Hi all! Welcome to chapter 14 of Frozen Heart. Sorry about the wait on this one. I started writing it soon after finishing the last, but then about half way through, I changed my mind on a few big things and had to rewrite a good bit of it. Here is the final product - although I have to say it was kind of a pain to write thanks to all the changes lol.

Also, I just wanted to say thank you so much to A-Prayer-4-da-Damned for all your kind reviews! I'm glad you've been enjoying the story so far. In response to what you said about Luna and Noctis, I totally see what your saying. In the game, their relationship doesn't get much development at all. I am planning for their relationship to play a role in this story, and I am potentially going to approach it from a slightly different angle. Because they haven't seen each other in such a long time, I think it could be interesting to explore how they come to view each other differently as adults than they did as children, and how that affects the way they feel about each other. Because, as you could probably tell in a previous chapter that focused on Noctis, he's a little bit apprehensive about seeing Lunafreya again, knowing that it could change the way he sees her.

Anyway, we'll see what happens as the story continues on! I'm expecting the main story to play out pretty similarly to the game up until Altissia, but then things are probably going to start veering off quite a bit.

Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own FFXV.

Chapter 14: Mere Coincidence

After the sun went down, Lydia was grateful for the cover of darkness. While the night was dangerous for a whole other set of reasons, she felt safer in the shadows than under the light of day.

Still, she forced her feet to move swiftly as she made her way through the trees, bag over her shoulder and Astral Coin tightly in her fist. She could hear her Mother's voice clearly now, meaning she couldn't be too far from here. Although she didn't dare travel on the road, she stayed close to it to ensure that she wouldn't lose her way and unwittingly venture into more dangerous territory.

Normally, she didn't make a habit of worrying about getting lost. But it wasn't like she could call for help if she needed it, or look up the nearest rest area—that twisted bastard somehow got his hands on her phone while she wasn't looking. And that meant what few connections she normally had were severed.

Lydia had so many questions. She wondered whether her Mother was safe, and if so, what she might be doing in this part of the world. How had she woken from her slumber? What was she up to?

And recently at the forefront of her mind was Ardyn. He seemed to be her Ardyn at any rate—but as much as it pained her to admit it, he had changed. So much that he was almost unrecognizable in demeanor and personality.

But he was also of Lucian blood. And that meant Shiva had to be apprised of what really happened all those years ago when the King was chosen. It served Lydia right for accepting information from that two-faced jackass, Gilgamesh. He would have said anything to cover for Somnus, and she knew it.

But she had to believe that her Mother would be able and willing to help—assuming she wasn't already in dire straits herself. Admittedly, she wasn't exactly looking forward to explaining that she had nearly eloped with the would-have-been King who was now trying to kill her—but she figured Shiva couldn't judge. Her relationship record certainly wasn't blemish-free, either.

Despite her nerves and fears working on her mind, Lydia continued her trek toward Galdin Quay. She'd hitched a ride with a stranger for a while, but eventually their paths diverged and she was forced to move forward on foot. It was a long night—daemons on the prowl attacked more than once, forcing her to expend more energy than she would have liked. The air was cool, but the exercise kept her body warm so she didn't need any extra layers.

She thought the Astral Coin might take her all the way to Galdin Quay. Instead, the whispers in her ear veered off in a different path once she made it far south enough. She found herself moving away from the main road toward the west. According to her wristwatch, it was almost 2 a.m. when she finally came upon her destination.

But it didn't happen in the way she expected.

As she made her way over a hill, Lydia paused in her tracks when she heard a series of low, ominous growls mingling with high-pitched grunts from a woman. She emerged at the top of the hill, and under the dim light of the moon, she could see the cold, dead eyes of a wraith as it attacked its victim down below.. The woman under attack narrowly dodged several blows, just barely escaping fatal burns at the hand of the dark spirit.

But Lydia could see the woman was nowhere near the helpless victim she first thought. The human moved with the grace and elegance of someone skilled in combat, and the long, elegant trident in her hand gave her an advantage. Upon dodging an attack, the moved in to stab the wraith with her trident, just barely missing the mark as the daemon dematerialized. Half a second later, it reappeared behind her and went in for the kill, reaching out with its claws. She acted quickly and blocked it with her weapon, but the force of the wraith's power pushed her back.

But despite the woman's technical prowess, Lydia couldn't deny that she was starting to look worn out very quickly. Even when she managed to land a blow, the daemon persisted, causing her to recoil when its flames drew too close. The two scuffled for several minutes, and Lydia watched the young woman dance around the wraith with incredible skill, even though she was clearly hesitant and lacking in experience. She cried out after a brief instance of weakness gave the daemon an opening, allowing it to knock her right off her feet. Crawling backwards, the woman tried to right herself, but fell back again as the creature stalked her with bright flames in its hands.

Lydia supposed it was time for her to step in.

Before the daemon could land a deadly strike against the woman, Lydia skidded down the hill and shot ice out of her fingertips. The motion immobilized the wraith's hands, extinguishing the flames. It turned on her, its eyes glowing with fire and death. Yet she did not hesitate to face it. "You can't intimidate me," she whispered, holding her hand out as magical energy flowed through her fingertips. "I don't fear death."

In response, the wraith let out a piercing shriek and violently pushed magic into its own fingers, breaking her spell on its hands. The creature's fingers burst into flames, and she was forced to lift a layer of ice between them to block the heat. When a blast of fire erupted from the creature's body, she countered it with a blast of her ice magic.

The short pause as the wraith recovered itself gave Lydia a chance to take the offensive. She stepped forward, digging her heels into the ground before blasting it with ice and bitter cold wind. The wraith barely managed to shield itself from her attack, so she immediately slammed her foot into the earth and impaled the creature on ice from below. Her magic dissolved in seconds, but it was enough to bring the spirit to its knees.

As she prepared to deliver the final blow, the woman she'd rescued appeared at her side, trident in hand. "Finish it together?" she asked, a loose-fitting ball cap partly obscuring her eyes.

Lydia gave her a quick nod, certainly not too eager to deny this woman of a victory. "Of course."

And before the wraith had the opportunity to stand, Lydia threw her hand out, delivering another blast of ice while the woman lunged forward, a warm glow of light radiating from her weapon as she ran it through the wraith's chest. It let out another startling shriek before falling down and melting into a dark miasma that quickly dissipated into the air.

When all was finally quiet once more, Lydia let out a small huff and turned to the woman next to her. "You were giving that wraith quite a fight," she observed as the woman backed away with trident still in hand. She didn't move to attack, but Lydia could see she wasn't fully trusting. Her eyes flickered to the woman's side as a small white dog trotted up next to her.

"The daemons are growing stronger," the stranger said softly. "It has been a long night."

Lydia smiled, although her mind was on the Astral Coin and the way she could feel it whispering to her from inside her pocket. It had led her straight here.

But she played it cool for now. "Yes—as someone who's spent a lot of time braving nights in Lucis, I completely agree."

"I am grateful for your help," the woman said, nodding respectfully. So formal. "I certainly didn't expect anyone to come to my rescue tonight."

With an equally non-formal shrug, Lydia said, "Well, I saw you down here and figured—I couldn't just ignore someone in trouble. Especially not the Oracle herself."

The woman, who she strongly expected to be Lunafreya of Tenebrae, stiffened. "Is my disguise really that worthless?" she asked in little more than a whisper, look down at herself in disapproval.

Lydia wasn't sure why, but that made her laugh. "It wasn't the outfit actually," she said. "Or your looks. I just saw your weapon." Lunafreya held out her trident when Lydia casually pointed at it, and with a single motion, she made it dematerialize. "I'm a bit of a history buff," Lydia offered as explanation, folding her hands across her chest to signal that she wasn't a threat.

Lunafreya stayed silent, but the dog was a bit bolder. Lydia watched with amusement as the small canine cautiously stepped forward, sniffing at her feet. Then she looked up and wagged her tail, prompting Lydia to bend down and scratch her chin. When the dog sat down and lifted her face for easier access, Lydia grinned. "Sweet girl," she whispered.

"Pryna likes you," Lunafreya said, sounding relieved. Clearly she trusted the dog's judgement better than her own. Not that Lydia entirely blamed her.

After Lydia stood up, Lunafreya's dark figure looked her up and down curiously. "I apologize if this sounds abrupt," she said. "But it seems odd that we, by mere coincidence, should meet in a place like this."

True that. The nearest civilization was at least two or three miles from here, and the hour was well-past midnight. It seemed one chance in ten thousand that someone would just happen to pass by while Lunafreya was being attacked.

Of course, Lydia knew there was more to it than that.

"Yeah, it's strange," Lydia mused, pulling the Astral Coin back out of her pocket and staring at it as it compelled her forward—right to Lunafreya. Then, closing into her fist with a tired sigh, she said, "I'm just a simple traveler with a complicated situation. Seems I was brought to you for a reason, but I'm not sure why."

"Looking for something?" Lunafreya asked. "Or someone?"

"You could say that," Lydia replied, turning her arm over when she felt a hot tingling sensation. Disappointment washed over her as she looked down and saw a nasty burn on her arm. She quickly realized it was painful—but for some reason, all she could think of was how glad she felt that the wraith hadn't ruined her jacket because she had rolled up the sleeves earlier that evening.

As she walked over to the bag that she'd carelessly thrown aside before the fight, she could feel Lunafreya follow her. "You're hurt," she observed, stopping in front of Lydia when she crouched down over her bag. "Perhaps I could help. I'm—"

"No, no," Lydia interrupted. She kept her gaze low while unzipping her bag to search for her cooling salve. "I'll be fine. It's just a little burn. I'm looking for..." She trailed off for a few seconds, reaching inside her bag to pull out a small tub. "This."

Lydia then allowed herself to relax for a moment. Sitting back on the grass, she opened up the tub a took a bit of cooling cream into her hand. A small sigh of relaxation escaped her lips as the salve soothed her burned skin.

"What's that?" Lunafreya asked.

Lydia glanced up at her briefly. "It's a special kind of cooling cream that I made to help with burns. No source of fresh water nearby, so it helps to be able to improvise."

"It sounds like you're accustomed to traveling through the wilds on your own," Lunafreya said.

"Well, this definitely isn't my first rodeo, if that's what you mean. I've had worse."

There was a short pause, and then Lunafreya asked, "Are you sure I can't help you? After all, it—this is my fault. You saved my life, so—I could heal you if you would let me."

"I'm aware of what the Oracle can do," Lydia said. "But I assure you, it isn't necessary. I wouldn't have helped out if I didn't want to, okay? It's no big deal."

When she looked up to reassure Lunafreya, she realized the Oracle appeared incredibly sad and guilty. Perhaps she had been too harsh. Damn, Noctis would be pissed if he found out she hurt his bride's feelings...

Why do you care about Noctis's feelings? He's long gone, and none of that matters now.

Lydia was apparently getting soft lately. And she confirmed as much to herself when Lunafreya's sad expression became too much and she said, "I'm sorry, it's just been an off-day. I'm in a piss-poor mood, so it isn't personal."

"You certainly seem weary from your travels," Lunafreya said, sitting down on her knees across from Lydia, her back straight as she placed her hands into her lap.

Leaned leaned back to glance up at the moon while allowing her arm to relax. "You ever been in that awkward position where you're just trying to get something done, and then you waste a week of your life on something completely unrelated, and then when you finally set out to do what you planned to do, it turns out nothing like you wanted? And to top it off, you have a crazy ex hunting you down to try to murder you?"

Lunafreya'seyes bulged slightly, and they sparkled under the light. "Um... no, I don't—believe I've ever been in that precise situation."

"Yeah," Lydia murmured. "Like I said—it's been an off-day."

Lunafreya acted like she wanted to say something else, but she stayed quiet. After a moment, Lydia finally pulled her hand away from her arm, aware of the pain but not giving into it. Since she had waited a few moments and hadn't caught an inkling of what she was looking for, she looked straight back at Lunafreya and asked, "Tell me... you're going around awakening the Astrals, right? What do you know of Shiva?"

She seemed surprised by the question. "I... I know that up until some years ago, the Goddess slept near Gralea—and that she was defeated by the magiteknology of Niflheim."

Lydia waited, but Lunafreya didn't add anything else. "Is that it?" she asked.

"No one has seen or heard from her since," Lunafreya said. "At least not as far as I'm aware."

Lydia dropped her gaze to the ground. She had hoped perhaps Lunafreya was connected to Shiva in some way, and that was why the coin brought her here. But it seemed that wasn't the case. Unless she was lying... but somehow, the Oracle struck Lydia as the type of person who couldn't successfully deceive someone if she wanted to.

So was this a complete waste of time? Maybe the Astral Coin really was a piece of junk after all.

But as she concentrated her mind on the coin in her pocket, she knew it couldn't be mistaken. It knew Shiva was her target, and the coin had been in the royal family for generations. If it brought her to Lunafreya, there was a reason. There had to be.

Which is why Lydia decided to continue playing nice with the Oracle. She was being followed and didn't want to risk putting her in unnecessary danger, but she guessed she had a little time to spare.

After hopping to her feet abruptly, Lydia brushed herself off and said, "Well, I'd say we've both lingered here long enough. We're sitting ducks for more daemons out here in the open."

"I think you're probably right," Lunafreya said as she rose to her feet more slowly. Then, slowing down to eye Lydia inquisitively, she added, "But I do have a question for you."

"Oh?"

"How is it that you knew of my mission to awaken the Gods?"

It hadn't occurred to Lydia at the time that an average person might not be up to date on all the details about Lunafreya's role. Lydia had known for some time that Lunafreya had the ability to commune with the Astrals, but she didn't know the Oracle actually had the power to awaken them until she saw Titan's vision. She had to wonder what kind of toll that would take on Lunafreya's body over time.

With a smile, Lydia pulled her bag over her shoulder, careful not to aggravate the burn on her arm. "I was recently with your fiance. He's been worried about you, by the way."

Lunafreya paused, caught completely off-guard by Lydia's admission. Even in the dark, the change in her expression and body language was obvious. It was like a switch flipped—she was no longer a Princess or an Oracle. She was just a woman with a nauseating amount of love and infatuation in her heart. "You—you were with Noctis?" she asked meekly.

"Yup," Lydia said, footsteps sounding loud in her ears as she began to walk through the brush. "And he's safe, if that's what you were going to ask. Or—well, at least he was two days ago. The meeting with Titan was a smashing success."

Lunafreya let out a deep sigh of relief, obviously missing Lydia's attempt at humor. She got the feeling the Oracle was a kind person, but probably wasn't that fun at parties.

Not that Lydia could talk.

As they walked along in the darkness, the two fell into silence. It seemed too dangerous to make conversation while they were on the lookout for monsters or daemons that might pop up around any corner. But Lunafreya, clearly being the trusting type, seemed to be over her earlier suspicions since Lydia identified herself as a friend to Noctis. She had no qualms about following Lydia until they reached what appeared to be an abandoned building not far from the main road.

It didn't look comfortable, but it would give them some protection until dawn. There was also a clear stream nearby, which allowed Lydia to clean and soothe her wound properly.

Once they were both safe inside, Lunafreya settled down on the creaky floor next to Pryna and took her opportunity to ask more questions about Noctis. Lydia begrudgingly answered them despite her exhaustion, but ensured she made time to ask a few of her own as well.

"If you really want to see Noctis that badly, why don't you just meet with him?" she asked. "Now that he knows you're awakening the Astrals, you know where he's going to be. It'd probably be safer to travel together than on your own, honestly."

She shook her head. "It would be irresponsible to waste time by succumbing to my own desires to see him. I may look frail, but I am capable of fending for myself. And if I'm one step ahead of him, then he can forge the covenants—and we can meet when the time is right."

All business and no play, huh?

Lydia supposed there was something to be said for taking your job seriously—especially when the fate of the world was likely at stake. She wasn't the obedient type. Maybe that's why the Astrals never wanted her involved in anything.

After a brief moment of silence, Lydia asked, "So who's next then? Shiva and Ifrit are both MIA—you already woke up the Archaean, and the Sea Lady is all the way across the ocean. So let me guess—Ramuh?"

"Ever perceptive," Lunafreya confirmed in a soft voice. "So I suppose once we both get a bit of rest, we'll part ways in the morning. If what you say is true and Noctis has already received his blessing from the Archaean, I must move to Angelgard as quickly as possible."

As far as Lydia knew, no mortal had ever set foot on the Isle of Angelgard. As it was the former meeting place of the Astrals, humans feared to tread there, believing it to be cursed. Lydia had never even visited it, but the legends had always said that's where Ramuh slept since the end of the Astral War.

Now Lydia had to make a choice. A choice to either part ways with Lunafreya here or go to Angelgard with her. The practical side of her said she needed to secure a way to Altissia as quickly as possible. By putting that off, she was placing herself in greater danger and jeopardizing everything she'd worked for. How long could she commit to following Lunafreya? She had nothing to go on but the reliability of a beaten, battered old coin and blind faith that this road might somehow lead her to Shiva.

But she still hadn't found her Mother, and she feared walking away now might mean walking away from the only shot she had—at least for the foreseeable future. Who was to say Ardyn was even telling the truth? How did Lydia know he wouldn't kill her anyway as soon as she let down her guard? She still had no idea what exactly she was up against.

And there was a real possibility that if nothing else, Ramuh could provide her with those answers.

She never had the chance to speak freely with Titan when she visited him a few days ago, but if she couldn't talk directly with her Mother, Ramuh was the next best option. The Fulgarian was direct, straightforward, and utterly impartial to the drama the other Gods brought upon themselves. Even the Mother Lydia knew was prone to sugar-coat the truth if she felt it would spare someone's heart.

At the very least, she knew without a doubt that she could trust Ramuh to tell her the truth.

Assuming she could convince him to speak with her at all.

Lydia had made her decision. And after turning her face toward the dark, silent figure in the corner, she said, "Then you've secured a way to the island, have you?"

There was some hesitation in Lunafreya's voice. "Well—you might say that's 'in process.' Someone in Galdin Quay provided me with information about a possible way. That's where I'm going now... although I admit I'm a little bit lost."

In other words—no.

Lydia rested her arms on her knees and grinned, despite knowing Lunafreya couldn't see her face in the dark. "Tell you what—I'll bet you 50 gil I can come up with a better way."

That night, Lunafreya only managed to get two or three hours of sleep. And oddly enough, she found herself resenting the light when it began to peek through the old, half-boarded windows. The building was terribly drafty, and she woke up feeling sore and even more tired than she had when she fell asleep.

As soon as she was awake enough to form coherent thoughts, she saw that Umbra had found them and was lying next to Pryna. But she was surprised to see that the woman who had saved her last night was missing. She opened her mouth slowly, and then closed it again before sighing and pulling herself to her feet. The exit door made a horrible creaking noise when she pushed it open, and a moment later she felt a strange sense of relief wash over her when she saw the woman over at the stream tending to her burn.

She wasn't quite sure why. Yet she felt 100% confident that she could trust this person. And it was more than just a whim or a fleeting feeling—there was something Lunafreya could sense about her—a light, perhaps. It was difficult to describe, as she'd never felt anything like it before. But she knew this stranger was a friend. And right now, she was her best chance to reach Angelgard safely.

"Good morning," Lunafreya said, slowly making her way over to the stream where the woman was sitting. "How is your burn?"

"It hurts," she admitted, sounding a little hoarse—either from pain or lack of sleep, Lunafreya wasn't sure. "But I'll live."

Lunafreya smiled at the woman's back. "Something funny happened this morning. I was sleeping on the floor in that building, and when I woke, I couldn't find you. I started to call out to you, but then I realized... I never asked your name."

The woman paused, and then turned around with an amused look on her face. "Lydia," she said. Seeing her under the morning light for the first time, Lunafreya realized this Lydia person looked a little bit familiar. In fact, she seemed to bear a slight resemblance to Gentiana.

Of course, she didn't say this aloud, electing instead to simply bow her head and say, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Before they set off, Lunafreya took a few moments to wash her face in the stream and retie her hair more comfortably. Lydia was kind enough to offer Lunafreya breakfast—something she called a "protein bar," and even spared one for Pryna and Umbra.

She elected to keep Pryna with her as usual, but decided last minute to write a quick letter in her notebook to Noctis before they set off. She'd been truly touched last night when Lydia said he'd been worried about her—but she hated to think he was distracted or distressed because of her. So she simply wrote a note to let him know she was safe and headed to the next location, and then she sent Umbra on his way with the journal. Luckily, Umbra's friendship ensured she never had to worry about whether or not her words would reach Noctis.

Though she felt a little bit sheepish when Lydia watched her send the dog off. "Is that how you two always communicate?" Lydia asked, with what sounded like humor in her tone. "That's so..." But then she shook her head and trailed off, leaving Lunafreya hanging on the words. And instead of finishing her thought, Lydia changed the subject entirely and said, "Let's just go. We're not that far from the shore, but we still have a long trip to Angelgard."

"Speaking of which..." Lunafreya said, gripping her own bag and motioning for Pryna to follow her, "What exactly is this plan of yours, if I may ask? How do you propose we obtain a vessel that can make the trip?"

"Oh, we don't need a vessel," Lydia replied with a small laugh, sounding a little rueful. "But I hope you're ready for a lot more walking. It's going to be a long day."

And Lunafreya internally apologized to her aching feet, releasing a huff to prepare herself as she followed in Lydia's footsteps. What a mysterious person. If I asked about her story, I wonder what she'd say?