Farafrah

Cinder's recollection of the oasis was pin point accurate but limited by how little of the town she had actually seen. Her stay had been so brief. Her memories of the people were so short, yet they were the ones who crowded her mind so prominently.
They had accepted her.

They had protected her.

They had trusted her.

And now all who had lived in Farafrah were gone. No, not gone. Murdered. Cinder refused to coddle herself with gentle euphemisms. They weren't just 'gone'; those people would never come back.

But Cinder forced herself to keep looking. Her synthetic eyes drank in the truth of the scene. It was a horror, but it was reality, and Cinder could not afford herself fallacies, not even kind ones.

Buildings that had not been very stable to start with, had crumbled under Levana's attack. Their walls had crumbled, leaving gaping holes and scattered rubble entrenched in what was once the main road of the oasis.

Sand had blown its way through the town, its innocuous attempt at burying the past. The sun had bleached everything in sight to a bone white that could so easily fade back into the desert. Cinder however could still make out the tell-tale stains, could see the peppering of bullet holes in any facades that remained standing. They had faded but the bloodstains would never truly disappear.

A few shrubs clung to life, mercilessly shaken by the arid breeze that passed through the emptiness. Cinder observed silently, wondering if that emptiness would seep into her.

Without distraction, without anyone else to influence her thoughts, her mind filled with visions of running and screaming. Innocent people running for cover as bullets flew through the air. Commonwealth soldiers caught between terror and shock as Lunar forces completely overwhelmed them. Families desperate to protect one another. The gut wrenching cries of children dying; children who had already fled once before to escape the wrath of Queen Levana.

Children were dead because of her.

For a brief moment the cyborg Princess was thankful for her eyes that could not cry. These people deserved more than her tears. They deserved someone who could have stopped Levana long before the attack.

But they only had her, the broken Princess. So she stayed and stared, honouring and mourning them as best she could.

Cinder took no notice of the roaming sun as it seared her face. She only took note of the time when finally there was a tentative touch at her metal hand. He seemed to have a certain fondness for that hand, as though so long as it was there, it proved that everything that had happened between them had been real.

Cinder could still remember the repugnant look on his face when she had considered changing the hand once. Iko had been in the last stage of repairs to her escort droid body. Cinder had mused aloud if she should have a synthetic skin graft. She was still concerned that the Lunar people would recoil at the sight of her metal hand, no matter how common knowledge of it was these days

Kai had reeled in horror, losing his controlled demeanour instantly and admonishing her for pandering to out-dated Lunar sensibilities. It was not until later that Cinder had realised his vehemence hadn't just been towards Lunar or Earthen prejudice; he had been saying it for Cinder's sake too. It was time she stopped being ashamed of being a cyborg. She should have been proud of what she was. Kai was proud of what she had become.

He loved that metal hand as much as he loved her real hand. And if she ever had to replace it, she was sure he would love another hand just as much. She could even imagine him putting it in a display box next to the one holding her old foot. To this day she couldn't understand why he had kept the stupid thing. Cinder couldn't say she had any fondness for the tiny cyborg foot.

"Your face is red." He said. They both knew it was sunburn. To this day she still could not blush. Instead Kai took great pleasure in teasing her for her 'little green blush'. It hadn't taken long for Kai to notice the warning notification that would appear in Cinder's left eye. So tiny, only Kai knew where to look, and he seemed to revel in the thought that his charms had the capacity to overwhelm even Cinder's sophisticated wiring.

"The medics can look at me later." She replied. Cinder was impressed Kai had held himself back this long. She had expected him to try and drag her back to the ship an hour ago. As it was he just stood silently next to her and inched his hand further into her palm.

Cinder closed her fingers around his hand, eternally grateful for his silent support. The ship wasn't too far off, but had landed a respectable distance way from the oasis. The last ship to land here peacefully had been the Rampion. She didn't want the ship or the crew to disturb what was left of Farafrah, didn't want it to be contaminated by the comparative luxury that now surrounded her life; the peace she now undeservedly possessed because of their sacrifice.

"I'm sure they'll give us a decision soon." Kai remarked confidently. He didn't make comment on which way they would decide, but he seemed hopeful. Prime Minister Kamin seemed to have no objections to their requests, but the parliament was still hesitant of any decisions that were associated with Luna especially with the new treaty being so recently established.

Cinder – or rather Princess Selene - had made the request to make Farafrah a monument in honour of the people who had sacrificed themselves to help over throw Lavana and crown Cinder as the rightful ruler of Luna. At first Cinder had not realised her request would be rife with so many diplomatic complications. Kai had quickly stepped in to ease her through the situation.

Although he would not say as much, Kai had been doing a lot of sweet talking on her behalf since the revolution. She would have to stop him from doing that soon. She couldn't rely on him forever, and she would hate to compromise Kai's reputation by his association with her.

So now they were waiting for parliament's ruling. The African Union was loath to acknowledge just how many Lunar fugitives had managed the populate the oasis without the government's knowledge. They also feared their citizens would be displeased by a Lunar monument on African soil. Despite Cinder's insistence that the monument was intended for all who had lost their lives, not just Lunars, Prime Minister Kumin's advisers still feared the public wouldn't see it that way.

Conversely Prime Minister Kumin was well aware of just how many Earthens were involved in the revolution of Luna. Without Cinder's revolution, the Earthen Union would have perished in the wake of Levana's rule and the cure for Letumosis would have never been released. Pragmatically he was of the opinion that the number of fugitives that had hidden in the African Union was irrelevant now, but he still had a responsibility to his parliament.

During their initial conference, Cinder could feel the pre-emptive apology resonating from Kumin. Cinder couldn't blame Prime Minister Kumin entirely. They couldn't possibly understand the significance the place now had for Cinder. And he couldn't ignore the opinion of his parliament when they had justifiable misgivings.

Cinder could only hope she would rule as objectively.

"They won't be forgotten, I swear." Kai finally spoke, as if reading her mind. He was saying it for his own people though too.

"I'll have to return to Artemisia soon…" Cinder replied, almost as a sigh. So far they had managed to navigate the minefield of their respective responsibilities. Since the revolution, their time spent together had been justifiable in establishing the alliance been Luna and Earth. Soon it would not be so easy.

"I…" Kai began. I'll go with you is what Cinder knew he wanted to say, but he refused to give her false hope. There were still no guarantees for anyone, even in peace time.

"Cinder?" A quiet voice whispered, giving them reprieve from an awkward subject. A dark head popped up from beneath her right hand. The boy's hair was a mess of curls and his face flush as he had obviously just ran all the way from the ship. His wide eyes were already looking at her pleadingly, knowing he was meant to stay on the ship.

"I'm sorry, I know you didn't want me to come, but then Kai left too, and I was alone, so I…" His words wound down, looking pathetically forlorn hoping he might be forgiven for his disobedience.

"Nikolai, it's okay." Cinder replied, giving the boy an awkward pat on the head. He seemed to find it comforting none the less.

In all honesty Cinder was amazed that Nikolai had wanted to come out here at all. He was Cinder's sole consolation for Farafrah. He was the only miracle survivor of Levana's attack. He was still young and fortunately could barely remember much of the attack. All he knew was that he was a shell and both his mother and his two older sisters had managed to hide him from Levana's forces before being killed in the attack.

They had been unable to trace any living family and Cinder had made – what some might consider a rash – decision to adopt the boy. Officially he was now Cinder's ward on Luna, but still there were complications regarding the boy being a shell. Even now, with the infanticide laws rescinded, it was taking time to liberate shells from the prejudice that had been left to fester for so many generations.

Cinder gave Nikolai a quick squeeze, knowing she was the only person her felt comfortable with.

"Cinder?" He hesitated, "can I… can I go look?"

Cinder froze in confusion for a moment.

"I don't remember much, but I think I know where we lived…" Nikolai hedged.

Cinder didn't know what to say. She looked at Kai, but he shrugged noncommittally. He couldn't exactly go far, there wasn't much of the oasis left to see and any unstable walls had already fallen over long before they had arrived. But a part of her – what she would later realise was a maternal part of her – couldn't bare the thought of him seeing the remnants of his old life in ruins. She wanted to shield his heart from any further cruel blows.

Like a little orphan cyborg that couldn't remember why she had lost everything…

"Okay, but don't go out of sight. I'll follow behind in a minute." Cinder relented.

The relief on Nikolai's face was almost joyful. Almost.

He dashed away, dodging debris still littering the main road. He didn't seem to be skipping, but his steps were lighter, as though he could see something that Cinder couldn't.

"Complete honesty, even with him?" Kai asked. He didn't seem surprised or judgmental about it but many others had been surprised at how candid Cinder was with the boy. She couldn't change the past and Nikolai seemed to appreciate the open dialogue between them.

Cinder gave a small grunted in agreement, her eyes locked onto Nikolai until she was sure he wouldn't run out of sight.

"I've been thinking…" Cinder began, her eyes drawn up to Kai's faces.

"Those words always lead to trouble." He voice sombre but he was grinning all the same.

"With my return to Luna…" Kai's grin instantly vanished, "Maybe not straight away, but I've been thinking once things have settled down, once the Lunar people are truly free, maybe… I won't be Princess anymore."

"You want to give up the throne?" Kai frowned.

"I don't mean it like that. Between the revolution, the Letumosis cure, signing treatises and reorganising the Luna court, technically I haven't officially been coronated as Queen and I'm not sure I want to be. After things become more manageable rather than become Queen I could instate a new governing body, one that is chosen by the people and not inherited by a bloodline of blood-thirsty, manipulative lunatics…" Cinder explained.

Kai's sceptical expression momentarily softened. He stepped closer, taking Cinder's hand in his own and taking his time to brush away her errant hair that covered her sunburnt face.

"Cinder, I can see what you mean and I know you mean well but you are basically asking to stabilise a government and give security to your people only to take it all away again. There's no guarantee that who ever is placed in charge after you would have the same good intentions."

"But I have no idea how to be a Queen." Cinder insisted.

"You're learning. Besides, I don't think the Earthen leaders would be too happy to discover the woman they had learnt to trust and make peace with was suddenly no longer in power. You could risk undoing all the good that's been done since you took power. And I know the few relatives you have, have been keeping their heads down since Levana took the thrown, but I don't entirely trust them not to take advantage of you - especially as you don't have an official heir."

That last sentence hung in the air between them. Technically neither of them had an heir to their respective thrones. It had been an awkward conversation not too long ago to confirm that Cinder even could have children (though she avoided mentioning that she was terrified of the notion). At the time Cinder had wondered if Kai had been blushing enough for the both of them.

"I have Winter –" Cinder said.

"You and I both know as capable as she may be, she will never establish a true claim to the throne. Even with her recovery, a lot of your court speculates on her mental stability." Kai reasoned.

"So you're telling me I shouldn't abolish the monarchy?" Cinder huffed.

"I'm not telling you anything, I have no authority over your decisions. I do know however, how much you're afraid to become Levana or your mother." Kai let the words sink in for a moment before pressing forward, "There's nothing stopping you from changing the way Luna is governed, but I think so much hope has been invested in you. If you abdicate now, you're going to destroy a symbol that millions have been relying on to survive, to help them recover from Levana's rule and help them transition into this new world we're creating. Maybe not everyone on Luna knows the real you, but you give them strength and faith in the things that are changing.

"At least… I know my own advisers feel a lot more secure knowing that it's Cinder the Mechanic helping to unite our people and not Selene the Lunar brainwashing us into submission."

He took her hands earnestly in his own, involuntarily shaking them a little in his enthusiasm.

"You're doing good Cinder, never doubt that. And I'll help you every step of the way. I promise."

Cinder knew he meant every word and it had been a long time since she'd doubt his faith in her but there was still plenty left unsaid.

"How can you?" She whispered, her head hanging low, "I'll be on the moon."

It was the closest Cinder could come to admitting she would happily throw away everything she had to do with Luna if she could be with Kai. His sad smile told her he was well aware of the temptation he represented. His hand cupped her face and he ducked closer to her face. His eyes lit up as there gazes connected.

Even now, he could leave her breathless with a simple look. The warm palm on her cheek didn't hurt his chances either.

"We'll find a way." He rumbled, no hint of uncertainty to be heard. Then he kissed her.
As always it was unexpected and thrilling, sending shivers through her body even in her metal limbs. Her silicon heart fluttered erratically, letting the blood thud loudly in her ears. She melted against him, releasing a shaky smile. She felt impossibly warm as his hand brush through her messing ponytail.

Every time he kissed her, Cinder couldn't help the thought this is what is it to be human. As long as she had Kai, she didn't feel like a complete abomination.
Kai finally pulled away, a wide grin adorning his handsome face. His eyes crinkled slightly as he evidently tried to fight a chuckle.

"Ah," he sighed, "there's my 'little-green-blush'."

Cinder fought back her own grin despite herself and slightly cuffed him on the arm instead.

"For you information, it's a Comm from Kumin." Cinder snorted. Of course she declined to mention the usual chemical and hormonal warnings had appeared on her retinal displayed whilst her eyes had been closed. Kai didn't need anymore encouragement.

He seemed excited anyway, "Have they reached a verdict?"

"Yes." Cinder replied.

"And?"

But Cinder only gave him a faint smile. Her face gave nothing away as she looked back towards the main road.

"Come on, I need to catch up to Nikolai."