Disclaimer: AyaKagami does not own Final Fantasy XV or any of the characters involved. This is a work of fiction created for reading entertainment and no profit is being made off of this piece. That right is for Square Enix and it's respective owners.

Author's Note: So, I'm not dead, I swear. Between writer's block, school, the kids and their schooling and work, I find the motivation to write very lax. I miss writing but nothing really hits me the way it should. Drives me nuts. But there is another chapter being written and I want to share it with all of you. So, thank you all for reading this one and sticking to it, adding it to your lists and updates. I appreciate the support.

This chapter is where the past comes to light for Noctis, how will Luna react?

'There's something off about Loqi, he has been off for a long time now. But even more irritating is his need to constantly want to poke his nose into my business as of late. He is even jealous of Aria, which is something you can hear in his tone.' Ravus pondered to himself as he sat in bed.

"It is not like he is going to give me a reason to trust him overnight. However," Ravus said aloud. "that intensity… I have only ever seen it in people who want to be of service to me."

'Why should I deny him the ability to be of use to me? Especially since the Emperor doesn't seem to use him, neither does Besithia or even Ardyn. He wants to be a pawn on someone's chessboard, and I have denied him access to the board by denying him the ability to test his skills and loyalty. Perhaps, I should give him a chance.'

Ravus was interrupted from his musings when a rapid knocking came from his chamber door. "Ugh," he groaned, loathing the very thought of leaving his warm bed after taking his pants off for the evening but slowly gathered himself into a decent position before calling out for the knocker to come in.

What he was not expecting was to see Loqi, gasping for breath and unable to speak. The very sight of the younger man caused the fallen prince to get out of bed, place his pajama pants on, grab his robe as well as turn on the lights completely.

"Tummelt, explain yourself this instant," Ravus calmly stated. He would rather hear the reason for the ruffled state of the younger man than begin to yell at him at this hour; it was nearing midnight after all.

"It's the Commodore!" he exasperated in return. "I saw Chancellor Izunia dragging her along the hall with her hands bound and mouth gagged. She was kicking in fury and they were heading towards the Chancellor's quarters. I don't know what he was up to, but she was clearly panicked and appeared desperate to escape from him. I came to tell you since I was on my way back to my quarters after blowing off hours of steam at the range."

Ravus had taken a step back, grabbing his sword before heading past the smaller man and to the Chancellor's quarters. "I swear if he so much as hurts her, I will kill him," Ravus growled to himself. Making his way towards Aranea's room, he ran into both Biggs and Wedge who were out of breath. "Lady A gave him a fight but that creepy, old cogger is hella strong," Wedge exasperated. Biggs nodded, "Didn't know he had magical powers either, kinda like the kid from Lucis."

Ravus' eyes went wide at that statement, 'Izunia has the same kind of powers as Caelum? That's impossible, the last I checked Noctis was the last of the Lucian royal line which means that he is the only one with the magical abilities that Caelums are famous for having.' "How is this possible?" he found himself asking out loud.

Loqi was behind Ravus and listening, finally spoke, "It's because he is Adagium." Ravus turned around to see Loqi standing there, with a dark expression. "Where did you learn that information from?" Ravus blurted out.

Loqi looked back at his commanding officer, "I used to guard Besithia when I first began my guarding duties. I was still young, and the Minister was not so warped by a lust for power and growing our military using daemonic experimentation. That happened after he met Adagium. I had only been in the service of the Minister for a year before he had found him and brought him back to Niflheim as a 'prisoner'. However, we soon learned that the prisoner was far more intelligent and manipulative than we had even imagined."

Ravus felt his blood run cold, 'Does this mean that Izunia manipulated Besithia into daemonic experimentation? Is Izunia the reason why the Minister seems more insane than he was more than two decades ago? What about his magical abilities? Can he perform magic like Noctis, or does he have dark magic to counteract Lunafreya's magic? What are we supposed to do against this kind of opponent?'

Ravus's mind was spiraling out of control and falling down rabbit holes before he could fully grasp the situation at hand. With the mere mention of Ardyn having any kind of magical abilities, he suddenly felt very small and vulnerable. Even more concerning was the growing pang of fear he felt for his sister and soon to be brother in law, for he knew that Noctis was the Chosen King meant to free the star of darkness. Suddenly he felt true fear for another besides Lunafreya and he knew why.

"I need to help Aranea and then I need to see my sister," the fallen prince stated quietly. He turned to Loqi, eyes wavering with a tinge of fear in them, "If you say a word to anyone besides us, I will kill you myself." With those words stated, he hurried towards the chancellor's quarters, blade still in hand and nerves shot to the ends of the world.

Temporary Flat

"You sure you want to confess to Luna everything about the past tonight, Noct?" Ignis asked quietly, eying his charge with slight worry. Noctis shook his head gently, "I just need to clear my conscious before I walk down the aisle." Ignis nodded and turned to leave, bowing slightly to Luna who was coming back from their room, their notebook in her hands.

"Are you leaving Ignis?" she asked curiously. This caused the older man to nod causing the young woman to frown. "Shame, I really wanted to talk more with you boys. Seems like it is time to turn in for you guys." She eyed the clock which was reading 9:30 in the evening.

Ignis smiled, "I am simply respecting Noct's wishes and at the moment he wishes to spend quiet time with you rather than talk shop. I cannot blame him as you two have spent a long time separate from each other. It only makes sense that he is trying to get in as many minutes as possible before we all have to face the Hydrean."

Luna nodded and smiled, "I thank you for constantly being so generous to us and the little time we have made for ourselves. I promise to make it up to you three after the rite." This time Ignis smiled, a genuine smile of delight, "I look forward to that, Your Highness." With that, he bowed to the royal couple and made his way out of the apartment.

Noctis let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in, before locking the door and making his way over to Luna. She had placed their notebook on the coffee table and sat down, waiting for the young man to join her at her side.

"So," she began as he sat down beside her. "What is it that you want to get off your chest?" This phrase caused Noctis to double take at her, stammering, "What are you talking about?"

Luna rolled her eyes at his question, "Noct, you and I both know you cannot hide anything from me when you feel like you need to confess something. You start getting secretive about being around me or asking people to leave us alone. It usually is your way of saying to not only me but to the world that you wanna be left alone with me. So, what is the matter?"

'This is it. You have to tell her about Stella. After the shit that happened at the restaurant, there is no way I can walk down the aisle without Luna knowing the truth about what happened between me and Stella.' Noctis thought to himself nervously.

"Well, I um," he began hesitantly. "I wanted to… you know, talk to you… about what happened in the restaurant… earlier this week." He felt a cold sweat happening as he spoke. 'She is gonna call off our wedding.' Noctis thought to himself fearfully.

"You mean, about the woman that approached our table at dinner?" Luna stated quietly, not turning her face to him, 'Why is he so tense? Is he afraid to tell me about her?' "Well, the thing is," he stammered out, clearly not prepared for her answer to be exactly clear in her mind. "I know her."

Luna smiled at the words, "Obviously. I did not know her, and she seemed quite interested in you." This caused Noctis to wince at the tone of her voice. 'Did it suddenly get colder in here?' Noctis wondered.

"Well I had managed to blurt out to you that she was my ex-girlfriend and that she dumped me after finding out that I was a prince who wouldn't tell her my secret, even though we were a couple for a whole year, but I haven't told you something I think I should tell you." He grabbed her hand into his, giving them a gentle squeeze. "I want our marriage to start off on the right foot and I really do not want there to be any secrets between the two of us."

Luna looked at him in confusion. Noctis took a deep breath, "We had been in an intimate relationship together. On more than one occasion, even after I wrote to you telling you that I was in love with you. You see, the real reason we broke up was that she saw me writing in our notebook and read through the whole thing. She was furious and said I was being unfaithful to her by writing to you. I had told her I was falling for her around the time that I was writing to you about how I felt deep down to you. I've always loved you since we first met but at the same time, I found myself falling for her at the same time."

Noctis found himself trembling as he felt the emotions pouring out of him, knowing that coming clean to Luna about everything was the only way to truly release himself of the guilt he felt for both of them. Luna remained silent as he spoke, feeling a sense of dread build in her as her fears were coming alive when it came to where Noctis' heart lied.

"I found my heart in a conflict that I never wanted it to be in and I want you to know the truth. I was reminded of the guilt I felt lying to her all over again when I saw her the other night in the restaurant with you. I know it made you uneasy and uncomfortable even seeing me interact with her. I am sure it gave you the impression of wanting her and while I won't lie to you," Noctis let out a breath. "She looked absolutely divine and a few years ago I probably would have obeyed my hormones and chased her but, at the end of the day, I know it wouldn't have truly been what I wanted."

Luna let out a breath she was holding, the trembling in his hands matched with her own. She felt a tension in her that she only felt when it came to bearing bad news to a loved one who was infected with the scourge. 'He still finds himself attracted to her. Although I cannot say I blame him, she was truly a gorgeous woman and I am no match for her in the department of looks.' Luna found herself thinking. 'Telling me this will only reassert the fears I have regarding where we stand in our relationship.'

Noctis remained quiet, waiting to see if she wanted to say something or tell him to stop. 'At this point, her slapping me would be an accepted acknowledgment to my words,' he thought to himself. Instead, they went on in an uncomfortable silence that had gone on for quite a minute. Finally, Luna pulled her hands away and got up. She never said a word, she simply went to the balcony and leaned on the railing, wondering why she felt so heavy in her heart at his words.

'Has he always felt this way about her? Even now? Is that why he is telling me this whole thing now? She had him first, she is going to be his first love no matter what happens next. She was a bombshell compared to me, there is no way I can compete with her.'

Noctis observed her body going through an internal battle. He knew he was the cause of it but he wanted her to know the truth. He needed to clear his conscience and admit out loud what his head knew for the last few years, Stella was no longer a factor. She was never going to be the one he settled with. She was never going to be his bride, nor was she ever going to be the princess that Noctis wanted. Stella was ambitious and had incredible dreams that would probably be of service to him during his reign. He knew better than to hinder her strong will with the burden of being the Lucian royal princess and future queen of Lucis. No, that role was always meant to belong to Lunafreya. He knew that. He needed her to know that.

Noctis got up and walked over behind her, "It felt wrong to tell you both that I loved you but I realize now, after talking to your brother, reflecting on my own actions and even coming to terms with the way things ended with Stella, that I did not want to start off our marriage with any secrets about my past. I know I am not perfect, but I am willing to admit I was in the wrong and that you as my wife deserve my honesty and respect."

He turned her around so that he could look at Luna in her eyes, "I'm sorry if I ever gave you a reason to doubt my love for you. I am sorry if this confession is causing you to question my love for you. My loyalty to you as a future husband. I am sorry I even needed to bring it up to you, but I told your brother the truth and I am a man of my word when it comes to giving it. I was going to tell you, hopefully before we married so that you knew the truth of my past and not questioning me when it came to Stella. She is a part of my past. One that helped me grow as a man and learn how to be open in communicating things to their partner. I never intended to start our marriage on the wrong foot or to have any kind of skeletons in the closet."

Luna felt the tears fall from her eyes as she heard his words, truly registering them in her heart and putting the wild storm in her mind at ease, 'You mean to say he is still going to marry me? He doesn't want her. I am the one he wants in the end. It cannot be true.'

"I want to believe those words," Luna replied quietly. "I truly do. How can I convince my mind otherwise?" She looked into his royal blue eyes, 'His eyes are like a gateway to his soul. They're always so open and honest. Even when he has a poker face, I can read his eyes and know exactly what he is thinking.'

Noctis smiled at her, the smile going all the way to his eyes, "Tell me what it is I can do to show you. To put your mind at ease." This caused all the doubt in Luna to melt away, 'He's being honest with me. He wants to marry me. He wants to make me his bride. She really is just a person of his past. I am being so foolish but here he is, trying to calm me and set me at ease. To make this whole thing ours. I cannot believe I am going to say this but..'

"I believe your words, Noctis. I trust you and I am glad you had the courage to tell me something like this," she smirked at him. "Even if it is the day before we are to be married." This caused the young king to let out a breath he did not know he was holding in, tension leaving his body as he heard her words.

"I apologize, my lady." He responds in a flirtatious manner, bringing her into a warm and powerful embrace. "I will probably spend the rest of my days apologizing to you, if you will allow me." This caused Luna to laugh, "Just tonight is fine. I want to marry you. I have wanted to since we were children and I am not going to let this moment pass me by." This caused Noctis to smile in return, "I am glad to hear you still want this foolish man." He sealed his words with a kiss.

Ardyn's Quarters

"Izunia!" Ravus roared as he kicked the Chancellor's door in, snapping the wood clean off the hinges. He knew he did not have the strength to fight him in a duel but he knew he needed to get Aranea out of there before she got hurt or he manipulated his way into her head and she was forced to divulge information that he didn't want them to have get out.

Ardyn spun his chair around, a book in his hand, arm propped up under his chin. He didn't bother to acknowledge the fallen prince that had just kicked his door in. Nor did he bother to look up from the book he was reading. He rather enjoyed the current situation he had made for the Commodore and the High Commander, 'They're squirming around like rats. Hiding an interesting secret. Since the Madam Secretary has sealed her estate from our access, getting to Lunafreya to find Noct is proving to be difficult. However, I know for certain that our dear High Commander knows where his beloved baby sister is. Even if he does put on that ridiculous front that he doesn't care.'

He only bothered to look up from his book when Ravus was standing over him, sword drawn and aimed at his head. Ardyn placed the book on the table and looked up at the white-haired prince, a smug smirk coming to his features.

"Can I help you, Your Highness?" Ardyn made sure to emphasize the royal title, knowing it irritated the younger man. "It is dreadfully late. You barge into my quarters, break my door down," he looks at the door on the floor, "no knocking-I firmly recall that the late queen of Tenebrae was a lady of poise and grace and she definitely made sure her children had manners."

This caused Ravus to growl, the mere mention of his mother was enough to trigger rage in him. Especially when it was Ardyn who brought it up. 'I am sick of his incessant need to bring my mother up in conversation whenever it pleases him to annoy me,' Ravus internally griped.

"My mother did teach me manners, Chancellor Izunia," the irritation oozing off of Ravus' tongue. "However, my mother also taught me to stand up for the right thing and hearing that you basically kidnapped a woman and brought her to your quarters while she was bound irritates the living hell out of my moral compass." His eyes remained on the chancellor, watching for sudden movements.

This caused Ardyn to feign pain, a matching false expression on his features, "My dear commander, surely you do not mean the incident with Commodore Highwind? Why we were just simply talking not that long ago." Ravus rolled his eyes, knowing full well he was lying. 'Who the hell is he trying to fool with that bullshit excuse?' He let out a deep breath, "I know you brought her here. The questions I have are simple. Why did you bring her here and where the hell is she? And do try not to lie to my face again, Ardyn." This caused the older man to smirk. "Well, since you asked so nicely…" he got up from the chair and made his way across the room, opening the closet door to reveal an unconscious Aranea hanging from the bar.

Ravus' eyes grew wide, the breath escaping him slightly and his body tensing even more than it was before the closet was opened. He had to keep his composure in order to get the answers out of Ardyn and in order to get her out of his hands safely.

"Why, might I ask," he began calmly. "Is she bound, gagged, and unconscious if you said you were both having a chat? This hardly seems like proper conversation decorum and etiquette." Ravus finished, lowering his sword and squeezing the bridge of his nose. This caused Ardyn to smile with a sense of glee. "I told you, we were having a conversation. What exactly did you miss to that statement?" 'He is baiting me. He wants me to lose my temper. If hostage negotiations with Besithia have taught me anything, it is to remain patient and not lose my temper when dealing with Ardyn.' He looked at the dark-haired man and took a deep breath, 'It is going to be a long and trying night.'