Hello, everyone! Welcome to Frozen Heart, Chapter 8. In this chapter, we head to Lestallum and follow the adventures of Noctis and Lydia in the city. This chapter ended up being more fun than I expected, so I hope you enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own FFXV.

Chapter 8: Lestallum

When they pulled into Lestallum the next morning, the temperature was already rising, and everyone was feeling particularly sluggish. Spending an entire night in Costlemark Tower had completely disrupted their sleep schedules, and now all they wanted to do was go back to bed.

Of course, Lydia had other plans, and she wasn't about to let a little exhaustion get in her way.

"So, any chance of sleeping in a nice room tonight?" Prompto asked as they hopped out of the car.

"Yes, I'm sure we can secure suitable accommodations nearby," Ignis said, sounding just as pleased to be back among civilization again.

The group headed up the ramp together, leaving the car behind in the public parking area on their way into the city. Although it was still early, people were already bustling around in the center of town, chattering about this or that and making use of all the nearby vendors. The smell of food wafted through the air, and Lydia thought she heard a radio on at one of the tables not far away.

Prompto gaped at all the people as if he'd never seen a crowd before, and Ignis commented, "This must be the main thoroughfare."

"The city that never sleeps," Lydia added, shedding her jacket and draping it over her arm.

Meanwhile, Gladio reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. After a few seconds, he said, "Iris told me she's at the Leville. We should get going."

"Okay," Noctis said, crossing his arms. "Lydia, you coming?"

She shook her head. As much as the idea of meeting Gladio's younger sister intrigued her, Lydia had a little family visit to make of her own. "I have another engagement," she said. "Check you guys later?"

She didn't give anyone a chance to protest or ask questions before stealing away into the crowd. For how busy the main square could get throughout the day, the side streets tended to stay pretty quiet. So Lydia broke off into one of the alleys and headed to her destination from there.

As she walked between buildings and regarded the hard, mechanical look of the inner city, she thought about how long it had been since she last visited Lestallum. She'd been so invested in her quest to find Shiva over the last year that she almost felt overdue.

Lydia wasn't someone who liked to put down roots. Put there was one root that she just couldn't seem to shake these days.

She stopped at one of the apartments after a long walk through the old streets of Lestallum and knocked on the door. Folding her arms and leaning back, Lydia waited a long moment before the door opened, and a familiar face appeared.

The young woman's eyes lit up almost immediately. "Lydia? Oh my Gods, it's you! I can't believe it!" She came in for a hug, and Lydia accepted it with a small smile.

But before she could respond, her younger sister pulled away and grabbed her arms. "I had no idea you were coming! Why didn't you call?"

With a shrug, Lydia said, "Surprises are more fun."

"Hey, none of your dry quips this early in the morning. I've only had one cup of coffee."

"Only one?" Lydia asked incredulously. "Who are you, and what have you done with Rose?"

Rosella smacked her arm playfully in reply. "Come on, now—I'm trying to cut back. The caffeine headaches are killing me."
"I bet."

Lydia couldn't help but be just a little proud of her little sister for making the effort, even if it was just coffee. Heck, there was a time she would have been proud of Rosella for just about anything.

As Rosella grabbed her hand, Lydia prepared to be led inside. But they both stopped in their tracks when a tremor shook the streets. Lydia gasped, grabbing onto the door for support as the ground under her feet trembled. But as quickly as it came, it went. And everything was still again.

"What the hell was that?" Lydia asked. "An earthquake?" Since when were there earthquakes in this area?

But Rosella nodded. "Yeah, it's been happening a lot this last week. No one really knows why."

"Well, that's a little unnerving," Lydia said.

"They usually don't last long, and they aren't severe," Rosella said. "Although I've definitely been keeping a close eye on my breakables, lately." Despite her sister's reassurance and jokes, Lydia found it odd that there were so many earthquakes happening so suddenly. Enough that Rosella didn't even seem fazed by them. She wondered if... well, perhaps it wasn't a great time for speculation.

"Anyway, enough about that," Rosella said, looking like she might jump for joy despite her lack of morning coffee. "Come one in, let's get cozy."

Lydia scoffed as she headed inside. It was a small apartment, but Lydia knew her sister loved having a tiny place that was easy to clean. "Cozy? That's the last thing I want right now."

"I know," Rosella said with a sigh. "The heat gets ridiculous here. But on the plus side, it's probably the safest place in the world right now, given the state of things. I assume that's why you're here?"

Rosella brought Lydia into her tiny living room and asked if she wanted anything to drink. Lydia politely declined, but then plopped down on the loveseat in front of the TV and asked, "Can't a girl just make a social visit?"

Rosella sat down beside her, grabbing what Lydia guessed was her second cup of coffee off the nearby end table. That poor thing was permanently damaged by coffee stains, since Rose never bothered to invest in coasters.

"Sure she can," Rosella said before taking a sip of her cup. "But you don't. You never make social calls. You only show up when, A—you think I'm in trouble—or B—you need something from me. So which is it this time?"

Lydia sighed and pulled back her sister's curtain to look out into the alley. Not much of a view from here. "Well—with everything going on, I just figured I would check in and make sure you were okay. The guys I was traveling with were headed to Lestallum, so—here I am."

"What's this?" Rosella asked, regarding her with raised eyebrows. "Traveling with guys?"

"Eh, it's a long story," Lydia murmured. "I had to take an unexpected detour from my own quest. I think that detour should be coming to a close soon, though."

There was a pause. "So you haven't found her, yet? The Goddess, I mean."

Lydia smiled and glanced up at her sister. "No, but I'm one step closer than I was a few weeks ago—and that's more progress than I've made in years, so I'd say I'm doing pretty well."

"What are you gonna say when you find her?" Rosella asked softly. "I mean, have you thought about it?"

A small laugh escaped Lydia's throat involuntarily. "I've been thinking about it for thousands of years, Rose. Not that I'm any closer to having an answer."

Rosella drew in a sharp breath, which quickly caught Lydia's attention. Under Lydia's concerned gaze, Rose simply said, "Sorry... it's still a lot to process when you talk like that."

Shaking her head, Lydia murmured, "No, I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to listen to me go on about this stuff. It doesn't involve you, anyway."

"Well, I wish you would talk about it more," Rosella said. "I wish you called more. I miss us being close—like we used to be."

And this was exactly why Lydia didn't visit more often. She hated these types of conversations. She didn't want to be reminded of how close she and Rosella used to be, back when everything was simple and she believed she was just an ordinary human child.

That's how it always happened. Lifetimes and lifetimes of growing up normally, only for her past to come back and hit her like a ton of bricks once her brain was developed enough to hold the information. It was hell. And there was no way she could have a normal relationship with Rosella, knowing all she knew. Her sister in this life was no more than a sun that would eventually set and never rise again. Just like they all were.

But Lydia would rise again. She always did—such was the nature of her curse.

Instead of responding to Rosella's depressing comments, Lydia folded her hands into her lap and said, "Well, I'm here now. I'm not planning on staying long, but maybe we could do something this evening. I know you have work..."

Rosella grinned. "I have a shift at the power plant today, but I'm free after 5. We should get some cup noodles! The days have been getting shorter these last few months, but the evening lights are so pretty. You're staying overnight, right?"

Lydia shrugged. "Might as well."

"Yay!" Rosella said. "I can't wait. I'm going to suffer all day long."

With a glance at her watch, Lydia added, "Well, you'd better get ready to suffer soon, since it's already going on 9 a.m."

After realizing how late it was, Rosella jumped up in her haste and spilled lukewarm coffee all over her shirt.

Noctis had headaches before—especially when he was growing up. But it wasn't a particularly common occurrence, and he'd never felt anything like this.

The moment the tremor hit the streets of Lestallum, it felt like something burst inside his head. The searing pain that shot through his skull nearly put him on his knees. Images flashed in his mind—images of someone calling to him. But they were so unintelligible that he couldn't make them out while he was in so much pain.

After a few seconds, the earthquake subsided and the pain in his head faded into a low, throbbing ache. He was left shocked and confused after it ended, gripping his forehead and probably looking like a total idiot.

He noticed his friends staring at him in concern. "You all right, Noct?" Gladio asked.

Noctis slowly lowered his hand and shook off the pain. While he was freaking out internally, he didn't want to make a big deal out of it now, of all times. "Yeah, my head just started throbbing for some reason." Everyone else stayed silent, but continued regarding him with curious looks. So he added, "Let's continue to the Leville," and prompted them all to follow.

As much as Noctis was excited to see Iris, he was also eager to finally sleep in a nice hotel later tonight. Camping and caravans were great on the road, but every once in a while, for the sake of his sanity, he needed a soft bed to sleep on.

His spirits were considerably lifted when he saw Iris looking as healthy and bright-eyed as ever, and not a scratch on her. The Crownsguard really did their job, and for that, he was thankful.

"Look at you guys, holding your own out there," she said coolly as she came down the stairs to meet them.

"What can I say?" Prompto replied with a grin. "You look good."

She laughed. "Yeah, all things considered. I'm so relieved to see you all in one piece—especially given how bad it was in the city a few days ago. And I'm glad you were able to come. This has been a big adjustment for us here."

"Believe me, us too," Gladio said, still playing it cool but grabbing his sister to pull her in for a hug. "I'm happy to you're safe. There would have been some serious head-bashing otherwise."

"Hey, I'm a big girl, remember?" Iris said, patting him on the arm and pulling away. "No reason to worry. Anyway, we're all together again. Jared and Talcott are here too. Wanna see them?"

Noctis didn't particularly have the energy for more meetings with people he barely knew, but he didn't complain—as he figured Gladio would want to see them. They headed upstairs to one of the rooms, where they met up with the old man and the little boy, who couldn't have been more than 8 or 9 years old. Noctis couldn't imagine how upsetting it would have been for Talcott to witness the destruction in Insomnia.

Still, the kid showed amazing resilience, given the big grin on his face when he saw Noctis. "Prince Noctis!" he exclaimed. "There's no need to worry—Iris is safe with me!"

Why Talcott would feel the need to tell this to Noctis as opposed to Gladio, he had no idea. But he admired the boy's spirit, and couldn't help smiling at the gesture.

Jared put his hand around Talcott's shoulders with a laugh. "Do forgive my Grandson. Sometimes he forgets his manners."

"I like it," Noctis said, not wanting to hurt the boy's feelings.

In response, Jared nodded graciously and said, "I am happy to see that you made it here safely. Despite everything that's happened, we're making do. If any of you need anything at all while you're here, please just say the word."

"All you need to do right now is focus on resting and staying safe," Gladio said. "We've got this."

"See? Told you." Iris said, glancing at Jared with a knowing smile, as if she'd already told him as much.

Jared smiled at Gladio. "Well—we won't take up more of your time. It's your first time here, so perhaps you should all take a tour of the city. It's a little warm here for my taste, but there are plenty of sites to see."

"Can I go too?" Talcott cut in, eyes wide with anticipation.

"You'll need to ask them," Jared said, prompting Talcott to look back up at the group.

Gladio reached over and patted the boy's arm affectionately. "Of course you can."

"Really?" Talcott asked, looking like he was absolutely over the moon to be invited.

Then Prompto, eager to sweeten the deal, added, "How about I buy you an ice cream cone while we're out?"

And seeing the way that child's face lit up was enough to lift Noctis's spirits—even if only for a moment.

The whole group then set out to take a tour of the town. Noctis and his friends were exhausted, but no one wanted to disappoint Talcott, so they let him lead the way through the streets. The marketplace was bustling with people, which made it difficult for everyone to stay together. But Noctis enjoyed checking out all the shops that the area had to offer.

While he was browsing for ingredients at one of the vendors, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Iris was standing behind him when he turned around. "Come with me!" she said. "I want to show you something."

As she started walking away, he hesitated. "Uh—what about everybody else?"

"We can catch up with them in a few minutes. Come on!"

He glanced back briefly, hoping he might catch a glimpse of Ignis or one of the other guys so he could let them know where he was going. But they were all preoccupied checking out the local vendors with Talcott—so he turned back and followed Iris.

They rounded the nearest corner and headed up the steps, Iris firmly taking the lead. While she was still young, Noctis could see that she had a lot of confidence. He couldn't help being proud of her. She certainly had stronger values and more self-esteem than he did—that's for sure.

"So where are we going?" he asked as she rounded another corner.

But when he took the same turn, he saw where she was leading him. The massive, metal fenced in structure across the bridge from them caught his eye, and he looked up at it with wide eyes. "Talcott doesn't really care about this stuff..." Iris said with a laugh. "So I wanted to show you the power plant! This is the driving force behind Lestallum's prosperity. Isn't it great?"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool," Noctis admitted, realizing that this was why Lestallum was considered one of the safest places in Lucis. This single power plant kept everything running, day and night.

"But get this," Iris added, clearly enjoying her time as a tour guide. "Only women work there. In fact, women are the only ones who do all the work in this town."

A rather bizarre fun fact, if you asked Noctis. He wondered—were men not allowed to work, or did they just choose not to for whatever reason? Or maybe it was just a cultural thing.

Still, it sounded like just the right place for someone as competent and strong-minded as Iris, and he told her so. "I could see you doing well here."

She smiled, her cheeks going just slightly red. "I think so too. It was a little weird at first because it's so different from back home, but I like it."

When she didn't say anything else, Noctis sighed and asked, "Well... should we go back and join the others at the market?"

Iris showed her teeth, as if somehow nervous to ask her next question. "Actually—I was wondering if you wanted to go see the outlook first?"

Well, he didn't want to be rude, so...

"Um—sure. Why not?"

"Great! Follow me."

So Noctis obeyed, following Iris down the steps and back through the center of town. Cars whooshed past as they came to a road crossing, and they had to be quick so as not to step into the path of any moving vehicles. Once they made it across the street, they kept going until they came to the outlook at the edge of town. Noctis could feel a slight breeze from this height, and it provided a small level of relief in this hot weather. From here, almost the entire kingdom was clearly visible, including the Disc of Cauthess.

As if reading his mind, Iris pointed outward. "Look! There's the meteor." Then she added, "It's beautiful up here, right? This has to be my favorite place in town."

Noctis moved forward and leaned on the railing over the outlook. "Yeah, it really is nice out here."

There was a pause. The next thing Noctis knew, Iris was right next to him with a coy smile on her face. "You know... this almost feels like a date."

He swallowed.

Well, that's awkward as hell... what to say, what to say? Okay, calm down, she's just teasing you.

After a few seconds of internal panicking, he laughed it off and said, "If it were, your brother would kick my ass."

She laughed along with him, although he could still here a flirtatious tone in her voice. "Better keep it quiet then. Besides, you already have Lady Lunafreya."

Silence fell between them. While he didn't say as much, Noctis sincerely wished Iris hadn't brought up his love life or lack thereof. Even if Luna was alive and well—which she seemed to be as far as he knew—the wedding was off. The only reason they were getting married to begin with was because of that stupid signing. Now, that didn't even matter anymore.

Noctis could say he wanted to marry Luna because he loved her—but did he? Over the years since they'd last met in person, Luna wrote him letters. Her beautiful words spellbound him every time, and he only wished he could be so gifted and eloquent. But when he saw her in his mind and heard her words in his head, it was the young girl he'd known 12 years ago in Tenebrae. Not the woman she had become since then. He had seen her face on billboards and broadcast on television dozens of times. But it didn't matter. That's not who she was to him.

The truth was that Noctis dreaded the idea of seeing her again. He dreaded the idea of Luna not being everything he always dreamed of. He dreaded that he might never be able to give her the life she deserved, given their responsibilities.

While all this was happening in his mind, Noctis remained silent. Iris seemed to notice that what she said bother him, so she backtracked and said, "Anyway... we can head back and join the others if you want. I just—well, I guess I was being a little selfish."

He cocked his head, wondering what she could mean. "Selfish how?"

Folding her arms behind her back, she said, "I just wanted you all to myself for a bit. I was really worried after Insomnia, and I wanted to spend some time with you to make sure you were doing okay. This has been hard on all of us, but... you especially, I'm sure. You have such a big weight on your shoulders now."

Noctis had to admit to himself, he was touched by the gesture. So much that he didn't know how to respond. For the last few days, he'd been so invested in himself and his own problems that it was easy to forget about the people who cared so much for him. Iris had such a good heart—and people like her made Noctis want to keep fighting, even if he had to sacrifice along the way.

"In any case," she continued. "I'm glad to see that in spite of it all, you're pushing on and you're still the same old Noct. Don't ever change, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, Iris turned and started heading back into town. While she waited to cross the road, Noctis followed along after her, and stared at her back for a long moment. Don't ever change, he thought. I wonder if I'll have a choice.

Since it turned out to be an uneventful day, Lydia took the opportunity to rest. Her body was still exhausted after the fight with the beast in Costlemark, and she found that her powers were weaker that day than usual.

She supposed that was the price she had to pay for using so much magic at once. But while she didn't have any particular fondness for Lestallum, she felt safe relatively here. She didn't have to worry about monsters or daemons, and even crime rates were particularly low here for a city. She also hadn't seen any sign of the Empire in the area...

Yet.

But never the less, Lydia decided to take it easy for the rest of the day—and that evening, she went out on the town with Rosella. They didn't talk about Lydia's travel, or her mother, or any of the issues weighing them down. Instead, it was a mostly carefree night, filled music, evening lights, and cup noodles.

And after all was said and done, the two women headed back to Rosella's apartment, where Lydia crashed on her sister's loveseat for the night.

When morning came, Lydia and Rosella had breakfast and coffee together. It was a quiet morning, and Rose clearly wasn't happy about the idea of going to work that day. So Lydia decided to walk with her to the power plant.

"So, are you gonna be gone again once I get off work?" Rosella asked as she locked her door and followed Lydia out. It was another warm and sunny morning, with the temperature rising as the sun began its daily trip across the sky.

Lydia stepped off the porch with a sigh. "Maybe. It's probably better to make some headway while the sun is up—and the days are getting shorter."

"It's pretty scary to think about sometimes," Rosella admitted, falling into step beside her as they walked down the alley. "You've traveled a lot more than me. Do you know what's going out there? I mean, for real?"

Lydia folded her arms across her chest. She supposed there was no reason to lie or downplay the truth about the situation. "I know that there are darker and more powerful forces out there than Niflheim to worry about," she said. "The daemons aren't going away any time soon."

"Seems to me they're getting worse all the time," Rosella said.

"Yeah, it seems like that, doesn't it?" Lydia murmured, unsure how else to respond. She couldn't exactly offer reassurance. Anything she might tell Rose about the Gods and the Chosen King's destiny to destroy the darkness would feel ingenuine. Noctis was a good kid and all—but without the power of the Gods, that's all he was. A kid. And she couldn't say she had much confidence in the Astrals at this point.

So, sure—maybe the world would be destroyed. Maybe it wouldn't. She didn't like the thought of Rosella suffering. But then again, saving the world wasn't necessarily going to protect Rosella from suffering, was it?

"Well, I hope you at least call me sometimes," Rose said, pulling Lydia out of her thoughts. "I like to know where you are and how you're doing."

Lydia rubbed the back of her neck in discomfort. "I'll try to," she said softly. "When I can."

A pat on her shoulder made her turn her head. "That's more than I got out of you the last time you visited," Rose said with a smile. "So I'll take it."

In a huff, Lydia pushed on ahead and rounded the corner to the next street. She froze as soon as she looked up—and as soon as she realized she didn't have time to turn around to go back, Rosella came around the corner as well.

Lydia smiled awkwardly as Noctis and his group, who were walking down the street in the other direction, noticed them. Rosella looked at her in confusion as they approached. "Lydia, what's wrong?"

"Uh, I know them," Lydia murmured. Then, more loudly when the Prince finally stopped a few feet away, "Hey, fancy meeting you guys here."

Noctis placed his hands on his hips and glanced briefly at Rosella. "Yeah, we were wondering where you ran off to yesterday."

Lydia gave another tight-lipped smile. "Well—guess you found me. Rose, these are my—um—associates, I guess. Pr—Noctis, Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio. Guys, this is my sister, Rosella." Gods, she hated introductions.

"Wow, I didn't know you had family here!" Prompto said. Then, pushing past Noctis and Ignis so he could reach Rosella, he gave a small wave. "What's up, Rosella?"

Rosella seemed immediately won over. Not that Lydia blamed her. She supposed she could understand someone thinking these guys had a certain charm about them.

"Hi," she said with a grin. "Great to meet you. Lydia mentioned she was traveling with some companions. Thanks for taking care of her—of all people, I know she can be a handful."

Lydia shot her sister a dirty look.

As Noctis and Prompto chuckled, Ignis commented, "I think if anything, she's been the one taking care of us."

Gladio scoffed. "Speak for yourself, Specs."

"Eh, I kind of agree with him," Prompto said.

"Anyway," Lydia cut in, not particularly in the mood for banter. "Rosella has to get to work. She has a shift at the power plant soon, and doesn't want to be late."

Rosella glanced down at her watch. "Yeah, I suppose I should get going. Too bad, if it was later in the day, we could get ice cream or noodles or something."

Noctis smiled and began, "Well, maybe we could..." But all too soon, that smile disappeared and he trailed off, as if distracted by something. All of the sudden, the Prince hunched over and gripped his forehead in pain. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned in agony, prompting Lydia to step forward and grab his shoulder. "Noctis..." she whispered, willing him to look at her. But he wouldn't—not until several seconds had passed and the pain seemed to subside.

He opened his eyes and pulled his hand away, his breaths coming out short and shallow. Then he cast a glance in Lydia's direction, although for some reason, he seemed to be looking right through her.

"Noct! You okay?" Prompto asked, appearing on the other side of him.

The Prince blinked a few times, and his eyes came into focus. "What... where was that?"

"What did you see?" Lydia asked.

"A hole in the ground," Noctis murmured, still leaning over from the pain. "Something—burning. The meteor?"

Lydia gaped at him while Ignis sucked in a sharp breath of air. "You saw the Disc of Cauthess?"

"It's the Archaeon," Lydia blurted out. Everyone looked at her like she had three heads. Quickly, she explained, "It must be. The Disc, that's where Titan is said to sleep. That's what's causing all the earthquakes. He's awake—he must be calling you."

"Well, if that's true..." Noctis said, pulling himself back up to his normal posture. "He's certainly making an impression."

"Then I say we go," Gladio said. "If you're being called to the Disc, there must be a reason for it."

"I agree," Ignis said. "Better to find out as soon as possible—especially since these headaches appear to be getting worse."

Suddenly, Rosella cleared her throat in the background, and Lydia realized she'd forgotten her presence. "Um..." she began tentatively. "I'm not—100% sure what's going on here. But fair warning, if you're planning on going to the Disc. It's under Imperial control, and they're keeping it sealed up pretty tight. I don't think you'll get very far."

"Well, that's disappointing," Gladio said with a sigh. "Maybe we could just rip through them like we did that base in Duscae."

"I'm not sure that would be wise," Ignis replied. "To my understanding, there's only one way in and one way out. We can't afford to get trapped inside and surrounded. We'd be at a tremendous disadvantage."

"Then we need a plan," Prompto said. "I say we head down to the outlook first. There's a great view of the Disc from there—maybe it'll give us some ideas."

Ignis stuck his thumb under his chin. "Well, it's no substitute for visiting the Disc in person, but it's a start. Noct?"

Noctis nodded. "Yeah. Let's start there." Then, everyone glanced at Lydia. "Did you want to tag along?"

She considered. While she was eager to get going, this business with the Titan intrigued her, and she thought perhaps she could afford to at least help Noctis and his friends strategize. Even if she didn't go to the Disc with them, she could provide some last-minute assistance before they went their separate ways.

"Why not?"

Turning back toward her sister, Lydia asked, "You don't mind walking the rest of the way on your own, do you?"

A disappointed smile crossed Rosella's face. "No..." she said. "I can tell this is important, so you go ahead. If you leave before I get off work though, would you please give me a call tomorrow? Just so I know where you're headed."

Lydia sighed and gave her sister a quick hug. "Okay, I promise." she said. "I'll talk to you later, all right?"

Then without stopping to look back, she headed on after Noctis's group to join them at the outlook. As she fell into step next to Prompto, he gave her a quick side-glance. He didn't say anything though—and for some reason, Lydia found that extremely irritating.
"Do you have a question, or...?"

Prompto looked away and fidgeted awkwardly like a guilty child after being caught breaking something. "Uh, no! Nothing, really. I was just thinking—surprised you have a sister."

"You're thinking we don't look much alike," Lydia guessed. That's what everyone always wanted to know about, but most people were either too polite or too chicken to say so.

"Well, I know you were saying all that stuff about your mother..." Prompto said. "You don't have to tell me—I was just curious."

Most people who didn't know any better thought Lydia was adopted. The truth was that she had lived many lives—and no matter what family she was born into, she always grew up to resemble her true mother, Shiva. But the very few times in her existence that she'd tried to explain that, she just ended up confusing the person and making them question their entire understanding of human genetics.

She didn't fully understand it either. She supposed that was the funny thing about the Gods—none of them needed to follow the rules of physical reality. None except her when it came to gravity, spatial distance, and healing, unfortunately.

As Lydia was pondering how or whether she even wanted to answer Prompto's question, the outlook came into view. They crossed the road, and she noticed that there was a man standing on the platform using the public binoculars. She didn't think much of it until he turned around.

"What a coincidence!" he said, smiling at the group as they approached.

But, in that moment, Lydia couldn't bring herself to focus in on his words. She could only narrow in on the sound of his deep, liquid chocolate voice, the distinct features of his face, his vibrant violet red hair. All of these characteristics that she knew belonged to one man and one man only, but she couldn't believe it.

She stopped in her tracks, at once finding herself unable to move due to the shock that overcame her. The air seemed to leave her lungs, and the only thing she could do was stand in place with her jaw dropped as the entire world crumbled and fell away from her. All the while, her brain was telling her in couldn't be true. She knew it wasn't true, even as a little voice whispered his name in the back of her mind.

Ardyn...

"It's impossible," she breathed.

ANYWAY... that's that. A few things were happening in this chapter. I know that I made it out to seem like Lydia was quite the loner in previous posts, but I wanted to introduce Rosella as someone who, despite that she tries not to admit it, Lydia is attached to in her current life.

At the same time, I wanted to take a few liberties with the Noctis stuff - particularly his interactions with Iris. I like writing from Noctis's point of view because I think in general, he is more thoughtful and introspective than people make him out to be. He's dead-terrified of his responsibilities, of his feelings for Luna, of the idea of letting his friends down, etc... but he's also not the best at expressing those feelings, and that makes him come off as selfish to some people. And I think there was no better time to explore that idea than here, with a character like Iris who understands him better than most.

And of course, we finally have the reveal of Ardyn! It was just a quick scene at the end of course, but I'm SUPER excited for what's to come. In future chapters, we'll be learning a lot more about Lydia, especially in terms of her relationship with Ardyn... and it will be fun to explore some new sides to her we haven't seen before. :)

Until next time!