A/N: I gave a name to Ignis' Uncle, he is now Ventus Scientia. Thank you for all the reviews! I enjoy every last one of them.
Cor was expecting Sylva to get mad at him, his shoulder tensing in preparation for what she might do but the silence that followed was somehow a thousand time worse than anything she could have said and done. Cor risked a glance at her and almost took a step back in fear at the expression on her face. Her face was calm with just the barest hint of a smile but her eyes were terrifying. Cor Leonis had seen this very expression on Sylva's face only twice before, both time resulted in a prank of such epic proportion that they were still whispers of it in the city after dark. Both times had been in retaliation for an act that Sylva had seen as immoral and despicable and the victims had found themselves disappearing from society in shame and fear.
Sylva slipped her husband's hand off her arm and stepped closer to her childhood friend before whispering in a deadly calm voice, '' Where is he?'' Cor swallowed and this time did take a step back, out of her way before replying, ''In the infirmary, Enar can bring you to it.'' Sylva nodded and walked past Cor without another glance at him, leaving Lance and Enar to hurry up after her. The silence continued for a few more seconds before King Regis stood up and started heading out, '' You can give us the details while we walk. I need to see my son as well.''
Cor bowed to his king and stepped in behind him, he forced his mind away from Sylva and focused on giving his majesty and his colleagues the rest of the report. A description of the Intruder that had fled was sent out to all guards and Cor was told about the other intruders that had been apprehended. Other than the 5 men that Cor had encountered in the west wing, there had been another 10 spread out through the Citadel as though searching for something. The surviving intruders didn't appear to have any intention of speaking but that would change eventually. Cor toyed with the idea of allowing Sylva some time with one of the intruders and see what would happen but it didn't last long as he decided that doing so would be cruel even by his standards.
The group arrived at the Infirmary not long after Sylva and Lance did. The place was busy as the Citadel doctors and nurses dealt with the various injuries from the night's events. Sitting curled up on himself in a corner was the prince, hands still stained in Prompto's blood and with Ignis, now bearing a cast on his left wrist, trying to coax the trembling boy into at least cleaning up a bit. '' Noctis!'' The king headed straight for his son followed closely by his royal adviser while his Shield looked around the room, searching for his own son.
Noctis finally looked up at the sound of his father's voice, his eye holding a far-away look that betrayed his state of mind. Ignis moved out of the way respectfully as he watched the King kneel down in front of his son just in time to receive Noctis in his arms. Ignis's uncle approached softly and laid a hand on his nephew's shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze before inquiring about his health. Ignis rested his uninjured hand on his Uncle's, '' I will survive.'' The young man tried to keep his voice steady but his Uncle could detect the slight waver of worry and shame that was there.
They both moved a bit away to allow the King and his son some privacy. Cor had stayed back, his eyes marking every bruise and injury marring the children in his memory, his anger burning brighter with every new mark he saw and every shaking movement of the Prince half hidden in his father's embrace. It didn't take long for Cor to find Prompto's parents, talking with a doctor in front of the doors leading to the pre-operation rooms. The Marshall hesitated on what to do as he watched the surrounding chaos. He was feeling quite lost, in the end the decision was made for him as Clarus approached and stood beside him. ''The King will be staying here for a while, Prince Noctis is adamant about waiting until Gladio and the other boy are out of the operating rooms before doing anything. Someone needs to deals with the intruders, the guards and the press.'' The Shield's gaze was heavy on Cor who shifted uneasily before nodding, '' I'll deal with it. '' Cor's eyes were dragged towards the young prince for a few moments before a hand landed on his shoulder. '' Thank you, Ignis told me you saved his life.'' The hand belonged to Ventus Scientia who had followed Clarus to talk with Cor.
The man didn't wait for an answer before continuing, '' I will accompany you, Ignis' injury aren't severe and he has asked to remain by the Prince's side until they learn of the other boys state.'' Cor stared at him in surprise before shaking his head, '' I was unable to prevent their injuries and forced Ignis to further injure himself and you are thanking me?'' His voice held a measure of disbelief. Ventus and Clarus shared a look before Clarus clapped Cor on his back, '' Sometime I forget how young you still are compared to the rest of us. Their injuries weren't your fault, if you hadn't gotten to them as quickly as you did then things would have been much worse for everyone.'' It was obvious to the older men that their companion didn't really believe what Clarus had just said but they also knew that Cor would have to figure things out by himself.
Cor looked down to his feet for a moment before asking, '' Can you let me know when you have news of the boys?'' Clarus nodded, '' Of course. I'll send you both any news I get as soon as I can.'' With those words, Ventus and Cor left the Infirmary to deal with the many details that always followed any kind of disturbance in the Citadel.
Sylva hadn't waited for her husband or the guard that had spent most of the evening with them; she knew where the Infirmary was from her time as a student nurse. She arrived quickly to the main area and spotted several doctors she knew and had worked with in the Insomnian hospitals around the city. '' Doctor Amaret!'' She called out to the closest of them, the doctor turning around with an expression of surprised on her face.
'' Sylva? What are you doing here?'' The nurse waited until she was in front of the doctor before answering, a bit breathless, '' My son has been brought here with the Prince and his retinue. The blond boy, Prompto.'' Dr. Amaret's eyes widen for a fraction of a second before she answered, '' I see, he was sent straight to surgery. If you can give me his information I'll send it to the surgeon immediately.''
Lance had arrived and moved to stand by his wife, having heard the last part of the doctor'S word. Sylva nodded, '' Of course, Prompto's blood is AB negative; he was injured 8 days ago on the upper right arm and has been on antibiotics to prevent infections since. He is the same age as Prince Noctis.'' Lance stood by his wife as she detailed all of Prompto's medical information to the doctor and the nurse taking notes beside them. When she was done, the nurse hurried into an adjoining room and Prompto's parents were brought to the post op waiting room. It took an hour before any news came with Gladiolus Amiticia being wheeled out of the OR and pass the couple. Dr Amaret stopped to talk with them quickly, Prompto was going to survive his injuries though whether there had been any damage to the boy's spine remained to be seen. The surgeons were finishing up the stitches and their son should be out within the next half hour. Lance thanked the doctor, hugging his wife as he returned his attention to the door leading to the OR.
Clarus had been standing by Regis and Noctis since Cor and Ventus had left, keeping an eye out on Ignis on top of the royal family and any signs of his son. He sent a quick message to Jared, his family butler about the situation at the Citadel and promised the long-time servant to tell him any news of Gladiolus' condition as soon as he knew more. When his son was wheeled out of the OR, a nurse found him and gave the group a report on his son's condition.
Gladiolus had broken his sternum and several ribs, the blow to his chest strong enough to cause a bone shard to separate from his sternum and nick his lungs leading to a pneumothorax. The boy had required surgery to remove the shard and treat the nearly collapsed lung. Gladiolus was on oxygen for the moment would likely remain on it until his lung had recovered enough to satisfy the doctors. Noctis visibly relaxed for a moment at the news Gladiolus would be ok before asking about Prompto. The nurse could unfortunately not tell him anything about the other boy but promised to see what she could find before returning to her job, leaving the royal group to make its way to where Gladiolus was being kept under watch until he woke up.