Luna and Ignis were sitting by Noctis's large bed, waiting for him to finish his breakfast. Ignis had made sure to bring him his freshly made pancakes with blueberry jam that the King liked so much, just to boost his mood before speaking of the dreaded topic: Prompto.
Luna gave him an encouraging smile when Noctis was finished with his pancakes, looking very much satisfied.
"You're recovering quickly, Noct" the spectacled man broke the silence.
"Yeah, the doc said I will be able to return to the Citadel either tomorrow or the day after" Noctis said "Though I would have preferred not being here in the first place. Guess I owe it all to our Damian Besithia".
Ignis and Luna exchanged a look. "You mean Prompto" Ignis corrected him, sounding slightly tense for the first time since they had met.
"No, I meant what I said. Damian Xanthus Besithia, the traitor" Noctis remarked coolly "He's never been Prompto Argentum".
"I beg to differ" Luna interfered calmly, and the King frowned at her.
Ignis sighed loudly before speaking. "I guess you have a lot to catch up on".
When Prompto opened his eyes, he immediately knew he had fallen asleep in a most uncomfortable position: his neck was stiff and his back hurt. However, that was in contrast with the tingling he felt on his right cheek. When he turned his head to see what was tickling him, he saw Iris's long hair sprawled all over his chest and partly on his face. He smiled tenderly as he tightened the grip around her waist, pulling her closer and ignoring his protesting body. The girl moaned softly but didn't wake up, merely adjusting her position as she buried her face into his chest.
Prompto let her rest, gently stroking her hair and enjoying the peaceful moment with her. He wasn't sure how long it had been when she finally woke up, her large brown eyes lazily scanning her surroundings.
She frowned and sat up, rubbing her eyes.
"'Morning, sleeping beauty" Prompto greeted with a smirk, and she jumped.
"Wha-? Prompto?" she seemed extremely confused for a moment before the memories of the evening before came back to her. "I fell asleep here".
"Yes, you did" he grinned, while rubbing his sore arms.
"My back hurts" the girl complained, massaging the sore spots.
"My whole body hurts" Prompto teased "But I'd do it again".
Iris blushed at his words as she stood up and checked the clock on the wall. It read 11 AM.
"Oh snap! Ignis and Luna were supposed to meet Noctis an hour ago! I absolutely need to know what happened!" she cried out while quickly knitting her shoe laces.
"I wanna come too" Prompto said as he stood up to join her, but Iris placed both her hands on his shoulders and forced him to sit down again.
"No, you can't" she told him severely "I doubt Noct'll come to that, but we can't risk you being sent to jail straight away in case Luna and Iggy haven't managed to convince him. What if he sentences you to death?"
"Noct would never do that to me" Prompto muttered, mostly to try and convince himself more than her "He's my best friend".
"I know" Iris smiled "But as I said, you did almost kill the King, and that is enough to earn yourself somethin' like two hundred life sentences. So you're staying here until I find out".
And then Iris did something she had never done before: she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, leaving Prompto completely baffled as she took advantage of his surprise and left.
It took a while for her to find the King's room, and it took even longer to be granted access to said room. At least four Crownsguards were standing outside, guarding the door and making sure no one who hadn't been authorized could get any closer. Once she had successfully proved she was one of the High Commanders of the Kingsglaives, one of them agreed to announce her.
Seconds later, Ignis stepped outside the room and smiled at her.
"How's he doing?" Iris asked.
"Oh, perfectly fine I'd say, after devouring six pancakes with blueberry jam and whipped cream" Ignis answered lightly, earning himself a longing look by one of the Crownsguards.
"Well, have you and Luna told him the truth about Prom?" she questioned again, worry written all over her face.
"Yes and no" the spectacled man replied, though his faint smirk told her otherwise "You know how stubborn he can be, but I am sure we're making progress".
"Maybe we should leave him alone with Luna for a while" the girl grinned "She's always had a powerful influence on him".
"Yes. Or maybe you could come in with me, and tell him that you've spent a whole night with Prompto and are still alive to tell the tale" Ignis suggested calmly. Iris blinked several times before blushing furiously.
"How do you know that?" she asked blushing.
"Why, I met Mr. and Mrs. Argentum yesterday, who reliably informed me of a certain Kingsglaive lady visiting their son. And when I did come and check up on you two, you were all tangled together in bed" Ignis explained without the faintest trace of embarrassment.
"Ignis, you make it sound totally different from what it actually was!" Iris exclaimed, glancing at the Crownsguards who were trying to hide their smirk.
"My apologies" he slightly bowed his head, though she was sure it was mostly to hide his smile "I just realized how… compromising that sounded".
Iris sighed in defeat and accepted to step into Noctis's room to see how he was coping with the news.
"Hey there, Your Majesty" she greeted, earning a warm smile from him. At least he wasn't all gloomy as she had imagined.
"Hello, Iris" Luna gave her a warm smile, and Iris returned it.
"So, Noct" Ignis strode across the room and took another chair to sit in "We're all eager to know what decision you will be taking".
"I dunno, Specs" the King sighed frustrated "I don't know what to believe anymore. I trust you guys, but something kinda… broke between me and Prompto. What if he is actually lying? What if he has greater plans in mind, and he is just playing the part of the innocent victim before striking when we least expect it?"
"It's wise of you to not let your guard down" Ignis nodded "But consider this: the Empire have grown considerably weaker since Iedolas and Izunia's death. Now that Verstael is gone too, the Empire are at a loss for leaders. Even if we considered the idea of Prompto being the last one of them, he wouldn't really pose a serious threat against our Kingdom, what with him being completely alone. Furthermore, you saw by yourself that the MTs stopped functioning when Verstael fell in battle. They do not have any other leader to take orders from".
Noctis seemed to carefully ponder his words, and Iris could almost see the cogs working relentlessly in his brain.
"I'm not sure…" he repeated, though a bit weaker.
"Love" Luna intervened, resting a hand on her spouse's arm "don't take a harsh decision which will potentially consume you. Because it will, eventually. Follow your heart, listen to what it's trying to tell you".
Noctis lowered his head and frowned.
"Damn you, Prompto" he finally muttered.
Prompto was absent-mindedly stabbing the mushy carrots in his beef stew when the door to his room opened. An armed Crownsguard announced that he was to be escorted to the Citadel without further ado.
Prompto swallowed as his heart began hammering against his chest. Iris hadn't shown up after that morning, and the way he had been summoned didn't leave him with much hope. However, he forced himself up on his feet and asked for a few moments alone to get ready. He could still see the Crownsguard's silhouette outside the door, as Prompto stepped into the bathroom to try and fix his unruly hair and wore his civilian clothes brought in by his parents. When he was finished, he let the Crownsguard escort him outside where they were soon joined by three more officials.
They told him to get in the shining black car parked outside the hospital and drove him to the Citadel. No one spoke during the short car ride, and no one gave away a single emotion which could tell him what to expect once he'd arrive at destination.
When they parked outside the tall building, Prompto realized that the news of his trial had spread quickly, probably thanks to the newscaster on TV who had announced the event: the square outside the Citadel was swarming with people. He recognized some familiar faces, including the worried ones of his parents, and heard them whispering as he was being escorted to the throne room.
He guessed that everyone in Insomnia knew his real name and what he really was by now. Prompto kept walking as he mentally prepared himself for what was about to happen: at that point, he doubted that he would earn Noctis's forgiveness.
When the heavy doors to the throne room opened, his suspects were almost confirmed when he was met with the King's grave expression. Crownsguards were lined up on both sides to shield their King and the Council members had taken their seats in the circular room. It was impossible to decipher their expressions.
"Damian Xanthus Besithia" the King started his speech shortly after in a solemn tone "You have been summoned today for your trial".
Prompto instinctively scanned the faces of the Council members to try and locate Iris's. She found her sitting quietly in her chair, her eyes stubbornly fixed on her feet.
"In light of recent events" Noctis continued, as he stood up and began descending the stairs "Our Council and I have arranged a special meeting to discuss your fate". Noctis was now marching toward him, as the Crownsguards in the room watched in distress, not sure of what to do: the King normally sat in his throne as he gave his final judgement.
"You have been accused of high treason against the State, as well as physical damage to the city of Insomnia and the King himself" Noctis stated severely.
Prompto's lips parted automatically but then he remembered that he was not allowed to speak unless so instructed by the King.
"Is there anything you would like to say in your defense?" Noctis asked.
Prompto sheepishly glanced at his former companions, all sitting in their wooden chairs, before answering. "If they haven't managed to convince you, I strongly doubt I will be able to, Your Highness".
His voice sounded so defeated it almost surprised himself. He guessed he would simply have to accept his death penalty or, if he was really lucky, a life sentence in prison.
"Very well" Noctis continued calmly "Guess we will have to stick with tradition and go for a public execution."
Prompto simply lowered his head and clenched his jaws. It felt so unfair, after all the things he had been through, after finally winning Iris back, all would end like that: with him being shot as Insomnia watched and remembered him as nothing but a traitor.
"Or" Noctis's voice resonated once more in the quiet room "You could stop messing around and say sorry to your best friend for beating the shit outta him".
Prompto blinked several times as his words sank in. What was he talking about? The blonde lifted his head as he dropped his jaws in surprise.
"Prompto, you son of a bitch" Noctis laughed as he hugged his friend.
Next chapter will be the final one, and it will mark the end of this story. Oh my gosh, I feel so sad! T_T
Next Chapter: the end! Not gonna spoil anything :D