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The war is over, has been for a month already.
Niflheim has fallen for good.
Tenebrae and Accordo both have won back their independence and for the first time in over a century, Lucis is at peace.
The first week after the defeat of the Empire was spent celebrating all across Eos. A nationwide holiday was created, fireworks lit up the sky in every town. People laughed and cried tears of joy, they sang and danced, they ate and drank.
The sword that had been hanging over everyone's head for longer than they can remember had finally disappeared.
Then, after seven days of celebrations, Noctis’ father organized a ceremony at the Citadel to honor the memory of those who had not lived to see the end of the war and there were many of them.
Citizens, Crownsguards, Glaives.
After a solemn moment of silence, the King took off the Ring of the Lucii and the Wall vanished as it was no longer needed, its purpose having been fulfilled.
As the crowd erupted into cheers, Noctis’ father sent the Ring into the armiger while the Prince prayed under his breath that it would remain there forever.
So much death and destruction…
But it was all behind them and now, they had to look forward and rebuild what had been destroyed.
Which brings Noctis to his current predicament.
The six of them are standing right outside the Citadel at the bottom of the courtyard stairs with the sun shining brightly above their heart; a complete contrast with the heartbreak he's feeling right now.
“I'm going to miss you so much,” he sighs as he hugs the twins tightly for what is probably the hundredth time since he woke up that morning.
Solaris giggles in his arms while Selene presses a comforting kiss to his cheek, both of them hugging him back.
He had known that this moment would come sooner or later but still, no amount of time could have prepared him for it.
His first time being away from the kids for more than a few hours.
“C'mon, Noct,” Prompto tries to reassure him, rubbing soothing circles on his back. “We'll be gone for two weeks at most.”
Two weeks away from Lucis, away from Insomnia, away from the Citadel.
Away from his babies…
The Prince makes a sound of discontentment which makes his husband as well as friends chuckle.
Traitors!
He's being miserable and they have the nerve to laugh at him.
“It's not the end of the world,” Gladio reminds him, clearly amused. “It's just a recon mission.”
A recon mission all the way in Niflheim…
Iedolas Aldercapt might be dead and buried and so is all of his entourage and anyone who could have legitimately claimed his vacant throne but his minister of research was one fucked up bastard so who knows what kind of sick experiments he was up to his laboratory? What surprise he might have left behind?
More Magitek soldiers? Or something even worse? Some monster that will eventually break out of its cage and attack them when they'll least expect it?
They can't take this risk.
This is why they're going to Nifhleim.
To investigate that lab to make sure the world is safe from Verstael Besithia's imagination.
So no matter how much Noctis viscerally despises the very idea of being away from the twins for two whole weeks, he knows it's to ultimately protect them so he reluctantly pulls away to look both of them in the face.
Solaris, the eldest by only four minutes, looks exactly like Noctis did when he was his age only with Prompto's blonde hair and freckles while Selene is the opposite. She inherited her features, her freckles and her violet eyes from Prompto but her hair is just as dark as Noctis’ but they each have a single strand that is the other's hair color.
“Don't give too much trouble to Grandpa and to your uncles while we're gone, okay?” he reminds them, his eyes flickering back and forth between them. “And eat your veggies.”
Solaris immediately scrunches up his nose while Selene frowns and sticks her tongue out.
“You don't even eat them!” his son protests vividly with a pout while his daughter nods in agreement.
“And that's why he's so short!” Gladio snorts, sounding quite pleased with himself. “So if you don't want to stay short all your life, you know what you got to do!”
Noctis makes a sound of protest but before he can say anything, Ignis joins the conversation as well.
“If you eat all of your vegetables while we're away, I will prepare that chocolate cake you love so much when we will be back.”
The bribing seemingly works as Selene and Solaris both nod enthusiastically, grinning from one ear to another.
“Alright,” Prompto chuckles as he takes the twins from Noctis’ arms. “We have to go and I want hugs too!”
The Prince reluctantly lets go of his children and watches fondly as his husband hugs their babies tight.
The sight makes his heart swell up in his ribcage and his mind drifts back to a conversation they had in the days that followed the fall of Nifhleim.
●○●○●
Another day of festivities and celebrations is coming to an end.
It's still hard to believe that after being at war for over a century, Lucis is finally at peace.
Smiling to himself, Noctis tightens the covers around Selene's sleeping form and presses a gentle kiss to her forehead.
“Sleep well, my princess,” he whispers against her skin as he delicately runs his fingers through her hair, pushing some wild strands out of her eyes.
And despite being asleep, the corners of her lips twitch up and it hits him just how much he loves her and her brother.
They were an unexpected surprise as Noctis and Prompto had agreed that even though they got married right as they got out of high school, they would wait a few years before having children, mostly because of the war that was still going on back then, neither of them felt safe bringing a kid into the world.
But then, less than three months after their wedding, Prompto found out he was pregnant and their lives changed.
And here they are today.
Still just as deeply in love with each other as they were the day they got married and they have two absolutely wonderful children.
What else could he possibly ask for?
Sighing happily, Noctis stands back up and walks out of Selene’s room but not before looking at his daughter's one last time for the night. He then closes the door behind himself right as Prompto walks out of the door facing him; Solaris’ room
The twins had fallen asleep in the middle of the festivities in the courtyard and they didn't have the heart to wake them up so they just carried them back to their respective rooms to put them to bed; Noctis had Selene and Prompto had Solaris.
“He's still asleep?” the Prince asks with a smile as he walks up to his husband and kisses him.
Prompto hums against his lips and wraps his arms around Noctis’ neck, pulling him closer.
“And Sel?” he wonders in between two kisses.
“Sleeping like a baby,” Noctis assures him as his hands find the blonde's hips underneath his clothes.
Without ever letting go of each other, they manage to stumble their way back to their own bedroom and the Prince kicks the door shut behind them.
Their clothes are quickly tossed aside and soon, they fall naked onto their bed, Noctis on top of his husband.
They are in no hurry, they have all the time in the world now that the war is over.
However, as he starts pressing a series of kisses down the blonde's chest, Noctis can't help but notice that his husband seems… distracted, staring up at the ceiling with a pensive expression on his face.
“Prom,” he says as he rests his chin on Prompto's sternum to look up to him, “baby, what's wrong?”
That startles the blonde who looks back at him with a guilty look in his eyes.
“Sorry, sorry,” he quickly apologizes, shaking his head before smiling. “I'm right here with you.”
But that just won't do so Noctis presses one last kiss to his husband's chest before crawling up his body so they're face to face.
“Talk to me,” he whispers as he cups Prompto's cheek, gently stroking it. “What’s wrong?”
The blonde sighs and leans into the touch.
“It's nothing,” he starts explaining as their eyes meet. “It's silly. I just can't stop thinking about something I heard your dad tell Clarus and Weskham earlier.”
Worry washes over Noctis like a wave and Prompto immediately shakes his head.
“It's nothing bad, I promise, okay?” he assures him. “They were just talking about what they were going to do now that the war is over and your dad joked about wanting another grandchild soon.”
Oh.
OH!
Noctis cannot say it's something he never thought about before but there was the war to consider.
Now though?
“You want to have another baby?”
The words tumble out of his mouth before he can even try to stop them and Prompto immediately blushes.
“I do,” he confesses with a tentative smile. “I mean, the twins are growing up too quickly and the war is over now, you know, and sometimes I miss being pregnant, like feeling our babies kicking and rolling and-”
But the rest of his sentence is long forgotten as Noctis crashes their lips together in a hungry, passionate kiss.
“I want a baby too,” the Prince shamelessly admits as he starts kissing down Prompto's jaw and neck. “Want to get you pregnant again!”
They both know this will have to wait a little longer though. The war is over but who knows what monstrosities the Empire might have left behind? So the sooner they make sure the world truly is safe, the sooner they can start trying for baby number three.
In the meantime though…
Well…
It never hurts to practice.
●○●○●
“You boys are all set?” his father's voice pulls him out of his thoughts as he walks down the stairs, accompanied as always by Clarus, Cor and Weskham.
“We are, Dad,” Prompto confirms with a smile over Selene’s shoulder before he passes the twins over to Gladio who grins wickedly as he hugs them as well. “We were just saying goodbye.”
Noctis’ Shield and then Ignis each take a turn at hugging Selene and Solaris and then the Prince hugs them one more time.
“I love you and I'm going to miss you so much!”
His heart shatters a little as he sets them down and they go to stand beside their grandfather, both of them smiling up at him.
His heartbreak must be showing on his face as Prompto reaches for his hand and intertwines their fingers together.
“Two weeks at most, Noct,” he whispers for no one but him to hear. “Two weeks and then we'll come back and we can start working on adding a member to our family.”
He's right.
Two weeks.
He can do this.
“We'll call tonight,” he says, mostly to reassure himself but the twins give him a toothy smile in response, “when we get to the hotel.”
Noctis then steps forward and his father does as well, pulling him into his arms and hugging him.
“Be careful out there,” the King quietly whispers as he cups the back of his son's head. “You and Prompto have your babies to come back to.”
“I promise,” the Prince assures him, burying his face into the crook of his father's neck. “I promise.”
Once they pull away, the King wraps his arms around Prompto and hugs him just as tightly while Clarus is also hugging his own son as well as Ignis. Weskham affectionately pats their backs while Cor simply nods at them, stoic as always.
Noctis then quickly hugs the twins one last time and this time, Prompto also indulges himself before the two of them along with Gladio and Ignis climb into the Regalia. And although Specs tends to drive everywhere they go, this time, the Prince gets into the driver's seat first. He can't imagine sitting in the backseat all day with nothing to do but think of the twins.
Ignis doesn't even try to fight him on it and just hands him the keys before sitting down in the backseat next to Gladio, Prompto taking the passenger seat as he always does.
Noctis turns on the engine, waves at the twins, hoping he doesn't look as close to tears as he feels and reluctantly drives away.
He feels slightly childish as they exit the courtyard. After all, every parent has to leave their kid behind at some point but he doubts they all make a scene the same way he merely just did. But then, as he turns his head to make sure no car is coming, he notices the way Prompto's eyes are welling up with tears and all of his worries suddenly go to his husband.
He reaches over the console for the blonde's hand, bringing it up to his mouth so he can kiss it.
“Two little weeks, Prom,” he tries to reassure him with a smile.
They can do this.
●○●○●
For once in their life, everything goes exactly as they planned.
At least for a while.
As they planned, they reach Galdin Quay late in the afternoon and settle down at the hotel for the night.
They take turns in showering to refresh themselves after spending the day in the car and then they treat themselves with Lucis’ best seafood at the Mother of Pearl.
Once the sun has set, they go to the beach so Noctis can fish a little and before going to bed for the night, they make a video call with the twins and if the Prince cries once they hang up, that's between him and the Six…
Then, early in the morning, they take the ferry for Tenebrae where a train headed to Nifhleim, or at least what's left of it, awaits them.
With nothing else to do on the way there, the four of them play several rounds of King's Knight on their phones until eventually, Noctis receives a call from Luna, inviting him and the others to spend the night at Fenestala manor.
Although inviting might be an euphemism considering she makes it clear over the phone that now that she's the princess of Tenebrae once again, she will make the train stop at Fenestala whether Noctis agrees or not.
And since they could never say no to a comfortable bed and a warm meal, they end up accepting Luna's so-called offer and spend the night at Fenestala Manor.
When morning comes, the four of them get back aboard the train and the staff doesn't even try to hide their displeasure, not that Noctis can blame them though.
Up until a month ago, their country was under Nifhleim's control so obviously they're not looking forward to venture into what was the Empire's territory.
It takes a few more hours once they depart from Fenestala for them to reach their destination and as soon as the train stops, the employees nearly shove them and the snowmobiles out, barely giving them time to get dressed for the freezing weather.
They're in the middle of nowhere but it's as close as they can get. If they go any further, the train tracks turn west directly towards Gralea while the laboratory is somewhere in the opposite direction.
There's no path, the plain is covered by a thick layer of snow while more keeps falling from the cloudy sky above. It's also a lot colder than it is during winter in Insomnia.
It's not going to be a pleasant trip…
“Everyone is ready?” Noctis asks, his voice muffled by the black mask covering his mouth as he looks back over his shoulder at the group.
Gladio and Ignis both nod while Prompto gives him a thumb up so Noctis nods back at them and looks ahead.
“Let's go!”
They drive for what feels like hours with nearly zero visibility, only stopping to drink some water or eat some energy bars, but eventually, as the plains turn into mountains, the clouds begin to disperse, revealing a beautiful blue sky underneath with the sun setting on the horizon.
And although they might be close to the lab's coordinates according to the GPS, who knows what awaits them in the dark so they opt to spend the night in a cave next to a frozen lake at the bottom of the mountain.
They park the snowmobiles right at the entrance just in case it snows again during the night and quickly usher inside to warm themselves up after the day they've had.
Within a few minutes, thanks to Gladio, they've got a large fire going already, the camping chairs spread around it while Ignis is preparing dinner.
However, as they sit down to eat, Noctis notices something glimmering in the light of the flames by his feet so he picks up to examine the object.
It's a golden button with the Lucian crest engraved.
Like those on his father's suits.
As it dawns upon the Prince how did it got here, he cannot help but smile as he shows his discovery to his companions.
“It belongs to my dad,” he explains to them as he hands Prompto the button.
Realization flashes across their faces and the corners of the blonde's lips twitch up as he takes the button into his hand to get a good look at it.
“So it's been sitting here for nearly twenty five years,” Ignis points out with a smile as well.
“You should bring it back and give it to the King,” Gladio suggests with a smirk, reaching over to playfully slap Prompto's back. “It'll be like a souvenir for him.”
The Prince consort nods in agreement but doesn't look away from the button, a contemplative look on his face.
A few weeks before their wedding, Noctis’ father had called them both to his office which wasn't unusual in itself but then when they got there, they found the King and his retinue waiting for them with glasses of Altissian scotch ready.
It was that day they told them the truth about Prompto's origins, about how they had found him in a lab of Nifhleim years before during a top secret mission only a handful of people ever knew about. Once he saw him, Noctis’ father simply couldn't bring himself to leave him there at the mercy of a psychopath so they brought him back with them to Insomnia.
Noctis’ mother immediately loved him as well and they very nearly adopted him but the constant comments from the Council eventually made them realize he would never be treated properly so they gave him up for adoption.
He was then soon adopted by the Argentums and well…
The rest is history.
“Remind me to thank him once we get back,” Prompto sighs, smiling a little as he looks back at Noctis and shoves the button into the pocket of his jacket. “Who knows what would have happened to me if he hadn't decided I was worth saving?”
“You would have found each other one way or another,” Ignis assures him with a nod. “I'm sure of it.”
“You two are like soulmates,” Gladio snorts in a teasing tone. “Doubt the Six would have appreciated Verstael keeping you apart if their grand plans for you were to meet, get married and have babies!”
The tension melts away as they burst into laughter and Prompto's smile seems more genuine as he meets Noctis’ eyes afterwards so the Prince considers it a win.
●○●○●
The next day, they wake up at sunrise and eat a quick breakfast before getting ready for the day ahead.
Whatever happens to be waiting for them up there in that lab, it's not going to welcome them with open arms so they must be ready to face it.
The lab is located further up into the mountains, about a fifteen minute ride away which is plenty of time for them to brace themselves for the worst.
Sophisticated Magitek soldiers, monsters that never should have existed in the first place.
Even the damn ghost of Verstael Besithia himself.
The place seems totally abandoned when they reach it, no sign of life around, but they don't let their guard down and carefully approach the massive doors.
“Think you can break it open?” Noctis teases his Shield as they get off their snowmobiles, the Prince pulling down his mask.
Gladio scoffs.
“Even I am not that strong!”
But they have to find a way inside. Maybe there's not another door somewhere they can break through or-
“Wait!” Prompto pulls him out of his thoughts as he walks up to the door, or rather to the control panel next to it.
He stares at it for a few seconds before sighing deeply. He takes off his right glove, rolls up his jacket's sleeve and unclips the large leather bracelet from around his wrist, revealing the barcode tattooed onto his skin. He then tentatively presses it against the screen and-
“Scanning production code,” a feminine, electronic voice announces. “Unit 05953234 confirmed.”
The doors then slide open, revealing the garage inside.
“At least that thing will have been useful once,” Prompto half-heartedly jokes but the Prince sees right through his attempt at humor and immediately reaches for his hand, squeezing it reassuringly.
“I love you,” he quietly says for no one but his husband to hear.
The corners of the blonde's lips twitch up.
“I love you too,” he whispers, giving Noctis’ hand a squeeze as well.
After making sure nothing awaits them in a dark corner of the garage, the two of them along with Gladio and Ignis get their snowmobiles inside to shelter them from the harsh weather and then begin investigating the deserted lab.
However, they find nothing in there. No genetic experiment roaming free, no guards.
Nothing.
At least until they stumble upon a vast area similar to a warehouse full of test tubes filled with a fluorescent greenish substance, all of them occupied.
More clones of Verstael.
All frozen in stasis.
Destined to wait forever for a creator who is now six feet under.
The way they look identical to Prompto makes Noctis feel nauseous but he quickly gets over the initial shock to look at his husband who's standing in front of one of the tubes, staring at the clone inside.
“Prompto?” he worries as he walks up to him, placing a gentle hand on the blonde's lower back.
“It's like looking at a mirror,” his husband replies with a pensive look on his face, shaking his head. “A broken, distorted mirror. It could have been me in there.”
“But it didn't happen,” Noctis tries to reassure him. “My dad got you out!”
The shadow of a saddened smile flashes across the blonde's features, still staring at the clone.
“I just hope they didn't suffer too much,” he sighs deeply before finally looking back at the Prince. “I know we agreed to only blow this place if there was something in here we couldn't defeat but do you think that we could, you know, put them to rest? For good?”
“Of course,” Ignis agrees with a nod as he and Gladio come to stand by his sides.
“We'll start placing the explosives while you two keep looking around,” Gladio offers and Prompto immediately nods, Noctis already reaching for his hand, intertwining their fingers together and squeezing them tightly.
So as his Shield and his adviser begin setting up the bombs, the Prince drags his husband out of the room to check for any other surprise but there's truly nothing in here.
Simply the remnants of a sick and twisted mind…
“Look,” Prompto points out as they reach a door that looks particularly more imposing than the others.
So whatever is behind it must be important.
“You think-” Noctis begins to say but his husband beats him to it.
Prompto doesn't waste time and unlocks the door with his barcode tattoo, allowing them to cautiously step into the room.
It's an office.
No decorations, just some bookshelves, a desk buried underneath a ton of papers, research notes scattered all over the place, a-
“Oh my Gods!” Prompto yells, startling the Prince as he rushes over a corner of the room. “Noct!”
So Noctis follows him instinctively and he feels his blood freezing into his veins at the sight that caused his husband to scream in the first place.
“Sweet fucking Six!”
Another test tube, much smaller than the ones they found earlier but instead of a clone of Verstael, it's a little girl.
The substance filling the tube is blue this time but she's clearly in stasis like the others. Long black hair floating in the liquid, covering most of her face, pale white skin and looking so terrifyingly small. She can't be much older than two or three at most.
“Gladio! Ignis!” he shouts in terror at the top of his lungs as Prompto starts fumbling with the buttons on the control panel in a hurry to get her out of there.
Over his erratic heartbeat, Noctis hears the hurried footsteps of his companions running their way and-
“Shiva’s fucking tits!” his Shield swears loudly as he and Ignis enter the room.
“I can't fucking open it!” Prompto cries out in panic.
“Move!” Gladio yells as he summons his greatsword out of the armiger and the blonde barely has the time to step aside before the Shield strikes the glass of the test tube with his blade.
It shatters into pieces and within seconds, the blue substance begins spreading on the floor while Prompto immediately reaches for the little girl, picking her up into his arms but she's limp in them, sagging against his chest.
“C'mon, sweetheart,” he hurries her in a panicked tone, desperately patting her back but to no avail. “Breathe! C'mon, breathe!”
And for a brief moment, Noctis fears the worst; this little angel is dead already. They were too late to save her but then-
“I think she's waking-” Prompto begins to say but he doesn't get to finish as the little girl suddenly awakens and proceeds to throw up, vomiting all of the blue substance that must have gotten into her mouth and her lungs.
It seems to last forever and they're all frozen into place, watching as she empties her insides, some of it getting onto the blonde's jacket, but eventually, after what feels like an eternity but probably only lasted for a few seconds, she stops and they collectively sigh with relief.
“It's okay, Princess,” Prompto reassures her as he rocks her into his arms. “It's okay. You're okay. I've got you!”
Eventually, she stops heaving and she clearly must be feeling safe in his embrace as she makes a sound of contentment and makes herself comfortable against Prompto's chest.
This sparks up something in Noctis who can't help but gently reach for her, pushing her soaked hair out of her face but a vision of horror awaits him. Her left eye might be a beautiful shade of blue, her right one though…
It's gone.
It looks like it's been violently ripped out!
The skin around it has healed already but the sight still makes Noctis gag because what kind of monster could do such a thing to an innocent, defenseless baby?
But there are more pressing matters right now. The poor thing must be freezing if the way she's shivering is anything to go by.
“Here,” the Prince declares as he summons a large white, fluffy towel out of the armiger and helps Prompto drying her off before reaching into the armiger again, this time for one of his shirts.
It's a black hoodie with the logo of Assassin's Creed on it. Of course, it's way too big for her but that'll have to do for now.
It nearly reaches her little feet because of how small she is but she burrows his face into the fabric, inhaling deeply, and seemingly loves the scent as she smiles up at him, making his heart do a little somersault.
“What did those bastards do to you, sweetie?” Gladio wonders out loud as he delicately rubs her back, using the same gentle, comforting tone as he does when he talks to the twins.
And Ignis, rather than scolding him for using such a language in front of a child, mutters something along the lines of “bastards being an understatement” and frowns as he looks around the room.
“This must be Besithia’s office,” he sighs, shaking his head. “He must have deemed her important enough to keep her safe in here rather than with the others where anyone could have had access to her.”
This makes Prompto growl as he tightens his arms around her and cradles the back of her head.
“He's lucky to be dead already,” he mumbles almost inaudibly and Noctis can't help but silently agree.
Whoever could hurt a child like this deserves a fate far worse than death…
Pushing those dark thoughts into the back of his mind, he focuses back on the little girl who now seems perfectly content in Prompto's embrace while a feeling he can't quite name settles into his chest.
“You're safe, baby,” he tells her, smiling at her while delicately stroking her cheek. “I'm not going to let anyone ever hurt you again.”
For a moment, no one dares to speak, just letting things sink in while questions start flooding Noctis’ mind.
Who is she? What was Verstael trying to do with her? Why did he take her eye out? What other monstrous experiments has he subjected her to? Where is she from? Did he forcefully take her from her family? Did her parents consent to letting their daughter become nothing more than a lab rat? Or was she taken from an orphanage? Was she chosen for a particular reason?
That bastard is six feet under already and therefore cannot answer any of those questions but maybe his research can do it for him.
“We need to bring all of his notes back with us!” the Prince declares as he looks away from the girl to face his two other companions. “They might help us find out what he did to her. Or who she is.”
However, without even looking at each other, both Gladio and Ignis shake their heads.
“We will,” his adviser explains calmly, “but you and Prompto have another, more urgent mission right now.”
His eyes briefly flicker to the little girl and he smiles almost imperceptibly.
“Get her out of here. Wait for us at the cave.”
“But-” Prompto begins to protest but Gladio presses a firm hand on his shoulder.
“The less time she spends here the better, Blondie! Now go!”
And if there's one thing they know not to discuss it's Gladio's orders.
So they carefully begin making their way out of the lab, Noctis keeping a death grip on the handle of his sword the entire time but thankfully, no other surprise awaits them and the little girl remains calm and quiet in Prompto's arms, even falling asleep by the time they reach the garage.
However, since the blonde can't really drive his snowmobile without letting go of her, they've got no other choice but to leave it behind, Prompto climbing onto Noctis’ and holding onto the Prince with one hand while the latter slowly drives them down to the bottom of the mountain.
When they get to the cave, Noctis doesn't waste any time trying to light up the fire the normal way and instead, he straight away uses his powers to do so.
The flames quickly warm up the cave and they both sigh with relief as they sit down in the camping chairs, taking off their jackets and their excess gear.
And although the little girl has been asleep the entire time, this is when she finally decides to awaken, staring intently at them, her big blue eye flickering back and forth between them.
“Hey, baby girl,” Noctis greets her with a smile. “Slept well?”
But then, as she smiles back, an oddly familiar feeling washes over him.
The same one he felt over five years ago in that room of the medical wing at the Citadel.
When he first saw his babies.
It remains the most beautiful sight he ever came across, even if they were still covered in amniotic fluids.
He then meets Prompto's eyes, guessing his expression probably matches the one of awe on his husband's face, and Noctis already knows what the blonde is thinking about.
From the moment they saw her, they began to love her and that love has only grown with each passing second since. It might not even have been an hour yet but the Prince would already kill if it meant to protect her.
As if sensing his feelings, the girl extends her arms towards him and makes a sound of discontentment.
“I think she wants you,” Prompto teases him, handing her to him nonetheless and Noctis willingly takes her into his arms.
And just like when he first held the twins, he feels something stirring up inside him.
Like a puzzle piece falling into place.
“You need a name.”
The words tumble out of his mouth before he can stop them.
“We can't call you little girl forever, can't we?” he jokes, making her giggle in his lap while Prompto's smile widens, his eyes soft as he looks at them. “So what do you want to be called?”
So he begins listing the different names coming to his mind but she doesn't react to any of them to the point he starts wondering if she even understands him but then-
“What about Aulea?” his husband suddenly suggests and much to Noctis’ surprise, the little girl perks up, causing him to raise an eyebrow at her.
“Aulea,” he repeats after the blonde in disbelief and the girl grins widely, her eye shining with excitement. “You like that? Aulea?”
She starts bouncing on his lap while clapping her hands together and giggling and neither Noctis nor Prompto can't help but join her, chuckling wholeheartedly.
Eventually, Aulea sighs happily and leans forward, resting against the Prince's chest who tightens his arms around her and kisses her forehead.
“Tell me I'm not alone in this,” his husband pleads him after a moment. “Tell me I'm not the only one who feels like we found her for a reason.”
“Like she was meant to be here with us and not in that damn lab,” Noctis confirms, nodding. “No, it's not only you. I feel the same.”
Like all of the decisions in his life have led him to this; a poor little girl who already feels so much like a daughter to him that it should be scary but it only feels right.
The Prince sighs happily and Aulea snuggles closer into his chest.
“My dad found you all those years ago and now we found her.”
“It's like destiny,” Prompto finishes for him with an awed expression. “You mean it?”
Noctis nods.
“We're not giving her up for adoption though,” he clarifies in a tone that leaves no room for discussion. “No matter what my dad or the Council or anyone says! She’s ours and-”
But the rest of his sentence is forgotten when the blonde presses his lips onto his, kissing him gently.
“She's ours,” he repeats after the Prince as he pulls back, bumping their foreheads together.
Noctis doesn't have time to reply though as a snort suddenly startles them. They turn around and find both Gladio and Ignis standing at the entrance of the cave with matching, knowing smirks on their lips.
“Figured you wouldn't last five minutes,” the Shield teases them as they walk over to them and he extends his arms out to Aulea. “You're too cute to resist, aren't you, Princess?”
She giggles as he picks her up and the Prince can't help but whine as he loses her comforting presence against his chest.
“Don't make that face,” Gladio tells him before giving his full, undivided attention to Aulea. “I'm not taking her away from you.”
“You better not,” the Prince mumbles with a groan, causing the others to burst into laughter.
“We packed all of Besithia's research into the armiger,” Ignis absently explains as he rubs Aulea's back, also entirely enthralled by her. “We can go through it once we get back home.”
“And the explosives?” Prompto wonders and Specs nods before handing Noctis the detonator.
“Ready when you are.”
They take a few minutes to pack up all of their camping gear and then Gladio hands Aulea back to the blonde who seems relieved to get her back and although the Prince also misses her, he cannot wait to get the fuck out of this place and to bring her somewhere warm and safe where she won't be treated like a lab rat.
Prompto then tucks her inside his jacket so she will be shielded from the cold on the way back.
They then walk out of the cave and look up to the top of the mountain where the lab is still standing.
But not for long.
Noctis doesn't hesitate before pressing the button of the detonator and a second later, the ground shakes underneath their feet while explosions echo through the valley, flames reaching up towards the sky where the lab was a moment before.
It's finally done.
The last remnants of Verstael's sick and twisted imagination are nothing but ashes now while his clones can rest in peace.
“Let's go home,” the Prince solemnly declares.”
●○●○●
The employees of the train seem so relieved to finally leave Nifhleim that none of them seem to notice Aulea and Noctis is honestly glad because he doesn't know what he would have told them as he knows nothing about her.
However, that changes on the way back home.
First, they find out she walks with no problem, only stumbling every once in a while like any other child her age does. She also runs quite a runner as she shows them when Gladio playfully chases her across the wagon they're staying in.
She also doesn't have any problems with food as she seems happy to just be eating whatever they give her but considering how small and skinny she is, it probably comes from being starved by Verstael on a daily basis.
Such a shame that necromancy isn't real otherwise Noctis would bring back that bastard so he could kill him himself…
Still, they will have to figure out what she truly likes when they get to Insomnia which might not be so easy as they quickly realize that even though Aulea hears them well and reacts to their voices and sounds, she isn't properly communicating with them. She nods and shakes her head sometimes when they speak to her but she isn't talking.
So either it's because she was never taught, but even then she would repeat some words after hearing them, or she simply cannot speak due to whatever Verstael did to her.
But that's a problem they will handle later. For now she's safe and she's happy and that's all that matters.
She also turns out to be a very tactile and affectionate child, always wanting hugs or cuddles which the four of them give her plenty of on the way back to Insomnia but her favorite definitely is Prompto.
Noctis DOES NOT pout when he realizes that, no matter what the others might say…
They don't mention her when they video call with the twins and when Luna invites them again to Fenestala Manor, he declines, claiming they're all too exhausted and wouldn't be good company.
The next day, after using the ferry and speeding down the highway from Galdin Quay, they finally arrive at the Citadel and the Prince has a speech to his father memorized. He has no idea how the King will react to him and Prompto adopting Aulea. Part of him wants to believe he will understand them and be happy but he can't help but worry he might see her as a threat…
“Boys,” Weskham greets them at the bottom of the courtyard staircase with his ever present smile as they get out of the Regalia. “I hope you had a safe trip. Did you find-”
But he freezes once he notices Aulea in Noctis’ arms, his eyes growing wide while his jaw drops open. Blissfully unaware, Aulea simply smiles at him and nuzzles the Prince's neck, sighing happily.
“Weskham,” he begins to explain, “I know it will sound crazy but we found her in the lab, by herself in a test tube and we just, we couldn't leave her there, you know.”
Time seems to stand still for a moment as the older man's eyes flicker back and forth between Noctis and Aulea until eventually, he chuckles, his lips stretching onto a smile.
“Like father, like son,” he points out in a teasing tone. “Seems like history is repeating itself.”
Weskham then turns his attention to Aulea, giving her a closer look before nodding.
“I suppose congratulations are now in order, boys! I'm very happy for you two-”
He boops Aulea's nose, making her giggle.
“-and you, little Princess!
“Do you think his Majesty will feel the same?” Ignis worries with a frown and thankfully, Weskham nods once more, chuckling.
“You mean the man who went crazy when he found out he was going to be a grandfather for the first time?” he teases him, slapping his back. “The same man who's planning to ask for more grandchildren now that the war is over?”
A blush spreads onto Prompto's cheeks while Noctis can’t help but smirk knowingly; this is exactly what his husband overheard the night they agreed to have another baby.
“He's going to adore her!” Weskham concludes before making a face at Aulea who giggles again, still burrowed into Noctis’ embrace.
“Should we take her back to our suite first?” the blonde wonders, twirling a strand of her hair. “Give her a bath? Dress her up properly?”
They tried their best to wash her hair in the bathroom of the train on their way back but it only cleaned the dried up blue substance from the test tube, leaving it still dull and tangled. As for her clothes, they traded Noctis’ hoodie for one of Prompto's t-shirts but still, they cannot wait for her to be all clean and dressed properly.
The older man, however, just shakes his head and chuckles.
“Reggie is about to wear down the carpet in his office so do us all a favor and put him out of his misery before Cor kills him.”
The four of them nod in agreement, following Weskham into the Citadel. Gladio walks in front of him, hiding Aulea from the staff and Crownsguards they cross paths with on their way to his father's office.
There will be a time to introduce her to everyone in the country but later…
Soon, they reach the King's office and Noctis nervously meets Prompto's eyes, both of them taking in a deep breath, bracing themselves before looking back at Weskham and nodding.
The steward nods back, giving them a reassuring smile, and opens the door, gently ushering the boys inside. Noctis’ father as well as Cor and Clarus look up from their drinks and the Prince can tell the exact moment his father notices Aulea as he stands up, his eyes growing wide.
“Dad,” he begins reciting the speech he spent the last few days memorizing, “twenty-four years ago, you went to Nifhleim for a mission and you found a baby, a baby you brought back with you because you felt like this was what you were meant to do.”
He briefly looks down, meeting Aulea's intense stare, before searching for Prompto's eyes. His husband smiles as well and reaches for his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. It gives the Prince the confidence he needs to look back at his father, holding his head high.
“This happened to us, Dad. As soon as we saw her, we just knew we had to bring her back with us, that we had found her for a reason. So we brought her back and we want her to adopt her. Officially. We want to become her parents, for her to be our daughter.”
When he's finally done, he takes a deep breath and stares right into the King's eyes, blue meeting green.
For a moment, time stands still. No one dares to say anything, everyone is holding their breath while father and son are simply staring at each other until the King walks up to Noctis and looks at Aulea, nestled against the Prince's chest. And right then, the Prince sees the corners of his lips twitch up almost imperceptibly and he just knows everything is going to be fine.
“And what name have you decided to give to this little princess then?” he wonders as she giggles.
“Aulea,” Prompto replies and the King immediately tenses, looking back at him and Noctis, shocked.
But it only lasts for a second before a sincere, happy smile stretches onto his face and he looks back at her.
“Aulea Lucis Caelum, second of her name,” he declares out loud with a nod. “A fitting name for a princess.”
He then holds out his hands.
“May I hold my new granddaughter?” he asks the Prince whose heart swells up with how easily his father has accepted her.
He doesn't hesitate before passing Aulea over to the King and the same expression appears on his face as the one he wore when he first got to hold the twins.
“Hello, you!” he happily greets the toddler, smiling widely.
A brief glance to his right confirms to Noctis that his husband is immortalizing the moment with his camera, making him chuckle before he focuses back on his father and his daughter bonding.
However, before any of them can warn him, the King pushes the black fringe out of the way to take a proper look at her and all colors drain from his face as well as Clarus, Cor and Weskham when they see her missing right eye.
“We found her this way,” the Prince quickly explains with a sigh. “Verstael is lucky to be dead already.”
He feels a comforting hand rubbing his back, probably Prompto’s, and crosses his arms over his chest.
His father nods in understanding and his features soften as he gives a reassuring smile to Aulea.
“You don't have to worry about this man anymore,” he assures her in a promising tone. “You're safe here. No one is ever going to hurt you again, I promise.”
Aulea then spends the next few minutes being passed around between the King and his retinue. Even Cor agrees to hold her although he's nowhere as crazy with her as Noctis’ father, Clarus and Weskham are. She looks thoroughly unbothered by that fact though and pokes his cheek until he finally smiles at her, making everyone in the room burst into laughter.
“We'll handle the legal paperwork another day though,” the King tells his son and son-in-law as he reluctantly hands Aulea back to them. “I think right now there's two more very important people she needs to meet.”
Selene and Solaris.
Noctis wishes he could know for sure exactly how they're going to react to the newest addition in their little family but he doesn't.
They're both extroverted and love to meet new people but they've never mentioned wanting another sibling before though.
And it's not like either he or Prompto have any experience with siblings themselves.
He just has to have faith in the twins’ empathy and hope they will understand and grow to love her as much as they already do.
Otherwise-
No! Noctis doesn't want to envision this possibility.
So after promising his father they would all have dinner together later, he, his retinue as well as Aulea are finally allowed to leave the royal office and head for Noctis and Prompto's suite.
Before walking in though, the blonde hands the toddler to Ignis who willingly takes her into his arms. Then, he reaches for the Prince's hand, intertwining their fingers together and squeezing it reassuringly.
Noctis smiles at his husband and opens the door of their suite. They barely have enough time to step inside the hallway that they hear excited gasps immediately followed by running footsteps as well as Iris’ voice telling them to be careful.
Merely a second later, the twins both appear at the other end of the hallway, grinning from one ear to the other.
“Dad!” Solaris greets him excitedly.
“Papa!” Selene yells at the same time as her brother before the two start running towards them.
Grinning back at them, Noctis bends over and catches his son right as he jumps onto him, Selene doing the same to Prompto. Chuckling, the Prince hugs him tightly and kisses his cheek.
“I missed you,” Solaris whispers, burrowing his face into the crook of his neck.
“I missed you more,” Noctis replies, squeezing his arms around him.
He can't tell how long he hugs his son for but eventually, Solaris giggles and starts trying to wiggle out of his embrace so he has no choice but to reluctantly let him go.
He and Prompto then trade the twins and Noctis soon finds himself with his arms full of a very happy Selene.
“You came back early!” she excitedly points out before hugging him tightly. “It's not been two weeks yet!”
“I was missing you too much!” the Prince chuckles, kissing her forehead. “I hated being away from you!”
For the next few minutes or so, Noctis is simply content to be with his babies again but far too soon for his liking, Selene pulls away from him and tilts her head to the side when she notices Aulea in Ignis’ arms.
“Who's this?” Solaris wonders, also noticing her for the first time.
The Prince and his husband share a nervous glance before putting down the twins right as Specs also sets down Aulea.
The time has come.
“Selene, Solaris,” Noctis begins as he and Prompto kneel down to be at the same height as them, pulling Aulea so she's standing in between them. “We would like you to meet someone.”
From the corner of his eyes, he sees Iris opening her mouth, clearly with a thousand questions running through her mind, but before she can say anything, Gladio beats her to it and starts ushering her out of the room alongside him and Ignis.
“C'mon,” he mutters, still loudly enough for Noctis to hear him, “we'll tell you everything but let them talk to the kids first.”
Any protest from the youngest Amicitia is quickly shut off as they close the door behind them, leaving Noctis and Prompto alone with the three children.
“Her name is Aulea,” the blonde introduces her, choosing to ignore the interruption. “And she's going to be living with us from now on.”
Several emotions quickly flashes across the twins’ faces; from confusion to disbelief before Selene’s settles on something unreadable while Solaris grins widely as he stares at the newest addition to their family.
“Aulea?” he repeats after Prompto. “Like Grandma?”
Noctis’ heart skips a beat in his chest but he nods before explaining.
“She didn't have a name so we had to find her one and she seemed to like it.”
His son's smile widens even further as he takes a step towards her.
“Aulea,” he says again but with a lot more certainty in his voice. “I think it fits her. Aulea.”
She smiles up at the mention of her name and Solaris giggles before crossing the distance between them and hugging her.
Aulea seems confused at first by the gesture but then she slowly raises her arms to wrap them around him and hugs him back; the sight threatening to make tears fall from Noctis’ eyes.
“So she's like our sister?” Selene finally asks, breaking her silence although her tone remains unreadable.
“She is,” Prompto replies with a nod. “She has no parents, no family so we want to adopt her.”
This gets them no reaction from their daughter except for her giving her a brief glance to Aulea who is still hugging Solaris. She crosses her arms over her chest and sighs before turning her back to them and making her way over to her room.
“Selene!” Noctis calls after her but she simply turns a deaf ear to him, shattering his heart.
Swallowing with difficulty, the Prince looks back at his husband, finding him dangerously close to tears, his bottom lip trembling.
This is not what they were expecting, what they were hoping for.
He's got to fix this!
“I'll go talk to her,” he hurriedly declares as he stands up and chases after Selene.
Her bedroom door is wide open and she's furiously rummaging through her bottom drawer, the only one she can reach yet, with a frown on her face.
“Selene?” Noctis begins, gently knocking on her door in an attempt to get her attention but she's either too focused on her task or plain out ignoring him so he tries again. “Selene?”
No answer once more so he lets himself into her room but even as he comes to stand beside her, she keeps rummaging, her frustration clearly growing with each passing second.
“Selene,” he says as he cautiously bends over, “princess, we have to talk about-”
“Ah!” she suddenly interrupts him, a victorious grin stretching onto her lips as she pulls out of the drawer what she had apparently been looking for.
It's a dress she used to adore when she was little and threw a fit once she outgrew it. It's a pink dress with long puffy sleeves and a wide bow around the waist.
She also grabs a pair of white socks as well as her hairbrush from her nightstand and a pink ribbon.
“Selene?” Noctis tries again, growing confused as to what she's doing.
“She has to be cute if she's my sister,” his daughter explains as if it was obvious and he was an idiot for not knowing that. “And Papa's shirt isn't cute.”
She then walks out of the room, leaving him frozen in shock and it takes him a minute to realize he's just been sassed out by a five year old.
As it dawns on him Selene doesn't hate Aulea, he finds himself grinning like a madman all alone and he sighs with relief before joining the rest of his little growing family who have moved from the hallway to the living room.
Prompto is now cuddling with Solaris on the couch, some kid tv show playing in the background, both of them looking perfectly content to be reunited. As for Aulea, Selene has already changed her out of the shirt and into the dress. She helps her put on the socks before making her sit down by her feet. The older girl then kneels behind her and starts brushing her hair, her tongue adorably sticking out of her mouth in concentration.
It will probably be a lot easier once they will have given her a proper bath and washed her hair with the best shampoo and conditioner in Lucis but for now, the Prince just stands in the doorway, watching fondly the scene unraveling in front of him.
And when Aulea looks up at him and smiles, Noctis knows they made the right choice.
This is where she belongs.
●○●○●
The visit to the Citadel's doctor is…emotive to say the least. Doctor Amara confirms that the removal of Aulea's eye was nowhere gentle but that it thankfully is the only sign of trauma she finds on her. She's slightly malnourished but that's a problem they're already handling.
Also, she explains to Noctis and Prompto that the cause to Aulea's mutism must be psychological; a consequence from being neglected, the lack of stimulation or whatever other horrible thing Verstael subjected her to.
Doctor Amara cannot make them any promise about whether or not Aulea will speak someday but in the meantime, she invites them to look into sign language so the next day, Noctis finds the best sign language teacher in all of Insomnia and hires him immediately.
And If the Prince thought it would only be him, his husband and their three children at those lessons, he was hugely wrong.
All of their friends and extended family show up as well; the King, the whole Amicitia clan, Ignis, Weskham and even Cor.
Obviously, they can't hold an entire conversation in sign language after only one lesson but they've already learned quite a few words that the teacher handpicked as those that would be the most helpful for a three years old.
Then, that night, as Noctis and Prompto are putting Aulea to bed, having turned the Prince's office into a room for her, she signs something that makes them both tear up.
I love you.
“We love you too,” Noctis tells her, signing as well, while Prompto pulls her into his arms, kissing her forehead.
After that night though, it quickly becomes her favorite thing to sign, not just to them but to Selene and Solaris, her grandfather, Gladio and Ignis although both would deny to their death bed they cried the first time.
And before Noctis even knows it, it's been a month since they brought her back from Nifhleim. She fits within their family so perfectly it's easy to forget the circumstances they found her in.
It's not until one of their video game nights with Gladio, Ignis and the kids that the subject is brought up again.
It was a thing they used to do back in high school just the four of them but after the twins’ birth, they simply adapted it and now, it's almost a weekly event they would never skip on.
It's well past bedtime already but Selene, Solaris and Aulea look so cute all piled up on top of each other on the couch that neither Noctis nor Prompto have the heart to move them. Instead, they tossed a blanket over them and lowered the volume so they could keep playing King's Knight for a little longer.
“Fuck!” the Prince hisses when his character gets decapitated as he was the last one standing, the game ends and he's given the option to load from their last saved point or go back to the main menu.
“What is it?” Prompto groans, tossing his controller aside. “Twelfth time? Thirteenth? We really need to farm up some XP to pass this dungeon!”
“We should begin to look for better equipment,” Ignis suggests, looking as calm as always although Noctis knows him well enough to hear the growing annoyance in his voice.
After all, they've been stuck at this dungeon for so long…
Through the whole exchange though, Gladio remains silent, an oddly pensive look on his face as his eyes flicker back and forth between the messy pile of children's limbs on the couch, the Prince and the blonde.
Right as Noctis is about to ask what's the matter, his Shield beats him to it.
“You could have given birth to her, Blondie,” he announces with no preamble nor context. “Look at them, Iggy!”
He doesn't give the adviser time to say anything and grabs him by the arm, pulling him flush to him so they're looking at the same thing.
“You see what I'm seeing? She's like a mini Charmless-”
“Hey!” Noctis tries to protest at the nickname but Gladio turns a deaf ear to him.
“-with a little something that is definitely Blondie's!” the Shield continues, ignoring the interruption.
As for Ignis, he stares at Aulea for a few seconds, then at Noctis, then at Prompto, then back at Aulea.
His eyes then grow wide behind his glasses.
“Oh sweet Six!” he declares with a flabbergasted expression. “She does!”
The Prince turns his head to look at his youngest daughter who's sprawled on top of the twins, the three of them sleeping peacefully.
And it is kind of true…
She has the same messy black hair as him and his blue eyes as well while she tends to make the same faces as Prompto does but what does it mean concretely?
“What are you saying?” he questions his Shield, looking back at him.
“Tell everyone she's your actual daughter,” Gladio replies smugly, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. “Say she had some health problems and that you didn't want to expose her to the public before she was feeling better.”
“Nobody will believe that!” Prompto reminds him, shaking his head. “I was on every magazine cover when I was pregnant with the twins! Surely Regis would have announced it if I had been pregnant again!”
“Not necessarily,” Ignis points out, joining the conversation. “If your pregnancy had been in any way risky, we all know the King would have tried to shelter you as much as possible. You could have been on bed rest, suffered from preeclampsia or gestational diabetes. You could have gone into labor early, Aulea could have been a premature baby, there could have been complications.”
The Prince cannot believe what he's hearing.
“You're seriously suggesting we lie to the whole world about her?”
“You got any other alternative?” Gladio asks him. “It's not like we can tell everyone about the lab either.”
“And everyone whose opinion matters to you already knows the truth,” Ignis adds, nodding.
They've got a point…
But still!
Sighing, Noctis looks at Prompto who's staring at Aulea with a fond look in his eyes and a smile on his lips so the Prince looks at her as well.
She fits so well within their family…
As if this is where she had been meant to be all along.
The twins adore her and so does everyone who spends a minute with her.
Noctis can't imagine life without her anymore.
Whether Prompto has actually birthed her or not doesn't matter.
She's their daughter in every way that matters.
“I'll talk to my dad,” he announces as his lips stretch into a smile. “Maybe he can get the Citadel's doctors to play along.”
And just like that, Prompto's entire face lights up as he turns around to look at Noctis.
“You mean it?” he wonders, his eyes shining with excitement. “We're telling everyone?”
The Prince's smile widens as he nods at his husband.
“She's ours, Prom.”
●○●○●
Noctis’ father, obviously, immediately agrees and so do the Citadel's doctors who help the King write a speech, explaining the various medical reasons that made them keep Aulea's existence a secret until now.
That's how, two weeks later, Noctis finds himself standing by his father in the press conference room in front of a crowd of journalists, all eager for answers.
The convocation to the press conference was vague, only stating the King had a major announcement to make. Of course, it didn't take much for the rumors to spread.
Some think Noctis’ father is abdicating, others believe Noctis and Prompto are divorcing. The most pessimist ones are convinced that they're about to go to war with either Accordo or Tenebrae.
They're in for a big surprise.
“Good morning everyone!” his father solemnly begins with a sincere smile, not the fake one he usually uses during royal functions. “First, I'd like to remind all of you that I will answer your questions at the end but for now, I'd like to tell you the reason why I'm holding this press conference.”
He looks briefly at Noctis who smiles back at him and nods.
It's too late to back down now.
This is it.
“We say actions speak louder than words,” the King continues as he looks back at their audience. “So today, I'm officially introducing you to my third grandchild, my second granddaughter, princess Aulea Lucis Caelum!”
The door behind the stage opens and Noctis can hear Prompto gently ushering her inside the room.
As soon as she comes into view, the cameras go absolutely crazy but Aulea seems unbothered by the sudden attention and instead trots up to Noctis with a grin, lifting her arms, asking to be picked up.
The Prince does as he's being asked, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he does so. He settles her against his hip so they're both facing the journalists who, despite his father's warning a moment ago, begin launching a thousand questions their way.
The King, however, is quick to silent them, reminding them again their questions will be answered later.
“As you may have noticed,” he says once they've calmed down, “she's not exactly a newborn. She actually just turned three years old.”
He then begins telling them how complicated Prompto's pregnancy had been, how he had developed preeclampsia early into the second trimester, causing the doctors to put him on bed rest but that didn't help as he went into labor in his thirtieth week.
At this point, a lonely tear runs down his cheek and Noctis has to bite his own tongue to prevent himself from bursting into laughter.
Who knew his father was such a great actor?
Obviously, being born so early caused Aulea to be hospitalized for a very long time but right as the doctors started to talk about discharging her, she caught an infection which led to many, many complications.
At some point, the infection reached her eye and they had no choice but to remove it before it spread to her other eye. It also caused some neurological damages which explains why she cannot talk but the King quickly reassures their audience she has begun sign language classes.
“Thank the Six,” he eventually concludes, sighing happily while a smile stretches onto his lips, “she is feeling much better now. Hence why Prince Noctis as well as Prince Consort Prompto have decided it was time to introduce her to the world.”
But then, even though the speech he had prepared is over, he keeps talking.
“If this experience taught me anything, it’s that no matter who we are, what our status is, how rich we are, our lives are fragile, our children's even more so. We have no idea what the families at the Insomnia Children's Hospital are going through until we go through it as well and this is why today, not only as the King but also as a father and a grandfather, I'm donating one billion Crowns to Insomnia Children's Hospital.”
Silence befalls upon the room while Noctis’ jaw drops wide open.
If that doesn't make the whole story believable then nothing will…
“Now,” his father continues after a theatrical moment of silence, the corners of his lips twitching up mischievously. “I believe my son has something to say as well.”
The Prince clears his throat and steps forward right as the King moves aside to give him the mic.
“Hello everyone,” he greets the crowd, his arms instinctively tightening around Aulea. “As my father said, the last three years haven't exactly been easy even though me and Prompto tried our best for it to not show but now that things are better, we are so happy to finally introduce our baby girl to you all.”
He sighs happily and meets his youngest daughter's eye, smiling down at her.
“We used to believe that our life with the twins couldn't possibly get any better but we were wrong because the moment she came into our lives, we realized she was the missing piece we didn't know about.”
Someone coos in the audience and Noctis can't help but chuckle and so does his father as he affectionately pats his back before getting back in his place in front of the mic.
“So the news might be three years late,” the King announces proudly into the mic, “but please welcome Princess Aulea Lucis Caelum, second of her name!”
The journalists and even the Crownsguards present in the room start clapping and Noctis’ father smirks as he pulls out from inside his suit a small, golden tiara with diamonds; just like the one he offered Selene when she was born.
With a wide smile on his lips, he places it upon Aulea's head and it fits perfectly, truly making her look like a Princess.
Numerous flashes go off and Noctis already knows those pictures will be on the front page of every journal and gossip magazines tomorrow but for once, he doesn't care about being the center of attention.
The whole world knows about Aulea now.
All he can do is pray to the Six they accept her.
●○●○●
The initial shock of Aulea's existence only lasts for two weeks. Then, some big musician is found dead from an overdose in his penthouse downtown and that becomes all people are talking about.
The rumor still goes around that Aulea isn't actually their daughter; some claim she's probably the affair baby of Noctis and his mistress but it mostly dies down when Prompto posts on his Kingstagram account a serie of pictures he has taken of her since the day they brought her back from Nifhleim.
There's pictures of her with everyone; Noctis and Prompto, the twins, the King, the King's retinue, her uncles Gladio and Ignis, Iris, Cindy, Monica.
The one that gets the most attention though is a selfie Prompto took one day of himself on the couch with Aulea laying down on his chest, napping peacefully while the Prince Consort looks at her with such a fond smile people say there's no way she could be anyone but his own daughter.
After that, life goes on the same way it did before; boring Council meetings, training sessions for Noctis, Prompto, Gladio and Ignis, video games night with the twins and Aulea.
And before the Prince even knows it, it's been three months since that fateful day in Niflheim.
He and Prompto have just finished eating lunch with the kids, Gladio and Ignis present as always, when Noctis’ father as well as Clarus, Cor and Weskham walk into the suite without knocking first which is already odd but what's really worrying is the unreadable expressions on their faces.
“Dad?” the Prince and his Shield worry.
“Grandpa!” Selene and Solaris both greet their grandfather at the same time with wide grins.
Even Aulea joins in, grinning as well as she signs the same thing as her siblings said.
Suddenly, a crack appears on the King's stoic facade, the corners of his lips twitching up as he reaches for his youngest granddaughter, affectionately running his fingers through her hair.
“Yeah, Lea,” he greets her back, his voice unsteady. “I'm your grandpa.”
He then shares a look with his retinue and the three of them nod and look back at the kids, smiling now.
“Who wants some ice cream for dessert?” Weskham offers them, making them all squeal with excitement.
“C'mon, now!” Clarus motions for them to follow him. “Uncle Cor is the one paying!”
The Marshal opens his mouth, presumably to protest but he's cut off when Selene, Solaris and Aulea launch themselves at him, giggling and bouncing on their feet.
Even he, the infamous Immortal isn't immune to such cuteness and he cracks a smile before nodding.
It doesn't take long for the six of them to walk out, leaving the King behind.
“What's the matter, your Majesty?” Ignis speaks first as soon as the door closes.
“Is it that bad?” Gladio asks as well.
“What’s wrong?” Prompto wonders right as Noctis worries too.
“Dad?”
But much to their surprise, the King shakes his head and smiles as he sits down.
“You remember the notes you brought back from Nifhleim?” he asks them instead of replying.
And to be honest, with everything that happened since, Noctis had kind of forgotten about those research notes they had found in Verstael's office. He had given them to his father to examine the day they came back but then he never thought of them since.
Not until today at least.
“Those were not just some notes,” the King continues, with a pensive but mischievous expression on his face, “but rather a very thoroughly detailed report of his ‘Obsidian weapon’, his greatest invention as he calls it.”
Silence befalls upon the room and the Prince shivers as he crosses his arms over his chest.
He still remembers what the “Diamond Weapon” looked like.
A giant Magitek armor that would have towered over even the Citadel. It never reached the city thankfully or else they wouldn't be having this conversation right now.
So if this “Obsidian Weapon” was meant to be even more destructive…
“He never finished it?” he asks, dreading the answer.
His father shakes his head, making them all sigh in relief.
“Creating the weapon was the easy part. Getting it to work as he planned though, it was something else and he died before he could manage to do so.”
“But what was it?” Prompto urges him for more explanations.
The King sighs and he leans back into his chair, looking oddly calm as his eyes flicker back and forth between Noctis and his husband.
“You remember Luche Lazarus?”
Gladio scoffs with unmasked disgust while Noctis can’t help but make a face at the mention of that traitor.
Well, as much of a bastard as he was, if he hadn't tried and failed to kill Crowe Altius, then they never wouldn't have found out about how several Kingsglaives were planning to betray them, including Titus Drautos himself.
So even though he led to Nifhleim's ultimate demise, Noctis still hopes he's rotting in Ifrit's hell right now.
“Well, it turns out that on top of betraying us, he also was Verstael's personal delivery boy. He somehow got his hands on your DNA-”
He points to both Noctis and Prompto.
“-both of your DNA which Verstael then used to create a child.”
The Prince's jaw drops open and he looks at his husband who's shaking his head in disbelief.
“Why would Verstael do this?” Ignis presses on. “How can a child be a weapon?”
“She has the blood of the Lucis Caelum,” the King reminds him. “With the right conditioning and enough training, she could have potentially bent the Astrals to her will.”
“Could have?” Prompto repeats after him, his voice unsteady. “What do you mean? Is she, she's…”
But he can't bring himself to finish his sentence and Noctis instinctively reaches out for him, placing his hand over the blonde's thigh and squeezing it reassuringly.
He understands his husband though.
No matter the circumstances of her creation, that little girl was their daughter.
Thankfully, the King shakes his head.
“She's alive, don't worry. In fact, she has never been better. She's eating ice cream right now with her siblings, courtesy of Cor.”
And just like that, Noctis’ entire world stops spinning.
Aulea…
She…
She's the Obsidian Weapon.
Verstael's last and ultimate plan.
She really is their daughter.
But that also means-
“Are we sure Verstael failed to brainwash or condition her?” he worries, not wanting to give in to hope just yet.
And Noctis has never been happier to see his father nod.
“He talks about multiple failed tries in his notes, including one that ended up with him ripping out her eye.”
The Prince's heart breaks at the reminder of how much she suffered at that monster's hands.
“So Aulea really is our daughter?” Prompto asks, his eyes welling up with tears. “Our baby?”
A smile stretches onto the King's lips.
“She is,” he confirms, beaming with pride.
Suddenly, Noctis can't help the excited laugh that escapes him as he meets Prompto's eyes, the blonde now grinning from one ear to another.
“She's ours, Prom!” the Prince happily declares as he pulls his husband into his arms, hugging him tightly. “She's ours!”
Prompto lets out a watery chuckle into the crook of his neck.
“I knew it!” Gladio exclaims as he slaps the table, startling them apart and looking so fucking smug. “Told you she looked just like you!”
“That you did!” Ignis wholeheartedly laughs as he pats the Shield's shoulder.
Noctis knows Gladio will never shut up about this; ten, twenty, fifty years from now on he will keep reminding them he's the first one who figured it out.
But at the moment, the Prince is so happy he couldn't care less so he laughs along with his adviser, his husband and his father soon joining him.
Aulea is their daughter and she's safe.
That's all that matters.
●○●○●
Knowing the truth changes nothing. Aulea already was their daughter, the fact that she really is biologically theirs doesn't do much of a difference.
They keep going to their sign language lessons and Aulea can now effortlessly converse by signing while the twins keep on being overprotective older siblings to her.
They have yet to tell them the truth; they're too young to understand anyway but Noctis and Prompto are not planning on hiding it from them for any longer than necessary. As soon as they are old enough, they will tell them and Aulea everything.
In the meantime, life goes on, sometimes in unexpected ways though.
On Christmas Eve, Noctis finds himself humming Christal carols as he and Prompto place the gifts underneath the tree.
The kids are now in bed, having succumbed to exhaustion around an hour ago. They were adamant they would wait for Santa this year but they barely made it an hour past their usual bedtime.
Noctis is just finishing placing the last gift when his husband suddenly hands him one more box but the sticker on it doesn't say Selene, Solaris or Aulea.
It's for him.
“Open it,” the blonde urges him as he sits down beside him on the living room floor, next to the tree.
“Already?” Noctis can’t help but tease with a smirk. “Without the kids?”
“I'd rather if you did not open it in front of them actually,” Prompto clarifies, causing the Prince to chuckle.
“Why? Is it the kind of gift we could use tonight before falling asleep?”
The blonde laughs as well and shakes his head, a fond look on his face.
“Open it, dumbass!”
Grinning, Noctis takes a moment to properly look at the gift. The box is small, maybe just slightly bigger than his phone. The wrapping paper is bright red with Christmas ornaments on it and there's a big white bow holding the package together.
“Is it fragile?” he wonders, gently shaking the box but all he hears is a singular piece moving around.
“Just open it for Shiva's sake!” Prompto orders him with a hint of nervousness in his voice that makes the Prince raise a questioning eyebrow.
After so long spent together, the blonde really can't be that anxious to give him a Christmas gift right?
He could be giving him some socks and Noctis would still call it the greatest Christmas present of all time.
So the Prince doesn't waste any more time and begins tearing the paper into pieces, tossing the bow aside.
Underneath the paper is a box of those jelly filled cookies the kids love so much but Prompto tends to use unrelated boxes to create a bigger surprise effect. So Noctis opens it and flips it upside down so its content falls onto his lap and it does.
A single, white, plastic stick with a blue cap at the end.
The same one the blonde nearly shoved into his face years ago.
With trembling hands, Noctis grabs it and flips it over to read the screen and his heart skips a beat in his chest once he sees the single word written there.
Pregnant
“Yes?” he simply says as he looks at Prompto.
Giggling, his husband nods excitedly and his hand comes up to rest over his flat stomach underneath the fabric of his Christmas sweater.
And it's not like they've been actively trying for it to happen but they also stopped trying to prevent it as well.
Noctis can't help but let out an excited laugh as he pulls Prompto onto his lap, hugging him tightly.
“I love you,” he whispers, pressing a kiss over the blonde's pulse.
“I love you too!” Prompto replies as he pulls away to look the Prince in the eyes. “You think we can handle four kids?”
“Well we got the first three by accident and I think we're doing pretty good,” Noctis reminds him, bumping their foreheads together. “Merry Christmas, baby!”
The blonde sighs happily.
“Merry Christmas, Noct.”
●○●○●
“There's something we want to tell you!” Noctis proudly announces the next morning.
The kids have just woken up and basically ran from their bedroom to the living room, screaming with joy when they found all the gifts waiting for them underneath the tree, effectively waking up Noctis and Prompto.
However, they were both clear; they would wait for the rest of their family before opening any of the gifts.
“What do you say about getting another baby sibling?” Prompto wonders, grinning widely.
However, the twins’ faces drop, their eyes wide with shock and this isn't exactly the reaction they had been hoping for, not with the way they had welcomed Aulea into their lives.
“You're not replacing Lea, right?” Selene suddenly questions them while Solaris crosses his arms beside her, trying to look as intimidating as a five year old can be.
Noctis and Prompto look at each other, chuckling, before looking back at the twins and shaking their heads.
“Of course not,” the Prince immediately reassures them with a smile.
Both the twins sigh in relief before their faces light up and they giggle excitedly.
“I want a brother!” Solaris declares and Prompto reaches over, playfully ruffling his blonde hair.
“We can't choose that though, my little chocobo,” he breaks out the news to their son. “Will you love the baby if it's a girl?”
Solaris seems to debate the question for a second before nodding, now grinning widely.
“Course! She will be my baby sister!”
Satisfied, Noctis’ eyes then flicker to Aulea who had remained quiet through the entire conversation yet.
“And you?” he asks her as he signs so. “Are you happy?”
“Where is the baby?” she worries, signing before pointing to the gifts underneath the tree. “In a gift?”
And the Prince doesn't mean to but he bursts into laughter, soon joined in by Prompto as well.
“No, baby,” the blonde begins explaining not only to her but to the twins as well. “The baby is very, very small right now, the size of a raspberry basically. They will come out when they are ready but that won't be before months!”
Sighing happily, Noctis slips his hand underneath the fabric of Prompto's shirt, lovingly stroking his still flat stomach but the gesture doesn't remain unnoticed by the twins who both look offended.
“You swallowed our sibling!” they both accuse him while Aulea only giggles.
It takes a few more moments of explaining for the twins to finally underneath that no, he did not swallow the baby. And once that's settled both of them as well as Aulea immediately pull Noctis and Prompto into a big family hug.
“I love you all so much,” the Prince happily whispers, squeezing them all in his arms.