Hello! Welcome to Frozen Heart, Chapter 4. On the way to Duscae, Noctis gets a phone call from Cor, and Lydia gets to go on her first mission with Gladio. Hope you enjoy!

Thanks, and happy reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own FFXV.

Chapter 4: Brute Strength

Everyone could tell something was wrong as soon as Noctis dropped his cellphone into his lap. "What happened?" Gladio asked, popping his head over Lydia's so he could see him better.

Ignis glanced at him through the rearview mirror while they drove along. "Was it the Marshal?"

Meanwhile, Noctis sighed and then leaned his arm over the side of the Regalia. "Yeah. Apparently we have a problem," he said. "Cor just called to give me an update that the MTs are building a base at the border between Leide and Duscae. Meaning the road will be pretty much impassible."

Lydia's face looked pensive as she murmured, "The Norduscaen Blockade, huh? Did he give any details on the phone?"

"Only that the base is still in the works," Noctis said. "And that there's a lot of them. They want to try to take it out before the Empire can take control of the region."

"Well—what are we supposed to do then?" Prompto asked.

What, indeed. While he normally didn't mind rushing into fights, the last thing Noctis wanted right now was to draw attention to himself and the group from the Empire. It was clear the MTs were already on the prowl looking for him. If word got out that he was taking out Imperial bases—well, he'd be starting an all-out war.

With a scoff, Lydia broke him out of his thoughts and said, "I say we join in. We could find a different way, but as long as we're headed in that direction, we might as well take out the base. If they're still mid-construction, they'll be vulnerable. Now is the best time to attack."

She was right, of course. The base was a serious threat—and he'd probably be doing both himself and the people of Lucis a favor by disposing of it. He could handle MTs. Not to mention that, according to Prompto, they now had a team member whose magic was very effective at incapacitating them.

Noctis couldn't run away from the responsibility he had to protect his kingdom. Even if it meant declaring war. Hell, who was he kidding? The ceasefire was all pointless now—they were already at war.

"All right," he said with a slow nod. "Let's do it. I'll give Cor a buzz back and ask him to meet us."

"As you wish, Highness," Ignis said softly, slowing down slightly to turn on the road that was headed toward the border.

The group met up with Cor and one of his officers, Monica, near the border. He gave what Lydia thought to be a rare smile and thanked the Prince for appearing on such short notice. Although she couldn't quite fathom why a thanks was expected or needed when this was their road to begin with. If anything, they should have been thanking Cor and his officials for providing a warning.

Lydia would not have wanted to walk into Nilfheim-controlled territory unprepared.

"We decided to ride ahead of you and scope out the region," Cor explained. "It turned out to be worse than we thought. But we think with the right strategy, we could pull off a quick and successful takeover. You with us?"

"Absolutely," the Prince said, followed by a, "Whatever you need, Marshal," from Gladio.

Cor nodded. "So, here's the plan. I want you to help me infiltrate the base and lead a strike from the inside. But before we can initiate our part of the plan, we'll need to not only create a diversion, but to eliminate the outer security. That way, we can take care of the main forces inside and outside as quickly as possible."

"Sounds simple enough," the Prince said.

Lydia glanced up in the direction of the base, which she could barely see from her position due to the cliffs concealing it. "So how do we split up?" she asked, eager to get on with it.

Cor gave her a quick glance and then continued, "His Highness comes with me. Monica will be in charge of assigning the rest of you. Any questions or concerns?"

After being met with silence, Cor took the Prince and moved on ahead. That left Officer Monica to call the shots while Lydia, Prompto, Muscles and Specs waited for instruction.

"Well, never a dull moment, right?" Prompto said. "Let's do this!"

"All right," Monica said. "There are MTs posted on both sides of the base, as well as on the opposite Duscae end. Our goal is to eliminate the forces on all sides while creating a diversion that will allow the Marshal and Prince Noctis to enter undetected and defeat the remaining forces. Once the base is ours, we'll meet them on the other side.

"Prompto and Ignis, you take the south side with me. Lydia and Gladiolus, take the north. We clear?"

Everyone voiced their agreement, and a few minutes later Lydia and Muscles headed off together to rumble with some MTs.

As they walked together, Lydia took note of Gladio's huge stature and the thick, powerful blade he had tossed over his shoulder. She had to admit—for a young man, he looked like he'd seen some shit. He had a fierce warrior's spirit, but unlike his friends, he was hardened. Not necessarily wiser, but perhaps a little slower to trust—and definitely a lot more dangerous when angered. She could tell just by his mannerisms that he wasn't exactly the touchy-feely type.

After a few seconds, he seemed to notice her studying him and grunted, "What?"

Lydia cracked a smile. "I was just thinking about that big sword you've got. And wondering how we're gonna coordinate to take out these MTs."

"I swing my sword, you pull out your magic tricks—should be easy enough. Not like we need to be stealthy or anything. Our job is basically to make as much racket as possible."

Good thing, too. Stealth didn't really seem like this guy's style.

"Yeah, but we're still going up against guys who might be shooting at us," she said. "And for all my capabilities, I can't usually block bullets."

He stopped walking, meeting her gaze for the first time today. "But you can do long-ranged attacks, right?"

"Sure, I can."

"All right, so you can handle any MTs up above us. And I'll take care of the ones on the ground. That way, we get the most work done in the shortest amount of time and reduce the risk of getting shot. How's that for a plan?"

Simple and straightforward. She was fine with that.

"Okay, sounds like a decent plan to me," she said with a shrug, walking ahead.

He grumbled in annoyance and then asked, "What, you got a better one?"

"Not particularly," she replied as she turned back to him. "I just wanted to see what you would say if I asked you for one."

He obviously didn't care for her answer, and Lydia could tell she was one wrong comment away from pissing him off. But somehow, she got the feeling that getting this guy angry before a battle wasn't the worst possible thing she could do. "Is everything just a game to you, or something?" he asked.

Still, maybe it was best not to poke the bear today. "Just trying to get to know you better, is all."

He let out a huff and stalked past her, forcing her to jog to keep up with his long strides. "Let's hurry so we don't keep everyone waiting."

After a little bit more walking, they came upon the north base security and concealed themselves while waiting for a signal from the other group. Lydia did a quick headcount of all the troopers stationed nearby. It looked like there were two MTs stationed at the north door, and then three surveying the area from above. She figured she could dispose of them fairly quickly—but the question was whether or not she could do so without taking any bullets herself. She simply had to be the faster opponent, she supposed.

Gladio's cellphone vibrated in his pocket. It was a text from Specs signaling that they were in position. Gladio replied, confirming that they were also at their determined point. "All right, you ready for this?" he whispered, gripping his sword hard and preparing for the first strike.

"Ready when you are," Lydia said softly, concentrating energy into her fingertips.

Cracking an eager grin, he said, "Let's do this."

Lydia fastened her gaze onto the closest ranged target and pulled her arm back. When she shot forward, a slew of ice daggers emerged from her fingers and sailed at full speed toward the MT. He barely had enough time to react before they pierced the weak spots in his armor, and he fell forward and tumbled to the ground.

Gladio took that as his cue to rush in, and made the momentary confusion of the ground troopers work to his advantage by striking hard with his sword. While he dealt with them, Lydia surged forward to land a deadly blow against her fallen target and then set her sights on one of the other snipers. She stalled for half a second as she waited for him to start calling for reinforcements, laughing internally at her insider knowledge of the plan.

No one's coming to help you, bastard, she thought, channeling power into her legs. A pillar of ice shot up under her feet, allowing her to jump onto the border wall of the base. The trooper raised his gun at her, but she stopped his motions by sucking in and then releasing a strong breath of air. The frigid air from her lungs froze him in place

"Gods, it's like you're not even trying," she said smugly, giving the MT a good kick so that he, like the last one, fell right onto the ground with a thud.

Now for the final threat. As soon as she looked up, her heart skipped a beat as she saw the sniper aiming at Gladio. He already had his opponents on their last legs, and she couldn't let him get killed off now.

Only problem—she didn't have a clear shot at the enemy from her angle. Positioned on an enclosed platform at the wall, he was protected—meaning she had to get in there, fast. Careful to keep her balance, Lydia sprinted across the wall, throwing a barrage of ice daggers to derail the path of his firearm. The sniper recoiled and then turned to her, his gun ready to shoot.

A close range gunshot sounded in her ears as she hopped down onto the platform. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she grabbed the end of the MT's rifle and pushed it aside, going after him with a series of close-combat attacks. The trooper blocked most of her movements, and she let out a cry of pain when he grabbed her arm in his large hand and twisted it. He shoved her toward the edge of the platform, threatening to throw her over the edge of the wall. She barely caught herself before slipping, and used the force of her momentum to swing back around and slam into him.

"Just die already, damn it," she hissed, pushing the MT toward the edge of the platform and gripping the front of his face covering. Her body pushed as much ice into him as it could muster, and she felt his grip on her loosen as the cold began to lock up his armor and muscles.

But it didn't quite loosen enough. As the MT fell backward, the hand he had wrapped around her arm didn't release and she lost her balance. She let out a gasp as the air rushed passed her, and a second later she felt herself slam into the ground right over top of the fallen MT.

"Oh, for the love of Bahamut," she choked out, the breath of life almost leaving her completely for a few seconds. Immediately after came the pain, which vibrated through her entire body and rendered her almost paralyzed. She even thought she saw stars for a moment.

Gladio's voice brought her back to reality. "Hey, you all right? Geez, that was some fall."

Slowly and with some great effort, Lydia rolled off the MT and found Gladio hovering over her, a concerned look on his face.

She sucked in a shaky breath. "Did we get them all?"

With a laugh, he said, "Yeah—at least on this end." Then, he reached down and used his hands to pry the MT's cold fingers from her wrist. "Damn, this guy seriously gave you a hard time."

"We can't all rely on brute strength like you," she breathed, pulling her hand away to rub the newly sensitive spot on her arm.

"Well, you kept me from getting shot, so I can't complain too much," he said. Then after giving her a few seconds to breathe, he rose to his feet and held out his hand. "Anyway, can you stand? We aren't done yet, you know."

She glanced at his outstretched palm. She couldn't remember the last time she had a comrade who would reach out to help her when she fell down. And despite her hesitance, she found herself taking it and letting him pull her up. Once she was back on her feet, still winded but mostly functional, Lydia smiled. "I've lived through worse beatings than this."

He chuckled, briefly placing a hand on her shoulder before they moved on. "You seem like you could tell some pretty crazy campfire stories, you know that?"

"Yeah, I get that a lot," she said with a sigh. "Maybe if you're lucky, I'll share one sometime."

After that, the pair headed as fast as they could to the Duscae end of the blockade, where a group of MTs was waiting for them. Prompto, Specs, and Monica showed up at about the same time. This provided the perfect opportunity for them to strike against the magitek soldiers.

She couldn't deny that she was grateful from Prompto's exceptional marksmanship and Ignis's quick thinking in battle, especially now that her body was running on low energy. And before long, a pile of MT bodies lay at their feet, with Lydia, the Prince's retainers, and the Crownsguard officer standing victorious.

"Woohoo, what a rush!" Prompto exclaimed, sliding his gun back into place at his hip. "Guys, I'd say we are officially badasses."

"What are you talking about?" Gladio asked. "We've always been badasses."

Meanwhile, Specs lowered his daggers and pushed his glasses up, as he often seemed to do while talking. "I'm usually not one to boast, but I do believe you're right, Gladio."

The corner of Lydia's mouth turned up when she heard Gladio grumble behind her, "Not one to boast, yeah right..."

Maybe a little full of themselves, but they were certainly an entertaining group.

Seconds later, the giant door blocking the base slid open, revealing the unscathed figures of the Marshal, and of Royal Pain himself.

"Noct!" Prompto exclaimed, a huge smile on his face when he saw his friend.

"Everything all right on your end?" the Prince asked asked the two groups approached each other.

Gladio looked incredibly satisfied with their good work today. "Right as rain. We sure confused the hell out of 'em."

"Thanks to you, we were spared their attention," Cor agreed, giving a little nod to each of them, including Lydia and Monica. Then, turning to the Prince, he added, "You did well, Highness. Seeing you in action puts my mind at ease. Wherever you go, it looks like I won't have to worry anymore."

"Didn't know you were worried to begin with," the Prince said, seeming intent on making light of the subject.

Cor put a hand on his shoulder. "You have a lot of challenges ahead, Noctis. But I've no doubt you and your friends will rise to the occasion."

"What will you do from here?"

"For now, Monica and I are going to gather up a few extra reinforcements and keep a close eye on the region. We've taken care of the immediate threat, but that doesn't mean more won't come."

The Prince folded his arms across his chest. "You sure you don't need us to stick around and help?"

Shaking his head, Cor replied, "Your first priority is finding the Royal Tomb and awakening your power. Don't concern yourself with us—we can manage here just fine. There's a whole world ahead of you." He gestured to now-open blockade, where the wet region of Duscae lay before them. "Go get it."

An hour later, the group moved all the disintegrating MTs out of the way and Ignis headed back to bring the car around. Now that they were officially free to head into Duscae, they needed to get going and find somewhere to rest for the night. Lydia didn't personally mind the dark, but she knew her comrades were still a little afraid of it. Darkness was an unknown entity they had never known—and even she understood how terrifying the unknown could be.

As Ignis pulled the car up to the exit, Gladio came up behind Lydia and patted her back, causing her to wince. "You hanging in there, shorty?"

She gave him a critical look. "Shorty? Really?"

"Hey, if the shoe fits," he said with a shrug. She scoffed to display her distaste, as if she didn't know she hadn't been referring to them as stupid nicknames in her head since they met.

"That reminds me," Blondie said, coming up beside her. "I noticed you were looking a little stiff while we fought those MTs. You okay?"

"Eh, I'll be a little sore tomorrow, is all," she admitted, and didn't waste any time climbing into the car behind Specs. "We oughta get going, yeah?"

"She's right," their driver said as-a-matter-of-factly. "We shouldn't waste any more time here."

Prompto hopped into the front passenger seat. "Still so much to see!"

"And a lot for us to do," Ignis added.

Lydia took the opportunity to glance back briefly at the Prince, who let out a sigh as he looked out at the land ahead of them. She could see the reluctance in his eyes, and for a moment she thought she might have to tell him to get a grip and get in the car already. But Noctis pressed forward still, slowly walking up to the side of the vehicle, opening the door, and climbing in next to her.

"Everything in order?" Specs asked once they were all accounted for.

The Prince released another sigh, clearly in an effort to compose himself before responding. Then, in a clear but not wholly resolute voice, he said, "Yeah. Let's go."