Lunar Palace

Chapter 19: Cress

Days wore on-bearing down on her like a constant reminder that time was going on. That she had even less time to get to the palace and warn her friends.

Of course, she had had to stay undetected. Steering clear of public transits, and keeping a hood over her head. She had learned from her imprisonment that everyone could be a spy-perhaps that friendly vendor offering her some food, or that baker humming along to the music in her head as she frosted some cakes. No one--not even the kindest--had nothing to hide.

That was what defeating Levana had done to her, tearing her mind apart and mixing up everything she had known. Levana's last doing, swirling up the contents of her brain as she, too, faded from existence.

Cress no longer trusted anyone.

She was wearing a long coat she had stolen from a passing kiosk a few streets back, and it was already dusted with the moon dust that billowed form the outskirts of the city--for, that was where she was, she realized. Of course the rebels were stationed at the very edge of Artemisia, right inside the hub of activity but able to escape in case of detection.

Cress trodded on, her head bowed. No one noticed her, thank the stars--she didn't think she could handle having to speak to anyone again. And so she walked, down the streets, past corners, running through alleyways. She had never realized how large Artemisia was until she had to walk the whole thing--before, she had always taken a hover, eating up the distance in mere minutes.

When she neared the middle of the city, her lungs were sore and aching, the breaths coming ragged from her throat. She had run the end of it all, quickening her pace upon seeing the palace--and now, Cress halted to a stop at the front gates, her legs feeling like they would snap underneath her now that she had stopped.

The guard at the gate regarded her disdainfully, his nose high with scorn. No doubt she, in her dilapidated state, offered no remembrance of the old Cress--and the guards had never liked her much, anyways, being a shell. Years of disgust didn't just evaporate.

"What do you want?"

"Cinder-" Cress coughed, "I mean--I need to see Cinder. Right now."

The guard regarded her doubtfully. "I can't just let anyone in," he asserted. "You have to have an appointment, or Order relations, and I don't think-" He broke off, looking down at her again. She had an idea of what he was about to say--something that was to be expected. You cannot be important.

"She knows who I am," Cress argued, the pains starting to fade away. She stood straighter, letting her spine hold rigid, feeling much more powerful when she did. "I'm--I am an Order relation."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously, but, finding no other reason why she couldn't enter, stepped aside and let her walk past him, past the gates and inside the palace grounds.

The gardens were still teeming with life, the new crops Scarlet had planted months ago starting to ripen. The tomatoes, of course, had their own special row. Ever since Scarlet had figured out how to plant on Luna without greenhouses, she had gone crazy--taking up almost all the space on the grounds with fruits and vegetables.

And that was where Cress found her--tending to one of her crops. In the constant night of the moon, Cress could see Scarlet's figure, illuminated by the lamps high above.

She turned around just as Cress noticed her, and her dark, brown eyes widened as she took in the sight before her.

Moments passed. Cress held her breath, her muscles tense. Waiting. What was wrong with Scarlet? Why was she so silent?

Maybe they had forgotten about her, she worried, poring over that thought. Maybe they had carried the thought of her in a dire situation for so long that it had become overused, useless. Something they didn't care anymore. Maybe Scarlet was living a careless life now, her old concern for her friend gone-

"Cress?"

The redhead stepped forward, holding her breath. Her too-large gloves hung limply from her hands, falling at her side. "Is that... is that really--"

The moment was ruined by Thorne, exiting the palace doors loudly. He slammed it behind him, shouting something incoherently back inside. A clattering of metal was the only response.

"Kitchen staff," he growled, striking the wall with his fist. Cress wondered if his anger was really the result of whatever had just happened, or something that had welled up for a long time. "Stupid, stupid kitchen staff."

"Kitchen staff?" Cress asked, slightly scared that Thorne had somehow had a brawl including knives with the main chef.

"Kitchen staff," Thorne replied, kicking the wall--not even seeming to notice who had just spoken. He hissed in pain when the brunt of the force went to his foot. "Why, of all things, do we employ kitchen staff?"

"I suppose we need to eat sometimes," Scarlet supplied helpfully. "That is kind of important."

Thorne turned from the door, and Cress finally saw how he looked after the time she was gone. His hair was more mussed up than ever, his eyes red and puffy--but he was the same Thorne, the same captain who had protected her months ago. She could never forget that.

She reached out, holding out her hands to accept his embrace when it came, but when it didn't, she let her arms fall.

Thorne stared at her, his mouth open, and then came the relief, and the sadness, and the anger, in a rush. A fast, flooding, rush of emotion that threatened to pull her forward.

"It's me," she said, trying to shove him out of his daze. "Thorne..." This time, her voice was less sure.

He staggered forward, his steps uneven. Scarlet yelped in protest when he trampled over a bean plant, but he hardly seemed to notice. His eyes were only on Cress.

And then he reached out for her, his eyes shocked. His voice was hopeful, but doubting, as he murmured,"Cress?"

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I was in need of a Cresswell scene. That is evident in the above reading ^^^

Latest TLC news(because I feel the need):

-TLC Ship Weeks have started!

-fanfiction contest results came in two days ago! Congrats to the winners :) The entries were amazing!

-Winter coming on November 10. There was a period of time where you could pre-order and then get some awesome merch along with it, but that might be over already.

That's all I remember for now, but I'm sure there's a lot more going on that I forgot to mention. Oh, yeah--and there's a new TLC official site, where you can chat with other Lunartics and stuff! Which I'm super excited about...

Until next time,

-J