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Candle-light flickered and danced over gleaming gold, sparkling jewels, and glittering mirrors. Standing unobtrusively beside a vibrant purple silk curtain, Prompto watched the party-going noble-folk trickle in. Each one was dressed more opulently than the last, crowned with animal-themed masks that were works of art in and of themselves. The latest one to enter, a brown-skinned woman in a black silk gown, silver heels, and a silver frog mask, with jewels winking on her fingers, was probably wearing more money than he’d earned in his entire life. She, like everyone else there, seemed so perfect that she might have come from another world.
Indeed, an unearthly aura hung over the whole room. Prompto already felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb, though his borrowed costume was the equal of any other there. He simply didn’t have the same mystery and power to him that everyone else did. How did a random young peasant farmer get himself invited to a masquerade ball hosted by the king’s seven sons? Prompto thought back to the events of the day and tried to figure it out…
Maybe it hadn’t really started today. For all his life, Prompto had lived with his parents in a small but well-cared-for cottage in a farm that bordered on a wood. One day, his father had fallen ill and become unable to work. Because of this, the family began having difficulty making ends meet. Still, they clung tenaciously to the life they had built, doing their best to keep the farm going.
One misty Monday morning, a young man around Prompto’s age had ridden out of the woods on a fine black horse. The man had silky dark hair and blue eyes like the sky at noon, and was wearing a black embroidered tunic in the latest noble fashion. After Prompto had explained that he didn’t have time to have a conversation because he needed to get the last carrots planted that day, the stranger had actually descended from his horse and started working alongside Prompto. The two had worked in silence until they were finished in time for dinner.
Prompto had been awed by the stranger prince’s - Noctis’s - simple kindness and willingness to actually get down in the dirt and work with a peasant. That night, Prompto and his family shared their dinner with Noctis and explained their situation. Hearing this, the prince promised to return that day next week with medicine for Prompto’s father and a little bit of money to help the family stay on their feet. But then he had ridden away and they had never seen him again.
That was the beginning of the real suffering time, because Prompto’s mother had then broken her ankle and it had been up to him to care for the farm alone. Soon they barely had enough to eat every day. Prompto knew they would be in trouble come winter, and had decided to act right away. First, he begged the neighbours to take care of his parents. Then, he had gone into the woods to look for Prince Noctis.
Prompto didn’t exactly know what he was hoping to do when he found the prince. Yell at him and force him to keep his promise? Beg him for help? He hadn’t decided yet. All he knew was that Prince Noctis was the only person who had offered to help them.
Prompto had a vague idea that Noctis’s family lived in a castle at the heart of the forest, so if he walked in a straight line west he would get there. At first, it seemed like just a pleasant, normal forest. Squirrels flitted from tree to tree and colourful songbirds sang, while deer drank at the streams and fish swam within the water. But for some reason, it grew harder every hour to stay on a straight course. Prompto found himself turned around more than once. Soon he began to grow hungry and tired, and knew that he would have to spend the night in the forest.
The next day was no better, and he spent the night in a cave, getting little sleep on the cold, rocky ground. But on the third day, walking suddenly became easy again, despite the rumbling in Prompto’s stomach. He saw something glittering up ahead and hurried onward, hoping it would be glass in the window-panes of the castle.
But when he got there, he found himself in a cluster of silver trees. The bark was silver and the leaves were silver, and the grass that grew on the slight undergrowth was silver and they glittered and sparkled beautifully. When he reached out to touch a leaf, he found that it felt cool, like metal.
In awe, Prompto continued on, until the trees became all gold, and then became glittering diamonds. It did occur to him that he could just break a few leaves off the trees and sell them to get the money his family needed, but he preferred not to do that in case they were enchanted. And then he finally arrived at a diamond road, and it was heading exactly west from where he was standing, so he knew that he had a straight path to the castle at last.
The first person Prompto met on the road was Duke Gladio Amicitia, who was struggling with a heavy load. It kept falling off the back of his large brown horse. Prompto helped him tie up his burdens with ropes so they would stay on the horse better, and then Gladio (as he had asked to be called) said, “Hey, just so you know, there’s a party at the castle tonight. If you’re going there, you’d better have an invitation.”
When Prompto replied that he was going there, Gladio handed him a black and silver envelope from his pocket and said, “Thanks for the help,” and then left.
The next person Prompto encountered was a woman dressed in a beautiful white dress, with diamonds around her neck. There was something a little fae in the curve of her smile. She was Princess Lunafreya, and she had stopped because one of her carriage wheels was stuck beside the road. Prompto had helped her and her coachman free it, and then she had handed him a mask, saying, “I suppose Gladio forgot that the party tonight is a masquerade ball. You’ll need a costume to get in. I have this extra one - please take it.” Prompto had taken the bird-shaped mask and thanked Princess Lunafreya, who had then left.
Finally, Prompto had met a third person, a tall, thin man with spectacles, who turned out to be Marquess Ignis Scientia. He was looking all around as if trying to find something. When Prompto approached, he found out that Lord Ignis was trying to find a lemon tree amid the diamond forest, because he needed it for the centrepiece of the dessert display for the party. Prompto let him know where he had seen such a tree a little ways back on the path. Lord Ignis had thanked him, and then handed him a pendant.
“If you need lodgings for the night after the party, just throw this pendant on the ground and say, “Take me home.” It will return you to your previous place of residence. Throwing it to the ground and saying “Take me to the castle,” will return you to the party once more.” Prompto hung the pendant from his neck and thanked him, and when he turned the next bend in the road he saw before him a magnificent castle. It was clearly ancient and solid as a mountain, although it had a large yet daintier wing added in the east. This was where the ball would take place.
When Prompto saw the footmen guarding the drawbridge, he felt a little nervous. He took the yellow and orange mask Princess Lunafreya had given him, which had been hanging around his neck, and affixed it around his face using the yellow silk ribbons at the sides. Before he knew it, his humble outfit had transformed into a costume fit for the ball.
He was dressed all in yellow, with feathers affixed to his tunic and forming a crown-like fan above his mask. A cascade of feathers adorned the back of the tunic, and his slim breeches were brown but embroidered with light bronze accents. Touching the mask, he could feel that there were also small gems rimming the eyes.
Feeling a little more confident in his fancy disguise, Prompto approached the castle and presented the invitation Gladio had given him.
“Welcome, sir,” one of the footmen said. “I see you have not attended any of Crown Prince Bahamut’s parties before, so let me remind you of the cardinal rules of the event. You may dance with whomever you wish, talk with whomever you wish, eat whatever you wish, and visit any room that you wish in the east wing. However, you must remember this: if you see the man in the cat mask, it is absolutely forbidden to ask his name or look at his face. You may interact with him if you wish, but we highly recommend you do not.”
At this, Prompto felt chills down his spine. He didn’t know why. This man in the cat mask sounded sinister. But, having accepted these rules, he had entered the castle.
And that was how he had ended up here, in the ballroom, admiring the people coming in. So far, he had seen neither hide nor hair of this person in the cat mask. He could see Princess Lunafreya, now dancing with another noble lady with long black hair and a mask designed to look like a dog. If Prompto wasn’t mistaken, Lord Ignis and Duke Gladio were also in attendance, Duke Gladio dancing with the woman in the silver frog mask who Prompto had noted earlier.
Six of the seven princes had also entered, which Prompto knew because they had all been announced. Crown Prince Bahamut was the oldest, followed by princes Titan, Ardyn, Somnus, Ramuh, and Ifrit. Each one was dressed as a different mythical animal. Ifrit, for instance, was a firey salamander, while Bahamut was a fearsome dragon. But where was Noctis, the one person Prompto wanted to see?
The clock struck six, which was the official time the party would begin. Maybe Noctis was just a little bit late. Finding that his stomach was rumbling, Prompto tore his eyes away from the party-goers and made his way to the nearest table piled high with food. Guiltily, he hoped that no one would notice how much he was eating - he doubted that anyone else in the room had spent the day walking through the forest on foot, so they would probably all have smaller appetites, at least until after they’d danced for a while.
After eating his fill, Prompto retreated to his curtain to scan the room again. Still no sign of Noctis. Or had he missed the prince’s arrival while eating? If so, he would have a hard time finding him because of how everyone was wearing masks. Princess Lunafreya and her dance partner whirled by and gave Prompto a little wave. Then they were gone, and Prompto began to fill a little melancholy and anxious. What if Noctis never came? He couldn’t ask Princess Lunafreya, Marquess Ignis, or Duke Gladio for help. They had already done more than enough for him just so he could get into the party to begin with. Prompto’s fear grew, and he began to feel like he was a fraud and didn’t fit in with any of the beautiful people here.
Then, from across the room, something caught his eye. There was something gleaming from the blackness under a table. Through a parting in the dancers Prompto looked more closely and realised that what he was seeing was a pair of eyes. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest before he realised that someone wearing a dark costume was sitting underneath the table.
“Geez…” Prompto muttered to himself, passing a hand over his eyes as his heart began to calm. But then, he started to get an eerie feeling. The person under the table had seen that Prompto had noticed them and was looking right back at him. Prompto got another little shock as he realised… could this be the man in the cat mask he had been warned about?
He swallowed, looking away as if he hadn’t seen the person under the table at all. When he blinked and looked back, the eyes were gone. The person had vanished. Although he knew that he shouldn’t, Prompto couldn’t help but look nervously around.
In a dark doorway on the other side of the room, Prompto saw him again. And yes, the man was wearing a cat mask, which covered his face with smooth, glassy, immovable obsidian. He had some kind of black hood pulled up over his head, but two large, furry cat ears seemed to be affixed. Under his cloak, the rest of his clothing was also black.
Prompto looked away from the doorway before the man could notice his gaze, and once again, the man had vanished when he looked back.
Prompto was nervous enough now that he might have asked one of his three new acquaintances what they knew about the man in the cat mask when next they danced past. But then, he turned his head and saw that the man was standing underneath the opposite curtain on the window Prompto was standing beside.
Startled, Prompto made to jerk out from underneath the curtain and flee across the room. But just then, he made eye contact with the man. His eyes were blue, and they looked unutterably sad.
Prompto clutched his chest reflexively, all fear gone. Why was the man in the cat mask so sad? Was it because he was lonely because all the guests were told to avoid him? But then again, it wasn’t just that they were avoiding him, but also that nobody in the room seemed to be able to see him at all. And maybe the man was trying to trap him into breaking one of the rules about himself. But that kind of sadness really couldn’t be faked. And the man wasn’t doing anything. He was just standing there, haloed by the purple curtain and looking at Prompto as if to say, you can see me, right? please say you can see me.
As the moments dragged on, the man tentatively lifted his hand and offered it to Prompto. Prompto looked at it. It was a normal-shaped hand, albeit one in a neat black glove that had claw-shapes on the end.
Well… what the hell. Prompto couldn’t just leave the poor guy hanging like that. The seemingly futile search for Noctis could wait.
The two rules were not to ask his name and not to look at his face. His face under the mask rather than the mask itself, Prompto presumed. As long as he remembered that, everything would be fine.
Prompto took the stranger’s hand, and a tingle ran through his body. The stranger deftly manipulated Prompto’s arms until the two of them were aligned in the same position as the other dancing pairs. His hand was warm on Prompto’s waist.
The man leaned forward and said lowly into Prompto’s ear, “Follow my lead.” And before Prompto could reply they were off, dancing around the edges of the ballroom. Although Prompto had never learnt how to dance like a noble, of course, he had figured he would just shuffle around and fake it until he made it. But maybe it was the atmosphere, or maybe it was the warmth coming from the strange man he was dancing with, or maybe it was even some kind of spell, but Prompto found himself gliding along as if it were nothing. After he got over his initial surprise, he just let go and let the music carry him away.
The song ended. Prompto realised he had closed his eyes and opened them. The face of the man in the cat mask was just inches away from his own. Prompto’s eyes widened. Even in this low light he could have sworn that the man’s eyes were as blue as the noon sky.
But, no. It couldn’t be-? Why would Noctis hang out at the edge of his own family’s party, not letting anyone ask his name?
Before Prompto had time to say anything the next song started and again they were off. Once more Prompto found his heart soaring with delight as they glided effortlessly around. This delight was only somewhat marred by other dancers nearly running into him every few moments. It was almost like now he was holding the man in the cat mask’s, hands, he had also become invisible.
After a few more dances the man in the cat mask stopped. He let go of Prompto’s hand. “Thank you,” he said, and made as if to turn and leave. But Prompto grabbed his wrist.
“Hey, can we talk somewhere?” Prompto asked him. For a moment, the stranger hesitated. Then, he shrugged.
“Sure,” he said. This time, when he turned, Prompto followed. As he did so, he noticed that the man had a very realistic-looking cat tail peeping out from under his tunic. He must have had it affixed to some kind of belt under his clothes, like part of Prompto’s own feather tail. But it moved in a very flowing and natural way. That made sense, because surely Prompto wasn’t the only one in a magic costume tonight.
The stranger led the two of them out of the ballroom and down the hall a short way to an unoccupied room that appeared to be for receiving company, because it was furnished with comfortable chairs and a table, and the candles in the wall sconces were already lit.
Once they were both inside with the door closed, the man with the cat mask turned to Prompto expectantly.
“Um… is it okay if I ask for your help with something?” Prompto said.
The stranger nodded.
“You wouldn’t happen to know where Prince Noctis is, would you?” Prompto said. Even if his dumb suspicion was wrong, the man with the cat mask was the observer of the party. If Noctis were there, he would have seen him.
The stranger’s shoulders slumped. “Sorry… but that’s the one thing I can’t help anyone with,” he said.
“Oh.” Prompto hesitated, feeling a little disappointed. “Well… okay. Thanks anyway. I had fun dancing with you.”
“Um, wait.” The stranger hesitated in turn, then folded his arms. “I guess I can help you… if you take off my mask.”
“And that’s like the one thing they told me not to do,” Prompto said.
“I know, but… I can’t help you find Prince Noctis unless you do that. It’s not a choice.”
The man was trying to trick him, right? But if Prompto hadn’t asked to talk to him, the man would never have asked Prompto to take his mask off. So maybe it wasn’t a trick? Prompto was confused.
“Well… why is it so bad, anyway?” Prompto said, pacing as he began to think aloud. “If you were a criminal they just wouldn’t let you in, right?” The man nodded, and Prompto continued. “Okay, what could possibly be so bad about your face? Uh… no offence. I meant bad like “evil”. You know what, that doesn’t make it better. I’ll just shut up now.”
The stranger started laughing. “It’s okay,” he said. “I like that you’re talking about it like a normal person. Nah, my face isn’t evil, I hope.”
Prompto did notice that he didn’t explain why no one was allowed to look at his face, even if it wasn’t evil. But after what he’d just said, he was revoking his own speaking privileges for a moment. He really couldn’t think of a reason why it would hurt anyone for him to get a peak of the man in the cat mask’s face. Or maybe he could just… not look?
“Alright,” Prompto said.
“Really?” The man sounded surprised and hopeful.
“Yeah,” Prompto said, nodding.
The stranger slipped the hood over his cat ears and lowered it so that the back of his head was visible. The obsidian mask was tied on with a silver ribbon. It was a little hard to see the knot in the low light, so Prompto ushered him over to the candle sconce. This improved matters only somewhat, as the candles weren’t at the same level as their heads. Shrugging, Prompto took a candle from the wall and held it up over the ribbon with one hand, while untying the bow with the other. Once the mask was loose, he took hold of the edge and gently slid it away from the man’s face.
Even though he had told himself he wouldn’t look, Prompto couldn’t help but hold the candle up as the man turned to face it.
Prompto’s jaw dropped. “It is you, Noctis!” he said. In his excitement at having finally found the prince, he let the candle tilt. Three drops of tallow fell onto Noctis’s silky black hair.
There was a brilliant flash of light that blinded both of them, which subsided into a swirl of yellow sparks, even as a growl like thunder reverberated around the room. Prompto blinked senselessly for a moment, until he felt Noctis tug his arm. “We need to get out of here!” Noctis said.
At least, Prompto thought it was Noctis. The voice that was speaking had taken on a strange, inhuman quality, almost a kind of growl. Through the spots over his eyes, Prompto saw that whatever was standing before him had changed. No longer the form of a human of his own height and build, Noctis’s body seemed large and mis-shapen. Noctis tried to speak again, but this time all that came out was a growl. Prompto stood frozen, until a massive, claw-tipped paw reached out and pulled Prompto forwards. Stumbling, he landed on Noctis’s back with a thud.
It was then that Prompto heard the shouts and voices coming towards them from the ballroom. As Noctis wheeled around, he instinctively dropped the mask and candle and leaned forward to grab hold of handfuls of Noctis’s long, black fur. Then, Noctis started to run. He rammed through the doorway and into the hall, where he bowled over a person standing there, then turned and fled down the hall. At the end was another door, which Noctis once again rammed through. Prompto held on for dear life.
And then they were outside the castle, running through the courtyard. Shouts filled the air behind them, and the guards who were stationed outside seemed to be approaching. Noctis plunged forward. Several guards moved in front of them, blocking the way with pikes. When he saw them, Prompto gasped, afraid that Noctis would be dashed to pieces on them.
But it was then that he remembered the third gift he’d been given that night. He snapped the string holding Ignis’s pendant around his neck one-handed, then threw it on the ground. “Take me home!” he yelled, praying to every star that Noctis would come with him.
The world seemed to spin around them. Everything blurred, turned black, and then somehow knitted itself back together again. Prompto closed his eyes, feeling like he might throw up.
They stopped moving. Noctis scratched at the ground with one massive paw, but didn’t run any further. When Prompto felt it was safe to open his eyes, he saw that they had arrived outside the cave he’d spent the previous night at. Winking in the moonlight on the ground beside them was the pendant, which he picked up and tied back around his neck.
“Cave sweet cave,” Prompto joked weakly. He wished that they were somewhere more comfortable to hide, but was also grateful that the pendant hadn’t taken him to his real house, or his already defenceless parents would be in even greater danger.
Noctis shifted his shoulders, and Prompto slid from his back. He stood a few paces away and finally was able to get a clear look at Noctis’s new form.
“Oh, no…” Prompto said sadly. “Whatever curse you have really did a number on you, buddy.”
Noctis had become a large, black, cat-like thing that stood about as high in the shoulder as a pony. He was not as slim and lithe as a regular cat, but muscular and solid. Huge fangs protruded from the top and bottom of his mouth - no wonder he was no longer able to speak. His four paws were tipped with deadly claws, and his tail lashed over his back.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken your mask off,” Prompto said. Noctis sat, and gently butted Prompto’s shoulder with his huge and dangerous head. He made a little sputtering, grinding noise that startled Prompto until he wondered if Noctis might not be trying to purr.
“Guess it’s just you and me for the night, and you can’t talk,” Prompto muttered to himself. “Is this cave okay with you?”
Noctis nodded, and pushed past Prompto to walk into their new home. Prompto took a moment to untie his own mask. The beautiful costume vanished, leaving him in his humble, patched clothing once more. Then, he followed Noctis into the cave.
The cave was just as cold and hard and uncomfortable as it had been the night before. Prompto groaned when he saw the rock that he had previously used as a pillow. He still had a slight crick in his neck, but he was bone tired. Still, when he lay down he found that he just couldn’t fall asleep. It might have been the rocks, but it was also the guilt. Prompto was just glad he hadn’t asked Noctis what his name was. Who knew what would have happened if he had broken the second rule? But then again, maybe it had already happened because Prompto had guessed Noctis’s name.
At first, neither of them could fall asleep. Noctis kept shuffling his paws around for some reason. Prompto, too, rolled around unsuccessfully for long moments, trying to get comfortable. But then, a paw shot out and gently latched onto the side of Prompto’s tunic. Although he couldn’t see it in the darkness, he could feel it when he reached down and touched fur.
“Huh?” Prompto said, and Noctis dragged him towards his own sleeping form.
“You want me to use you as a pillow?”
Noctis gave another strange growling noise.
“Yes?” Prompto said, and Noctis made the same noise again. So Prompto lay down against Noctis’s soft, furry side, and immediately felt much better. Despite all the shocks he’d had that day, he was so tired from all the walking and dancing and other tasks he’d performed. Soon, he had fallen asleep.
Prompto woke the next morning to find himself still curled around Noctis. With a yawn, he sat up and stretched, feeling pretty well rested. The sun could be seen at the cave entrance, and he could tell that it was vaguely mid-morning. Turning to Noctis, he saw the big cat looking at him with a forlorn expression.
“Hey, good morning. Is something wrong?”
Noctis raised a paw and awkwardly swiped at the side of his own head in the way that a cat cleaning its face will do. When Prompto looked more closely, he saw a big smear of tallow caked into Noctis’s fur. That couldn’t be right - Prompto was sure he had only let three drops fall last night. But maybe this was part of the curse that Noctis was under.
Still, cursed or not, Prompto wanted to try and help. “I’ll clean that off for ya, buddy. Just sit tight. I’ll be right back.”
With that, Prompto made his way to the cave entrance. Cautiously he peered out, looking and listening as hard as he could for any signs that there were searchers nearby. Noctis padded up behind him and cocked his head. A few moments later, he nodded, so Prompto figured it was safe.
Prompto walked a few paces into the wood until he found a stream, which had been one of the reasons he’d first chosen this cave as his camp-site. He pulled off his cloak and dipped it into the stream until about three inches of hem were wet. Then, he returned to the cave. Noctis was sitting on the ground outside, waiting for him, so Prompto quickly set about washing Noctis’s head and face as best he could with his cloak.
Noctis’s fur was soft, and despite his fearsome appearance, Prompto felt no actual fear at all. He could tell that the prince was still the kind person he’d been on the day that they’d met.
“There,” Prompto said, rolling up his cloak and squeezing the remaining water out. “All done.”
He petted Noctis’s head, then wondered if that was weird for him to do.
But it was then that he realised that light was shining from Noctis again, but much more gently this time. Tiny gold particles swirled and coalesced around him. Noctis looked down at himself in surprise. As Prompto watched, the light particles coalesced around Noctis’s form, until he was glowing. Then, he began to change again. Prompto watched with his heart in his throat. He could only pray that this change would be for the better, and not for the worse.
But this time, when the light cleared, the person he saw before him was a normal, human man. Well, a normal, slightly fae but probably human, prince. The simple caring act of washing his face had restored him.
“Noct!” Prompto exclaimed in delight, and hugged Noctis without thinking.
Noctis let out a strangled sound, so Prompto immediately released him, ready to apologise. But when he did so, he saw that somehow, the re-activation of the spell had brought their pursuers to them again.
Chills ran through his body as he saw the form the pursuers had taken. All around them, plumes of black smoke were sneaking their way through the forest. When they reached the clearing that Prompto and Noctis were standing in, they anchored to the ground, then seemed to grow upwards until they had taken on humanoid form. Prompto shrank back against Noctis in fear and felt Noctis take his hand. The smoke wasn’t truly smoke, but was more like the night sky as a visible gas that behaved like smoke.
Prompto wanted to run, but he knew that these magical beings were faster than him. Ignis’s pendant would no longer work, because it would only return them to the castle, where there were surely more people who wanted to catch them. Instead, he looked over at Noctis’s face.
Noctis’s expression was tense. But then, a seventh plume appeared out of the woods to join the other six, this one much larger and more powerful than the others.
Noctis relaxed. “It’s okay,” he murmured to Prompto.
Prompto was not convinced, but he trusted Noctis. As he watched, the smoke cleared. And he could see that standing around them were Noctis’s six older brothers - and his father, King Regis.
Prompto had never seen King Regis before, but of course knew that he was the king who ruled the lands that his family lived in. He wore all black, with a curling silver crown in his salt-and-pepper hair. He was shorter than Prompto had expected, and his face more mild. But he had this air of power around him, like a dark breeze, that showed that he was far more than he seemed.
“Father,” Noctis said, stepping protectively in front of Prompto.
“What have you been doing, Noctis?” King Regis said, and Prompto could hear the repressed anger in his voice. “Triggering the treasury curse like that. What were you stealing?”
Prompto was startled, glancing at Noctis’s face. Had Noctis really stolen something, or tried to steal something? A thought hit him, and he suddenly froze. What if Noctis had been stealing to fulfil his promise to Prompto’s family?
He cleared his throat and tried to speak up, to defend Noctis. But under the intimidating glares of all six brothers, he found that he couldn’t make a sound.
“I didn’t steal anything,” Noctis said, and he sounded angry, too. “I don’t know why I was cursed. I just woke up looking like half a cat.”
The eldest prince, Bahamut, made a noise of derision. “Yeah, right. You were trying to get the Engyn Blade again.”
Noctis’s hand tightened on Prompto’s, and Prompto could see that his free hand had balled into a fist. “No, I wasn’t. I want it, but I wouldn’t steal it. I wasn’t even there that day.”
“Oh, yeah?” Prince Ardyn challenged him. “Then where were you, brother? Hmm?”
“I was checking on the east fields,” Noctis said, eyes flashing defiantly. “Since none of you ever bother to go there.”
“I - uh, buh?” Prompto sputtered, finding his voice all of a sudden. “Is that the day you met me?” One glance at the stony face of Prince Bahamut, and Prompto quailed. But he felt Noctis squeeze his hand, and rallied himself. “It was a Monday, right? Mist in the morning. I was planting carrots?”
His voice trailed off, and he closed his eyes involuntarily, as if expecting to be hit.
“What’s your name?” came a kindly voice. Prompto opened his eyes to see that King Regis was addressing him. His palms were sweating, and he hoped it wasn’t bothering Noctis too much.
“I’m Prompto. I’m a farmer. I live to the east of this forest,” Prompto explained.
“Was that day truly the day Noctis was cursed?” Regis said, looking around at his sons.
“I think it was the morning after that we found out,” Prince Ramuh said, and Prince Ifrit was nodding.
Regis frowned, looking around the circle at his assembled sons. Now all the princes were squirming under his gaze, and Prompto was able to relax his sweaty death-grip on Noctis’s hand. Noctis gave him a comforting nudge with his shoulder. The silence became more and more uncomfortable, but Prompto made himself quietly wait.
Prince Ifrit broke first. “I kinda thought Noctis was trying to steal because Bahamut said he was.”
“Yes, we all believed him,” Prince Ramuh put in, and now Prince Titan was nodding as well. “We had no reason not to.”
King Regis turned to Prince Bahamut, bringing the force of his anger to bear on his eldest prince. “My son, why have you done this thing to your brother?”
“I did no such thing,” Prince Bahamut said. He and the king stared at each other for a few moments, but the force of the king’s personality won out.
“He went into the forest and came back talking about some “cute” peasant boy he met,” Bahamut snapped. “Do you want one of your sons to marry a dirty commoner? Besides, it’s not right that he should get married first. I’m the oldest, it’s my right.”
Married?! Prompto looked at Noctis, who seemed just as shocked as him. He hadn’t even known Noctis thought he was cute until that moment.
Okay… there had been that undeniable chemistry between them when they had danced, but Prompto had thought it was part of whatever was magically making him dance well. As he watched, he was startled but amused to see Noctis start to turn pink. Prompto smiled, and gave Noctis’s hand a gentle squeeze. Noctis squeezed back, firmly refusing to make eye contact.
“That’s the worst logic I’ve ever heard, brother,” Prince Ardyn said sardonically. Prince Bahamut’s eyes flashed daggers at him.
King Regis simply looked at his son for a moment, his lips pressed together into a thin line. Prince Bahamut looked away.
“First of all,” King Regis began in a slow, cold way that let Prompto knew Prince Bahamut was about to be in for a world of trouble, “Noctis can court whoever he likes. But just to satisfy your arbitrary requirements, congratulations, Lord Prompto, Baron of the Silverwood. The silver grove on my lands is now yours to rule under my authority.” Prompto’s jaw dropped, but King Regis just kept going.
“Secondly, I now decree that for your hubris, you shall be the last to marry, no matter when you find a willing partner.” Prince Bahamut’s head snapped up and he looked like he’d like to stab his father right then and there, but he said nothing.
“And lastly,” King Regis continued, “I hereby decree that for this generation, the line of succession is reversed. The youngest son shall be king first, then the second youngest, and so on and so forth. And anyone who attempts to change this, especially by removing someone else or his spouse from the line of succession in an un-natural way, is cursed to become a farming cow for the rest of their days.”
Prompto could have sworn he heard thunder roll in the distance when King Regis said this, and a black aura momentarily surrounded him, so faint in the daylight it could have been a trick of the light.
“Do I make myself clear?” King Regis snapped.
For a moment, Prince Bahamut seemed to be so angry that he couldn’t speak. But as King Regis was still waiting for an answer, he finally managed to ground out, “Yes, father,” in a tone which conveyed that he no longer thought King Regis was any father of his at all.
King Regis nodded, and then turned to Prompto and Noctis.
“Noctis, my son, I am sorry for all the trouble you have gone through because I wasn’t paying enough attention to you and your brothers. Please make your way back to the castle at your leisure.”
“Thanks, father,” Noctis said, although he sounded the way Prompto felt - stunned. “Um, before you go, could I please borrow some money? I promised Prompto’s family that I would give them some. His dad is sick.”
“Of course, and you need a healing potion too?” King Regis asked, reaching into his cape. When Noctis nodded, the king retrieved a small purse and a vial of amber liquid that sparkled as if it contained particles of gold. King Regis gave these to Noctis, who took them with his free hand. Beside them, Prince Bahamut had already turned into a plume of black smoke and lurched violently away again. The other brothers began to follow suit.
“Thank you,” Prompto said sincerely, hardly able to believe he was addressing King Regis directly again. “My mom broke her ankle, too, so we really need this.”
“Don’t worry. This is just a little something to tide you over. Now your family can come live in the silver forest, and you can make money by farming silver apples for my household.”
Prompto gulped, imagining how much a single silver apple would be worth. He and his family would barely have to work to make a better salary than they were already making.
“Th-thank you,” he managed to get out.
“Of course. And welcome to the family, Prompto.”
With that, King Regis turned back into a plume of smoke and vanished.
For a moment, Prompto and Noctis just stood there, equally stunned. Eventually, Prompto let go of Noctis’s hand and wiped his own on his breeches, smiling sheepishly as Noctis did the same. But any embarrassment he might have felt vanished when Noctis gave him a relieved smile.
“I don’t even know where to start,” Prompto moaned, and Noctis laughed.
“Here, come on. Let’s take this stuff to your family.”
They set off due east in the direction of Prompto’s farm. This time, the forest didn’t try to confuse them. It was easy enough to go in a straight line. In fact, Prompto was quite enjoying walking through the forest with Noctis. Although… maybe it would’ve been even better if Noctis had been holding his hand again.
“Are you really interested in, um… courting me?” Prompto managed to get out, and thought his blush would burn his face off.
“Um, yeah,” Noctis said. His tone was nonchalant, but when Prompto looked over he saw that slightest blush had risen to Noctis’s cheeks again.
“I want that too, I mean, I’ll court you as well,” Prompto said. Noctis squeezed his eyes shut for a moment like a happy cat, and Prompto’s heart fluttered to see it.
When they arrived back at his house, Prompto saw their neighbour working in the fields as promised, thankfully. Then, his mother, who had been sitting by the door with her spindle, got up and ran towards them as best as she could, hobbling on her makeshift crutch. That alone told him how worried his family had been about him.
“Prompto, where were you?” his mom cried, and Prompto threw his arms around her. When he let go, she turned to Noctis, realised who he was, and said, “Oh! You!”
“Don’t be too angry, Mom,” Prompto cut in. “Noct didn’t mean to break his promise to us. He was cursed.”
“Cursed?” she said, confused. Prompto knew what he was about to say would only increase her confusion.
“Yeah, and also guess what. I got made a Baron by the king.”
Prompto’s mother just laughed, probably because she didn’t believe him. “If you have the medicine with you, come inside and let’s give it to your father. You can tell us all about your adventures. And Prince Noctis, you’re welcome to stay for another meal.”
Prompto and Noctis looked at each other, and Prompto just shrugged.
“Thank you for your kind hospitality,” Noctis said formally, and the two followed her inside. There, the healing potion cured Prompto’s dad almost instantly, and enough was left over to fix Prompto’s mom’s ankle. Prompto and Noctis had to tell and retell parts of the story several times to convince them that what they were saying was real.
“Of course we’ll go with you to this silver wood, darling,” his mother said, and his father nodded in agreement. Although Prompto could tell they were still sceptical, he loved them for their willingness to go with him on faith. Noctis assured them that there was a vacant house in the wood that they could live in, so they agreed to pack up and go there the next day.
And that is exactly what they did. The next day they packed up and moved to the silver wood. Prompto visited the castle frequently, where the other princes except for Bahamut were friendly to Prompto, and Prince Bahamut soon got himself turned into a cow for his bad attitude anyway. And a few years later Lord Prompto and Prince Noctis’s marriage was celebrated with the utmost splendour, and they lived happily ever after.