Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There was a time when Prompto had thought this was going to be a good idea. A fine idea. Maybe even a swell idea. But that was before the elevator ride up to the fifth floor of the parliament building. Now that he was walking down the hallway in his freshly pressed white and gold suit, accented with gold jewellery and sporting a smart red sash, he was having second thoughts. And third thoughts. 

Honestly, this was probably his fifth thought. 

But no. Prompto had already convinced his grandfather that he should be allowed to speak to the Chancellor, and that he had a Good Idea and that it was worth at least a try before being dismissed out of hand. What did he have to lose? Other than his dignity. But then, did anyone ever leave a conversation with Chancellor Izunia with their dignity intact? 

It had been pretty obvious by the way his grandfather had regarded him with his tired, watery eyes that he was expected to fail. The tone when he had said, “Well, if you insist,” and then waved him off said more than just about anything, really. It was a tone Prompto had heard a lot in his life from his grandfather, and it was not going to stop him anymore. Prompto had found courage at that time, a youthful hope that maybe, just maybe his proposal would be welcomed with more warmth from Chancellor Izunia than it had from his grandfather. But now, as he approached the carved wooden doors, the only thing that Prompto could think of was that trying to convince the Chancellor of his Super Good Plan would probably be harder than finalising peace talks with Insomnia.

In the name of all the astrals, what was he even doing? Prompto’s footsteps faltered. The doors were bracketed by two potted lemon trees, heavy with fruit. A gift from First Secretary Claustra, if he recalled correctly, probably to get onto Izunia’s good side. As delicious and inviting as they looked, Prompto was not about to take one. He was sure that Chancellor Izunia had put them there as a trap to tempt the unsuspecting. He had no idea what that trap could possibly be but he sure as hell was in absolutely no rush to find out.

Prompto stopped and took a few deep breaths. He could do this. He raised his hand to knock and hesitated. He swallowed back his nerves and fear. Maybe… You know, it wasn’t too late to back out. There was no one who knew he was here, he could just go back to his grandfather and say things didn't work out and that –

“Everything alright, your Highness?” Oh, right.

“Just uh, you know, gathering my thoughts. Gotta make sure I don’t say anything, uh, odd. Or off. Or wrong. You never know how anything’ll go with Chancellor Izunia - gotta be prepared!” He punched his hand into his fist with determination he absolutely did not feel. Prompto hated the nervous giggle he let out as he turned to fully face Loqi. The brigadier general looked quite put together in his full dress uniform. That guy was goals, honestly - one day Prompto hoped to carry himself with the same sort of confidence. The light in the hallway glinted smartly off the many medals and created interesting shades in the half cape hanging off his left shoulder. He wondered how they would show up in a photograph. Maybe he could do a series of photos, maybe of empty uniforms? Nah, that might not go in line with the message the empire was trying to send out. Empty uniforms would remind people of those who didn’t make it home from the war.

Maybe if he convinced his grandfather that it was in memoriam…

Loqi snorted and Prompto realised his mind had wandered waaayyy off topic. “Prince Prompto, there is no way for you to prepare to try and convince Izunia of anything - the man makes up other people’s minds for them.”

“Hey!” Rude.

“Look, you are about to talk to the man who somehow managed to convince The Emperor that we should be spending more resources on improving the main Gralian water purification plant than we should on Chief Researcher Besithia’s weird hybrid monster program during the war . If he can convince your grandfather of that, then he can convince you of just about anything . No way you can prepare for that.”

Prompto frowned at Loqi.

“Just roll with whatever solution he comes up with, Your Highness. The path of least resistance is always the best path with that man.” Prompto hated that Loqi was absolutely NOT wrong.

“Are you saying I should just give up?”

“No, you dragged me all the way out here. You’re gonna suffer and I’m gonna watch.”

Prompto glared at his friend and flipped him the bird before he turned to face the doors again, taking another steadying breath and running a hand through his hair before finally knocking. It would be fine. Everything was fine.

There was a muffled ‘come in’ from the other side of the door. A spike of anxiety filled Prompto’s soul.

Everything was most assuredly NOT fine.

Prompto could feel himself shaking a bit as he opened the door. 

The thing that always struck Prompto about this office was how thick the outside walls were. It made sense, this building was nearly four hundred years old, things were just constructed differently back then. The outside walls were a foot thick, built to withstand the weight of the structure and retain as much heat as possible and this caused the many narrow pointed arch windows to let in so very little light. None of them were shuttered, there were no curtains drawn, and yet still it seemed so very dark in the Chancellor’s office. 

The dark stained oak panelling did not help matters at all, though the many plants carefully placed on flat surfaces and hung from the ceiling helped bring some life to the room. Prompto could see the red orchid he had tried to bribe the Chancellor with sitting on a small table near one of the many narrow windows, seemingly doing quite well. Finding a real red orchid had been a challenge and a half. He couldn't remember what he’d wanted with that bribe, but he did remember the disappointment in not getting it.

Chancellor Izunia was sitting in the corner of the room behind his desk, bracketed on either side by Niflheim flags, and Prompto noted that the Chancellor's hat was perched on top of one of the flag poles. He wasn’t sure if that was actually against some law about disrespecting the flag but Prompto would rather eat glass than tell the Chancellor what to do with his hat.

The large oak desk was absolutely covered with papers and folders, with several large piles on either end of the available working surface. A small bonsai tree took up some of the valuable space beside the computer monitor. Chancellor Izunia closed the folder he was reading through and looked up with slightly raised eyebrows.

Well, at least Prompto had the element of mild surprise.

“Your Imperial Highness,” Chancellor Izunia said, getting up from his desk and bowing deeply with an exaggerated flourish from his hand. Prompro saw he was holding onto a shiny black and silver pen. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” When he straightened, any trace of surprise was gone, replaced with what Prompto assumed was supposed to be a friendly expression.

“Chancellor Izunia,” Prompto replied, placing a hand over his heart and inclining ever so slightly forward. “I was wondering if you had a moment for me?” Nice! Smooth and professional.

“Please,” Chancellor Izunia replied, gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk as he flopped unceremoniously back into his own, his scarf needing a moment to settle. He haphazardly shoved a few files and folders on his desk to the side with the same shockingly relaxed and unconcerned air he did everything, making more empty space between them. Prompto missed the slight barrier that they had created.

Prompto took his seat with all the propriety his governess had hammered into him, keeping his back as straight as he could. Loqi stood at parade rest behind him. 

“It's not often that you visit me in my office,” Chancellor Izunia said, lounging back in his chair and swivelling ever so slightly from side to side. He fiddled a little with the pen in his hands, his elbows on the red leather armrests, more relaxed and at ease than anyone in the presence of the Imperial Crown Prince usually was. 

Prompto could use a few lessons in looking as relaxed and unconcerned as Izunia did. He tried to hide how nervous he was, clenching his toes instead of his hands - Chancellor Izunia was sure to catch on if his knuckles turned white. No, best to keep those loosely in his lap. “Mister Chancellor, I’m aware that you’re uh, pretty busy preparing for the Lucian delegation to arrive in a few days,”

“Ah yes, the signing of the peace treaty, an important event to be sure. But worry you not, I have been at work to ensure this will be as smooth a visit as possible. We would not for a moment want the Lucian delegation to think ill of our wonderful Empire, would we?” It was impossible to tell where sincerity ended with this man.

“Yes, well, that’s why I’m here. I have a uh, a proposition regarding that event.” 

Izunia’s eyes widened every so slightly at that. That was the second time he was able to surprise the Chancellor. Doing good! Possibly. Probably. Maybe?

“I am sure you are well aware that I have aides and assistants that deal with the bulk of the planning for that event?” He tapped the pen against his knuckles a few times before absentmindedly twirling it in his hands again. 

“Yes, but in the end you have final say, especially when it comes to the Royal family.” The Chancellor stopped his nonchalant fiddling at that, his full attention on Prompto, the pen frozen in his hands. There was something in his look that made Prompto more uncomfortable than usual. That look was too intense, like it was trying to cause Prompto’s soul to spontaneously combust. It promised your end if the wrong thing happened next.

OK, much much much more dangerous ground than originally assumed.

“Indeed I do.” Hot damn, even Shiva was less frosty than this. Prompto almost lost his nerve, even though Loqi would hound him about backing out for the rest of forever .

He had to remind himself that this was a Good Idea.

Probably.

Assuming the Chancellor wasn’t going to glare a hole through him for having the audacity to suggest it.

Prompto nervously cleared his throat. “I think it’d be beneficial if I were the one to guide Prince Noctis around the premises.” He hoped his voice did not shake as much as he thought it did. “If we’re going to start working closely together in matters of state in the coming years, I think it’d be a good idea if I knew the guy better. You know, get to know what he’s like, what he’s into, all that uh,” Chancellor Izunia narrowed his eyes. Prompto found his mouth suddenly extremely dry. “…that stuff.” Prompto finished.

There was a beat of silence. Prompto could hear a grandfather clock ticking somewhere. He idly wondered where it was, trying desperately to not focus too hard on the man who was trying to glare him into the next dimension.

Why was the Chancellor always just so much ?

Eventually Chancellor Izunia exhaled with a ‘Hmmmm’ and pulled his chair a bit closer to the desk. He put his elbows on its surface and leaned forward, resting his chin on one of his hands. His face had gone from threatening regicide to mildly annoyed. Prompto swallowed nervously.

“An interesting proposal. Have you managed to determine more details?” It was hard to tell if the tone was one of actual interest or if it was one of mockery.

“I - well, not quite a cunning, fully formed plan just yet, this was just a bit more of a proposal, as it were. A lil bit of uh, testing the waters? Seeing if it’s even feasible? I wouldn’t wanna bother you with just a half formed idea – wait no that’s exactly what I just did! I mean, I didn’t want to bother you with a full folder full of ideas yet! You’re a busy kinda guy” He felt his chair jolt ever so slightly. Loqi probably kicked it to end his rambling. “Uh. Mister Chancellor. Sir.”

Chancellor Izunia sighed. “You’ll need to get your habit of bypassing your speech filter under control if you expect me to allow you to usher any of our honoured guests around Gralea.” That his grandfather trusted this man to show up to any diplomatic events involving the Lucians was a mystery to Prompto - the tone Chancellor Izunia used to speak of their guests was surprisingly demeaning. He wondered if the Chancellor had history with the Royal Lucian Family because that kind of resentment was unusual even for him .

“That’s not a no,” Prompto said. He threw proprietary to the wind and leaned forward, a hopeful smile on his face. He wiggled his eyebrows. Chancellor Izunia looked only slightly annoyed as he huffed and rolled his eyes. 

“I suppose having you guide the young Prince around would put him more at ease than being accompanied by the Deputy High Commander.” The Chancellor leaned back in his chair again, eyes slightly narrowed and stroking his unshaved chin. He sounded like he was talking to himself more so than to Prompto.

Prompto waited. It was starting to sound like this might actually be a yes.

Chancellor Izunia hummed again. “I suppose it can’t truly hurt. Assuming you are accompanied at all times by someone who is well versed in combat, and you keep yourself armed. I will not have our Crown Prince without means of protection when our h onoured guests are able to summon weapons and magic from thin air.”

Prompto could hear Loqi click his heels together behind him. “Sir! I’ll be sure to keep His Highness safe during the proceedings.” He could see the picture perfect salute in his mind’s eye.

Chancellor Izunia made what could generously be called an ascending sound. “I’m sure you will,” he said with a smirk. He looked back to Prompto. “I’ll send the general day to day itinerary to your chamberlain, I trust that you will be able to make a more refined schedule for the two of you by the end of the month?”

Prompto nodded. “Of course, Chancellor Izunia. I’ll be sure to send it to you for your final approval.” Holy. Shit. It - no way, he said yes ! Wow, okay, he could do this.

Prompto and Chancellor Izunia both got up and bowed to each other. Prompto was barely aware of the pleasantries as they said goodbye.

“That went better than expected,” Loqi said when they were safely back on the elevator.

“I can’t believe it worked. I didn’t even need to bribe him. Oh damn, I forgot to actually bring something to bribe him with! I’m an absolute idiot. Hot damn, I need to prepare for this. What do you know about Prince Noctis?” Prompto ran a shaking hand through his hair.

“Not a hell of a lot.”

Next hurdle - find out things about Prince Noctis that were not fed through either the Lucian or Imperial propaganda lens.

That might actually be harder than getting Ardyn Izunia to agree with him…

Chapter Text

Noct looked at the folder before him in stunned silence. Ignis had been preparing him for a couple of days of being shown around Gralea by a bunch of random Niff handlers, but this?

“Why would Prince Prompto suddenly be the one to show me around?” Noct hoped he didn’t sound as whiny as he felt. He really didn’t want to have to deal with the Prince of Niflheim on top of having to play nice with the people who tried to take over his homeland, he’d much rather be eating glass than consorting with the people who tried to flatten his country. But no, they had to talk to each other and pretend that all the bad that happened between them never occurred. It was really tough, He had to constantly remind himself that they were going to be allies now. Even if he didn’t trust this treaty or the Imperial Family as far as he could throw them.

“I suspect that someone somewhere hoped that if the two of you got to know each other, then you might be less inclined to rescind the peace talks. Nothing breeds lasting peace like familiarity and understanding.” Ignis had that professional look that he got whenever Official Things were being discussed, his back straight and his hands clasped on the table between them. Within arms reach was a King's Knight mug Noct had got at the last launch event, filled with coffee of course. Noct loved that mug.

Noct picked up the open folder and looked at the left side page again. A photo of Crown Prince Prompto Aldercapt, the Emperor’s sole remaining heir, smiled up at him. Prince Prompto looked absolutely nothing like his grandfather.  Emperor Iedolas Aldercapt always had that eternally tired glare in every picture Noct had ever seen of the man. Prince Prompto, however, was all easy smiles and relaxed posture. Noct found himself a little envious at that, he himself always felt so stiff whenever anyone took his photo.

He lowered the folder again and glanced back at Ignis. “Do you know anything about him?”

“Not much. He served in the war with Brigadier General Tummelt, where the prince commanded the 104th Theatre Sustainment Brigade. It has been reported that he was instrumental in the Imperial victories in Cape Caem and their push past Mount Ravatogh.”

Huh. “Isn’t he also twenty? What’s he doing leading armies?” Noct had been preparing for the crown, yes, but he had yet to start his military training. His royal education had been focused on local affairs - how to deal with civilian unrest within the city, and how to work his way through the political minefield that was the Royal Parliament, and budgets and infrastructure and the day to day running of a country. The closest he got to military training was the intense training sessions he had with Gladio, but those were focused on one-on-one combat, not on leading battalions.

He supposed that he was starting his own personal unit of Crownsguard with Gladio and Ignis, but that would be mostly managed by his Shield. Maybe it was because he would be expected to stay in the capital and maintain the Wall if war broke out during his time as King? That people like Cor and Drautos would be left to run the military affairs?

Ignis fixed his glasses. “The Empire of Niflheim has mandatory military service for all citizens, including nobles and royals. This is a service they must complete between the ages of eighteen and thirty, whereas we in Lucis have no such mandate. Prince Prompto entered military service when he was eighteen, and by the time he was twenty he’d been put in a position of leadership of the 104th Theatre Sustainment Brigade, who specialise in logistics and support. Now that we are in peace talks, he has left his position there and gone back to Gralea. I suspect he will return to his post after the peace talks to finish his service.” 

Count on the Niffs to force their entire populace into the armed forces. Noct looked out the window of his high rise apartment when a loud thunderclap rang out. He pulled his hoodie a little tighter around him, the April rains left the air cold and damp even when inside the building. Noct idly wondered what it would be like to be forced out onto a battlefield in these conditions.

Not that it’d be an issue going forward, not if the treaty was going to be lasting. Then both Lucis and the Empire would only send their troops on training missions rather than to die in a war.

Noct looked away from the window and back over at Ignis. He could still hear the spring storm going wild outside his apartment. “What do you think he’s like?”

“Prince Prompto? Hard to know for sure—most of the information we have gathered thus far on the crown prince is what the Imperial Palace disperses to the public. He is reportedly an excellent shot, has a mind for mechanics and has a hobby in photography.”

“So he’s not into fishing and videogames?”

“Not to my knowledge, no.”

“And apparently also a big fan of Niflheim.”

“I think it would be safe to assume that Prince Prompto feels affection for his homeland, yes.”

“You think he was part of the decision to invade? Do you think he liked taking over our lands?”

“We must focus on the peace talks, Noct, not on what has passed. We are here to prevent more civilian deaths.”

Noct slumped down in his seat. “This is gonna be a long week….”

“I will try to arrange as much private time for you as I can, your Highness.”

“Thanks, Iggy.”

“But I also think this is a good opportunity to learn as much as you can about the future Emperor.” Of course Ignis would say that. Always gotta think tactically, gotta keep the advantage. “First hand experiences are worth so much more than second or third hand accounts, and this will be the first opportunity for anyone from Lucis to spend any sort of time with the future Emperor.”

Ignis took a sip of coffee before continuing. “There have been rumours going around that Emperor Iedolas’s health is failing; people are openly speculating how much longer he has left on Eos. Some say he won’t live to see the end of the year which, if that is the case, then it would behove us to get to know as much as we can about the next Emperor - it would be of great benefit to know who we will soon be dealing with,”

This sucked, he didn’t wanna be on a damn spy mission . It was dishonest and sneaky and the kind of stuff that someone would do to him to get information on his private life only for it to end up in a glossy gossip magazine. He didn’t like Prince Prompto, but even he didn’t deserve to have someone pry into his life with a secondary motive. 

Noct wondered if they were talking about his dad like that in Niflheim as well. The thought made him sick. “I don’t wanna snoop on a guy like that. I don’t want to get to know them just so I can take advantage of everything I learn about them later.” It felt slimy as all get out.

“That’s politics, Noct.” 

He didn’t have to say it with quite such a tone. “Politics suck.” Noct wanted to go back to bed. Thinking about these things made him so tired . He hated it.

Ignis made a humming sound in the back of his throat. “I will continue working with my counterpart in Niflheim to finalise your itinerary.”

“To make sure I spy on Prince Prompto as much as possible?” Noct shoved the folder over to Ignis. He didn’t want to pry into anyone. He didn’t want to spend time with people who were  considered an enemy not even a month ago. He was still trying to come to terms with the fact that they were to be allies now.

He just did not want to do anything with Prince Prompto. Didn’t want to see him, didn’t want to talk to him and definitely did not want to gather intel on him.

“No, Noct, to ensure you will always be accompanied by either myself or Gladio, so you will always have your comrades by your side. We will not leave you alone in this.”

Noct swallowed some of his anger down. Ignis was trying his best, he didn’t deserve getting his head snapped off like that. “Sorry.” 

“I fully understand, Noct. Try to get some sleep, we can discuss this further at a later time. I’ll arrange for someone to bring up dinner.” Ignis got up and grabbed his blazer from where he had trapped it over his chair. He put it on and grabbed his suitcase and an umbrella.

“Can it be a pizza?” Noct asked as he got up to follow Ignis to his front door.

“Of course,” he replied. “Meat lover’s again?”

“Yeah.” A breath. “Thanks again.”

“Always.” With that Ignis left the apartment. As soon as the door closed Noct felt extremely alone and deflated and tired . He walked back over to his kitchen table and looked at the folder that Ignis had left there. He might as well read up while he waited for his dinner to come, take some notes, and prepare himself for what was to come.

Now that he thought about it with a cooler head, Prince Prompto was probably gonna be trying to get to know him better for ‘tactical reasons’ too. He was suddenly grateful that Ignis was preparing to have him surrounded by his two most trusted companions at all times - they’d be able to catch if anyone tried anything.

He’d be ready for this.

Chapter Text

Prompto barely had any opportunities to spend proper quality time with his grandfather since the war ended and honestly, he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. When he was a kid his whole family used to try and share a meal once a day, though the older Prompto got, the less frequent those meals became. It took a long time for family meals to not feel oppressively empty and sad after his parents died. Both he and his grandfather had taken the loss hard and rather than share in the grief, his grandfather isolated himself for a very long time. Prompto, on the other hand, had thrown himself into his photography and shared his work on his not official social media account. He had tried to make new social connections where he could, making friends with Loqi in their shared trips to the shooting range.

So when someone had brought his grandfather’s invitation to share a dinner together, Prompto was rather surprised. He was in the middle of an Assassin’s Creed mission, which he quickly wrapped up before shutting down his gaming console. He took the time to get changed into something more formal–the Emperor had always told him that he needed to look like someone the people would be proud to follow. Even though his personal standards had slackened during his time in Lucis, Prompto did not want to show up to dinner and immediately disappoint his grandfather by dressing like a shlump.

Dinner had been set up in the drawing room rather than the formal dining room. Prompto didn’t mind, he much preferred the smaller space. The windows were large and tall and south facing, letting in all sorts of fantastic light. Prompto had done photoshoots there on more than one occasion, especially of smaller delicate detailed items. The lighting was just perfect for catching all those small details. He had even started trying to turn this room into a makeshift greenhouse full of flowers and palms and even a mango tree. Sure, the palace did have a beautiful greenhouse that was open to the public, but Prompto wanted a little bit of garden to call his own. He was particularly proud of the large sunflowers he had managed to coax into growing by the window. He wondered if his grandfather had ever noticed that they were in his mom’s hand painted flower pots. 

But now the table was set, and instead of flowers the room smelled of onion and garlic and fresh baked bread. Prompto could see out the window, the light of the setting sun was making beautiful shapes and shadows in the palace gardens. He could see that someone had put the Niflheim flag in the room, one that wasn’t there on normal occasions. Which, odd? Usually they did that when something formal or official was about to happen. This was supposed to be an informal dinner, right? Just some family bonding after an eternity apart?

This was more suspicious than an invitation from the Chancellor for a spot of tea.

The stew was really good in Prompto’s opinion - he was using almost all his self control to not wolf it down. Just an absolutely delicious beef stew with carrots and potatoes and someone had thrown in extra chilli flakes for him to make it a little bit spicy. Delicious. His grandfather, however, was eating his meal with small, almost delicate bites. Much more delicate than usual. Doubtless he had no chilli flakes in his since the Emperor had been ill for some time now.

“I heard that you had resumed your hobbies of late.” Prompto swallowed and looked up at his grandfather. It was usually Prompto who would bring these things up, to start talking about his recent favourite video game, or how he went for a jog around the gardens making sure to stop to feed the ducks in the pond. His grandfather never showed much interest before, paying much more attention to all of Prompto’s shortcomings and failures as the future emperor

“I uh - what?”

“Your photography. Calligo Ulldur mentioned that you were taking pictures again.”

“Uh, I guess? Been trying to get back to normal after, well, you know.” Prompto took a piece of bread and dipped it in his stew before eating it. He could not remember his grandfather ever bringing up his hobbies before. It was nice.

“That’s good.” He nodded approvingly and let the entire conversation fall. Prompto squirmed in his seat, he had never been good at small talk with his grandfather. Sure, he could talk the ear off Loqi and Wedge, but the Emperor? Honestly, even Chancellor Izunia was easier to have a conversation with.

Usually.

His grandfather had been acting strange ever since Prompto had returned home. Although when he thought about it, his grandfather had started acting off before he came home. The war had been going in the Empire’s favour, they had made great strides in taking the Lucian lands, and after a very decisive victory in the Ravatogh area Prompto had received a call to come home, that they would start peace talks between their nations. Some nights he wondered if he had done something wrong, if he had shamed his grandfather or his family or the Empire or something . Why would they agree to peace when they were winning? Wasn’t the point to get the Crystal so they could study it and then build their own anti-daemon fields?

His grandfather started coughing, startling Prompto out of his thoughts. He grabbed a nearby napkin to hold over his mouth and after the coughing fit was done, Prompto was sure his grandfather looked more pale, leaving his mouth looking red. A servant came to take the soiled napkin and provide a fresh one before standing off to the side again, fading back into the scenery.

“It has come to my attention that you did actually manage to get Izunia to sign off on your little scheme.” Ah yes, talk about matters of state and the Imperial Family. This is what he was used to.

“Oh! Uh, yeah, I’ve been trying to work out an itinerary with uh, with Loqi. He’s been giving me his uh… his uncensored opinions.” Prompto stuffed another spoonful of stew into his mouth. In his haste a bit got on his chin which he quickly wiped away before his grandfather could say anything.

“Do not let your subordinates dictate your plans. Remember, they are there to advise, but you ultimately will be the one making the final decisions.” Prompto looked up to his grandfather and shoved his dirty napkin next to the bowl.

“Uh. Yeah.” his brain took a moment to reboot. “I mean, yeah, Loqi’s helping, but he’s just being a bas – I mean, he’s sharing his thoughts on the matter, reminding me what the possible downsides of any suggested activities would be.” According to Loqi, everything Prompto suggested had a downside and the guy was too much of an ass to provide any solutions or alternatives. Go to the botanical gardens? Well, that might make it look like you are trying to isolate the prince from his retinue! Spend some time exploring historical sites? Do you know how easy it is to assassinate someone in those old temples? So many blind corners. Dinner? Poisoned food!

The Emperor snorted. “I openly believe that Brigadier General Tummelt is being a bastard , his father was one as well. That man was a very accomplished commander and I valued his insights. We worked quite well together, much like you and Loqi. He will serve you well.” Prompto nearly choked on his stew. That might have been the first time that he heard his grandfather swear.

Prompto swallowed before replying. “He’s an asshole and a jackass, but he hasn’t led me into anything horrible yet. He was really helpful in Ravatogh - he wasn’t shy to let me know when I was making a real dumb call. He’s the reason we didn’t lose more people over there.”

“You all served the Empire with honour and pride.” Prompto was too shocked to bask in the praise. “You handled the situation as a true Emperor would.”

“I - I mean. I had everyone there to help, it wasn’t all me.”

“You knew when to accept help, Prompto. You carried yourself with confidence we both know you do not actually have. You have comported yourself with distinction.” the Emperor took a deep, shaking breath. “I did not always think you would be the best man to carry on the Aldercapt dynasty, but you have proven yourself not just to me, but to the whole of the Empire.”

Prompto felt weak. He had no idea how to respond to that. Yeah, he knew he wasn’t exactly what everyone had hoped for, that most people were more than a little upset that his parents had been killed in the war, but hearing that he was actually measuring up to his grandfather’s expectations regardless of how much he always messed everything up was… yeah. It was kinda nice.

“Thanks.” Well. That was not eloquent, nor did it come close to conveying how he felt, but it would have to do for now.

“I expect you to continue this trend when our guests come to visit.”

“You mean the Lucian delegation?”

“Indeed. If you are to host Prince Noctis and show him around the area, I expect you to act with all the decorum that someone of your status demands.”

“Yes, grandfather.”

“Make sure that they know you were there in the war, and that you were responsible for that decisive victory in Ravatogh.”

“But I didn’t-”

“That matters not. You will be sure to let them know that it was under your command that those battles were won, and that you served your country out there. Remember, Prompto, that King Regis and his son spent the entire war hiding behind their wall, that they sent people to die in their stead while they sat in safety. Our family left Gralea, and we all fought for the glory of the Empire. Your father and mother died in that war, trying to gain access to something that could help our people stay safe during the night.” Iedolas’ intense gaze was becoming too much for Prompto. He looked down at his stew and stirred his food with his spoon. He was starting to think he understood why his grandfather had agreed to let him guide Prince Noctis around the Imperial Palace—this was his way of showing off to King Regis that Prompto was going to be the better Monarch.

As if he didn’t have enough pressure

“I hope you will not make a mess of this for the Empire, Prompto.” his grandfather said to him, his eyes tired and lidded before he once again coughed into a handkerchief.

Gods above, Prompto hoped so too. 

Chapter Text

Noct would never admit it out loud, but sometimes the ease with which Gladio was able to talk with people left him feeling envious. Noct had never been good at interacting with people, either socially or politically, while Gladio was great at getting everyone to like him and Ignis could talk a daemon into a tanning bed. He was glad he had his retainers with him on this trip, they would always catch him if he made any political blunders. 

He looked around the refurbished dropship that the Empire had sent to pick them up. Lacking air transportation, the plan had originally been to travel to Tenebrae via ship and then take a private train the rest of the way, but apparently the Niflheim Chancellor had vehemently been against that idea saying that he refused to upend travel for thousands of people to accommodate the Royal Retinue. They had offered to send a fleet of dropships to bring them to Gralia, staying that the journey would be faster and much more smooth, and would impede no one as the things were not being used to ferry troops around anymore.

No one had been particularly thrilled about the idea, but when Niflheim had offered to send the ship over with only a skeleton crew large enough to man the vessels, Lucis had finally agreed. The Lucians would have more armed guards than there would be Imperial soldiers, and that was deemed safe enough.

The inside of the ship must have been hastily redecorated, or it was used by high ranking officials, maybe even Prince Prompto himself. Though it lacked windows and all the walls were hard metal and the ceilings had bare bulkheads with exposed wires, the actual furniture was actually surprisingly nice. The chairs were leather and soft and swivelled, with each chair having its own seat belt. Many of the seats were set around a large wooden oval conference table. Noct noticed that it had small carved dragons round the edge. They had brought out lunch not too long ago. When Noct asked about sleeping arrangements the crew member told him that they would be landing well before nightfall.

They weren’t kidding when they said that it was significantly faster to go by air than it was going by sea.

Noct could see his father deep in conversation with his advisors at the end of the conference table. He thought about going to join them but could not find the energy to do so. No, he was gonna sit here and enjoy what he had left of his life before he took on the burden of the Ring.

Gladio had been talking to Commodore Highwind for the past half hour and they seemed to be really enjoying themselves. He could hear them laughing loudly from time to time, being chummy in a way Noct felt recent enemies should not be.

Noct looked back down at his phone. He had made an account on Bluetalk - the Imperial version of Khwetter in so far as he could tell, and had found what many of the soldiers on this flight had claimed was Prince Prompto’s ‘incognito’ social media account. It was apparently an open secret that he posted as Quicksilver so naturally Noct had to go see what kind of stuff this guy posted about. Might find some things that they could talk about when they were stuck with each other.

He had been prepared for lots of posts about national pride, and various propaganda content, and maybe even anti Lucis posts, but no, the only thing on there were photos of landscapes and bees and flowers. It was almost an ode to the beauty in this world and Noct hated to admit it, but the pictures were actually really good. The most recent ones had been of a pond in the Imperial Palace, if the description under the image was to be believed. There was a really fancy white building with gold accents and red banners in the background in any case. It was much nicer than any of the Imperial strongholds that had been hastily erected in Lucis during the war. It seemed serene, even in its ostentatious and absolutely not what Noct had imagined the Imperial Royal Family would live in. For some reason he had pictured them living in a metal fortress made with the same sharp corners and hard floor that the drop ship he was currently on.

It seemed absurd now that he actually thought about it. There was no reason to believe that all Niflheim architecture had to be of the same make as their war fortifications and their war vessels. This country had existed for almost as long as Lucis had, they obviously had older buildings. And things that did not relate to war.

Ignis was sitting not too far away, looking over the itinerary for the week. The plans had not been finalised until quite recently and Ignis had been stress-baking to deal with the lack of solidified plans for the past month. There had been a slight disagreement on whether the Nox Fleurets should be there as well. In the end they had decided that Luna would be staying at Fenestala Manor, while Ravus would be accompanying the party.

Noct sighed and continued scrolling through Quicksilver’s feed. He stopped when he got to a series of photos of Mount Ravatogh at sunrise. Noct had never been there. It struck him then that Prince Prompto had probably seen more of Lucis than Noct had. He’s mostly been inside Insomnia all this time. The first time he remembered leaving, the motorcade had been attacked, and the time after had been to visit Luna and Queen Sylva to get that wound healed.

It was odd that the Prince of Niflheim had seen more of his homeland than he had. He needed to fix that. Maybe he would, after the peace treaty, with Ignis and Gladio. Meet the people, see the land, find out what life was like outside Insomnia.

Noct was startled out of his thoughts when Gladio and Aranea laughed again. He looked up and saw Gladio waving to the Commodore and coming back to their seats. He nodded at his Shield as the man threw himself into the seat next to him with all the grace of a falling boulder.

“Had a good time?” Noct asked, not stopping his scrolling. He saw a photo of the town of Cape Caem, a lovely looking town right by the water. Niflheim banners hung where Lucian ones should be. There were people in the streets continuing on with their days, seemingly unconcerned with the Imperial soldiers stationed around the city.

“Yea. Aranea’s got a wicked sense of humour. You should’ve come with - I’m sure you would have had a better time than sitting here alone with your phone.” Gladio crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair.

“Nah, I'm good. Was just looking at some stuff.”

“Oh?” Gladio looked over at Noct’s phone. “Where’s that?”

“Apparently the harbour at Cape Caem. Prince Prompto liked taking pictures of his incursion into Lucis.”

“Psh, like taking trophies?”

“I… guess?” Noct looked at the text description. “ Cape Caem has got to be one of the most beautiful towns I have seen, it rivals Altissia for its beauty. I am truly lucky to have seen it ,” Noct read out for Gladio to hear.

“That’s nice for him.” Gladio looked away from the phone again.

Noct pressed the power button and put his device away once he was sure the screen had gone fully black. “You’re not a fan of this whole forgive and forget thing we’re doing?”

“I’m a fan of the treaty. But that doesn’t mean that they didn’t try to take over, and it doesn’t mean that they might not try something when we’re there. You gotta keep your guard up.”

Noct nodded. “Ignis said to be careful that I’m not too obvious about it though, cause that might offend people.”

“Well, their attempt to take over all of Lucis offended me, so I can’t say I’m overly concerned about Niff feelings.” Noct frowned at the use of the slur and squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, looking for something to say. Gladio broke the silence for him though. “You ready to see them?”

Noct looked up at his friend. Who in the hells was he talking about? “The Aldercapts?” he guessed.

“Yea.”

“Uh. Not really? But it’s not like we have a choice.”

“Guess not, unless you wanted to keep fighting ‘em with their guns and their cannons and their drop ships and their gods be damned mech suits . Titan’s balls, someone in their R&D department watched too much Power Rangers when they were a kid”

Noct wished desperately that these drop ships had windows he could look out of insteal of unpainted metal plates and harsh neon lighting. “Why do you think Emperor Iedolas asked for a ceasefire? By all reports that I read, they were winning.”

“Wish I knew.” There was a tense silence between them. Eventually, Gladio spoke again. “I don’t trust it, though.”

Noct nodded. “Do you think we’ll need to invest in military research as well?”

Gladio looked up, surprised at the question. “Whaddya mean?”

“Well, I mean, we’ve been able to ward off invasion with our magic for what, two thousand years? But now, like you said, Niflheim’s got all this tech that kinda rips right through our magic. We can’t make new mages nearly as fast as they can make new tanks .”

Gladio was silent for a moment. “The Niffs sure know how to take the soul out of a fight, huh?” he said quietly. Noct thought that anything that resulted in mass loss of life was inherently soulless, be it via magic or technology. “I don’t want to use that kinda tech, but I think that’s something for Darutos and Leonis to worry about. I’m not running the military, only your safety.”

Noct nodded.

The ship lurched a bit and then he heard someone say over the intercom, “We are about to land in Gralea. Please return to your seats and put all your belongings in a secure location.”

“Guess this is it, huh?” Noct was starting to really feel unwell. He was so worried about having to be social this week, of having to entertain Prince Prompto, of saying something that caused the entire treaty to be called off. He did not want to be the one to re-sour relations between Lucis and Niflehim.

“Don’t worry Noct, both me and Ignis ‘ll be there with you.”

Noct sent a shaky smile to his friend. “Thanks.”

“Ever at your side.”  

Chapter Text

Prompto was nervous and the people around him were not helping. He had been preparing for this week for the past what felt like forever, and now that it was here Promptro’s brain seemed keen to replace all his plans with images of how everything could go horrifically wrong and his grandfather was sitting there being tired and smug and the Chancellor was being his usual weird ass self and Ravus was extremely busy glaring at everything and Loqi was keen to point out how everything would go wrong and it was all gonna fail and how could he ever think that he would ever be able to pull anything off and —

Okay, yeah, time to chill for a hot second.

The party was waiting inside a lavishly furnished side room near the dropship landing pad by the parliament building. Prompro knew there was a rapidly growing group of reporters out in the event hall, and even more gathering near the landing pad outside, all with hopes of getting some good photos or footage of the meeting of the Emperor and King. This would be the first time that a member of the Lucian Royal Family would be setting foot on Imperial soil in living memory and people were rather excited to see the event live. Prompto wasn’t sure if the hype was higher for the meeting or the peace treaty. It could have been both.

What he wouldn’t give to be one of those reporters, camera in hand, trying to get the best angles of this meeting. But no, he had to be one of the people in the damn pictures. Always the photographed, never the photographer. What a miserable existence…

“Prompto, stop fidgeting.” Prompto’s head shot up and he looked over to his grandfather. There had been a short debate whether or not the Emperor should be at the landing considering his failing health, but his Grandfather had been adamant that he should be there. ‘It would not do for the leader of the nation to be absent regardless of their health status,’ he had said. ‘That was something King Regis would do.’ After that statement, Chancellor Izunia was quick to agree, and once the Chancellor was on board it was useless to try and persuade them otherwise. It was easier to convince mountains to get up and move than talk both those people out of something when they were in agreement.

So here they were, with Prompto not only worrying about how he would screw everything up, but also worrying about his grandfather keeling over. Man, it would be super duper awkward if there was a demise in the week of the Lucial delegation’s visit. Niflheim would have to have a month of mourning and then a coronation ceremony and then who would then end up signing the treaty this week? Or would that be put off till after he became Emperor? Would Chancellor Izunia sign? Would Prompto sign it while still being the Crown Prince?

Ugh, that would be the absolute worst case Future Prompto Problem. But that was one of the many possible ways that everything could go wrong - right now, he was dealing with Present Prompto Problems, like not looking as nervous and cataclysmic as he felt inside. 

Easier said than done.

“Your Highness, I assure you that everything is well under control.” Chancellor Izunia’s voice somehow able to calm him and also at the same time stress him out even more. Prompto took a deep breath. If nothing else, the Chancellor would be able to take care of things if the worst were to happen. It was actually oddly comforting, knowing that someone that shrewd was currently on his side, even if the man was an absolute wild card on the best of days.

Prompto nodded. “Just trying yo get all the lil jitters out before our guests arrive is all.”

“Try to calm your breathing. Remember, we are in a position of superiority in this exchange.” His grandfather coughed into his ever present handkerchief before continuing. “Should the treaty go poorly, the Lucians know that we have the military might to bring them to heel. It is by our benevolence that we allow them continued existence.”

Prompto nodded, even if he disagreed with the sentiment. Sure, they were the mightier nation, but there was no need to continue sending people off to die to prove that point. He had seen too many men and women mangled by Lucian’s blades and magics to want to continue throwing people at that fight, regardless of the fact that they would win in the end. Prompto didn’t think that victory was worth people’s lives.

Peace was the goal. Lasting peace. He was going to prove to Prince Noctis that they would be able to get along and see eye to eye and work through their problems together instead of having others die because they wanted to measure who’s was bigger.

Gods be damned but he really didn’t want to keep fighting. What if Loqi was the next to die? No, not happening.

He looked over to his friend who was standing by the gaudy white and gold door, quietly talking with Ravus Nox Fleuret. Prompto sighed and leaned back into the soft white couch, taking a few deep, calming breaths. His grandfather sat opposite him in a matching chair, a low coffee table between them with small snacks and a pot of cooling tea. The Chancellor was off to the side, batting away someone who came by to fix his eternally askew tie. Prompto looked on a bit enviously, wishing he could slap away people who tried to make him look presentable to the public. He pulled at his very stiff red and gold collar which was wrapped very neatly around his neck.

“I just. I dunno, Grandfather. I’m starting to…” He sighed, trying to calm his thoughts. “I don’t want a bunch more people to die cause I’m bad at being a good host.”

The Emperor’s face was gray and tired. “I remember when I first started taking on more and more of my father’s duties. It was…. rather overwhelming, but with my allies around me I soon came into my own. Granted, I was a bit older than you when I took over the throne, but unfortunately your parents are not around to give you more time to learn your role.” His grandfather was a lot more kind and supportive these days. Prompto sometimes was sad they would not have had this kind of relationship earlier. Why did it take his grandfather’s looming death for them to finally reconnect?

Prompto sighed. “I just. I don’t wanna let you down. Or the people. I want peace, one that lasts more than three days, and a healthy trade agreement that will continue to lift everyone into a safer, more stable tomorrow. What if I say something to Prince Noctis and I mess everything up?” He ran a hand through his perfectly styled hair, causing it to pop up in odd directions again.

“I don’t believe Prince Noctis has the power to declare war,” came the bored sounding reply from Chancellor Izunia. “And besides, unlike you, His Highness has been living the life of a regular citizen rather than preparing for his future role. It’s quite likely he won’t even notice if you slip up with your formalities from time to time.”

“I–right.” He needed to remember that. Prince Noctis had been living a completely different existence than he had.

“His retainers, on the other hand, have been preparing for their roles since they were children. They are the ones you should be careful with.” 

Great.

There was a sudden bustle of communication then, phones pinging and staff almost materialising out of the walls - someone must have sent word that their guests were about to land. Prompto’s grandfather looked at the commotion and got up, his posture tall and professional. A butler came to verify that nothing was out of place, and to give him a bit of foundation to take the gray hue out of his face. It definitely made him look healthier. 

Someone came to Prompto as well, making sure his usually unruly hair was once again combed and patted down. His cuffs were readjusted and a small discreet receiver was placed in his ear. He’d be able to hear someone give advice throughout the evening, letting him know who people were in case he forgot any names, as well as what they did and if they had any important family to mention. 

Chancellor Izunia casually adjusted his tie, put his beat up old hat on his head, and started walking towards the landing pad to greet the Lucian delegation. One of his aides managed to snatch the battered old thing off his head just before they arrived in front of the press. Prompto quietly wondered to himself if that person was gonna get fired or not.

The Emperor had led the small party, flanked by High Commander Ravus and Brigadier General Calligo Ulldor, followed by Prompto and Loqi, and then Chancellor Izunia as well as some other high ranking members of Parliament and more security. They walked down an aisle made by Marines in their dress fatigues, all of them holding polearms with rifles at their sides.

Sitting on the landing pad was a modified dropship whose engines were slowly starting to die down. The bay doors were opening, revealing a delegation of people dressed in all black. At the head was an older looking gentleman with a simple crown and a cane who Prompto immediately recognized as King Regis. Beside him stood a younger man, with black hair and strikingly blue eyes. Prince Noctis, even if he didn’t look anything like the photos he had seen before. He looked extremely uncomfortable in his situation. Both were dressed for official business. Behind them was what Prompto assumed was the higher ranking members of the Kingsglave, if he remembered properly. He recognized Clarus Amicitia, the Shield to the king, and Gladio Amicitia, the Shield to the Prince. There was also Ignis, the Prince’s chamberlain who, according to what Prompto was told, was the one who wielded most of the power around Prince Noctis.

They started descending the ramp, the King leaning heavily on his cane. Prompto had been told that the King was also ill, that the strain of the magic he wielded was starting to affect him, but seeing him lean more on his cane than his grandfather ever did made Prompto wonder if maybe he wanted peace in order to not die. He couldn’t blame the guy,

There were flashes going off all around them, cameras taking pictures for posterity, and cameras recording everything. Prompto had zero doubt live footage going out for the citizens of the Empire to follow to celebrate this momentous occasion. If he had bothered to actually read up on the broadcasts of the day he would probably know, but also not knowing meant there was a possibility that there was no live feed, and that things would be edited in post, and that brought a small measure of calm to Prompto’s chest.

His grandfather walked up to King Regis once he was on level ground, and the two shook hands before turning to the crowd of gathered journalists for a photo opportunity. Their hands stayed clasped and the Emperor had put his hand on King Regis’s shoulder. They were both smiling, even if it seemed really forced to Prompto. He walked up to stand next to his grandfather, while Prince Noctis went to stand beside his father for further photos, before the two princes finally walked up to each other to shake hands as well.

“Prince Noctis, a pleasure to finally meet you,” Prompto said as they clasped hands. He bowed ever so slightly as he said it, a show of respect but not of submission.

“I hope that this week will prove mutually beneficial to both our countries, Prince Prompto Aldercapt,” Prince Noctis replied. His responding bow was a bit clumsy and lower than it should have been, something the press were sure to pick up on. Prompto thought Prince Noctis looked more nervous and uncomfortable than he felt, which was honestly impressive.

They both straightened and posed for a bit for photos much like King Regis and his grandfather had done. Prompto could feel the stiffness in Prince Noctis’s hand, the guy was clasping it as though in a death grip. Prompto tried very hard not to let the pain he felt as his knuckles git crushed show.

The king and emperor turned and started walking towards the press room, and the two princes followed closely behind, their prospective members of state and bodyguards close behind.

Prompto turned to look at Prince Noctis as they walked. The guy looked ready to turn into a rock. Maybe he wasn’t used to press conferences? “Don’t worry, after this big to-do we’ll have some time to exist without all the cameras.”

Prince Noctis looked up. “What?”

“I mean, you look like you’d rather be anywhere else, and soon you will be!” Prompto tried to give Prince Noctis a reassuring smile. Prince Noctis started putting his hands in his pockets and hunching up his shoulders before aborting the action, as though maybe remembering where he was. He put his hands back at his side and became almost stiffer as he walked.

“I just…” The prince let out a long sigh. “Yeah, it’s been a long trip.” He sounded so crestfallen. Prompto wondered if it was because of the way the war ended, or because he needed to be in ‘enemy territory’, or if it was because King Regis also seemed to be really sick.

Prompto supposed there was no use speculating. The important thing was that the guy he was supposed to show around was giving vibes of not wanting to be there. Prompto tried again to get the guy to feel a bit more at ease. “I’m looking forward to having a nice snack after all the speeches. I think there’s gonna be a charcuterie board with fresh fruits!”

Whatever Prince Noctis said in return was drowned out by the roar of the crowd as the emperor and the king took to the stage. The two princes waited a short moment before following them and taking their places behind the two older men. Prompto caught the pointed stares from Prince Noctis’s retainers, their eyes cold and hard and distrustful. Amazing.

Prompto feared that this was going to be one long ass week. Showing around someone who obviously didn’t want to be here along with his two distrusting besties was going to be so demoralising and exhausting.

Maybe his Good Idea was actually a Bad Idea… 

Chapter Text

The week had started off so horribly. The flight sucked, his dad was looking even worse than he had before and now he needed to be shown around by the guy who helped take over parts of his country. Yeah, most of the territory was to be returned to Lucis, but under conditions and stipulations , and that was just insulting. It felt wrong that the people who were agreeing to retreat could do so while telling them how to gouvern. 

Noct had not known what to make of Prince Prompto; the guy seemed genuinely open and friendly and excited about just about everything. There had definitely been a few culture shocks and miscommunications and misunderstandings, but the worst so far was when Noct said that he thought Niflheim was a snowy hellscape all year round. It wasn’t because he was being offensive - in fact Noct was starting to wonder if he could offend Prince Prompto - but because he felt embarrassed about the fact that he could have ever thought those things.

They were out in the Imperial Palace’s gardens, Prince Prompto showing where the duck pond from the photo on his Bluetalk was taken, when Noct had accidentally let that thought slip out. There had been a tense moment as Ignis started preparing for any potential fallout from this gaff, but Prince Prompto had just laughed.

“Man, it sometimes feels that way!” he said between giggles. “It does get cold enough to freeze your ba - I mean, to freeze over Ifrit’s Hellfires in the dead of winter, but uh, we do get summers too.”

“Oh. When I looked at the photos, it was always snowy here though.”

“Well, we’d need some warm seasons to grow crops and all that. Can’t support a populace in an eternal winter.” Promp – Prince Promptro had been very friendly about the whole thing. Noct thought the guy even winked at him just now.Noct was discovering that Prince Prompto seemed to be friendly all around. 

“We don’t really have winters with actual snow in Lucis.” Noct admitted. “We’re lucky if we get a half inch that stays on the ground for more than a day.”

Prompto sniggered. “We get mad snow here, and our snow removal services here are next level. I should show you a video some time - basically we pile it all up on the sidewalks and then bring in massive snow blowers that chucks it into trucks before taking it to the snow dump.” He stared off into the sky, as relaxed in person as he looked in the photos Ignis had shown him. “I would kill for a milder winter sometimes.”

“Well-”

Prompto suddenly looked horrified. “I - I mean, not that I would! I meant it as a figure of speech! Like, you know, it’s raining cats and dogs, right? It’s not reall y raining animals, but it’s an expression of, like, how much something is, right? Not gonna go around murdering ‘n all that for a land that has mild winters, hehehehe…” Prince Prompto scratched the back of his head. It was awkward for sure. Noct was worried that whatever he said would only make it worse, so he said nothing. Thank the Astrals that Prince Prompto filled the silence. “But like, I mean, maybe next time we have some sort of official thing to do, if it’s in the winter, we should schedule it in Insomnia?”

“I dunno, I think seeing a mountain of snow sounds cool.”

“Pfft, all you see is white. All white, all the time. Actual hallways of seemingly endless snow.” Prince Prompto threw a handful of seeds for the ducks in the pond.

“Sounds fun.”

“Sounds terrible .”

“We don’t actually get big seasons in Insomnia; it’s on an island right by the ocean. Keeps our climate pretty much the same year round. Though Leide, the province right nearby, is an absolute scorching desert.” Noct didn’t want to mention that the last time he was in Leide it had been an absolute disaster. He still remembered the sound the cars made when the motorcade was attacked by that daemon. It had been unreasonably hot then too.

Not something to think about now.

“We get mad seasons here - minus a billion in the winter with more snow than you can shake a stick at, to over a billion in the summer. The caldera kinda traps the heat like you wouldn’t believe” Prince Prompto brushed his hands clean before clasping them behind his back and continuing their stroll through the Palace gardens. Noct could smell the pollen from the blooming flowers all over the place. He could hear Ignis, Gladio and Prince Prompto’s guard Loqi following not too far behind.

“Why did you guys decide to build a city in a caldera anyway?” It was something that Noct had idly wondered since he found out he had to visit Garlea for the peace treaty. 

“Well, besides the fact that it was easily defensible, has a natural wall and apparently the soil was really fertile, not to mention all the fancy hotsprings all over the place, it’s also rad as hell. You might think you’re badass for living on a bitchin island, but we live in a metal as fuck dead volcano .” If there had ever been a moment where Noct stopped seeing Prompto as the Crown Prince to the Niflheim Empire and started seeing him as Prompto , that would have been it.

The prince seemed to realise that he spoke without thinking a moment later and quickly followed up with a stammered, “Uh, I mean, um… Yeah. It’s uh, what I meant to say was that the caldera was defensible, had fresh water and also was fertile. Which are all things that are good for citizens….”

Noct thought he could hear Loqi whisper “For the love of all that is holy,” behind him.

He decided to ignore the muttering behind him. “Your ancestors built a city in a dead volcano cause it sounded like a badass idea?”

“Hells yeah they did!” Well, the guy recovered quickly from his momentary embarrassment.

“You’re not worried that the volcano might wake up again and explode your city away?” He probably could have said that with more grace, but he was starting to suspect that Prince Prompto was okay with being a bit more informal and relaxed.

Prince Prompto snorted and quickly put his hand over his face. “PFFT, says the guy who lives on an island that’s gonna get washed into the sea!”

“Hey!”

“Hehe, sorry.” He didn't sound sorry. “I – hehehe– I don’t think that - that Mount Niflheim’s gonna explode Gralea away .” He got his giggles back under control. “Besides, we do have lotsa seismic monitoring stations, and we keep a lookout for changes in the landscape and geochemistry. On the off chance this long dead volcano does decide to come back alive we’ll have warning before the city gets ‘exploded away’.” Noct wondered if Mount Ravatogh also had these seismic monitoring stations. Did they bother with live volcanos? He assumed yes. Just another thing he's going to have to figure out later.

They continued their walk through the garden, the two of them trading interesting facts about their homelands. Noct learned about all the ways that the Imperials used technology not only in battle, but also to improve their daily lives. Insomnia made a lot of luxury items, like Noct’s Audi R8, whereas Niflheim focused more on functionality. They liked things that could survive in all the various climes of the vast continent, apparently luxury and aesthetics took a back seat to that.

The next day Prince Prompto had made arrangements for the two to travel to Lake Nibel, an unreasonably blue, glacier-fed lake in the mountains east of Gralea. According to Ignis, the lake was in a national park, surrounded by acres of coniferous forest and several glacier capped mountains.

Noct didn’t feel like getting a geography lesson, so he didn’t bother asking what a coniferous forest was.

The trip out of the city really confused Noct. They just got in a couple of cars, Noct and Prince Prompto in a van with Ignis, Gladio and Loqi, and drove out of the city, going through the tunnels of the rim of the caldera.

“Where’s the border check?” Noct asked when they emerged on the other side of the tunnel. He could see more of the city sprawling on this side, smaller houses with bigger lawns, a river flowing nearby, and a great view of the valley below.

“What border check?” Prince Prompto asked.

“The border check for the city.”

Prince Prompto blinked a few times. “Uh, we left the inner city limits maybe three kilometres ago?”

“But… where were the guards? The –”

Ignis cut him off. “I do not believe that there is a hard border between Garlea and the rest of the Empire.”

What?

“Oh yeah, we don’t have that, all citizens can come and go from the city as they please.” Prince Prompto waved his hand back and forth, trying to illustrate his point.

“But then how do you keep your city safe?”

“By… by having guards? And a police force?”

“But how do you keep out the daemons and the monsters?”

“I mean, just about all settlements and cities are walled off and have massive anti daemon  installed for safety. We also have a defence force - men and women who patrol around civilised areas to keep an eye out for things like behemoths and coeurls, but monsters tend to not come to large civilised areas all that often. They only become a real nuisance in times of famine.”

“And people can just enter cities? Without being stopped and verified?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t they?” Prince Prompto sounded genuinely baffled. Noct didn’t answer that. He started thinking about Insomnia, and her wall. Did Lestallum also have a wall? Did you need to show your papers to enter that city as well? He needed to ask Ignis later. Noct was happy to let the subject drop. He felt Prince Prompto try to start a conversation a few times, but he kept deflating before speaking.

Prince Prompto spent the rest of the ride pointing out interesting buildings, telling small bits of historical facts and explaining why they had so many national parks. Apparently some of the tech they used turned out to be extremely harmful to the environment and Emperor Iedolas had sectioned off land to remain pristine and unaffected by the oil and gas spills. Prince Prompto explained that Magiteck was set to replace these massive polluting machines, but full implementation would take some time. Apparently a secondary scientific body was investigating the production of Magitek cores before they could be mass produced for the general public - for now they were still only available for military purposes. 

They did get to the lake after a few hours of travel through the Niflheim countryside. Noct was surprised how quickly the city gave way to forests filled with huge pine trees, massive mountains and exceptionally blue lakes. 

Their destination was absolutely beautiful, the kind of picturesque place you might see in a glossy magazine like the Meteor Geographics. When Noct left the vehicle he was met with cool, fresh air. Around him he could see trees stretching out in all directions. Looking back he could see a river running through the valley they had just travelled through and a winding dirt road. The lake that they were at was a shade of blue he would not have thought was possible.

Noct looked back at Prince Prompto, who was talking with Loqi and getting a camera out of a bag. He looked happy and excited. Noct looked at the lake and saw a dock with a boat by a small shack. 

He did have his fishing gear in his armiger…

Noct leaned over to Ignis while Prince Prompto was busy. “You uh, you think it would be rude to ask if I could go fishing?” he asked hopefully.

“Yes. Very.”

Noct scuffed his boot against the compacted dirt and tried not to pout.

Prince Prompto took that opportunity to trot over, camera in one hand and a bag in the other. “So like – oh wait I mean, uh, excuse me Prince Noctis, if I may have a moment of your time?”

Noct waved him off. “There’s no one around but us, you don’t need to be so formal if you don’t wanna.”

There was a small nervous laugh. “I guess I tend to get a bit uh, too casual at times hehe.” He scratched the back of his head.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

“Eh, I’ll worry just a bit. Don’t wanna say the wrong thing and then oops the war’s back on.”

Noct snorted. “Gonna take a bit more than you being casual to get us to back out of this peace agreement.” 

Prompto grinned wide in response. It made his freckles stand out on his face and Noct could not help but feel put at ease. The smile was wide and friendly and it made him smile back despite himself. “Anyway, I didn’t just bring you here to look at the view, though it is one of my favourite places in all of the Empire. My parents used to take me here all the time when I was a kid. We went swimming and boating and hiking around the woods. Took some of my first photos here too!” The excitement in his voice was almost infectious.

“Did you guys ever go fishing?” Noct asked hopefully.

Prom – Prince Prompto snorted. “My dad tried, but damn if sitting still for hours doing nothing is not the jelly to my jam. I figured you might wanna, though - I heard you’re big into fishing. Which is why I brought my camera.” He smiled and then looked around conspiratorially. “And my Steamdeck.” He held up his bag and gave it a little shake. Noct looked dumbfounded. What the hell was a Steam Deck?

Prince Prompto gestured for Noct to Follow. “Come on, the boats are down this way, and there’s also lunch!” He skipped off ahead to the small shack near the water, a disgruntled looking Loqi following close behind, muttering all the while. Noct blinked a few times before following.

“He’s energetic, that’s for sure. You think you’ll be able to keep up?” Gladio said as he stepped up next to Noct.

Noct snorted. “Definitely.”

“As long as His Highness doesn’t find a comfortable nook to nap in,” Ignis said as he started following Prince Prompto while fixing his glasses.

“HEY!” Noct shouted as he jogged to catch up.

They walked down the small foot path to the shack. Noct could hear the birds in the trees. There were butterflies fluttering near a bush. Far off on the other side of the lake he could see a waterfall.

“I’m surprised that we’re at this small shack, I kinda expected a massive resort all white and fancy like the palace.” Noct stuffed his hands into his pockets as they reached the small building. There was a small patio with some tables and chairs, all of it decked out with mountains of fresh fruits, steaming covered bowels and some bread rolls. Noct realized how hungry he was when he started smelling the food.

Prince Prompto was excitedly talking to Loqi - something about lighting and colour theory and exposure. He smiled again when he noticed Noctwho was taken aback by its genuine earnestness

“I dunno about you, but I’m starving.” He gestured to the seats. “Sit wherever, there’s no formal anything right now, I wanted to keep everything as easy and casual as possible, you know to contrast the big fancy todo we have to attend tonight. It’ll be nice to just be able to relax and chill and take it easy, ya know?”

Loqi crossed his arms and sighed with the air of a man who would rather be anywhere else. “Just sit down and relax, Your Highness,” he sighed. 

“Sorry Loqi!” Prince Prompto said.

“Okay,” Noct said at the same time.

They looked at each other, unmoving, for a moment before they both burst into giggles.

It was odd, being with Prompto was easy in a way that he had not had with anyone else. There was something about his demeanour that just clicked for Noct.

They sat down to eat, and Noct discovered that Prompto had a love for spicy foods that he had never seen before. They had leek soup and grilled mutton and regrettably no fish, even if the lake was right there . Noct made Prompto promise that if he caught a fish then they would prepare it and eat it. Prompto agreed, though Loqi insisted on watching the food preparations after Ignis offered his culinary services.

As they ate, Prompto showed Noct his Steamdeck. It was a portable console that was used to play computer and console games. Prompto showed the game he was currently playing, Assassin’s Creed, and explained that you are an assassin who is part of a secret society that runs around killing the baddies of the other secret society. Noct then showed him King’s Knight, a mobile game that he really enjoyed.

The rest of the day went by much faster than Noct would have liked. They went for a small boat ride together, Noct summoning his fishing pole to the absolute delight of Prompto, while their retinue in a separate boat following close behind. Loqi and Gladio seemed unhappy with the arrangement, but Ignis just seemed to stay cool and professional. How he managed to look so posh even when out on a rowboat in the middle of a lake was a mystery for the ages. Noct did end up catching a massive salmon that Ignis prepared and they all enjoyed. Even Loqi grudgingly admitted that the fish was well made and tasted ‘fine, I guess’.

When they got back to the Imperial palace the two princes had to part ways. Noct stuck out his hand for a shake goodbye, and Promto quickly took that hand and then pulled Noct into a hug. He could see Gladio tensing by the sidelines. Noct returned the hug, and he returned to his father and the rest of the Crownsguard with a quick “I’ll see you at the gala tonight.”

Prompto stood by Loqi, a big, beaming smile on his face, his hair askew after a day spent outside. “See ya then!” And with that he turned and disappeared.

Noct found himself looking forward to it. 

Chapter Text

The week had flown by faster than Prompto would have thought. Or liked. His grandfather was still alive, the peace treaty had been signed and all terms were agreed upon by both parties, and he didn’t once get a scolding from anyone.

(Loqi didn’t count.)

Overall, he was really happy with how things had gone. He had been prepared for everything to explode, for Prince Noct to be an absolute brat, for the peace talks to fall through and someone getting assassinated. Hell, he had even been prepared for Chancellor Izunia to start openly insulting King Regis and Prince Noctis to their faces.

Well, he actually kinda had insulted them, but he was a sneaky bastard about it, and really, what can you do when everything he said was open to interpretation and said during a speech? One that is being televised live? Gods above, Prompto thought he was going to die on the spot when the Chancellor started comparing Prompto to Noct.

But no, nothing came of it, the Empire loved the Chancellor’s speech and the approval rating for the Imperial family went up even more than it had when the cease fire had originally been announced. Noct never brought up what the Chancellor had said and Prompto was more than happy to follow that lead.

They were now saying their final farewells. Prompto had already given Noct his personal contact information, and Noct had installed King’s Knight on his phone with promises of how good the game was. Prompto had even signed up for Kwehtter on the condition that Noct also sign up for Bluetalk. He had been amused that Noct’s username was NoctGar. Not subtle there, buddy.

Prompto had given Nock a gaming console along with Assassin’s Creed and told him to play it, because apparently console games weren’t a thing in Insomnia? Well, the Gamestation was a Niflheim creation that came out in the past five years, so it kinda made sense that it had not made it to Insomnia.

Yet.

Noct said mobile games are better because people always have their phones on you and can just enjoy games whenever, but Prompto still believed that console games were the superior ones - you could fit so much more stuff in there. Better graphics, better engines, more content… Just overall better . But Noct was firm in his conviction and nothing Prompto had said or done had swayed him as of yet.

And now here they were, at the landing pad, the press once again snapping away. They might have met as reluctant allies but hot damn were they ever leaving as friends.

Prompto grinned up at Noctis. “So you promise that when I come visit, you’ll show me arcades?”

Noct laughed back. “Still can’t believe you don’t have those here.”

“Says the guy who never even touched a Gamestation.” Prompto started giving Noct a light punch in the arm, but then remembered that the departure was being broadcast live to all public television stations and clasped the other prince’s upper arm instead. “You know how it is, anything you made in the past 30 years sure as shi–I mean sure as sugar didn’t make it over here.”

The whine of the engines of the dropship was starting to get higher. “On the bright side, we’re gonna start some international trade, so maybe we can import some Monster Fighter Five tables to you.”

“Bro it sounds like an absolute plan !”

They hugged each other and Prompto gave a quick fistbump as Noct started backing up into the dropship, following his father and the rest of the retinue. “See ya round, Prince Prompto!” he shouted over the whine of the engines, waving as the doors started to close.

“Till next time, Prince Noctis!” Prompto shouted back. He retreated a safe distance to stand by his grandfather. He was looking tired and worn, but still satisfied. They waved and waited for the ship to leave, and then left for the quiet side room.

“It seems your planned week went well.” his grandfather said as they left the crowd of reporters behind.

“It did!”

The Emperor smiled. “I admit, I have not seen you this enthused in a long time. It brings my great joy to see you so animated again, though you should be a little more careful when in the spotlight.”

Prompto’s grin could not be dimmed, even by the gentle reminder that he had been a little too unprofessional this past week. “I just - it was a great time, Grandfather! I think I - I think we might be friends !”

His grandfather blinked a few times at that. “I - Well, I suppose you could have done worse than the Crown Prince of Lucis.” But you could have done better was left unsaid, but even that was not enough to take the wind out of Prompto’s sails. “Just don’t let it get in the way of any future dealings with Lucis.”

“I have Chancellor Izunia for that,” Prompto said as they closed the door behind them. The sound of the reporters was not muted and distant. “He’d sooner give his hat to a marble than let Lucis get the upper hand in anything.”

“You can count on him in that regard, yes.” The Emperor groaned as he was helped to his seat. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Prompto thought he looked particularly old and fragile at that moment.

He decided to sit next to his grandfather. He put one foot on the couch and leaned forward a bit to get a better look at his face. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to take care of everything. I won’t let you down!”

His grandfather put a bony, wrinkled hand on his shoulder and looked into Prompto’s eyes. He looked so tired. “I know you can handle this, Prompto. You did a good job this past week, and showed that you are capable of international relations. Your methods might be unorthodox, but they work. You have made a fine ally of Lucis.” His grandfather put his thin, bony hand on Prompto’s shoulder. “You made me proud. You and your friendship with Prince Noctis will hopefully bring about a long peace. I am glad I got to see it before my time is up.”

Prompto swallowed hard. It was uncomfortable to think about the fact that soon he would be alone in this world.

Though, he did have Noct now. A friend. An actual true friend who he didn't need to be formal with.

He felt a lot less alone.