Chapter 5: Lullaby

{Insomnia: April 7th 2002, 8:09am}

A chubby, blonde-haired boy watched the students' crowd around a child who looked out of place around the others in the school. He always wore black, his skin was far to pale, his hair darker than his clothes, and his eyes the sharpest blue he had ever seen. The boy watching was named Prompto Argentum, and his class was shared with the Lucian Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, a quiet boy with a habit of keeping to himself. Prompto was also a quiet person who rarely spoke to others; however, he often found himself taking photographs and on occasion, he would snap a few pictures of the black-haired, blue-eyed boy in his class who always seemed to quiet.

It was today that they had accidentally ran into each other in the school's open field for the students to do what they wished for their recreational time. Noctis had sat down beside him and glanced over his shoulder, looking at the pictures he had taken while Prompto did his best to ignore his presence that always seemed to make him nervous - for reasons he wasn't quite sure of – as he let the other boy glance around at the images.

"Those are pretty good…." The sound of the boy's voice startled him a bit and he jumped in surprise, knocking the other boy to the side a bit before looking at him.

"I-I I'm sorry!" he said in shock the boy shook his head.

"No, it's my fault….sorry….I shouldn't have invaded your personal space." Prompto stared at the boy in mild shock as he considered that the Prince of the Kingdom was speaking to him in such a relaxed manner.

"I always thought that the people in the Royal Family would have been really stuck up…but he seems so…..normal…."

"Are you okay? I knocked you in the head," he asked. The boy nodded.

"Yea, I'm fine – just a bump. I get those from sword practice…." The boy before him merely shrugged as if it was nothing and he once again was dumbfounded by him.

"Um….are you sure? Your Majesty?" midnight-blue eyes went nearly black.

"Don't call me that!" the blonde felt a sense of discomfort overtake him. Prompto knew that he shouldn't have expected someone from the Royal family of Lucis to actually speak to him normally – most people didn't anyways – but he had momentarily hoped that the Prince would be slightly different.

"Oh….I apologize I shouldn't…." Prompto was immediately cut off.

"I hate it when people call me by those stupid titles. If you have to call me something: call me Noctis," he stated sharply. Prompto felt his eyes grow wide as he realized what had just happened.

The future King of his homeland, had just granted him permission to call him by his given name. The black-haired, blue-eyed boy before him rose an eyebrow, looking decidedly miffed about the title he had been given momentarily and Prompto felt a smile slowly grace his features as he realized that the boy had been just as he hoped: he was kind. The Prince of Lucis gave him another glower before folding his arms over his chest with a raised eyebrow and a dull, yet surprisingly annoyed expression. Prompto cleared his throat as the black-haired boy continued to give him a long look.

"I-I'm….Prompto Argentum. Nice to meet you," he said holding his hand out. The black-haired boy smiled.

"Noctis Caelum, nice to meet you too Prompto." He shook the boy's hand and looked towards the camera in his grasp but decided not to ask anything as the bell to return to class came on.

"Time to go…." The black-haired boy looked to him.

"See you around Prompto…" with that the boy walked away.

{April 29th 2002, 3:00pm}

Prompto was walking home, minding his own business when he noticed Noctis standing by the school gate waiting on someone to come pick him up as the blonde boy continued to stare. Prompto had witnessed this scene often since he had first spoken to Noctis and had begun to take further note of the boy's behavior and how he always seemed alone. Noctis was currently standing there waiting, seemingly unaware of him being there as he watched the moments tick by and finally, at nearly five someone came to pick him up. The boy had laid out his note book and text book in the time it took for someone to come get him in order to do his homework. Now, he was packing up his things and getting into the car to head home. Prompto sighed as he started his walk on home, taking a few pictures as he went while contemplating the differences in the person he met and the way many probably viewed the Prince of their Kingdom.

Since their first encounter, Prompto had noted that Noctis was a lot nicer than he came off as. His behaviors were odd; however, he seemed considerate and seemingly relaxed around others. However, Noctis also appeared to strange for his own good. To most, he was a prime example of a sophisticated upbringing by the Royal family – he was King Regis and the late Queen Aulea's only child after all – but Prompto had noticed that the boy cared nearly nothing about higher statuses, wealth, or anything that came with the place he held in the world. But, despite the boy seeming so normal: there was still something off about him.

Prompto was a keen person despite what people thought of him. He paid attention to detail – which was required seeing as he had a hobby in photography – and that often lead to him learning about or seeing things that sometimes he suspected he shouldn't have. One of the first details that Prompto took note of when around the Prince of Lucis was that he wasn't a bit like his parents. True, he had the distinct black hair of the Caelum Royal Family; however, his eye color didn't match either of his parent's eyes and his pale skin was fairer than Queen Aulea's. None of his facial features were akin to either his mother or father, but he supposed that the Prince just took after another family member a bit more only because it wasn't too uncommon.

Another detail that he noticed about the Prince was how ethereal he seemed to be at times. Prompto could be accused of just being ridiculous and that would be fine with him; however, he knew better. Noctis had this unnatural feel to him that reminded the blonde boy of the sky on a cool summer night. The sensation felt like the unearthly glow of the stars and moon that would shine down upon the dimmed earth in the latest hours of the night. Naturally, Prompto assumed it was the boy's complexion, eyes, and dark hair that gave him that feel, but every time he considered the ghost-like quality the boy had he would brush it off just like he did now as he shook his head and walked on.

"He is strange though…but nice….maybe we can be friends."

Meanwhile, on the roads back to the Citadel, Ignis and Marshal Leonis were taking note that the third person in the car seemed unnaturally tired as he sat there with a slightly dazed expression upon his face as he slowly slumped forward and then would sit back up trying to keep his eyes open. Ignis suspected just the normal fatigue that came with being a child and having to wait so long for someone to come and get him. Marshal Leonis was thinking along the same lines as the boy finally leaned up against the door and closed his eyes, falling fast asleep as he did so. Ignis smiled faintly as he looked at the boy and the Marshal merely shook his head with a small smile.

"He seems so normal….almost as if the weight of one day being King doesn't even exist," Ignis stated.

"Noctis is only nine, for now he won't have to worry about his future duties." The blonde next to the Marshal frowned.

"So, when would he become King?" he inquired as the Marshal stopped at a light.

"When he's twenty. Or when the current King passes away…." Ignis frowned.

"That's quite a scary thing for a child to know….especially after he lost his mother," he said as the Marshal continued to drive forward.

"I believe that our future King is much stronger than people would dare to grant him credit for. Noctis has been well raised thus far, and is undergoing proper training….with the three of us, I have full belief that Noctis will be perfectly capable of working on a team." Ignis frowned.

"Wait….what are you talking about? Why would the Prince of Lucis be on some kind of team?" Noctis shifted just a bit, humming before he fell quiet again as Ignis glanced his way and Marshal Leonis.

"You're looking at your future Crownguard teammate."

Ignis felt his eyes grow wide while the Marshal laughed and his mind began to process what he had just been told. On average, the Crownguard – those who worked within the inner and outer walls of Insomnia – worked in a four to five member team and used different versions of magic to both assist and guard each other in their strengths and weaknesses. Ignis and Gladiolus had been striving for the positions for quite a long time while hoping to one day make it to the rank of a Kingsglaive; those who were the personal guards to the Royal family themselves, and Ignis was genuinely certain that it would be quite the honor. However, he did find himself pondering why on earth they would so desire to put the future King of Lucis on a Crownguard team with a couple of plebeians.

As he pondered these facts, Ignis also considered what the currently nine-year-old boy asleep in the back seat of the car would be able to bring to the team. Already, Ignis was aware that his teammate would be Gladiolus, and now he knew that Noctis would become the final installment of their team; but that did leave the question of who their fourth member could be. Ignis sat back in his seat, facing forward as he let the words of the Marshal wash over him while attempting to piece together how a boy so inexperienced would end up becoming such an asset to their team in the future. The man took in a deep breath at his student and then returned his attention to the road.

"Gladio doesn't like him," Marshal Leonis stated.

"Really? How come? Noctis is a really nice kid." The older male shrugged.

"He thinks he's weak. Maybe he is, but honestly? I think that he's a little intimidated. Do you remember a bit back when he kept getting disarmed by Noctis?" he inquired this of his student who nodded with a smirk.

"I certainly do. He wasn't too pleased about it. Gladio kept ranting about how the indignant brat was just lucky and he would mess up again later." Marshal Leonis laughed a bit.

"The three of you are most certainly entertaining. Noctis may not seem it but he does have a bit of a wild streak in him. Ignis, if you could have seen the way he disarmed Gladio, you would have probably fallen on your ass laughing," he mentioned to the blonde.

"Was it that spectacular of a sight?" the Marshal nodded.

"Yes, it was. Noctis dodged him and went into a handstand before disarming Gladio by using his legs to twist his arms to the point that Gladio had to drop the blade. Noctis used his smaller size as an advantage by getting into Gladio's blind spots and right in his center of gravity before taking him down. It was rather impressive for someone so young," he explained. Ignis hummed as he considered the fact that the seemingly docile boy he had grown to like rather well appeared to have a rather hyperactive side to him.

"So, how is his training coming?" the Marshal smiled.

"Smooth sailing. He's learning about the stars and is using that to memorize directions and make a map for future usage. He won't need it by the time he's gotten better at his weaponry skills and so forth. Noctis does seem as though he has put a great deal of time into it alongside his schooling and training. I was wondering though, Ignis? Could you teach him how to cook and sew? It might come in handy with his first aid skills and so on," Marshal Leonis queried.

"It wouldn't be a problem."

{Insomnia: May 8th 2002, 4:05pm}

Ignis watched Noctis working on stitching up a hole in a shirt with a discerning eye as the boy worked in silence. For quite some time, he had been wondering why he had so willingly agreed to teach the young Prince how to do such menial tasks; however, now that he was watching the boy at work he realized that it was going to become far more enjoyable than he had first presumed such training would be. Marshal Leonis had left Ignis in charge of teaching the nine-year-old boy how to cook, sew, and do first-aid; which, the black-haired child sitting at the table in Ignis's apartment was excelling at. Gladiolus may have seen the boy as weak and untrainable: but for Ignis? Noctis was a dream to work with. The boy finished his task and Ignis looked it over as the boy pulled the shirt up and snapped the thread with his teeth as opposed to using scissors, much to the blonde's surprise.

"Noctis? You do know that you can use scissors right?" he probed.

"True, but you can't always be certain you'll have scissors or a knife to cut thread with." The blonde once again was dumbfounded by the boy's response.

After teaching Noctis for the first few days, Ignis had learned that the boy was rather intelligent and sharp tongued when he chose to be. He liked sweets – to a point - and spicy foods but he also was known to be rather unsure about new things until he had convinced himself that it was safe. There was an air of hesitancy about him when it came to something he had never done or seen before; however, once the boy had enough confidence built up, he did phenomenally well at something. Ignis smiled as he considered the boy's words and reached out with a brotherly hand to ruffle his messy hair. The boy looked to him, sharp midnight-blue eyes locking with his hazel ones as he sighed.

"You have very piercing eyes," he stated. The boy looked back to the table and began on the next article of clothing he had been asked to mend.

"Everyone says that….my eyes are scary…." Ignis went over to a coffee machine and started to make a cup for him and a smaller one for the boy who continued to stitch the seam of the pants he had been given.

"I don't know why anyone would think that. Blue eyes are a trait of the Caelum family: King Regis's eyes are blue," he said as he mixed in the small bit of cream and sugar.

"Not like mine…." The boy took in a steady breath and completed the stitching before moving onto the next shirt that favored a jacket of some kind.

"Then perhaps you have your mother's eyes?" Ignis sat the cup down next to the boy as he took his seat from across the table, placing him directly in front of Noctis.

"No, not her either. She had silver-blue eyes…like the glowing ring around the moon when it's full…" the blonde frowned.

"If I can ask, what has you so uncomfortable about your eyes? If people think your gaze is intimidating, it shouldn't bother you: it's part of who you are," he stated. Noctis shrugged.

"I heard the staff talking one day about a month or so after my mom started getting worse….one of them stated that I look nothing like either of them. I never considered it but they had a point…..I don't look like either of my parents." Ignis frowned once again as he considered the boy's words.

"Noctis, don't listen to people's gossip. They say things on speculation with no proof and when they do such a thing, it only is set out to harm others," he told the boy who looked down as he listened to the words.

"Then someone needs to make a rule against gossip…make it illegal or something….if it's that cruel then someone should punish others for doing it…" Ignis laughed a bit.

"That would be a bit difficult. Most of the time people can't track back to the original source so you would be punishing a lot of people who just made a mistake," he explained.

"I guess so…but….if it's so bad then shouldn't it be considered a crime?" Ignis shrugged.

"People will say what they want: you just have to choose when to ignore it and when to speak out against it or for it," he stated. Noctis paused for a moment before looking towards Ignis.

"Then I'll listen to what my heart and mind say: I'll only stand against something when I know deep down that its wrong." The blonde smiled.

"That's very wise of you…."

Noctis turned back to his task and continued to do so until the later part of the night when a knock at the door caught Ignis's attention as he worked on cleaning the dishes. With a sigh, he stopped his task and went to the door before looking through the peep hole to see Marshal Leonis and Gladiolus standing there. The blonde opened the door and let them in before they began looking around. Ignis asked them to have a seat as he put the dishes into the drying rack before turning his attention towards the other two sitting at his table.

Gladiolus took quick note that the apartment was unnaturally quiet and at first supposed that Noctis had been picked up earlier; however, they were quickly proven wrong when Ignis glanced into the living room and they followed their gaze to the sofa nearest to the sliding glass windows where a small figure was curled up in several blankets fast asleep. Marshal Leonis laughed a bit as he looked at the boy soundly sleeping in the moonlight that came in through the window while Gladiolus shook his head and looked towards Ignis who smiled and poured three cups of coffee before setting each one down in front of them before taking his seat.

"You seem surprised that he's asleep," Ignis said.

"I am….mostly because I honestly haven't ever seen him that relaxed unless he's asleep on the floor where the moonlight can reach him." Gladiolus frowned at statement.

"I'm not sure I understand why it's weird. The kid's worn out, that's all," he said as Marshal Leonis shook his head.

"Noctis only sleeps when the moon is visible….otherwise, he's an insomniac who acts a bit wild until he sleeps. King Regis keeps him home when those nights happen and the teachers don't question it because Noctis still manages to come in each time with his homework caught up. It's rather impressive, to be honest." Gladio looked towards the sleeping boy.

"Well, I'm not sure I like this. I think it's kind of strange, not being able to sleep when the moon isn't visible," he explained.

"Queen Aulea was similar. On starless nights, she would pace the halls of the castle until daybreak. She always looked so pale when that happened: like a ghost." Ignis looked to the Marshal.

"She was always rather fair in appearance. Even her hair was almost white correct?" he probed.

"Yes, Queen Aulea was very pale in appearance. Sometimes, I would have almost attested that she glowed like starlight….Noctis inherited that it seems…." Gladio huffed.

"Am I the only one who's noticed how little he favors his parents?" the two others at the table grew silent for a moment.

"No, I've noticed as well," Marshal Leonis mentioned as Ignis looked into his cup of coffee.

"So has Noctis…." The two others looked to him.

"He believes that he doesn't favor his parents?" Ignis shook his head.

"No, he is well aware that while there are some similarities between himself, King Regis, and Queen Aulea: he doesn't distinctly favor either of them," he said.

"So what? Are you suggesting that Noctis isn't their child?" Marshal Leonis shook his head.

"No, that's absurd. I was present on the day that Noctis was born. He is a little different, but he just favors both his parents a little bit. Besides, shouldn't we be more concerned with fulfilling our jobs," the Marshal said.

"Right. Now, will you be taking him home?" the two glanced at the sleeping boy.

"He's got no school tomorrow; therefore, he can sleep here tonight. You had him patch up all those clothes and didn't even tell him that they were for him," stated Marshal Leonis as he looked at the neatly folded pile of clothes at the end of the table.

"That may be true…but he didn't patch them." Gladio looked to Ignis.

"Your joking…..he actually made those clothes?" the blonde smirked.

"He is quite the talented youth, I must say," he stated.

"Well, that's it….I'm convinced that he's picking favorites..." Marshal Leonis took a sip of his coffee.

"Of course he's picking favorites Gladio…." The dark-haired teenager looked to the Marshal.

"What are you talking about?" the man sat down his cup.

"He is a child after all."

{…}

You might have some bruises and a few scars…..

{…..}

Author's Note: It seems that Gladio is a little miffed about Noctis taking such a shine to Ignis; however, I have noticed that Gladio is a bit harsher with Noctis even when he's older for some reason. I mean, it's clear that the four of them are very close friends, but who knows right? Maybe Gladio sees a bit of himself in Noctis when he was that age. Anyhow, we're getting towards the main story events, so I hope everyone liked this chapter and understand this: I put the first encounter with Prompto earlier on for a reason that you will see unfold later. Don't worry, I have a plan!

I hope you guys are having an amazing day or night and if not: maybe this cheered you up somehow? I know reading helps me when I'm depressed. Have a smashing day or night and I look forward to reading your comments!

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.