Here it is! The final chapter, grand finale, exciting conclusion, thank goodness this drivel is over with-whatever you want to call it ;-) This one is a little longer than the others, but there was no good place to split it up. There is also some strongish language in here (full on "f bombs"). I think it's still ok for Teen rating (I know I was fine with them at that age) but if anyone is scandalized, let me know and I will do something about it. Oh, and there is major cannon deviation in here.

From her vantage point, Delenda couldn't see much of the fight. Plus, Noctis and Ardyn were moving too quickly for her to be able to keep track of them. It was a battle beyond human sight. Noctis had transcended normal limits and was now as unworldly as Ardyn. This was the true power of the astrals and the crystals, but Delenda knew full well the cost.

She stared at the crystal again. It was the architect of everything wrong in the world. It had done nothing against the original starscorurge, leaving somebody like Ardyn to have to take care of it. It had made him into the monster he had become. It had gotten Insomnia destroyed. It had gotten Luna killed, and it was about to do the same to Noctis. Her friends could be dying as well. Ignis could be… A blinding fury gripped her.

Reflexively, she picked up a couple of her magic vials from her bag she had left on the floor and hurled them at the crystal. "Hey, crystal, Bahamut, whatever the fuck your name is. I'm talking to you!" She tossed a few more vials. "What, nothing to say? Everything has gone according to your plan hasn't it? You get a noble prince to clean up your mess and then you decide to kill him for it. Great job!" She chucked another vial. "You bait and switch with the power of the astrals, knowing full well that one was a turncoat. You know what? The world is better off without—" she was cut off when a hand, the same hand that had reached out for Noctis 3 years ago, reached out for her, pulling her in.

She landed in a dark space, facing a tribunal. It was her turn to be surrounded by the kings of Lucis, and obviously another astral. She assumed Bahamut. So, she had gotten their attention? Good!

She turned to the wraith of King Regis. "So, are you going to stab me like you stabbed your son?"

"You do not understand the situation, Lady Delenda."

"Oh I understand full well. You are using your son as a sacrificial lamb to clean up your mistakes." She made a sweeping gesture to implicate everyone present.

"Say what you want about Ardyn, but at least he had the guts to try to stop the starscourge 1000 years ago. Where the fuck were all of you? Tell me this, Bahamut," she sneered the name, "why did you decide that Ardyn was unworthy after having made that sacrifice? Wasn't returning light to your world enough?"

"That level of power corrupted him. With great power comes great responsibility."

"Oh, spare me! What's next, there is no such thing as a free lunch? Your answer was to do nothing until somebody came to you for help, use him, and throw him away. What kind of 'mystical beings' are you? This is your fucking planet too. Why did you need a 'weak human' to save your ass?"

"You know nothing, human. Our concept of time is different than yours. We would have found a way to fix it, but your first Oracle was too impatient. He wanted a quick fix, so we gave it to him without realizing the consequences."

"Oh, I know all about your concept of time. The same concept that took the last 3 years of Noctis's life away from him. If this is the best you can do, we don't need your help."

"Silence, you ungrateful wench!"

"Or what? You will kill me as you planned to kill Luna? Or will you corrupt me like you did Ardyn?"

Bahamut raised his arm, preparing to strike her. She just glared back, daring him to do his worst.

The strike didn't make contact. King Regis blocked it with his sword.

"What do you want, Lady Delenda," King Regis asked.

"I want Noctis to be able to see the sunrise he will bring. I want him to live a normal life in a normal goddamned world. I want Ardyn to get the escape from the immortal life he craves."

"That is impossible," Bahamut responded. "Noctis cannot be allowed to have the power we have bestowed upon him indefinitely. It will corrupt him as it did Ardyn."

"Then take powers away from both of them. Let them fight as humans, as equals. Stop meddling in our affairs and let us deal with things ourselves."

"You are rejecting the power of gods?"

"If it's the kind of power you are offering, then yes."

Bahamut was lost in thought until he finally spoke. "You want to return years to Noctis's life, but he is a mere human. Even if he lives a normal lifespan, it is but a drop compared to the river of time. Do you really want to sacrifice our powers and magic just for something as minuscule as that?"

"It doesn't matter if he dies tomorrow or 1000 years from now. You have manipulated and played with people's lives for long enough and if we have to lose your powers in order to stop it, then I think it's a small price to pay."

"And who are you to make the decision on behalf of all of humanity? You are not even a royal."

"No, I'm not. I'm just a nobody who was in the wrong place at the wrong time who got roped into all this. I'm just like everybody else. So I represent humans better than a 'special' royal ever could."

Bahamut thought for a moment. "I can grant your request. We shall strip Ardyn's and Noctis's powers. But in return, the astrals will leave this planet. We will take the crystal, the ring, and all the elemental stones with us, and will never return. And you will be the one singlehandedly responsible for the destruction of magic on this planet. Can you live with that, human?"

"If Noctis lives, Ardyn dies, and light is restored, I can" she responded with conviction.

"Very well. Consider it done."

"You drive a hard bargain, Lady Delenda," King Regis spoke with admiration. "If my son lives, he will need a new queen. I'd be proud if it was you."

What was it with people wanting her to be queen? "Noctis is a very dear friend, but that's all. I'm in love with another. I'm sorry to disappoint," Delenda responded.

King Regis smiled. "Ignis is a very lucky man."

"Wha—what! How did you know?"

"Seeing as I know the both of you, I can safely say that you two are made for each other."

She ducked her head, blushing.

"Except, Lady Delenda, you are forgetting one thing. Once Bahamut strips them of their powers, Noctis will also be weakened."

"I have faith in him. If things are evened out, he has enough to defeat Ardyn with."

"You may be right. Now come along. The crystal is no place for you."

Noctis was near spent. Even with all the powers he had, he was still struggling against Ardyn. He supposed that's what happens when you take on an immortal being. He could tell Ardyn was getting tired though too. They were no longer in the air, and were back to the street below.

After Ardyn parried another blow, he said, "So it will be a battle of attrition, then? I cannot kill you, and you cannot kill me. Are the two of us destined to do this forever?"

"No. One way or the other, it is ending tonight."

"Well, I suppose you are right, but then again 'tonight' is going on forever." He lunged again with a strength that knocked Noctis to the ground. Ardyn went in for the kill, but Noctis blocked with his sword at the last minute.

"When your father died, you were off playing with your friends. When your beloved died, you lay watching powerless to stop it," Ardyn added viciously, punctuating each sentence with a harder push to try to get Noctis's guard to break.

"How does it feel to know that each second you were away, your kingdom, your people, your world, were trapped in darkness? That the memories of your people will always be tainted by the darkness? Even if you restore light to them, they will still remember all you put them through, and will blame you. Really, your death will be a sweet mercy."

Noctis used a, possibly the, last bit of strength he had to push Ardyn's sword away. He surged up, and got a safe distance between them.

"You're right. I can't give them 3 years back. But I didn't take that 3 years away, you did!" He added, desperately, "I will die, but I will take you with me before I go!"

He saw the wraiths of the Kings of Lucis appear around them. He knew it was the end. He had to end it now.

"Oh, the Kings of Lucis are here to call you forth to oblivion," Ardyn added dryly.

Noctis lunged forward, only to have Ardyn stagger back in surprise. "My, stamina, is, fading. How interesting."

Now that he mentioned it, Noctis noticed his powers were waning. He didn't feel like he was dying though. But then again, nobody really knew what dying felt like until it was upon them anyway. He looked at his hand. The ring was fading away.

It was then that he heard a monumental shatter coming from the Citadel. All the windows on the top floor blew out at once, covering the street with a snowfall of broken glass.

Ardyn spoke again. "I do believe, we have lost our powers. End it now, King Noctis, if you can."

Delenda was shoved out of the crystal. She landed flat on her face on the floor, temporarily winded. It while she was still laying prone that she heard the deafening shatter behind her. She covered her head as shards of the crystal exploded in all directions, raining down on her. When the dust settled, she surged to her feet.

The crystal was utterly destroyed. The pieces that remained were as useless as broken glass. Speaking of broken glass, the power of the explosion had also shattered all the windows on this level. Delenda shivered as she felt and heard the cold breeze blowing in. The astrals had done as they said. She had to get to Noctis.

She gingerly picked her way around the broken crystal (she still had no shoes), then ran down the hallway to the elevators. The ride down was the longest she had ever had. She kept thinking of a weakened Noctis and if he didn't have enough left to defeat Ardyn with. It didn't matter. If he didn't, she did. He was mortal now.

She made it down to the street, and surveyed the scene. She had expected to see Noctis down in a welter of blood with Ardyn gloating over him, or Ardyn lying dead, Noctis staring down at him. Instead, the 2 were still standing, staring at each other. It was clear they were both exhausted. It made sense though, seeing as their powers were gone.

Ardyn sighed. "Really Noct, I don't know how much more incentive you need. If you won't take the last strike, I will," and he lunged forward, clearly ready to kill him.

Delenda didn't even think. She grabbed a piece of glass from one of the broken windows and rushed forward, stabbing Ardyn in the back at the same time Noctis broke through his guard and ran him through the chest.

Ardyn collapsed, mortally wounded to the ground. He turned to Delenda. "Ah, Delicious. I should have figured you'd be here—at—the end," he said with a weak smirk. It was clear he was dying. His face was chalk white, and there was too much blood pooling around him.

"You were going to kill Noctis. I had no choice," Delenda said. Strange that she wanted to explain her actions at this point.

"True. No hard feelings, Delenda." He held out his hand to her. Was he apologizing to her, after all he had done? Was it some kind of trick? She looked at Noctis uncertainly. He just shrugged. Ardyn wasn't a threat now. He was fading. She had more history with him than she wanted to, but she still knew him too well. She couldn't be spiteful now or she'd be just like him. She took his hand. It was ice-cold.

"Why didn't you kill me," Delenda felt compelled to ask.

"Too much-history between us. And it wouldn't have been fun," he added. If he had any strength left he would have accompanied it with a smirk.

Delenda needed closure so she asked, "and why did you want to marry me?" She ignored Noctis's shocked double-take.

Ardyn made a weak chuckle that ended with a bloody cough. "I-wanted to see-how far you were willing to go in your quest for peace. A-true diplomat would have taken-that offer. But, you were always too honest for that. You were so much fun to have around, your truth against my lies—" he broke off again for another violent cough.

The end was near, and he knew it too.

"Thank you, Dear Delenda. Thank you, King Noctis." His eyes were closing.

"Now, you can rest in peace. Close your eyes forevermore," Noctis said gently.

"I—will see you all again—in the beyond," Ardyn whispered.

Ardyn faded away into nothingness like the daemon he had once been.

Noctis and Delenda looked at each other in silence for a couple of minutes, only for it to be broken by Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio.

"The daemons stopped coming! Did you do it," Prompto asked.

"Yeah," was all Noctis could say.

Delenda stared at all of them, battle-worn, but none the worse for wear. Then she lost it.

"I waited, for 3 goddamned years. Just to finally give up, 2 fucking days early." Then she started laughing, hysterically. The others looked at each other, alarmed. At some point, her laughter turned to crying, and she couldn't stop. It was as though all the rage, fear, frustration, and stress had finally built up to a point where she couldn't control it, and it was all coming out now.

Ignis took control, pulling her into his arms, murmuring comforting words and assurances. Trapped in her pain, Delenda didn't understand the words, but at some level she recognized the tone and took comfort. Her body knew this was the "right" Ignis and took every bit of comfort he offered.

A long time later, Delenda collected herself, and her rational mind realized who held her. She looked up at Ignis's face. He had a bruise peeking out from outside the frame of his glasses, and a few nicks. She touched the wounds, gently. "I'm sorry I don't have any potions for you."

He took her hands and held them. "I don't need any. And, you?" There was a wealth of intensity in the question.

"No. I'm fine."

"Do you have any idea what you put me through, Delenda," Ignis asked, relief fading away to anger. "What the hell were you thinking going off alone like that?"

"Since nobody else expressed an interest in going, I figured I would take care of it myself."

"And did your plan work," he asked coldly.

She couldn't meet his eyes. "Not exactly. And you don't need to tell me 'I told you so' or that I should be lucky Ardyn didn't harm me. I already know all of that."

Ignis sighed. "I should be more furious with you, Delenda, but the fact is I'm just relieved you are all right."

"I'm fine. For what it's worth, Ardyn didn't really harm me. He just rambled like a madman until you got here. You know, the 'usual stuff' with him…"

His eyes narrowed. "There is nothing 'usual' with him. What did he do to you," he asked sharply.

She told him everything that had transpired.

"Sounds like he still did plenty of 'harm'," Ignis responded, voice hard. "I don't like that he masqueraded as me to hurt you, either. And the fact that he tried to get you to…Dammit," Ignis exploded. "I wish I could kill him again for good measure! I wish I had been there to do it myself the first goddamn time!" He calmed himself with a little effort. "I'm sorry—I couldn't abandon the others, no matter how much I wanted to. I should have come, daggers ablazing, to your rescue."

"It's my own fault! You don't need to—"

"Just, don't," Ignis cut her off firmly.

"You can't protect me all the time, Ignis."

"I know, but I'd like to."

"Why?"

"I think you know why," he whispered against her ear.

She blushed, feeling the same melting sensation she had felt in the kitchen the night she left. She turned to face him. In the gray light of the first dawn in 3 years, she could see everything in the intensity of his gaze.

Prompto interrupted, as usual. "Um, sorry guys, but if all is good over here, you might want to talk to Noctis. He's freaking out that he's not dead for some reason."

Ignis sighed impatiently. Then Delenda remembered. Noctis didn't know what happened. He was probably expecting the Kings to kill him at any time.

She ran over to Noctis. "Freaking out" wasn't really the right word. He was just standing around, confused. Gladio was glancing from him to the tinges of pink in the early morning horizon, just as confused.

"You're not going to die, Noctis," Delenda told him, matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I guess you could get hit by a bus or something at any time, but what I mean is, the Kings won't get you."

"How? The 'True King' story is totally true."

"I found a way to override it."

"No way! How did you do that?" There was a mix of cynicism and hope in his voice.

"I don't know if you will like the answer but…"

"Holy shit," Prompto chortled with glee after Delenda told them how she had basically told the gods to go to hell. "I would have paid good money to see that!"

"Yeah," Noctis agreed. "I would have loved to see the look on Bahamut's face when you told him all of that. So, this means I'm not gonna die?"

"Well, like I said, you could get hit by a bus, but…"

"I don't see any buses around here. But once we start rebuilding and implementing some infrastructure changes—Holy crap! I will actually be around to do that," he said dazedly.

"Infrastructure improvements. Sure you wouldn't prefer death," Gladio snarked, but he was smiling.

"That's what he has us for," Prompto said. "He just supervises, we do it, right?"

"Somehow I don't think you would be a good candidate for that," Gladio responded sarcastically.

"No, but Talcott is," Prompto responded, pointing behind them.

Talcott and Iris had arrived. It had taken them a few days to wait for fuel, but as soon as they had it, they hurried after them. Talcott was looking around in awe at the remains of the city. Iris just had eyes for Noctis.

"Iris," was all Noctis said when she strode up to him.

She slapped him, hard across the cheek. Noctis just stood there, stoically enduing.

"I deserved that," he responded, gently.

"Did you really think I would obey your orders 'oh great king'? You may be King of Lucis now, but you are still an asshole."

"I know," he said calmly.

"You, oh goddammit," she snapped back, then to everyone's surprise, especially Gladio's, she leaned forward and kissed Noctis. Rather than push her away with a pointed look at her brother, he took control of the kiss, responding with the passion a long-standing chemistry, an adrenaline crash, and a new lease on life could give someone.

Gladio shook his head and walked away. Prompto and Talcott wandered off one of the side streets. They wanted to check out some of their old haunts to see what they looked like.

Ignis took Delenda's hand and led her away from the couple.

"So, do you think Noctis and Iris are an item now," Delenda asked him.

"They'd better be, or Gladio will have something to say about it. I don't really care either way right now though. I'm more interested in us." Ignis looked at Delenda intently. "What you said in your letter, about there being no future for us. Do you think there is one now?"

Delenda looked away for a minute, before turning back to him and saying. "I'd like there to be?" She wished she hadn't said it so shyly and tentatively, but it was all she could muster.

Ignis smiled. "I think you know the answer to that. You're the only one who has ever made me this crazy. I'm in love with you, Delenda. I was since the day we met in that café."

She blushed but rallied. "Love at first sight, really," she responded, archly.

"Well, perhaps the better word is 'attraction' at first sight. I was intrigued by you when we first met. I saw you get out of Ardyn's car by the way."

"You knew I was connected to him all along?"

"Yes. I was suspicious of you, but it just added a level of mystery to the whole thing that I felt compelled to solve. If I hadn't been called away, I might have been able to seduce the secrets out of you."

She laughed. "Not then. I was too cautious to be taken in by the likes of you."

He smirked then. "Maybe, but then again, I'm cautious too. I know how to find ways around it. I can be quite, persuasive."

She smiled back, boldly. "Prompto's not around to interrupt. Prove it," she said.

He did. She marveled at his kiss, how somebody could be so cold and circumspect but still kiss that way. With such heat and abandon that nothing else mattered. He was a damned good seducer, she thought dazedly. He could get someone like her, who had always shied away from romance, to respond and cling to him with equal desperation. And there was a future in it, for them both. What that future would entail didn't matter. They had light and peace again. That was enough.

Day was breaking on the shore of Galdin Quay. The Regalia 2 and Talcott's truck were parked near the remains of the fishing pier. And 7 figures were standing, admiring the sunrise, letting the ocean wash over their feet.

Noctis was loathe to break his contact with Iris. She had her head on his shoulder, admiring the sunrise quite cozily. He didn't want to interrupt Ignis and Delenda, either, seeing as they were standing pretty much the same way, but he had a duty to attend to.

He stood before everyone. "I. This, is. So hard," he said with his voice breaking. Then to everyone's surprise he knelt before them. "You guys believed in me to the very end. I was fully prepared to die to repay that debt, but now that I don't have to, I don't know what else I can offer."

"You can get out of the water for a start," Ignis said, dryly, having noticed that Noctis had knelt in the waves, getting his pants wet.

"You know my answer, Noct, get up and move on," Gladio said gruffly.

"Lighten up, dude," was all Prompto said.

"Just be yourself and live your life. That is enough," Delenda told him.

"What she said, oh, and giving me a chance," Iris said shyly.

"Thank you," he whispered to everyone.

Daybreak arrived with a golden haze over the beach. This looked like the magical place Talcott remembered. It had needed light to make it complete.

Gladio was staring across the ocean. Was Aranea doing the same from the other side? He needed to get back there one of these days to see her. It seemed apparent Noctis didn't need him as a shield anymore. Noctis had his sister instead.

Prompto was looking back eagerly to the road behind them. Cindy was supposed to be coming by to check out the sunrise with them too. It was about time he told her how he felt. She said she was married to her work, but he was positive she could juggle both work and him. She was a powerhouse.

Noctis stood with Iris at her side. She was probably not the queen his father had had in mind, but then he had not expected Noctis to even survive, either. He cared for her. It was enough. He glanced up at the sky. He knew Luna was there watching over them. She wouldn't have wanted him pining for her. She would want him to live. He knew she would understand. He nodded, a gesture of apology and gratitude to the sky; a blessing to Luna. Somewhere, out in the void, she smiled back.

Delenda and Ignis stood together, side by side, in companionable silence. They didn't need words. They knew each other so well that they didn't need them. Everything they needed and felt were in those silences, and just being together.

The sun rose in all its glory, bringing the promise of a new day, a new life, a new world.

That's a wrap, everybody! I hope you don't find the ending too "fluffy" but after the heartbreaking cannon ending, I thought our guys and gals deserved something like this. Feel free to express opinions in the comments. Special thanks to everyone who has provided reviews (basecannon, TifaBea, Azalares-check out her Final Fantasy 15 tale "A Lesson in Magic" it's awesome; Merisida, and anunexpectedjourney). I've had regular reads from the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and Malaysia. Not 100% sure who's who, but I'm sure you do and you guys rock! Also thanks to anyone else who's read/liked that I didn't mention above. With that, I will mark this story as "complete". Laters Kupo!