Chapter 1

Ignis was pretty sure that Noctis enjoyed making his life more difficult.

It was two months before the wedding, and he still refused to move back to the Citadel. So, instead of Noctis just walking down the hall to talk to his father or taking the elevator down to his training sessions with Gladio, Ignis had to drive him back and forth from his apartment in the city almost every single day.

This wouldn't normally be a big deal. It was what Ignis had done for years. But after the empire had called a ceasefire and offered a treaty of peace, Ignis had found himself being pulled in multiple directions. There'd been multiple council meetings debating whether they should agree to the treaty. Then, once the terms had been accepted, Ignis had been thrust into wedding planning, initially just as an advisor on Noctis's security. But somehow, over time, other decisions had been passed on to him, simply because he was expected to get Noctis's opinion on the details.

If things hadn't already been hectic enough with the preparations, everything descended into chaos when the emperor suddenly decided that the wedding should take place in Insomnia instead of Altissia. Most progress that had been made with the planning vanished, and they were scrambling to reorganize everything wedding- and security-related here, in time for the signing of the treaty.

It would perhaps be less of a nightmare if Noctis would actually make a decision on certain things, but his general disinterest in everything that had to do with the wedding except for the actual bride meant that Ignis was forced to provide a decision for him.

As if Ignis didn't have enough on his plate…

The lobby of the Citadel was busier than usual as Ignis walked across it. A meeting had just been adjourned, so many of the hired planners were standing around talking. Ignis nodded at people as he passed but was too busy building a mental checklist of the new tasks that had arisen to stop and talk in depth with anyone.

His thoughts were interrupted, however, when he heard someone call his name.

"Ignis. King Regis requests an audience with you."

Ignis was surprised. Not only at the statement, but at the solemn look on Jelric's face as he approached. While usually a more serious-looking man, Jelric Scientia had always had a smile and a soft spot for his nephew, the boy he'd helped mentor from a young age. Ignis had learned most of what he knew about being a royal retainer from him and suspected that he wouldn't have obtained his high position if it wasn't for his uncle. Jelric, of course, always denied this, attributing his nephew's success to his innate diligence and commitment.

"A formal audience, Uncle?" Ignis asked, at the look on his face.

Jelric nodded.

That was also surprising. The king would check with him on statuses of Noctis regularly, but in a more casual manner. A formal audience meant…he must have a request.

"I can go now," Ignis said. Whatever else he had on his list would have to wait.

Jelric gave another nod. His green eyes, so like Ignis's own, flicked away anxiously as he gestured for Ignis to follow. "I am to accompany you."

Ignis was only concerned further now. The king wanted to see both of them? But, knowing that his uncle was unlikely to say more, Ignis said nothing as he fell into step beside him.

When they walked into the throne room, Ignis noted the absence of the council members who usually sat off to the side when the king was present. That was odd. The only others in the room were the two guards at the door and several more stationed around the perimeter. King Regis sat on the throne, his Shield and ruling councilman, Clarus Amicitia, standing beside him. They seemed to be in the middle of a conversation, but they both looked up as Ignis and his uncle walked in.

"Your Majesty," Ignis said, bowing while holding a fist to his heart once he made it to the platform below the king. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Ignis," King Regis said. His voice sounded tired. He waved his hand, gesturing to the space beside him. "Please, come closer."

Ignis was once again perplexed. This formal audience was quickly turning…informal. The last time he had approached the throne like this was when King Regis had first asked him, at the age of six, to be Noctis's advisor and guide.

Nevertheless, he walked up the stairs on the side that led up to the throne, his uncle trailing behind him. He stopped a couple of feet away from his king. Now that he was closer, he could see that King Regis looked visibly more aged and drawn out than the last time Ignis had seen him. Silver streaked through his dark hair, his face looking weathered. While not particularly old, the war with Niflheim and the strain of maintaining the Wall that protected them from the empire had put a toll on the king for the last several years, making him appear much older than his actual age.

"Ignis," King Regis said. He had a slight smile on his face, the one he always had when he asked Ignis about how things were going with Noctis. While Ignis would be truthful about these things, he also tended to omit the more…difficult aspects of taking care of the prince, including his attitude about crown-related duties that he didn't want to do, and his overall surliness about having to wake up early in the morning. From that smile, though, Ignis had a feeling that King Regis knew exactly how much of a headache his son could be and sympathized with the advisor for putting up with it.

"I hope Noctis isn't being too unruly after news of his betrothal."

"No, Your Highness. He's actually taking it quite well, all things considered."

While the request that Noctis and the Oracle, Lady Lunafreya, be married as part of the peace treaty had come as a shock, it was clear that Noctis was excited to see his childhood friend again. Apparently, she had made quite the impression on him the one and only time they met as children, so much so that they'd kept up correspondence over the years. While marriage perhaps hadn't originally been on Noctis's radar in the near future, at least it was with someone he knew and was friends with.

"Good," King Regis said with a nod. "With the wedding coming in a couple of months, I'm going to need him to be on his best behavior."

Ignis bent his head. "Of course, Your Majesty."

"Ignis…"

King Regis trailed off. Ignis was surprised when he didn't continue. It was the first time he had ever seen the man struggle with words. After a few seconds of drawn-out silence, Clarus leaned down to him. "If I may, Your Majesty," he said.

King Regis glanced at the councilman and then gave a nod.

Clarus straightened. The King's Shield was also looking a bit worse for wear. Gladio had told him that Clarus had been sleeping at the Citadel most nights, being so busy with treaty-preparations. If the man's head wasn't already covered in silver hair, Ignis had a feeling that all of these latest events would certainly have turned it by now.

"Ignis," Clarus said. "I'm sure you know that this talk of peace with Niflheim is…sudden. While the terms aren't completely outrageous, the timing is suspicious, and we haven't quite worked out the empire's true motive for this treaty." Clarus's blue eyes flickered. "Essentially, we're not sure that this isn't a trap."

Ignis nodded. He had gathered as much.

"As you know, originally, we had planned to send Prince Noctis to Altissia to marry Lady Lunafreya there. But the emperor has insisted that the wedding take place here, in Insomnia, with the peace treaty to be signed on the day of their union."

"Not exactly the best position to be in," Ignis acknowledged.

"Precisely," the councilman said. "But the emperor could not be swayed. And they argued that they're taking a greater risk coming within the Wall with only a small entourage with them. A show of trust, as Chancellor Izunia put it. After that, we could not refuse."

Clarus glanced at King Regis before continuing. "Fortunately, we've been reached out to by Camelia Claustra."

Ignis's eyebrows lifted in surprise. This was news to him. "The First Secretary of Accordo?"

Clarus nodded. "She agrees that the empire's offer is suspicious. And she would like to form an alliance."

An alliance? Ignis knew that previously when King Regis was still a prince, he and Clarus had traveled to Altissia, the capital city of Accordo, trying to secure a partnership with the City on the Sea to help stop the advancement of the empire on Lucian lands. But for some reason, they had failed. King Regis and the Lucian army were forced to retreat back to Insomnia, pulling the Wall back with them.

"But the empire has always granted the Accordo Protectorate political autonomy," Ignis said. "Why would she want to form an alliance with us now?"

"Camelia had previously been sympathetic to our cause when we sought Accordo's help thirty years ago," King Regis said. "Now that she's become the First Secretary, she's grown even more concerned about the amount of power the emperor has accrued over the years. If the empire takes us over, there's no hope of Accordo ever getting out from under his rule."

"Not only that," Clarus said, "Camelia is unsettled by the weaponization of daemons. She thinks the empire is purposely creating them, and that they are either failing at controlling them or aren't attempting to control them at all. There's been an increase in them lately, even appearing in Altissia, which the First Secretary is not happy about."

Creating daemons? While Ignis had heard from some of the Kingsglaive members that the empire used daemons on the front lines to help fight the war, he wasn't aware that the empire could possibly be making them. The thought caused an unsettling feeling in his gut.

"Whatever the reasons," King Regis said. "It's our only safeguard if things with the wedding don't go as intended."

"Alright," Ignis said, uncertain why they were going into so much detail telling him this. "So, what do the terms of the alliance entail?"

"It has to be subtle," Clarus said. "We don't want to tip the empire off that Accordo has offered to help us, lest they retaliate against them. Officially, in enlightenment of the peace treaty, the Accordo government has also proposed a marriage of state, to solidify relations between the empire and its territories with the Lucian kingdom. Unofficially, it will give the Accordo government the opportunity to sneak some of their operatives in, who will help ensure Prince Noctis and Lady Lunafreya are kept safe during the wedding and the signing."

"A marriage of state?" Ignis asked, confused. "But Noctis is already—"

Oh.

He cut off as he suddenly realized why he was there. Why the king had asked him to the throne room, but then brought him up here. Because he did have another request for Ignis. One that was as life changing as the one he'd received when he was only six years old.

"Ignis…" King Regis began again, in that same uncertain tone he had used previously. "You have already dedicated your life to Noctis. And I hope you know how grateful I am that you advise and take care of him, despite how difficult that can be at times." He paused. "It's with reluctance that I ask this of you, not only as your king, but as a man who will do anything to protect his son."

Ignis was struck speechless for a moment, his mind whirling with the request. Marriage? He knew that a political marriage was likely for someone in his position. It was something he had accepted a long time ago. But that had always been something down the road, a notion he had pushed to the back of his mind as something to be dealt with later, maybe when Noctis was older and didn't rely on him so much. He had not planned for this. Not this soon.

He turned to his uncle for guidance, but Jelric only smiled sadly.

"It's your choice, Ignis," he said. "His Majesty realizes—we all realize that we are asking much of you, without warning."

Ignis looked at the ground, considering the information he had been given. He didn't look up when he asked, "When?"

"It'd be better to be as soon as possible, to give enough time for their people to establish themselves," Clarus said. "But we also don't want to be too hasty, in case the empire catches on. Camelia has suggested a month before Noctis and Lunafreya's wedding."

Which meant a month from now.

Even Noctis had been given more warning about his marriage than that.

King Regis could have simply ordered him to do it, but he hadn't. The fact that he was giving Ignis an option only spoke to how compassionate his king was. But although the three men were talking as if he had a choice, to Ignis, it wasn't a choice at all. They had asked him, because they thought he was the best option. Even if the circumstances were less dire than they were now, he would not refuse.

Ignis finally met King Regis's eyes. He nodded.

"Let the First Secretary know."

"You're getting married?!"

Prompto nearly choked on the food he had just put into his mouth. He quickly chewed and swallowed it before saying, "Damn. Is everybody going to be married off because of this peace treaty?"

"Don't jinx it," Gladio warned, glaring at him.

Noctis looked up from his plate at Ignis, his vegetables decidedly untouched. "So why you and not Gladio?" he asked.

"I'm not completely sure about that," Ignis admitted. "I'm sure they considered us both. A marriage with the prince's Shield or his advisor are both valid political routes. Perhaps the Accordo government just wanted more of a direct route into the council room. Or maybe Clarus just didn't want Gladio distracted with a marriage while the empire is here."

"Maybe they just picked the one with better manners," Noctis snickered.

Gladio snorted. "You're one to talk."

"So, who is it?" Prompto asked, as a piece of food flew across the table, hitting Gladio in the chest.

"She's the daughter of one of Accordo's councilmen," Ignis said, deciding to ignore Noctis's rude table behavior instead of reprimanding him. He was too mentally exhausted to chide him about every little thing today.

"Anyone I would have heard of?" Gladio asked, wiping away the piece of food off his shirt.

"Dominus Vilem."

Gladio whistled, his fork pausing halfway to his mouth at the name. "He's definitely one of the more distinguished ones there. I wasn't aware he had a daughter."

"Me either," Ignis said. "Then again, it's not something I thought to keep track of." Not this soon in his life, at least.

"So, the whole point of this is just to sneak in a bunch of Accordo secret agents?" Noctis asked. "Why don't they just...sneak in?"

"They're called Leviathans," Ignis corrected. "Named after their deity. And it's not just that. On the hopeful chance that this peace treaty does go through, Accordo wants a seat at our table. They already have one with the empire. This treaty gives them the opportunity to make a play for more power, which it seems they're eager to get, considering their unease with the empire's recent actions. They're not going to offer their help for nothing."

"What do they get if things do go south?" Prompto asked.

"That's a good question," Ignis said. "I get the feeling that the First Secretary is just trying to keep the empire from ruling everything. By helping us—"

"She's giving them the middle finger?" Gladio supplied.

Ignis shrugged, picking at the food on his plate. "It's a small rebellion, but it's a rebellion none the less. Maybe she's hoping that even if this is a trap, we'll still find a way to defeat the empire. If the line of Lucis is gone...there's no hope for them ever resisting the emperor's rule."

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Prompto said, trying to be positive. "Maybe it'll all work out."

But his face reflected the same apprehension that they all had about this truce. It was difficult to trust the empire when they'd been at war for so many years.

"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst," Gladio said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "Leave it to Iggy to take one for the team."

"Hey, what about me?" Noctis asked, annoyed. "I'm being forced to get married too."

"To your girlfriend who you've been writing love letters to since you were eight. Doesn't count."

Noctis's cheeks took on a slight shade of pink. "They're not love letters," he said, hotly. "We just…talk."

"Right," Gladio said, with a smirk. "Well at least you've met Luna. Iggy's going into this blind."

Gladio did have a point.

Although, several days after his meeting with King Regis, Jelric had delivered a file to Ignis on the woman he was to marry. He had read it thoroughly that night.

Valyria Vilem. The daughter of Councilman Dominus Vilem in Accordo. She was only one year younger than him. Scanning through her accomplishments, they were typical of what he would expect from a noble born woman of her age. She was highly educated and participated in philanthropy and city planning. The only odd thing of note in the file was that she'd fallen sick for an extended period of time a couple of years back, causing her to take a break from civic duties. But it looked like she had fully recovered and had worked to make up for that lost time by assisting with several huge projects simultaneously, including an expansion of the outlying areas of Accordo.

On paper, she looked perfect. Which made Ignis somewhat skeptical. It was likely that someone with that high of a ranking in society probably had a lot of sway about what was reported about them.

Then again, Ignis supposed he could say the same thing about him.

He looked at the headshot that came with the file. It also looked a little too perfect to be real. A set of almond-shaped blue eyes looked back at him from the image. She had a heart-shaped face with high cheekbones and a small, dainty nose, all framed in by long, raven-black hair that landed past her shoulders. Her lips were turned slightly upward into a small, knowing smile.

She was pretty, he supposed. But that didn't change the fact that he didn't know her and would somehow have to navigate this new, sudden life event with a complete stranger on top of all his other duties. Ignis couldn't help but agonize over the fact that he was the one chosen for this when he already had so many other things on his mind.

He only let himself wallow in self-pity briefly though. Feeling sorry for himself wasn't going to get anything done.

The next several weeks passed in a frenzied blur as Ignis tried to keep up with taking care of Noctis while helping with wedding planning and also attending his regular training sessions, which Cor had insisted that he didn't skip. Ignis understood why. It was expected that Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto would stay close to Noctis while the empire was here. Should something happen, they'd need to be prepared. So, they trained, individually and together.

This usually meant that on top of his mental exhaustion, he was often physically exhausted as well. It took all of Ignis's willpower not to crash on Noctis's couch every night. But the last time he'd slept on it, he'd woken up with body aches that lasted for several days. The memory of that uncomfortable period was enough to motivate him to make the drive back to the Citadel to sleep in his own bed, even though it meant waking up earlier to go back and pick up Noctis the next morning.

Ignis had almost been able to completely distract himself from the fact that the woman he was to wed would be arriving any day now. He didn't even think of it when after a council meeting, his uncle approached him as he was finishing writing down notes for Noctis to read later.

"Ignis," Jelric said, announcing his presence at his side.

"Yes, Uncle?" Ignis asked. He hadn't looked up from his work. But his uncle paused, and this had Ignis lifting his head to meet his gaze. "What is it?"

"...she's here."