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Chapter 15

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Prompto was pretty sure he was dreaming... It was a dream he'd had before, but more detailed, longer, more distressing. He knew it wasn't real even as he was lost in it. Even so, he couldn't get himself to wake up, and everything around him felt real - so it might as well have been...

He was in a lab - like the one Verstael had hidden under the shack in the middle of nowhere - but this one was in the snow. He could tell, even though he couldn't actually see outside. He just knew. The lab didn't feel like it was being heated. Not enough. The entire place was cold, freezing cold. Cold enough that Prompto was shivering. His teeth were chattering. He felt goosebumps on his skin and could see his breath in front of his face...

Except he wasn't breathing. He was underwater. The breath he could see a second ago was gone now, replaced with a foggy blueish tint. Just water was there around him. Cold, freezing water. He was suspended in it, in a tall cylindrical vat, with tubes going down his throat, into his nose... needles and other tubes were stuck in his skin, in his hands, his arms, his legs and chest. There were so many tubes...

With a soft whimper, Prompto tried to reach for one of the IVs stuck in his hand. He wanted to remove it. He needed to get out of here... He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be hooked up to IVs. He didn't want to be fed through tubes. He wanted to go home, to put on clothes... But he couldn't move. He felt completely frozen.

He blinked open terrified eyes, watching through the glass as Ardyn walked by outside of the vat. The man didn't even look toward him. Maybe he didn't know Prompto was there. How could he not know? The vat was so obvious... Did he just not care?

A breath caught in his throat as Prompto tried to raise his hands to pound on the glass from the inside. He tried to scream, to beg for help... Ardyn would help him, right? If he knew Prompto was there... if he could see him, hear him... Ardyn wouldn't make him stay here... but his voice wouldn't work. His arms were too heavy. He still couldn't move, couldn't speak... could barely even breathe.

Choking out a tearful sob, Prompto shivered and squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't open them again until he felt arms wrapped around his chest, pulling him back. He wasn't in the vat anymore, but was still hooked up to all of the tubes. He still couldn't move, speak, or breathe.

He was frozen as the hands dragged him toward a medical bed, stiff, cold and uncomfortable. His tearful breaths shook painfully in his chest as the hands grabbed around his neck and wrists and slammed him face-down against the thin mattress. He felt his legs being kicked apart, forcibly spread.

"No..." Prompto whimpered, choking painfully, feeling the blue liquid from the vat splattering on the bed below him as it dripped from his mouth as he coughed.

He reached up with his hands, pulling at the tubes that were still down his nose and throat. He gagged painfully as he dragged them up. More liquid spilled out as he moved. He still couldn't breathe. He felt the hands moving over his thighs, grabbing his butt and squeezing, spreading.

"No!" Prompto choked, his voice breathless. "No! Please! Get off of me!" Cold, blue liquid, thicker than water, almost as thick as syrup or glue oozed out of his mouth and nose, making him feel suffocated. He sobbed, still unable to breathe as the substance filled his mouth, dripped down his chin. "Stop!" Prompto cried, his voice shaking with fear and chill.

"My son." Verstael's voice spoke, sounding far away... but Prompto could feel breath on the back of his neck. He could tell the man was close. He felt the hard, unforgiving hands on his body, squeezing at his skin, groping painfully down between his legs as the man moved his mouth in a trail of unwanted kisses up across Prompto's shoulder, up the back of his neck.

Prompto sucked in a shaking, painful breath. Was Ardyn still around? He was just out here. Where was he? Why wasn't he coming to Prompto's aide... He knew Verstael would hurt him. He knew that... Where was he?

"Help me!" Prompto whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut. "Ardyn... Help me! Please!"

Verstael only grabbed him harder, kissed up his neck toward his ear, breathing there loudly, almost in a pant, so that Prompto whimpered and shrunk down.

"Get off of me!" Prompto sobbed, trying to thrash under the man's hands. He couldn't move. His body felt so heavy, weighed down, asleep, frozen. "Please don't! Please!" He whimpered, squeezing his eyes closed as tears streamed warmly down his cheeks.

"Prompto..." A low voice spoke. It sounded a million miles away... It wasn't Verstael. It was Ardyn... Wasn't it?

Prompto shook his head. He just wanted to go home... He'd never take his adoptive parents for granted again. They weren't perfect, but at least they didn't treat him like a science experiment. He was given a safe, warm bedroom, a bed, clothing, food... It was so much better than not having them... They didn't threaten to rape him, kill people in front of him... They didn't cut his clothes off him and strap him to a bed, poke and prod him with needles, drug him... They never touched him between his legs or performed horrible, degrading medical tests on him for no damn reason.

"Please!" Prompto sobbed, pushing wildly outward as he felt hands grabbing at his arms. "Get off of me! Please!" He whimpered.

"Stop. Prompto... Stop..." The low voice continued, sounding a mix between worried and angry.

"No..." Prompto whimpered, choking out a breathless noise. He felt like he couldn't breathe, like his lungs were moving too fast... The breaths were coming, but they were too quick. His body wasn't absorbing any of the oxygen...

Prompto let out a shaky scream when he felt hands on his arms.

"No! Stop!" Prompto whimpered, flailing his arms until he felt someone else's wrap around his shoulders.

"Stop..." The voice urged as the grip around his arms grew more secure - not rough, but strong. Prompto couldn't move.

The boy choked out frightened sobs and shook his head, giving up on fighting back. The arms around him were too strong. "Please..." He sobbed, shrinking down on himself. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to be with Noct. He wanted to go over to the prince's house, or have Noctis come to his... and just sit together, with only them there. He wanted to hug Noct, feel his friend hug him back, and just feel safe. He only wanted to feel safe. Why was all of this happening to him?

"You're okay." It was Ardyn's voice, maybe Ardyn's arms around him too. "Open your eyes... You're alright." The man's voice was uncharacteristically gentle.

Prompto inhaled a shaky breath, blinking his eyes open and whimpering as he saw Ardyn in front of him, looking honestly a bit nervous as he pulled back out of the embrace he'd had around Prompto's shoulders, then put one hand lightly on Prompto's arm and the other gently against the boy's cheek. "You awake?" Ardyn frowned.

"Ardyn?" Prompto choked, his lip trembling. He immediately grabbed toward the man, gripping each of Ardyn's sleeves in one of his hands and pulling himself toward him. Whether he liked it or not Ardyn was the closest thing to a symbol of safety he had out here. "I don't wanna go back there... I don't wanna go back. Don't make me go back..." He sobbed.

Ardyn was silent for a moment, putting his arms carefully around Prompto's shoulders, seeming a little hesitant to do so.

Prompto shook his head and sobbed pitifully. "Don't let him take me back... I don't want to go back there. I wanna go home..." He whimpered. "It's was so cold... He's was so mean... Don't make me go back."

"I won't..." Ardyn's embrace grew slightly more secure. "You don't have to go back. You're with me. I'm taking you home. Remember?"

Prompto shook his head, remembering how real the dream had felt. It was a dream he'd had before, but more detailed, more excruciating, with new, added bits with Verstael. The dream he used to have was so short and was pretty much just the cold vat and the tubes. Now the dream was even worse, longer. He wondered if this version of the nightmare would plague him forever, if he'd dream it as often as he used to dream the short version. He hoped not.

"Child, you were only dreaming." Ardyn reminded him again. "You're away from him. I know I've hurt you too... but that's done. I've had a change of heart and will do what I can to ensure your safety from here. You're going home."

Shaking his head again and gripping Ardyn tighter, Prompto whimpered. The dream felt real. He could practically still feel the cold liquid on his skin, the same fluid choking up out of his throat, Verstael's hands grabbing him, forcing him down while he hurt him.

"You don't need to be frightened." Ardyn went on. "You may not believe me, but I truly have your interests at heart at this point. We're going to get you back home."

Prompto shivered, closing his eyes and inhaling a small, shaky breath. "I was back there.. He was hurting me..." He whispered. "I was in the vat, with tubes in my mouth... I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe..." He sobbed. "You couldn't hear me. I couldn't even scream. I was so scared..."

"It wasn't real. You're with me. You're not back there. You're here... You were having a nightmare, sweet boy... You're alright..." Ardyn assured him, hugging him closer. "You're not going back to him..." He paused for a moment, pulling back slightly and staring at Prompto with furrowed brows. "Wait... You remember the vats? Tubes?"

"Yeah." Prompto whispered. "He said... He asked if I remembered the lab... I didn't remember it until he said it... b-but I think I do... When he asked, I almost could see it in my mind. I've had dreams about it, but I never understood that it was something real... I thought it was just a weird dream, but it was somewhere I'd actually been... The big vats of water... They were so cold. I had tubes down my throat. I couldn't talk or eat or even breathe air... I was just in that vat. All the time. No clothes... Completely cold."

"You were so small... You must have only been three when you went missing... When you were stolen..." Ardyn noted, a surprised look on his face. "Perhaps not even three yet... You remember? You poor, dear little child... What a painful memory for someone so young, so innocent... I never considered you might remember any of it... Who took you? Do you know that? Can you describe them? I've always wondered... Verstael suspected me, all those years ago... but he suspected everyone."

Prompto blinked up at him. "You weren't the one who took me?" He frowned. Part of his mind was starting to believe maybe it had been Ardyn. The man was helping him now. He knew so much about him... Whoever had taken him had wrapped him up in a coat, like he was now. His rescuer had sung to him - Ardyn had mentioned enjoying music.

"It wasn't me, Prompto." Ardyn frowned. "Although I almost wish it were... I'd like to think I wouldn't have ended up returning you if I had been your original rescuer, but my patience is so thin... My heart is so cold."

Prompto sniffed, finally looking around himself. They were in the car, pulled over. Prompto must have been flinching, whimpering in his sleep. He wondered if he had screamed, kicked out... Ardyn had to pull over to get him to stop, to calm him down. "I'm sorry..." He whispered, shrinking down as he looked back over toward his captor. "I didn't mean to be loud... You didn't have to pull over... I'm sorry."

"It's okay... It was a nightmare. You can't control that." Ardyn frowned. "Shall I get you some water before we continue?"

Prompto nodded, settling back in the seat and pulling Ardyn's coat more securely around his shoulders as the man stepped out of the car and headed toward the trunk. It was indeed cold out here. That probably contributed to the dream - the fact that he was in a snowy lab, in a freezing vat of water... Because his body was chilled in real life too. He was shivering.

"You alright?" Ardyn wondered as he made his way back up into the front seat. He leaned over toward his passenger and pulled the coat further around Prompto, making sure it was snug, even though the boy had already done so himself. Ardyn then ran his hands lightly up and down Prompto's arms. "Are you cold? I can put the top up."

Shivering slightly, Prompto nodded. "It is kinda cold." He whispered, taking the bottle of water from Ardyn and allowing himself a rather generous gulp. He still felt tired, but not as exhausted as he had before. The drug had worn off, mostly. He was cold though. Maybe the fever wasn't entirely gone just yet.

Ardyn seemed to wonder the same thing, as he before he started driving again, he leaned across the seat and placed his palm lightly against Prompto's forehead. "Still a little warm." He noted. "Are you feeling better?"

"I think so... Mostly." Prompto whispered.

"Alright. Make yourself comfortable. We've got a bit of a drive still ahead. If we want to make it to the rest area tonight, we've got to keep going." Ardyn noted, starting the engine, then pressing something that started putting the top of the car up.

Prompto frowned as he huddled down in the seat, making sure Ardyn's coat was wrapped tightly around him, covering everything and keeping out the cold.

"Are you okay going home?" Ardyn suddenly asked out of nowhere as they started back down the road, furrowing his brows as he glanced across the seat. "Your adoptive family leaves a lot to be desired... I won't claim I'm much of a paternal figure myself, but they could surely do better for you..."

Prompto inhaled a small breath, hoping this wasn't the start of Ardyn changing his mind, refusing to take him home and blaming it on not trusting Prompto's parents. What was his alternative suggestion? For Prompto to go live with him? He didn't want that. He wanted to go home - to Noctis. He didn't give a damn if he ever saw his parents again - he barely did in the first place... But he cared about Noctis. He wanted to go home for him.

"I could potentially make space for you for the time being-" Ardyn started.

Prompto felt his lip trembling. "I want to go home..." He whispered. "Please let me go home. You said-"

"Okay." Ardyn frowned, glancing toward Prompto with furrowed brows. "It was a question, not a demand. I'll take you home... Just wanted to make sure I wasn't delivering you to yet another abusive jackass. I don't mean to get invested in your well-being, but after all this I almost feel I owe it to you to make sure you're headed someplace safe. Whether it's often or not, I don't like the idea of that neglectful man viciously whipping you for petty mistakes."

Prompto shook his head. "I'll be fine. My dad barely ever hits me, and he's hardly ever home anyway. I don't usually have to worry about even seeing him. I just want to go back... For Noct... I don't even see my parents most days, but the rest of my life is there. Noctis is there. He's my family."

"Very well." Ardyn nodded.

Prompto looked down, hugging the coat around himself more snugly.

"I'll bet your prince would let you live with him if you told him what you told me." Ardyn mused.

"I know." Prompto whispered. He'd already told Noct, and Noct did indeed offer to talk to his dad about Prompto living with them. Prompto didn't want to make a big deal of it though. He didn't want the king to feel like Prompto was his problem. His dad didn't regularly abuse him. It was so rare. It wasn't a big enough issue to make a whole scene of it. For the most part, it was like Prompto was living on his own, but with his parents paying the bills. He got to go out with Noct, Iggy, and Gladio any time he wanted. He could invite Noctis over and his parents were never there to bother them. It wasn't that bad... and if he had to be hit, grabbed too hard, or yelled at once every week or two, that was the price he'd pay for those freedoms. It could have easily been worse. They didn't hit him every day. They never sexually abused him. He had food, a bed, clothing... Things could have definitely been a lot worse.

"At any rate, is there anything else you'd like to discuss? We've a long drive still ahead." Ardyn shrugged. "Maybe three and a half more hours... Or you could try to rest. I can see you're exhausted."

"I don't know." Prompto looked down. He was still pretty tired. He felt like ever since Verstael drugged him, he'd been tired. Maybe it just took a while to wear off. Hopefully it would soon. He was tired of being tired. He wanted to be awake, to be able to have a conversation without falling asleep in the middle of it.

"You've not been out in the world much." Ardyn noted. "Not that you remember... You did travel far as a young child. You're aware of that."

Prompto frowned. "I don't know where I came from. A lab... That was cold... That's all I know." He whispered.

"Oh, really?" Ardyn glanced toward him. "He didn't answer your questions did he? Or were you ever afforded the change to ask?"

Prompto shrugged. "He wouldn't answer... He mentioned the lab, then when I started asking for more answers, he left me there alone for a while. I fell asleep and woke up with him hovering over me... being creepy..." He looked down, biting his lip.

Ardyn nodded. "Niflheim. That's where the lab is. He created clones of himself to serve as an army of sorts... Kept them all in vats, as a sort of storage area between training and programming... Well, I'm sure they're still there... You weren't ever meant to function as a human person... You were to be his little soldier... Not a single thought of your own... Just obedience."

Prompto felt his mouth drop open as he stared across the car at Ardyn. That was a lot of information. A lot of really disturbing information...

"So you indeed traveled far. Even if you don't recall it." Ardyn shrugged. "Let's keep that information between us, by the way... You wouldn't want your prince to know where you're from."

Prompto felt his lip quiver. "Would he hate me if he knew? Am... Am I his enemy?"

Ardyn nodded. "Yes, my sweet boy. You are... But he need not know it. You keep that little bar code covered, keep your mouth shut about all this. He'll still love you. He'll accept you. Nothing has to change."

Prompto nodded quickly. He couldn't tell Noct. He couldn't tell anyone back home. Niflheim and Insomnia didn't necessarily have a good relationship. They might seriously kick him out if they knew... Wouldn't they? He was the enemy, right?

"It's not your fault." Ardyn went on. "No need to dwell on origins. You're not from there now. You're a Lucian now... more or less. As far as anyone needs to know."

"Yeah." Prompto breathed, nodding. "I am... I barely remember the lab... I remember Insomnia. I remember Noct..."

"Of course." Ardyn smiled, but it looked a little sly. "Do you remember your trip over there?"

"No." Prompto shook his head. "Hardly at all... Just the man wrapping me in a coat or something. Something heavy... And singing to me. Rocking me to sleep. I was scared. I didn't know how to talk... He was talking but I couldn't understand."

Ardyn nodded. "I'll bet you rode in an airship - perhaps a boat. Insomnia is so far."

"Yeah. I wish I could remember. I've always wanted to ride in an airship. A boat too. And on a chocobo... That would'a been cool. If he rescued me and we rode a chocobo together all the way to Insomnia." Prompto couldn't help but to smile at the thought of it. He wished whoever had saved him would have stuck around... been the dad he always wanted, always needed.

"Would have taken quite some time to get there on chocobo-back alone... The poor bird would need quite strong wings to get over all that water too, I daresay." Ardyn noted.

Prompto nodded. Niflheim was across the sea... Wasn't it? Geography was never a strong subject for him.

"Have you ever ridden in an airship?" Prompto wondered, turning back toward Ardyn, letting himself lay against the back of the seat. "Or seen a real-life chocobo? We saw chocobo chicks once at school. They brought them in - a farmer did... But I never saw a grownup one in real life."

"Oh yes... I've seen just about everything there is to see in this world." Ardyn answered. "Ridden in an airship, a boat, train, everything else - on a chocobo, of course... Though I don't prefer it. The smell gets old fast, and it can be a rough ride. Loses its charm pretty quickly."

"Really?" Prompto smiled. "I think chocobos are so cute... I want to ride one someday. I don't think I'd mind the smell or the bumpy ride."

"I'm sure you'll get a chance. It's not that entertaining though. You'll tire of it quickly." Ardyn guessed.

"I don't think so. I bet I could ride one all day and never get bored of it." Prompto disagreed, letting his heavy eyelids close as he continued listening. He just needed to rest his eyes. He wouldn't let himself sleep though. He didn't want to have another terrible nightmare.

"I once rode a chocobo from Hammerhead all the way to Steyliff Grove." Ardyn noted.

"Is that far?" Prompto wondered, his voice small, tired.

"Quite." Ardyn nodded. "Took several days. I camped in between. The bird was a nuisance more than an asset, but we made it there at least. There's a dungeon in Steyliff Grove - only opens at night. You'd love to see it. With your photography? You could get some impressive shots down there... Under the lake."

"Under the lake?" Prompto whispered, furrowing his brows as he tried to picture it. How would someone get under a lake. "Like in a cave?" He wondered. "Or like, does it freeze and you can like tunnel under it or something? Or like with a submarine?"

"No." Ardyn answered with a laugh. "None of those things. It's hard to describe... You'd have to see it to believe it."

"Wow... Maybe I'll visit it someday." Prompto guessed, for the moment allowing his exhaustion to keep him from asking more questions about the confusing-sounding place. "What other cool stuff have you seen?"

"Hmmm..." Ardyn paused. "Can hardly even judge what might be considered cool at this point... Nothing stands out as much as it once would have. I've seen nearly everything there is to see, my boy and rarely feel any degree of awe at any of it. I've been around so long..."

"Well..." Prompto started, blinking his eyes open and staring across the seat at Ardyn. "What about that big crystal thing in the distance? The disc of whatever... I can't remember what it's called."

"Sure. I've seen that. Within the Disc of Cauthess." Ardyn laughed. "Doesn't look much different up close... just bigger. It actually looks more impressive from a bit of a distance so you can see it all."

"That's cool though. Would be a good place for pictures. Some from afar, and some up closer. Even if it doesn't look as cool up close, I bet if you get kinda under it and angle the shot upward it'd look pretty neat." Prompto noted. "There's lots of good photo-ops around the world out here. I'll have to bring my camera if I ever come back."

"Definitely." Ardyn smiled. "I'm sure you could take lovely photos of everything... Bring them back and show your friends."

"Well... Maybe my friends could come with me. I don't show my photos to a lot of people... It's kinda like just for fun... They're memories more than anything else - for myself, for my friends too when they're with me.

"I see..." Ardyn nodded. "Memories mean a lot, I suppose... When they're pleasant."

"Yeah." Prompto agreed. "Unpleasant ones I guess are worth something too - like lessons to be learned... knowing not to make the same mistakes twice, to appreciate what's good... I remember not having friends. It makes the friends I have now mean a lot..."

"Ever the optimist, hm?" Ardyn glanced toward him.

Prompto forced a small smile. "I try to be..." He snuggled further down into the seat, closing his eyes again. "Doesn't do anyone any good to be mad or sad all the time. I try to appreciate what's going well instead of being upset over what's not."

"Well... I suppose it's a good way to look at the world when you're young... When you've got your life ahead of you... What else... How about Ravatogh?" Ardyn shrugged.

"The volcano?" Prompto frowned, blinking his eyes open for a moment. "Can you go inside it?"

"If you want." Ardyn laughed. "I wouldn't... It's pretty hot. But you can climb a bit within it if you're careful. It's a mountain after all... Just with lava running down its side. There's a royal tomb at the top. There are royal tombs all over. Overrated, but they're there."

"Wow." Prompto yawned, closing his eyes again. "Have you been to like every continent in the world?"

Ardyn paused for a moment. "I've been just about everywhere, Prompto. I've had a lot of time to kill."

"Can you tell me all about it?" Prompto wondered. "So I don't fall asleep?"

"Why don't you want to fall asleep?" Ardyn's voice sounded like he was frowning.

"Dreams..." Prompto whispered.

"Ah... Of course. Yes. I'll tell you all about it." Ardyn offered.

"Thanks, Ardyn." Prompto spoke, his voice small.

"There's a chocobo ranch that's not even that far from Insomnia. You could get there in a few days if you drive." Ardyn told him. "You can rent chocobos from just about anywhere though. Some people use them instead of cars. Again, I wouldn't, but you seem like you'd enjoy it."

"Yeah." Prompto laughed. "I really would."

"If you happen to get a chance to go out at sea - in a boat, I'd suggest, but perhaps you could fly over in an air ship... There's a gigantic creature - some say it's a regular narwhal, but it's much too big." Ardyn went on. "There are legends surrounding it... Bismark is its name. Fisherman swear it brings good luck - good fishing... But I'm not a fisherman. I have seen the creature though - from afar..."

Prompto felt a smile pulling at his lips. He wondered if it was true. If Bismark was real. "Noct likes fishing. Maybe if I travel with him we could look for the narwhal and he could catch something huge." He suggested.

"There's no harm in trying. It's typically been spotted around Altissia - and if you venture into the city, there are all kinds of things to do there..." Ardyn went on. "Food you've likely never heard of, shops, a very nice hotel... The gondola experience seems popular among those who've never ridden in one..."

Prompto exhaled a small breath, feeling himself relax as he listened to Ardyn's stories. It was odd to feel so content listening to his kidnapper talk about the world, but for some reason he felt pretty safe and secure in this moment. A lot had happened, and he wasn't out of danger just yet... But something about this moment made him feel fairly sure he might just be okay after all this...

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