Marigold stared at the snow outside, watching each snowflake drift down as she waited for her sibling.

She waited.

And waited.

And waited.

She went outside to play in the snow, before Luna insisted it was too cold and dragged her inside.

And she waited, and waited, until the sun was lowering over a snowy horizon, lighting the sky in color.

Copper nervously crept up to her. “Are you okay, Marigold? You’ve been sitting here all day, and it’s freezing…”

“Bamboo isn’t coming back. They said they’d be back.” Marigold’s breath fogged up the glass, and she lay down beside the door, pressing her cheek against the glass.

“…maybe they got lost?”

“…is she gonna die out there?”

Copper flinched, unable to respond for a moment as his mouth hung open for a moment, before he lowered his head, placing his tail on her back in an attempt to comfort her. “Let’s go see Estelle. She can send people to look.”

Marigold looked up quietly, before she let out a quiet “mmkay”, peeling her frosty fur from the glass as she stood up, hoping that it wasn’t already too late.

 

Bamboo collapsed in the snow, their entire body numb—and yet burning—from the endless cold. No matter how much they struggled, their body would not let them stand, leaving them freezing to the bone as the snow melted on their fur.

They realized it now; they were going to die here, all alone in the snow—they wouldn’t be able to say goodbye to their family, they wouldn’t get to do anything but rot when the snow melted away.

Their eyes began to shut as their hearing was reduced to the howling wind and the thrumming of their heart, until finally, everything slipped away.

 

“So, um, I’ve been asking around in case someone has seen Bamboo—”

“Mhm.”

“—And people don’t know, but! I, um, got an offer from the Royal Guard to look with the—”

Luna’s fur rose, and she whipped around.

“NO.”

Marigold went quiet for a moment, startled by the immediate intensity in Luna’s voice, but she scowled after a moment. “Why not?! The royal guard—”

“—Is not a place for you. Those people are of a bad seed, and you shouldn’t be around them.”

“But they’re the royal guard! Their job is to protect us, why would they recruit bad people?”

“Just because they say they’re doing their job doesn’t mean they are!”

“But Mom would get rid of them if they weren’t!”

“God, why are you so stubborn!” Luna growled. “Marigold, the Royal Guard is a—!”

A knock interrupted Luna’s outlash, and for a moment, both of them went silent. After a moment, Marigold stalked to the door, opening it.

The door swung open, revealing Maraude standing up above them both. She lowered her head, finding herself a bit tall for the door, and the two stared at Maraude as though she were a stranger.

“Am I interrupting something?” She rumbled.

“Yes.” Luna snapped.

Marigold hesitated, before walking up to Maraude. “It’s fine.”

“Ah, then you won’t mind if I steal you to discuss something?”

Marigold looked between Luna and Maraude as their gazes burned into each other.

“No,” Marigold finally said. “It’s fine.”

“Wonderful,” Maraude said, smiling.

 

“So, um, I’ve been asking around in case someone has seen Bamboo—”

“Mhm.”

“—And people don’t know, but! I, um, got an offer from the Royal Guard to look with the—”

Luna’s fur rose, and she whipped around.

“NO.”

Marigold went quiet for a moment, startled by the immediate intensity in Luna’s voice, but she scowled after a moment. “Why not?! The royal guard—”

“—Is not a place for you. Those people are of a bad seed, and you shouldn’t be around them.”

“But they’re the royal guard! Their job is to protect us, why would they recruit bad people?”

“Just because they say they’re doing their job doesn’t mean they are!”

“But Mom would get rid of them if they weren’t!”

“God, why are you so stubborn!” Luna growled. “Marigold, the Royal Guard is a—!”

A knock interrupted Luna’s outlash, and for a moment, both of them went silent. After a moment, Marigold stalked to the door, opening it.

The door swung open, revealing Maraude standing up above them both. She lowered her head, finding herself a bit tall for the door, and the two stared at Maraude as though she were a stranger.

“Am I interrupting something?” She rumbled.

“Yes.” Luna snapped.

Marigold hesitated, before walking up to Maraude. “It’s fine.”

“Ah, then you won’t mind if I steal you to discuss something?”

Marigold looked between Luna and Maraude as their gazes burned into each other.

“No,” Marigold finally said. “It’s fine.”

“Wonderful,” Maraude said, smiling.

Maraude smiled. “I’ll let you have a few days under the Guard, and we’ll see what you can do.”

Marigold internally celebrated her victory, her chest lighting up with fireworks. “Thank you! I won’t let the Guard down.”

“Why don’t you go off and meet the other trainees before you run home?” Maraude asked, quirking an eyebrow as she nodded to a door. “They’ll be tough on you, but let’s just say the first trial is withstanding them.”

She nodded. That would be easy, right? People seemed to like Marigold. She was sociable—at least, she hoped so, anyway.

Thinking that, she peeked into the room.

Everyone’s previous chatter died out as they turned to stare at Marigold, who felt chills down her spine as she glanced around.

“…hi,” she squeaked, her voice coming out much more meekly than intended.

A few returned ‘hi’s echoed through the room as a few people, but the rest of the critical stares burned into her.

The door opened as another person waltzed through the room. “This is Marigold.” They said. “Be good to her.”

“Yes, Elliot,” A monotony echoed through the room. As Elliot left, however, the room exploded into chattering and gossip and whispers, a few people hopping towards her.

“Hey, princess, what’re you doing here?” One person asked, eyes boring into her.

“Not a princess…” Marigold mumbled. “I’m joining the Royal Guard.”

“A royal? Joining the Guard? A child of Estelle, no less? You got to be kidding!” Another laughed.

“What’s so funny?!”

“We all know Estelle wouldn’t hurt a fly. I highly doubt you could make the cut.”

“Oh, cut it out, Bruno,” The first one interjected, “I wanna see what she can do.” They turned to her. “Name’s Lily. Hope you got guts, newbie.”

“Or ribs, because you’ll spill your guts on the floor otherwise!” Bruno cackled. Lily shouldered her again, growling, but Bruno seemed unthreatened, shoving Lily back.

Marigold, determined to prove her spot among them, forced herself to straighten her posture, standing tall. “I’ve got plenty, and I’m not afraid!”

Bruno looked at her skeptically, but Lily grinned.

 

 

Bruno chased after Bamboo and for a moment, Marigold felt elated by the help—

Until she lunged, snapping her teeth, aiming for Bamboo’s throat.

Marigold felt her heart seem to stop, before she leapt at Bruno, knocking her out of the air and sending her tumbling to the muddy ground.

Yelping, Bruno rolled through the muck, laying prone for a moment, before standing shakily. “Marigold, what the hell?!” She barked.

“I could ask the same question to you!” Marigold rebuked. “Why did you attack them?!”

She shrugged. “Maraude said something about it, I think. Plus, they were running— I assumed they did something.”

“They were probably running from you, idiot!”

Bruno scowled. “I’m just doing my job!”

“What is happening here?”

Both of them turned, freezing as they stared at Maraude. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Marigold squeaked out a “nothing, ma’am”.

“It certainly didn’t sound like nothing.”

“They were probably just messing around,” Lily’s voice chimed in.

Maraude’s eyes narrowed. “You aren’t in training anymore! You should act like soldiers, not children, you embarrassments! We have important jobs, so act like it—Are we clear?!”

“…yes ma’am,” Bruno and Marigold mumbled in unison. The two lowered their heads, each shooting glares at each other.

 

She found herself staring out the lonely window, watching as the snow sprinkled down from the sky, frosting up the window. She couldn’t help but feel isolated from the world, like she was in her own secluded snowglobe. She closed her eyes, pressing her head against the glass.

 

A knock.

Marigold sighed. “Come in.”

The door creaked as it opened, the unoiled hinges whimpering as it was opened quite forcefully.

“Hey, princess, sulking time’s over,” Bruno announced.

“Don’t call me princess— and I’m not sulking,” she grumbled crossly.

“Mhmmmm.”

“Oh, come on, Bruno,” Lily said, their voice reproachful. “Don’t be rude to the newbie.”

“Says you.”

“I—!” Lily hissed out a sigh through gritted teeth. “Just... come on, Marigold.”

She looked over slightly. “I want to take a break... I just... not only did I get injured yesterday, but my sister is also running from me, too.”

“Maraude doesn’t like trainees slacking,” Bruno said, shaking her head.

“It’s not slacking either! You don’t get it!” Marigold cried out, swiveling.

 

“If you haven’t gotten it by now, you’ll never find your sibling! You’re being distracted from your task by this stupid search for someone who is likely dead by now, so just let them die already!”

And just like that, Marigold’s heart cracked into pieces.

Her throat seemed to close, suffocating her along with the burning tears brimming at the corners of her eyes.

Seeming to realize Marigold was upset, Maraude shook her head. “You’ll just hurt yourself more by clinging onto that hope, don’t you see? Wouldn’t it be easier to let it go? To stop letting it limit you?”

“I have to hope,” Marigold replied. “I can’t deal with the thought that they might be dead.”

Maraude gave a small tut of disapproval, shaking her head. “Fine, then… If you are going to continue insisting on clinging to false hope, then do so. I have no responsibility for your emotional well-being.”

“It’s not false hope!” She cried out, despite Maraude having already turned away to leave. “It’s not false! It’s not!”

The door closed.

As Marigold sat there alone, the tears she’d been holding in began to pour down her face.

Maraude was wrong. She HAD to be.

 

Marigold beat down the training dummy viciously, her glare getting more vicious with every strike.

“Hey, what’cha doing, May-may?” Lily asked.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay, tough stuff.”

Another strike into the dummy’s leathery skin.

“Rough day?”

Marigold shot a glare back at Lily, but they just gave a skeptical look in return. She then returned to beating down the dummy.

“Ah, yes, I see. Very informative. You are incredibly talkative today,” Lily snarkily deadpanned.

Thwump.

The dummy had a dent, so Marigold waited for the internal stuffing to slowly push the leather hide back into place.

“What even happened to get you this mad?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Mmmhmmmm… I’m sure you’ll crack eventually.”

“I’m not a criminal up for interrogation, Lily. Shut up.”

“I’m just curious, that’s all!”

“Well, maybe you should be curious about—I don’t know, your own business?”

“…Lily, leave it.”

The two turned, only to see Bruno had entered the room while they’d been bickering. Lily’s eyes flicked between Marigold and Bruno, before they let out a small hmmph, turning to leave.

Bruno said nothing as she stalked past Marigold, and Marigold was left with a hollowing anger, chewing away at her heart until she felt only two things; the emptiness that had filled her insides, and smoldering coals that had left behind only burning embers.

She turned and went back to her bed to sleep.

 

 

Marigold’s ears perked as she listened to the air quietly. The chiming of bells was ringing through the air, and she felt a shiver run down her spine as she listened to the lonely rings.

There was someone here.

 “…Hello?”

-

Bamboo froze as they heard their sister’s voice, and Sienna went still as well.

“Is someone there?” Marigold called again.

Sienna began to move, but Bamboo halted her. It was too late to prevent the bells from sounding, however, leaving their position possibly compromised.

“…where is that coming from?”

Bamboo looked to Sienna.

 

“Wait!” Marigold cried out. “Come back!”

Bamboo squeezed their eyes shut as they ran faster, the cold wind biting at their face as they ran.

The running went on, and on, and on, and on—

—Until the calls finally subsided into silence, leaving Bamboo exhausted.

“What was that? That was your sister; why were you so desperate to run?”

“Because she’s on Maraude’s side.” Bamboo looked down at the ground, their face turning bitter with a frown.

-

The running went on, and on, and on, and on—

—Until Marigold finally lost sight, the ringing of bells disappearing into silence as her heart sank. She looked out into the woods, her eyes dulling as her heart ached.

“It isn’t FAIR!” Marigold screamed in frustration as she threw a pillow, tearing into it.

Luna tried to step forward. “Marigold—”

“Don’t tell me to calm down again!” She cried. “This isn’t fair, I shouldn’t have to be calm! My sibling is gone and they might even be dead, for all I know!”

“Marigold…”

“No, you don’t get it! We promised to stick together, we promised!” She wailed, before her eyes screwed shut, tears rolling down her cheeks. “…I just want my family. I want…”

“Marigold,” Luna emphasized, interrupting Marigold’s spiral as she walked closer, sitting next to her. She pressed against Marigold, trying to comfort her as she placed her tail on her back. “…I know. I don’t want you to be apathetic about this… You’re right, you shouldn’t have to be calm. I’m sorry that I made it seem like you should, I… I just want you to be okay.”

 

Bamboo looked up at the belltower stretching to the sky, the bell glimmering in the sunlight as the sun glared off its golden surface.

“I don’t remember the last time that bell rung,” Sienna mused. “They used to ring it all the time, but one day they just… stopped. I never asked, just wondered why.”

“Why didn’t you ask?”

Sienna went silent, ducking their head away quickly. The whole world seemed to silence, except the jingling bells attached to her mask.

“…I’m sorry. You don’t have to say.”

 

“You’re pretty brave.” Lily said. “Lots of people who were spoiled like you would chicken out and hide behind their armies, but I can tell you like taking charge.”

“Yeah,” Marigold said proudly. “I won’t let myself be reliant on other people to make things my way.”

“With that talk, Maraude’s gonna either promote you to second in command or kick your hind for not taking commands!” Bruno snarked, and Lily grinned.

“To think you were so doubtful about her having guts!” Lily barked out laughter.

“Maybe I was wrong. I’ll admit it when someone’s stronger than I thought.”

“I’ll admit, I’ve been shocked by how strong you were too.”

Marigold glowed at the praise, feeling proud. Luna had been wrong; she was strong enough for the guard. She wasn’t going to be scared.

“I do have to ask; Why did you join?” Lily questioned.

That broke the smile on Marigold’s face, as she felt her chest grow sore with the reminder that Bamboo wasn’t around to see her feats. Sighing, Marigold lowered her head. “My sibling went missing around a week before I was accepted. I wanted to find them when no one else was doing good enough, but the Guard was my only shot.”

 

Much to Marigold’s surprise, Lily was the first one who’s face offered sympathy. “That’s noble of you,” she said.

“Nobleness isn’t a quality Maraude rewards, though,” Bruno commented. “You’ve only got your smarts, your strength, and your focus on the task.”

“Well, it’s not like we’re going to war anytime soon, though.”

The room went quiet, a cold front seeming to chill through the room, and Marigold went silent.

“...right?”

“You have to be willing to do anything.” Bruno said, as the two’s eyes burned into her.

“…What do you mean?”

Another silence. Bruno kept silent, but Lily stood up

“Maraude wants to take over the kingdom.”

 

“I—” Marigold’s eyes flicked around the room, and only then did she realize the room was empty. No one else could save her if she got on Maraude’s bad side.

“Well?” Maraude circled them like a vulture, before stopping in front of them as her gaze bored into their soul. “Are you with us, or are you against us?”

Those words sent chills down Marigold’s spine as she finally realized what this had become. This wasn’t just a royal guard: it was an army, and they weren’t on anyone’s side; only Maraude’s.

Marigold had trapped herself in a box with a killer.

Maraude’s stare was growing more impatient with every second, and Marigold felt ice run under her skin as she instinctively backed away.

She had to run.

Marigold’s paws unstuck from the ground as she broke away, and before she knew it, she was doing just that: running.

She fled from the room, through the doors, through the corridors, through the other trainees, until she was out of the building. She heard Maraude shouting, but she wasn’t thinking enough to process it through the roar of blood in her ears.

Her surroundings were a panicked blur, and she just barely had enough of her senses left to avoid the obstacles in her path as she went hurtling past, her heart thumping against her chest so hard that it felt like it might even escape her chest—and somehow, Maraude was still at her tail, ready to snap her jaws closed around the flesh of Marigold’s tail at any moment.

She leapt along through the falling leaves, trying to run faster—and with the orange-flecked leaves and the adrenaline pounding through her, it felt like her whole world was burning.

She had to run—run from the fires she helped create—run from the blood that she’d almost drawn—run from her stupidity— the heat burned at her back, making her go faster, faster, faster, until there was no fuel left to burn—

And suddenly, she found herself skidding to a stop.

The Grim Citadel stretched its grand towers above her, locking her out from the places she could have hidden, and her heart only pounded harder; it seemed to echo in her chest like a metal ball in a shaken birdcage— louder than the thudding footsteps of her pursuer, louder than her mind, louder than life itself—

She wasn’t thinking, she just found herself climbing up the stony walls, clawing her way to safety. She could hear Maraude shouting, but she was growing distant—she could be safe, she could get away—

And, without looking at where she was going, her feet stepped forward to the air, letting her fall.

She fell, and fell, and fell, until she saw black.

 

She raised her head with a jerk, before flinching as a stab of pain went through her neck, squeezing her eyes shut her she hissed in pain.

“Careful, you might pull a muscle.”

She looked up at the figure, and found herself staring up at a tall, spotted griffin, her fur bristling somewhat as she backed away. “Who are you?”

“Well, I can definitely say I’m not the person hunting you down,” Xe scoffed. “My name’s Hunter.”

Marigold hesitated. “…Marigold.”

“Oh, like, Estelle’s kid?”

She nodded anxiously, waiting for xyr to turn on her and attack her— but xe just remained calm and friendly, despite her fears.

“Well, nice to meet you! Estelle has spoken well about you when she visited.”

“Visited…?” She looked around, the unfamiliarity of the area hitting her all at once. “…Where am I?”

“The Grim Citadel. You’re the first person to scale the wall—which is pretty damn impressive to be honest—But you also fell from the wall and hurt yourself. Luckily, we saw it. You should be relatively okay—you’re insanely lucky to not have broken any bones. Still, you need to rest for a while.”

“Oh…”

 

“I—No, I was looking for you!”

“And leading them to us! Maraude nearly killed us!”

Marigold’s eyes widened as they felt a stake of guilt impale their heart. “I didn’t—”

“And now when we have a safe place, you make sure Maraude’s going to find it! You’re awful, I can’t believe you’d side with her!”

“No, that’s not—”

“Why?! Why couldn’t you just leave things be—?!"

“BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID YOU WERE DEAD!” Marigold snapped, silencing Bamboo. “Do you know what it’s like?! You left me all alone! We promised to be by each other’s sides!”

“Oh my god, what’s wrong with you?! Why are you so dependent on me?! I promised to be by your side, not to be glued to you!”

“It’s not like that! It’s—”

“Yes it is! You never do anything for yourself! All you did was hide in your room!”

“I—maybe, but—”

“You’re awful!”

“Well, maybe you’re the awful one!”

“YOU—”

A knock interrupted them, and the two went dead silent for what seemed like an eternity.

“Hello?”

Bamboo leveled a glare at Marigold, still seething. Turning around, they opened the door to Sienna.

“…Bamboo—?” She began, before Bamboo shouldered their way past.

Sienna watched her walk away, before looking to Marigold. “…Is everything okay?”

“…No. I don’t think it is.”

She wished it was.

 

She looked up at the glass ceiling, where decorative stars dangled from glimmering strings and ribbons. The glass made it look as though the stars were swirling around her head, and, despite how impossibly large the dome was, it felt as though it was brimming with the hanging stars.

“What is this?” Sienna asked, finally tearing her eyes away from the fantastical sight.

“Oh… people like to hang up stars as… sort of a wish for a happy future. A lot of people bring their kids here and make stars for them.” Marigold brushed past the greenery of the garden, and Sienna followed her up a staircase until she finally stopped beside a mess of strings. “That’s mine. Mine and Bamboo’s.”

Upon a closer look, the strings were not tangled; in fact, they were carefully entertwined, and the stars were intentionally placed so they were side-by-side.

Inscribed in the sides of the stars was a small script: ‘For loyalty, for family, forever.’

“…You two were really close, huh?” Sienna spoke.

“Yeah… but then they just… disappeared. We thought we’d stick together forever, but…”

She trailed off, and though it felt like the shimmering, hung-up stars should have chimed with each kaleidoscopic light shift, the moonlit dome was consumed with silence.

“…I guess sometimes life just gets in the way.” Sienna stared at the stars, standing beside Marigold.

“I wish it didn’t.”

“…me too.”

 

 

Nightshade looked up at the mountain. “It’s said that through that portal is the Clockwork of Eternity—The mechanisms that keep our universe ticking. Some people even say if you bring the remains of a loved one, they will resurrect with the responsibility to guard it. We don’t know for sure, though—All we know is that it’s a source of immense power, and incredibly dangerous.”

“Couldn’t the right people use it to change the world for the better?”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Hunter shook xyr head as they sat upright, claws on the fence. “The ‘right person’ doesn’t exist. Any overexposure to the magic and people go insane. Not that they always have to go insane for that; some are just hungry for more once they’ve experienced that power.”

Marigold frowned. “…are you saying that it’s impossible to use for good?”

“No. It’s just that it’s… not worth the risk. If even one thing goes wrong, things can get bad quickly.”

Marigold felt a cold ribbon of terror wrap around her chest and begin to squeeze, leaving her breathless.

Maraude was planning to come here.

She was going to take over the world with the power of the Clockwork Of Eternity.

“We need to go warn the Kingdoms,” she blurted. “Maraude’s planning to get to the Clockwork of Eternity.”

The whole group went silent, and Nightshade and the others exchanged nervous looks. He turned back finally, grimacing. “Marigold, we need to plan—”

“They already have a plan! We need help; they have much larger numbers than us, but if we combine with the Kingdoms…”

Nightshade frowned, hesitating, but slowly nodded after a minute. “It will only be a group of you, Sienna, Bamboo, and someone from the Grim Guard, then. Most of us will have to be here to hold down the Citadel.”

She nodded, a fire setting alight in her eyes. “I won’t let you down.”

 

Screams and thumps and cries for mercy rang out through the halls, and before long, everyone had figured out what was happening.

They’d run out of time.

“We have to evacuate everyone!” Nightshade exclaimed.

“Copper, Timber, and I can get Estelle,” Crow said. “Go warn the others!”

“But—” Marigold began, staring at her injured mother apprehensively.

“I said go! You’re faster, you can save them!”

Though Marigold’s heart ached, she finally spun to leave, following after the others as she ran.

 

“Everyone needs to evacuate! Get to the nearest exit or follow after us!” Nightshade’s voice rang out, and everyone scrambled as directed when they heard the voice.

“Are we sure it’s safe outside?!” Bamboo exclaimed. “How do we know we’re not just boxed in?”

“Because Maraude wouldn’t slaughter people that are retreating, not if they aren’t in her way,” Marigold assured. “Come on, we need to get out of here!”

 

Recuperating under the tree, the escapees licked their wounds and seeked out comfort from one another, murmurs still rippling through the group as they talked—still whispering, as though at any moment, Maraude could leap out and attack.

Marigold and Bamboo sat next to each other, a chill in the air between them. They said nothing to one another, just allowing the tension to simmer in the air, each moment making them grind against one another like sandpaper even more.

Thunder cracked as the sky seemed to awake along with them, angry and grey as though it had seen the fight: Maraude slaughtering innocent bystanders, forcing people to join their numbers, remorselessly destroying all who stood in her way— regardless of the family they’d been protecting.

And Luna… She was missing.

 

“I didn’t think it’d end up like this. It just feels like I screwed up. Walked into a path that I thought would be good for me, and... ended up being bad, but now I’m too deep into the woods to turn around.” Marigold pressed her head into the glass panes of the window like she always did in the dreary winter days of dark clouds and snow. “She’s going to kill everyone, and it’s all my fault.”

Bamboo suddenly felt guilt ram into their chest as they realized that they had blamed Marigold for something that she never chose. Marigold hadn’t chosen to do this out of cruelty, she was just... looking for them. She really had been.

And they blamed her for it.

“You were friends with Maraude?” Marigold asked incredulously. “What happened? Why did she…?”

A heartbroken expression flashed across Estelle’s face, before she lowered her head, hiding her expression as she closed her eyes. “I don’t know. I wish I did. All I know is that at some point, she stopped talking to me. And… Somehow, it became something bigger than us.”

Marigold opened her mouth, but no words escaped as she stared at her mother—too many questions clogged her whirling mind for her to speak, and Estelle was upset by it, so she wasn’t sure whether to even continue.

After a long and depressing silence, however, the question was answered for her as her mother stood up.

“I know this is… I know…“ She sighed, trying to find the right words as she stared down at the dirt under her feet, before she finally looked up. “…I know things are unfair, and confusing, and I know you’ve been betrayed by something you thought was a good cause. I know it’s hard, but I promise, I’ll do everything I can to keep everyone safe. I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.”

Marigold’s questions were replaced by tears as she whimpered, her breath beginning to hitch—and as her mother pulled her into a hug, she couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her face. “I’m scared,” She croaked out finally.

“I know. You didn’t deserve this… and I can’t say it’s okay right now, but… I’ll do everything I can to make sure it will be.”

Marigold pressed into Estelle, a sob finally cracking out from her throat, and tears poured from her eyes as she gasped in stuttering breath, dizzied by the lack of oxygen and the despair clouding her mind, only leaving the light that was her mother—as though if she let go, she’d disappear into glittering dust.

When she finally composed herself, she raised her head, finally looking into her mother’s tired eyes, where she expected to see the same despair—but there she saw the hope that Estelle always held inside, like a jar of fireflies in complete and utter darkness.

Seeing her mother still had that hope, she felt the darkness wrapped around her lighten a little. If her mother had hope, she could still hold on.

There would be a way out. There had to be.

“What task am I on?”

Crow turned their attention to Hunter. “Can you surveil the top?”

“I’m worried they’ll attack me. You know griffins like me aren’t sturdy enough for battle.”

“Then you’re with me. Nightshade?”

“Yes?”

“You volunteered to be head of battle, correct?”

“Yes ma’am.”

She nodded. “I trust in you, then. Any volunteers to help injured folks?”

“I’ll help,” Bamboo volunteered.

“Sienna?” Nightshade asks.

“I’ll join in battle. Bamboo doesn’t need my help.”

“As long as you’re safe,” Bamboo nodded.

“Alright. Anyone else on the medical crew?” Crow called.

Timber, Lee, and Dogwood stepped up, as well as Iris, Copper, and a decent chunk of other civilians Marigold didn’t recognize. However, after this, everyone seemed satisfied with their roles.

“Then we go up in five. Be ready for anything, and if you’re injured, you are allowed—and encouraged—to seek the medical team. We may be at war but death is death. You are allowed to be afraid, as long as you remember the stakes. Tonight, there is no divide that should stop you; we fight for everyone: The children and the weak. The students and the injured. The dead, the rulers, the people, the ones you love and the ones you hate. Maraude will not tolerate any other ruler, and if she wins, we are going to be subject to the word of only one person, and it’ll likely stay that way for a long time.”

Crow nudged Nightshade, and, seemingly taking the baton, he stood.

“Is everyone ready? Because once we go, we’re going to have to keep fighting until we win.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd, and though a few backed out, most stood, ready to set off.

 

“Good. Let’s go.”

“STOP!” Marigold howled, her voice full of anguished terror as she ran at Maraude, her pounding heart filling her ears.

She and ran, and ran, until Maraude was in her sights. Maraude’s focus was turned to another group of attackers—and her back was turned to Marigold, who only ran faster upon seeing this. She charged into Maraude, digging into her back and raking her claws across the dragon as she howled in pain. Despite her efforts to buck the rogue soldier off, Marigold only dug deeper.

“You little—” Maraude began to growl, but she cut off as another wave of people attacked her, snarling and kicking them off.

Meanwhile, Marigold was on the floor bleeding, feeling like her existence was flickering out. Every now and then, her eyes would shut, and she’d be gone for what seemed like a whole minute.

And then, she opened her eyes, and she was outside.

 

“Mom’s gonna die in there!” Marigold screamed, struggling to stand, before she fell into a familiar shoulder.

“Not if I have anything to say about it.”

It took her a moment to process, before it clicked finally, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Luna was here.

“You’ll be fine, okay? Just rest where you’re safe.”

 

As the light died out, everyone in the room was dead silent.

Luna was lying on the floor.

Estelle, coming back to her senses faintly, shakily rose to her feet, stumbling to Luna—

Until a shockwave ran through the air, a vicious roar echoing through the room. Everyone was frozen into place as the light returned, spitting out a shadowy silhouette of Maraude, like she had been cut out from the void. Her once cold eyes were wild, mindless, frantic; Her gaze flicked around the room and locked onto Luna.

“LUNA!” Estelle cried, trying to run to her, but collapsing with a gasp as pain overtook her body again. People were rushing to save Luna, but many had found themselves frozen in place, watching in terror—

But Luna finally lurched upwards, her gaze finally focusing on Maraude, before she rolled backwards, narrowly avoiding a swipe from Maraude.

The assembled crowd began to scatter as Maraude snarled, lashing out at everything around them.

“What’s happening?!” Bamboo cried out, her fur puffing outward as Luna ran back to them.

“Maraude must have absorbed the power in the Clockwork of Eternity!” Nightshade gasped, and the crowd exploded into chaos.

“What do we do?!”

“We’re all going to die...”

“We never should have come here!”

“I knew they were a bad lea—“

“EVERYONE!” Sienna barked out. “We’re not running now! The stakes are too high! Medical team, evacuate everyone who can’t fight! Everyone else, get ready! We’ll attack in groups and try to overwhelm her!”

The medical team quickly got to work, sweeping away the injured. The others, however, looked scared and skeptical—but still gathered into clumps nonetheless, everyone looking up in terror.

Maraude charged after Luna, and her eyes widened as she bolted away.

“She’s after me! I’ll distract her, you all attack!”

 

 

Luna leapt, and time seemed to jerk to a sudden halt. She rammed into Maraude one last time, and the dragon howled as they fell into the Gears of the Clockwork for the last time. Light filled the world as though the sun had come to burn the intruder into ash; But only then did Luna realize it was not only Maraude falling into the Gears of the Clockwork—she was as well.

She fell, and fell, and fell—

Then her vision went dark, but the world was not silent just yet, as the heartbeat of the universe filled her ears.

The movement of the Clockwork.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick...

Luna felt the fall slow, but them, her body went numb, and the last sense to fall away along with it was her hearing...

She didn’t hear the tock finish the rhythm, but yet, she could feel it—deep inside, the Clockwork was still there.

Alive.

That was all she knew as she fell into unconsciousness.

“I will be by your side, forever and always,” Luna declared, smiling at Estelle warmly, who returned a smile of her own—dizzied, but overflowing with joy.

“And I by yours.” Estelle pressed her head against Luna’s, and for a moment, it was like they were separate from the rest of the world, suspended in time.

“…Mom, I know you two are busy being sappy, but we really need to get you help,” Bamboo said rather frankly.

Estelle looked over, before laughing a little. “I suppose you’re right. I wasn’t thinking about that.”

Nightshade stood. “Let’s go home, then.”

 

 

Luna sat next to Marigold as the silence between them hung heavy.

“I’m sorry.”

Luna blinked, looking down. “Sorry?” She asked, confused.

“For not believing you.” She leaned her head into Luna, closing her eyes. “If I’d just listened, none of this would have happened.”

“…that’s not true. Maraude was going to attack us either way, and you just wanted to save your sibling, and… I should have been honest.” She sighed. “I guess I was just worried about what Maraude would do if she found out I told you.”

“But… I… I could have joined her side, and they’d use me to get to Mom and kill her for good, and—”

“And that didn’t happen. What’s passed is past. It doesn’t matter what could have happened, only that you’re here alive.”

“…thank you…”