Chapter 16: Playing Royalty

Noctis worked as quickly as possible to get back to the Regalia. Cindy had met him at the car, and he received more than an ear full about the state of it. She had loaded her onto the tow truck, and assured him that Ignis would never know any of this had ever happened. He only had to promise his first born in order to afford it. Oh well, it would be worth it when they had their car back and could head towards the mountains.

He didn't like having to leave Prompto in that barn. He didn't like ever having to be parted with him, but especially since they had gotten back together. Especially since he had seen the truth of what Prompto actually was.

What his father had done to him had been beyond monstrous. What Noctis had put him through was monstrous. Of course Prompto had hidden who he was. They had butchered him on an exam table. They had tortured him every single day of his life. Noctis had despised him for so long because of what had happened in Altissia. He had kept him close only for terror of what it would mean to lose him. Yet, Prompto had stayed. He had stayed whipped and beating, and had come back to him at the first sign of affection...of their love.

Prompto was better than him. In every way he was stronger than him. The things his quirky lover had gone through in his life would have broken anyone else to pieces. He didn't break. He never would. Not if Noctis could help him through this. Not if they could finally kill Ardyn and Aldercapt. Not if they could both finally be free.

Finally getting back to the barn, Noctis couldn't wait to strip out of these wet clothes and make up for the fight they had had. Hair rose up on the back of his neck when he entered the dark barn. He could feel the energy crackling through the air. Promto's power. It was making his lips go numb as it had in Altissia.

"Babe?" he questioned, looking around as he pulled out a flask, casting fire in his palm as he looked around. "Prompt, what's going on?" He glanced around, knowing his fiance was here somewhere in the dark.

"Babe…" A mocking tone spoke, and Noctis' eyes shot up towards the rafters, holding up the magical flame as he saw Prompto perched up amongst the rafters like a deadly little pixie. Something was very wrong. "So easily that sentiment leaves your tongue now."

"Should it not?" Noctis asked warily, worried at the way Prompto's eyes were two glowing pools of red up in the darkness.

Prompto launched himself from the rafters, landing easily in front of Noctis as that power pushed up against his insides and made him shutter. "That depends on if you know who you're talking to."

Black veins had began to spread from Promto's eyes, making him look even more like a daemon than normal as the firelight shown off his skin. "Think I know who I'm talking to."

"Oh?" Prompto questioned, head tilting playfully. "You know a lot. Know what they did...I can read it out of your head." He gave a small laugh. "How does it feel to have been fucking a dead man?" He took a step forward, and it was all that Noctis could do not to take a step back as he held his ground. "You've always been into some fucked up things though, huh Noct? You probably get off on it."

He swallowed hard, trying to cover up the hurt as the straw pieces on the floor began to vibrate with what was spilling from Prompto. "What happened when I was gone?"

Prompto leaned in, fingers carding through Noctis' hair, causing him to shiver. He was as cold as the dead. "I got better."

"You don't look better," Noctis assured him, extinguishing the flames as he reached out instead to cup that freezing face. "What's happening?"

His daemon lover leaned into his palm, hand pressing to Noctis as he grinned. "Do you really not see what's happening here?" he questioned, pulling the hand off his face, squeezing hard as Noctis winced. "Or are you really so stupid to think that you're still talking to Prompto?"

Noctis stepped back, confusion covering his face as his blood ran cold. He fought the urge to reach for the sword. "What happened, Prompt? Why are you acting like this?"

"I told you," Prompto spoke softly, placating him as if he were a child. "I'm not Prompto." The power broke then, and Noctis was shot 20 feet backwards to crash through the wall of the barn. Pain lashed through his right shoulder as he rolled to the side, not able to get to his feet as the other appeared in front of him in a wave of energy, boot crashing into his face as he sent him spinning along the muddy ground.

He tried to get up, but a body covered him then, Prompto straddling his hips and slamming his hands above his head. Noctis watched in horror as those black veins spread along his face, turning his skin almost translucent as his hair turned black. Those red eyes stared down mockingly at him as he bit his bottom lip the way Prompto always had.

"My beautiful king," Prompto purred as lightning began to crackle all around them. "I will miss having you inside of me." He leaned down, pressing their lips together as Noctis struggled underneath him, feeling like he was kissing a corpse.

He broke his face to the side, stomach turning as the other laughed cruelly at his discomfort. "We'll figure this out. We just have to get to the mountain." His face whipped to the side as Prompto punched him hard, and he spat blood all over the wet ground as his head swam.

"Do you think I don't know what you were trying to do?" he questioned, free hand drawing his face back to center, wiping at the blood all over his lips. "I'm already claimed, Noctis, no take backs from my master."

"Ardyn is not your master!" Noctis screamed, power flooding him as he knew he was at a disadvantage, but he would be damned if he didn't fight against whatever was happening to his lover.

"You're right," Prompto agreed. "I don't have a master…" He leaned in to his ear. "I'm a Guardian." He bit just under his chin. "And I'm going to be a Chancellor very very soon."

"Alexander," Noctis managed, knowing there wasn't a difference, and yet so much of one at the same. "Give him back. Give Prompto back."

The grin that spread across his face looked like razorblades. "Do you want to know a secret?" Cold fingers traced along his wet cheek. "One that no one else in the entire world knows?"

"I want to know everything about you," Noctis assured him, because this was still Prompto. This was just another symptom of whatever was happening to him, and they would get through it.

"You already got into my pants, stop trying so hard," was the mocked response. "I'll take pity on you though...since you are so very pretty." He leaned into his face, and Noctis fought the urge to turn away as he saw no emotion beyond the red tint. There was nothing of Prompto in those eyes. "When my father killed me in order to seek his own ambitions he thought he succeeded, and really he had, but there was a caveat." Those hips shifted, knee digging into Noctis' liver as he groaned in pain. "I was forced down with the Guardian...with Alexander. All of my life has been horror, and when I died that horror died with it, and it created a new life. I was able to be good...to live a lie as I ran away, but that murderous child was always just under the surface." He bit at his ear. "Still want to marry me now knowing that I was taught to gut a human being when I was four?" He punched him again, and Noctis spit up even more blood as his vision was getting blurry. "Or do you just want to be with the one who was able to overcome that...who fell in love with you?" He stood up then, looking down at him. "I don't love you now."

Noctis tried to wrap his mind around what Prompto had told him. A new persona had been created when Aldercapt had murdered his son. ...Prompto had been created. That's why he was able to be the way he was despite everything that had happened to him. That's why Prompto was alive, and this version might as well be a beautiful corpse.

"I don't believe you," he denied this daemon the pain he was seeking. "Prompto loves me."

"I told you," the daemon said cruelly. "I'm not Prompto." He stepped back, and the earth began to crack underneath. "Get up. It's time we figure out who is superior between Lucis and Niflheim."

Noctis pushed himself up to his elbows, sliding in the mud as the rain continued to pour. "I don't want to fight you."

Prompto gave a wry laugh, shaking his dark drenched spikes. "Of course you do Noctis!" He spread his arms. "You have since you found out about my powers! You can never be the weak one...you have to be in control."

"That's not true!" Noctis denied, pushing up to his feet as his temper rose. "I never resented your powers."

"Fucking. Liar." Prompto bit back. "It's been different since that volcano. It's been different since you knew my identity. You're a jealous piece of shit, and I'm going to prove you're not even worthy enough to lick my boots."

His stomach was in knots at the hate Prompto was spouting. It hurt even worse to consider the possibility that his lover might actually be gone, and that whatever this thing was it now had control. No, it was still Prompto. It would always be his best friend. He wouldn't make the mistake of abandoning him again when he needed him.

"I'm not going to fight you," Noctis denied again, shaking his head back and forth as tears poured down his face. "You have more control than this Prompt...Take back control. Ardyn did this." He had to have...didn't he? Prompto wouldn't be like this on his own. Ardyn was controlling him. That's all it was.

"Come on Noct," Prompto purred. "You know how this ends, right? How do you make a Guardian submit?" He questioned. "How do you free me?"

He knew he could never fight Prompto to get the Guardian under his control, but this wasn't really Prompto right now...not really. If he won...would it save him from Ardyn? Is this how he could finally make it end? Was it a trick? Was he hand holding himself into this decision for a reason?

"I beat you," Noctis answered the question.

"You sure do baby, because know this for a fact…" he grinned cruelly. "It's the only way you're breaking that hold, because I was never ever going to marry you."

It hurt more than it should for his rational mind telling him Prompto was saying these things on purpose. It made him snap as he screamed out, warping forward with his sword as he swung down at the other's head, meeting a grinning face as Prompto blocked it with his own sword, throwing him back.

Noctis didn't relent as their blades clashed, and they began to warp in energy of red and blue as they flew through the air and the storm. They were moving inhumanly fast as they blocked and parried, sparks flickering in the rain as they rose higher and higher. He couldn't believe how fast Prompto was. He was always better with the sword than his lover was though. At least he could be confident in that.

He slashed at Prompto's thin stomach, barely missing as he warped towards the top of the barn. He was barely able to jump out of the way as Prompto warped after him, swiping at his legs. Noctis kicked out, connecting with Prompto's chest, before spinning with the sword and slicing through his shoulder. His eyes widened in surprise as black blood slid down pale skin, before the wound closed before his eyes.

Just what was he?

"Let's take this up a notch, shall we?" Prompto questioned, eyebrow raised as he saw his surprise. He spread his arms to the side as his eyes turned from red to galaxies as archaic buildings began to rise behind him. Colleuseums and towers grew out of the ground, and Noctis watched in absolute awe as his fiance created an ancient city.

"Prompto…" he whispered, eyes unbelieving as he turned them towards the other.

"I told you, I'm not Prompto," his voice was deeper. "Come at me Guardian tamer. Show me that you're worth a god's servitude."

Prompto warped back into the city at that, and Noctis ran after him, warping as their swords clashed a top a tower. They fought along the ancient buildings, movements fast, but skilled. He couldn't think about anything other than the fight. He couldn't think of what was really going on, or he would break down and really let Prompto kill him. ...Would he kill him?

Noctis felt his consciousness pulse as a Guardian called to him, and as they fought their way through the colosseum the sky opened up, and the Leviathan poured out to swim amongst the rain.

His eyes widened in fear as the Leviathan turned into a nosedive, heading straight towards Prompto. "Watch out!" he screamed, causing the other to flip backwards, sailing up towards the creature with his sword lashing out, cutting up against the Leviathan as red lightning seemed to strike the Guardian from all sides.

Noctis watched in awe as the sky opened up, and a giant steed came dashing through the sky, colliding with the Leviathan as the sky exploded in light. Noctis was thrown backwards in the explosion, shooting across the city to crash into the side of a tower, causing it to turn to rubble as he fell to the ground, rolling across the soaked ground.

He fought through the pain as he tried to get back to his feet, body feeling broken as he couldn't see anything beyond that blinding light. That is until Prompto came crashing into his vision with a sword stabbing downwards. It stabbed through his shoulder as Noctis screamed out in agony.

Prompto grabbed for Noctis' sword, spinning it around and stabbing it through the opposite shoulder as he screamed as flesh tore and bled, trapping him to the ground. He did this without any sympathy, beating him handedly with that same grin on his corpse like face.

"Prompt...stop…" He managed as Prompto grabbed another sword, standing over his chest as he spun it to stab down. He was going to die. He was going to die by the one he loved's hands, and he couldn't do anything about it but break on the ground and beg. "Please. I love you."

The daemon guardian didn't hesitate even at his plea, stabbing down to impale him, only being stopped as the sword crashed down into a sheet of ice instead of his belly. Noctis glanced to the side to see Shiva standing there.

"Gentiana…" he managed, blood loss so bad he was close to passing out as the rain turned into snow.

"That's enough, don't think Alexander?" The Guardian questioned, disgust thick on her tongue.

"Almost," Prompto agreed. "You kind of interrupted."

"You were going to kill your mate," Gentiana spat. "What's happened to you?"

"My mate?" Prompto questioned, and Noctis saw the revulsion on his face at the thought. "He could never." He motioned to Noctis bleeding all over the ground. "He's weak. I'm strong, and I'll show the world that they should have never tried to keep me from my purpose."

"Ardyn's purpose!" Noctis shot back in anger and hurt.

"For now," Prompto didn't deny. "He'll help me manifest destiny."

"You're psychotic," Noctis growled out, feeling his heart break as he realized his lover...his best friend...was gone.

"I'm sure they'll say so," Prompto agreed. He walked over, eyes warily placed on Gentiana as he crawled up over Noctis' broken body, and he tried to turn his face away as Prompto forced a kiss on his struggling lips as their bodies became covered in snow. "Good-bye Noctis...you did please me some of the time. Here," he reached for his neck, ripping a chain off his neck, before shoving it into his mouth. Noctis choked as he tasted metal, meeting those cruel red eyes. "Go play king with this."

Prompto disappeared as Noctis spat up the metallic flavor. His world swam around him as unbelievable pain and sadness wretched their way through his soul. He lost consciousness while his eyes were glued on what Prompto had forced in his mouth.

The ring of the Lucian Kings.

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