I'll have to make this convincing. Ignis focused on this mantra as he stalked towards his childhood friend. Noctis had grown in the twelve years they'd spent apart and looked much like his father. The tasteless hairstyle, however, made it easier to keep his scowl in place.

The slight, blond crownsguard was the first to notice him. "Uh, guys!"

"Long has it been, Prince Noctis." The chosen king gasped in shock as Ignis drew his lance with threatening flourish. "You've received the storm's blessing, yet you know nothing of the consequences."

"Ignis!?" Noctis called out to him with such dismay that Ignis almost dropped the act right then and there, but to do so would be utterly foolish in the chancellor's presence.

"Watch it," a bear of a man, whom Ignis deduced could only be the "Gladio" from Noct's past complaints in Luna's notebook, called out in protest only to have the lance angled across his throat instead. The other crownsguard, a man with striking platinum hair and almost as impressive in stature as the Amicitia, made to intervene.

Ignis' eyes flashed commandingly. "Be still, all of you."

"Not good," the blond murmured.

Noctis slipped around his shield. "Ignis, what's happening? Do you know where Luna is? Is she safe?"

Ignis felt a spark of irrational anger he allowed to flare across his features. "I'll not hear her name upon your lips! You have no idea all she sacrifices for you!" For us all!

Gladio inserted himself between the royals again and Ignis found he had less trouble projecting his frustrations on the larger man. "The king's sworn shield," he acknowledged with a touch of feigned disdain.

"You better believe it." Gladiolus squared his shoulders as if trying to intimidate the Tenebraen with his size alone.

Now! This is my chance. "A weak shield protects naught." Ignis swung his lance with deadly dexterity, distracting his audience until embedding the weapon in the concrete at the sizable man's feet. The shield had no opportunity to summon his own weapon or regain his footing before Ignis was upon him, putting his hands on the man's arm and jacket. With an impressive display of strength for one so lithe, Ignis flipped Gladio over his shoulder and slammed him into the Regalia.

Noctis rushed to his fallen shield's defense, summoning his armiger. "I don't want to fight you, but if you give me no choice..." Various armaments of blue-tinged fragmented light spun around them all, flickering with Noct's wavering conviction.

"I'd say that's far enough." Ardyn sauntered into view, apparently finally convinced Ignis would do the chosen king harm if left to his own devices. "A hand highness?"

"Not from you," Noctis practically growled. He didn't dismiss his armiger until Ignis backed away. Good. He needed to be more cautious in the days ahead.

Ignis didn't wander far as he listened to Ardyn's unperturbed response. "Oh, but I'm here to help."

"And how is that?" The man with platinum hair spoke up for the first time. Ravus, Ignis believed his name must be, having heard a description of Noct's advisor from Lunafreya once.

"By taking the army away," the chancellor spoke in a cheery tone one might employ to instruct small children.

"You expect us to believe that?" Gladio snarled.

Ardyn turned away from the Lucians to look wistfully into the distance. "When next we meet it will be across the seas. Just so happens we have business of our own with the tutelary deity, don't we?" The man waved his hand in a parody of dismissal before striding past the high commander with the clear intention that he follow, which regrettably Ignis must obey.

Ardyn called back a parting shot to the chosen king, "Fare the well Your Majesty. And safe travels."

The royal retinue watched the chancellor of Niflheim and son of Tenebrae depart with the sense of having just escaped the jaws of an angry bandersnatch with their lives miraculously intact.

"Dude, did you guys see his eyes!? They were glowing! And those scars are wicked!" Prompto loudly stage whispered as he gestured with his hands in an entirely meaningless display of manic energy.

"Didn't look natural," Gladio grunted as he accepted a hand up from Ravus.

"Are you well enough, Gladio?" the advisor asked before spying a strange scrap of parchment secured beneath the folds of the man's open jacket. Wordlessly he pulled the folded paper lose and tucked it inside his own jacket, ignoring a look form the larger man. "We can discuss the eccentricities of the Tenebraen air once we are no longer within the bowels of an imperial stronghold."

Gladio and Prompto easily agreed and scrambled to take their places in the Regalia. On his way to the driver's seat Ravus looked back to his prince. "Noct."

Noctis stared after his lost friend a moment longer before returning to the car. "Yeah, let's go."

Miles down the road Ravus passed the message he had retrieved off Gladio to the prince. "I believe Ignis meant that for you."

'Noct,
I'm afraid I must ask your forgiveness. For now, the Empire must believe us to be enemies. Chancellor Izunia is watching you closely. I beg of you, do not trust him. He is not what he seems. Be wary of the Six and the kings of old. Their price to restore the light is a hefty one.'

Noctis read over the words hungrily before sinking back into his seat, a myriad of emotions churning in his stomach.

"Well, that certainly sounds foreboding," Ravus was the first comment after the succinct message was shared among them.

"Sooo, Ignis isn't a bad guy?" Prompto questioned before glancing back at Noctis. "Who is he anyway."

When Noctis didn't reply, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, Gladio leaned forward in his seat. "Ignis Nox Fleuret, first son of Tenebrae, and younger brother to the oracle."

"What, no way! That guy is Lady Lunafreya's brother? He doesn't look much like her, though the accent fits." Prompto turned to sit in his seat properly as he processed the information.

"Takes more after his father, or so I hear," Ravus answered. "It would seem he's not as lost to the Empire as we once believed."

Gladio rotated his shoulder and made a sour face at its soreness. "Yeah well, I don't think I'm ready to be bosom buddies just yet. He didn't exactly own up to why he's become an imperial lapdog in the first place."

"Maybe it has something to do with helping Lady Lunafreya! He could be like a secret agent or something," Prompto rambled excitedly.

Ravus scoffed at the suggestion. "We've no need of impulsive conjecture. The only way of securing the truth will be by gaining more intelligence on the matter."

As Prompto continued to throw out possibilities for Ignis' behavior, each more fanatical than the last, only to have them shot down by his fellow retainers, Noctis remained eerily quiet. He pretended to dose in the backseat and tried not to contemplate the boy from Tenebrae, but he couldn't help but think back to the way things used to be. Ignis, what happened?

12 years earlier

Despite himself, Noctis found he was actually looking forward to visiting Tenebrae, and it had less to do with the promise of finally being well again and more to do with something his father had mentioned when he'd first informed Noctis of his plans to make way for Tenebrae. Regis, who had spent an unprecedented amount of time in his son's presence since the accident, had told Noctis that the oracle had two children that were very excited to meet him and become friends.

Noctis had been overjoyed, the young prince never having known many whom he could call friend. For a time, he had been introduced to many boys in the citadel but none remained for long. For one reason or another they all had to leave. Later Noctis learned they had been auditioning for the position of future advisor to the prince. Eventually the job was given to a young teenager born to a family well known for its service to the royal family and who satisfied the requirements his father had been searching for. Ravus was now 16 and while usually kind, if not a bit stern, was far removed from ever wanting to play childish games with Noctis and acted as more of a babysitter when they were alone together. The older boy didn't even believe his stories about Carbuncle, dismissing tales of the playful, white foxlike creature as mere fantasies engineered by Noctis' overactive imagination. Carbuncle couldn't even defend himself because he only appeared in dreams and Noctis saw very little of him.

Needless to say, the lonely prince was delighted by the notion of two new friends that would want to play with him and not behave as though it were a chore. But the closer they came to the foreign kingdom the more Noctis began to feel doubts creep in and drown out his excitement. The children of Tenebrae were siblings and had known each other all their lives. What if they didn't like him butting into their fun or thought he was boring or too much of a baby? They were older than him after all. The girl, Lunafreya his father had named her, was four years his senior. He would probably seem like such a little kid to her. And on top of that he was still confined to a wheelchair. Prince Ignis would surely tire of him quickly when he learned Noctis would not be able to run and jump as he could. By the time he was actually to meet the oracle's children Noctis was a mess of nerves on the verge of an anxiety attack.

King Regis formally kissed the hand of Lady Sylva. "I do hope Noctis won't be a bother."

The lady oracle smiled fondly toward the children. "Nonsense, Regis! Luna adores being a big sister, but you see, Ignis is determined to do most everything himself. She hardly ever gets to do much for him so I'm certain she will be delighted to assist Prince Noctis. And I am sure Ignis will be quite taken with a friend so close to his own age. Perhaps he will not feel pressured to act so grown up around him."

Noctis barely registered the voices of his father and the oracle as he was far too absorbed in trying to appear princely in front of the boy not but a few inches taller than himself who had stepped forward to bow politely. "Welcome to Tenebrae, Prince Noctis. My name is Ignis Nox Fleuret and it is an honor to meet you."

The boy straightened and looked at him with big, curious, green eyes behind a large pair of corrective lenses. His sister stepped forward next. She was very pretty with long golden hair that slid over her shoulders when she bowed. "I am Lunafreya Nox Fleuret and I am most pleased to make your acquaintance."

Noctis felt himself panicking as he couldn't bow in the wheelchair and attempting to do so only made his back hurt worse. He ended up with a pathetic incline of his head against his chest. "Um, hello. I — I'm Noctis L — Lucis Caelum."

Ignis frowned, wondering if their formality had bothered the Insomnian prince. Perhaps the prince was afraid of mispronouncing their rather lengthy names. He could remember being nervous of butchering more complex terms in front of his instructors himself and this boy had barely gotten his own name out. Deciding this called for a break in protocol, the ten-year-old leaned in toward Noctis and spoke conspiratorially in his ear. "You can call me Iggy if you like. I don't mind."

Noctis' face light up in pleasant surprise and Luna caught on just as Ignis had known she would. "Please, call me Luna."

"Okay. I can do that, but you guys have to call me Noct!"

Noctis soon forgot his fears as the Tenebraen siblings never begrudged him for his age or his physical limitations. After his healing sessions with the oracle and their studies had ended for the day the children were seldom apart. Luna often insisted on trips to the gardens and behaved as if it was a privilege to push Noctis' wheelchair. They spent many an afternoon there having picnics and making crowns of sylleblossoms. Iggy was fond of reading aloud from the endless storybooks in the library and would indulge Noctis with over the top voices.

Luna and Iggy would also regale him with stories of callings and a prophecy. They told him he was the chosen king of light and together the three of them would cleanse the star of its scourge. Noctis wasn't sure he could do something like that, but was glad to have his new friends' support.

The Lucian prince enjoyed staying with his new friends so much that he became upset when he realized he was getting better and soon wouldn't require the oracle's magic anymore. It was then that Luna and Iggy asked something very important of him. The three of them were huddled together on Luna's bed with Umbra and Pryna curled up to their sides when Luna presented him with a small red notebook.

He laid the book across his lap and admired a beautifully pressed flower adhered to the first page. "Nice flower."

"It's the same kind we sowed our crowns from," Luna informed him.

"Oh yeah, sylleblossoms," Noctis recalled the flower's name.

Iggy nodded, glad he'd remembered. "Correct, Noct. And…"

"Hm?" Noctis looked curiously at the older boy as he trailed off.

It was Luna who answered him. "We have a favor to ask. Take the notebook with you when you go."

Noctis thought it was an easy request to fulfill. "Sure!"

"There's more. We hoped you'd put something in the book and send it back," Iggy told him seriously.

Noctis had eagerly agreed, elated for a way to stay in touch with his friends.

The time did come when the three friends had to say their goodbyes. Noctis was dismayed to discover he was still expected to remain in the dreaded wheelchair for the occasion. He'd wanted his friends to remember him standing on his own two feet. Always quick to assuage his mood, Luna had requested to push Noctis one last time while Iggy remained glued to his side. The older boy had long given up convincing Luna to take turns pushing the wheelchair. She claimed that as the eldest the honor should fall to her.

A large gathering amassed to see the Lucians off, but they had not even managed to bid Noctis and his father a safe journey before the Empire arrived.

Gunfire rang loud as the imperials lit the hall of Tenebrae ablaze. The Lucian crownsguard and knights of Tenebrae rushed to engage them. It was utter chaos. People were screaming.

Ignis felt a searing pain across his left calf and fell to his knees. He'd been grazed by a bullet. When he looked back up toward the fighting the boy saw an MT aiming a flamethrower right for him. Then his mother was there, putting herself between the flames and her son. Ignis could only stare in horror as his mother was burned alive before his own eyes. He couldn't tear his gaze away, even when his face was splashed with her blood as a large soldier in monstrous armor ran her through with his massive sword. He was vaguely aware of King Regis trading blows with his mother's killer, but he felt so numb. He should be trying to run, some part of his paralyzed mind supplied, but he couldn't quite manage to move away from his mother's side. It was only when Regis grabbed up his son and took Luna by the hand that Ignis was able to come back to himself. He tried to stand but his injured leg crumpled beneath him. He couldn't get up. He couldn't get up and Luna was looking back at him and true fear welled up in Ignis' chest. Somehow he screamed around it. "Luna, run! Go now!"

Luna didn't run. She pulled her hand away from King Regis. She wasn't going to escape. Safety from the Empire was right in front of her and she was staying. She was staying because of him. The imperials were all around them now. Ignis tried to rise again with tears streaming down his face. "Luna, no!"

But King Regis only looked back at the oracle's children sadly before turning away, taking with him a distraught Noctis who kept calling their names. Luna calmly walked back toward Ignis. When an imperial soldier approached her she spoke with a voice like iron. "I wish to see to my brother."

The soldier let her go. Ignis was shaking by the time Luna knelt at his side and he couldn't keep his sobs at bay any longer. "W — why didn't you run!? You — you're the oracle now! They would have taken care of you!"

Luna grabbed Ignis up in her arms and held him close. "I'll not leave you alone."

Ignis tried to strangle his feelings into submission. His weakness kept Luna from escaping. He didn't deserve his sister's embrace. He choked on another sob. "You," Ignis hiccupped. "You should have gone with Noct. The oracle and the king of light shouldn't be separated by the Empire. I'm nothing." I'm not worth your sacrifice.

Luna tightened her hold on her little brother and buried her face in his hair. "You'll never be nothing to me."