*Maggie's POV*

I stared silently into the curling flames of the fire Kindle had built for our little group. There were only eleven of us total. Eleven people to face the twenty eight remaining members of the Abandoned Order, and the entire army of Lumina— the size of which was still unknown. To put it simply, our mission was hopeless. How on earth could we expect to stand against that many people?

And apparently, I wasn't even included in that.

When I'd announced that I wanted to help, everyone had gone silent for a moment, apart from Inari, who actually laughed at me.

"No offense dear, but what can you actually do to help us?" Inari asked, her hands on her hips.

"Inari, that's not nice," Emrys said quietly, frowning at the redhead.

"But it is true," Inari continued. She turned her large brown eyes back to me, "What can you do to help us?" she repeated, "Can you fight?"

Slowly, feeling very stupid, I shook my head no. Inari had been so friendly when I first met her at Faye's birthday party. Why was she acting like this now?

"Can you sew up wounds, or make medicines from plants?" Inari pressed.

I shook my head again, acutely aware of the stares I was receiving from everyone who had gathered. Faye, Serpina, and Emrys were watching sympathetically, the people I had yet to meet watch curiously, and Kindle glared daggers at Inari.

"How about reconnaissance? Can you sneak into potentially dangerous areas to gather information?"

"I could learn those things though, someone could teach me!" I insisted.

Inari smirked, "I'm sure you'd love to do that, and I'm sure you would pick up on a few useful skills. But the winning question is... would Kindle actually let you learn? He risked everything just to save you, do you honestly believe he'd willingly let you into harm's way?"

I looked hopefully at Kindle, but he only dropped his eyes to the ground. My heart sank.

"And another thing," Inari continued, "Now that I know what Kindle is, I find it hard to believe that you two will last anyway. No self-respecting dragon should want to associate with a human, let alone date one. Look around, little girl. He should hate you!"

"Inari, that's enough..." Emrys insisted, placing a delicate hand on Inari's arm.

"Yes, Inari," Kindle agreed, his voice hard. "Enough."

Inari simply rolled her eyes and transformed into her fox form. She ran off into the forest that lined the Ruins, her tails swishing angrily as she went.

Emrys had insisted that she would be back after she calmed down. "She's a bit on edge, that's all. It's nothing against you personally, really it's not." Emrys said to me quietly, "She's just never been fond of humans."

I nodded, but didn't say anything.

After that, our group moved deeper into the Ruins until we found a good area to set up camp. Kindle built a fire, and I took to staring sadly at that fire as everyone else chatted and planned around me.

Inari was right about everything. Did I honestly expect to fight in this war? If anything, I would be a problem. Kindle didn't even deny it when Inari suggested he wouldn't let me learn to fight. And now that Kindle's species was no longer a secret, how long could I expect him to stay with me? I was a boring human, and on top of that, it was humans who destroyed his home and his species.

Even after everything that's happened, I still didn't belong in this world.

Across the fire from where I sat, Kindle stood and excused himself for the night. My eyes trailed away from the fire for the first time since it had been built, and I watched for a moment as Kindle proceeded deeper into the crumbling city.

"Oh, just follow him," Carlyle sighed quietly, appearing at my side and making me jump. I still wasn't sure how he could do that; know exactly what I was thinking. Even though he had said multiple times that he couldn't read my mind, I still had my doubts. "Just go talk to him. You two are in serious need of heart-to-heart."

"Okay," I responded quietly, standing up from my spot on the ground and brushing the dirt from my gown. The poor thing was probably ruined by now, what with all the running and flying and sitting in the dirt.

I walked quickly in the direction Kindle went, hoping I hadn't lost him. I navigated my way through the chilly dark of the night, wondering absentmindedly what time it was. I should have been tired, considering all that had happened that night, but I wasn't. Would it be morning soon?

Without much difficulty, I found Kindle standing in front of the shell of a tiny old house. His home, maybe? I thought, coming to a stop a few yards away from him.

"This was where my best friend lived," Kindle said calmly, not looking away from the house. He ran his hand carefully over the charred wood of the door, his fingers barely brushing its sooty surface. "We were only kids. And I was sleeping over at his house-- here --the night Jareth's army attacked." He sighed, shaking his head hard.

"I know saying I'm sorry doesn't help," I said carefully, inching ever so slowly toward Kindle. "I could never understand the amount of pain you're in, and an empty apology can't do anything to change that. But... I'm always going to be here for you. No matter what, okay?" I took another step toward him, bringing me close enough to touch him if I extended my arm. "So don't try to get rid of me again, and I mean it," I added seriously.

I stayed frozen and silent where I was, waiting nervously for Kindle's response.

Kindle turned to face me, his eyes glittering ever so slightly in the moonlight. He'd been crying. He stood just as still and silent as I, studying my wary expression. He smiled a half smile, "don't tell me you and I have to start over from scratch?" He raised his arms to me, holding them open and inviting.

I exhaled in relief, crossing the final distance between us and closing my eyes in contentment as his warm arms wrapped tightly around me, pressing me into him. I laid my head on his shoulder, breathing in the warm fire-and-cinnamon scent that radiated naturally from his skin.

I couldn't say how long we stood like that, and I wouldn't have minded staying that way forever, but I had questions.

"Kindle?" I began quietly.

"Hm?" He mumbled into my hair.

I pulled away slightly and tipped my head back so I could lock eyes with him. "What Inari said about you not letting me train... is it true?"

Kindle pursed his lips, but to his credit he at least didn't look away from me. "I want you to be able to protect yourself. But Blondie, I don't intend for you to be anywhere near the battlefield once the war really starts."

I frowned, "But why? I want to help!" I insisted, my voice rising in volume. "I don't want to just sit here day after day as the people I care about and love march off to fight, maybe even die!"

"But can you look at it from my perspective?" Kindle cut in, his tone just as serious as mine. "If I know you're out there on the field, constantly in danger, all I'll be thinking about is you! I need to be able to make strategic decisions, logical decisions. If I'm worried about your safety, how can I do the things I need to in order to bring about a better future for everyone?"

Did he not realize that I worried about him just as much as he did about me? "It's not entirely on your shoulders," I responded a little softer, frowning at his words. "You can't carry this entire war on your own. You need as much help as you can get, and I'm a willing volunteer." I laid my head on his shoulder again, "After all, you taught the worst dancer in the world how to do a pretty darn good waltz. How much different can combat be?" I joked.

Kindle shook his head, tightening his embrace around me. "There's no way I can convince you to stay here and take care of the camp with Faye, is there?"

"Absolutely not," I smiled against his shoulder.

He kissed my hair with a sigh, "We'll talk about this later. For right now, we should at least attempt to fall asleep before the sun comes up."

"I guess so," I chuckled quietly.

Hand in hand, Kindle and I walked back to the campsite. Some people still lingered around the fire, but others had already curled up on the few blankets they'd brought from the Abandoned Order's castle.

Kindle led me to an empty area close to the fire and spread out the cloak he wore over his clothing. We laid down, me using his chest as a pillow.

I shivered slightly as a crisp wind blew past. We would have to build tents or something soon, or we'd all freeze. It was nearly December, if it wasn't already. In all honesty, I'd lost track. Regardless of the date, it was cold.

Kindle tossed a fireball into the campfire, making it blaze a bit brighter-- and warmer --before he settled back down with his arm around me.

I fell asleep listening to the sound of Kindle's beating heart, and praying with all my might that that beating would never end.

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Thoughts From 2017: wow that last sentence was the most heavy handed "hey, I'm totally gonna kill this character!" thing I've ever read. I can't believe I wrote that and thought it was a good idea. Also, Inari's complete 180 personality shift from book one to book two was a result of me being indecisive with how I wanted to characterize her.