Disclaimer: Not mine

Chapter 5

Harry sat in the shadows of the tomb, waiting with as much patience as he could muster. Soon, he would see Noctis again and he was excited but also nervous. They sat, well Cor stood, in silence for hours until the sound of voices approaching reached them and Harry stood, staying hidden in the dark. He had a feeling he knew why Noct was coming here, he'd told him stories about his Dad travelling to the Tombs of the old Kings, was it now Noct's turn? There was magic in the tomb, Harry could feel it centred on the sarcophagus, the same sort of magic Noctis wielded. He listened in as voices approached.

"We're here."

"A tomb fit for royalty," the speaker whistled, impressed.

"Let's go in and find the Marshal."

Four young men walked into the tomb and Harry stood, eyes immediately going to the Prince. He looked different to how he remembered, but it had bene three years, they had grown from children into adults in that time.

"Marshal," the one wearing glasses greeted Cor and Harry figured that was Ignis, gaze travelling over the group. The blonde was obviously Prompto and the largest had to be Gladio. Noct had often spoken of his friend and retainers.

"At last, Your Highness," Cor bowed to his new King.

"Yeah, wanna tell me what I'm here for?" Noctis demanded and Harry winced, hearing the grief and frustration in his voice, he obviously knew his Father hadn't made it out of the city.

"The power of kings, passed from the old to the new through the bonding of souls. One such soul lies before you. To claim your forebears' power is your birthright and duty as king," Cor answered, indicating the tomb.

"My duty as king of what?" Noctis snapped and Harry couldn't stay silent anymore.

"I thought I was the moody one," he commended, seeing Noct freeze with wide eyes before his gaze was searching the gloom and Harry stepped forward, smiling softly at his love.

"Harry," Noctis choked out and then he was running. He slammed into the wizard who caught him, wrapping him up in a hug. Harry had grown so now they were the same height, making kissing Noctis even easier which was nice. "How…I thought…Harry," Noctis stammered out, obviously trying to ask a question, his grip tightening, and Harry gently hugged him back. "You're here."

"I'm here and I will never leave you again," Harry swore softly, shifting to gently run his hands up and down slender arms, working to sooth him. "I've missed you so much." He pulled back, hands gently cupping Noct's face as he stared into suspiciously wet blue eyes. "I'm sorry it took me so long to find you."

"I thought you were dead," Noctis admitted and Harry kept them close, foreheads touching.

"I know, I'm sorry. I tried but nothing would bring the dreams back. I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto watched his best friend throw himself at the stranger in Crownsguard gear and then blinked before grinning. There was only one person Noct would react like that to…Harry was alive and here! He hated to admit it, but he did feel the slightest bit of unease….would Noct still need him with Harry at his side? He saw the looks on Ignis and Gladio's faces and winced, this was going to take a lot of explaining. The Marshall looked a little less shocked and he figured the King had said something to him at some point when Noctis had filled out the paperwork for Harry. The two were talking quietly, Harry obviously soothing and comforting Noctis before Noctis finally grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him towards them. The Regalia was going to be cramped with three of them in the back. It'd have to be them; Iggy would drive and there was no way two people would fit in the back with Gladio. That would give him lots of time to get to know Harry. "Hi Harry! I'm so glad you're here," he greeted cheerfully, hiding his nerves but Harry grinned at him and offered his hand so Prompto shook it.

"It's great to finally meet you Prompto."

Harry knew who he was! Sure, Noct had said he had told Harry about all of them, but it'd been three years. Remembering enough to tell them apart without being told was nice. He was shocked when the hand shaking morphed into being tugged into a brief hug. "Thank you for always being there for him," Harry whispered in his ear and Prompto smiled shyly when he stepped back.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis was shocked by Noctis' reaction to the unfamiliar man…obviously not unfamiliar to their Prince… no, King, Cor had been right there, Noctis was now King. He had never seen Noctis act like that before. Ignis had thought he knew everyone in Noctis' life, though…Prompto did not appear shocked. He had run background checks on every classmate so despite appearing the same age as them, there was no way he had gone to school with them. He was dressed as a Crownsguard and had obviously arrived with Cor as well. His eyes then spotted the armband the man wore and widened in shock. The family crest bisected by a lightning bolt…he'd never seen anything like that, just who was this man?

"Specs, Gladio, this is Harry Potter, my fourth Crownsguard," Noctis offered.

"It's nice to finally meet you," the young man offered.

Ignis didn't recognise his accent at all which was very odd. As part of his training he had been exposed to every accent and language spoken, from Galahdan to Gralean. "I see," he wasn't sure what else to say. "Welcome." He glanced at their joined hands. With Insomnia's destruction and without knowing if Lady Lunafreya had survived, the wedding was likely off. Though from that greeting they had somehow had a relationship right under his nose. Had the King known?

Noctis caught his look and sighed. "Dad knew about us. I thought Harry was dead Iggy, and my marriage could have sealed the peace."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry knew that it would take time to get to know the three men and for them to know and accept him as one of them. Hearing Noctis mention a wedding for the sake of peace made him a little nervous but then Noctis squeezed his hand.

"It's a long story but we were on our way to Altissia where I was meant to marry Lady Lunafreya."

"The Oracle, right?" Harry asked and Noctis nodded.

"I don't even know if she's alive."

"She is," Harry answered. "She's with a Kingsglaive, or she was when I sent them on, his name was Nyx? She's got your Dad's Ring too. He was injured and so was the other Glaive that joined them, but I didn't see them after, so I assumed they made it out," Harry explained and Noctis relaxed, obviously relieved by the news.

"Wait...you were in Insomnia?"

"Yeah, I arrived after the attack had begun. I…I found your Dad, I'm sorry Noct but he was gone when I got there. I made sure no one could harm his body," Harry offered softly and Noctis blanched, looking away.

"Not your fault," he whispered.

"Found the Glaive and Princess each almost putting the Ring on while facing General Glauca. I patched him up before sending them on, he'll need better medical care at some point though."

"I've alerted all remaining Crownsguard to be on the lookout for them," Cor spoke up. "Although given somewhere to rest, Lady Lunafreya may heal him herself."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis nodded, he'd learnt about the powers of the Oracle as a child, healing a bullet wound wouldn't be too difficult. Nyx, had to be Nyx Ulric, and he knew she'd be safe with him. He would have done anything and everything to keep her safe…and his Dad, because if Lunafreya had the Ring then they had to have been with his Dad at some point. Nyx would not have left his Dad undefended. If they could find them…did he want to know how his Dad had died? He glanced at the tomb, knowing what was expected of him. "He promised he was going to be careful" he didn't look up, but Cor moved closer.

"He wouldn't have gone down without a fight. Regis always had faith in you, that when the time came, you would ascend for the sake of your people," Cor explained. Regis had told him that he has spoken with Noctis about his suspicions about the treaty, that the Prince had been suspicious too….but that didn't mean the boy had truly accepted what that likely meant for those remaining behind.

"Guess he left me no choice," Noct whispered, stepping away from Harry to approach the tomb of his ancestor. He held out his hand; the sword on the sarcophagus phased through the casket's hands, floating into the air, hanging there briefly, and then flew into Noctis, imbuing him with his ancestor's power. He gasped, stumbled but then Harry was there, supporting him and he leant into the welcome hold, taking a deep breath.

"That's not the only power your forebears left you. Your journey's just begun. Another tomb lies close by. I suggest you head there next. There are tombs scattered across the land. All are on dangerous ground. I'll go with you, for the time being. Not only to help, but to get a measure of your strength," Cor explained, heading out of the tomb and into the daylight.

"So just how many of these "powers" are out there?" Noctis asked as he stepped out of Harry's hold.

"There are thirteen known royal arms, each enshrined at a royal tomb, though we know the location of only a few. I've enlisted the Hunters; they're combing the land in search of the lost tombs."

"Where's the one nearby you mentioned?" Noctis asked, curious despite himself. Something about this made him nervous, was it just because he didn't feel ready for the throne?

"Keycatrich Trench. We know there is a crypt deep inside the tunnels."

"Um, maybe this is a dumb question, but why only thirteen? Hasn't there been over a hundred Kings?" Prompto asked as they followed Cor.

"Two thousand years is a long time, some of them were probably destroyed," Harry offered from where he was walking on the other side of Noctis to Prompto.

"Safe to safe, many of the tombs are now lost, either destroyed or too well hidden," Ignis agreed. They walked back into the narrow chasm that led to the tomb only for Harry to knock Noctis down, barely dodging the bird like creature that had swooped down. The two rolled across the ground even as Prompto spun and opened fire.

"Thanks," Noct gasped out and Harry grinned, hauling him back to his feet. The creature was already dead and Noctis grinned at his friend. "Great shooting," he praised, knowing Prompto still doubted his skills and place at Noctis' side.

"That wasn't a bad effort, Prompto," Cor agreed with his King and Prompto's eyes went wide.

"Whoa. I just got praised…by the Immortal!" He almost squealed as they started walking again.

"Don't take that as leave to slack off. You're only as good as your last battle," Cor warned and Prompto nodded.

"Er, yes, sir. I'll keep at it, sir."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cor nodded and moved to lead the way once out in the open. He had to admit, Potter had good instincts, no one else had realised they were under attack until he had tackled the King. His gaze slid to the young blonde, that really had been some good shooting, he'd come a long way in his training. He seemed happy enough but…yeah, there it was, the smile was a mask. Had he made a mistake giving him up to the Argentum's? He'd thought the kid had a happy, healthy home, until he'd seen the security check when he'd become friends with the Prince. What had gone wrong? He had let the child go because he'd been assured the family was a good one, longing for a child. He should have raised Prompto himself, he'd walked right into the kind of life Cor had tried to spare him anyway. If Cor had raised him, he would have been even better trained for this now. He couldn't stay with the boys long…should he tell Prompto the truth? How much had his parents told him? Enough that he always kept his wrist covered. The King had commanded Prompto's record sealed as a baby but now Regis was dead and Noctis was King.

The boys were no longer children…and how long until they ran into someone from Niflheim who would have either known Verstael Besithia as a young man or had seen pictures from that time? The resemblance was very obvious and since the man was not known to have children, anyone who knew about the Magitek process may be able to put two and two together. Was that really how Prompto should find out the truth? And what would that do to the group? If the truth of Prompto's creation was revealed under the right circumstances it could destroy all trust between them, destroy Prompto.

He looked at the boy, seeing the grin as he chattered away with Potter who was listening, smiling softly. "Prompto," he called, and the blonde bounced over, looking slightly nervous. He motioned him away from the group.

"Ah, yes Sir?" Prompto fidgeted nervously.

They fell back a bit from the group, Noctis shooting them a concerned glance but Cor waved him on. "What do you know of your adoption?" he asked, and the boy blanched…perhaps that had been too blunt? They'd never really asked the kid what he remembered when he was brought to the city, he'd been so out of it for the journey.

"That I was a kid from Niflheim, with no known family," he fidgeted with his right wrist band and glove and Cor looked down at it.

"Did you ever wonder how you got to Insomnia."

"I asked," he admitted softly, then he looked him in the eye. "I remember a voice, someone carrying me, then waking up in Insomnia."

"Fourteen years ago I was on a mission in Niflheim, to look into the new Magitek soldiers. Intel wasn't all I brought back."

Prompto froze, staring at him with eyes wide. "Me…you brought me to Insomnia," he whispered, and Cor nodded.

Cor touched the band on his wrist. "I know what's under there. I told your parents to always keep it hidden," he admitted, seeing the blue eyes widen in shock. The others had stopped, were looking back at them. "In Niflheim I found labs, run by a mane called Verstael Besithia. He ran horrible experiments, perhaps the worst was using his own genetic material in order to create an army."

"Us, he made us," Prompto whispered and the phrase made Cor pause.

"You were never debriefed, you never showed signs of knowing anything," Cor eyed him. Did the kid know why he existed? They had thought whatever drugs he'd been given had damaged his memory; he hadn't acted like a soldier.

"I was six, how could I not know?"

"We thought your memory was damaged."

"I know what I was created to be, I remember it all. The others know…well, not Harry, I told Noctis after he was assumed dead."

"You'd never have been given clearance if we knew you remembered," Cor admitted, and the kid flinched.

"I wanted to forget," he whispered. "I know I was infected with the Scourge, that getting it out hurt more than anything, even the initial injections. I know there's a port hidden under the skin of my arm. I told them everything and they don't care, they said I'm human. I am Prompto Argentum, not what those bastards made me to be." He snarled the last, hands clenched into fists and Cor backed off.

"Yeah, you are," he agreed.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Prom?" Noctis demanded, looking between the two, moving to block Cor from Prompto, instantly moving to defend his friend and it made Prompto's heart swell.

"Cor…it was Cor that saved me," he managed to get out even as an unfamiliar hand clasped his shoulder, something warm feeling wrapping around him and he realised it was Harry and his magic.

"Saved…oh," Noctis gasped. "Really?"

"Really," Cor nodded.

"Thank you," Noctis whispered. "Thank you for giving me my best friend," he turned to shoot a smile at Prompto.

Cor nodded again and then looked at Prompto. "If you can, anything you remember may be helpful, especially now."

Prompto hesitated but then nodded. He hated remembering that, but Cor was right, the more they knew about the process, about the training, the better. He should have spoken up years ago, but he'd been too scared. Noctis would never let anyone hurt him over it though and now Noctis was King. And then he felt Harry's hand tighten on his shoulder, protectively. Would that last once the wizard knew?

Cor moved away and the group got moving, they had another tomb to see.

TBC…