Blind Faith
Part III

Ignis figured he'd been standing in the shower for about fifteen, maybe twenty minutes, by now, letting the water hit his back in a steady stream. The shower knob was turned all the way to the left and the water just about scalding. He bet his skin was tinged red from the heat of the water but he felt absolutely no pain. There was a flitter of hope that maybe the sting of the high temperature would allow him to feel something (either physically, mentally, or emotionally), but the numbness persisted. Every day he waited to feel some sort of emotion regarding his condition and the situation at hand, but it seemed he was so desensitized to everything lately.

After a few more minutes, he finished washing the shampoo out of his hair and turned the water off. Pushing the shower curtain back allowed a blast of cold air to hit his body, causing him to involuntarily shiver. He felt around along the wall for the towel that Gladio hung up for him before his shower and secured it around his waist. As he started to step out of the shower, he misjudged the height of the tub and tumbled forward, his hand barely catching the edge of the pedestal sink, saving himself from falling completely to the ground.

The heat of embarrassment came over him as he sheepishly pulled himself back up, slightly angry that he was no longer able to move as freely and gracefully as he was once used to. Once up, he gripped the edges of the sink and hung his head. Day in and day out, he felt like he was stuck in a living nightmare, trapped in his own body with no way out. Although he was constantly reassuring Gladio and Prompto that his sight would return in a matter of time, deep down he knew that those reassurances were more for his own sake. Even the doctors weren't hopeful anymore. His left eye had been completely destroyed by the blast and the scar tissue buildup in his right was beyond repairable, they told him. The morale between the three was at an all time low and Ignis knew they were all secretly hoping that Noctis waking up would be the key to getting their spirits up.

He lifted his head slightly, blindly looking ahead at where the mirror was. More and more lately he found himself wondering just how bad his face had been disfigured. It wasn't that he cared what he looked like or that he was being vain about it, but he was curious to know if his injuries looked as horrific as they felt. Tracing the burn on his face lightly with his fingers, he gritted his teeth and repressed an urge to slam his fist down onto the sink. He was a huge proponent of the 'the world isn't always fair' view in life, but it was hard not to fall into the mindset of how unfair it was being dealt a losing hand like this.

He shook his head and pushed himself away from the sink, cautiously shuffling back into the bedroom and stopping when his shin bumped the edge of his bed. He aimlessly moved his hand around to the outfit that Prompto carefully and deliberately laid out for him.

"Alright, I put your suit right here on the bed," Prompto guided Ignis' hand over the clothes on the bed. "Here is your shirt, and these are your pants, and here is your-."

"Thank you, Prompto," Ignis said dryly, pulling his hand away from Prompto's as he pushed his tinted glasses up higher on his nose. "However, I haven't forgotten what clothes are. I'm blind, not dense, remember?"

Prompto stammered out an embarrassed apology while Gladio snorted from the other side of the room. "He got you there, man."

"C'mon, I didn't mean it like that! You know that, right Iggy? I'm just trying to help."

But he didn't want help. He wanted to go back to being the same, independent person he was before. Ignis exhaled loudly, removing the towel from his waist, folding it neatly, and placing it on a chair nearby. Slowly, he started to get dressed in his printed shirt and trademark suit. For the last few days, he had been wearing his casual clothes as they were easier to get in and out of and they were a lot comfier, but today he wanted the familiarity that the formal outfit always seemed to provide him. If nothing else, it would at least make him feel like things were normal and everything would eventually be ok.

Once dressed, he clasped his watch on his left wrist, placed his glasses on his face - careful to avoid the still-sore gash on his nose -, and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

Now what do I do?

On any other given day, he'd be off researching what would happen now that Luna was gone, who was this Ardyn Izunia character they'd come to know, where they needed to go next . . . there was so much to look into and yet he couldn't even crack open a book to begin. It's not like he could read anything or take notes for later. Not by himself, at least.

Resigning to the fact that he was basically useless without anyone's help, he ran a hand along the wall for support and guidance and sauntered down the hall to where Noctis was still asleep.

Several rooms away, Gladio sat in a plush red chair facing the window that overlooked the ruins of the city. His head rested on a balled fist and his eyelids were heavy as he struggled to stay awake. The sound of footsteps approached him and sent a sideways glance to the source of the steps, surprised to see Ignis standing before him, a hand on the doorway. "Nice suit, Specs."

"How is he?" Ignis whispered, ignoring his friend's comment.

Gladio stifled a yawn and stood up to stretch. He walked to Ignis, placing his hand on his upper back and guiding him to sit in the chair he had just occupied before he took the seat directly across from him. "I think he'll be up soon. Umbra just came by and brought the notebook for him. I put it over there on the bed by the pillow, but he didn't even move. Apparently, His Highness needs his beauty rest," he remarked sarcastically, glaring past Ignis and gesturing to the bed where Noctis was. He rolled his eyes and returned his gaze back to his injured friend, his face softening with sympathy. "How are you?"

Ignis stared ahead, his spectacled eyes looking just past Gladio. "Nothing I can't handle. I'll be ok."

"Well, I didn't ask if you'll be ok or not. I asked how you were."

Ignis remained silent, his expression blank. Through their tenures as royal advisor and the future king's shield, Ignis and Gladio had formed a respectful bond. They became fast friends from the day they met, knowing they'd be working closely with each other as part of Noctis' staff. Because of this, they never felt they had to hide their thoughts and emotions from each other. It didn't make sense to. Both had seen each other at their worst and at their best over the years, so it frustrated Gladio that Ignis had basically isolated himself ever since he woke up from the battle at the harbor.

Gladio brought a hand up to his temple, a small headache coming on. "Whatever. I'd hoped you'd be a little more open in talking to me about all of this, especially since you were there for me when we found out my father died in the fall of Insomnia. If you don't want to talk about it then I won't ask you to, but you can't-."

"There's nothing to talk about, Gladio," Ignis sharply interjected. "My handicap is not going to deter me from looking after Noct or from continuing on our journey. It's just a minor setback. There's nothing more to discuss."

"Tsch. Whatever. If that's the case, I'll just keep pretending to ignore your screaming at three a.m. from those nightmares you're having every night." He saw Ignis' eye flicker when he said this and knew he hit a weak spot. "I'm not deaf, Iggy. Every night I hear you screaming and I know I can't do a damn thing about it. And then I have to see you the next morning pretend like everything's ok. You think I don't notice how this is affecting you? A minor setback, my ass," Gladio barked, slamming a fist down on the armrest. Almost immediately after the words left his mouth, he felt guilty for snapping at him. He sat forward, his hand rubbing the back of his neck and his voice much quieter. "I mean, come on. Knowing you were targeted like that and I couldn't stop it? This is hard for me too, you know. "

Ignis looked unaffected by his words, his hands folded neatly in his lap. The air between the two was heavy, both waiting for the other to break the tension first. Finally, Ignis removed his glasses and faced his friend, the cuts and burns now unhidden from behind the eyewear. Gladio turned away and closed his eyes. "I have a duty to protect Noct, as do you. Yes, I admit, sleep has been rather difficult to come by, but I can't dwell on that. I have to stay focused for you guys so we can go forth and finish what we started."

Gladio frowned, still avoiding Ignis' vacant stare. "Do you really think that's a good idea? You coming with us? Is this something you've honestly given a lot of thought to?"

For the first time since their conversation began, Ignis' expression faltered, almost appearing offended. "Well, I assumed I'd still be joining you," he responded so faintly that Gladio had to strain to hear him. His voice sounded hurt. "Are you saying you want me to remain behind?"

Gladio got to his feet, the weight of the conversation suddenly bearing down on him. "It's not that. Of course, I want you to stick with us. You're the only reason we've been able to get this far. I don't know . . . I think we should see what Noct has to say before we make any final decisions. I just . . . you know what? Nevermind. Let's just see what he says," he muttered, his hand resting heavily on Ignis' shoulder. "I'm going to go shower up real quick, but I'll be right back, ok? Yell if you need me or Prompto. You know we're right down the hall."

Gladio let his hand linger a bit longer on Ignis' shoulder before patting it and walking away, his loud footfall getting quieter as he disappeared down the hall. Ignis replaced his glasses on his face and hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped together. He realized early on that there was a chance he'd be forced to stay behind as the other three moved on, but hearing Gladio voice that option hurt more than he thought. It was like a knife to the heart.

After all, Ignis was tasked at an early age to watch over Noct. It was the only life he'd ever really known. As a child, he barely grasped the magnitude of what he was being asked to do, but nonetheless, he took on the role of caretaker with great pride. His thoughts drifted to the years that he had spent by Noctis' side as his chamberlain and royal advisor. When Noctis spoke of a pastry he tried in Tenebrae, Ignis worked tirelessly to come up with the same exact recipe to hopefully get him to smile after a particularly rough day. When he let his royal duties fall to the wayside, Ignis was there to pick up the slack and keep the wayward prince in line. Or, at least, he tried.

The memory of one night, in particular, came to his mind. He had come to check on Noct after dark and found him in the midst of sneaking out. They locked eyes with each other and Ignis let out a groan of disapproval. Noctis shrugged, unapologetic and unphased. "You're more than welcome to stay here, but I'm headed out to the bar downtown."

Ignis narrowed his eyes, his arms crossed across his chest and a frown etched on his face. He stood a good few inches taller than the prince and had tried on more than one occasion to use his height to intimidate him into relenting on certain issues (like eating his vegetables, for once). No matter what, it never seemed to work. Noctis was stubborn to a fault and would maintain his stance on every difference between the two until the day he died. Most of the time, Ignis assumed he defied his advice and orders more out of spite than anything.

Finally, after a dramatic and endless staredown, Ignis relented and stepped aside, an exasperated sigh coming from his mouth. "Well, to say I'm disappointed is an understatement. However, my job is to ensure you remain safe and healthy at all times and that you don't get into too much trouble. As such, I will have to accompany you to this bar," he said the word as if it were a curse word, "that you are headed to, but we must be back at a decent hour. We still have that meeting in the morning. Also, I won't allow you to wander off without me, understood?"

Noctis looked skeptical but shrugged again and brushed past him. "Cool. Let's go. Happy hour is almost over."

When they arrived at the bar, Noct immediately started pushing drinks on him, even though he knew at the time that he should have turned them down to keep a clear head about him. At first, he was annoyed at having to be there at all, but once he drank a little more, he loosened up and started to enjoy himself. Time flew by and they stayed out much later than anticipated, playing darts and pool, drinking cheap beer, and really learning more about each other outside of the prince/advisor relationship they had. For once, they were actually having fun.

They finally stumbled home close to sunrise and managed to sneak back into the castle through a side entrance with enough time to get cleaned up and ready for the royal meeting, still slightly intoxicated. He remembered Noctis silently pleading with his eyes from across the large meeting table to not rat him out to his father or the other royal officials. If anyone found out, there would be serious consequences for their actions, but Ignis had already planned to take their outing to his grave.

He laughed quietly at the memory. That night was probably the most impulsive and liberating thing he had done in his life up to that point and he often wondered if Noctis ever knew how much fun he had that night.

A grunt from the bed alerted Ignis and he turned his ear to the rustling behind him. He heard Noctis sit up and groan, his body probably still stiff and aching from the battle against Leviathan. He was finally awake.

"Back with us?" Ignis whispered over his shoulder. He knew Noct was probably in a state of confusion, much like he was when he first woke up the week prior. Ignis felt for the armrest, patting it a couple of times nervously before standing up and turning to the prince. "I'll go tell the others . . . though it may take a bit."

Noctis gasped at the sight of his friend, noticing his old lenses now replaced with darkened ones. He caught on quickly to what it was that Ignis was implying. "You're hurt . . . "

"Ah, a small sacrifice in the greater battle," Ignis quipped, the words echoing those that Ardyn taunted him with during their own battle.

He stood, waiting for Noctis to react or say something more. Then, Noctis asked, "And Luna?"

Ignis turned his back to him, bracing for the impact that his words would have on his friend. "She has passed," he reported unemotionally. He heard Noctis' breath hitch, now finding he was in possession of the Ring of Lucii. It was the ring that Luna left for him from his own father, an heirloom from the Astrals to the kings of Lucis and a direct link to the Crystal.

Ignis pointed in the general direction of the notebook that Luna and Noct would send back and forth to each other. "Umbra left that for you."

As he slowly made his way to the door, careful not to bump into any furniture along the way, he heard the frantic flipping of pages and the sound of Noctis repressing a sob. He gently closed the door behind him and heard Gladio clear his throat. Ignis kept his gaze to the side.

"He's awake?"

He nodded, the sounds of Noctis' cries echoing through the door.

The sky was pitch black. It was storming. The roads were slick and the rain on his glasses made it near impossible to see. Leviathan's loud screech reverberated through the city.

Please get me out of here.

He was sprinting through a maze of alleyways and side streets, a stitch starting to form in his side. Ardyn's laughter could be heard from every which way. Ignis was having difficulty trying to discern which way he needed to go to get away from the madman.

"Gladio! Prompto! Where did you go!?" he yelled over the rain, running into yet another dead end.

I need to get to Noct.

The laughter sounded like it was coming closer. "Tick tock, tick tock. Time is running out and you're still nowhere near your precious prince," Ardyn mocked. As Ignis skidded around a corner down another street, his shoe caught the lip of an errant stone in the cobblestone road and he crashed to the ground, smacking his chin on the stones. His glasses flew off of his face and landed a short distance away.

Don't worry about it. Leave them. Just get out of here. He's coming.

He hissed in pain and rubbed his jaw as he scrambled to his feet, but a hand seized his collar from behind and yanked him back, knocking the wind out of him. He tried to escape using every tactic and technique that he'd ever learned, but the grip on his collar was too strong. When he tried to call for help, his voice caught in his throat.

"Why are you in such a rush? The fun has just begun!" Ardyn's hot breath was now on Ignis' neck, sending a chill down his spine. He looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened as he noticed Ardyn's other hand nonchalantly held a fireball. "I have a nursery rhyme that I've been dying to tell you. You know how much I love nursery rhymes, don't you?"

The fireball came hurtling toward him. He brought his hands up to shield himself, but he still felt the fire engulf his face.

"NO!"

Ignis sat up, screaming and holding his covers within clenched fists. His knuckles were white and ached from how tight his grip was. Sweat ran down his forehead and the back of his neck as he gasped desperately for air. His heart continued to pound in his chest. Another nightmare. That's all it was. Just another bad dream. You're ok.

He started to settle down as he registered that he was safe in his room even though he couldn't see anything. He let his fingers relax slightly.

Everything's ok. Everything's-. The faint sound of a muffled cry came from the other room just down the hall.

Noct?

Ignis threw the covers back and quickly got dressed in a t-shirt and pair of jeans that he folded before bed. He grabbed the cane by his bedside and half-walked-half-jogged to the other bedroom. He stopped at the door and internally debated even making his presence known, listening to the whimpering coming from the room and feeling helpless. Still, he took a deep breath and knocked anyway. "Your Highness?"

The crying instantly stopped and Ignis waited for some sort of greeting or notion that he could enter. When neither happened, he opened the door and crept inside, tiptoeing closer to the bed. He felt Noctis' stare on him.

"Can I help you?" he mumbled coldly.

Ignis stopped and stood at the foot of the bed. "I heard a commotion and I just wanted to check to see that you're alright."

There was the click of Noctis turning on the lamp at his bedside and Ignis sensed the faintest of light. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you. I'm fine, though. Really. I've just got a lot on my mind, I guess."

Ignis nodded and placed his cane to the side. "I haven't been sleeping well, either," he pointed to the edge of the bed. "Mind if I have a seat?"

The mattress springs creaked as Noct shifted over slightly so Ignis would have more room to sit. He took a spot on the edge toward the middle, his back to the prince. Noctis sniffled and his breath was shaky as he tried to hold back more tears. Neither man knew what to say next, so they let the silence settle between them. A half hour passed with only the sound of sniffling and distant ocean waves punctuating the quiet night.

Eventually, Noctis cleared his throat and asked, "Is it permanent? Your vision, I mean. Are you going to be able to see again?"

Ignis shrugged. "At this point, all I can do is stay optimistic that my sight will return with time."

"Oh," was all he could think to say.

Ignis smirked. "You always were a man of many words," he joked, but it still made Noct snort.

After quietly laughing, the sniffling returned and Noctis put his head in his hands, speaking through his fingers. "I miss her. Luna. I really loved her, Ignis. You knew that, right? Granted, I wasn't ready to get married or anything, but damn I loved her so much. I couldn't sleep the night before because I was so excited to see her and talk to her in person, not just through some stupid notebook." Ignis detected Noctis' breathing starting to waver again. He knew Noct was trying to get something off his chest, but the words were evading him.

There was the sound of a sharp inhale. "You know, I saw it happen," he began. Ignis turned his head slightly so that his right ear was toward where Noctis was sitting. He continued, "He stabbed her. Ardyn stabbed her with some sort of dagger or knife or something and I just laid there. I-I couldn't move. Like, my mind was screaming at me to get up; lift a finger, do something! And then the bastard looked over at me and smiled. Can you believe that? He fucking smiled, and I couldn't do a damn thing about it but watch her dress go from white to red. No, I can't . . ." his voice faded and Ignis knew he was crying silent tears again. "I can't do this, Ignis. I-I'm not strong enough."

Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose, exhausted. "Unfortunately, we have no choice, Noct. She died protecting you and we can't let her sacrifice be all for naught. Sitting here won't do us any good. The only option we have right now is to pick ourselves up and push forward as soon as possible," he paused and then added, "You should feel honored that you were able to obtain the Hydrean's blessing. Your father and Luna would be proud."

Noct snorted forcefully. "How can you say?" he asked incredulously. "Wow, congrats to me - I got the blessing of Leviathan. That's pretty much all we did right. We epically failed at this mission. Luna's gone. You're blind. Altissia's destroyed after I specifically promised everything would be fine. How the hell can I take my father's place as ruler of a kingdom if I can't even properly save a city? I didn't even ask for any of this!" he grabbed the Ring of Lucii haphazardly tossed on his nightstand and threw it angrily across the room. It hit the wall with a loud 'thud' and clanked on the hardwood floor.

Ignis pursed his lips, letting Noctis' words sink in. It was true, the mission had been a complete and total disaster in more ways than one, but hearing Noctis say it out loud made it all the more real. They failed miserably.

He slowly rose from the bed, grabbing his cane wordlessly. He got to the door and opened it slightly, reflecting on their conversation. As much as he knew that Noct wanted to give up, Ignis knew he needed to be the voice of reason, again. "You need to take your place as rightful heir to the throne of Insomnia. You may not think you're ready, but I have all the faith in the world that you'll be ready in time. Your father sees it and Luna does, too. However, I refuse to sit back and allow you to let all your hard work go to waste. So tomorrow, we'll need to research the next Royal Arm and its location. I'm hoping that the nearby library is still intact enough for us to use it." He turned his head back to look over his shoulder, the light of the lamp guiding him to where Noct was. "I'd greatly appreciate it if you could accompany me."

Noctis made a noise that sounded like a 'yes', but Ignis wasn't too sure. He didn't want to press his luck, though, and question it. As he started to walk away, he heard Noctis call for him. He stopped but didn't turn around. "When we eventually leave Altissia, I'd like to make a stop in Tenebrae. Please."

Ignis mulled the request over in his mind. "If we have time, we will stop in Tenebrae. But let's cross that bridge when we come to it. Now please get some rest, your Highness. It's been a tiresome day."

"Fine. I'll try."

He heard Noct sigh as he clicked the lamp off, taking away the small glimmer of light that Ignis was able to sense along with it.

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the favorites, reviews, and follows. Look out for Part IV coming soon!