Hello, friends. Welcome to chapter 11 of Frozen Heart! In this chapter, we get a tad more Lydia and Ardyn backstory, and we reach a turning point for Lydia's story. Things are mainly going to be focusing on Lydia for a few chapters, since mostly everything from now until Altissia on Noctis's end happens like it does in the main game - and I feel like there's no reason to rehash all that.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own FFXV.

Chapter 11: Goodbye

The second summer...

Ardyn liked to think he had seen a great deal during his first fourteen years of life—but one sight he had never witnessed before? A frozen lake on a warm evening in the middle of June. The unnatural view caught him off-guard when he first noticed it. As did the young girl gliding across it.

She didn't seem to realize he was standing there at first—her mind clearly somewhere else as she effortlessly danced atop the ice like a graceful Goddess in some sort of fairytale or dream. With raven-black hair flowing behind her and hrt body moving fluidly from one step to the next, she looked almost—inhuman.

Of course, that was preposterous. She looked as human as anyone he had ever met. But even so, no one had ever left him quite as breathless as she did that day.

It took several seconds for him to come out of his stupor long enough to approach her. He moved slowly, for some reason fearing that he might scare her off like a wild animal if he wasn't careful. At the edge of the lake, he opened his mouth to call out to her—but stopped short when her eyes locked with his. In the time it took him to collect himself, her expression changed from one of bliss to one of absolute terror. And without a single word, she turned and fled.

"No, wait!" he called, reaching out to try to stop her. "Please—I'm sorry, I... please!" Without thinking, Ardyn stepped forward and ran out onto the ice. It was slippery, but he hoped he would have a better chance catching her this way than by going around. "Please wait!" he shouted again, darting after the girl as fast as he could, nearly slipping and falling more than once on the frozen surface.

If he conjured up what he had learned at his training lessons recently, he imagined he could simply warp across and avoid this nonsense. But he feared the possibility of frightening her even more. And she was already so far away.

The girl moved far faster on the ice than he, and she reached the edge of the lake first. What he didn't expect was what happened the moment she stepped off the ice. It was almost instantaneous—he felt a crack underneath him, and seconds later he felt himself falling. He let out a gasp before finding his entire body submerged in ice-cold water. He couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything but the sound of water rushing back and forth in his ears. Which way was up, again?

Ardyn hadn't yet passed the point of initial panic when he felt a hand grab him arm. He felt it drag him until his head broke the surface of the water, the warm night air filling his lungs. The grip holding his arm then continued pulling him along, eventually placing his hand on an icy platform. He glanced around blinking water droplets off his eyelashes, and realized almost all the ice had melted away already.

"Are you all right?" a soft voice asked, prompting him to look up. And who did he see but the young girl he'd been chasing, her deep gray eyes looking down at him worriedly. For some reason, he had the sudden feeling that she looked familiar. Surely he would remember someone like her if he had seen them before. "I am sorry," she said. "I didn't expect you would follow me across the ice."

Still a tad spellbound by the girl's presence, Ardyn floundered a bit with his response before saying, "Well, it... wasn't that I planned it that way, you see..." In that moment, he realized he was freezing cold and tore his gaze away from her so he could lift himself up out of the water. He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed as he awkwardly shivered and shook himself off, his clothes now completely soaked. She was also dripping wet from rescuing him, but didn't seem fazed in the slightest. "In any case, I only wanted to apologize for frightening you," he said, wringing out his hair while slowly making his way back to solid ground. The less time he spent on the ice, the better.

"I thought perhaps I was the one who frightened you," she said, looking back across the lake as she stepped onto the soft summer soil. "I didn't expect anyone to be here."

He laughed. "Frightened of you? Oh, certainly not. I just... um..." Thought you were beautiful.

Instead of finishing his sentence, he cleared his throat and continued with, "I'm only here because my family has elected me to venture to the farmlands south of the lake and destroy some pests there."

She gave a knowing smile, making him a little bit uncomfortable as he proceeded to pull off his shirt and squeeze the water out of it. "That sounds like a lot of work for someone of such noble upbringing."

"That's exactly what I said," he began, "But my Mother and Father—wait." He looked at her, pausing before putting his shirt back on. "How did you know...?"

The girl put a hand over her chest abruptly. "You don't remember? Well—what an awkward situation."

He knew he recognized her from somewhere, but... "Have we met?" he asked, trying his hardest to conjure up an image of where he may have seen her before.

"Last summer," she said. "Remember, you used my tree as a place to hide from your younger brother. Somnus, was it? And Ardyn—of course."

His eyes widened as the event came rushing back to him, and he felt his cheeks redden with embarrassment. "That—that was you? I can't believe I didn't... what did you tell me your name was?"

She folded her arms behind her. "I didn't. But it's Viessa."

Viessa. He liked it. And yet for some reason, it didn't seem to suit her. He couldn't quite put his finger on why.

After Ardyn got himself as dry as he could, wishing the sun was still up so it might help warm him, the young girl cast her eyes to the ground and said, "I would be grateful if you didn't speak to anyone about what you saw tonight. My parents would be furious if they knew."

He gave her a confused look. "What—that you can do magic? Why would they be furious about that? Magic is a blessing."

She folded her arms across her chest, the openness he'd seen in her eyes moments ago, gone. "For some, perhaps. But not for me. I'm just... well, it doesn't matter. Just please—promise me?"

He didn't think he could deny her even if he wanted to. "Of course," he said. "It will be our secret—as a thanks for saving my life."

She scoffed. "You say that, and yet I was the one who nearly killed you to start with."

"It was my own fault, after all," Ardyn admitted. But she simply scoffed again and turned away. Foolishly letting his heart rule his head yet again, he blurted, "Can I see you again?"

When she glanced back at him in confusion, he flustered and managed to choke out, "I mean... I, um... I should be going. But I would like to talk to you again, my Lady. Preferrably—before next summer, possible."

His comment made her laugh, and the sound of it made his heart flutter. It made him want to make her laugh again—as often as he could.

After composing herself, Viessa pressed her lips together, as if she wasn't sure whether to accept his request. For a brief moment, Ardyn feared the possibility of rejection for the first time in his life. But instead, she sighed and said, "Come to the lake more often, and maybe you'll find me." Then, as she backed away toward the trees, she gave a little wave. "Bye, Ardyn."

He started to say something else, but by the time it reached his lips, she was too far away to hear it. So he simply closed his mouth and stared after her until she was gone. "Until next time, my Lady," he whispered before turning reluctantly and heading off in the opposite direction.

Present day...

Lydia wasn't especially surprised to learn the truth about Ardyn. She had suspected when he left them at the gate that there was more to him than he let on.

Imperial Chancellor, though, was more than she was expecting. How did Ardyn, the man supposedly destined to lead the people of Lucis, turn out as one of the most powerful individuals in Niflheim's government?

Naturally, the boys she was with felt less than convinced of Ardyn's sincerity as they rode across the skies in his trusty magitek engine. And Ignis had no qualms about confronting him, apparently. "So, now that you have us—what do you plan to do with us now?"

Ardyn leaned against the wall, playing coy as he said, "Why, grant you safe passage, just as promised."

Prompto gave him a suspicious glare. "Pretty generous offer for an Imperial."

"Oh, come now," Ardyn said with a lazy shrug. "Is it fair to begrudge a man the circumstances of his birth?"

Prompto stumbled a little with his answer, appearing stumped by Ardyn's all-too-obvious guilt trip. "Well... no. I guess not."

Lydia slid down to the floor in the corner and murmured, "It's fair to begrudge him for being smug and evasive though."

Ardyn's eyes met hers, and he smiled. "Have I not been entirely honest thus far?"

"Oh, I'm not disputing that," Lydia said, returning his smile. She'd been around enough years to know what the long game looked like, and it was pretty clear to her that he was playing it. She just didn't know the rules of the game yet. "I'm just saying no one here thinks you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart, that's all."

"Oh, well—what do motives matter, anyway?" Ardyn asked.

Yeah. Evading again.

"I'm of the understanding that his Highness here had a productive meeting with the Archaean. And you all escaped the Disc of Cauthess with my help—so forgive me if I'm wrong, but that sounds like quite a successful day."

Prompto leaned back and dropped his hands into his lap. "I mean, he's got a point there."

Ignis, on the other hand, still wasn't convinced. "Chancellor, if you truly wish to aid us in our efforts, then I request you release us this instant."

Ardyn raised his eyebrows. "This instant? It's a long way down." Then, with a chuckle, he added, "Perhaps the army could break your fall. Or perhaps you could simply sit back and enjoy the ride. You needn't worry—you're in good hands with me."

Lydia rested her chin on her arms as she looked up at Ardyn. She was curious. "So—doesn't the Empire have orders to take out the Prince on sight? You're the Chancellor, but surely you still answer to the Emperor at least. Aren't you putting yourself at risk by helping us?"

Ardyn regarded her with calm but cold eyes in return. "One benefit of my political status is that my restrictions are incredibly lenient. My whereabouts are rarely questioned unless I have a previous engagement to attend. This is of no consequence to me, I assure you."

"Hm," she said, the corner of her mouth turning up again. "Sounds very convenient for you."

Ardyn just smirked at her in response, and Lydia fought to keep her rage in check. The realization hadn't sunken in well enough for her to feel heartbroken just yet. Instead, she felt about ready to snap this guy in half. Gods, he was just as beautiful as she remembered—and yet the Ardyn she knew never would have played these types of games. And all she could do was sit here and ask why.

Lydia pulled her knees closer to her chest and pulled out the coin from Regis, turning it over in her fingers carefully where no one could see. She thought of her Mother, and all the events that brought her here to this moment. Would Shiva have the answers she was seeking? If she did, could Lydia even trust her to provide truthful ones?

"So once he drops us off," Gladio said, causing Lydia to lift her gaze, "What do we do?"

Noctis, who was nestled in the corner with an elbow resting lazily on his knee, replied, "We go get the car."

"Can't leave her unattended for long," Ignis said. Lydia suppressed a chuckle. Sometimes she got the feeling Ignis loved Noctis's car more than Noctis did.

But Prompto cleared his throat and said, "Assuming she wasn't, you know, pulverized by fire and earthquakes."

"I think we parked far enough away that it should have been safe," Ignis said.
"Wouldn't be surprised if it was in the Empire's hands now though," Gladio murmured grimly.

"If we can't find it," Noctis said, "We can always call Cindy. She and Cid could probably help us."

Ignis nodded. "Let's exhaust all our options before we jump to any conclusions."

During the short pause, Lydia shoved her coin back into her pocket and moved closer to the group. "I hate to abandon you guys at a time like this," she said, "But this is it, okay? Once we're dropped off, we go our separate ways."

"Oh, no—really?" Prompto said.

"Wouldn't you rather wait until we find the Regalia so we can drop you off somewhere?" Ignis asked.

Lydia shook her head. "No, I—I do have to go. For real, this time. And I'm fine. Plus—now that the Prince has successfully forged his first covenant with a God, I feel pretty confident you'll all be okay without me."

"Don't tell us you've actually been worried about us," Noctis teased, granting her a rare hint of a smile.

Smiling back, Lydia replied, "Well, what can I say? Blondie was right—you guys have grown on me a little."

"Blondie?" Prompto whispered, sounding like he wasn't sure whether he should be insulted. Lydia laughed with the realization that it was true—she did like these guys. And damn, she hated herself for it.

Which is why a twinge of sadness formed in her chest when they finally stopped. But this time, she wasn't about to let anything distract her. She needed to see her Mother right away. Due to her close connection with the royal family, Shiva had to have some insight about Ardyn... and hopefully, how to break her own curse as well.

"Here's to hoping you find that car of yours," Ardyn said with a grin, holding his arm out as the front of the airship opened up. The sunlight blinded her temporarily as she stepped toward the exit, leaving her with a shocking sight when her vision recovered.

She felt her own eyes bulge slightly as she watched Noctis pass Ardyn, the two of them glancing at each other for a moment before parting ways. She let out a small gasp as she saw someone else take Noctis's place in her mind.

Then her eyes fixed on the Prince, focusing in closely on the shape of his face and eyes. Forgetting herself for a few seconds, a breathless, "Somnus," escaped her lips. Almost immediately, the spell broke when Ardyn turned his head and looked at her. For the first time since they met in Lestallum the day before, that cold and calculating smile turned to a frown. And although she tore her gaze away and walked past him as quickly as she could, she was about 99.9% sure that he'd heard her. She also got the sneaking suspicion that he felt tempted to kill her right then and there—which surely wasn't a good sign.

And when she had safely exited the airship with Noctis and his friends, she chanced at look back up at Ardyn. By then, his expression returned to normal as if nothing had happened, and he regarded them all with a low bow. "Farewell," he said as the front of the engine began to rise up. "For now." And she swallowed, holding his gaze until he completely disappeared from sight.

Prompto let out a sigh once they were alone. "Well—is it just me, or was that a little tense?"

"Yeah, no kidding," Gladio said, folding his arms across his chest. "I hate to say it, but I get the feeling we haven't seen the last of the Chancellor."

"I think you're right," Ignis replied. "But for now, I think we should simply focus on finding the car as quickly as possible."

"And then finding Luna," Noctis said. This prompted his friends' attention, and Lydia supposed they probably hadn't seen what she and Noctis did at the Archaean. They didn't know she was the one who had awakened Titan and asked him to reach out to the Prince. But instead of explaining all that right away, Noctis murmured, "We can get into it later."

They all looked out over the horizon, realizing Ardyn had dropped them off at least a few miles from the Disc. They would no doubt have trouble getting their hands on the car if it was in the hands of the Empire, and Lydia felt a tad guilty about leaving them behind here. But alas, she had no choice.

Putting her hands on her hips, Lydia cleared her throat and regarded the group. "Noctis," she said, using his name to get his attention. He turned in surprise, regarding her with raised eyebrows.

"What's up?" he asked. Then, "Oh, right... you were leaving."

She nodded. "Yeah—but there's something I wanted to give you first." He watched silently as she reached out with one hand, holding it out to him. "Got an empty magic flask?"

With confused look, Noctis turned toward his friends. Ignis was the one to pull out a magic flask and hand it to the Prince, who in turn gave it to Lydia.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she opened the flask.

"Giving you a little parting gift," Lydia replied. "I mean... you did let me hitch a ride with you to Lestallum. And you saved my life more than once. And I know how hard it is to come by elemental magic these days." He watched her curiously as rubbed her fingers together, sprinkling something that looked like white, sparkly dust into the flask. Once it was full, she closed it back up and passed it to him with a smile. "Just a little magic for the road. You should be able to get a few powerful spells out of that. Or use it to enhance your weapons, or whatever. I don't care—just use it well, okay?"

Noctis glanced down at the flask, and his eyes became sad as he slowly lowered it and then met her gaze. "Thanks. We really do owe you."

She scoffed. "Just stay safe out there and watch your backs for me."

"I hope we'll meet again sometime," Ignis said, approaching her from Noctis's side. She looked down as he held out his hand. She took it, but he caught her by surprise by lifting her fingers to his lips and kissing her knuckles. "Take care."

"My, how formal," she said with a laugh, hardly able to remember the last time someone kissed her hand. Certainly not in this lifetime.

"Ignis putting the moves on," Prompto teased, coming up to pat his friend's shoulder. "Didn't know you had it in you, buddy."

The spectacled adviser rolled his eyes. "Oh, please..."

Gladio sighed, walking up so he was side-by-side with the other guys. "I'm not really into the mushy stuff," he said, regarding her with folded arms. "But seriously—good luck out there. I hope you find your mother."

She nodded, granting him a smile. "I will—and thanks."

Silence fell as she looked back at each of them, their eyes each letting her know they were ready for goodbye. All except Prompto. And she raised an eyebrow, regarding him critically. "You look like you want to say something."

The boy bit his lip, as if in an effort to hold himself back from whatever he wanted to get out in the open. But after a few seconds of discomfort, he said, "Okay! I really, really want to hug you right now. Can I?"

An abrupt laugh escaped her lips, followed by a snicker from Noctis in the background and discrete smiles from both Ignis and Gladio. A hug, huh? She thought. Well, she supposed she wasn't planning on seeing them again anyway, so... what the hell?

"Yeah, all right—fine," she said, holding her arms out loosely.

A grin brighter than the sun itself spread across Prompto's face. "Aw, yeah, bring it in!" he exclaimed, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around her. He was the shortest guy in the group, but she still had to strain a bit to rest her chin on his shoulder. Still, the warmth and intimacy of the gesture felt pleasant, and she found herself leaning into the hug before it was over.

When he pulled back, he patted her arm and said, "See ya around, Lydia. Thanks for everything."

She waved as she started backing away from them. And with one last smile, she said, "Bye," in a soft voice before turning and running in the other direction—running away from them as fast as she could, before she risked them becoming people she couldn't afford to lose.

Since Ignis had made such a big deal about Ardyn releasing them per their demands, the Chancellor had apparently thought it would be funny to drop them off in the middle of nowhere. And as she walked along the side of the road under the afternoon sun, she already found herself missing Noctis's car.

The automobile was a relatively new invention—a convenience that had only risen in popularity in her last few lifetimes. She had taken a few driving lessons back in the day, but she'd never given much thought to having a car of her own. Maybe it was time to start considering it.

After all, Lucis's public transportation systems were nothing to get excited about. Tenebrae and Nilfheim both boasted massive rail systems that she liked to exploit—but all Lucis had were chocobos and an overly expensive, poorly designed set of bus routes.

Still, it was better than nothing in a situation like this.

Lydia walked a few miles until she finally arrived at the bus stop overlooking the southern Nebulawood. The Astral Coin was telling her to head south from here—so she supposed she could take a bus back to Taelpar Rest Area and then head toward the Galdin Quay area from there.

She wondered if the fact that the coin wanted her to go in that direction meant that her Mother was somewhere here in Lucis. But if that was the case, why hadn't she come to find Lydia? Or at the very least, reached out to letter her know she was okay?

Perhaps her expectations were too high and she was simply setting herself up for disappointment.

But instead of letting these thoughts consume her, Lydia took the time she had to fill up her stomach and stock up on supplies she might need.

While she would have loved to get a headstart that day, she realized by the time she'd eaten that it was already evening. None of the buses traveled at night, so she wouldn't be able to count on another to come back until morning. In light of that information, she decided to check in to the tiny motel nearby so she could have a shower and get some rest. All the spending made her low on cash, but she would have plenty of time to sell some of her items to local merchants along the way.

Lydia made sure she was ready to face the day bright and early so she could catch the 8 a.m. bus. It was the only bus that came all day (like she said, horribly designed systems), so she couldn't afford to miss it.

Of course, boarding the bus didn't come without its challenge. Over the last couple days, it appeared the Empire had taken a more active role in looking for fugitives by hijacking the bus systems. Everyone who wanted to travel had to be cleared by officials first.

That was pretty unlucky news for Noctis and his friends, who were now without a vehicle. But it didn't pose as much danger for Lydia, who wasn't as easily recognizable as the Prince and his Royal Retainers. She didn't even put up a fuss when they unceremoniously searched her bag, checking for anything that might arouse suspicion. When they didn't find anything, she was free to go.

The first part of her ride was mostly uneventful. She'd had a very light breakfast because bus travel made her stomach feel queasy, but otherwise she was quite content as she sat back and watched the world go by for a while.

The stop between her previous resting point and Taelpar was what brought Lydia to attention.

While bus travel had undoubtedly slowed down over the last few days due to fear of the Nifs, a few people boarded at the latest stop. As a few current passengers exited and others filtered on, no one particularly memorable caught Lydia's eye—none except one person.

It was Ardyn. And as he walked past, he made no indication that he recognized Lydia whatsoever. This fact might have alarmed her, but it didn't alarm her nearly as much as the realization that she was the only one who could see that he was Ardyn. There was some sort of magic around him—a glamor or disguise of some kind—that from anyone else, would have concealed his identity.

Her heartrate quickened as he moved past her seat and settled into one of the seats farther back. She didn't dare turn around, but her mind quickly became overwhelmed with mixed thoughts and emotions. It couldn't be a mere coincidence. He was here for her. The only question was—why?

So yes - I added a public transportation system in Lucis. I feel like it makes sense for there to be one, even though, as Lydia mentioned, it's pretty crappy. I feel like the only reason there's nothing like that in the game is because they want to push the whole open world exploration and car travel thing. Which is great for the game, but now that Lydia doesn't have access to it, it would take far too long for her to get anywhere if there was no other accessible form of transport. I also thought it would be a good idea to choose buses since Lucis has a very Western feel, and train travel isn't as common in places like the U.S. as it is in Japan.

Anyway, I'm probably over-explaining this - especially since I'm not expecting the public transportation system to have all that much prominence down the line anyway. It's really just a writer convenience at the end of the day.

In any case, this was a fun chapter to write! Hope you enjoyed it.