I do not own Final Fantasy XV or any of the characters.
Change of Plans
Nyx shoved the doctors aside, entering the room with Libertus just behind him. Two more doctors just inside the door caught Nyx, but he shoved them aside too, only to freeze as he saw Crowe. She was lying on the operating table with a thin white cloth covering her chest and privates and two doctors standing over her, one to pass tools to the other and one to work. At the moment, the doctor that was doing the work was ignoring Nyx and doing something in Crowe's cut open stomach.
"What are you doing to her?" Nyx demanded.
"Pulling out the bullet fragments and stitching her small intestines closed," the surgeon said. "If you would prefer I leave the internal damage so that she can bleed to death, by all means, kill me. Otherwise, I'll have to ask you and your friend to wait outside."
Nyx stared several moment longer before turning and guiding Libertus back out the door. They waited in silence outside the door. Minutes ticked by until they became hours. Then, finally, a doctor stepped out, motioning for them to follow before walking back inside. Nyx followed first, the doctor leading them through the room and out a second door then into a room where Crowe lay in a bed, fast asleep. He sat down beside her, taking her hand and closing his eyes, pressing her hand to his forehead.
"She's incredibly lucky," the doctor said. "It's a miracle that she survived as long as she did as it is. Still. If she hadn't been found when she was, she'd have died. Even another hour would have been a death sentence. We have her on antibiotics now to stave off infection, and we have her on some medicine to help speed up her healing."
"How long until she'll be up and about?" Nyx asked.
"A long time," the doctor said.
"How long until she could be moved if necessary?" Nyx asked. "Just humor me, we're soldiers."
"In an emergency, I'd say...two days," the doctor said. "Maybe a little less."
Nyx nodded and the doctor turned, walking away. After several hours of just sitting there, Crowe stirred, opening her eyes and looking up at Nyx.
"Hey," Nyx smiled. "Welcome home."
She smiled, Nyx leaning down and kissing her gently. She kissed him back before he pulled back, worry filling his face.
"It was a trap," Nyx more said than asked, Crowe nodding. "Who?"
Crowe reached up, pulling him down to whisper. "Luche. Luche shot me. But Luche couldn't have known about the mission. Let alone where I'd be dropped off. Only I was there when Captain Drautos explained it to me. I got a tracking device on Luche, just in case."
Nyx fell silent. That couldn't be right.
"You're sure there was no one else?" Nyx asked.
Crowe nodded. If she was right, Drautos had to be a traitor. Which meant that any number of the other Glaives could be traitors. And Princess Lunafreya was in danger now that she was here.
"What was the mission?" Nyx asked.
"Sneak Lunafreya away from Tenebrae, to Prince Noctis," Crowe said. "Far away from Insomnia."
Nyx nodded, leaning back. "I have to tell the king."
Crowe nodded and Nyx leaned forward, kissing her again before standing.
"Libertus, do not leave her side until I get back," Nyx said. "Especially Luche. If you see him, torch him on sight. Understood?"
Libertus nodded and Nyx hurried out of the room, leaving the hospital and heading for the castle. He hurried to the throne room, kneeling before the king.
"What is it?" King Regis asked.
"The Glaive you assigned a mission to has returned, wounded," Nyx said.
"I had guessed she would be," Regis nodded. "Is there something important about it, beyond the fact that the plan obviously failed?"
Nyx looked up at the officials around the king. "Your majesty, I must speak with you alone."
Regis raised a hand, the officials leaving, Captain Drautos remaining. "I will be fine Drautos. Wait outside."
"Yes, your majesty," Drautos bowed, leaving the room and closing the door.
Nyx hurried to the king's side instantly. "The Glaive, Crowe, woke up and told me what happened. She was shot by another Glaive, Luche, who we will look for soon, but who I doubt is here. However, Luche wasn't present when Crowe was told about the mission."
"You suspect there is more than one spy?" Regis asked, voice as quiet as Nyx's.
"Sir, the only two people there were Crowe and Captain Drautos," Nyx whispered, dropping his voice even lower.
The king fell silent. "Can we find this Luche and question him?"
"Crowe managed to get a tracking device on him, she said, so we should be able to," Nyx said. "But sir, if I'm right and it is Drautos, your life, Princess Lunafreya's life, and the lives of any Glaives still loyal are in jeopardy. If Drautos is a traitor, or even if it's only Luche, there's no telling how many other Glaives may have been turned."
Regis nodded. "They would not dare to make a move on myself or Princess Lunafreya with the entire nation watching. Your friend, however, will be in grave danger. I want you to keep her alive by any means necessary. She will prove to hold invaluable information, I suspect."
"Sir, do you know of any way to heal a gunshot wound?" Nyx asked. "She can't be moved even to evacuate for at least two days. And I can't protect her there while also protecting Princess Lunafreya."
The king remained silent for a moment before reaching out a hand, placing it against Nyx's chest. Nyx felt warmth spread through him for a moment, then it faded.
"You will be able to heal her one time," Regis said. "Not fully, but enough for her to join you in protecting the princess, as well as to use her Glaive abilities again. She is not to reveal her face until the danger has passed."
"Thank you, your majesty," Nyx bowed. "We'll be back soon."
He nodded and Nyx hurried out of the castle again, returning to Crowe's hospital room just in time for a Glaive to burst out of it, a burn covering his chest and smoke rising from it, the Glaive unconscious. Nyx burst into the room, finding another Glaive holding Libertus by the throat as a third stood over Crowe, a curved blade held above him, about to be driven into Crowe. Ny hurled his own blade, hitting the Glaive in the back before teleporting to it and ripping it out through his side, throwing him away to bleed out. Then, he blasted the other Glaive with a ball of lightning, killing him instantly. He set a hand over Crowe's wound, light shining from it and Crowe groaning in pain. Then, her eyes fluttered open and she gasped, looking around. She sat up slowly, wincing, but looked down, staring at the bandages.
"Did you just...heal me?" Crowe gaped.
Nyx nodded and she threw her arms around him. He helped her up, and took a breath.
"We're both going to protect Princess Lunafreya, but you have to keep your face hidden the entire time," Nyx said. "Also, Regis agreed that Drautos may be a traitor, so there's a huge chance that the war has finally gotten inside of Insomnia."
Crowe nodded and they all left, Nyx killing the Glaive outside on the way. They went to Crowe's house, Crowe quickly changing and getting her blades before they returned to the castle, finding Regis in the main hall with Princess Lunafreya.
"Ah, there you are," Regis said. "Princess, these two are going to be your personal bodyguards for the duration of your stay."
"You're too kind," Lunafreya smiled. "What are your names?"
"I'm Nyx," Nyx bowed, Crowe doing the same as Nyx quickly tried to think of a fake name for her. "This is Raven."
"It's wonderful to meet you both," Lunafreya smiled.
Then, she returned to her conversation with Regis, Nyx and Crowe taking up positions behind her.
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