A/N: Art by Rebecca Guay...do you like it? Reminds me of Lumina!

By the time I awoke, the Equinox Ball was three days' away, and preparations had left me out. I felt my consciousness trying to rouse several times, hearing the noise of the rain or the smell of a salve, but my body's fatigue pushed me back into slumber each time. Heavy eyes and a heavy heart, I slept, unaware that around me plans were being put into place, even without their princess to take part.

With my mind awake, my head was filled with images, images I had never experienced but seemed too vivid to have conjured up. Reia, covered in grime. Reia, crying out my name as swollen and bruised as she was. Reia, tortured. Each time she screamed for me to come and save her, fresh tears rolled down my face, wiped away by unseen hands.

When will you save me, Lumina?

What are you doing?

They're going to kill me.

Over and over, I saw her gaoler tormenting her, torturing her. I tossed fretfully.

The first thing I heard was chatter, chatter like a background hum that buzzed around my ears. The dull ache of my senses that had continually put me back to sleep was gone, and I sat upright, refreshed. As I did so, the blankets covering my body fell downwards, and I blinked around in bright light. I was back in the caravan, and light was filtering through the window.

The prison, I thought immediately. Clae. How is Clae? Did they find Arianna?

Fabian...

...how is he?

I rubbed my head. Had I dreamed that he'd told me he loved me? It was possible. Possible, but not my concern right now. I couldn't attend to matters so frivolous when I'd cost so many lives already. And if Reia truly was being tortured, and if these dreams I had were real...then I had to get to her, fast.

I stood up, my legs feeling stiff but energized. Someone had changed me into a nightgown. Disguises as entertainers were back on, it seemed, and I quickly changed into a long skirt and blouse, before running a brush through my hair. In my sleep, it had grown again, weaving down towards my knees now like a spider's web, expanding. I rolled it up with some bands, noticing that I smelt like perfume. Someone had washed and dressed me in my sleep.

When I left the caravan, a terrible sight met my eyes.

We were no longer at the gypsy camp-- we were overlooking it from the mountainous hillside of the Ruby district, in the midst of heather and shrubbery. At least, we were overlooking what was left of it. The spot that had once been filled with hundreds of angels and music was now a charred site of ash and destruction. From what I could make out, the debris was what remained of the numerous displays; colourful billboards, now burned around the edges and blackened, the roofs of fortune tents torn and spewed across the dust. The remnants of smoke still billowed from the ruins.

And among the rubble, the unrecognizable form of bodies; tall, small, old, young.

My breath caught in my throat. Had attacking the prison resulted in this? No. How could it have happened so soon?

The path of burning had thankfully not extended towards the shanty towns, but they had not been completely unharmed. Evidence of fighting was clear around the edges of the towns; bodies, red uniformed guards and those without, were littered around the hillside, and there appeared to be patrols of angels within the shanty towns trying to keep out any guards.

My body shook. The shanty town was filled with prison refugees, wasn't it? Were they all okay? Did they make it?

Again, in the back of my mind, a voice that I knew was my own was telling me: why else would this happen now? This isn't a random act. This fire was meant to destroy.

'Lumina? Oh, Lumina! You're awake!'

Still numb, a giant mass jumped and grabbed me from behind, pulling me into a bone crushing hug. Coughing, I looked down at the dark skinned arms holding me, and wheezed, 'Sakura! Can't...breathe!'

Sakura let me go straight away, stepping away at once. 'I'm sorry! I was so excited that you were up and about...I was on duty at the north end of the camp when I heard noises, turns out that they were you!'

'On duty? North end? Camp?' I repeated, gesturing in a frustrated manner.

'Yes, we managed to escape the fires and fled to the woods. Our other caravan is close, but we decided to separate in case there were any more guards about causing mayhem. You've been protected around the clock, mind you, a guard at both north and south.'

'And our other caravan?'

'We sent another into the Diamond City,' Sakura's voice softened. 'A small group are going to infiltrate the palace during the ball in three days' time.'

'Three days?' I cried, aghast. How could I have been unconscious for so long? 'How am I going to catch up to them? Who's gone?'

Sakura noticeably drooped, and I knew that I wouldn't like her answer. I give her a pleading look, and she sighs. 'Kirsten went. Scarlett too. Trina and Guthrie...'

'Why?' I demanded, 'They...how could they? That wasn't our plan...'

Sakura stopped looking at me and turned to face the destruction below us. Her hands swept out, as if measuring the amount of damage in her arm's length. There was too much to reach, and she gave me a pointed look. 'This is why they decided to do something, Lumina. The plan had to change, with or without you.'

I bit hard on my lip, facing the facts that Sakura was right.

'Fabian went too.'

I bit so hard on my lip that I tasted blood, and tears sprung into my eyes. Fabian? Had his words meant so little to him that he thought he could just walk away?

'I'm sorry Lumina, I am,' Sakura sighed, 'It's the only time of the year people are let into palace grounds, and it's the perfect opportunity. The rebels here are fighting their own battles for this poorer district, and our members are hidden there. Fabian has an obligation to his own people, Scarlett didn't want to leave you but said you wanted to be apart, Trina and Guthrie are Trina and Guthrie, and Kirsten, with everything going on...'

I jumped. 'Clae? Did they find Clae?'

Shoulders slumped, Sakura's eyes were cast and her demeanor sagging.

'We couldn't save Clae. We couldn't even take her body out of Ruby, so we held a small burial not far from here. I'm so sorry, Lumina...'

As she was announcing the grave news, fresh tears had begun to wobble from my eyes, turning into a volcano by the last word. I had seen Clae die, but it hadn't stopped me from praying that a miracle had occurred.

I don't recall much of that morning other than that I went to visit Clae's grave, a makeshift stone with a sapling planted. Fresh flowers had been placed around the site, and a grove of trees surrounded it.  

Clae would have loved it. 

In the time I spent at her grave, I asked for her advice. The world was so quiet, but my thoughts rang so loud, as if I'd truly spoken them to reach her. Only the gentle hum of the wind fluttering through the trees disturbed us. 

But I could have sworn I heard a reply; not in the shape of a word or sentence, but a certainty that came to me through sitting there.

I had to go. 

We had come this far. Clae had come this far. 

Now was not the time to back down.

---

'Lumina, come back! Are you mad?'

I swung my leg over the saddled horse, a dark grey stallion with intelligent brown eyes. He flicked his tail and snorted as I had placed the saddle on him, as if he knew of my plan and was huffing at it. 

Like everything else I wasn't listening to, I ignored the horse, placing my feet in the stirrups and nervously staring down. I'd forgotten how high horses were. I'd only ever ridden some when Reia and I had sneaked from the orphanage and into farmers' fields as dares, and I was a rocky rider at best. 

'Quite possibly,' I admitted, giving Sakura a sheepish grin. The girl was trying to block my exit, to speak reason to me. I couldn't blame her; as soon as I returned from Clae's grave, I stormed off to change. I couldn't bear to wear black, so I donned an undershirt of metal scales for protection, with a blue jumpsuit over the top. Metal gauntlets, disguised as boots, protected by shins, whilst my upper body donned dark leather armour. Pauldrons of thick hide accentuated my shoulders, and my leather gauntlets had hooked spikes. 

I knotted my excessively long hair into a long plait, hidden under a traveller's cowl. 

On my back I strung my bow and arrows, just in case I needed them, along with a fencing sword, small but deadly, at my hip. Two knives were hidden in each of my boots. 

In my saddlebags, bandages, water skins, and as much food as I could manage. 

My Fire Opal was tucked against my breast, beneath my armour, and remained a warming presence on this cool day.

'You're mad,' I heard Sakura say again, and she instead reached for another horse.

'What are you doing?' I demanded as the girl began to saddle the second horse. She gave me a dark look. 

'I'm coming too, of course,' she said, as if this was obvious.  

I set my jaw. 'You were against the idea a second ago.'

'I was,' the girl replied with a shrug, 'but you'll go no matter what, and you're my friend. I'll go for you.'

Friend. The word sent an odd jolt through my stomach, giving me comfort. 

'Thank you,' was all I could muster. 

Sakura merely shrugged again, slinking away to gather her things. Rusty from lack of riding, I tried to practise a little on my horse, but the grey stallion had a mind to do what he liked, and took me in circles instead. By the time Sakura came back, she had to lead the wild grey after her own horse.

Shortly after Sakura, Iggy appeared to wish us well on our journey. He had offered to stay behind and look after the carriages, travelling slowly with the show performers back to their safety. We were leaving at such short notice that he would need to take the time later to inform the rest of the troupe still here.

But Iggy did have one request. 

'Avenge her, Lumina,' the boy had lost his brilliant grin, replaced by an old shadowed look behind his eyes. He didn't crack any jokes. He just stared at me, both of us knowing how the other felt.

'I will,' I promised. 

Waving goodbye, Iggy watched us leave from the entrance of the caravan, until he was no more than a blur through the trees. 

The return to nature was a salvation for my overactive mind. The trees sheltered us, although that did leave it fairly dark. The trunks extended so high that the top of the light seemed tauntingly far above. We quickened our pace, leading out onto the road that connected Ruby's wealthier and poorer district to the capital city. 

Sakura and I rode in silence, both lost in the world of the forest. We continued like this for approximately an hour, not speaking, until the road began to get busier and busier. Soon enough, we were at the border the Diamond City, which was allowing hundreds of people turning out for the festivities. As we passed through the border unquestioned, the two of us exchanged glances of triumph. 

Once inside, the hum of hundreds of people were all walking into the city and towards the center. 

Like me, I thought, Like me. 

---

A/N: SHORT chapter sorry but wanted to finish the scene at a logical part rather than rush through.

Let me know what you think!! Vote/comment!

Larissa x