Disclaimer: not mine

I've now summoned every Astra l(including the extra Garuda) in battle, except Titan! That's not including the scenes where they're automatically summoned. Titan must be impossible to get.

Chapter 13

Prompto walked back into the bedroom with a full tray of food, setting it down where they could all reach before sitting beside Noct on the bed. He glanced at Ignis, finding him watching him. He really, really, hoped Ignis could accept him and not just because he was important to Noct, they were friends too and he didn't want to lose that. He didn't have a lot of friends and losing one…two because Gladio would follow Ignis' lead. "Iggy?"

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Ignis stared at Prompto as he set the food down and got onto the bed with Noctis who took his hand. They were totally comfortable with each other, Noct showing no nervousness despite knowing what Prompto was. It was hard to accept what he'd been told but he'd seen Prompto's fangs, seen him drink from Noctis…what would the King do if he ever found out? He couldn't tell anyone; his Oath wouldn't let him.

"Iggy?"

He focused back on Prompto, seeing the wary hope in his eyes. He could feel his Prince staring at him, knowing what he wanted. Could he accept what Prompto was? Did it change anything? He saw the minute flinch from the blond and found himself reacting. He stood and then sat on the bed, grateful Noctis had such a large one, reaching out to pull Prompto into his arms, hugging him, feeling Prompto hug back. He looked up to find Noctis smiling slightly at them, obviously relieved.

He would chose to trust the boy; he had never done anything to make him distrust him before. Finding out the truth of the MT program made him feel sick, all those children…they had destroyed the facility twice, but it was doubtful that would stop the Empire. If he could, he would thank Mr Argentum or Potter for saving Prompto from that fate. If it was a choice between drinking blood or becoming an MT, the choice was easy. Prompto still had his own mind, had emotions, a physical body, all things he would have lost under the Empire.

"Well, I think we should eat the food before it goes cold," he said, pulling back. Prompto smiled at him and Ignis smiled back.

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Prompto sighed, hiding his face against Noct's chest, feeling fingers run through his hair gently. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Noctis asked just as softly.

"Being too distracted to set the wards fully," he mumbled, and he heard and felt Noctis chuckle.

"You weren't the only one," Noctis answered. "We just have to remember from now on to double check cause I do not want Gladio walking in on us…or my Dad!"

Yeah, that would be bad. It would be embarrassing enough to be caught in the middle of sex, but the King seeing a feeding? Prompto would be executed on the spot! At least Ignis had listened, was giving him a chance.

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Ardyn faced off against the stranger, so this was the one behind all of the recent troubles. Not what he'd been expecting at all. Where was the rest of his group? There was no way one man had caused everything, unless they were a Lucis Caelum which this man wasn't. There was some resemblance true, but Ardyn knew the family magic and this boy had none of it. He smirked, moving closer, the easiest way to get answers was to daemonify him, he would then receive his memories. Of course, he didn't expect to find he couldn't move! How?

"Ardyn Lucis Caelum," the boy stated and Ardyn felt his eyes widen slightly, how could he know that? "We met once; you would have been about….thirteen? You've changed a lot since then."

"That would be impossible," Ardyn informed him coolly and the stranger smirked.

"For most, but two thousand years means little to me when I have lived far longer," he walked closer, stalking, predatory, and for the first time Ardyn felt a flicker of...fear. Who or what was he? The daemons snarled in rage, screaming to kill or infect the boy…man but he still couldn't move. What power was this? "Last I heard, you'd been executed and yet here you stand…and with the Empire of all things, though your presence does explain their abilities with Magitek."

"Who are you?" he growled, Scourge beginning to leak from his skin.

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"I set this trap for Besithia, not you." Honestly, he wasn't sure what to do about the man.

His magic was holding him, for now, but he had the feeling that given time the daemons would break the hold. The Scourge was a part of Ardyn, it wasn't just infecting him like it had Prompto as a child. He could drain him dry and the stuff would still be in him, it was everywhere through his body. It was sad to see what he had become. Was there aby way to heal the man? Obviously executing him hadn't worked and he was still alive which meant some form of immortality. He did wonder how close to his own it was, could Ardyn be killed at all?

"I can understand hating your brother for whatever happened back then. But what has the modern line done to have you so against them?" he asked, confused as to why Ardyn would bear a grudge against Regis and Noctis. He would not allow him to threaten Noctis and not just because his son loved the Prince. Noctis was a good person and would make a good King one day.

He considered his options and then called as specific bottle to hand, looking at the clear liquid within, a rare and precious substance forgotten by all. He opened it and dropped three drops into a conjured cup, filling it the rest of the way with water. He then opened Ardyn's mouth and made him drink it. Phoenix tears were the most powerful healing and cleansing substance ever known but could even they do anything?

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Ardyn was shocked to have a mix of something and water shoved down his throat, poison perhaps? Well that would…he gasped as it began to burn…he coughed and choked; eyes wide in outrage. What had that liquid been? And then to his shock, the daemons began screaming.

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Harry watched as he coughed and choked, golden eyes wide. He shifted the magic around, lowering the man to the ground, glad it was grass, as the man jerked, head thrown back. Black miasma rose from his body and Harry grimaced at the scent; humans were lucky to be unable to smell the stuff. The tears were doing something, but would they be able to fully purify him?

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He blinked up at the cloudy sky, body aching in a way it hadn't since Besithia had brought him out of Angelgard. When had he fallen down? His mind was…strangely quiet. The daemons were still there but quieter, perhaps less? He tried to move and found he could a little, lifting his head to find his captor was crouching nearby, watching him intently. "What did you do?"

"I gave you phoenix tears, the most powerful curative ever, one that has been lost to time," was the answer.

"Who are you?" he asked, had he asked that before?

"My name is Harry," the man offered, still watching him. "They're still there."

"My mind is far quieter than it has been in a long time," Ardyn admitted. He shifted, trying to sit up and Harry flicked his hand, Ardyn finding suddenly he could sit.

He looked down at his hands, finding that while the weak sun burned, it wasn't as painful as normal. He took a deep breath as he remembered what he'd been planning to do to their saboteur/s. How much of what he had done had been the influence of the Scourge and daemons? And perhaps…Ifrit? His true rage had not appeared until after he daemonified the Astral after all, was it possible the Astrals rage at what he had done had influenced him and what he had seen?

"And what will you do with me now?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure."

That was a surprise and he looked up into green eyes. He didn't appear to be lying…

"Keeping you contained would be cruel and I doubt it would last forever."

"The Astrals would not allow, Bahamut is most determined his prophecy comes true," he smirked bitterly, and Harry snorted.

"That overly…well if he needs a reminder I'm still here I'll give him one," Harry said and Ardyn frowned in confusion. "The so-called Astrals are not gods, I should know, I've been here a lot longer than them. What Prophecy though?"

"The Chosen King, King of Light, who will cleanse our star of the Darkness," he theatrically pressed a hand to his chest. "Not that Prince Noctis is all that impressive yet."

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Oh no, he was not liking this at all. He'd run into quite a few prophecies over the millennia and most didn't even make sense after the events. A good portion were self-fulfilling, and he'd ruined quite a few too. His life had been ruined by one and he loathed allowing anyone else to suffer as he had.

"And what price are you both to pay?" he asked and Ardyn stared at him.

"Many have sacrificed all for their king so the king must sacrifice all for his people," Ardyn answered and Harry swore in several dead languages.

"Yeah, no, not happening. I happen to like Noctis, beyond him being with my son," he snapped, seeing Ardyn's shock at that which was a little amusing. "So this prophecy would kill you both, ending the line if done before Noct has any children. Leaving only the Oracle's line with a link to magic and the Astrals…if she survived?"

"She would not survive forging the covenants for the King," Ardyn admitted.

"Do you want to die?" Harry asked, there had been many times when he would gladly have embraced death, he doubted Ardyn was any different.

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Did he wish to die? There were times he dreamed of nothing else, to be with Aera again in peace. But the thought of just laying down and dying was not appealing.

He started as Harry approached and took his wrist, pushing his sleeve back and raising it to his mouth. "What?"

"Let's get some more of that out shall we?" he asked and Ardyn watched green eyes go silver, fangs lengthening and then they sank into his skin and Ardyn gasped.

Oh! Well…that was…he closed his eyes as for the first time since before his execution he felt…pleasure. The daemons screamed and gibbered in the back of his mind as his body relaxed, falling back onto his back, free hand clutching at the grass as he gasped and bit his lip, trying not to move or make a sound. He felt a tongue lap over the skin and then heard an odd noise….retching? He forced his eyes open and lazily turned his head, seeing Harry vomiting in the grass. "Wha…" he slurred.

Harry wiped a hand across his mouth and then waved his hand over where he'd been sick, causing it to burn. "Scourge gives me rather nasty stomach cramps," was the answer.

He blinked, mind slowly rebooting. "You drank my blood?" he asked, and Harry nodded, smirking, flashing fangs.

"Well I am a vampire," he stood and stretched. "How do you feel?"

"I…" how did he feel, other than far more relaxed than the last time he'd been with his beloved Aera? "Was that…normal?"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Harry shrugged. "Keeps the prey from trying to get away."

"It works," he admitted. "I feel...lighter, I suppose. They are still there, and they did not like what you did at all."

"So I guess the question is, are you willing to find another way that doesn't end in mutually assured destruction?" Harry asked him.

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Noctis knocked on the door and then entered, finding his Dad at his desk as usual. "You wanted to see me?" that got a wave towards a chair, so he sat, sprawling really, while his Dad finished whatever he was reading, signing it.

His Dad set the papers aside and sat up straight, grimacing as his back cracked loud enough to make Noct wince in sympathy. "Keep sitting like that and your back will be even worse," he warned with a smirk and Noctis shrugged.

"So why the meeting?" he asked, and his Dad picked up a file, handing it over. Noctis eyed him but then opened it to find an old report, as in older than he was. It was from when his Dad had been travelling around Lucis….and then a name jumped out at him, Harry Argentum. He paid more attention to the report then, eyes widening as he finished. "Of course he turned any reward down," he grinned, just like Prompto would have. Neither liked lots of attention and it made sense, the less images or credible records there were, the easier it was for them to hide in plain sight, not that Prom had that problem yet.

"It's become very clear that you are very serious about Prompto and his place in your life. You understand that provisions will need to be made for an heir at some point?" he asked and Noctis grimaced but nodded, he knew it was his duty and frankly he thought Prompto would make an excellent Dad to their kid or kids, but the whole process was going to be a massive headache. "The revelation that his family is almost entirely Lucian will help with his acceptance, but the Council will still not like it."

"Because they're a bunch of isolationist idiots," Noctis muttered, getting a stern look that was ruined by the corner of his Dad's lip twitching. "So what's this…you want to give Prompto his Dad's reward because a title will give them less to complain about."

"Indeed. I thought that the idea would be better coming from you. It's a very minor title and a small income but I am guessing you'll have a fight to get him to accept even that much. Have you spoken of the future much?"

"Not really, he knows that there are provisions in the law that allow us to be together despite the whole needing an heir thing. Guess this'll be a good time to point out he'll eventually end up with an even more important title," that was going to be fun. There were two possible titles, he'd done his own research under Ignis' happy guidance. He knew which he planned for Prompto to take, he wanted Prom to truly rule at his side and not just be the one to do the charity work and throw parties like some Royal spouses had. "When are we scheduling his Crownsguard ceremony? Before or after this?" he waved the file.

"Before, that way no one can complain about his title getting him the position."

Noctis groaned at that. "Someone will still probably say it. just like how the comments on his heritage haven't stopped, despite proof to the contrary."

"I hadn't heard anything, how bad has it been? Cor mentioned he'd had to discipline some trainees but that was months ago."

"They're careful to keep quiet around anyone who could get them in trouble and Prompto won't make an official complaint," he shrugged. "We're keeping an eye on it as best we can in case they try to move beyond just saying things."

"Keep Cor in the loop."

"Okay," he stood up. "I better go prepare for battle," he sighed, and his Dad laughed but waved him on.

TBC….

Okay so no epic Harry vs Ardyn cause I just couldn't see it happening since this is meant to be Ardyn redemption. He's not cured but the Scourge has been lessened for now at least. Not sure if I'll be able to write it or if it'll fit in the story even if I can, but Harry facing off with Bahamut would be great to see.