure his sister had as many years as possible before her fate caught up to her.
Prompto glanced between his friends, "What can I do to help?" He was the only one among them who wasn't royalty nor did he have any extra duty outside of his shifts as the King's personal guard.
Ignis smiled, "I could use an extra pair of hand to deal with some of the paperwork." Prompto beamed and nodded eagerly. "Thank you, it will make things much easier."
Lunafreya smiled as she stood, Ravus promptly going to her side, "I will leave you to this. I must go and try to communicate with the Six." She bowed towards Noctis and his retinue, Ravus stiffly following her lead.
Noctis nodded and got up to bid them both a good evening, "Thank you Luna. Please let us know if you find anything out. " Luna nodded and swept out of the room with her brother, leaving Noctis, Ignis, Gladio and Prompto to figure out how to manage a wild crowd demanding answers, an irate Council and the apparently impending doom of Eos.
Regis stomped out of the meeting room and headed straight for the library. "What are you planning?" Asked Clarus as he followed his prince.
Regis hissed, "To check the Prophecy and see what in Eos is going on!" Clarus sighed but said nothing as he took out his phone and checked the many messages by their friends. He replied with a simple line, inviting them all to the library to talk and hurried to catch up to Regis.
- 3h -
A crownguard knocked on the door of the King's office, a letter in hand. He saluted the Lord Amicitia and handed him the letter, "From Prince Regis, my Lord." Gladio thanked him and closed the door.
Noctis lifted his head to stare at Gladio as he dropped the letter in front of him. "What's this?" His sight was starting to get blurry from all the documents Ignis was shoving in front of him to sign. He wasn't going to miss this part of being a king.
Gladio huffed, "It's apparently from Regis." He laughed as Noctis perked up and opened it with a hopeful smile. It didn't last long. Noctis paled in front of his eyes before jerking to his feet and running towards the door. "Noct?" Gladio went right after him, leaving Ignis and Prompto in a stunned silence.
Ignis dropped the document he was working on and headed straight for the letter that sparked such a strong reaction from his king. As he started to read through it, Ignis understood exactly why Noctis had reacted as he had. Prompto arrived by his shoulder to read the letter and Ignis shifted to accommodate him even as his mind swirled with the consequences that would follow.
Dear Father,
I have found the letters between you, Lord Ravus and Queen Oracle Luna. I will not allow you to die over a mistake made by someone who is long dead and buried. As such, I will go forth and make the covenants for you. This will stand as proof that the Prophecy is false and that there exists another way to destroy the Scourge without the need for such sacrifice.
My deepest expression of love,
Your son Regis.
P.S. Clarus, Weskham and Cid agree with me. We'll be fine so don't worry about anything except the usual stuff.
P.S.S Cor found out and insists on accompanying us. Please convince Uncle Gladio not to kill me when I get back.
P.S.S.S ….. I'm not ready to see you die.
A/N: This is currently a one-shot but if there is enough interest I might make it into a multichapter fic. Please review and let me know what you think about it!