So I sort of finished this a while ago and never posted it up. I do still plan to add a second chapter when the light dawns so expect more feels. I almost don't want to write it because I don't wish to cry!

"Prompto."

Ignis couldn't stop the sharp inhale of his lungs at that. This was it…

"Gladio."

Fingertips trembled until he had to curl them into fists to stop them. He was the advisor, the person who the prince, now truly a king, could look to in times of need, in times of uncertainty and help guide him. If he couldn't stay strong, how else was Noctis supposed to keep his head high and walk towards his destiny? He had to stay strong and give courage to him, to wish him well… That was when he noticed the brief pause before the exhale of his name, the way he let it tumble out in a soft sigh… It was more than he could bear.

"Ignis."

A choked noise slipped through tightly clenched teeth. No… Don't say his name in such a loving tone, not now, not when he would be leaving them forever. The way his heart clenched at the words, how his ruined eyes threatened to water, these actions went unnoticed, or so he hoped.

Though Ignis had prepared for this moment since Noctis had been taken into the crystal, the reality of it hit him and metaphorically brought him to his knees. How could the fates have been so cruel to the prince he had guided since they were mere children? It was petty to think of him as a sacrificial lamb, raised up on a golden cradle to cleanse their star of its scourge and bring light back to land, yet that was the only thing that he could think of.

Noctis knew this, had resigned the fact his life would become forfeit, would willingly give himself up to save all those he loved and more.

That still didn't make it fair. To say his world was shattering would have been lying. His world had been falling apart ever since things went wrong in Altissia. A painting once seen in a brilliant array of colors now became barely recognizable in muted smeared hues destroyed by fire and ash. Those long years of darkness, both losing his eyesight and the state of the world after starscourge consumed the sky, it barely made living worth it. Noctis had been that hope, that memory that never faded in his mind no matter how long the years stretched out.

"I leave it to you."

Noctis was smiling. Even though his vision had never returned to him, he could always tell, even back in Insomnia on phone calls, accurately able to pinpoint the change in the tone of voice, if it was a forced smile or the rare natural ones. He knew Noctis almost as well as he did himself.

"Walk tall… my friends."

Anything, he would give anything to be able to see his king now in his full glory. If he could just see the smile he had on now before all was lost. If only… Footsteps, heavy ones of a boy, no, a man who had too heavy a burden to carry, who shouldered the entire world's hope by himself, echoed as Noctis ascended the stairs. For once, the chamberlain was left without words, unable to spit out words to say goodbye, a proper farewell fit for a king, the last king of Lucis.

The King of Light, King of Kings, but more importantly… His King.

His Noctis.

"Godspeed and…" Here Ignis' voice broke, loud enough over the rain for all to hear.

"… And take care." Those words took everything he had out of him, leaving a defeated man who would forever wander lost in the darkness. Darkness that seemed to pull him through the ground, away from all of this in pure denial. His head bowed, he almost couldn't pick up the sudden pause in his king's footsteps, nor the confused murmur of Noctis' name from the shield beside him.

Footsteps descended from the stairs and while his mind tried to pinpoint why he was changing directions, he felt something on his face. Fingers suddenly tilted his head upwards and Ignis nearly balked backwards at the sudden touch, senses racing to perceive who it was and how he had missed it when lips pressed against him in a soft kiss. That simple kiss dispelled the darkness he felt pulling him down, filling him with warmth that pushed away the coldness of the rainy atmosphere.

These warm yet chapped lips, the scratchiness of a stubble beard not yet trimmed. His form trembled at the realization this was his king. In response to his shudder, a calloused hand worked its way to the back of his neck, tickling sensitive skin and causing a chain reaction. Ignis abandoned everything, discarding the mask that held himself together, both hands coming up to grip his jacket, pulling him closer as if that one motion would allow him to stay here with him forever.

As if that action will change their destiny.

But it was too late for that, far too late. Maybe in another life, another time, perhaps their endings could have been different, maybe the Gods would have spared them and allowed them to truly be together, to love each other as he now knew they had. Feelings that lingered in the shadows, stolen in silent glances that always went unseen, the mutal pining of two who could never be together.

A slight movement, the subtle act of one not-so-stealthy slipping something into his pants pocket, was just briefly ignored as Noctis pulled away, resting their foreheads together. Ignis bit down on his bottom lip until he tasted copper, fingers trembling on his shoulders. Those three words were stuck in his throat, and from a ragged breath opposite him, Noctis' as well. But that simple sweet kiss, that farewell kiss, conveyed everything he had wanted to say. Hesitantly, knowing he had to leave, and picking up telltale sounds of daemons on the approach, Ignis placed a hand on Noct's cheek, committing to memory the curves of his jawline, the softness of his lips, the telltale trail of silent tears that no doubt mirrored his own.

"You've always been my light Noct, ever since I met you, even before I lost my sight to darkness… Now go… become the light that brings forth the day." It was a whisper that was held together by threads. Longer than the three words he wished to say but… Noctis chuckled lightly, bringing their lips together in a last chaste kiss before Ignis could feel him slip away.

"I'll never forget you…. All of you." The last parting words of his King lingered in the air as his ascension up the stairs began again. While he turned to face the daemons that began to crawl out of the ground, he allowed one hand to slip into his pocket, tracing a small charm that seemed oddly familiar.

Could it be?...

"What is it?" Ignis bent down to closely examine the small wooden charm, its smooth surface warm and oddly comforting even though he had never seen it before. It was like being in a big hug that enveloped you and made you feel all bubbly and happy. His fingertips kept stroking its outline before glancing questioningly up at his small charge. Only a week after the incident in Tenebrae, the recovered prince, still withdrawn as ever, had found his way into his bed every night. It wasn't an odd occurrence; he had done so quite often when he was younger and full of energy… Yet now nightmares still ravaged him and he sought shelter once more, yet this time he brought something new with him. This curious small charm.

"Carbuncle…" Noctis' voice was quiet, almost inaudible. Instantly Ignis' eyebrows furrowed in confusion, which prompted the prince to shift shyly on the bed. Noctis ducked his head, picking at the soft sheets. Briefly those blue eyes flickered up to meet his gaze only to look back down.

"Carbuncle. It can only appear in dreams and it helped me wake up." Ignis filed this information for later. It was curious, how could this small light blue charm have helped wake the prince up from his coma? But if it meant so much to Noctis, then it would be important to him too.

Carbuncle, the charm of the lesser known Astral? Noctis had it this entire time? Letting his lips lift in a soft smile, he summoned his daggers, feeling their comforting weight in his hands. If Carbuncle had kept Noctis safe all these years then maybe… More daemons were headed their way, far more than they would be able to handle on their own, even if they had their King at their side. But the tiny charm in his pocket, Carbuncle. Maybe it would grant him, them, its protection too.

For Noctis, for the King of Light, for the man he had loved above all else even his own life, he wouldn't let any of them past.

The dawn will come and bring forth the light, for the King of Kings will sacrifice it all for his people and those beyond. For the whole planet and its survival he will cast away the scourge and bring peace to the land. This is his destiny as the Astrals willed it, and it shall be done.