Chapter 1

It was all too much at once. They were on a simple hunt for garulas when the drop ship discovered them, which included a bannerman. There was a lot of chaos once the MTs dropped in on them and for a moment Sola lost sight of Noctis. Fearing the worst, she made her way with her double-sided kukri, slashing at garulas and MTs alike, looking for the prince with that signature black coiffe. There! She spotted him dispatching the bannerman, the flag now waving precariously in the falling dead man's hand. She breathed a sigh of relief. Then she looked up. And she swore.

Another drop ship. Another set of MTs. Fresh. And now – a mech.

A damn mech.

Sola met with Gladio and Ignis at its feet, slashing and hacking at the metal wires, trying to disable it. They were keeping it at bay, but with little results. That's when she saw the flash of blue in her peripherals. Noctis was there. Warping in and taking out the main control systems up top. Sola whooped, egging Noctis on. He smiled down at her amidst one of his warps and she saw that he managed to sink the Engine Blade deep into the main controls, finally shorting it out. The mech began to fall. But not before Sola noticed the small flashing red light.

Damnit. Damnit. Damnit. Noct had triggered the self-destruct.

He warped down to her side at the feet of the mech. They had seconds; if that. Sola reacted. Glancing up at the others who had already made their way out of range, expecting it, Sola knew. She just knew. They were out of time. She threw herself onto Noctis, flattening him as the mech exploded.

Pain and red and black blossomed in her vision. Her back felt like it was on fire. It probably was. The two had been so close to the explosion.

The pain and red and black seemed to scream, deafening her. She was deaf. She was blind. She was dead. She had to be. But so long as Noctis was safe –

"-shit! Did you see -?!"

"Sola! Sola, you have to open your eyes. Sola!"

"- off it. Don't -!"

"-open your – me –"

Everything was piecemeal. But she wasn't deaf. Sola slowly came into consciousness, picking up garbled speech that made no sense. It was high pitched. No low pitch. No, wait. There was too much. Too much going on.

Sola slowly opened her eyes. She was laying in a field, four pairs of eyes pressing into her brain and privacy. She wanted them to go away. She said as much. But they didn't seem to understand.

"Solaris," Noctis said worriedly. "Can you hear me?"
"Loud," Sola replied, slurring decidedly.

A huge sigh of relief came from one of the pair of eyes overhead. "She's alive," they said. "I thought for sure she was dead. I thought you were both dead."

"Sola, what were you thinking?" Noctis said angrily.

"She was thinking of saving the Prince's ass," Gladio piped up. "Which she did admirably."

"Gladio, look at her!" Noctis shouted back. "I-"

"We need to move," the last pair of eyes, these with spectacles, said in a clipped tone.

"We can't move her!"

"We must!" Sola recognized that voice. Who was he again? Why did she recall Noct's name and Gladio's name but not the other two? What was going on? Wait, where was the mech?

Solaris jolted out of her stupor, trying to get up and wondering why her body was working against her. And why the others all simultaneously began holding her down. Didn't they just say they had to move? It had to be the mech. The mech was coming, right?

"Mech!" was all Sola could get out.

"Relax, it's gone," Gladio said. "You did well. Let's get you to a motel, huh?"

"How are we-?" Noctis began asking. "Look at her! The- there's so much, Ignis!"

Ignis. That was the glasses wearing pair of eyes. The adrenaline started to ebb as quickly as it had flowed into Sola. She was tired. And her back was on fire. It was on fire. Had they put the fire out yet? She was still confused. She wanted to sleep. She started to close her eyes, but that started a whole new round of irritating sounds from the four pairs of eyes above her. She reluctantly agreed to stay awake.

But somehow her consciousness still wavered in and out. At least her understanding and memories were. Maybe she was awake, maybe she was dead. She couldn't tell at times except for how much her back seared. She gritted her teeth through the pain, refusing to scream or cry. Still, small squeaks of effort and pain seemed to escape her unwillingly when she was moved particularly jarringly.

She could hear apologies and curses along with an ongoing tirade of worry from Noctis. It was starting to get annoying really. The fourth pair of eyes she couldn't place had been particularly quiet. She wasn't sure why, but Solaris started to worry about him. She knew he was important to her, that much she remembered. That she loved him like – something. She didn't want him to worry. He could worry too much. But she couldn't remember his name. Only that his eyes were violet, and he had blonde chocobo hair.

"Hey Choco-" Solaris slurred out between gasps of pain. "I'm kay. Kay?"

Noctis went quiet. Sola couldn't hear the chocobo guy say anything, but she was at least grateful that Noctis had stopped whining. It had honestly gotten old, even though she normally couldn't get enough of his voice.

He was a quiet one normally. Sola thought dimly as they lowered her into the back of the Regalia that it was ironic that the quiet one talked non-stop now while the normally chatty one was all but silent. She wanted to point it out, but she was getting tired again. It was getting harder and harder to keep her eyes open.

The guys started screaming at her again to stay awake, for whatever reason, so Solaris settled for a half-lidded approach. She stared distantly in front of her not taking in that she was now laying on her stomach, her head on Noctis' lap. She was facing him, and she could only take in small random details of his black shirt with little black skulls artfully sprayed across it.

"Sola," a voice came from somewhere above her, "stay with me, okay? You gotta stay awake." There was a hand running gently through her hair, tucking strands behind her ear. It was shaking slightly, but it was tender and something else. Sola couldn't find the words. "Stay with me."

Sola didn't say anything in response, too tired to do any more than she already was. The pain was starting to ebb away finally, and Sola felt herself relaxing slowly into Noct's blessed lap. She loved being there. She hoped this ride in the back of the car would never end.

"Ignis, step on it," Noctis' voice rose in pitch again. Solaris didn't even flinch this time though he was practically yelling in her ear. "I think she's going into shock!"

Noctis felt the car pick up speed. "I'm honestly not surprised," Gladio said. "I mean, that's gotta be what, eight pieces of shrapnel?"

"At least," Ignis said. "It's to be expected with this extensive of injuries. Here," Ignis began to remove his jacket, but Gladio stopped him.

"I got it," he said, shrugging off his own shirt and laying it gently across Solaris' unmoving form.

"Anything to get your shirt off," Noctis looked at him.

"Did you just-" Prompto asked softly. He almost smiled, then looked at Sola's back again and his face fell again.

Noctis gave him a look and shut Prompto up. Prompto instead turned to Ignis. "Is she – Is Sola going to be okay?"

Ignis' mouth went thin. "We will do our best." Prompto's face went pale.

"Ig, why didn't we stay there then and take out the – pieces there?" Prompto asked. Saying the word shrapnel just seemed too war-like. But that's what they were in, wasn't it? A war.

"Because it's all that's keeping her alive right now. She's not bleeding heavily," Ignis said simply.

"Besides, those drop ships were coming in droves," Gladio said. "There's no way we could've done emergency surgery in the middle of that chaos nest back there."

"How is she?" Ignis said, eyeing Noctis and an ominously still Solaris through the rearview mirror.

"Breathing. For now," Noctis said. "Sola, you still with me? Sola?"

She must have made some noise or movement that only Noctis could see because he responded, "She's still conscious. Barely. Ignis, we gotta hurry. She's not gonna make it."

Noctis looked up and caught Ignis's eye in the mirror. He nodded. "Gladio," Ignis instructed. "Contact the marshal. Tell him to meet us at Taelpar Rest Area and to bring Monica and whatever medical aid they have."

"On it," Gladio said sliding his phone from his pocket.

"Prompto, I want you to inspect her back for me," Ignis said. "Don't touch her, just tell me if she's bleeding any more or less."

Prompto looked back and tried to get a better look but stayed well out of range of touching her. "She's still bleeding from about half of them. The rest seem just like they're stuck in place, not much blood around them at all."

"They must run deep," Ignis sighed. He rubbed his eyes and sped up even more, as much as he dared go. "We just have to pray when we remove them that they haven't nicked any arteries or organs."

"Ignis, there are so many," Prompto said.

"You're right," he responded soberly. "It's probably too much to hope." He sounded very tired just then, and there was a long night ahead.

Gladio ended the call with the marshal. "He'll be there in an hour. He's in the area now."

"Good, because we're here now." Ignis pulled into the parking lot of the rest area and Gladio raced out of the car to get them a room.

Within a few minutes, the four men had expertly and carefully moved Solaris to a bed in the motel room, unpacked the car, and unloaded every first aid item they could possibly think of from the armiger and placed it all on the bedside table for Ignis' convenience.

"We need to put something under her," Ignis decided grimly. "Once I start removing the shrapnel, it will be – messy." He didn't want to say more.

"Towels," Gladio said, and he gestured to the bathroom. "On it."

"I'll go see if the staff can lend us anymore," Prompto said and dashed off to the front desk.

"Here," Noctis said, pulling some old towels from the armiger. "I used to keep some for gym class or for after training with Gladio."

"Those will work wonderfully," Ignis said gratefully taking them and folding them neatly beside him. "Can you also fetch me a bowl of water? Warm, but not hot, if you please."

"Gotcha," Noctis said. He had been sitting on the bed by Sola, holding her hand. He kissed it briefly, then slid her hand out of his. "Be right back, Sola. Stay awake, okay?"

Noctis grabbed the silver bowl on the bedside table and went into the bathroom just as Gladio exited it with an armful of towels and wash cloths.

"Here's the lot," Gladio said.

"We'll need to lift her and lay them underneath her," Ignis said. "As soon as Noctis comes back with the water –"

"Already back," Noctis said, carrying the bowl carefully now, setting it back on the bedside table. "I heard."

"Okay, how do we want to do this?" Gladio asked.

Ignis directed Gladio to Solaris' shoulders and Noctis to her legs while Ignis unfolded a few of the towels. In as careful a move as they could, on the count of three, Noctis and Gladio lifted Solaris as Ignis quickly placed towels expertly beneath, laying them flat and wide to protect as much of the bedding as they could.

Solaris did not appreciate the movement. She squirmed and cried out, coming to fully and the agony coming fully into her awareness as well.

"Shhh," Gladio said. "We gotcha, girl. We gotcha. It's just for a second."

"Now," Ignis said as he situated the last towel.

Gladio and Noctis lowered Sola carefully back down onto the bed. But the pain had already reawakened in full, and Sola would not keep still. She groaned audibly and kept trying to flip over onto her back, requiring Gladio to hold her down by the shoulders.

Noctis was immediately beside her and Gladio, grabbing her hand and squeezing, trying to offer words of comfort.

Ignis sighed. He had hoped Sola would remain in her stupor. Her movements bode well in that the shock wasn't fully set in, but now she was aware at least of the pain and what Ignis was about to do was not going to help her in that regard.

"Gladio, can you remain there, holding her down?" Ignis asked.

"Will do," Gladio replied.

"Highness, I'm going to need help staunching the bleeding once I remove each piece," Ignis looked seriously at Noctis. He looked a little pale, seeing Solaris in so much pain but nodded his head. "Take a towel." Ignis handed him a hand towel, which Noctis took in a vice-like grip.

Ignis removed his gloves, then went into the bathroom and washed his hands thoroughly. He then donned some medical grade nitrile gloves and picked up a pair of pliers they had in the armiger and washed them with a small bottle of alcohol that was in the first aid kit.

Ignis then stood over Solaris and took in the state of her as fully as he could. Where should he start? He tried to map out the most important organs first, but then he realized, looking at her back, that no matter where he started, there'd be another piece in the way or more at risk once one was removed. He, therefore, decided to start at the top and work his way down her back.

Looking at her, there seemed to be a pattern to how the explosion hit her and Noctis. Thankfully, because Sola had shielded Noct, he had come out unscathed save a cut across his arm that was shallow and easily healed by a potion. This – this was something altogether different.

Her back seemed to have been hit from the upper left side of her torso to the lower right side, in a sloppy line of pieces. Even if a potion worked at this rate once the shrapnel was removed, which was unlikely given the timeliness of such curatives, she would likely have significant scarring.

There was nothing for it. It was time to stop hesitating and start doing. Ignis bent over Solaris just as the hotel door opened and Prompto walked in carrying a heap of towels, stacked past his face. Ignis ignored him and began to set to work.

"Hey guys," Prompto said. "I scored big time. Where do you want these?"

As Prompto couldn't see what was happening, he was clueless to their plight. But the sound of Sola's sudden moan as Ignis gripped one of the pieces of shrapnel in his pliers stopped him short. He stood there, armful of towels, unsure of what to do. The other three men were fully focused on Solaris now. Gladio was holding Solaris down steadily, watching Ignis' moves intently. Once Ignis started, he knew they'd be in for a fight with Sola. And she was strong despite her smaller stature, her raw strength often outmatching Prompto and even Noctis depending on the lift.

Noctis held Sola's hand, still mindlessly uttering words of comfort and watching Ignis with a rapt but horrified expression. His own back seemed to twinge at the sight of Sola's back, and he fought back tears every time she moaned.

"Okay, Gladio," Ignis said as he became satisfied the grip on the shrapnel was good and strong. "On three. One – two – three."

Ignis pulled the piece slowly but surely from her back. It came out slowly, squelching and sucking, which immediately made Noct's stomach flip uncomfortably. The piece was not too long, only embedded about an inch and a half into her back, but had a jagged edge that caught on the end as Ignis pulled.

Solaris came alive as soon as Ignis started to pull. Gladio forced his arm down across her shoulders and held her fast as Ignis worked. She called out audibly, almost screaming.

Blood immediately pooled at the sight and began working its way out of the wound the moment Ignis had it free. Noctis lunged forward with his hand towel, placing it atop the wound and holding it down.

"Harder, Noct," Ignis instructed. "You can't be gentle. We have to keep her from bleeding out. I'm going to try and remove as many as I can while she'll let me."

"This is letting you?!"

"She's not cognizant at the moment," he replied. "It's likely she won't recall this, and I hope it remains that way."

While he spoke, Noctis pressed harder on the wound. Sola groaned loudly in protest. Ignis took up the next piece of shrapnel, this one thinner, but much longer, embedded a good three inches into her back. It looked like a small blade in width and in length.

Solaris continued to struggle, but Gladio continued to hold her and Noctis was now applying full pressure to her two open wounds.

"Two more and we'll dress these," Ignis said. "One – two – three." Another came out, this one even longer. More blood, more screaming, and now the hand towel was soaking through. Prompto, now free of towels, having discarded them next to Ignis, handed another towel to Noctis, who proceeded to layer it atop the soaked hand towel. He pressed down and Solaris gasped and groaned loudly in protest.

"I know it hurts," Noctis said. "But we gotta, Sola. How's she doing?" Noctis suddenly directed his question at Gladio.

Gladio looked down at her face. It was screwed up in pain, pale and sweating. Her eyes were open but staring out at seemingly nothing. Her breath came in short, audible gasps of pain. "As good as can be expected."

"One – two – three." This piece did not come easily like the others. It caught immediately and Sola shrieked in a way that no human should sound. She began keening, shrieking every time the piece caught on the sides of the wound. This one was not blade-like nor was it thin. Blood welled up around it as Ignis pulled. The piece caught once again and Ignis lost his grip on it. Solaris bucked up despite Gladio's weight and Noct's pressure. She fought and thrashed, keening all the while.

"Hold her down!" Ignis cried. He stood up and put pressure on her legs. "Prompto, I need you!"

"Here!" Prompto said, immediately taking over holding Sola's legs. He practically sat on them to keep her from moving. From here, Prompto got a first-class seat to Sola's wounds. "Oh god. Ignis!" His stomach roiled.

"Don't you dare get sick on me," Noctis could see the color draining from Prompto's face. "She needs you, Prom. We all do."

Prompto just nodded and held onto Sola. She was still fighting and now there was blood up Noct's arms and he was starting to slip in it every time she bucked up out of Gladio's grasp.

"Keep going!" Gladio roared at Ignis, who seemed to have checked out for a moment.

The shrapnel embedded in her back was more like an object then a piece of shorn off metal. Ignis shook himself, then bent back over her. "Apologies," he said. "One – two – three."

With a yank harder than he wanted, but as quickly as he dared, Ignis pulled the piece of shrapnel from Solaris' back. It came out with a squelch and immediately blood was everywhere.

"Damnit," Ignis swore. "No, Noct, not yet!" He abandoned the pliers on the table and pushed Noctis off from covering the wound. "I think it hit an organ. It'd account for all the blood."

Ignis hoped and prayed to the Astrals he was wrong. The shrapnel had been right next to her spinal cord, missing it by a mere centimeter, but the organ it could have hit would have to be Sola's stomach, or her lungs. He prayed for the former. Ignis reached into the wound and began to feel around.

As advisor to the king, he was well versed in first aid and military field surgery, but it was a fast and hard knowledge that was meant to be backed up by real doctors later in actual hospitals. Sola and their group didn't have that luxury.

"Use a potion, Ig," Noctis urged. He already had one uncorked.

"We can't," Ignis proclaimed sullenly. "The rest of the shrapnel –" It went unsaid, but it was obvious, until they were all out, no potion could undo the damage.

"Then what?" Noctis asked. "What do you need, Ig?"

Ignis felt around inside the wound. Solaris was still keening and shrieking. Ignis couldn't believe she hadn't passed out yet.

"Ignis!"

"One second!" He continued to feel around. There! There it was. A small nick. Well, not so much a nick as a small hole. He felt the organ and he swore again. "It's punctured her lung. I'll have to sew it."

Noctis nodded quickly and dove into the first aid kit, grabbing a needle and thread from the box and threading the needle for Ignis. It was hard as his hands were slippery with Sola's blood, but he was able to get it faster than he'd ever threaded a needle. He handed it to Ignis.

Ignis reached in and began to sew as best he could, doing most of it by feel as he'd been taught. Field surgery was hard and fast and not pretty. But it would save Sola's life if it was done right. That's what counted.

She began to cough as Ignis sewed, red tingeing her lips and starting to drip down her chin. Gladio looked at Ignis who simply nodded and kept working. It was to be expected. Sola continued to cough and gag occasionally, but otherwise remained oddly still. Ignis tried to work faster. If shock fully set in – he dared not think about it.

In a few minutes, Ignis had the lung sewn closed and the majority of the bleeding stopped. Then Ignis began to sew up the other sites he had cleared. Solaris had gone quiet. Gladio affirmed that she had finally lost consciousness, her eyes an ominous half-lidded state, but she was breathing mostly regular now.

"She's losing too much blood," Ignis said as he sewed her second wound site closed. "At this rate, she may bleed out. Does anyone know her blood type?"

"A, like me," Noctis said.

"Positive or negative, Noct," Ignis said. "You're A positive. I'm loathe to give her blood that she can't have."

"I – don't know," Noctis said.

"Wait, doesn't she have a blood donor card?" Prompto asked.

"Huh?"
"A blood donor card," Prompto said, now going through their stuff in search of Sola's wallet. "She used to donate blood at the Insomnia Red Cross every six weeks." He found her wallet and flipped it open, going through the cards one by one. "Yep, found it. She's A positive."

"See? I told you, like me," Noctis responded.

"Giving blood is wholly different than sewing a wound closed. Even matching blood can be deadly to a patient if their body rejects it."

"And are we really going to let the prince donate his blood?"
"Yes we are," Noctis said vehemently.

"If she needs it, I don't see why he couldn't," Ignis said. "It's safe for him. More so than for Sola."

"Okay, then take my blood, I'm ready," Noctis said.

"Only if she needs it," Ignis said. "Or rather, only when I deem it absolutely necessary."

"And what does that mean?"

"That she'll die if she doesn't get blood." Ignis finished sewing up the last of the open shrapnel wounds. "Now then, let's continue while she's unconscious if we can."

The other three men nodded and proceeded to help Ignis remove the rest of the shrapnel.