Disclaimer: I own nothing of importance.

Chapter 3

Noctis did his best to keep his feet under him as they ran, relying on Prompto to guide him as well as keep him upright if he listed too far to either side. He'd overdone it with that last spell and now he was paying for it, bone-deep weariness weighing heavily on all his limbs. Letting himself be captured again just for the chance to rest for a moment was actually tempting. However the anger still coursing through his veins for them daring to attack Prompto was enough for him to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Prompto, for his part, was trying very hard not to freak out. He'd been shot, his left shoulder throbbing painfully in time with his heart, and he was helping the prince of Lucis jog drunkenly down a dark alley. All this, while being chased by a couple of trigger-happy loons who wanted to kidnap said prince. It was clear Noctis could barely maintain their current pace, which meant going faster was out of the question. Could this night get any worse?

The rhetorical question was answered when something small and quick darted in front of the pair, startling a scream from blond. Prompto reflexively skidded to a halt, jerking back on Noct's arm to stop him as well before he realized it was just a cat, the frightened creature disappearing down a small adjacent alley. That revelation was quickly forgotten as the sudden change in direction, coupled with the prince's questionable balance, ended with them both in a tangled heap on the ground.

Prompto couldn't help the pained cry that escaped him as he hit his injured shoulder, clenching his teeth together and squeezing his eyes shut as he waited for the pain to subside. "S-sorry!" he stuttered, carefully extracting himself before pulling Noctis back to his feet with some difficulty. "That was totally my bad, but we can't stop here!" he said, steadying the prince as he swayed before finding his balance once more.

Noctis nodded, showing he understood. "Gotta...hide..." he panted, knowing he didn't have a prayer of outrunning his pursuers on foot.

It was clear the prince was leaving the decision of where they should hide up to Prompto, essentially putting his life in the blond's hands. Although Prompto didn't feel ready for that type of responsibility in the slightest, he couldn't let his nerves get the best of him. Noctis was obviously in no condition to save himself, all but gasping for breath as he leaned heavily on his knees, and those women would be turning the corner any second. Prompto couldn't let him down when the prince needed him most.

The blond glanced around, looking for somewhere close to hide until Noctis could at least catch his breath. A dim light was on further down the alley, illuminating a dumpster and several small trashcans along the walls and a whole lot of empty space. While there weren't any inconspicuous hiding places readily available (and even then, Prompto doubted Noctis would be willing to just kick back in a dumpster for who-knows-how-long), the walkway the cat had vanished into looked promising.

It was narrow, possibly too much so for them to walk side-by-side, and was hidden in deeper shadow than where they currently were due to the close proximity of the buildings. If nothing else, it would allow them to get out of sight before the women turned the corner behind them.

"This way," Prompto said, pulling Noctis toward the darker path and sending a quick prayer to the Six that their pursuers missed it entirely. After all, if it hadn't been for the cat, Prompto would have gone right past it himself.

It was difficult to see the miscellaneous refuse that littered the walkway, the blond jerking his foot back from the loud metallic crunch as he stepped on an empty can. Although his paranoia was practically screaming at him to hurry, Prompto forced himself to walk so they didn't trip over anything hidden in the dark. Noctis didn't complain about the slower pace, still huffing like a smoker who'd just run a marathon.

Thirty to forty feet down the breezeway, it opened up into a small courtyard of sorts. Several small recycling bins lined one wall, the white letters faintly visible in the poor lighting. Three bikes were chained to a rack along the adjacent wall next to a beat-up bench and trashcan with an ashtray on top. Another narrow walkway was shrouded in darkness leading away from the courtyard, but what caught Prompto's attention was a dark metal plate in the middle of the area: a manhole cover.

"What do you think about going in there?" Prompto asked, drawing Noctis' attention and gesturing to the metal plate. "I know it's not ideal, but they'll never find us down there, right?" he continued, trying to sound a lot more confident in the plan than he felt. Noctis blinked at the manhole in bemusement and it suddenly occurred to Prompto that, as the prince of Lucis, Noctis might not be so agreeable to walking through the muck floating around in the sewer. "Uh, unless you don't want to," he amended, quickly back pedaling. "I mean, I probably can't get that thing opened anyway and who knows what creepy-crawlies might be hiding down there-"

"It's fine," Noctis interrupted with a slight shake of his head, knowing the blond tended to ramble for minutes on end when he was nervous. While crawling through the sewers wasn't all that appealing, it also wasn't something Noctis would have considered himself. If they'd been studying his habits for any length of time, then there was a good possibility that they wouldn't think to look for him down there, either. He turned his head to the side, meeting his friend's lighter blue gaze. "Better than...the alternative, right?" he panted, giving the blond wry grin.

"Yeah, I guess so," Prompto agreed hesitantly, looking back at the manhole. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't really eager to tromp around down there either, especially in the dark. Still, with the abductors an unknown distance behind them, and no other feasible hiding spots in sight, they didn't really have much choice. Noctis was willing, and if the prince could do it, the least Prompto could do was go with him.

The blond crouched down next to the metal plate, easily fitting his right hand into the holes. His left shoulder was still throbbing painfully, so he kept that arm close to his body as he tightened his grip and pulled. It was heavier than he thought it'd be, but he managed to pull it up high enough clear the edge of the manhole, dragging it out of the way. "After you," he wheezed, gesturing for Noctis to go first.

It didn't take Noctis long to descend the ladder, Prompto following after and pulling the cover back into place behind him. The blond fumbled his way down the ladder with one arm, holding tight to the rungs even though they felt slightly crusty with an unknown substance he didn't want to identify. It was easy enough to find Noctis, his heavy breathing- though already sounding a bit better than a couple of minutes ago -acting as a beacon in the darkness.

"You doin' okay?" Prompto asked, groping for his friend's arm.

"I need to sit down," Noctis breathed, shaking his head slightly though he know the blond couldn't see it. "Just for a couple minutes."

Prompto hesitated, biting his lip. While he doubted anyone could hear them up on street level unless they were particularly loud, he was leery of staying so close to the entrance in case the women did decide to check down here. "Let's...get a little further away, yeah? Then you can rest for as long as you want," he promised.

Noctis let out a soft groan at the thought of walking even farther, but didn't argue. "Lead the way, then."

The blond blinked, forgetting that he was still kind of in charge. "Oh, um, right," he muttered, wide eyes gazing at the darkness all around him. Since they couldn't see, they'd have to use something else to find their way...like the wall. Turning in the direction he thought the wall was, Prompto lifted his arm and took a couple tentative steps forward. He found it, the rough surface cold beneath his fingers and covered in more ick that the blond most definitely did not want to think about.

"Over here- we can follow the wall," he said, guiding the prince with his voice. He remembered the handcuffs, realizing that would probably make it rather awkward for Noctis. "Um, you can just hold onto my shoulder, I guess- the right one!" he added quickly.

Noctis did as he was instructed, outstretched hands finding Prompto's back and trailing up to his neck before settling on his right shoulder. They'd only walked about ten or so feet before the wall ended, another tunnel intersecting the one they were in. Not wanting to cross the open area blindly, Prompto turned and head down the new tunnel. For some reason, he felt a bit safer now that they were out of direct line of sight from the manhole, stopping a few feet after they'd turned the corner. "We'll rest here for a bit."

Noctis stepped away from Prompto, finding the wall and gratefully sitting against it. He drew up his knees, resting his cuffed hands on them while dropping his chin to his chest. He couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped him, feeling like they'd been running for hours instead of only a couple panicked minutes.

Prompto listened as Noctis settled himself on the floor, trying not to grimace at the slime and unmentionables that was likely coating it. The darkness was a bit oppressive, feeling like it was closing in on him from all sides. He needed a distraction. "So," he said, blurting out the first thing that popped into his head, "like, you can shoot fireballs." He winced as the words rolled off his tongue, realizing exactly how random that was considering the circumstances.

Noctis chuckled softly. Only Prompto would be fixated on something like that given everything that had happened. "Yeah," he agreed, sounding amused. "I can shoot fireballs."

Well, if Noctis was cool with it, Prompto saw no reason to switch topics now. "Gotta admit, I did not see that coming," he said.

Nor was it how Noctis would have chosen to tell his friend about his abilities, had he decided to do so. The smile fell from his face as he thought back over how it had gone down. "Neither did Ashley," he said, his voice cold with the anger that surged through him at the memory. Her terrified expression as the fireball flew through the air toward her did not bring the satisfaction he had hoped for, but left him feeling somewhat guilty instead. He shook his head, putting the thought out of his mind for the moment. "How's your shoulder?" he asked.

Prompto was startled to hear the dark tone in his friend's voice, used to the easy-going demeanor that was his norm. Then again, attempted kidnapping and being threatened with a gun was more than enough to ruin anyone's day. The abrupt change in topic gave him pause, quickly debating whether or not to lie. On the one hand, Noctis had enough to worry about without Prompto heaping his problems on top. On the other, lying probably wouldn't do him much good, as they were likely going to be together for the next little while at least.

He gave a weak, nervous laugh. "I'm, uh, not sure," he admitted, looking away even though neither could see the other in the darkness. "I'm...afraid to look."

"Is it bleeding?" Noctis pressed. This was the last place Prompto should be if he had an open wound.

"Probably?" He'd been shot- what kind of question was that?!

Noctis reminded himself that Prompto was a civilian and as such wasn't used to dealing with injuries. "Does your shirt feel wet? Can you feel blood sliding down your chest?" he clarified.

"Based on the throbbing pain in my shoulder, I'm pretty sure I was hit."

Noctis shook his head impatiently. "Come here and let me look at it."

Prompto flinched. "Yeah, no- as I said, it hurts, and we're in sewer- I don't want your grimy fingers anywhere near it!"

Noctis huffed out a laugh. "I'm not gonna touch it," he said. "You've got your phone, don't you? I just want to take a look."

Prompto stared dumbly in Noct's direction for several long seconds. He had completely forgotten about the phone sitting in his back pocket. He pulled it out, turning it on and squinting slightly at the bright display as he navigated through the menus to turn on the flashlight.

Noctis flinched back at the sudden and blinding light shining in his face, bringing his hands up to shield his eyes. "Dude, seriously?" he complained.

"Sorry." Prompto moved the light out of the prince's face, chewing on his lip as his gaze was drawn to his injury. He quickly averted his eyes, not wanting to end up gagging- or worse -in front of his friend. "Just...promise you won't touch it?" he asked, not quite willing to hand the phone over yet. "Like, at all?"

The amused half-smile was clearly visible in the light reflecting off the damp walls. "I promise. Now get over here."

Prompto gingerly knelt next to the raven-haired teen, handing over his phone and carefully unzipping his jacket. He turned his head away as Noctis brought the phone closer for a better look. He jerked slightly as unexpectedly cold fingers brushed his neck, pulling the collar of his shirt aside.

"Chill out, I'm not gonna touch it," Noctis reassured him, trying to gently move the shirt out of the way and hold the phone so the light was shining where he needed to see. It was obvious where the bullet had hit, a blood red oval marring the skin four or so inches to the left of the sternum and an inch or two below the collar bone. The area in a two-three inch diameter around the mark was already visibly swollen and Prompto would likely be sporting an impressive bruise by this time tomorrow. "Not as bad as it could be, though it could definitely use some ice," Noctis said, carefully letting the material slide back into place. "It didn't break the skin though, which is good."

"What?" Prompto jerked his head back around, barely able to make out the vague outline of Noct's face past the glare of the light. "But, I was- that doesn't- I was shot!" he exclaimed, wincing as his voice echoed down the tunnel before making an effort to keep the volume down. "Dude, my jacket's not bullet proof!"

"They were using rubber bullets," Noctis explained with a shrug, handing over the phone before leaning back against the wall. "Some types can be just as bad as a real bullet, but they shouldn't be using anything of that caliber for this."

Prompto just gapped at him, unable to even try to articulate what was going through his mind. It suddenly dawned on Noctis that the blond hadn't known what was going on when he'd taken the bullet to protect him. "What were you thinking, anyway?" he demanded, rounding on his friend. "Do you have a death wish or something?"

Prompto blinked, taken back by the sudden attack. "Uh, no?" he said, trying to figure where this was coming from all of a sudden.

"Oh really? So do you often stand in front of a gun when people tell you to get out of the way?" the prince questioned, fear making his tone sharper than he'd intended. The mark on Prompto's chest was right over his heart. Had Ashley been using a real gun...

"Wait- what?" the blond asked, trying to wrap his head around the fact that Noctis was apparently upset because Prompto had taken a bullet for him. "What was I supposed to do, just run off and leave you at their mercy?"

"Yes! I told you to run- if she'd been using a real gun, you'd be lying dead in that alley," Noctis said earnestly, trying to make Prompto understand.

"And just what kind of person would I be if I abandoned my friend when he was trouble?" Prompto asked quietly.

"One that's not dead."

Prompto offered him a wry grin. "Not one you can trust to have your back, though," he pointed out.

Noctis sighed, trying to run a hand through his hair before realizing it was still chained to his other hand and aborting the motion. Prompto was pretty much the only friend he had- outside of Luna -who wasn't in service to his family and basically paid to be his friend. While it was nice to know the blond wasn't simply there because of Noct's royal status (not that he had ever believed that to be the case), the prince had never really been comfortable with the thought of other people dying to protect him. And he really didn't want to see Prompto's name added to that list.

They were both silent for a few minutes, processing what had been said before Noctis spoke up once more. "Just...try not to be so reckless, okay?" he asked. "If this had been a real kidnapping-"

"Wait, what do you mean a real kidnapping?" Prompto asked, turning to his friend once more. "Come to think of it, how'd you know they were using rubber bullets anyway? What exactly is going on here, Noct?"

"It's a test of sorts," the prince explained, shrugging. "Cor's 'final exam' for the those wanting to join the Crownsguard."

"Their final exam is to, what, kidnap you?" Prompto asked skeptically.

"Pretty much."

"Are you serious?! They come after you with guns and you shoot fireballs at them and..." Prompto trailed off, his jaw working soundlessly as his words failed him. He shook his head, plowing on ahead. "Isn't that, like, really dangerous? And you guys do this in the middle of the city?!"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call this the middle of the city, but there's no way anyone would let them take me beyond the Wall for this," Noctis pointed out. "As it is, the real Crownsguard are all over the place, keeping eye on both the new recruits and myself. They'll step in before things get out of hand."

"Still, why you? I mean, if they're just testing the new recruits..."

"I tend to skip out of training more now that I've got my own place, so Cor probably thought this was a good compromise to make sure I'm still practicing," Noctis said, seemingly indifferent. It wasn't as if any of his trainers asked for his opinion on matter anyway.

"That's...still kinda extreme," Prompto said, looking a little unsettled. "And your dad's okay with this?"

"Are you kidding? A chance to 'field test' my skills while allowing Cor to assess me and figure out what areas need improvement?" Noctis snorted. "My dad was probably all over that."

"How often does this happen? I mean, is there a set schedule, or..."

"It's supposed to be once a year," Noctis said, a faint scowl settling across his brow, "but I already did this in April, so..." He let out an irritated huff, shaking his head. "I'm sure Cor is already practicing his speech about 'not getting complacent' and 'being ready at any time,'" he said, mimicking the marshal's deeper voice. He pushed himself to his feet, arching his back and stretching his arms above his head before turning to the blond. "Ready to go?"

"Yep," Prompto agreed as he stood as well. "So, do we head into the deep, dark and dank unknown," he asked, shining his light down the tunnel, "or do we head back up to street level and take our chances?"

Noctis considered that for a few seconds. "Well, I'm pretty sure they're still looking for me up there, so it'd probably be best to head over a couple streets before going topside."

"I thought you'd say something like that..." Prompto said, grimacing as his light illuminated the slimy path before them. "Well, might as well get it over with..."

They walked in companionable silence for a couple minutes, skirting around the questionable puddles littering the cement floor. "Hey, Prompto?" Noctis said hesitantly, drawing the blond's attention.

"Yeah?" Prompto answered, wincing as something squished beneath his foot. He couldn't help cringing as the shoe stuck to the floor slightly with the next step.

"Just...thanks. For having my back."

Prompto glanced over at the prince, the latter clearly avoiding the his gaze. "Anytime," he said, his lips turning upward in a grin. "After all, that's what friends are for."

. . .

Cor Leonis sat in his car, the motor off and headlights dark as he waited. He glanced back at the laptop on his companion's lap, an electronic map of the city showing on the display with several small groups of gray dots scattered around the area. A larger white dot was nestled inside a cluster of buildings roughly in the center of the area the gray dots were stationed around, though still too far away for visual contact.

"Ashley and Melissa are en-route to the rendezvous," Monica reported, staring a the screen as her fingers tapped away on the keyboard. She was a middle-aged woman, gray hair cut short and swept to the side as her sharp brown eyes tracked everyone's movements during the training exercise. "It seems Prince Noctis is waiting until he's sure they've left the area before moving on."

Cor hummed in acknowledgement, turning his attention back to the street. Although he'd only received an abbreviated report, he could infer what had happened. Noctis had been warping pretty regularly over the last couple hours before Ashley and Melissa had caught up with him. A civilian was shot (he wasn't looking forward to explaining that to the king), after which Ashley was incapacitated.

Obviously the civilian had been trying to help Noctis- otherwise Ashley wouldn't have shot him (at least, Cor sincerely hoped not). The prince had then likely lost his temper and used his magic to incapacitate Ashley, as he didn't yet know how to warp strike and she would have likely shot him as well had he charged her with his sword. Not to mention another warp so soon after the last would have had him on the ground- not running away.

Part of his mind pondered Ashley's condition as he switched his attention from the alley entrance to the rooftops and back again. Noctis was getting quite good with his magic and could cause some serious damage if he wanted to. Melissa had reported she was incapacitated, but that could range anywhere from singed hair to third degree burns, considering Noctis' affinity with fire elemental energy in particular. Whatever the case, he doubted Ashley would be able to look at fire in any form the same way ever again.

"He's on the move again, heading east," Monica said, interrupting his musings. "I...can't tell if he's on the street level or if he headed back up to the rooftops," she admitted.

Cor nodded, looking once more to the road. He'd parked the car on the far end of the street, giving him a clear view of the alley entrances both east and south of the prince's current position. Knowing which way he was coming from meant Cor only had to watch the one alley, although he still needed to keep an eye on the sky as well.

"He...should be right in front of us," Monica said after another minute or two, glancing from the laptop to the road and back again. "Where is he?"

Cor looked at the screen, confirming the white dot was in the middle of the street less than forty feet from their position. His eyes narrowed as he watched it cross the road at a leisurely pace- far too slow for a warp. His gaze fell on the subway entrance near the mouth of the alley, eyes widening slightly in understanding. Given his dark clothes and the late hour, it wouldn't have been too difficult for Noctis to slip in unnoticed.

"He headed underground," he said, gesturing to the subway entrance as he picked up the radio and started barking orders. "Subject has entered the subway station on 49th between Loveless Avenue and Park Place. Unit Delta will go in after him. All other units, head to the nearest terminal to your current position. I want eyes back on the prince ASAP."

To Be Continued

New chapters are posted on Monday.