AN: Bit of a short chapter, but the plot should be picking up next chapter. :o


The courtyard door opened with click. Gladiolus stepped into the entered the isolated section of the courtyard. Glancing around, he searched for Prompto's unique blond hair. He had been wanting to see the man again since he first talked to him.

The foreigner found him first. He felt a friendly punch to the arm, and he turned to see the smaller man. There stood Prompto with a smile on his face and hair almost covering his eyes. Gladiolus squinted at him. Odd. He thought the foreigner had freckles. Additionally, he seemed thinner than he remembered. Now he was little more than skin and bone.

"Gladiolus! Good to see you again!"

He found Prompto's happiness to be contiguous. A smile crept onto his face.

"Good to see you too, Prompto." He looked the man over once more. "Have you been eating alright?"

The happiness faded from the other's face, yet he laughed. "Of course! Noct takes good care of me."

Gladiolus nodded in approval. If Noctis was going to keep the blond locked up, he owed it to him to treat him well. Prompto walked backwards towards the palace entrance opposite the locked door. He carefully avoided the beautiful flowers as he moved and gestured to the plant filled area around them. Gladiolus followed.

"Welcome to my home! Best..." he paused, struggling to find the right word. He pointed a blue rose. "What's the word? Fleur? The pretty plants?"

"Flowers?" Gladiolus offered.

"Yeah! Those." Another laugh. "Best flowers in all Lucis, thanks to my care."

Prompto made it to the other end of the courtyard. The blond sat down and let his back rest against the wall, hands tucked behind his head.

"Sorry to break it to ya, but these flowers are mostly Noctis's fault." Him and the bits of the Crystal's power that leaked out of him. Gladiolus sat down next to Prompto.

The foreigner rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I help."

Gladiolus chuckled. Once again they were sitting close enough for their shoulders to touch. Though not really needing to, Gladiolus cleared his throat. He had heavy questions to ask, question that had been on his mind for awhile. He wanted to ask Why are you here? Why are you kept here like its your cage? But he'd told Noctis he wasn't going to pursue the matter, so he settled for an easier question.

"So, where are you from, Prompto?"

"Born and raised in Solheim. Small country not too far from here."

Solheim. The name of the country made him his stomach churn. The nausea wasn't because of the country itself but because of what they had done to it.

Noctis had almost crippled the country. Solheim had foolishly tried to invade their home alongside larger countries. Lucis retaliated by wrecking havoc. The prince couldn't even remember how many lives he had taken there the deaths were so numerous, and yet here was Prompto, from that very same country, loving the man who made it suffer. To make matters worse, a plague infected the sunny country. It claimed almost as many lives as warfare did. Gladiolus understood why Noctis wanted to bring Prompto to their home.

A heavy silence fell upon the courtyard. It came more from Gladiolus than Prompto.

"I'm... sorry," Gladiolus forced out.

Prompto looked at him like he said Noctis had red hair.

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

And he was having to say it. His stomach's unease grew.

"Our countries have not been on the best terms lately. We've done some horrible things to each other. Don't hold it against Noctis, alright? He's just doing what the king tells him to and trying to keep us safe."

"Oh. That." Prompto's voice had grown softer and quieter. He leaned forward and placed his hands in his lap. He turned his attention to them instead of Gladiolus. "No, I don't. We, the citizens, didn't really want to join in the stupid war. Our king decided for us. I never liked my home growing up. Hated it, actually. They were going to put me to death."

"What for?"

Murder? Espionage? Treason? Any one of those would spell danger for the kingdom.

"I was set to be executed for 'blasphemy' because I didn't believe in their gods. The day before I was to be executed, Noctis saved me. He told me later that he came to rescue some or informant or something. I heard him running through the prison, screamed to be rescued, and he heard to me. Solheim took away my family, the people I loved, not him. Noctis saved my life." He pointed to his face. "Of course, who can blame him? I'm too cute to die." His tone regained a small portion of it's previous playfulness.

Recalling the tale made the foreigner sorrowful. He acted smaller, timid. Gladiolus was filled with pity for him.

"My father was executed when I was a kid." The tale grew serious again. Prompto grew more somber. "Mum just a... little over a year ago. Bahamut, I wish I could have done something. If our royalty died tomorrow, I wouldn't shed a single tear. People here aren't persecuted like that, right?"

Gladiolus put his hand on the blond's shoulder and gently squeezed. He felt him relax under his touch.

"We have our own problems," most regarding kin being held accountable for things their families did generations ago and poverty, "but you won't be put to death for something as small as not worshiping Etro." A pause, then he spoke again. "I'm glad Noct brought you back here."

It was only at the expression of gratitude that Prompto's gaze shifted from his hands to the other man.

"Me too. Hey, enough about all that sad stuff." The words were lighter than the previous ones. "Lucis is nothing like Solheim. You grew up here, right? Tell me about it, about yourself."

The question caught Gladiolus off guard. There was real eagerness and curiosity in Prompto's eyes. "Uh, sure." He came here prepared for more riddles or secrets, not to be asked so openly for stories about himself. So, he told them about a time he got the king's blessing and was able to take Noctis with his family on a camping trip. The climax involved him saving the prince from a poisonous snake.

He missed the days when he able to protect Noctis.

Prompto enjoyed the story and asked for another. Time went by without Gladiolus noticing.