Happy New Year!

Chapter 9

The gunman listened as the humming of an MT drop ship drew nearer, berated himself for his carelessness. Even if they never saw him, it was obvious someone was here taking out the MTs. Of course they would send reinforcements.

The high-pitched hydraulic whine of the ramp being lowered was easier to track than the humming of the engine and Prompto turned just in time to see the first MTs jump off it. The robots landed in the cleared area just beyond of the tree line to his right...less than thirty yards away from his position.

Knowing it took several seconds for the units to orient themselves once on the ground, Prompto quickly hurried away from his now-exposed spot. He headed to a large pine with branches low enough to grab and strong enough to hold him, making sure the trunk was between him and the new batch of MTs as he shimmied on up. He didn't stop until he couldn't climb any higher, the branches creaking ominously beneath his weight.

Prompto glanced back down, watching the MTs enter the tree line through the branches. He gulped, realizing he was a bit higher than he had anticipated. He shook his head, resolutely ignoring the butterflies suddenly fluttering about in his stomach. He didn't have time to focus on that now. There were nine...no, twelve more troopers ready to end his life if he gave away his position. And he had only one bullet left in his gun.

He watched as the MTs spread out, their search pattern a little more cohesive than the previous group, though they still looked like they were aimlessly milling about for the most part. He watched them for several minutes, shifting slightly as his rear started to go numb. While climbing the tree had seemed a good idea at the time, there was no way he could get down- much less, slip away -unnoticed. And, being robots, they could ostensibly stay out here for days before someone called them back. Prompto desperately hoped Ignis or Gladio would come looking for him long before that. Surely, they'd at least call when he didn't come back-

Prompto felt like smacking himself. He had a phone, he could call them! Even if they couldn't come- because Noct's safety was their top priority, after all -surely Ignis could come up with some sort plan for him to get away, right? With that thought in mind, the blond pulled out his phone and pushed the power button. His heart dropped at the picture of a battery with a line through it that flashed a few times before the screen went dark once more. Apparently, he'd forgotten to charge it at the motel last night. Well, there went any hope of a rescue...

Almost as if in response to his thoughts, the gunman heard a couple of familiar voices- faint at first, but steadily growing louder -urging their chocobos faster. Prompto looked in their direction with renewed hope, leaning back in order to see past the branches and trees blocking his view. He'd just caught a glimpse of the first rider- not much more than a blur of black on yellow -as the limb he'd been sitting on snapped.

Prompto screamed as he suddenly found himself falling, handfuls of pine needles coming off in his grip as he flailed for purchase. Branches tore at his skin and clothing as he hit them on his way down, finally landing on the hard ground below. He just lay in the dirt for several long seconds, groaning as his entire body throbbed. That was definitely going to leave a mark.

His wallowing was cut short by the clanking of metal on metal incredibly close-by, forcing him to open his eyes. An MT was standing over him, its glowing red gaze boring into his own as it raised its axe overhead.

Prompto grabbed his gun in a panic- miraculously still in its holster -and fired blindly. At the exact same moment, a sharp whine pierced the air as something red crashed into the MT, the force of the blow literally blowing the unit apart and scattering the pieces around the area.

"Hey, watch it!" Noctis yelled, leaving a red after-image behind as his feet hit the ground. Narrowly avoiding a bullet in the head wasn't quite the thanks he'd been expecting when he'd warped to Prompto's aid.

"Oops, sorry about that," Prompto apologized automatically. With the way Noctis warped around the battlefield, this was a fairly common occurrence. He blinked as the prince handed him an elixir, breaking it out of habit as his mind finally caught up with everything else. "Noct! You're awake!" he exclaimed as the healing magic washed over him.

"Can't get anything past you, can I?" the prince teased dryly, pulling out his greatsword as two more units converged on them. He put all his weight into a horizontal swing, cutting both MTs in half. He almost stumbled as the greatsword struck on immovable object with a solid thud, stopping his momentum cold. He blinked at the tree Prompto had fallen from, his blade wedged an inch or two into its thick trunk. Banishing the weapon with a curse, he summoned his sword and finished off the mostly-destroyed units.

Prompto blinked, still a little dazed. "Dude, did you just-"

"You saw nothing!" Noctis hissed, glancing back to see if Gladio had witnessed the mishap. Not only would he never hear the end of it, but his Shield would make him do awareness exercises for the next month to boot.

"Nothing," Prompto repeated, a grin spreading across his face as the prince extended a hand, pulling him back to his feet. "Right."

Noctis sent him a dour look but didn't reply, summoning a dark gray sword edged in red that Prompto had never seen before. The prince threw it at his next target before the blond could voice his questions, warping after it in a flash of red. Prompto blinked at the high-pitched whine that now accompanied the familiar move, as well as the crimson trail of magic tracing Noct's passage through the air. He was positive it used to be blue, wondering what could have happened to make it change color.

"All right, Prompto?" Ignis asked, pulling his chocobo to a stop next to the blonde and sliding off its back as Gladio continued further on to help Noctis with the MTs.

"Yeah- I'm good," Prompto answered, shaking off that train of thought. He could worry about it later. "I'm outta bullets, though, so I'm gonna have to sit this one out. Never made it into town."

Ignis arched an eyebrow at him. "Now that Noct is back on his feet, you should be able to access the arsenal once more," he informed the gunman, his tone carefully neutral.

Prompto blinked in surprise, his jaw working soundlessly as tried to come up with a reply. Having been so focused on his dwindling ammunition during the last several hours, he'd completely forgotten the gun at his hip wasn't his usual weapon. He grinned at the advisor sheepishly, biting his lip. "I guess I had a bit of a blond moment there," he admitted, blushing lightly with embarrassment.

"Understandable, given the circumstances," Ignis assured him, tone still professional though one side of his lips quirked up in a subtle grin as he moved to join the others. "However, as we are in the middle of a battle, might I suggest paying closer attention in future?"

"Right," Prompto muttered, still embarrassed by the slip but grateful it had been in front of Ignis and not one of the other two. They'd never let him live it down.

It didn't take long for them to finish off the remaining MTs, making quick work of the humanoid robots. "Good hustle out there," Gladio said, clapping Noctis on the shoulder. "That tree never knew what hit it."

Noctis groaned, knowing it would be a long while before his Shield tired of harassing him about that. "I was hoping you missed that," he muttered.

"Are you kidding? Iggy and I had front row seats, what with you warping right off your chocobo's back and all," he said, still grinning though his voice had taken on a serious undertone. "I'm sure Prompto appreciates the assist, but do ya think you could hold off on the heroics until the cavalry is a bit closer next time?"

Noctis shrugged off the hand still gripping his shoulder. "I thought I was the cavalry," he said loftily, a smug grin spreading across his face. "How many MTs did you take out again? Three?"

"Wise-guy," Gladio muttered.

Ignis decided to cut in before the conversation devolved any further. "Noct, did anything feel...off?" he asked delicately. "Particularly in regards to your magic when warping?"

"Not really," Noctis answered, a bit hesitantly. "Why?"

"The...color of it has changed," the advisor explained.

"Yeah," Prompto chipped in, nodding. "Your after image and the trail when you warp are both red now."

"Phasing through attacks, on the other hand, is still the usual blue," Ignis continued. "I was wondering if you might have any ideas as to why that is, or if it is something we should be worried about?"

Noctis grimaced, having a pretty good guess. When he'd seen Prompto fall and fail to rise before the MT lifted its axe for a killing blow, he'd panicked. They'd still been a pretty good distance away and even with a warp-strike he knew he'd be cutting it close. Remembering Carbuncle's words about the sword enhancing the power of his warp-strikes, he'd summoned and thrown it without a second thought. Given how the MT had practically exploded from the force of the impact, he couldn't say he was disappointed with the blade's performance.

"Um... Yeah," the prince hedged, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew this wasn't going to go over well. "My...new sword enhances the power of my magic when I warp-strike."

"Your new..." Ignis trailed off as the meaning became clear. "Surely you're not suggesting that you are actually using that weapon?" he asked, incredulous.

"The one from the cave?" Gladio asked, staring at the prince in disbelief. "Have you lost your mind?!"

"It's fine," Noctis said impatiently, waving his hand as if to brush aside their concerns. "Carbuncle vetted it and everything."

Prompto was feeling decidedly lost with the whole conversation. It was clear he had missed something, but he didn't even know where to start. "Uh, Carbuncle?" he asked, hoping the name would clarify a few things.

"An astral," Ignis answered distractedly, continuing to stare at Noctis as if he could uncover all of the prince's secret through the sheer force of his gaze alone. "Though not one of the Six. A lesser deity, one said to govern the realm of dreams."

"I don't think 'govern' is the right word for it," Noctis muttered, remembering how little power the fox had over the dream world. He could offer helpful suggestions- and apparently heal Noctis from life-threatening injuries -but not much more than that. "Anyway, I don't know why it changes color when I use it, but I would guess it's because the sword's innate magic is boosting my own," he explained, matching his advisor's gaze unflinchingly. "Carbuncle said it was fine, so that's good enough for me."

Ignis let out an irritated sigh, clearly not satisfied with the vague answer but unable to argue with the logic. Prompto still looked lost.

It was then that Noctis noticed the three of them looked suspiciously clean. Gladio's brief summary of what had happened while he was unconscious came back to him, the pieces clicking together in his mind. "You stayed in a motel last night," he said reprovingly.

Ignis raised an eyebrow, both at the sudden shift in the conversation as well as the accusation itself. "You did as well," he pointed out.

"Yeah," Prompto chipped in. "You got a nice, soft bed- which is more than some of us can say," he grumbled, throwing a pointed look at the advisor.

Ignis ignored both the comment and the look. He had seniority and was not going to apologize for the privileges that came with it.

As far as Noctis was concerned, their arguments were null and void as he couldn't really enjoy the comforts of a motel in his comatose state. Still, the bed wasn't what he took issue with. "You all got a shower."

Ignis sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You have the opportunity to bathe every night at camp."

"No, taking a sponge bath with a bowl of cold water or skinny dipping in the lake isn't going to cut it tonight," Noctis stated adamantly. "I want a shower."

Gladio grinned, thinking of a few alternatives that would still fit the definition of 'shower.'

"And before anyone gets any bright ideas," Noctis continued, sending a pointed glare at his Shield, "that means inside a building, steam filling the bathroom, with water hot enough to sear the dirt from my skin."

The wording struck Ignis as a bit odd, his mind flashing back to the cold that had gripped Noctis since falling unconscious. The prince's temperature had seemed back up within normal parameters when he'd checked earlier, though perhaps using the cursed weapon was affecting him negatively once more. Without thought, the advisor stepped closer to young royal, holding his hand to the other's forehead.

Noctis batted the hand away irritably. "There's nothing wrong with me wanting a hot shower," he complained, crossing his arms over his chest. "You all had the luxury of one last night. That means I get one too."

The advisor pursed his lips in displeasure at Noct's actions, though he didn't try again. The prince's skin was still warm to the touch, so perhaps his demands did stem from a desire to bathe using proper facilities. Ignis could hardly fault him for it, knowing how much he himself enjoyed a warm shower after a few days without.

Gladio wasn't quite so understanding. "Sorry, but you slept through your chance," he said, still grinning broadly. "After all, we don't have the funds to stay in a motel all the time."

"Yeah- you snooze, you lose, Noct!" Prompto added, mirroring the Shield's grin.

"Maybe you should try getting up earlier in the future," Gladio continued.

"Right, I'll keep that in mind for the next time I bond a daemon to my soul," Noctis stated dryly.

"Wait- what?!" Prompto exclaimed, doing a double-take. "You bonded a daemon to your soul?!"

"Don't try to distract me by changing the subject," Noctis said before turning to Ignis. "How are our funds looking? We have enough for another night in the motel, right?"

"We do," Ignis answered without hesitation.

"Yes!" Noctis said, pulling his fist down in a sign of victory.

"Unfortunately, without the Regalia, we can't make it to any towns outside of the area likely being searched by magitek engines before the sun goes down," Ignis continued, ignoring the prince's groan of displeasure as he glanced up at what was visible of the sky. "As it is, we've already loitered here too long. We should discuss our destination and be on our way before more reinforcements arrive."

Gladio pulled out the map, unfolding it as he stepped up next to the advisor. "I'd say we're right around in here somewhere," the Shield stated, pointing to the map.

"If we continue heading this way following the mountain range, we should hopefully reach the Daurell Caverns some time this evening," Ignis stated, tracing their course with his finger.

"That'll take us pretty close to this imperial base, won't it?" Gladio asked, pointing to the icon on the map.

"We'll have to skirt its outer edge," Ignis agreed, gesturing to the smaller icons surrounding it. "Though the trees should provide enough cover if we're careful."

"Why are we heading back to the caverns?" Noctis interrupted, glancing from his advisor to his Shield and back again. "That's pretty far out of our way no matter where we're heading, right?"

"It is, but I'm afraid we need to gather our camping equipment," Ignis explained, releasing his side of the map as Gladio started folding it back up.

Noctis blinked in surprise. "You mean you just left all our stuff down there?" he asked, incredulous.

Gladio snorted. "Well, it was either that or pack it all out and leave you behind instead," he said, just a touch of sarcasm coloring his tone. "For some reason, Ignis wouldn't let us go for the latter option, so..."

Noctis was still staring at them uncomprehendingly. "Why carry it at all?" he pressed. "I mean, I have a subspace storage area that we've been using since we left the Crown City."

"Yeah," Gladio agreed, sticking the map back in his pocket. "Which we can't access when you're comatose."

Ignis pulled out the chocobo whistle, summoning the birds while Noctis just stared at his Shield. Now that Gladio mentioned it, he vaguely remembered his dad telling him something to that effect before instructing him on how to share this part of his power with his personal Crownsguard. It had never been an issue and he had honestly forgotten about the warning. "Wait," he said, distractedly taking the reigns Ignis handed him as something else occurred to him. "Does that mean you couldn't access the arsenal, either?"

Gladio pulled himself up onto his bird's back, grimacing as he settled into the saddle and squirming a bit uncomfortably. "Nope."

Camped out at the bottom of a daemon-filled cave, down one fighter and weaponless. The equipment really would have been the least of their concerns. Noctis hoisted himself up onto his own chocobo's back, looking around at his companions. "Sorry," he apologized. Even though it hadn't been intentional on his part, he still felt a bit guilty for the extra hardship he'd inadvertently placed on them.

"Just try to avoid repeating this in future, hm?" Ignis suggested, mounting his own bird.

Noctis huffed out a wry laugh. "Will do," he assured them. This wasn't an experience he wanted to repeat any time soon, if ever.

Prompto scowled, switching his glare between the three. "Seriously?!" he demanded, unable to stay silent any longer. "Is no one going to call him out on admitting to bonding a daemon to his soul?!"

Noctis blinked at the blond, belatedly remembering he hadn't been present for that discussion earlier. He quickly averted his eyes when the icy blue glare turned back to him. Although he'd been able to get away with telling Gladio only the basics of what had happened, Prompto was sure to have a lot more questions. And there was no longer a member of the team in need of a conveniently timed rescue to cut the conversation short.

"We need to move," Ignis stated, seemingly disregarding the question as he spurred his chocobo into a canter.

The others followed suit, Prompto looking decidedly put-out at being ignored while Noctis breathed a soft sigh of relief. Good ole Ignis, always there to bail him out whenever he needed it-

"Though with the lengthy ride ahead of us, I'm sure Noct will have plenty of time to regale us with his tale," the advisor continued, glancing back at the prince over his shoulder. "Gladio said you mentioned something about illusions and corruption, I believe?"

...the back-stabbing, traitorous bastard that he was. Perhaps there was a reason it was always the advisor who betrayed the king in popular fiction. Noctis sighed, slouching forward in the saddle. It was going to be a long trip.

-LINE BREAK- /p

The trip was almost depressingly uneventful, providing everyone with ample time to pester Noctis with questions about his own ordeal. He ended up sharing most of what he'd experienced with them, though there were a few things he held back. He didn't fully understand Carbuncle's explanations about why his friends didn't have faces for example, or why the Gladio-clone had turned into an iron giant, so he left those details out of the re-telling. Just thinking about his evil twin was still unsettling, so he was deliberately vague about that part; focusing instead on the need to destroy the sword. And he still fully intended to take the bit about the haven to his grave.

They stopped for a late lunch once Gladio was satisfied they were far enough away from the Saxham Farms- and any of the magitek reinforcements being sent there -mandating the conversation finally turn to a new topic: food. Due to their lack of supplies, dishes and cookware, it was unanimously voted cups noodles was on the menu. Noctis was nominated as their impromptu stove, being the only one capable of coating his hands with a fire spell and regulating the temperature to heat a plastic jug of water between them.

Ignis ushered them all back into the saddle as soon as they'd finished eating, reminding them of how much ground they had to cover and the limited hours of sunlight in which to do it. They passed by the imperial base not long after lunch, spotting one magitek engine leaving, though it was headed in the opposite direction and too far away to see them through the trees.

The sun had set by the time they reached the trail head leading to the caverns, the sky slowly turning to purple as the light faded from the land. Given the late night and early morning, the three Crownsguard were all noticeably lagging in their saddles. None of them fancied a further three-hour trek through the caves- assuming they didn't lose their way -and Noctis himself was ready to call it a night if only to be able to get off the chocobo's back for awhile.

It wasn't long before the prince could see the entrance to cave- dark and decidedly uninviting in the fading light. What drew his attention, however, was the bright light shining through the trees off to his right, a mostly overgrown trail just visible through the weeds. "What's over there?" he asked, pulling his bird to a stop and glancing back at his companions.

"I'm not sure," Ignis answered uncertainly as he and the others stopped as well. "I didn't think there was anything else out here..."

"Well it ain't a daemon, that's for sure," Gladio stated, noting how bright the light was.

"Think someone lives out here?" Prompto asked hopefully.

"Let's check it out," Noctis said, grimacing slightly as he slid off his bird's back.

The others followed suit, groaning in relief and walking with varying degrees of stiffness from too long spent in the saddle. They followed the path around a bend, surprised to find a small tackle shop and pier next to a fishing pond nestled against a rocky outcrop. The shack was locked up tight- the owner having left long before the sun had set -and looked barely large enough to allow the clerk to sit down inside it. The path they'd been following turned into a well-used dirt road near the pier, continuing past the shop and disappearing into the trees. Two large stadium lights flooded the area, bright enough to keep the daemons away and obviously meant to protect the shop.

"We could rest here and continue on in the morning," Ignis suggested tiredly, the lack of movement over the last several hours making it increasingly difficult to remain awake.

"Sounds good to me," Gladio said, stretching his arms out above his head. Prompto nodded his agreement, covering a yawn with his hand.

Noctis blinked at the uncharacteristic responses, turning to his Crownsguard in surprise. His question died on his lips at the their slumped shoulders and dragging feet, taking in how tired they all looked. Because of the birds' build, it was necessary to lean pretty far forward when going any faster than a walk on a chocobo. He hadn't realized how exhausted his companions really were.

"If...you want," he agreed slowly, turning his attention back to the open space. All the normal monsters that inhabited the area didn't come out at night because of the daemons and the daemons themselves wouldn't come near the light, so he figured it should be safe enough. His eyes moved back to the pier as his lips twitched in a slight smile. "Should I catch us dinner or would you rather go straight to bed?"

Ignis huffed out a tired laugh at the reversal of their usual roles. "I'll see if I can find any herbs growing nearby," he said, thinking of the numerous spices he'd left sitting on the table in the depths of the cave with some regret. "Would you mind gathering some firewood, Prompto?"

"On it," the blond agreed tiredly, already trudging toward a few dead sticks visible in the grass. Although he felt like he could just curl up on the ground and sleep right there, his stomach felt a single serving of cup noodles was not an adequate amount of food for the day.

With the assignments given, Noctis headed out onto the pier, glancing at the sign listing the different types of fish that lived in the pond as he summoned his rod. The water was murky and still, giving no indication that anything was moving within the depths. He carefully attached a lure to the fishing wire, keeping most of his attention on the water's surface. A faint ripple drew his eye and he immediately cast his line into that area. It didn't take long to get the fish interested, quickly jerking back on his pole once he felt it bite. The prince smiled as the hook caught, turning the rod with the fish and reeling intermittently to tire it out.

Noctis knelt down on the edge of the pier once it had given up the fight, hoisting it out of the water with his fish grippers. It was a catfish, dark brown in color with vertical white stripes down its sides from head to tail. He glanced at the digital numbers on the handle of the grippers, nodding appreciatively. "10.9 pounds. Nice," he commented to himself, looking down at his catch. "Ignis should be pleased with this."

"You did good."

Noctis jumped slightly at the unexpected voice so close behind him, assuming everyone else was busy with their own jobs. He turned to see Gladio sitting on the wooden boards of the pier, leaning tiredly against the side of the shack. "I thought you were building the fire?" he asked, glancing back toward the road.

The Shield raised an eyebrow at his charge, obviously having caught his start of surprise, but let it slide. He was too tired to start lecturing the prince on being aware of his surroundings at the moment. "No point until you catch something," he pointed out instead. "Besides, Ignis will still need to prepare it. I got time."

Noctis gave him an odd look, but handed him the fish. As long as he was there, he might as well make himself useful. "I didn't realize watching me fish was that riveting," he commented drily, casting his line out again.

"Trust me, it's not," Gladio said, chuckling quietly. "It's about all I can do to stay awake."

"If it's that boring, then why are you over here?"

All levity was gone from his tone when Gladio replied. "Because the last time I let you go fishing by yourself, you ended up in a coma."

Noctis paused, his line going still at the unexpected answer. He kept his gaze on the water, watching the ripples expanding outward from his lure. In hindsight, he supposed he really should have seen it coming, but it still caught him off-guard. "That's...not gonna happen again," he said slowly, keeping his attention on the lure as he continued twitching it in the hopes of enticing another fish.

"Glad to hear it." Gladio's voice didn't betray any of his thoughts.

There were several seconds of silence before Noctis sighed. "Look, that was a one-time thing," he said, lowering his rod as he turned back to his Shield once more. "So why don't you go build the fire- since, you know, you're the only one of us that can?" It didn't normally bother him when his Crownsguard hung out and watched him fish, commenting both good and bad on whatever he caught. However, ridiculous as it may seem, it was different when he knew he was being guarded, making him feeling smothered instead. Yes, he'd made a mistake with the cursed sword, but he'd also managed to take care the problem, hadn't he?

Gladio met his gaze unflinchingly, amber eyes tired but unwavering. "Not gonna happen."

Noctis scowled. "I don't need a baby-sitter." He'd been training to fight with every possible arm imaginable for over a decade and literally had an arsenal of weapons at his disposal. One mistake did not mean he wasn't capable of looking after himself.

Gladio sighed, recognizing the stubborn streak he knew so well as it reared its ugly head. "I told you before," he began, keeping his voice calm. He was too tired to fight, but wanted to make Noctis understand his position. "We of Amicitia are sworn to protect the king with our lives- and I take that duty very seriously."

Noct's stance lost some of its defiance, brow furrowing slightly in confusion.

"The night before last," Gladio continued, "I let you go into that tomb alone."

"Prompto was with me," Noctis pointed out, though there wasn't much conviction in his tone. Neither of them doubted the blond would do everything in his power to help Noctis if anything happened, but he simply didn't have anywhere near the training given to the King's Shield.

"Yeah, Prompto was with you," Gladio repeated, inclining his head slightly as he conceded the point. "And when he started screaming, Ignis and I ran over to find you on the floor- no injures and no reason why we couldn't wake you up."

The prince flinched slightly, though there was no accusation in the tone.

Gladio sighed again, dropping his gaze to stare unseeingly at the fish clutched in his hands. "All I could think was that I had failed in my duty," he admitted quietly. "That because I was too busy cleaning my sword to do my job, you were-" He broke off abruptly, shaking his head before looking back at the prince once more. "I'm not going to fail again," he declared.

Noctis just stared at his Shield, words failing him for a moment. He'd had no idea the brunet felt that way and it didn't sit well with him at all. "It wasn't your fault," he argued. "Even if you had been there... It looked like a royal tomb- it was a royal tomb," he corrected himself. "The statue was lying on the bier and holding the sword, just like all the others... You wouldn't have known anything was wrong until it was already too late to stop it."

"Maybe. Maybe not," Gladio replied with a shrug, though it was clear the prince's words hadn't changed his mind. "The point is I wasn't there when you needed me."

Noctis bit his lip hesitantly, his fingers tightening around the all but forgotten rod in his hand. Seizing upon the distraction, he turned back to the end of the pier and pulled the line back in before casting it out again. Although he felt it needed to be said, he couldn't bring himself to face Gladio while doing it. "You were there when I needed you... In the dreamscape, I mean..."

"Yeah, all three of us were," Gladio said dismissively. "But providing extra manpower against whatever daemons you conjured in your mind isn't really the same."

Noctis shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant," he said, keeping his gaze fixed on the water though his mind replayed a very different scene. "You... I know I said you three appeared and helped me fight the daemons, but that was...actually just Ignis and Prompto." He hesitated again, biting his lip as he tried to figure out the best way to phrase what he wanted to say.

Gladio stared at the prince's back, not quite sure what to make of that admission. "I didn't show up at all?" he asked, voice soft with disbelief. Although he was a bit vague with the details, Noctis had said he'd subconsciously created a version of each of them when he'd needed help. If that was only true for Ignis and Prompto, did that mean Noctis hadn't faced off against any enemies requiring Gladio's brute strength? Or did the prince not truly trust his own Shield?

Noctis quickly shook his head again. "No, you did, it's just..." He sighed, deciding to just come out say it. "When I finally found the portal, it took me to a darkened landscape. Carbuncle shouted out a warning, but I didn't see anything or anyone even remotely nearby. Then you just appeared out of nowhere and pushed me out of the way." He bowed his head slightly, shoulders slumping at the memory. Even though he knew it hadn't really happened, the image was burned into his mind. "When I turned around...I saw the sword sticking out of your back." He seemed to curl in on himself, his next words barely audible. "You...didn't make it."

Gladio didn't know what to say. While it was relieving to know Noctis had that much faith in him, it almost made the fact that he'd failed in reality even worse. He dropped his gaze back to the fish in his lap. "But that didn't happen, Noct," he said at last, a bit of bitterness coloring the words. It was depressing when an imaginary version of himself performed his duties better than the genuine article.

Noctis misinterpreted the tone as one of chastisement, anger flashing through him. "You think I don't know that?!" he snapped, a bit more sharply than he'd intended. He took a deep, shuddering breath and held it for several long seconds before releasing it slowly. Gladio wasn't wrong, but the pain of losing him in the dream- duty or not -was still too fresh to be dismissed out of hand. "Doesn't matter, anyway," he mumbled, already regretting bringing it up at all as he pulled his line back in and recast in a different part of the pond. If he didn't start focusing on his fishing, they wouldn't be eating dinner until the morning.

The brunet was taken back by Noct's harsh response, blinking at the younger man's back in bemusement. It was clear Noctis had been affected by the incident, even though he said he had known it was dream at the time. Then again, what did knowing something wasn't real actually mean if he was conscious of what was happening around him? The dreamscape he'd described mirrored reality, both in appearance and physical laws. It would likely be difficult to keep the two separate, especially in an emotional situation like that. "I'm...sorry you had to see that," he offered after a moment. Even with as much as it had obviously hurt the prince to watch, Gladio wouldn't apologize for doing his duty.

Noctis shrugged with forced nonchalance, keeping his attention on his lure. "Just...don't try for an encore, yeah?"

The brunet huffed out a laugh, though there was no humor in it. "No promises."

Noctis gave a small sigh, half-heartedly making his lure twitch in the water. He wasn't surprised by the response- Gladio was the King's Shield after all -and he'd always known that one day the brute might take a bullet for him. The dream had brought the seemingly remote possibility to life in a very real way, and though Noctis didn't like it one bit, he also knew he couldn't change it. "...right," he breathed.

"You might make his job a bit easier by taking a few less risks yourself," Ignis spoke up, interrupting the solemn atmosphere that had descended over the pair.

Both Shield and prince whipped toward the new voice, neither having heard the advisor's approach. He and Prompto were standing in the grass at the opposite end of the pier, the blond offering a weak wave and looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Ignis' expression was indiscernible, as always.

"How long have you two been standing there?" Gladio demanded. "Lemme guess- long enough, right?"

"I was coming to check on your progress," Ignis stated, glancing at the fish in Gladio's lap. "I'm pleased to see at least you were successful, Noct."

"I take it that means you weren't?" Gladio asked, unsurprised. Given the darkening sky, the advisor wouldn't have gone far and it was always more difficult searching for herbs by flashlight as opposed to sunlight.

Ignis raised an eyebrow at the Shield. "I don't see a fire burning anywhere," he returned, looking pointedly at the pile of sticks Prompto had gathered back by the road. "But you are correct in that I was unable to locate anything," he admitted.

Gladio's response was cut off by a faint sound of surprise from the prince. A fish had taken the bait, yanking sharply on the line when it realized it couldn't get away. Although the pole was clenched firmly in his hand, the unexpected lurch pulled Noctis off-balance. He stumbled toward the edge of the pier as he tried to regain his footing, instinctively grabbing the rod with both hands.

"Try not to fall in," Gladio called.

"Thanks for the advice," Noctis bit out, managing to steady himself once more.

"No, really," the brunet continued, his voice a bit hesitant. "I don't think we have any dry clothes for you."

"Seriously?!" Noctis demanded incredulous, half turning to face his Shield.

"Yeah, that was my bad," Gladio apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. "You were out cold, so I didn't think to grab any of your clothes before we left."

The fish used Noct's distraction to its full advantage, wearing the line thin as it thrashed about in the water. "Ah! The line's gonna snap!" Prompto called out worriedly. He was starving and really didn't want to have to wait for the prince to catch another fish if this one got away.

An irritated noise came from deep in his throat as Noctis turned his attention back to the pond, setting the matter of his wardrobe aside for later. With a firm stance and a practiced eye, he expertly matched the fish's movements in the water; turning the rod with it and reeling it closer to the pier every time it stopped thrashing. It struggled against him, jumping out of the water a few times in a desperate attempt to dislodge the hook from its mouth before finally giving up the fight.

Careful of the frayed line, Noctis pulled it toward the pier and lifted the striped catfish from the water with his grippers. "16.3 pounds," he read out, turning to the others with a grin as he held up his catch.

"Nice work, dude!" Prompto commented, hurrying forward to take the fish. "We can start cooking these, right?" he asked, throwing a hopeful look at the advisor.

"I'll need to clean them first, though it will be a rather bland meal I'm afraid," Ignis cautioned, relieving the Shield of the fish as Noctis banished his rod. "If you wouldn't mind seeing to the fire, Gladio?"

The fillets were cooked on sharpened sticks over the open flames and consumed with gusto despite the lack of seasonings. It had been a long day all around and everyone decided to turn in after dinner, despite the early hour. Unfortunately, the cold night and total of two blankets in their limited supplies meant they had to double up. After stoking the fire, they all settled down to sleep with two on either side of it. Though Prompto and Ignis were both out fairly quickly, Gladio wasn't quite so lucky.

"Quit hogging the blanket!" Noctis complained, tugging ineffectively at the cover. He couldn't quite get the corner up over his shoulder and the chill night air seeping through his clothes was uncomfortably reminiscent of the scourge that had plagued him just that morning.

The Shield groaned, keeping a firm hold of the opposite edge. "We each got half," he grumbled tiredly. "Go to sleep."

"You are taking up way more than half."

"I'm bigger than you," the brunet pointed out, his words slurring together slightly as sleep pulled at him. "Besides, with how scrawny you are, you probably have enough to double it over as is."

Noctis scoffed, not wanting to get drawn into another argument about his 'lack of muscle.' Just because his biceps weren't bulging, it didn't mean they weren't there. Gladio was simply built like a tank. Sighing in irritation, Noctis rolled onto his side; folding his arm underneath his head in the hope what little hair he had would be sufficient to keep his shoulder warm. The movement pulled his shirt up enough for a decidedly cold rock to meet his side as he laid back down, unable to repress the shiver that ran down his spine. He quickly used his free arm to readjust the clothing before settling down once more.

The full-body shudder next to him pulled Gladio's mind back to the waking world, turning his head to look at the raven-haired man. Noctis had his back to the Shield, one arm tucked up under his head and hunched over slightly as if he were cold, despite the fire only a few feet in front of him.

Gladio blinked, brow furrowing in bemusement. Was the prince really that cold? It had gotten chilly once the sun had gone done, but the blanket and the fire were enough to keep the brunet warm. His mind flashed back to that morning: remembering holding Noctis slumped over his arm as they rode toward the tomb, his skin cool to the touch and gradually growing colder. Could this be a leftover symptom from that? The Shield tried to remember if Noct's hand had been cold when he'd pulled the younger man to his feet after dinner, deciding it hadn't been. Did that mean this was some sort of psychosomatic thing? Or could it be something else entirely? Given Noct's admission when he'd been fishing, it was clear the prince hadn't told them everything...

Gladio let out a deep sigh, bringing one hand up to rub his eyes. He was too tired to deal with this tonight. Besides, regardless of the cause, Ignis would be much better equipped to handle the situation than he was. For now, he'd just do what he could.

Noctis was gazing into the flames, not paying much attention as his bedmate shifted behind him until the large body slid up close to his own, matching his position. One beefy arm pulled the excess blanket created by the shift over Noctis before the limb flopped down, lying limply across the prince's stomach.

Noctis went stiff as a board as his Shield cuddled- there really was no other word for it -with him. He'd woken up in the middle of the night with Ignis' arm thrown over him or Prompto snuggled up to his chest enough times to know this was an almost nightly occurrence- especially when it got really cold -but he'd always been asleep long before the initial contact occurred. Being awake- and knowing Gladio was still awake -was just awkward and a little unsettling. "I'm not your teddy bear!" he hissed, not wanting to wake the others for more reasons than just being polite. He felt more than heard the deep rumble in Gladio's chest as the Shield chuckled softly.

"Relax, princess," the brunet mumbled tiredly, pillowing his head on his other arm. He could feel himself losing the fight to stay awake, not that he was trying very hard. "You were the one complaining about being cold. This way, there's more blanket to go around."

Noctis seriously debated giving Gladio the blanket and just moving closer to the fire. "That's not what I-" he broke off as a soft snore interrupted him, indicating his Shield was already asleep. "Are you kidding me?!" he demanded, though the words weren't louder than a whisper.

Predictably, there was no answer. Noctis huffed out a sigh, laying his head back down on his arm. For some reason the position didn't feel nearly as weird now that Gladio was asleep and the man was like a furnace to boot. He returned his gaze to the fire, watching the flames dance through the air as his mind wandered.

The earlier discussion by the pond had brought the memory of Gladio's sacrifice to the forefront of his mind, replaying the scene over and over again. Noctis had never been comfortable with the idea of others sacrificing themselves for him, less so when the person in question was a close friend. Even though it had been made clear what his Shield's role was from the day they met, he had still been unprepared when he saw the sword emerging from the brunet's back. His mind knew it hadn't really happened- the warm, living presence at his back giving his heart affirmation of the same -but he still needed to come to terms with the fact that it could.

The fire crackled quietly, glowing embers flying up into the air as one of the sticks fell before burning out as they were caught by the light breeze. It was a peaceful night, even with the far-off growls and snarls of daemons as a backdrop and Noctis felt himself starting to drift, despite the heaviness of his musings. The stray thought came to him that this was what Carbuncle had meant. No city walls, no warding runes, not even a tent for protection. Just Ignis, Prompto and Gladio nearby- the latter literally acting as a barrier between him and the rest of the world -and Noctis felt safe.

For the moment, it didn't matter that he was a hunted man, ever on the run from the Empire. It didn't matter that he was somehow supposed to fulfill a destiny he only had a vague hint about. It didn't matter that daemons were prowling in the darkness just outside of the light, waiting for a short or power fluctuation to strike. Here, lying on a dirt road next to a forgotten fishing pond in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by his closest friends- his family -he felt safe. He was home.

The End

Author's Note: And, that's all. Drop me a line if you enjoyed the ride!