Thank you so much for the amazing reviews for the last chapter! I'm so happy you guys are still enjoying this :)

Some serious action coming up in the next couple of chapters. I'm so excited to finally get to write it. One scene in an upcoming chapter is the whole reason I started this story.

I pretty much listened to one album on repeat while writing this chapter - Vessels, by Starset. An amazing album if anyone wants to give it a go!

OMG THE FFXV TSG TRAILER! All the feels! I absolutely can't wait for Episode Ignis! And FREE added story content? Holy crap. So much excitement!

Anyway, I hope you like the latest chapter. It's the longest yet!

Nyx Ulric motioned to his charge to stay hidden while he moved out of their current hiding spot. Explosions had been going off every few minutes in every part of the city, but this one had been particularly close and had come from in the direction of the Citadel. He crouched low and moved slowly away from the office building. A glance back showed no sign of a head of blonde hair and the soldier let out a sigh. For once the princess was going to listen.

The sound of screeching tires penetrated the air and Nyx frowned at it, wondering who on Eos was brave enough to try and escape the city by vehicle. Ever since the initial attack, Imperial dropships had started picking off any vehicles that they had spotted. An easier, and safer, option was on foot and stick to the shadows.

As it were, three dropships were hovering above one of the back entrances to the Citadel. It wasn't one that was well known, but Nyx had been told about it only a few weeks back.

Staying low, Nyx pulled out his daggers and gripped them tight and readying himself for the inevitable battle that was about to occur. He was on a very important mission; protect Lady Lunafreya at all costs. He had been on his way back into Insomnia with Lunafreya when the Empire first attacked. She was to eventually wed the prince, joining the two countries in marriage.

Well, obviously the whole marriage was a scam… Nyx thought. The princess had not been adverse to the marriage, and from what Nyx had heard, neither was the prince.

His attention was suddenly diverted to the present time as the reason for the screeching tires became very apparent.

The King's car, the Regalia came into view, racing along the street. It was followed by the prince's car, the Star of Lucis. Both vehicles were being hammered by Imperial bullets.

Nyx watched in fascination and then horror as one of the Imperial ships hovering nearby took aim and fired a missile at the Star of Lucis. Gods, he hoped neither the prince or king was in that car. The car swerved at the last second and Nyx let out the breath he was holding, only to suck in another as the missile detonated. The resulting explosion sent the Star of Lucis into an uncontrolled spin. It rolled upside down, sliding the across the asphalt for a few meters before catching on something and becoming airborne.

Seconds later, it crumpled into the building and exploded.

Nyx didn't hesitate. Sliding the daggers back into their holsters, he took off towards the crashed car, trying desperately to see if anyone had survived.

He reached the car in record time, quickly throwing open a back door and grabbing the sleeve of someone's jacket and pulled them out of the burning wreck. A shout of pain echoed as the man hit the ground with a thud. Nyx ignored that in favour of trying to pry open the front passenger's door. It was stuck, the metal having constricted when it hit the building.

Grunting with effort, Nyx managed to open the door far enough to peer inside to see if the occupants were breathing. He was shocked to see the driver of the car was none other than the Marshal of the Crownsguard; Cor Leonis.

Cor's eyes were open, but he was barely conscious, head lolling to the side enough so that Nyx was able to see the large gash on his temple. Blood flowed freely down the side of his face. Other than that, Cor seemed to be unscathed.

The passenger was actually conscious and alert and it took Nyx a second to realise who it was. Ignis Scientia, the prince's advisor and chamberlain. His glasses were askew on his face, thankfully unbroken. Pieces of glass were embedded in his cheek, most likely from the broken front windscreen. He was blinking back blood from where a particularly large shard had sliced open the skin above his right eye.

He had to hurry. Flames had started to lick at hood of the car, and Nyx wasn't comforted at the smell of gas in the air. They were bloody lucky the entire car hadn't gone up when the first explosion happened.

"Can you move?" he asked the two. He couldn't open the door far enough to get in. They were going to have to climb into the back or scramble over the broken windscreen and onto the hood, which was currently slowly being engulfed in flames.

"Yes, I believe I can," Ignis replied. "Marshal?" Cor didn't respond, his eyes having slipped closed. Damn it. At first glance it looked very much like a concussion.

"Hey! Ignis! Cor!"

Nyx started at the loud shout coming from the other side of the car. Cor jumped slightly, having forgotten about the guy he'd pulled from the back seat first. He straightened up, looking over the roof to see a young blonde man sprawled on the ground and trying desperately to get up.

"They're okay, kid!"

He turned back to the front seat as Ignis unclipped his seatbelt, wincing as he twisted his body sideways so he could wrench his legs out from where they were currently trapped. "I'm going to need some assistance in getting the Marshal out. If you wouldn't mind?"

There was a slight pause as Ignis caught his breath. "Prompto!" he called out, "are you alright?

Prompto – that was the kid's name. Wasn't he the prince's best friend?

"Yeah I'm okay!"

"I can't get your door open. It's either climb through to the back or try and get the Marshal's door open," Nyx explained. He glanced anxiously at the flames. "And we have to hurry."

Ignis nodded, "Alright. I need you to break the glass on the driver's side door. I will attempt to free the Marshal and then manoeuvre him out the window."

Nxy rounded the back of the car, ripping off his jacket as he went and wrapping it around his hand before slamming his fist into the glass.

Instantly the glass shattered (Nyx was surprised it hadn't broken in the crash) and brushed away any shards. Inside the car, Ignis summoned a dagger, the sharp weapon appearing in his hand in a shower of crystalline sparks. The royal advisor quickly slashed at the seatbelt holding Cor in place before leaning in, wrapping his arms around Cor's and started to haul the man out of the car.

Thinking quickly, Nyx slid through the window into the front seat and helped untangle Cor from the mess that was his side of the car. He had to tug at his legs a bit to get them free from under the destroyed dash. It would have been much easier had the steering wheel not been in the way.

"Is… is he okay?" the blonde kid – Prompto – asked as they finally got the Marshal out and lay him on the ground.

Nyx didn't honestly know the answer to that question. At a quick glance, Cor definitely had a head injury. A mild concussion by the looks of it. But there could be some internal injuries they weren't aware of.

Now that the three of them were safely out of the car, Nyx turned his attention to his surroundings. Surprisingly the Imperial ships had vanished from the airspace around them. Unease swept over him as the Glaive figured that they had gone after the Regalia, which no doubt housed the King and Prince.

"Here," a voice sounded from his right. Nyx turned to see Ignis standing there, a potion in his outstretched hand. Beneath the blood drying on his face, the wounds had started to knit back together. Behind Ignis, Prompto was helping Cor to his feet, the older man wavering slightly before straightening. "You have several lacerations on your arms."

Oh. Nyx took the potion cracked the bottle over his arms, watching as the healing magic washed over him and closed the wounds.

The car was engulfed in flames by this stage. Maybe another reason the Imperial ships left was because they thought the occupants of the car were dead. Surely if Nyx hadn't acted so quickly… he shuddered at the thought.

The Glaive turned to Cor. "Sir!"

"Soldier," Cor returned. "What are you doing here? I was under the impression most of the Kingsglaive were out at Insomnia's border."

"I was, Sir," Nyx replied. "But at the last minute I was tasked with another mission..." he trailed off.

Shit. He had completely forgotten that his 'mission' was currently hiding away in a nearby building. She was going to kill him.

Cor's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "And what mission was that? Who gave you the order?"

"I took on the mission myself. I thought the prince would appreciate that his bride-to-be was safe."

Several pairs of eyes widened.

"Lady Lunafreya is here, in Insomnia?" Ignis asked, aghast.

Nyx nodded. "I found her wandering outside the city limits. She was captured on her way to Altissia and brought to Insomnia with the Imperial Army. Don't know why. I was bringing the princess to the Citadel and to the king and prince when I heard the explosions. She's staying hidden in a building over there."

"Alright then," Cor said, walking towards the building as he processed everything he had just been told. They needed to proceed with the original plan, even though they were minus a vehicle. "We will collect Lady Lunafreya and make our way to the rendezvous point. It… might just take a little longer than originally planned. Thankfully the phone survived the crash, so I will make a call to His Majesty to let them know we are all in one piece and update them on our revised plans."

Prompto, still trying to get over the shock of the crash, stared blindly ahead. He was already desperately trying to process everything that had just happened, and to now find out that Luna was in Insomnia? It was almost too much.

"-okay?" He snapped his head up at the words, not realising that everyone was now staring in his direction.

"Huh?"

Cor's lips pursed into a harsh line as he let his eyes take in the kid's appearance. It was obvious that he wasn't handling everything well. His blonde hair was a mess, sticking up in every direction, no doubt due to the amount of gel he used. Dark bags hung beneath glazed and weary blue eyes, his face covered in dirt, bruises and dried blood. It wasn't until he looked closer that he noticed the trembling though.

"Are you okay?" he asked again, pleased when blue eyes tracked in his direction. Reaching out, he placed a hand on the kid's shoulder. "I know this has been tough, kid. But we've got to keep going."

"Y-yeah," Prompto stammered, a hand snaking up to rub at the back of his head. He gulped back the fear bubbling up his throat. He was terrified. Adrenaline still flowed through him from the crash, but it was slowly starting to ebb away, just leaving pure fear. "I-I'm okay. Don't worry bout me!" he finished with a grin. Just fake it till you make it… Out of all of them, he was the weakest link. He didn't have anywhere the training Cor, Ignis and Nyx did and even Luna was the Oracle. But he wanted to be strong for Noct…

"Nyx!"

Prompto jumped as a very feminine voice echoed out of the darkness. He stared ahead at the building entrance hey were currently standing in front of. How had they got there so fast? Man, he really needed to keep track of these things…

His thoughts stalled as the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on appeared before him like an angel. The angel was dressed in a white dress with black and silver embellishments. Several tears adorned the material, and dirt stained parts of the white dress dark. Her pale blonde hair was tied in an intricate hairdo, with a few strands of hair falling out in disarray. Pale skin was covered in dirt and a few bruises. She was a mess, but even with all that…

"Luna!"

Lady Lunafreya…

Prompto had wanted to meet Lunafreya ever since he had rescued her dog Tiny – Pryna – all those years ago. He owed her so much, as she was the one who finally gave him the confidence to do something about his body insecurities and if it weren't for her, he never would have befriended Noctis.

Nyx raced up to Luna, giving her a look over to make sure she wasn't injured in any way. Once he had determined she was okay, he turned to the others.

"Guys, meet the Princess Lunafreya of Tenebrae. Luna, this is Cor the Immortal, Marshal of His Majesty's Crownsguard." His hand motioned to each person as he introduced them. "This is Ignis Scientia, Prince Noctis' chamberlain and royal advisor. And this is-"

"Prompto!" Luna cut in, eyes sparkling with delight.

Prompto startled. She knew who he was? The next thing he knew, arms were wrapping around him in a tight hug and he stiffened at the sudden physical contact before forcing himself to relax and enjoy the embrace. Prompto let his eyes slide close as Luna whispered in his ear.

"I am so glad I finally get to meet you, Prompto."

"Me too," he murmured back, pulling out of the hug to stare into Luna's amazingly blue eyes. She was so pretty. Noct was lucky to have such a gorgeous bride-to-be!

"As much as this is heart warming, we really do need to get a move on. I'll call His Majesty and update him on the situation and then we will head to the rendezvous point."

Prompto looked over at Cor, who was standing next to Nyx and Ignis. In the dim lighting, he could see that they were all smiling.

"Heh, sorry bout that!" he apologised, cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Ready to go when you are!"

Luna's hand slipped into his own and she flashed him a dazzling smile as they started off into the darkness. "Let's go find Noctis!"

Noct continued to yell as the Regalia turned the corner and he was no longer able to see the fiery crash that had possibly claimed his friend's lives. He blinked and tears slipped free, sliding down his face and wiping away the dust and dirt in tracks.

The king watched as all fight left his son and he slumped back down in his seat. His head was bowed, hair falling into his eyes and clenched fists rested on his knees. Regis reached over and pulled his son into an embrace, gripping him tight as his body shook with sobs.

He didn't know whether the tears were for his friends in the other car, his recently discovered destiny or a little of both. The reason didn't matter. He just had to be there for his son.

The two Amicitia's in the front were silent as the king comforted the prince in the back. Gladio looked to his father, noting the tense purse of his lips as he drove through the darkened streets. They could still make out fires from the Citadel in the rear-view mirror and smoke billowed from several buildings. Roars and screams occasionally sliced through the air, the daemons still wrecking havoc around the large city.

Even though they had passed the initial blockade and surprisingly hadn't been followed, it didn't mean they were out of danger yet. The Imperial ships had a way of showing up at the most inconvenient times.

The sudden blaring of a phone's ringtone sounded through the silent car.

Gladio almost jumped out of his seat, cursing himself inwardly as he watched his father calmly pull the phone out of his pocket and place it in the holder on the dash, pressing the 'answer' key and turning the speaker phone on.

"Clarus?"

It was Cor.

In the back seat, Noctis shot upright, eyes wide as the Marshal's voice came through the speaker.

"Cor," Clarus replied. "Are you alright? Are the others okay?" He glanced in the rear view mirror to see Noct staring at the phone. His eyes were bloodshot.

"Yeah, we all made it out okay. Thanks to Nyx."

Noctis didn't even hear the last part. Ignis and Prompto were okay! He felt a couple of tears slip down his cheek, this time in happiness.

"Nyx? What's he doing near the Citadel? He was on border control the last I heard of him," Clarus was saying as Noct tuned back in.

"He was. Apparently he got sidetracked with another mission..." Clarus eased the car into a side street that hadn't been blocked by rubble, putting it in park but letting the engine idle in case a quick getaway was needed.

"Another mission?" Regis enquired, interrupting the conversation. "Cor, what happened? Are the Imperial ships still around?"

"Your Majesty, I'm glad to hear you are okay." There was a pause. "The ships disappeared not long after the car exploded… Sorry about your car, Highness." The last part was directed at the prince.

"As long as everyone is okay, I don't care," Noct answered.

"Everyone is fine. Nyx was stalking out a nearby building when he heard the crash and was able to get us all out before the car was engulfed in flames. He was-"

"-protecting me."

Noct gaped at the voice coming through the speaker and unbeknownst to him, his father mirrored the same expression.

"Luna?"

"Noctis! It is so good to hear your voice once again."

Regis was slightly dumbfounded. The last he had heard was that Luna was isolated in Tenebrae. She was to wed Noctis at some stage, but nothing had been set in stone. Yet here she was, in Insomnia of all places.

"She was found wandering outside the Wall, having escaped a Niflheim ship," Cor explained. "Nyx took her in and was bringing her to the Citadel to meet up with Noctis, Your Majesty."

"I'm glad you're safe, Luna," came the quiet voice of the prince.

"As am I, Noctis."

"We are without a vehicle now, so it will take us a little longer to make it to the rendezvous point I'm afraid," Cor explained. "Your Highness, there is someone here who would like to speak to you."

Noct frowned before reaching into the front seat and grabbing the phone off the dash. Turning the speaker function off, he brought it up to his ear.

"Highness?" Noct let out a siogh of relief. It was Ignis.

"Hey, Specs. You okay?"

"As well as can be. And before you ask, Prompto is fine. I'm sorry we don't have much more time to speak, I just wanted to ask how you are?"

Typical Iggy. Always thinking of him, even when it was them who almost got blown up. "I… I thought you were dead," he shuddered at the thought. "But I'm glad you aren't."

Ignis chuckled. "I too, am glad. We must be off now, but first-"

There was the sound of the phone being dropped. Someone cursed in the background but a few moments later-

"Noct!"

Prompto…

"Hey Prom! You okay?" Noct asked, unable to help the smile spreading across his face as his best friend spoke. They talked for a short moment before Ignis took the phone back.

"We must go now. Can you please place Clarus on? Cor wishes to speak to him. I will also give Luna your regards. She is eager to meet up with you."

Even with the dire circumstances, Noct couldn't help the slight blush that dusted his cheeks. "Sure, Specs. See you soon, yeah?"

"Of course, Highness."

"Bye."

Noct pulled the phone away from ear, closing his eyes briefly and steeling himself before handing the phone over to Clarus. "Cor wants to speak with you."

He tuned out a little after that, leaning back against the seat, exhausted. So much had happened in such a short time. The effects of the poison were still lingering and his mind churned with the idea of his supposed destiny.

"Are you positive it was her?"

Clarus was almost in tears.

"I'm sure Clarus. Iris got out. She's with Monica, Jared and Talcott. Nyx saw them at the Wall and managed to get them a car. They're heading to Lestallum with other refugees. Made plans to stop off at Hammerhead to see Cid first."

Noct had completely forgotten about the rest of Gladio's family… He was pleased to hear Iris managed to escape Insomnia. So many people hadn't… including Gladio's mother. It made him wonder about Prompto and Ignis' families. Had they made it out? If they didn't, were they still alive?

"Thank you for letting us know Cor."

Clarus ended the call and turned to his son. Gladio was staring at the floor, head bowed. He placed a hand on his shoulder, knowing that words were virtually useless at this stage. He glanced in the rear-view mirror at his King.

"I'm so sorry, my friend."

The Fall of Insomnia had claimed so many lives already, and it would take many more before it was over.

Well there you go! No major cliffhanger this time lol. Thought I would be kind :P

Only did a quick read-through before posting so if there are any errors, let me know :) I'm off to Oz Comic Con tomorrow to meet the glorious Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo from GoT, or Ronon Dex from Stargate Atlantis). Fangirling just a little haha.

Let me know what you think of the chapter! I love hearing from you all :)

Till next time!