She seemed to stir a little, but the sleep still had her. Lara looked down at her lovely little face, not a bit less perfect beneath the fresh scar. She was in the middle of changing out her bandage and applying fresh gause when Ade began to rouse. It seemed no great effort to pull herself into the waking world, instead she seemed reluctant to join them beneath the crimson starlight.

Lara traced a balm covered finger across the freshly burnt flesh and it seemed to calm the child somewhat.

"How's the progress?" Lara whispered as to not disturb Ade's sleep.

"Slow." Iris moaned. She walked to the roaring fire and placed a pot of some concocted rations over it before pouring half a canteen of water in.

"She doesn't have a fever, does she?" Iris asked. Lara placed a hand on Ade's head.

"No. She's just fidgety." She answered.

"Where's he?" She asked, meaning Reese. She didn't bother hiding her displeasure with him when she spoke, but then again - she never did.

"On watch." Lara shortly answered.

Iris paced around the camp, skirting a hand over Garrison's bandages and making sure he hadn't caught an infection. "Still?" She asked.

He had been on watch all night, knowing him; he intended on keeping absent on watch till the mission was complete. Lara didn't feel like dwelling on the tension between the three. "How much longer do you think till' we're ready?" She asked. Iris caught her attempt to skirt the conversation but didn't push the issue. She smiled and handed Lara a plate before dragging over the pot and loading a mound of greyish gruel onto it.

"Enjoy." She winked as a cruel grin found her lips. Lara ran a fork through the chunky paste and half sighed, half laughed. "It's gonna be until morning, at least." Iris said as she mounded a second plate and lay it beside Ade.

"Damn, It's not bad enough she'll wake up without an eye? You've gotta have that within smelling distance?" Lara teased.

"You could've cooked for yourself." Iris laughed. "You know full well that of my many, many talents... Cooking is the least practiced."

Lara laughed quietly and placed her plate on the floor.

"Eat." Iris sternly ordered.

"I'll eat later, don't worry." Lara responded. Iris didn't argue, instead choosing to stand there and stare daggers into Lara. She didn't budge nor blink for what must have been three full minutes before Lara broke.

"I'm not that little kid anymore, Sash. You don't need to make sure i'm eating." Lara mumbled as she begrudgingly grabbed the plate.

"I don't care how big or dangerous you get." Iris said, walking over to Lara and teasingly patting her on the head. "I'll kick your arse if you ever tell me you aren't my kid again." She kissed the top of Lara's head before walking off. "Eat." She finally ordered as she walked away.

Ade was still sleeping, good. It meant Lara could take off her mask. She reached behind her neck and clicked in the first button, exposing a zipper which she pulled away. The mask split into two pieces, the front half she caught but she allowed the rigid back plate to fall away to the floor. She took a deep breath and stretched out her neck, massaging the muscle in the back. She hated wearing her combat mask, the armour plates and respirator within always weighed her down after a few hours. The worst nights were always when she tried to sleep in it; the back plate would hold her neck at a strange angle and allowed for too little flexibility to be comfortable. Her scarfs, on the other hand, she couldn't live without. Most of all, her mother's silk red scarf. She felt bare without it, naked. People often found it strange how confident she could be in any clothing, no matter the coverage and yet a mask that covered any less than her entire lower face made her feel so exposed.

She shuffled the first scoop of grey mush into her mouth and fought against the urge to gag. It was painfully obvious that Iris had simply grabbed up any rations she could find before they had set off, regardless of flavour. It was only after her first bite that her stomach began to rumble with an audible fury. Even eating what could be generously described as sludge, she found herself ravenously hungered. The plate was bare and shining within a single breath then she pulled a mint from her pack and lazily re-attached her mask.

The wind howled through the cracked roof and carried on it the scent of rain. What breeze made it through the rubble into their camp played and danced along with the campfire, spawning a grand flood of embers and ash which brought with it a new colour to the dusty grey floor. Ade stirred and tossed and turned. Her breath quickened and her hand clutched out to grab at some invisible danger before her. Lara took the outstretched hand into her own and whispered to the girl.

"It's okay. You're safe." She promised. Her eye peeled open and focused in on Lara. Brown met blue and a smile came to Ade. "Goodmorning." Lara warmly whispered.

"Is it?" Ade asked, not fully aware of her surroundings.

"Not yet." Iris answered from afar. Ade sat up and saw Iris beckoning towards the plate she had placed aground beside her. Ade picked it up and rested it on her lap.

"How do you feel?" Iris asked from afar.

"Bad." Ade answered. Her hand rose to her head where she found the bandage over her eye. She pressed and stroked it as if she hadn't realised it was there.

"Oh, yes... My eye." She mumbled. Lara noticed a worrying lack of emotion from the realisation that she couldn't see out of one eye. "Is- Is it gone?" The girl asked. Iris shuffled in front of her and placed a hand on the bandage.

"I'm sorry, Ade. There was nothing I could do." She explained. It was apparent that she felt worse than Ade did. The woman was on the verge of bawling while the girl sat silently, almost unfazed.

"Don't cry." Ade calmly said. "It cannot be helped."

"Ade?" Lara questioned, worry shaking her voice. "You... Lost an eye?"

"But not my life." Ade answered. "I may never be a great sniper, but I doubt that was ever in the cards." She said in a tone that almost sounded as if what she said was supposed to be humorous.

"That's... One way of looking at it?" Lara hesitantly spoke.

"Well, I don't have as many ways of looking as you." She said with a strange grin as she pointed to her bandaged eye. Lara awkwardly laughed while shooting a look to Iris. The Irish woman looked just as confused as her and shot her a simple shrug.

Ade ate the 'food' provided for her and shifted closer to the fire. "Will the commander be okay?" She asked.

"He'll be fine. He just needs rest." Iris answered.

"Good." She seemed less dreamy than usual. Her gaze wasn't as distance and unplaced. She looked intently into flame as she warmed her hands before it.

"If you two are going to be okay, I'll make sure the Lieutenant isn't dead." Iris said as she grabbed him a plate and climbed to his watchpoint.

Ade watched her leave, and once she was out of earshot, she turned to Lara with a question. "Do you think them two will ever get together?" She asked. Lara stifled a laugh at the question.

"I hope so, they used to make eachother so much better." She answered.

"Used to?" Ade repeated.

"Oh that's right, you wouldn't know sorry." Lara said as she shuffled next to the fire. "I know they don't wear the rings anymore."

"They were married?" She shouted. Lara held the girl down and motioned for her to lower her voice.

"Yes, they still are." She said.

"What? When did they get married?"

"A couple of months before the rebellion. It was a beautiful ceremony... Small though." She said.

"The rebellion? As in the Queen's Rebellion?" Ade asked, a hint of awe seeped it's way into her voice.

"Yup." Lara simply answered.

"They fought in the Queen's rebellion?" She pressed.

"Fought?" Lara laughed. "Reese fired the first shot. They started it, and they were there when it ended." A mixture of pride, nostalgia and regret took form in her words and posture. Memories of the people they were before the Rebellion and the people left behind afterwards drew themselves across her eyes.

"So... Reese does know Serah Malthines!" Ade exclaimed. Lara's belly dropped at the name, one she hadn't heard spoken aloud in years. Hearing it ran a train across her heart as it skipped every other beat.

"How- What are you talking about?" She asked, trying and failing to hide her dread. Ade picked up on Lara's expression and a measure of timidity returned to her.

"I just... I found a note in my father's journal. It was marked a few months before the Rebellion, all it said was to 'congratulate Serah & Reese.' it was probably a different Serah though, right?" She asked. Lara didn't know how to respond, the truth wasn't hers to expose but a lie would be too obvious. She hesitated and stuttered before simply freezing up.

"What do you know about Serah?" Iris kindly asked as she walked up behind the two.

"Oh, Iris." Lara said with pleading eyes. Iris simply raised a subtle hand towards her and Lara sat silently. Iris glided across the ground and settled beside Ade, looking deeply into her eyes.

"She's incredible." Ade began. She spoke with an excitement and fervour she hadn't even displayed when talking about her scientific obsessions. "The heir to Matias Malthines and future head of the entire Ministry, but instead of that she ran off to fight for the rights of the people of the undercity. She created an army from scratch with no money or power through sheer will! She defeated the actual Ministry time and time again with weapons and gear more than a century out of date. If not for her, the Phoenix Alliance would be nothing more than a little group of jungle insurgents instead of a global military faction." Ade explained. She made no effort to hide her admiration nor did she attempt to quell her elation. Iris calmly laughed and placed a hand on Ade's shoulder.

"Something of a personal hero?" Iris needlessly asked. Ade nodded while her grin spread so far across it nearly cracked her face in half.

"Did you know her?" Ade asked.

"Let me tell you a story." She whispered.

We were young when the rebellion began. We had no idea what it would do to us, what it would cost.

What started it?

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Loss. A theme for the war, I suppose. There was seven of us when the first shot rang, and eight the day before. Ace, we called him. They dragged him into the street and shot him down like a dog. They believed their control of the undercity to be absolute... They were wrong; we fought back, killed the soldier responsible and burned their homes to cinder. The people rallied behind us... Behind Serah; The Rebel Queen. They treated her like a saint and we played into it. We created a kind of diarchy, with Serah the kind and fair doing all things just. It was propaganda, of course. Any time we had a moral victory, they pinned it on her. Any time things got complicated, the war got dirty... Well, thats where he came in.

Sole?

So, you've heard of him? Yeah... We created an almost mythical figure. A terrorist and scoundrel. Whenever a civilian was cut down in the crossfire, Sole was responsible. Whenever a base or building needed to be bombed, it could only be Sole. We created a bogeyman and it let us have it both ways. We could appear as the innocent and pure rebels who sought nothing but peace and equality, while taking the necessary actions to win a war. We didn't want to be fair and just martyrs. We wanted to be victors.

Was there ever really a Sole?

Of course, you know him well.

Reese?

Who else?

This isn't that story though.

A few months into the rebellion, early January, the seven of us had been forced to flee the undercity. We traveled south for weeks until we found the coast, where we settled and prepared for our return.

One night, we sat beneath the stars before an old campfire... Not so different from tonight, really. Even Lara was there, she was maybe ten years old back then.

The fire flickered across us all. We sat in the mud and soil as we prayed for the rains to end. It was late when they finally did so. Desh and Lara huddled together beneath a blanket and I sat upon a musky old log that Daxdan had dragged over.

But, these names mean nothing to you, do they?

Well, there were seven of us - as I said. There was Reese, young; handsome and absolutely ripped. Ah, those were the good old days - so many Abs.... Ahem!

There was Lara, who you know well enough though she was a child at the time; and such a cute one at that - another tragic loss to time.

Then Desh, she was about your age, fifteen or so. War was not her forte, she was sweet and kind beyond reason. Frankly, too good for our world. She and Lara were inseparable.

Next was Daxdan, I always called him Dax. He was the serious one, always the dad of the group. Strong as an ox and twice as thick. Tall, dark and lovable. Reese started to take after him as he got older.

There was Max, fashionista extraordinaire. My closest friend and personal tailor. How he grew up in the same house as Reese, i'll never understand.

Arktos, or Cass for short. More muscles than mind, but she made it work. We disagreed a lot, she thought that pretty and strong were antonyms.

Finally... There was me. Young, redheaded... Not to mention, pregnant.

Heavily so, I might add. The walk made it no better. Seven months into a pregnancy is no time to go on a cross-continental hike. The fucking cankles still haunt my dreams.

Lara and Desh snuggled beneath their blanket. They were clearly out for the night when Max came and sat beside me. We nattered on about some silly old shit, I can't really remember the details. Probably something to do with Dax's love life, or lack thereof. He put his hand on my belly and we laughed as the baby kicked and fussed. It was the little things like that, the reminders that a little girl was growing inside of me that made the sore feet and horrific back pain worth it. I offered for him to be the godfather and it seemed to upset him. He accepted, of course, but went cold afterwards.

The night wore on and Reese made a cameo, Cass alongside. They shared a beer and offered one to Max but he left for his tent without a word. We thought it was strange but assumed he was just having a bad day, so we didn't press the issue.

I watched him skulk off and turned back to the others when my eyes caught Reese's. If it was just the pregnancy hormones or something, I don't know; but he was... gorgeous. Cass caught me staring and mocked me mercilessly.

I can imagine at the time it was terrible. We were fleeing a tyrannical government who had just forced us from our home. We trudged through ice and rain; jungle and mountains... But honestly, that's not what I remember when I think back. All I remember was the brown and black of his eyes. The smell of the morning dew and wild roses. I remember watching Reese carry Lara on his back and race against Cass as she carried Desh.

I remember Dax toasting to our child, and Max making some dumb joke to get him to shut up. We stayed up all night, debating what to call our daughter beneath the stars. I've never been as happy as I was then, in the mud and cold - on the run and hiding. As the dawn drew near, Reese and I hadn't slept a wink but we didn't need to. We made a deal with each other. We wanted a better life, away from the conflict and war our lives had made us heir to. We decided to leave. No Rebellion, no ministry, just life. Just us, together. We knew a place, a cabin in Germany. We would take Lara and Desh; let the others come and go as they pleased as we lived a peaceful life.

Then it came to an end, and there were six of us.

Somebody died?

Yes, and no. We were betrayed first then death came later.

The boys had rigged up a wagon for me to rest in as we made it to Brazil. A rusty old thing, pulled by hand, but I wasn't complaining. I was ready to burst; there was little chance of me making it any further on foot. As we crossed the border, a group of mercenaries found us. They had been tracking us the entire way and had finally caught up with us. Reese, Dax and Cass fought them off and pulled them away from us while Max dragged the cart away from the fighting. He carried us on for miles before we arrived in a small village with no way to contact the rest. We bunkered down in a dingy inn and Desh decided to go out and find some way to contact Reese and the others. Max said he had to go and speak with someone in the village too and left me and Lara alone in the inn.

I was asleep in the rough cot when the first scream rang through the halls. I was dressed and moving by the time I heard the first bullets fire and we were halfway down the street before they found us.

It was two men, Colonel Gardener and Major Khaleed. They didn't intend on killing us, just capturing. I refused and pulled a gun, I was ready to shoot; hoping to buy time for Lara to flee but that's when I saw Max. He walked up behind the colonel and I thought he was going to attack him, but instead he walked straight past him. I was beyond confused, I'd known this man since I was a child. He was Reese's brother, my best friend, the godfather of my daughter; so when he pulled the pistol from my hand and injected me with a sedative.... I- I didn't react. I couldn't comprehend the idea that he had betrayed us... Betrayed me?

We realised that he hadn't gone off to meet some contact, but to signal the mercenaries. He had been telling them where we were from the start, tracking our every movement. They didn't find Desh and she ran off into the jungle after seeing what Max had done. She found the others after an hour but by then it was too late, they had taken me and Lara to a prison facility off in Ecuador.

They... Tortured us. They locked us in a cell atop of the facility with no walls, just open air in the middle of January. They beat us and starved us. It was only the second day there when they went too far. The guard simply threw me to the ground and...

I lost her.

Anna, she was going to be called. She was going to be the answer, the most perfect little thing. No words could describe what happened atop of that tower. No words I'll ever speak, at least. I was ready to leave the war behind... Then they forced me to share a cell with the bloody corpse of my Anna.

They had to die. All of them.

The next days I honestly can't remember. I think my mind blocked out the memories. All I know is somehow, Reese's mother found us. By this point she had been missing for years. She snuck into the base and was going to help us escape. That was until Reese arrived. No, that's when Sole arrived.

He had spent the previous few days pulling every favour and following every thread to find us. It was the day he got his reputation, the slaughter he commited went down in legend. An army in a man. He killed hundreds and leveled the entire prison as he made his way up to us.

I still remember his face when he saw me. The fear and sadness, I saw it disappear in an instant. Everything, it just... disappeared?

He didn't even acknowledge that his own mother was in the room, he just scooped me into his arms; made sure Lara was okay to walk and we left.

I was broken, as anyone would be; but he was there and he was so strong. For weeks afterwards, he just held me. He made me better. He never pushed me forward or onwards, he just stood beside me as I took the baby steps away from it all. He bore my weight when I couldn't hold myself and I lent on him none-stop. He was my rock, my foundation and he never cracked; not once.

Then I started to get better, I started to move on. It took years, sure, but it didn't burn at me every time I thought about it anymore. The breath wasn't ripped from my lungs every time I heard her name. I was ready to start my life again with him, but I hadn't realised what had happened to him.

I was so broken and hurt, so in need of support that I had forgotten that he had lost his daughter too. Beyond just that, he blamed himself. He thought he should have protected me better, that I should never have been in danger in the first place. No matter how much I told him it wasn't his fault, how he did more than anyone else in the world could have - it didn't matter, he wouldn't listen. He never softened back to the big lovable goof he was before. He was my protector now, not my husband. I don't doubt he wants to go back to how it was, I just don't think he remembers how to smile around me. It's like every time he looks at me, he sees that girl who broke, not the woman who carried on.

After that, the war began in full. Before, all we had been was a group of organised gangs and thugs. Now we were an army. A force to be reckoned with. Oh, how we reckoned. We destroyed anything and everything ministry related in the undercity. We completely purged all mention of the cunts anywhere outside of Hypatia. We got bigger and bigger. Eventually, it was bigger even than us. The Queen's Rebellion became a global revolution. In the end, we had to fake our deaths, become martyrs to the cause and from our ashes, would a phoenix rise. The Phoenix Alliance.

A little over half of the planet joined together after our 'deaths' and still fight on to this day

"Wait, I don't understand?" Ade grumbled. Her eyes darted back and forth between Iris and Lara. "You never mentioned Serah? There were seven of you, but what about the Queen?"

"Darling." Iris smirked. The red roots of her hair caught and spread beneath the firelight as the brilliant green of her eyes sparked into Ade.

"My name is Serah Eve Malthines. I am the daughter of Matias Malthines, heir to Hypatia and the Rebel Queen..." She proudly announced. "And quite frankly, I'm fed up of hiding."