Nothing great was ever made

Without making a sacrifice

IT WAS LATER THEY WERE DRIVING TOWARDS THE CROWN CITY. It was pouring down rain, Ignis was driving the Regalia, the hood was up and he had the windshield wipers going. It was silent in the car for a little while. Avalon was twiddling her fingers in the middle, she sat by Gladio and Prompto, her best friend touched her hand to make her stop. Avalon sighs a little bit.

"I hope everyone's okay..." Prompto said to them, worried himself.

Noctis sighs and shakes his head. "Lotta good hoping's gonna do."

"You mustn't lose faith," Ignis tells him keeping an eye on the road.

"Really?" Noctis starts, his tone of voice held annoyance. "Can faith stop a fleet of imperial dreadnoughts?"

"Give it a rest." Gladio told Noctis calmly, making sure this doesn't start in an argument.

"My old man had plenty of faith!" Noctis defended himself very angrily.

Gladio sighs a little bit. "Enough."

Prompto looks outside quietly. "The empire lied. They betrayed us..." Avalon spoke quietly.

Ignis looks at her through the mirror quickly. "Conjuncture will get us nowhere. We're searching for truth."

"All you'll find are lies - like that ceasefire." Noctis reminds him with a sneer, glancing back at Avalon making her feel uncomfortable. Did he blame her for all of this?

Feeling down, she looks outside seeing the Magitek engine hovering over them. "Look at the size of those things..." She muttered so everyone could hear.

Everyone looks out seeing the massive Magitek engine's flying by to the Crown City. "Imperial Dreadnoughts." Ignis informed everyone. "They transport soldiers - namely, the magitek infantry."

"The robots?" Gladio asked him, as Ignis nods.

"Mass-produced humanoid weapons of warfare, to be more precise." Ignis corrects him.

Prompto sighs a little bit. "Doesn't look like they'll be signing that peace treaty."

"I agree..." Avalon mutters under her breath gently. She lets out a quiet sigh, wondering how she would go about talking to the angry prince. Avalon bit her tongue and continued sitting in silence.

Ignis hit the brakes making Avalon snap out of her thoughts looking ahead of her seeing cars parked in front of a blockade and people standing in the rain wondering what was going on. Avalon purses her lips gently.

"They set up an inspection point..." Ignis stated to them almost worriedly that they would be caught.

Gladio leans forward a little bit. "If the road ahead's blocked, then we find a way around."

"Is there another way?" Avalon asks Ignis who nods. Taking a sharp left turn and he began driving on the wet muddy road.

When Ignis finally stopped, everyone began piling out, Avalon was the last to get out and she looks at everyone. "Let's make a detour." Ignis starts with everyone. "There ought to be a decent vantage point up ahead."

As they ran ahead, Avalon grabs her staff from her hip extending it quickly and jumps in the air slamming it down on the enemy in front of her. It was knocked down as she takes her staff holding in front of her concentrating her energy to her friends feeling their health and magic stay stagnate so when they get hit, it immediately heals quickly, but she knows it wouldn't last long and it takes most of her energy keeping it like it.

Take her staff, she spins it around her, slamming it against another enemy coming at her. Avalon takes her foot slamming it behind her feeling the gun fly from the soldiers' hand and Gladio slams his sword down on the enemy killing him. He bends down as Avalon steps on his back swinging her staff back and around knocking the enemies down behind Noctis. When they were finished with the first batch of soldiers.

They proceed on to the next checkpoint and do the same thing. Avalon taking out her frustrations on the soldiers. She tried not to fight when she was angry, but she made the exception this time. After the whole thing with the prince, she didn't feel the need to punch him in the face anymore. Avalon landed on the ground after the final checkpoint, they ran to the hill and saw the smoke in the distance. They stopped, the radio began reporting.

"As the ceasefire discussions between the two nations, all provisional terms have been suspended in light of recent developments." It reported. Avalon gasps quietly, putting her hand to her mouth. "Moreover, in the wake of the news of King Regis's death, we've now received word that Crown Prince Noctis and the Oracle Lunafreya have also been pronounced dead."

Avalon turned to her best friend who tried to turn it off frantically. "Keep it on!" Gladio told him in shock. Prompto lifted his phone but it slipped out of his hands and fell to the ground.

"Don't bother!" Noctis yells at him in anger. Prompto sighs, bending down to pick up his phone. Avalon sighs, bending down herself, picking up his phone and quietly handing it too him. They both stood up when Imperial Dreadnoughts flew above them kicking up the mud getting everyone dirty.

Avalon wrapped her arms around her best friends' torso gently, setting her head against his shoulder while he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. Knowing that everyone they once knew could be dead. Both Gladio and Noctis were both making calls.

"Do you think...?" questions the young woman looking at her best friend. Prompto nods his head a little keeping her close. "Prompto?"

"Don't worry, we're strong, and we'll get through this. Come on Avalon, be optimistic, I hate this side of you." Prompto grins her way trying to make her feel better. She smiles, letting out a small smile letting him go.

"What did the marshal have to say?" asks Avalon towards Noctis after he got off the phone with him.

"Said he'd be in Hammerhead." Noctis answers.

Gladio sighs, walking a few steps towards Noctis. "And the king?"

Noctis didn't have to say a word. Everyone knew that it was, Avalon walks up to him touching his shoulder gently. Noctis looks in the distance as does everyone else. Noctis didn't blame Avalon for the news of his fathers' death. He just wished he was there to say more to him. They all turn reluctantly to head back to the car.

~

END OF CHAPTER ONE; DEPARTURE

A/N: Yes, a little short, and I'm very sorry for the long wait. Please let me know how I did on this part if you would? Chapter Two should be up within the next week, I am working two part time jobs and I don't have time for writing as much as I should and I apologize. Thank you so much for reading chapter one!