A/N: Two things:

1. I posted the new part of the Cure Au series :) It's time to start the game story and plot. Hope you enjoy it!

2. The timeline is about 2 years after the rescue of Ravus and Luna. Luna just turned 16.

Lance grunted as he was thrown against the cold floor, the sound of a heavy metal door closing echoed through the empty space he found himself in. The man shifted uneasily with both hands bound together behind his back until he was sitting upright. A firm tug on the restraints confirmed what Lanced already knew, there was little chance of him getting out of them without help.

Lance sighed, muttering, ''Well, at least he isnt alone here so we've avoid the worst case scenario.'' Lance looked over to where he could see Ravus, unconscious a few meters away from him. Shifting from sitting to standing took a bit of work, I'm getting old…, but he managed make his way to Ravus, dropping down beside him. A quick look revealed no obvious injuries on the young man and he seemed to be resting peacefully for the moment.

- several hours earlier-

''I don't care what you think! You aren't leaving Insomnia! I forbid it Luna!'' Screamed Ravus as he slammed his hands on the table. Luna was standing on the other side, her arms crossed and with a determined expression on her face, she scowled at her brother while ignoring the two other people in the room.

''I don't care what you think! I'm the Oracle! I can't keep hiding away from everything when people need my help! Sylva's cure isn't enough!'' Declared Luna, she turned around to look at King Regis and told the man, ''I accept, your majesty. Please allow me to go on tour of your lands to treat anyone who requires my help.'' Regis looked between Luna and Ravus, a worried look clear to anyone looking.

Ravus reached out, grabbing Luna by the arm and forcing her to turn back and look at him. ''You will not! It's too dangerous and you're much too young to do anything. You aren't Mother!'' Ravus tried to drag Luna closer to him, his anger hiding the fear he held at the idea of Luna going anywhere outside of the Citadel, much less the Crown City itself.

Regis moved to interfere, ''Ravus…'' but was cut off by Luna who forced her brother to let go of her arm with a jerk and took several steps away from him. ''You… You idiot! Of course I'm not Mother! She's dead!'' Luna ignored the tears that started to fall in order to keep yelling at her brother, ''That's why I'm the Oracle! That's why I have to do this!'' Luna could feel Umbra and Pryna press up against her legs as they tried to provide her with some amount of comfort as she stood facing off with Ravus.

Ravus clenched his jaw, he wanted to grab Luna and shake some sense into her. Why couldn't she see how dangerous leaving the city was? Niflheim might have drawn back to concentrate on internal matters but they still had spies and assassins everywhere to keep track of Lucian affairs. Going out, even with a Kingsglaive escort was just too dangerous! Yet Ravus couldn't find the words to express himself, the anger and fear chocking him and he found himself turning around to leave the room as quickly as was possible.

Ravus ignored the shouts from his sister and the king, his mind showing him the last moments of his mother's life but instead it was Luna dying while he couldn't do anything to help, like he couldn't do anything to save his mother. He doesn't want to be seen or to interact with anyone so he disappears into the smaller halls Prompto had shown him, the ones that were rarely used by the staff.

Ravus made his way out of the inner Citadel, through the more public areas until he slipped unnoticed through the old servant's gate and into the city itself. He struggled to made sense of what his mind kept telling him, that keeping Luna close was the only way to protect her but he knew by now that those thoughts weren't quite his own. Ravus loses track of time, of where he is and for a dangerous amount of time, who he is until he wakes up from whatever that was and find himself lost among the ever winding streets of the Crown City.

Lance sighed as he looked at Ravus walking out from the room. His majesty was standing and reaching out to Luna, still crying as she watched her brother walk away from their argument, ''Are you alright Lunafreya?'' asked the king kindly. Luna nods, trying to brush away her tears to no avail even as she looks up at the king, ''Ravus… he…'' she stops, hiccuping as she is swept into a hug from Regis.

Lance steps over calmly, reaching out to rub the young woman's back, ''I will go after him if you are alright with remaining with his majesty until we return.'' Lance feels more than sees Luna's answering nod and offers his king a bow. The man under the crown mouthing a quick thank you as Lance starts to leave the room. Lance smiles back and is only somewhat surprised when Umbra peels away from the young princess in order to trot after him.

Lance left the room, closing the door behind him, and followed the guidance of the Crownguards guarding the halls. Soon enough though, no one had seen Ravus pass by neither the staff nor the guards could point Lance in the right direction. Lance looked down wryly at Umbra, sitting patiently by his feet and he asked, ''Any chance you can bring me to Ravus?'' Umbra gave a doggish grin, barked once and started making his way into the lesser used corridors of the Citadel.

Lance smiled as he followed after the young dog through the forgotten corridors and then into the city. Lance took out his phone as he stepped out of the Citadel, ''Clarus? I wanted to let you know that Ravus has gone into the city without an escort. There was a bit of an argument between him and Luna. I'll go after him with Umbra and let you know when I find him.'' Lance spoke quickly as he left the message before jogging to catch up to Umbra.

Umbra seemed to know exactly where to go, their path twisting through the streets and deeper into Insomnia's crowded inner sections. Lance frowned; Ravus had not spent a lot of time outside of the Citadel since his arrival over a year and a half ago. The young man still struggled to trust people and had even more trouble being surrounded by strangers; Lance hoped he would find Ravus before something happened.

Ravus bit his lip as he pushed his back against the store wall. Everywhere around him, Ravus saw nothing but strangers and unknown faces, he could feel his breath quicken in his chest as panic gripped his mind. Where am I? The Citadel! Where is it! Ravus twisted on himself one hand firmly on the wall as he tried to find a landmark or catch a glance of the Citadel but he found his view blocked by all the high-rise building made of steel and glass.

Someone bumped into him and Ravus staggered forward, losing his hold on the wall that helped keep him grounded. Ravus barely had time to catch his balance before someone else brushed past him with an annoyed glare. Ravus jumped back at the sensation of someone, a stranger, touching his arm. His breathing became more panicked, Is it an assassin? Someone from Niflheim trying to capture us again?

He had to get out! The press of the people moving around him was stifling, slowly choking him as more and more people brushed against him, pushing him, grabbing him… No! No! Let me go! A chocked off sob escaped Ravus as he finally managed to duck into an empty side street. His skin felt like it was burning, pain throbbing through his scars as he curled up on himself against the wall.

He was pathetic. Ravus pressed his face into his arms, trying to get control of his breathing but failing as sobs continued to wrack through him. He couldn't even be touched by someone without falling into pieces! It was all his fault. If he hadn't frozen that day, Mother wouldn't have died. If he hadn't frozen then Luna could have escaped that day with Noctis and Regis!

''Maybe I should just disappear…'' Ravus whispered to himself. It wasn't like he was doing any good here. Luna was safe, she was a lot stronger than he was and she now had Regis and Noctis to help her. What good was a useless brother who couldn't do anything to help her? Ravus dug his nails into the skin of his arms, ignoring the pain, until he felt blood running down his arm.

Lance followed Umbra into a smaller street just off the main walking path of the shopping district; he could see the throngs of people moving around in the mid-morning sun and grew worried about Ravus. His thoughts were interrupted by a bark from Umbra, the first such sound since they had left the Citadel. Lance hurried up, moving up to stand beside Umbra who had stopped at the entrance of an even smaller street.

When he looked in it, he spotted the curled up figure of Ravus trembling slightly, he frowned when he saw some blood staining his arms. Lance called out softly, ''Ravus?'' waiting for the young man to answer him before he approached. Ravus tensed when he heard his name called, slowly lifting his head towards its source. Lance sighed softly as he saw the tears and lost look on Ravus, ''Can I come closer?''

Ravus tried to speak, his mouth opening then closing several time before he settled on a nod. Lance moved slowly, not wanting to make Ravus uncomfortable, before he knelt before the prince. Lance didn't say anything as he took in Ravus' appearance, ''Can I touch you? I want to take care of those scratches.''

Ravus lifted his arms from their position, looking at them as if only noticing the bleeding scratches he had but the idea of someone, even Lance touching him right now… ''No, I… Can't…'' Ravus whispered, folding his arms back on his knees. Lance nodded, ''Thank you for letting me know, Ravus. It's alright, you don't have to do anything you don't want to right now. Is it ok if I stay here beside you?''

Ravus nodded, letting his head fall back against his arms. He felt a lot better with Lance beside him but it wasn't enough to make him move. Instead he forced himself to concentrate on the sound of Lance breathing, the slow steady whoosh of air moving in and out in what Ravus was slowly realising to be the technics his therapist had taught him.

Lance waited patiently, shifting only a bit to be more comfortable kneeling on the hard floor. He looked back to where Umbra was sitting, motioning for the dog to approach and started petting him when he settled in beside Ravus.

By the time Ravus had calmed down, Umbra now sitting on his lap and being spoiled by the prince, it was nearing lunch and Lance had received several worried messages from Luna and the king. ''Sorry.'' Muttered Ravus when he noticed it, Lance shook his head and reassured the boy, ''I'm not the one you should apologize to. Are you feeling up to returning to the Citadel?'' Ravus nodded, shifting Umbra off his legs and slowly getting up, leaning heavily on the wall as he did so.

Lance got up as well, keeping a hand extended without touching Ravus in case he needed help, ''Should I call for a car?'' Lance proposed to Ravus who hesitated then nodded. Lance smiled, taking out his phone and calling Cor this time. Cor answered at the second ring tone, ''Hello Lance.''

''Hello Cor, I hope I'm not interrupting anything.'' Lance replied. ''Not at all, I heard about Ravus, is everything alright?'' Cor's voice was laced with worry and Lance was quick to reassure his friend, ''It is now, I was wondering if you could send someone to pick us up? We are in the back alley off the pathway for the shopping district.'' Lance heard papers being shuffled and the sound of a door opening before Cor replied, ''Can you get to the corner of Filia and Somnus? I have someone in the area who can pick you up there.''

Lance covered the mouthpiece of his phone and asked Ravus, ''Do you think you can walk a few blocks?'' Lance knew the street well and the two named by Cor were very far from their current position. Ravus nodded hesitantly, ''I think so.'' Lance uncovered the phone and replied to Cor, ''We should be able too, yes.'' Cor grunted, ''Then I'll send them over. They should get there soon and will wait until you arrive. ''

Lance hummed and hung up, turning to smile at Ravus who was looking pale but steadier then when he had first found the prince. ''Cor will have someone waiting for us at the corner of Filia and Somnus. There is no need to rush so let me know if you need to rest alright?'' Lance waited until Ravus nodded before he started walking through the narrow alleys, keeping an ear and occasional glance to ensure Ravus was doing alright.

It didnt take much time to arrive at their destinations, Lance stopping and waiting until Ravus joined up to him. Ravus stared at the crowd of people walking on the sidewalk with reluctance and a bit of unease, Lance caught the worry and hurried to try and reassure the young man, ''You dont have to leave the alley just yet. I don't see the crownguard car. If you'd like, you can wait here and I'll wait for them to arrive.''

Ravus nodded, shifting so he could lean against the cold brick and metal wall, Umbra sitting down beside the prince. He kept his eyes fixed on Lance's back, ignoring the sounds of people talking to each other as they moved around the city around him. Ravus gritted his teeth as he forced his breath to stay steady despite the increasing pressure he felt from his surroundings.

He heard Umbra suddenly shift at his feet and looked down. Something hooked around his neck and pulled, Ravus scrambling to try and breath or scream as his vision darkened. He could see Lance standing just out of reach, his hand falling uselessly to his side as Ravus passed out.

Lance walked up to the edge of the sidewalk, looking up and down the street as he tried to spot the car Cor had sent to pick them up. Ravus looked fragile and Lance wanted to make sure the boy got back to somewhere he considered safe and a few minutes of watching the street with no luck, Lance turned around to return to Ravus only to see the boy being thrown over someone's back carelessly.

He didnt hesitate, running after the them as they moved further into the alley. Lance couldn't see Umbra and hoped the dog was safe at least but his concern was Ravus. He was within arm's reach of the kidnapper when Lance had to duck forward to avoid the sudden attack from behind him. Out of the corner of his eyes he caught the reflection of light on a knife and swore mentally, it's been too long since his last fight.

''Dont move old man.'' A voice sneered from behind him, Lance glanced over and saw the man who had picked up Ravus standing a few feet away. Ravus' head was pulled back and a knife laid on the pale skin, a clear warning for Lance. Lance stayed as he was, keeping his hands loose and in plain sight. He felt the blow come and allowed his body to fall easily, the beginning of a concussion easily recognizable. His hands were wrenched behind his back and tied together.

-Present-

Lance shifted as close to Ravus as he could when he heard the sound of the door opening once more, several men entering with barely a glance at Ravus or Lance. Lance looked around at them, dismissing most of them as nothing more then followers unworthy of his attention. The two men who entered last, deep in discussion with each other were the ones he needed to worry about.

A camera was set up right in front of the two prisoners, then a short table was wheeled over and finally a single chair. ''It's a pity for you that that prince isn't awake but we do need to move quickly and send our message to the king on time. I suggest you co-operate.'' A dark haired man moved to stand before Lance, looking all to please with himself as he talked.

Lance didnt reply, simply looking at the man impassively. The retaliation was quick, one of the followers roared,''Answer him you cur!'' followed by a kick into Lance's ribs. He felt something give and bent in half, breathless. A hand grasped his hair and he was forcefully straightened, Lance kept his face just as impassive despite his breathlessness.

The dark haired man was angry now, his grip growing harder on his hair and Lance was forced to his feet by it and dragged over to the chair. His hands were released only long enough for them to be re-secured to the chair. Lance shifted his hands, probing the restraints and found them to be just slightly less tight then the previous ones. Another man, the one the dark haired leader had been talking too walked over to the table, taking something from it and then came to stand in front of Lance.

''Do it, nothing permanent just yet. We'll leave that for if the king decides to ignore us.'' The leader ordered, standing just off to the side of the camera. Lance took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he heard the tell-tale beep marking the beginning of a recording. He would have to find a way to get out of this quickly before things took a turn for the worst and they decided to turn to matter what happened to him, Lance would NOT allowed any harm to fall on Ravus.