M.E. 745

Four years had now passed, the Kingsglaive now in full force in the service of the Lucian king. They took to the frontlines and would engage with Niflheim's army head on, which saw very early victorious prospects in the early days of its founding.

However, the years were still not kind toward the Lucian family. In the year of 744, when Noctis was but eight years old, Regis and him had taken a small trip outside the city walls. But Niflheim took this moment to unleash a daemon attack on them, rendering in many of the servants killed and leaving the young prince a traumatic and haunting memory of the experience. It was only thanks to Regis and his Crownsguard that they were able to survive and retreated to the territory of Tenebrae, but the ambush from Niflheim's army left the king on edge. Whilst they were in a relatively neutral territory, deep down, Regis had his doubts. But on the bright side, the ruling family of Tenebrae were very welcoming, Queen Sylvia Via Fleuret welcoming the Lucian royal family as friends rather than esteemed guests.

It only served them greatly when the young eight year old Noctis befriended Queen Sylvia's daughter, Lunafreya, the two spending a great deal of time together. From long walks through the garden or spending time in Lunafreya's room, the two became great friends, the young boy listening attentively to the tales and folklore regarding their world. He was fascinated by the tales, enthralled and eager to listen, factored even more so by Lunafreya's gentle and angelic tone whenever she spoke. One might say that she was an immaculate speaker. Not only that, a pleasant smile with her already overall gentle aura about her, Lunafreya was a young girl befitting to be that of an heir to the famed Oracle line, which is what House Fleuret of Tenebrae was known for. In fact, since Eos' beginning, both House Caelum and House Fleuret had close ties with one another in the first place. Hence the reasoning why Queen Sylvia was able to welcome King Regis into her territory as a friend.

But as always, good things come to an end, but this attack felt unprecedented. Meeting within the forest in Tenebrae territory, Queen Sylvia and her children, alongside Regis and Noctis, were doing a ceremony of sorts. And what happened in a matter of seconds, once again, Niflheim attacked. Niflheim airships descended upon them, the turbulence from the engines wafting and violently shaking the leaves above, the entrance ramparts of the ships opening as metal creaking and whirring filled the sky. Metal mechanical soldiers, the Magitek Troopers, dropped down and landed upon the forest floor with a hefty thud. These volatile, emotionless soldiers of destruction were equipped with some of the deadliest weaponry, flamethrowers, machine guns, blades, all sorts of things. Amidst the carnage was a Niflheim general, clad in an all metal heavy armor, akin to that of a knight, the helmet sporting some sharp horns like a bull and emblazoned with decorative velvet red of the imperial colors of Niflheim.

Queen Sylvia was slain, the two children of hers, Ravus Nox Fleuret (Lunafreya's older brother) and Luna herself were taken into Imperial custody, all whilst the eldest prince called out to the Lucian king to help them. But Regis couldn't, his concern solely focused on his son as he ran through the forest as fast as he could, bullets whizzing by his ear as the Magitek Troopers cumbersomely, although menacing, chased after. A dark stain was left on his conscious ever since that day. Nothing but regret about the matter of leaving Sylvia's children to be taken. Such a thing was still a heavy burden he carried to this day, something he blamed himself for. It was very much certain that Niflheim was there to eliminate him and his son, the Fleuret children and Queen Sylvia were simply caught in the crossfire of their problem and they had to suffer the turmoil of it. There was no doubt that Ravus had despised him till this very day. Perhaps no ounce of forgiveness from the Lucian king would be enough for Ravus to hear his plight. The boy must be (still is) furious with him, after all.

As soon as they returned to Insomnia, he eventually knew that he would have to send Noctis out into the world to fulfill his duty. Which meant that he would have to have Noctis trained in the art of combat and swordplay. He couldn't ask Cor and Lyn, they were too busy training Y/N already, on top of their duties to the Crownsguard as well. Eliwood was also out of the question. Despite having relinquished command over the Kingsglaive to his student, Titus Drautos, he was still regarded as the second-in-command, but he still had his own bearings to consider. The dedicated general to Lucis' army and one of the most important voices on the council. It also didn't help that Eliwood also assisted his servants in caring for his sickly and frail wife.

Which led to his decision in asking Gladiolus Amicitia, Clarus' son. But of course, it was the Shield's duty to protect the prince at all times, it wasn't necessarily most common for them to be the combat instructor for the royal family. When Gladiolus was offered, the young man looked rather elated, almost excited to begin teaching Noctis in swordplay. But that mood of his soon soured as soon as he realized how much Noctis was a bit of a brat. Often had no motivation for wanting to do swordplay or anything like that, much rather wanting to focus on things he enjoyed and whatever he wanted to do. Whatever kids Noctis' age were far more interested in. At least, those considered "normal" kids. Noctis was by far a "normal" child, considering what's been through, what he's witnessed, and how he was raised. He was far from a normal child.

Regis could only wonder. How was his son faring these days?

---

A loud wooden clack rang out throughout the training hall. A young Noctis' pained grunt erupted from his lips as he fell to the floor on his rear, grinding his teeth in frustration as he stared up at a certain individual with animosity.

Unfazed expression, more so a disappointed frown, Gladiolus Amicitia towered over the young boy with his own wooden sword, tapping it against his shoulder with a certain impatience. Gladiolus' eyes reflected a fiery feeling of spite.

"You can do better than that."

Noctis huffed. Gripping his wooden blade one more time as he got to his feet, he charged forward with an overhead slash. But it was a predictable move that Gladio easily saw, an annoyed scoff as he only stepped to the side and delivered a powerful slap with the flat and blunt end of the blade. The crackling noise echoed throughout the hall again as Noctis fell face first.

"Again," Gladio commanded with a firm tone.

The young prince raised his head and turned to the young Shield with a sneer, "No." He soon began making way for the doors.

"Hey," Gladio calls out.

"It's dinner time," Noctis simply replied. Planting both hands firmly on the double doors, he pushed forward and exited, not even realizing that he had shoved past a familiar red-headed boy about his age.

Y/N, who had heard Noctis and Gladio were sparring, wanted to get a few rounds with them in as well. Though he was quite surprised that the young prince had simply brushed past him like he wasn't even there. With a quizzical look, he turned to Gladio.

"What was that all about?"

"Tch. Nothing. Being a brat, that's all." Gladio sighed. "So? You here for something?"

Y/N shrugged. "Heard you two were sparring so I wanted to get a few rounds in myself. Not unless you're too tired from trying to train him."

A slightly annoyed, but playful sneer appeared on Gladiolus' face. "What're you implying, huh, Y/N?"

"Nothing. I'm just saying if you're all tired out, we don't have to spar. Especially when you know you're going to lose."

"Heh. Them's fighting words there, Y/N. You sure you can back them up?"

Y/N grinned, "Just know that I'm not all prissy like Noct."

The older boy stared at Y/N momentarily before he smirked, getting a defensive stance as he gripped the handle of the wooden sword tightly. With a smirk of his own, Y/N tapped the wooden sword that was by the door, the one Noctis had left when he exited the training hall, the young boy caught it flawlessly before he pointed the sword like it was some sort of declaration. Dashing off the marble flooring, rhythmic taps along the glossy floor, Y/N charged with a sensation of vigor and tenacity.

An instant flourish of swings and thrusts, a textbook format of footwork from learning the L/N family's style of swordplay. While this wasn't necessarily the first time they've sparred, they would always end with a draw, but as always, Gladiolus was caught off guard and mesmerized by Y/N's quick speed. Wooden thunks and clacks as Y/N's repeated slashes and thrusts would strike his guard and blade, leaving Gladio unable to react correspondingly with his own parrying attack. Of course, the young Sword of the King wasn't going to make it easy for the young Shield.

One powerful slash struck Gladio's blade as his combat boots' soles slid across the marble flooring with a distinct squeak. Gladio steeled himself, assuming a defensive stance once more as he eyed his red-haired friend charge forward once more. Quick side steps as he made his way, Y/N put his wooden blade in a reverse hand grip, slashing in from the side with great speed. Affirming his defensive stance, Gladio braced himself for the impact and blocked the attack, pushing the red-head off and retaliated with quick motions that aimed for the simulation of making cuts at his wrist. While Gladio wasn't quick like Y/N was, he was still fast in his own right and was relatively able to keep up with most people in terms of attack speed. If there was anything that Gladio was superior at, it was sheer strength and defensive power. But this was due to how they trained.

Some distance was created between the two, Gladio doing a great sweep with his wooden sword to create some sort of separation. Y/N only grinned, one of his greatest strengths to his arsenal of quick flurries and swift attacks was his gaining the advantage over the opposition by overwhelming the opponent with strikes that required reactive movements to counteract. That was something Gladio struggled with, especially when he is considered slower than the red-haired boy.

They stared each other down, Gladio taking a moment to analyze his opponent and calm himself. Gladiolus was a bit of a hot head and brash. Should it be exploited, real battle or duel, it would be his loss and downfall. With a deep breath, Gladio held his wooden sword with two hands and brought it to about shoulder level, keeping himself calm and composed and awaiting what sort of attack Y/N could bring on. Likewise, Y/N's smirk faded and he adopted a more serious look, analytical in a way. He knew he needed to plan accordingly and use whatever opportunity that was given to him if he wished to win the duel. But he could not deny the fact that Gladio is still a formidable opponent. One he couldn't take lightly.

Y/N raised his blade up for what seemed to be a piercing strike. He dashed forward, kicking off the marble flooring with a loud squeak. Leapt off one foot, Y/N pushed his wooden sword forward, Gladio roaring with vigor as he goes to meet him.

*CLACK* *CLACK* *CLACK*

The reverberating sound of wood blades clashing together seemed rather endless. Gladio roars again, a loud thump erupting throughout the room as he slammed the wooden sword onto the marble flooring. The attack sent a small shockwave in that brief area, Y/N shaking a little as he struggled a bit to find his footing. It was a brief moment of weakness that Gladio attempted to exploit, swinging his wooden glaive to knock Y/N completely off his feet. The red-haired boy grunted, his feet swept below from him and he began to fall backward and onto his back, only for him to pivot around by planting his hand onto the floor.

Twisting his body with the use of momentum, Y/N performed an almost spiral-like, rotating kick. Gladio braced himself. Even though Y/N had a far smaller body than his, due to his training from such a tender young age, there was quite a bit of strength to his form. A loud thunk echoed throughout the training hall, Y/N's shoe striking Gladio's wooden blade as the young Shield skid across the marble floor, baring gritted teeth as he did his best to sustain the attack. Returning onto two feet, the red-haired boy let out a breath, staring down at his friend with a steeled look. Gladiolus' defensive ability was no slouch at all.

*CRACK*

A loud crack erupted, Gladio having swung his wooden sword with so much force that it shattered his red-haired friend's sword, tip first. Shattering into small wooden splinters and shards, the only thing left of Y/N's wooden blade was the handle and hilt, a slight bit of jagged edges of where the blade would be. Y/N came to a halt a few feet away, raising the broken blade up to his face before looking at Gladio with a bit of a shocked expression.

Gladio chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "I... I think I used a bit too much strength there..."

"You don't say," Y/N deadpanned. He then sighed, "Guess sparing is over then."

"I guess so. Sorry about breaking your sword."

"It's fine. I would've won anyway."

Gladio frowned, "Hey, get off your high horse. What makes you think you would've won, anyway?"

"You're a bit stiff, Gladdy. Lighten up a bit. Your nerves felt a bit out of control there, frankly," Y/N stated.

"I can assure you, my nerves ARE under control," Gladiolus snorted. "And don't call me 'Gladdy.' Only Iris can call me that."

Y/N only grinned and shrugged. "And where's the fun in that, 'Gladdy'?"

Gladiolus looked angry momentarily before he ended up scoffing out a laugh, a slight grin playfully tugging at his lips. He couldn't get mad at his friend. Well, Y/N was one of the few friends he could rarely get angry at. And while they weren't friends, there was a certain black-haired prince that certainly got on Gladio's nerves. Quite a bit.

The young Shield flashed his watch up momentarily. "A crap, I'm already late to my post. Tsk. That bratty prince," he muttered.

"Go on ahead. Wouldn't want your dad to scold you or anything like that."

"Thanks, N/N. Sorry to have to make you clean up the mess I made," Gladio apologized.

"It's nothing," Y/N waved. "The only thing you owe me is another spar."

"Sure. See ya, N/N."

Offering one more friendly smile, the young Shield set off for his post.

Y/N sighed as he looked around. Quite a bit of wooden shards and splinters laid about the marble floor. He couldn't help but let his shoulders sag a little.

"Gladio should really learn how to control his strength properly."

---

M.E. 748

Y/N sighed in exasperation. Hands shoved in his pockets, he roamed from hall to hall in a middle school in the Crown City. A public middle school to be exact.

By now, Y/N was about thirteen, a year older than the Crown Prince, whom would be about twelve. Starting at the age of ten, Regis wanted his son to live a normal life, one that wouldn't be sheltered due to his status as a prince. As such, once Noctis came of age, he sent his son to attend a public middle school in the hopes he could make friends or just interact with others. Others that weren't people he had gotten acquainted with during his youth in the royal palace.

Unfortunately for Regis, Noctis was an introverted young boy. Often overwhelmed by the attention received, as well as the trauma he experienced when he was eight years old, he would prefer to be alone and avoid contact with others. To help remedy some of this forced isolation, Regis asked Y/N if he could attend the same middle school Noctis did.

Of course, Y/N was happy to help, as both a friend/brother and Sword to the future king. So a month later, the L/N heir joined Noctis' class, drawing even more attention to the Lucian heir. Noctis didn't hate his friend for this, but he didn't really like the attention. Swarmed by many boys and girls wanting his attention and his every whim, Noctis would make excuses to escape the predicament. Y/N tries to help, by explaining that the young prince is rather shy and that massive attention toward the black-haired boy would only startle him. But of course, the fact that the Crown Prince of Lucis was attending a "normal" school compared to a private education that people might normally think would create a buzz of interest.

Despite Y/N being quick witted and intelligent, there were some things he could not catch up with when it came to the absconding prince. Noctis always felt like he was trapped within the Citadel's walls when he was younger, often so that he would use secret tunnels littered around the Citadel to escape into the gardens or into some areas outside the boundaries of the castle. While Y/N was able to figure out some of the routes Noctis would take, the young L/N boy was quite surprised at Noct's constant vigilance and imperative thinking of looking for a way out of the so-called prison. Y/N had to admit, if there was one thing about Noctis that he admired, it was his tenacity and sheer will of figuring out a route to escape the castle's staff in order to spend time for himself.

"Aaahhh, where could you have gone, Noct?" Y/N murmured to himself. He wandered out of a hallway and exited through a pair of double doors that connected to a breezeway. "Noct, your way of escaping me is both admirable and annoying."

Disgruntled at the fact that the young prince has continued to escape more than once, Y/N considered giving up. But that wouldn't do well for him, especially since he is Noctis' sworn Sword. There are times like this that Y/N truly shared Gladio's and Ignis' shared annoyance with the prince's behavior.

Turning a corner and going off the beaten path for a bit, Y/N began to head toward the back of the school. Noctis continued to be clever in his own way. Y/N wasn't even sure if he's somehow missed him in any of the places he's visited at this point. The back of the school may as well be the last location he checks, but known Noctis and with how quick he can be, he might not even be there anymore.

Y/N pokes his head around another corner. This back area was roughly also near the track and field, as well as the outdoor soccer and football fields. Spotting the usual water faucets that were nearby for kids to sort of clean themselves up a bit if they dirtied themselves whilst playing in the field, a small sheltered area that held a couple of dumpsters and some tools for outdoor maintenance, Y/N clicked his tongue at the fact that he couldn't spot the particular black-haired boy he was looking for. However, what did catch his attention was a young blonde boy that sat on the dirt ground. 

The boy was chubby, flowing blonde hair and pearly blue eyes, sporting glasses and tight-fitting clothes, he looked lost in his own world while clutching a camera to his chest. It looked like he didn't even notice Y/N peeking his head around. The chubby boy was on the ground, looking like he had tripped over a black and yellow caution pole that was held up by two traffic cones, evident at the fact that the cones were tipped over and the pole itself in between the boy's legs, lying on his ankle. He was muttering something to himself.

"We will be friends..." At the distance the boy was at, he was quite incoherent.

The L/N heir approached, peering his head over into the blonde's gaze. "You okay?"

"Huh? ...A-Ahh! S-Sorry!"

The blonde boy scrambled to his knees and kept apologizing profusely, which only made Y/N sweat drop as he stared at the boy.

"N-No, it's fine, you have nothing to apologize for," Y/N assured him. "Here."

He extended a hand out to him, to which the boy stared at it briefly.

"Oh, uh...this?"

"No, not your camera. Your hand."

The boy took his hand. Y/N pulled him up, albeit having to do a bit of strength put into it because he was taken aback by how there was some slight heaviness to the blonde, he set him up straight. Of course, he didn't tell him that he was heavy. That would be quite rude.

Y/N cleared his throat. "Anyway... Name's Y/N. What's yours?"

"H-Huh? O-Oh! P-Prompto!"

"Prompto..." Y/N muttered to himself. "Ah, you're in our class, right? Prompto Argentum?"

"Y-Yeah... And you're Y/N L/N. I always see you with Prince Noctis."

"Ah, right, speaking of that rascal—Have you seen him?"

"Um... He was here earlier, but he left as soon as the school bell rang."

Y/N sighed in annoyance to himself. "So I just missed him. Oh, well, we should probably go too. Any longer and the teachers will scold us."

"R-Right..."

"Hey, no need to be nervous. I'm not going to do anything to you."

"Y-Yes, sir!" The blonde, Prompto, straightened himself out. He was as stiff as a board.

Y/N only sighed again.

---

M.E. 751

"Noct, are you even listening?" Ignis asked the young prince, who by now is fifteen years old.

"Hmm? Uh, yeah, sure," Noctis replied, staring aimlessly out of the car window.

Ignis sighed. "Noct, I need you to take this seriously. His Majesty is allowing you to rent an apartment outside the Citadel so you can easily access school, but you must be able to take care of yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

The spectacled teenager only stared at the Crown Prince, Noctis' hair having grown a little bit longer, a bit more spikier in appearance. In the brief three years since middle school, the only thing drastic that Noctis showed in growth was his height, his overall introverted behavior remaining the same. And unlike middle school where they wore "normal" clothing, so to speak, the high school era of things had them wearing a uniform. For the males, a white undershirt with a black blazer on top, a striped white and blue tie, dark grey dress pants, and lastly, black dress loafers. Some slight accessories included some copper looking cufflinks and buttons.

Ignis' eye noticeably twitched, spotting a loose button on Noctis' uniform. The Hand merely sighed and rubbed his temple in slight irritation. There were truly some things that he could never get through Noctis' thick skull.

"N/N, please tell me that you won't be anymore of a problem child than Noct already is..." Ignis slightly drawled. His tone was laced with some slight tiredness due to the antics of the Crown Prince.

"Hey." Noctis looked mildly annoyed at being called a 'problem child.' It was pretty much true.

Y/N, on the other hand, was rather laidback, a normal attitude to expect from him nowadays. While he still held some level of seriousness when it came to noble duties and the like regarding his position as the Sword of the King, he contrasted with the bored and introverted Crown Prince.

A bit of a flirt with the ladies, his handsome face and charm adding more to that factor, a suave nature, an outgoing and extroverted person, he was the typical pretty boy you'd come to expect. But he still held his own morals and values, and like stated before, he took his role and position as the future Sword for the future King very seriously. Especially since that when it came to his friends, he cared for them deeply. But that didn't mean he couldn't have a little bit of fun with life.

"Sheesh, you worry too much, Specs," Y/N responded, a rather cheeky grin on his face, using one of the many nicknames for Ignis. "You should know that I am a VERY capable person."

"Don't brush yourself too highly, N/N," Ignis retorted, a stern outlook displayed. "You, too, have your own fair share of flaws and problems."

"And you don't? Come on, expect more from us, 'Mother' Iggy. Besides, I'll be sure to whip Noct around whenever he needs a good reckoning, alright?"

"Hey!" Noct looked at his red-haired friend with an even more annoyed look than he did at Ignis.

Ignis, should have already expected such chagrins from the L/N heir, merely shook his head. Pushing up his glasses, he crossed his legs and arms, leaning back in the chair of the limousine.

"Fine. I will give you the benefit of the doubt, N/N."

Y/N laughed, but soon adopted his own serious look himself. "But Iggy isn't wrong, Noct. We'll be there to help you out, but you've got to pick up your own slack. For starters, don't leave your room messy with all your comics lying about."

Ignis nodded his head. "Precisely. The amount of things, bobs, and what's-its that I had to pick up and—"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Noctis said, waving his hand at them. "I promise I'll do just that."

Y/N sweat dropped and looked at Ignis with a certain expression. Ignis sighed at that. Knowing the bored prince, that would be a very hard thing to even attempt doing on a daily basis for him.

When being appointed as the Hand, Ignis didn't half expect to be the mother figure for the prince. Then again, he felt like it's an unspoken part of the job. And besides, it's been twelve years since he's been looking after the young prince so he's already used to this kind of thing, anyway.

Still, it was something Ignis put up with nonetheless. He didn't have to enjoy it. But he still cared for Noctis. Not as just the Hand of the King.

But as a friend.

---

The homeroom period had just finished, and already, both the prince and L/N heir had begun attracting a ruckus among the school.

Like in the middle school era of their life (which was only three years ago), it's not everyday that royalty and nobility join a public school. Jealousy and envy having spread amongst the male populace, the females looking on with shy expressions and eager notions to have their chances at interacting with the pair, they all watched as the bored Crown Prince walked the halls with his hands in his pockets, his ever trusty friend at his side. They carried a certain aura about them, each of them having their own individual one.

Prince Noctis gave off an aura of something akin to be intimidating, rather that the black-haired prince was hard to approach. Scowls appeared on a majority of the boys faces as they looked on at the prince with slight scorn, no doubt thinking of loathsome thoughts at how he must be thinking so highly of himself (though that was far from the truth). Some boys shared their own bewildered and curious thoughts themselves, but none compared to those of eager squalls and squeals from the many girls. It didn't help that their hearts swooned as the red-haired Sword of the King only gave his signature charming smile at them, causing them to perhaps be lovestruck bound.

As Y/N waved at the passerby audience, Noctis looked at his friend. Somewhat of a raised eyebrow, a rare occurrence of emotion from the prince having appeared.

"Well, aren't you popular already."

"Please, I'm not the only one who's been drawing attention too." Y/N flashes Noctis a quick grin. "C'mon, Noct, lighten up a bit and say hi! Maybe we'll make some new friends."

"Aand, with that, I'm leaving." Noctis begins picking up the pace.

"Aw, come on, Noct! Don't be like that!"

The two then end up walking out of the school and through a breezeway, finding themselves in the high school's courtyard. A bit of a small square where students can congregate on their break time or lunch hour.

Unbeknownst to them, a particular blonde boy was a bit of ways behind them. Adjusting a wristband to make sure it was fitted tightly, his overall appearance to that of a youthful punk, he put on a cheery attitude and began to jog after the pair. Catching up with the two, he gives Noctis a brief tap on his shoulder, causing the two to stop, a wary look soon appearing on Y/N's face. Again, took his duty as Sword of the King, the sworn Knight to the King, very seriously, only natural for him to be on the defensive as soon as someone unknown appears that could possibly threaten his liege.

Of course, the expression on Y/N's face was enough for the blonde to be put on alert with caution, but he had come too far to stop and falter now. A slight inhale and exhale soon after, he continued on with his cheerfulness.

"Hey, there, you two!"

"Huh?" Noctis was slightly confused.

"I'm Prompto! Nice to meet ya!" The blonde boy revealed himself, calling himself Prompto.

The name clicked in Y/N's head. It was that very same chubby boy he had met three years ago, during that one outing in looking for Noctis. He relaxed his guard.

But he had to say, he was quite impressed. In such a short notice time, Prompto had shed the chubby appearance in exchange for that of a slim and sporty young man. And with the way he was styled, the school uniform rolled up for more comfortability specifically, made him exude a lot more confidence than the rather bashful and shy boy he had met three years ago.

Noctis scanned Prompto up and down. He seemed to have figured out who the blonde was as well. But he was surprised. The prince never expected for that same boy to be where they are now, being the first one to actually work up the courage to come up to him and interact.

He couldn't help but grin. "Don't we know you?"

"Boy, did someone sure have a big makeover. You look good," Y/N complimented.

Prompto looked surprised momentarily before he let out an awkward laugh. The other two shared it with him, Noctis giving the blonde a playful pat on the back to usher him forward.

He never expected to have crossed paths with him again. But to be honest, the young prince was quite grateful.

To know someone other than Y/N, Ignis, and Gladio. What he didn't expect...

Was that they'd be brothers in a lifetime after.

[Chapter III] | Youthful Days