"Ignis, SIT. DOWN!"
Ignis halted mid-stride and simply looked at Gladiolus, who was shuffling cards at the small table in Ignis' room. He could feel Gladio's exasperation from where he stood, but Ignis refused to give in.
"It's 10:00," Ignis stated.
"So? It was 9:45 the last time you jumped up," Gladio said, shaking his head. "They're big boys, Ignis- 10:00 is early by most people's standards."
"Noctis and Prompto have been at that ridiculous carnival since 4:00pm. I fail to see why they would still be there at this hour," Ignis retorted.
"Maybe because they're 19 and want to have fun?" Gladio replied with a roll of his eyes. "Look, Iggy, just calm down and come play another hand. How often do we both get a night off? Might as well enjoy it."
Ignis rubbed his eyes briefly before relenting. "Fine, I shall endeavor to relax." He stiffly reseated himself at the table and picked up the cards, trying to ignore the worry gnawing at the pit of his stomach.
"Yeah, you look real relaxed," Gladio muttered. At Ignis' withering glare, he raised his hands in surrender and started off another round of poker.
Prompto glanced at his watch- 10:00, certainly not late by his standards, but Noctis had just yawned for the 5th time in as many minutes. They were walking along the river just outside of the carnival grounds. Prompto had his arm slung across Noctis' shoulders in an affectionate gesture that also served to help his friend along. It hadn't escaped his notice that Noctis was limping, a holdover from his childhood injury that became more pronounced when he was tired.
"So, we can, you know, just go home now," Prompto said, watching his friend carefully. "You look really beat."
"It's fine," Noctis mumbled around another yawn. "Gladio's just been working me hard the past few days. And Ignis seems to think doubling up on my history lessons is going to cram knowledge into my head faster."
"Ugh, history," Prompto said with a shudder.
"Exactly," Noctis replied, shifting his weight to steer them toward the water's edge. "I really don't want to go back yet, Prom. Maybe we can sit on the rocks for a bit?"
"Sure! Maybe you'll get a second wind or something!"
Noctis lowered himself slowly onto a large boulder near the shore. He could feel Prompto's eyes on him, and tried not to wince. 'Stupid leg,' he cursed inwardly, feeling the old injury protest, along with every other muscle he had strained in training over the past week.
The afternoon had started out great. Noctis' father had given him the day off from his training, and Prompto had begged him to go to the carnival, much to Ignis' dismay. His advisor seemed to think large, colorful attractions, noisy rides and junk food were going to corrupt the young prince. Fortunately, Gladio had been on hand to reign Ignis in, and soon he and Prompto had made their escape.
Six hours later, despite his exhaustion, Noctis could truly say it had been worth the trip. He and Prompto had ridden every ride three times and ate enough junk food to give Ignis an aneurysm. Now, despite trying desperately to keep the fun going, Noctis knew he needed to sleep.
"Hey, Prom, I think-"
"What was that?" Prompto was on his feet and heading over to the water before Noctis could finish. "I heard a splash," he called back over his shoulder. "Wonder if it might be some cool sea creature?"
Noctis was about to respond when he felt a presence behind him. He turned, thinking it was one of the two bodyguards who had accompanied them, and suddenly a hand was pressed over his mouth and a sharp pain lanced through his side.
"Niflheim sends it's regards," a harsh voice whispered in his ear, and then the hand around his mouth was gone.
Dazed, Noctis stared in disbelief as the fabric of his shirt became wet with blood. Pain was pulsing through the hole in his side, which he now recognized as a knife wound. He pressed one shaky hand to the wound and groaned, feeling himself slipping sideways off the rock where he had been sitting.
Prompto chose that moment to reappear.
"Guess it was nothing in the water," he said, sighing slightly in disappointment. "Maybe we should. . ." Prompto's voice trailed off as he saw Noctis.
"Noct? Oh gods, Noct! Talk to me!" Prompto dropped to his knees next to Noctis in a panic, taking in his pallid complexion and the blood oozing out over his hand. "What the hell happened?"
"Not sure," Noctis ground out, clenching his teeth around the pain. "Guy came out of nowhere. . . stabbed me. Prom, we need to get out of here."
"Right, yeah," Prompto said, naked worry coloring his tone. "Noct, is it safe to move you? Maybe I should look for the guards, or call Ignis or Gladio to pick us up. . ."
"The guards are dead," Noctis said flatly, his gaze moving to the still forms lying a few feet away in the dirt. "How did they know where we were? We just decided to go to the carnival this morning."
"You don't think. . . there's a traitor in the castle?" Prompto exclaimed, following Noctis' train of thought.
"All I know is we need somewhere safe to go and figure this out," Noctis said wearily. His vision was starting to blur from the blood loss, and he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to remain conscious.
"Your school apartment!" Prompto said suddenly. "We can lay low there and call Ignis and Gladio to meet us." Noctis nodded, stretching out a hand for Prompto to help him up.
Prompto helped Noctis to his feet, wrapping the arm not clutched to his friend's injured side around his neck. He felt Noctis waver, and almost set him down again. However, after a moment the prince nodded resolutely, and they staggered off into the night.
Ignis and Gladiolus were out of the car seconds after it screeched to a halt in the parking area of Noctis' apartment complex. Ignis was pretty sure he had broken every traffic law getting there, but he honestly didn't care. Prompto's frantic phone call 20 minutes prior was enough to chill his blood and make him throw caution to the wind.
"Leave them alone for five minutes. . ." Gladiolus grumbled as they made their way upstairs, his gruff tone covering his own worry.
The apartment door flung open at their approach, and Prompto appeared in the doorway.
"Oh, thank Etro! You guys need to help him. . . he. . . he. . . " Prompto stammered out, gesticulating wildly toward Noctis, who was laid out on the couch.
Ignis was across the small room in seconds, but Gladiolus stopped and put a hand on Prompto's shoulder. "You did good kid, OK? Just calm down."
Prompto swallowed hard and nodded. He and Gladio made their way over to the couch, where Ignis was staring down at the prince's shivering form. Prompto had pulled all of the blankets off the bed in the adjoining room and piled them on top of his friend. He vaguely recalled Ignis talking about the dangers of shock, and figured it couldn't hurt.
After another moment, Ignis shook his head and snapped into action. "Prompto, please see what we have on hand in the medicine cabinet. Gladio, I can handle things here for the moment. You need to. . ."
"I know," Gladio interrupted, "I'm on it. I'll call my father, have him tell the king as quietly as possible. They can start searching for the leak."
"Very good," Ignis murmured as the other two men went to carry out their tasks. Steeling himself, he moved the blankets out of the way and lifted the blood-soaked shirt off of Noctis' side as gently as possible. The wound was raw and jagged, about two inches across his lower abdomen. It looked to have stopped bleeding, for which Ignis said a silent prayer of thanks. Noctis' skin was an unhealthy shade of gray, which meant he had lost far too much blood already.
As gently as possible, Ignis rolled the prince up to examine his back. There was no exit wound, so he hoped the knife hadn't penetrated too deeply. As he eased Noctis onto his back again, Ignis was startled to see his charge's eyes flutter open.
"Noct, can you hear me?" Ignis said softly, placing one hand on his forehead.
"Uhnnn," Noctis said, his voice cracking. He rolled his head to the side and tried to focus on Ignis.
Prompto suddenly came charging out of the bedroom, arms full of towels and seemingly the entire contents of the medicine cabinet.
"I didn't know what was what, so I just grabbed everything," he panted, dropping his armload on the carpet in a heap. "Hey, Noct's awake! You really scared me, buddy. I thought. . . I mean. . ." Prompto perched on the arm of the couch and began gently running his hand through Noctis' hair. The prince sighed and attempted to shift his focus to his best friend, but the small movement sent waves of pain rippling through his body. He gasped and arched up on the couch.
Prompto jerked his hand away as if he had been burned. Ignis moved to hold Noctis down, and Gladio came charging in from the other room with a curse. He draped his large frame over Noctis' legs, pinning down his lower half.
"Noct, I know it hurts, but you need to calm down," Ignis said soothingly. "I need to treat your wound, and you need to conserve your energy."
Slowly, Noctis' body relaxed, although his face remained taut with pain.
Hesitating slightly, Prompto reached out a hand and resumed carding his fingers through Noctis' hair. Gladiolus went into the kitchen and filled a bowl with water, placing it on the floor next to Ignis, who had rolled up his sleeves.
"I spoke with my father," Gladio said, returning to his position by Noctis' legs while Ignis began the painful task of cleaning out the prince's injury. "They're searching the castle as we speak. Said he'll let us know what they find, but to keep Noctis hidden and secure for now. The king was frantic, but he knows this is the way it's got to be- said to tell you he has full faith in you, Iggy."
Ignis merely nodded, returning to the task at hand. He would not let his king's faith be misplaced. Noctis moaned softly as Ignis finished removing all of the debris from his side, his cheeks flushed and eyes bright.
"Ignis, um, he feels really warm," Prompto said with a frown, placing his palm on Noctis' forehead.
Placing his hand against Noctis' cheek, Ignis sighed. "He has a fever. Let me see what we have to give him before I stitch the wound."
While Ignis rummaged through the medicine on the carpet, Gladio spoke, taking one of Noctis' hands in his larger one. "Kid, you need to tell us how you're feeling, OK?"
Through the haze that seemed to envelop him, Noctis took stock of his body. "Head hurts. . . feel hot and cold. . . side is on fire. . . leg aches. . ." It was hard to form a complete thought. "Everything is moving. . . thirsty. . ."
Prompto jumped up as Noctis finished. "I'll get you some water- be right back."
"Wait, did he say his leg hurts?" Gladio said suddenly, worry evident on his face. "Ignis, did we miss something?"
"No, no. . . just his old injury acting up. He was limping earlier," Prompto called from the kitchen.
Relieved, Ignis produced two potions from the mess. "We have a fever reducer and something to help along the healing process. These should work until his energy has recovered enough for the crystal's magic to take over."
Gladio moved to hold Noctis' head up while Ignis poured the potions into his mouth. Prompto brought a glass of water, which they also helped him drink. By this time, Noctis was just clinging to consciousness.
"Prompto, please hold his shoulders. Gladio, hold his legs. I am going to begin suturing this closed." Once everyone was in place, Ignis shot Noctis an apologetic glance.
"This will hurt. I am so sorry, my prince."
"Jus' do it," Noctis slurred, eyes fluttering.
As Ignis began stitching, Noctis cried out and attempted to pull away from the hands holding him. Gladiolus and Prompto held firm, though, and after a moment the prince passed out, much to everyone's relief.
When the wound was closed and bandaged, Ignis decided Noctis would be more comfortable in bed. Gladio lifted the prince gently into his arms and carried him in. Prompto helped Ignis change Noctis into clean clothes and get him situated under the mound of blankets. Noctis remained unconscious, but began murmuring and shivering once he was settled.
"He's still cold," Prompto said, concerned. He climbed on top of the bed and carefully laid down next to his friend, sharing his body heat. Noctis settled down after that and was still.
Throughout the night, Ignis, Gladiolus and Prompto took turns watching over their friend. Prompto stayed close and held Noctis when his body shook from pain and fever. Ignis monitored his wound for infection and placed cool cloths on his head, which seemed to help. Gladio carried Noct to the bathroom when he was overcome with nausea and held him while he threw up, praying he wouldn't pop his stitches.
When morning came, everyone was exhausted. However, Noctis' fever had improved and he was sleeping peacefully. The sound of Gladio's phone ringing caused them all to jump.
"Well, they caught the bastard!" Gladio proclaimed with a grin after hanging up. "Some guy posing as a servant was listening in on our conversation the other day. Apparently, he was some Niflheim-defector wannabe who thought he could get into their good graces by stabbing the prince. Security has been beefed up, but it seems like an isolated case. The king's sending a car now to bring the prince back to the castle."
Prompto sighed with relief, cuddling closer to Noctis on the bed. Ignis held the prince's hand and squeezed it gently, thanking Etro his charge was safe for now.
A few hours later, Noctis was safely ensconced in his bed at the castle. The healers had come and gone, proclaiming that he was on the mend. The king had sat with his son for awhile, simply staring at him as if to make sure he was really alive and whole. Now, though, Noctis was alone again with his three friends, who were anxiously waiting for him to wake up.
"He moved! Hey Noct, open those pretty blue eyes for me, OK, bud?" Prompto exclaimed, staring down at his best friend from where he was perched on the bed. Ignis and Gladiolus crowded around, watching as Noctis finally woke up.
"Ugh, feels like I got run over by a Chocobo," Noctis groaned, attempting to sit up. He hissed at the sudden pain in his side, and three pairs of hands immediately moved to push him down and settle him against the pillows.
"Careful, my prince," Ignis said, looking concerned. "Your injury is still healing. Right now, you need to rest and recover. I've sent down to the kitchen to bring up some broth and water. You need to eat to regain your strength. You lost quite a lot of blood."
"Yeah, dude, it was really scary," Prompto added, nervously playing with the bed sheets. "I thought. . . I thought you weren't going to make it. There was so much blood, and. . ."
"S'ok, Prom, I'm still here," Noctis said, feeling guilty. He hated seeing his friend so worried. "Thanks, all of you, for taking care of me."
"Eh, it's what we do," Gladio said gruffly, gently mussing the prince's hair. "I don't think Iggy's going to let you out of the castle for a while, though."
Ignis huffed slightly, adjusting his glasses. "Most assuredly not! Did I not say that the carnival was a bad idea? Miscreants, ruffians, garish pavilions, inedible food. . ."
Gladio turned his head to hide his mirth as Ignis continued rambling. Prompto coughed into his hand as he tried not to laugh, and Noctis merely smiled as he drifted back off into a healing sleep.