A/N: This is the sixth in a series of stories designed to fill in the holes of the XV plot. As such, and as far as I could make it, this series is canon-compliant. Footnotes are available on the AO3 version explaining certain plot decisions and references. Enjoy!

Chapter One: Runaway Prince

It started not long after Noctis returned from Tenebrae.

What should have been a peaceful venture to heal Noct of what Ignis learned was Starscourge had rapidly turned sour. Most of the Citadel was aware of the situation as soon as it happened, but Ignis hadn't discovered the truth of the matter until it hit the airwaves. An attack on Fenestala Manor, the reporters announced, and the fall of the last bastion of freedom in Tenebrae. After years of tentative peace between the Oracle's home and the empire, it was fairly obvious that what had befallen them was at least partially due to the presence of the Lucian royal family.

Fortunately, the attack had been unsuccessful. Well, perhaps that was overstating things—it was an unmitigated mess for the people of Tenebrae, and he could only imagine how the Oracle's family was faring after losing their matriarch. Ignis couldn't deny that he was selfish, though. While his instructors praised him for his insight and the progress he'd made towards behaving more like an adult than a child…that was his best friend. The moment the Citadel had exploded with the news, the only thing Ignis had been able to think of was that Noct might be lying dead amongst the casualties. His heart felt like it was going to stop beating at the very notion that they would never again play around the Citadel in the short spans of free time Ignis had in his schedule or that Noct would never run into his room and jump on his bed to wake him when he wasn't tired enough to sleep yet. His instructors would have told him to think about his future and be concerned about what the loss of their monarch would mean for Lucis, but Ignis simply couldn't do it.

It turned out that he needn't have worried: mere hours after the story aired, the reporters declared that the king's chamberlain had informed them of his and Noct's survival. Ignis had experienced the slightest twinge of rage deep in his gut at being notified by the news instead of someone in the Citadel, but it was quickly eclipsed by sheer relief. He refused to be embarrassed about having to sequester himself in his room to recover from the stress of the day's news; it was no one's business, nor did he have any intention of letting them hold it against him. For once, his instructors let him off without a fuss, so he assumed they understood despite never mentioning it.

When the royal retinue had returned a few days later, many men fewer than on departure, Ignis had been waiting at the top of the Citadel steps. No one rebuked him for bouncing on the balls of his feet as the cars roared up to the entrance, and he was allowed to sprint down the stairs unhindered. He was practically breathless in anticipation, watching with wide eyes as King Regis emerged from the centermost vehicle and smiled wearily down at him.

It was more than he could say for Noct's reaction to arriving home.

The first thing Ignis noticed was that the prince was walking again, which was a joy to witness. His knees were wobbly and his muscles unsteady from lack of use, but he was upright and moving under his own power; it was a far cry better than before he left. He still needed assistance entering the Citadel, Ignis dipping beneath his arm to support him on one side while King Regis held his hand on the other. By the time they made it into the atrium, his face was ashen with sweat glistening on his brow from exertion he was no longer accustomed to. The king opted to carry him the rest of the way to his room, and he was asleep before his head so much as touched the pillow, utterly spent from the stress of the journey.

According to King Regis, who immediately pulled a chair up to the bed, the Oracle's blessing had required some time to take hold after they fled Tenebrae, and it would be weeks before Noct even approached his previous levels of stamina. The salubrious effects of the blessing kept him from getting worse, though, and that was the most important thing.

Ignis hadn't meant to ply the king with questions about what had occurred while they were away—really, he hadn't—but they fell out of his mouth before he was able to rein them in and remember his place: What had really been wrong with Noct? Why could only the Oracle heal him? Would the Nox Fleurets still be their friends now that they were under the empire's control? How would sick people make it if Niflheim refused to let the Oracle continue to fulfill her duties?

The king had done his best to appease him and answered almost every question he had, even the ones that gave him pause. Those were the requests that left Ignis cringing inwardly at his own gall to think that his monarch would deem him worthy of answers in the first place. Oddly enough, however, King Regis never appeared disinclined to explain. Instead he leveled Ignis with a stern, assessing gaze that made his stomach churn with nerves. It was the kind of look that usually greeted Noctis when he tried to lie about dumping his vegetables under the table when no one was watching, like the king could see the falsehood in the depths of his very soul. Ignis wasn't sure why he was on the receiving end this time, but it took every ounce of courage he had not to buckle under the weight of King Regis's stare.

Whatever he was looking for, he apparently found it, because he would provide Ignis with all of his answers every single time—even if Ignis could tell a few of them were perhaps sugarcoated to be more palatable for someone his age. That was fine, though, as long as the king wasn't lying to him. Ignis had no reason to suspect that that was the case, not when he was so forthcoming with information and had total authority to order him not to ask any more questions.

Despite the king's reassurances, however, Ignis began to notice a marked difference in Noct's behavior as the weeks passed with little improvement. He wasn't the only one, either. Everyone with any sort of relationship to Noct saw the change: he seldom spoke and played even less. Most of his time outside his studies was spent in his room with any number of watchful eyes on him, whether it was during visits from his father or retainers coming to tempt him with something they thought he would enjoy. Much of that hadn't changed—he still liked video games and playing with toy swords, but there just wasn't the same enthusiasm there anymore. Every now and again, Ignis would manage to wheedle him into laughing at a joke (or, as Gladio had suggested a million years ago, demonstrating how dismal Ignis was at playing video games) or going outside to get some fresh air, but his victories were few. There was still no convincing him to read regardless of how much encouragement Ignis employed, as well, and he was rapidly running out of ideas.

By the time he thought of trying to catch another cat somewhere out on the grounds, he began to realize that there was something Noct was interested in doing. Admittedly, it made him want to beat his head against a wall in frustrated dismay, but it was something.

Noctis was sneaking out. The prince of Lucis, the boy who would one day inherit the throne of their kingdom, was sneaking out of the Citadel in the middle of the night like a prowler. For what reason, Ignis couldn't fathom, but he was determined to find out why as soon as he realized what was going on.

If he was being honest, he probably should have noticed it much sooner. He was just so busy all the time between his lessons and sparring with Gladio and looking after Noct that by the time he fell into bed every night, there would have to be a stampede of wild chocobos running through the corridors to rouse him. So, much as he hated to admit it, Ignis had no idea just how long Noct had been venturing out in the early hours of the morning or where he'd been going.

Noct probably would have gotten away with it a lot longer if his door hadn't slammed loudly on one of his nighttime escapades, waking Ignis out of a sound sleep with a start. He'd blinked the drowsiness from his eyes, staring blearily around his room as though daemons might jump out of the shadows by the foot of his bed to strangle him. When he managed to regain enough consciousness to chide himself for being so stupid (daemons couldn't make it past the Wall no matter how dark it was!), he had the presence of mind to at least consider checking on Noct before rolling over and going back to sleep. It wasn't that he thought the prince needed to be watched all the time—even if he frequently felt like doing it anyway just for an opportunity to make him smile like he used to—but it was no secret that Noct still suffered from nightmares. They weren't as bad as they had been when he was still recovering from the daemon attack, and the king had assured Ignis that the Starscourge was more to blame for that than anything else, but his cries of pain and terror had woken Ignis more than once since his return from Tenebrae. What kind of friend would he be if he didn't check to make sure he was okay?

When Ignis cracked his door open, however, what he didn't expect to see was a tiny shadow slipping around the corner towards the elevators. Frowning, Ignis glanced at Noct's closed door and then back at where the dark figure had vanished before making the decision to follow. There weren't any other children on this floor (or anywhere else in the Citadel, for the most part), so he didn't know of anyone else it could have been but Noct himself. That or they had an intruder in the building, which Ignis thought was highly unlikely with how many guards were always stationed in the corridors.

So, best case scenario: Noct was sleepwalking and needed a gentle nudge back to bed.

Worst case scenario… Well, Ignis wasn't going to go there.

His suspicions were confirmed as he sidled up to the corner and peeked around to survey the broad expanse of hallway standing between him and the lifts. There were guards posted at intervals, but at this late hour, they weren't quite as attentive as they probably should have been. Most were staring out of the windows rather than paying attention to movements in the corridors, likely assuming that with everyone asleep, there would be nothing to see but blank walls. That, however, gave Ignis's quarry plenty of room to maneuver.

It was actually rather genius, Ignis grudgingly admitted to himself. Noct couldn't breathe during the day without everyone in the Citadel knowing about it and checking to make sure he was all right. In the middle of the night, no one would think that the increasingly withdrawn prince would do anything so unexpectedly stupid.

Maybe he had a nightmare, mused Ignis hopefully. Maybe he just wants his father.

That was apparently asking too much. If Noct was making for King Regis's quarters, there would have been no reason for him to drop to his knees halfway down the hall and crawl the rest of the way towards the elevators. From where he was standing, Ignis couldn't even hear the rustle of his pajamas, and Noct was so small that the movement was unlikely to be seen by the guards. Ignis himself would have missed it if not for a brief moment when the prince was illuminated by a snatch of moonlight leaking in from outside the windows.

If Noct just wanted to see his father, he also wouldn't have foregone the elevators and disappeared into the stairwell, either.

He can't make this easy, can he?

Although he was only two years older, Ignis was tall enough compared with the prince to know that his presence wouldn't be as likely to go unnoticed. So, straightening to his full height, Ignis didn't bother trying to hide or silence his footfalls as he strode down the hall in Noct's tracks. The first guard he came upon immediately turned, shooting him an unimpressed look.

"You should be in bed, Master Scientia."

They always called him that, but Ignis never really understood why. Now wasn't the time to argue for the guard to just call him Ignis, though, so he let it go to feign as much embarrassment as possible.

"I-I had a…bad dream," he lied clumsily. "Is it… Can I go down to my uncle's quarters?"

"Uh, yeah," stammered the guard, immediately uncomfortable and pointing at the elevators like he couldn't get rid of Ignis fast enough. "Sure. Just be careful."

"Thank you."

Ignis waited until his back was turned before ducking into the stairwell rather than calling an elevator, breathing a sigh of relief once he was alone again. Most of the Crownsguard was used to children and comfortable with being around Noctis and himself at all hours, but they were usually content to leave the emotional side of the relationship to someone else. They had no right to stop him from going to see his uncle regardless, but it made things easier that he'd happened upon one of the more squeamish guards tonight.

The man didn't even think about the fact that Ignis's uncle didn't live in the Citadel and definitely wouldn't be in his office at this time of night. Ah well, all the better for him.

In the relative quiet of the stairwell, Ignis was able to hear the scuffle of footsteps a few floors down and could have smacked himself for the time he'd wasted with the guard when Noct was getting away. So, as quietly as he could, he hurried down the stairs with the occasional glance over the banister to see if the prince had opened any of the adjoining doors. It took a few minutes before he realized with a silent groan that they were going all the way to the ground floor, but he didn't slow his pace. The voice in his head that sounded uncomfortably like Gladio just laughed and said it was good exercise. It obviously wasn't the one who had to run down dozens of flights of stairs.

What felt like an eternity passed before Ignis skidded to a halt on the landing above the ground floor exit and crouched low so Noct wouldn't see him behind the metal bars of the balustrade. From his position, he could spy the prince's silhouette outlined by the light leaking in through the door Noct was holding just slightly open. He was still as a statue, staring out into the corridor, and Ignis assumed he was waiting for patrols to pass.

Sure enough, two tall shadows threw Noct into darkness a few seconds later and then were gone, and the prince waited half a minute longer before slipping out into the corridor.

This is a bad idea, Ignis groaned inwardly as he followed Noct's example. This is a terrible, awful, bad bad bad bad bad idea…

That didn't stop him from slipping through the shadows toward one of the meeting rooms in Noct's wake, though. He knew his duty, both to his prince and his friend, and letting him sneak off like this without anyone knowing where he was going… Yeah, that wasn't happening. If he was supposed to be Noct's advisor one day, didn't that give him the unique ability to tell the prince when he was being an idiot without consequences?

Even if it wasn't his right, Ignis was thinking that someone was going to have to when he peered into the room to see Noct propping open the door to the garden with a rock before dashing away into the darkness.

Come on, Ignis—get moving!

As soon as he stepped out into the colonnade, Ignis felt a moment of terror when he couldn't immediately spot Noct. The garden was usually populated with huge bushes of beautiful flowers, but the colorful blossoms were hiding from the chill wind of autumn that had begun to whip through Insomnia. It left the foliage looking more like dark sentinels, intimidating daemons that would sooner swallow you whole than let you pass.

Ignis swallowed hard at the sight and stuck close to the wall as he frantically scanned his surroundings. He hadn't been more than a few seconds behind Noct, so he couldn't have gone far…

There!

It was the barest shift of black against black, but he caught a glimpse of the prince slipping through the bushes near a small pavilion and immediately gave chase.

Noct was making no effort to be silent now that they were out of earshot of the guards, and it was unlikely that he would be seen in the shadows with his black pajamas and matching hair, so Ignis didn't bother either. When the prince didn't pause or turn to check behind him, it became obvious that he was unaware he'd been followed even with all the noise Ignis knew he was making. That was something they would definitely need to talk about sooner rather than later.

As was the fact that they really weren't supposed to be outside unaccompanied, especially at this hour. On top of all that, Ignis felt a little nauseous at how Noct seemed to know exactly where he was going.

He's done this before…

Ignis added that to his mental List of Noct's Stupid Ideas. In the span of a single evening, it had become far more comprehensive than was probably beneficial.

And it wasn't likely to get any better anytime soon. While they were in the garden, they were at least technically still inside the Citadel. Everything was enclosed within glass walls so that the royal family and other members of their retinue could escape to nature without having to gather a security detail for a journey, and in daylight, they could enjoy the view of the Crown City from the comfort of their private garden.

So, of course, Noct had to push open one of the windows and crawl out.

Ignis almost called out to him right then and there, but by the time the thought occurred to him, the prince was already outside the confines of the building. With few other options, all Ignis could do was rattle off a series of creative expletives Gladio insisted needed to become a regular part of his vocabulary and follow suit.

If there had been any doubt in his mind that Noct had walked this path before, it evaporated instantly the moment he stepped outside. While Ignis would have gotten lost in the unfamiliar area they emerged into, the prince expertly navigated his way down a flight of stairs, through a maintenance tunnel, and into a vent that Ignis was just barely still small enough to fit into. The latter made a mental note to find out where they were and another way to get there that wouldn't involve him squeezing into any tight spaces—just to be safe.

On the other side of all that, there was only a short flight of stairs and then…

They were out.

Frowning, Ignis whipped around and his mouth fell open when he saw the gates of the Citadel behind him. They were outside the Citadel.

The crown prince of Lucis was outside the Citadel. Without guards.

Ignis's heart skipped a beat as his instructor's words echoed through his mind: "You are first and foremost the prince's advisor. He will have others to see to his safety, but you are to be his last line of defense should they fail."

The first time he'd been told that, he'd inwardly scoffed. How hard could it be for a veritable fleet of guards to protect one prince? Now, it felt like someone had hit him with a hammer.

They were outside the Citadel.

There were no guards.

He was Noct's last—only—line of defense should something happen.

And he had no idea where the prince had disappeared to.

Traipsing through the trees bordering the rear of the Citadel in the dark wasn't something Ignis relished, but there was nothing else for it. In the minute it had taken him to realize the gravity of the situation, Noct had run off, and Ignis could only hope he would be able to catch up to the prince before he found his way into the city. Most people loved and admired the royal family, but there would always be those who wished to do them harm. After everything that had befallen Noct in the last few months, the absolute last thing they needed was for him to be abducted or worse.

The Astrals were apparently on his side tonight, however, because none of that happened. Instead, after running around in circles for probably far less time than it felt like, he wriggled his way through a thicket of brambles to find Noct sitting cross-legged on the ground, gawping at the stars with a cat curled up in his lap.

"Noct!"

Despite Ignis's relief, his voice was still sharper than he meant it to be in his receding worry. Noct's head jerked sideways so he could stare at Ignis with wide eyes; the little beast he'd been holding yowled indignantly and scurried off. Neither of them spoke into the ensuing silence, Noct appearing too shocked at being followed to say anything while Ignis just wasn't quite sure what to do now.

Eventually, idly kicking at a rock, he settled on saying, "We're not supposed to be out here."

Shame flashed in Noct's eyes, accompanied by something Ignis couldn't identify, and he turned away to stare morosely down at the ground. Ignis didn't hear what he muttered to the grass and took a few hesitant steps forward. "Huh?"

There was a telltale sniffle. "'M sorry, Iggy."

"I…" Sighing, Ignis approached Noct and plopped down beside him. They must have been quite a sight: two boys staring at the ground like they were both waiting for it to open up beneath them. "You don't have to say sorry, just… Why're you out here?"

Noct shrugged at first, but a furtive glance at Ignis's expression told him he wasn't getting off that easy. Pulling his knees up to his chest (and wincing because he still wasn't completely healed after all this time), he mumbled, "Wanted to go out."

"You could'a just said so. Nobody was gonna say no," admonished Ignis gently, too drained to bother with the proper grammar and enunciation that had been drilled into his head for years. He wasn't expecting the sour look that suddenly marred Noct's features.

"Dad'd make me bring all the guards."

Ignis nodded his head. In all fairness, there was sort of a reason for that.

"'Sides," Noct continued quietly as he plucked up a few blades of grass to toy with, "I wanted to be alone."

Well, that hit Ignis like a smack to the face. He hoped he hid the way he'd been sent reeling pretty well, but Noct seemed to realize how rude that was half a moment later and shot him what he assumed was supposed to be an apologetic smile after a second. It looked more like a regretful grimace. Ignis swallowed his hurt and returned the smile halfheartedly.

"Nothing wrong with that."

Noct shook his head and groused, "Everyone keeps watching me. It's annoying."

Unable to help chuckling humorlessly, Ignis shrewdly pointed out, "You know why, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Everybody's really worried about you."

The prince made a noise somewhere between a snort and a grunt, glaring down at his knees. Shifting awkwardly, Ignis clasped his hands in his lap and forced himself to look at his friend directly.

"I'm real worried."

There was a moment of awkward silence before Noct's shoulders slumped and he curled in on himself. "'M okay, though. Promise," he tried to reassure Ignis. It wasn't very convincing when he couldn't even make eye contact.

Ignis wanted to argue that point, but he decided it probably wasn't the best course of action. Instead, something else was bothering him and he inquired, "How come you couldn't be alone inside the Citadel?"

That actually made Noct laugh a little. "Seriously? Someone always finds me in there."

"I found you out here," Ignis reminded him. He had to feel a little proud of that fact, especially when none of the adults in the Citadel had been the wiser. The prince rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but that's you."

"What's that mean?"

The tips of Noct's ears turned pink, and he was suddenly very busy picking at a loose thread on his shirt. "You're my best friend. You always find me."

There was no denying that. Sometimes Ignis wondered if he had a sixth sense for what Noct was up to—and if the latter had one for when he was busy—since they were so in tune with one another. At least, he thought they had been until tonight. Noct's familiarity with finding his way out of the Citadel forced Ignis to reevaluate just how well he'd been paying attention lately.

"I always will—I promise," swore Ignis earnestly, scooting over to throw an arm around Noct's shoulders. The prince leaned into him, just the minutest shift in his posture, but it meant the world. He could have left the conversation at that and found a way to get Noct back inside before their absence was discovered, but there was still one question that needed answering. "How'd you find a way out here, anyway?"

Noct perked up a little, his expression transforming from sheepish to something a little more proud. "See, I saw this cat—"

"Seriously, Noct!?"

"I didn't know he was gonna go outside the fence!"

"But you followed it anyway."

"It's not that far—"

"What if it was—"

"It wasn't, Specs!"

Ignis huffed at the use of his nickname, jostling Noct enough to ruffle his hair a bit. "You could've gotten hurt."

That seemed to rein in Noct's irritation a bit, and the prince immediately adopted a contrite expression as his eyes found the ground once again. He didn't apologize, though, and Ignis knew that was never going to happen. One thing that hadn't changed about the prince was that he didn't say he was sorry unless he meant it. In some ways, it was an admirable trait, but Ignis worried about how that would translate to ruling one day when they were grownups and had to be more diplomatic.

"Part of politics is having to say things you don't necessarily mean for the greater good," his instructor had told him once when he'd asked why the king promised to consider extending the Wall to other parts of Lucis without ever doing it. "People need to be reassured, otherwise there would be chaos."

They would have to work on that.

Rather than an apology, Noct offered a quiet, "I'm careful."

That much, Ignis had noticed for himself. The prince would have to be cautious not to be spotted by the hordes of loyal guards whose lot in life was to protect him. His statement, however, made one thing abundantly clear.

"You're not gonna stop, are you?"

The slight stiffening of Noct's shoulders as he prepared for a rebuke was enough of an answer.

This is a bad idea. A really bad idea…

"Just…make a deal with me?"

Noct narrowed his eyes in equal parts suspicion and curiosity. "What kinda deal?"

It took a few seconds for Ignis to throw caution and everything he'd been taught out the window and elucidate, "Don't go alone, 'kay? I'll go with you."

"You…" Noct stared at him blankly. "You will?"

Nodding, Ignis murmured, "I know you said you wanna be by yourself, but I won't say anything and you won't even know I'm the—"

He was cut off by Noct's arms wrapping around his chest and squeezing way tighter than such tiny muscles should have been able to. Ignis couldn't see the prince's face where it was hidden in his shirt, but he felt a drop of moisture through the fabric as Noct hugged him.

"Thanks, Iggy," he whispered, nearly inaudible over the distant sounds of traffic.

"You're welcome, Noct."

Ignis's mind felt guilty for betraying his lessons and, he cringed to think, the king's trust. Its protests were quickly drowned out, however, when Noct snuggled closer under his arm and his heart knew he was doing the right thing. Noct clearly needed time away from everyone, and Ignis would be there to make sure he was safe.

Really, how bad could it be?