Quick note: I already had this idea planned before I played the Royal Edition. So the added Chapter 14 content won't be in this. Just thought I'd let you all know.

"I'm afraid I don't have another uniform for you," Noctis told Lorelai, "but today, you're an honorary kingsglaive."

Lorelai smiled, looking over the new threads the four men had on. "I'm honored to serve you, Your Majesty." She did a quick bow. "I'll get you safely to the Crown City."

The group set out from their camp. Lorelai erected another barrier around them, keeping the daemons at bay. It took quite a long time to make it to Insomnia. Entering the city, Lorelai was panting and struggling to keep her wall up. She paused to catch her breath, the child growing inside her exhausting her quicker than usual. The light barrier flickered and Prompto rushed to her side, wrapping an arm around her.

"Lora, you okay? If you need to stop, just tell us."

"I'm alright..." she breathed out. "Just give me a second."

Noctis came forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've done enough. You can stop."

She looked over at the king, noticing Gladio on his other side, grinning. "We'll take it from here."

"Best not to push yourself," Ignis added.

Prompto smiled. "Just stay behind us and catch your breath, 'kay?"

She nodded, letting her barrier fade. "Okay. Lead the way, Noctis."

Lorelai walked behind the men, letting them handle most of the daemons that attacked. Finally approaching the Citadel, the group had to take out a behemoth king guarding the front gates. Lorelai stayed back, knowing she would only get in the way while she was still recovering. She suddenly felt a presence behind her and whirled around, coming face to face with Ardyn.

"Hello, Lorelai. It's been a while."

He quickly grabbed her arm and the two both disappeared. The four men hadn't noticed, being too distracted with the beast they fought. But once the creature was dead, Prompto looked around, not seeing his wife.

"Lora?! Lora!"

"Is she not there?" Ignis questioned.

"Where could she have gone?" Gladio said.

Noctis clenched his fists, knowing they didn't have time to waste. "Dunno... but we don't have time to search for her at the moment."

"What're you saying?!" the gunman shouted. "We can't just leave her behind! What if she was attacked?!"

"We'll come back for her," the king argued. "We have to push onward now though. We can't turn back after we've come this far."

"Wait..." Ignis interrupted, something catching his ear. The others froze. "I hear her voice. Up ahead."

Prompto let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the Stars! Let's hurry!"

The group rushed through the gates. There, they saw Ardyn standing on the steps with Lorelai. He held her by the arm with a dagger pointed toward her throat.

"Lora!" the blond cried. "Let her go, Ardyn!"

Ardyn only chuckled. "I'll think about it, if you can make it inside. We shall await you at the top."

Keeping a firm hold on the girl, he turned, swiftly disappearing inside the building. A huge fire burst forth in front of the men and Ifrit appeared before them. Meanwhile, Ardyn and Lorelai were already in the throne room. With just a wave of his hand, Lorelai was strung up in the air by chains that wrapped around her. Ardyn casually sat down on the throne, gazing up at her.

"You're lucky I've exhausted my magic!" she spat, struggling to free herself. "What do you want with me?!"

"Nothing, at least not anymore," he replied with a smile. "But games like this are never as fun without stakes. While we're waiting, how about a friendly chat?"

"I think I'd prefer silence," Lorelai stubbornly responded.

Ardyn ignored her comment and said, "Don't think I didn't notice that ring on your finger. So you and the little gunman tied the knot. How happy you must both be." He then chuckled and leaned forward. "Do you think he's still alive?"

"I know he is. I believe in him, in all of them. They'll be here."

"So much confidence. But I believe you're correct."

There was a pause before Lorelai looked down at the man. "Don't you ever get sick of all this - all these games? And for what, to settle a grudge?"

"I've waited a millennia for this. To see that the King of Light dies is the only way I can ever know true freedom. And I cherish each and every moment that Noctis suffers."

"You are one twisted weirdo."

It wasn't long before the doors opened and in came the four men. Having defeated Ifrit, they hurried straight to the throne room.

"Guys!" Lorelai cried out.

The chains around her disappeared and she dropped to the floor. But almost immediately, Ardyn stood her up and pressed a dagger against her throat again. He grinned wickedly at the group.

"Now, I'm wondering if I should really release her, or kill her." He hummed in thought. "She did cause me quite a bit of trouble ten years ago."

He pushed the blade lightly against her skin, causing a bit of blood to trickle from the light wound. Lorelai hissed at the pain she felt and began breathing heavily with fear.

"Ardyn, you bastard!" Prompto angrily yelled. "Let go of her!"

Noctis had to hold his arm out to keep his friend from rushing forward. "Ardyn, I'm here. I'm the one you want, not her. Release her and let's settle this."

"Very well," he responded.

He let go of the girl. She immediately ran into her husband's arms. But right when everyone was preparing for a fight, Ardyn sent out smokey wisps that went past Noctis and hit the others. Each one of his friends collapsed, losing consciousness. With them now incapacitated, Noctis would have to face Ardyn alone. But it was something he was prepared for.

~~~~~

Noctis stood on the steps, his four friends down below. "Prompto, Lorelai, Gladio, Ignis, I leave it to you. Walk tall, my friends."

Ignis was the one to respond, "Godspeed. And take care, Majesty."

Each of them placed a hand on their chest and bowed. Noctis turned and continued up the steps. Hearing the familiar sounds of giants, the four slowly turned. They summoned their weapons, ready to face the incoming horde. Lorelai, who had recovered from her earlier exhaustion, fought alongside the three men. It wasn't long before a bright, blinding light exploded from the throne room. The group all turned their heads to see. The daemons instantly disintegrated into clouds of smoke. Not a single one was left.

Almost at the same time, their weapons clattered to the ground at their feet. Prompto flinched and they all turned their gaze to their things. They quickly snatched up their weapons and tried dismissing them, but it didn't work.

"Seems the weapon summoning magic is gone," Ignis said.

Lorelai tried using her light magic, but nothing happened. "My magic's gone too. So, that means..."

After a few moments of silence, the sky began to brighten and a beam of light peeked over the broken buildings and fell across the group. "The sun," Prompto muttered. "The sun's back. He really did it."

"Guess that's why the magic is gone," Gladio said. "Iggy, can you feel the sunlight?"

"Yes," he answered, feeling the warmth on his skin after so long. "The darkness is finally gone. Balance has been restored."

"But at a cost..." the gunman added.

The fact that their king was gone hit them like a splash of cold water. Eos was purged of daemons and the darkness, but Noctis had to sacrifice himself to achieve that. Lorelai began crying and hugged her husband, who had also broken down into quiet sobs. Gladiolus remained silent, but tears poured from his eyes. Ignis hung his head down, the faintest droplets leaking from his eyes as well.

"Hard to believe he's really gone this time," Gladio quietly said.

"Why couldn't... there be another way!" Lorelai cried between sobs as she clung to the blond man. "Why did it... have to turn out... like this!"

With Prompto swiftly drying his eyes the best he could, Ignis walked over to the two. "Noct did what he had to, and he did it for us, and for all of Eos."

Gladio smiled slightly, standing beside the blind man. "Yeah. He wanted us to be able to enjoy the light again and not have to worry about daemons whenever the sun went down."

Prompto held his crying wife, tears still streaming from his eyes as well. "I guess all we can do now is cherish his gift." His voice trembled when he spoke.

He finally forced Lorelai to look at the beautiful dawn before them. She sniffled, but couldn't stop from smiling. "Thank you... Noctis... We'll never forget what you did here today... You will always be in our hearts."

"I can honestly say that you walked tall," Gladio added, hoping their words would carry through the wind and reach their friend.

Ignis placed a hand on both Lorelai and Prompto's shoulders. "It may be tough to continue on, but we must walk the path he gave us."

Prompto glanced up at him and nodded. "Right. Noct did this for us."

"Now we must live on, for ourselves... and for him," Lorelai said.

Prompto smiled gently at her, placing a hand against her stomach. "And we will, together."