This here is a NoctxLuna story that's been in my head for a while. I shouldn't start it now. Unexpected is still in the works, but I've been receiving a lot of demands for something more explicit. So we will have explicit but tasteful smut… and violence. Not mixed together, thankfully. I don't want to make an overly long story. I won't commit to an update schedule for this one. But I'll give you NoctxLuna and angst in here, with an AU where Tenebrae is the only thing standing between Lucis and Nifelheim. Lunafreya is about 25 and Noctis 21. As a side note, they never knew each other as children. I won't say anything else. Hope you'll like it.

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Stranded

Prologue

"Either you leave and I never see you again on Lucian's soil…" Ignis stated. "Or I'll fight you until one of us die."

…

"I hereby strip the firstborn prince of his title. If you ever set foot inside our walls, we will be forced to erase you from existence. For the attempted murder of the crowned prince, you are now exiled. Be gone," Regis declared, his voice hard, but his eyes broken as he turned his back on his oldest son.

…

The citizens followed his departure in mortified silence, until the first piece of rotten food flew through the air and names were called, as the former prince was forced to run from his home, into the wild lands of Lucis. A sharpened stone had left a mark on one shoulder, cutting through the fabric of his dark clothes. The mark was a crescent shape he refused to erase with a potion. It helped him remember where he was coming from, but mostly why he couldn't go back.

…

"I can't believe you'd try to hurt your own brother. You almost got Gladio…" Iris' voice broke down as she shook her head, tears flowing down her cheeks "I can't even look you in the eyes!"

…

The memories kept on mixing together, his friends, his family, all turning their back on him, one after the other. His voice was always gone in those awful nightmares, his limited powers stripped from him, leaving him with nothing but the impression of utter failure. The accusations were all false, based on his brother's fears for a throne the firstborn prince had never wanted. He woke up with a gasp, covered in a cold sweat. He'd been lying at the foot of the bed, lulled to sleep by Luna's quiet respiration. He tried to calm down before that she noticed anything. He hated whenever she saw him like this. They had something, something half based on a lie, since he couldn't share his birth name, but something that made it worth having nightmares every few nights.

The rebel princess stirred as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His shoulders were shaking and his hands had turned into fists.

"Cael?"

He flinched at the alias, before to admonish himself. You're not that man anymore. Not a prince, not a son nor a brother. Get a grip, Noct.

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret rolled herself out of her tangled sheets, her messed-up hair giving her a bewildered look. She walked up to him, her hand cold on his burning skin. He wanted nothing more than to feel her embrace, or better yet, tackle her to the mattress and free the wild emotions he kept hidden deep in his heart. But it felt wrong when the name she called him by was so foreign.

"I'll be fine. Get back to sleep, your highness."

"Don't hide behind my title, Cael. You're more than a simple bodyguard to me."

He knew as much. Simple bodyguards shouldn't sleep at the foot of their protégé's bed. They should watch over their charge's sleep instead. He'd won her trust in a matter of days, instinctively watching after her. She was the head of the rebellion against the empire and his best chance to ever protect Lucis from Nifelheim. If that wasn't enough, she'd help him in a time of need, giving him shelter and food when no one else would have taken in a strange mercenary chased down by imperial MTs. To top it all, Luna was a beautiful woman, a scar running on the left side of her face the only blemish to her ethereal beauty. As fragile as she looked, she packed quite a punch and fought either with her trident or rapier, making it all the harder to protect her on a battlefield.

"Won't you get bored of this in a few months?" he asked her.

"The only thing I plan that far ahead is my troops' advances." She reminded him.

The talk helped calming him down, his fists uncurling and when she took his hand, he squeezed her palm, unable to hide how much he needed those little gestures.

"You don't have to tell me what the nightmares were about. But I think you could use a full night of sleep."

She replaced his hair, gently pushing the locks out of his eyes and as much as he wanted to lean in, he remained perfectly still.

"Don't waste your magic on me. My mind is not sick."

"But you're burdened. And even though it would be much easier for me not to care, I've come to care a great deal. You're more than just a bodyguard. You're my knight, Cael."

Luna's thumbs stroked his wrists, and for a moment he was lost in her clear blue eyes. If he could still belong anywhere, it had to be here, with her, but the lies held him back.

"You're the best thing that has happened to me in a long while," he admitted.

And everyone I've loved so far, I've lost or ruined.

"You were hurt in the past. I get that."

He swallowed when her fingers brushed the side of his face.

"I'm afraid I might hurt you now. Because my past… will haunt me unless I manage to clear my name."

She frowned, her hand falling from his shoulder to his fist.

"You mean your real name, don't you?"

"You're better off not knowing." Came the instant reply.

Lunafreya squared her shoulders, her smile replaced by the determined look she had on the battlefield.

"I think I know enough to piece everything together, Caelum."

Her voice stayed warm, but he couldn't begin to process this sudden revelation.

"How… how long have you known?"

"I ran a background check on you. Lucis might have tried to keep the whole story secret, but if I ever lacked information, our rebellion would be long gone already."

He crossed his arms, realizing that instead of relief, he felt betrayed. This secret was already heavy enough on his conscience, but she'd pretend to treat him as a commoner all this time?

"So you know I'm wanted for attempted murder?"

"I also know you were set up. You're too kind to…"

He pushed away her hand, wondering why he felt so angry.

"So you like me because I'm a prince?"

"No."

"Because I'm some pitiful wreck?"

She shook her head the negative once more and Noctis heaved a sigh.

"I went at this the wrong way. You don't like me, period."

"That's a lot of insecurities for a grown man. I never treated people differently because of a title. And I don't pity you. Come over here."

He followed the light tugs on his arms, sitting next to her on her bed, trying to control the various emotions that fought over his heart.

"I recruited you because I needed a strong fighter that could use magic, like me. We fought side by side for the last five months and I trust you with my life. My heart is something else entirely. And I have no idea if I can give you the peaceful life you deserve in the future."

"I don't want promises for a distant future."

The anger was turning into anxiousness and an impatience he had sensed growing inside him before. Luna's hands gripped to his nightshirt, her palms warm through the fabric and he leaned into her, the movement welcomed by a sly smile. There was a glint in her eyes he'd seen once or twice already. A silent promise of unparalleled bliss.

"Then, you can have my present. As long as you don't take me away from my goals."

"I want the empire gone just as much as you do."

Their first kiss was anything but soft. Teeth clanked together, lips already chaffed from the harsh environment, tongues fighting before to find a soothing rhythm. Their lives were constant despair and worrying. He had been running for a few years already and had just regained his full strength, after joining her army. She'd buried her mother and countless soldiers, bringing death more than healing and facing more than one crisis of faith. As much as her people loved her, Lunafreya was revered with fear, since many had fallen for her cause. Maybe was it why she understood his need of belonging somewhere so well. Maybe was it the reason why she clung to him right now.

As her arms closed around him, Noctis let all the rage out, pulling on the knots in her hair, pinning her to the bed, kissing her as roughly as he dared. She ran her nails over his back, underneath his shirt, before to let her hands drift further. She pulled down the waistband of his boxer, not caring if it was a rash decision. His hands had already raised her nightgown and his mouth was on her breasts, alternating between kisses and light bites that made her want to squirm and cry out.

"I don't want… anyone to hear us." She panted out.

"Your wish is my command, princess."

She smiled in the dark, wrapping her fingers around him, testing his resolve. He muffled a moan against her shoulder, his breath catching a bit.

"I wish for more kisses." Luna pleaded.

Noctis obliged her, trying to be gentler this time. She might not be the first girl in his arms, but he'd be damned if he didn't treat her well. Her hands were moving slightly too fast for his reason to stay true and although he knew release was close, he halted her ministrations, raising her wrists on either side of her head.

"There's no haste. The night's still young."

"You prefer passive girls?"

"On the contrary. It's been some time, so your hands won't be enough."

She blushed at that, before to clear her throat awkwardly.

"I feel kind of ashamed for asking, but… It's been more than some time for me."

He kissed the tip of her nose in answer, sliding his hands up her thighs, feeling the tension in every of her muscles.

"Relax, Luna. Tell me what you'd like and where."

His fingers dug into her hips, somewhat gentle in their possessiveness and she let go of her last barriers, decided to enjoy the time they had now. It was almost easy to predict each other moves. They'd partnered up in almost everything else already. And for the first time in years, Noctis had the feeling he belonged. They might be using each other, but at least they shared more than one goal. Taking down the empire and keeping each other safe, sane and happy if possible.

…

The imperials had captured Altissia and were now moving on to Tenebrae. The army raised by Lunafreya had withstood countless raids and managed to keep the over-powered mechs at bay. But today's fight would be different. General Glauca had sworn to take the princess' head back to Iedolas. The empire's advances had been slowed down for decades because of the Fleuret's family. It had to stop with their last heiress, no matter which sort of power she had.

To be continued…

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I know it is short, but I think it's the only way for me to produce a story quickly. Also, I want advice on the direction this story will take. You still haven't heard who Noctis' brother was, but I'm ready to hear your guesses. Also, I had first planned to use Noctis' secret identity as a problem in his relationship with Luna, but it would have been too easy and cliché. So instead, we'll skip the misunderstandings and will go straight to a power couple facing off the world, the dynamic I've grown to love about these two. I know this was pretty soft as smut, but I find it really tough to keep things romantic when it turns purely mechanical. I have some pretty twisted things planned up in here. I hope you like the glimpse I gave you of this story. More will come eventually. ;)

As always, please review to help me improve, advance and mostly, keep up regular updates.