A half year. One half year had passed since then. I was healed, but... not entirely. Like I told Regis, I don't think I'll ever be fully okay. But, at least the hollow feeling in my chest wasn't overwhelming and didn't ache when I saw Cor anymore.

I had gotten a job transfer under Grace's suggestion, before she fell ill. I was now the trainer and a sort of care taker for the younger children of the crownsguard.

Clarus Amicitia's four year old son seemed to be fascinated and would try to sneak in to the classes. I'd always catch him and tell him not to. He'd pout. But with a little encouragment from me, he soon focused on his school education first. A little boy named Ignis Scientia seemed to get along with him well. Ignis was only three, but he was a quick learner and practically flawless in his memory. He seemed to be very kind, too.

Grace had been sick the past few months. Her health declinging at an alarming rate. She was losing a lot of color in her skin and her strength was waining.

We all knew what was coming.

"Michael, stop locking your knees. Keep your knees relaxed and lose. It makes your movements more fluid." I said to the ten year old in front of me. He nodded, his brown curles bouncing as he did.

"Okay. Try again." I said. He ran at me and swung. I deflected with my training sword. He swung a few more times.

"There you go. Getting better. Keep at it on the training dummy." I said. Michael grinned at me and went to attack one of the dummies. I went to help the next boy. A nine year old named Justin.

"Mercy." I looked over and saw Duratos.

"Send the children home. His Majesty has requested your presence." He said.

"Titus, I'm in the middle of a lesson. Can it wait?" I asked as I stepped over to him. He grabbed my shoulder and leaned in.

"The Queen has passed."

My heart stopped.

We knew it would happen. We knew it would happen soon. We just didn't think this soon.

"I'll be right there." I said. Duratos nodded and left. I sent the kids home, much to their disappointment. After the kids were gone I ran to the room where Regis was. Cor, Duratos and Clarus all stood out front.

"We don't know what to do, Dawn." Clarus said, staring downwards.

"Of course you don't. None of you have lost someone that meant something in your life." I said. Cor's gaze dropped away from me.

I stepped inside the room. Prince Noctis was crying in his crib and Regis was sitting on the bed, staring at nothing with tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Reg." I called. He shook his head.

"I don't know what to do, Dawn... she's gone." He said weakly. I approached and hugged him. He didn't need his guard right now. He needed his friend.

He held my arms as I held his head against my chest and let him cry. Prince Noctis cried along with his father.

"Reg." I called again, softly. He hiccuped, but I knew he was listening to me. Reminding him he was king wouldn't help here.

"Noctis needs you." I said. He froze.

"Yeah, Grace is gone. It hurts. It hurts all of us. But Noctis is still here and he needs his daddy." I said. I released him.

"What can I do?" He asked.

"Remember who you are. Remember your position. And remember your son." I said. I stood and walked over to the crib and raised the baby prince from the crib. Cradling him, I carried him over to his father. I placed him in Regis's arms.

"He needs you. He feels that same pain you do. Remember what I told you when Grace was pregnant? Don't let your duties as a father eclipse those as king and don't use being king to neglect your duties as a father. Grace would want you to stay strong. To still be his father." I said. Regis hugged the baby and began to shush him gently.

"It's okay, Noct. Daddy's here." He said softly. I grabbed his shoulder.

"It's okay to mourn, Reg. But you must stay strong when the mourning is done. Don't let it consume you like I did." I said. He held his baby tight and I left the room.

"Dawn?" Clarus asked.

"Give him time. He'll be alright." I said.

—

Another six months. Another half year. It was November now. Regis was doing okay. He had recovered for his son and his kingdom. He had often asked me how long the pain would last. I told him that it never stopped hurting, but settled to a dull ache eventually.

Speaking of dull aches.

My chest rattled with the familiar ache. The heartbreak ache of realizing my son would be thirteen months old now.

I sighed as I stepped in to my house, kicking the snow from my boots and settled on my couch after removing my winter coat and boots. I stared at the black screen of the tv in front of me.

For a second, I imagined Cor sitting here with me with our son in his lap. The baby happily playing with his Chocobo plushie before looking up at his father with a bright smile with his tiny teeth starting to cut in.

I sighed and shook the image from my head. I stared back at the TV, debating if I wanted to play Slime Rancher, Skyrim, Assassin's Creed or Final Fantasy X.

I stood, deciding on the cutely mindless game of Slime Rancher, only to be stopped by a knock at the door. I looked at the clock on my wall.

"Who's coming over at 8:00pm?" I asked myself and went to open the door.

Cor stood there, a large mass of blankets in his arms. He must have been dumped by his most recent girlfriend.

"Cor? What are you doing here so late? Catalena dump you?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Catie and I were never together. May I come in? I need to talk to you." He said. I looked to the bundle of blankets in his arms. I stepped aside and let him in. He kicked off his shoes. He was very carefully holding the blanket bundle. He went and sat on the couch. I sat down on the love seat.

"Cor, what's going on?" I asked.

"Remember not to long ago when Nyx, Jett, you and myself all went with his majesty to Gralea?" He asked.

"That was a few weeks ago, Cor. Why?" I asked.

"Something didn't feel right to me in that laboratory. I decided to investigate." He said. I groaned.

"Cor, you didn't! When Reg finds out-" I started.

"His Majesty already knows of our excursion." He said. I groaned.

"Our?" I asked. He nodded.

"Nyx and Jett accompanied me." He said. I dropped my head to my hands.

"Dawn. The Magiteks. They're made from daemons... and humans." He said. My heart froze in my chest and I looked up at Cor, horrified.

"That's not all... they were starting experimentation on... on children." He said. My fists closed tightly.

"And.. and infants." He said. I closed my eyes.

"Please..." I whispered. Hope in my heart.

"Our Son wasn't there, Dawn. I looked. They only use adult humans for the Magiteks. I'm... I'm sorry to give you hope and then-"

"Better dead than a Niff experiment." I said. He stared at me with a sad look.

"But... some of the babies that were there.." a whine emitted from the blankets in his arms. He looked scared for a second while I stared at him. A cry came from the blankets.

I shifted to where I was sitting in the coffee table in front of him. I leaned forward and pulled back layer after layer of blankets until loud cries filled the stale air of my home. I finally pulled back the last blanket.

I was then staring in to the blue eyes of a pale skinned, blonde haired baby boy. The baby stared back at me.

My heart skipped a beat.

I touched his little cheek.

"Cor! No wonder he's crying, he's too hot, wrapped up in all those blankets!" I scolded the man and scooped the little baby out of the blankets. I put the baby on my shoulder and patted his back. He only wore very thin clothing. Good thing I didn't get rid of everything from a year ago.

"Poor little baby. You're okay now, baby boy." I cooed to the baby. The baby let off a small whine, but snuggled in to my shoulder.

"He's so precious." I said, looking at the little baby now at peace on my shoulder.

"We saved a few others about his age. They all have been put in to good families that will care for them. But every time I looked at that one, I thought of you." He said. I raised the baby's right wrist and stared at the code print on it.

"Because of this?" I asked.

"That was part of my reasoning, yes. He's the oldest we saved. Barely a year old. He was the only one with a code print that we grabbed. I... I couldn't leave him." He said. Cor set aside the ball of blankets and stood up, standing closer to me.

"It was almost like he looked directly at me. It was almost like he was asking me for help." He said softly. I looked up at him.

"You big softy." I said softly. He stared at me for a moment. I continued to gently pat the baby on the back. He hummed softly. A soft smile broke over Cor's face.

"Dawn... will you be his mother?" He asked. I stared at him with wide eyes.

"What?" I asked softly.

"I know how heartbroken you were after losing our son. And this little one... he doesn't have anyone else. And I don't know anyone else that would give him love the way you can."

"Cor. Stop." I said. He looked at me with fear in his eyes. I've never seen Cor scared other than when he was scared of losing our child.

I reached up and cupped his cheek. I stared in to his crystal blue eyes for a while. For a moment, the year melted away. Many years melted away and we were twenty. Still head over heels with no idea or care what was to come. Just the two of us. I saw the man I fell in love with for a moment.

"A man should never beg a woman to take care of her own child." I finally spoke.

"You mean-" He said.

"Give me the papers. This little one is mine." I said, snuggling the baby in my arms.

"...Thank you, Dawn." He said. I nodded, still rubbing the baby's back. He whined and curled in to me. I hummed to him and held him close to keep him warm. He was probably chilled now.

"I'll swing by tomorrow morning with the papers. He.. he can stay here tonight." Cor said softly. I nodded.

"Cor." I called before he left as a realization hit me.

"Yes?" He asked.

"What's his name?" I asked.

"They weren't given names... but..." He stopped a moment. I stared at him.

"I named him. I gave him the name... Prompto." He said.

"Prompto... I love that, Cor." I said, stroking the baby's cheek as I pulled him from my shoulder and cradled him in my arms.

"My Little Prompto Argentum." I said softly and stroked his cheek again. He giggled and grabbed my hand. I smiled and felt tears rise to my eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Dawn." He said and pecked a kiss to my cheek. I hummed in responce, only cradling my baby in my arms. What an angel he was.

I carried my baby in to his room and grabbed some baby clothes and realized everything I had was too small. It was all for newborns and six month old babies. I looked at the thin material of what my baby currently wore and bit my lip.

"That won't do you any good. You'll get sick." I said and played with the blonde hairs on his head. He spluttered at me. I grabbed the baby carrier/car seat I got when I was still pregnant and slid my baby boy in to it. I grabbed a baby blanket and dropped it over him. He whined a little bit.

"It's okay. Mama's right here." I said. I put him in my car and climbed in the driver's seat. He was still whining a little bit because he couldn't see me. So I started to sing. A song Grace would always sing to Noctis and Alice.

We reached the store and I took him in and bought new baby clothes for my little angel. Things he'd look cute in. Different colored Chocobo onesies, dinosaur onesies, and other clothing for him as well as little shoes for him for when he starts walking.

Of course, I also bought other baby snacks and baby food that was safe for him to eat and appropriately sized diapers. After all was bought, I returned home with the little angel.

I peeled off the onesie and his diaper. I frowned.

"You probably need a bath, huh?" I asked. He blew a raspberry at me.

"I'm taking that as a yes." I said and picked him up and wrapped him in a towel. I carried him in to the bathroom and started the bathtub, filling it up and making sure the water was the right temperature before stripping down and sitting in the tub with the baby on my chest.

He let out a gasp as his feet touched the water. He looked up at me with wide eyes. I smiled at him.

"Do you wanna play with your duckies?" I asked and grabbed a Chocobo rubber duckie from the basket of baby toys I kept. I held it up to him. He reached out and gingerly touched it. He picked it up from my hand and began to play with it. He giggled at it and squeezed it. It squeaked and he gasped again and looked back up at me. I grinned down at him.

"Did it make a noise?" I asked with a giggle. He giggled and squeaked it again and began to laugh. I smiled at him as he sat in my lap. I grabbed the baby soap and began to wash his tiny baby body. He continued to squeak his duckie, laughing happily each time. At one point he dropped it and it began to float away, making him start to cry, but I quickly rescued it and returned it to his baby hands.

He yawned tiredly as I finished up his bath. I dried us off and drained the tub. I put a clean diaper on him and tucked him in to the Chocobo onesie jammies I had gotten for him. I rocked him to sleep and placed him in his crib.

As soon as he was out of my arms, he started to cry. I scooped him back up and he whined. I soothed him and hummed to myself as he fell asleep in my arms.

"Maybe sleep with Mama until you're ready for your crib?" I said softly. He hummed in his sleep. I carried him to my bedroom and climbed in to the bed. Him lying beside me and my arms wrapped around the little angel. I kissed his soft cheek. He hummed softly in his sleep.

"My little angel." I whispered to him and fell asleep.