Hey everyone!

I'm so sorry for no updates for another two years! I am hopeless! So sorry guys, I've been dealing with some personal issues :/.

Thanks for your understanding. I'll try to update much more now with all this isolation and bitterness in the world.

If you notice any errors in the timeline please let me know. I haven't read the books in quite a while.

Love you all x

One year earlier

"Bram! On my life you better tidy this damn room right now!"

Carina awoke to her mother Elisa's piercing voice howling up the stairs to her younger brother. Another morning of peace- ruined. She tried to force herself to doze off yet again but- no such luck. She was well and truly awake now. No point denying the inevitable.

"Our people are in danger and Adarlan is attempting to conquer the world and all you care about is it my shithole of a room is tidy! You cannot be serious ma!"

"YOU'LL HAVE MORE TO FEAR THAN ADARLAN IF THAT FLOOR ISN'T SPOTLESS!"

Carina grumbled and gingerly stood up. A gentle warm breeze drifted in through her slightly ajar window, the scents of jasmine and lotus blossoms dancing around her. Inhaling deeply, she threw off her nightgown and started scrambling for some clothes- loose white pants and a cream tank top would do. She'd save the flowing skirts for actual occasions- to her mother's continous horror. She sighed. She wanted nothing more than to make her mother proud- her and Bram were all she had left really, and they meant more than looking stupid in a dress did. Had her father had been alive, he'd have laughed and ruffled her thick brown curls and made a joke about how she was more man than Bram was. But he was gone, like so many from her village- taken too soon by a terrible sickness that had plagued the village. It had taken all of their men- women and children had not been touched. Everyone knew where the virus had originated from, and everyone knew that dark magic was behind it.

She missed him.

Carina spent her life feeling stifled. She was a woman- and in her small backward town, that meant that soon she'd marry and then give birth to several little monsters that would run her ragged and tire her out and she would lose her sense of self and become nothing more than a wife, a mother, a woman-

Breathe.

She had been this way since magic had fallen. Still feeling the call, still feeling the pull, but being unable to channel the rising tide out of her veins and into the world.

Ironic really. Water affinity. Carina had always burned and burned. Her father's little spitfire. Maybe the rumours were true. Maybe Adarlan- that useless King and his wretched subjects- had found a way to vanish all of their magic. She had not a drop of water left- just emptiness and occasional pressure, as if it was merely dormant and was reminding her that she must act. She must fight whatever this was.

'Carina love, are you up?' Her mother's thick Eyllwe tones carried up the stairs and through the crack in her door.

'Coming Ma!'

Carina drifted down the stairs, her mind miles away. Her mother saw her choice of attire, let out a sigh of long suffering, but then commented on how at least she'd chosen a colour other than black today.

Bram flew into the room, a whirlwind of chaos, grabbed some food and was out the door shouting some nonsense about meeting a friend before their mother could say any more about his room.

'That brother of yours! When will he grow up? He's 15 now, going on 16, and all he wants to do is mess around with friends.' Elisa shook her head and went back to stirring a pot on the stove.

The back door flew open and a young man with caramel skin, thick dark hair and chocolate eyes cheekily peeked through. Ren. His eyes twinkled as he winked at Carina, before turning to her mother.

'Good morning Mrs Alvarez! I was wondering if you could spare your fair daughter Carina for a few hours.'

Elisa looked between the pair, rolled her eyes and jerked her head towards the door.

Ren hummed as he walked alongside Carina into the town square. His good natured smiles and usual flippant arrogance was nowhere to be seen- and it made Carina anxious. Ren never stopped talking- partly why they were such a good couple. He was only a yea older than herself, 19, and he filled her silences with beautiful words and images, as if she was seeing them herself.

But not today. Only silence, and the tension that radiated from the toned lines of his body could be cut with a knife.

Carina spoke to him in the delicate sounds of Eyllwe. 'My love, what is it.' She didn't bother to phrase it as a question- she knew without a doubt that something serious was wrong.

Abruptly stopping in the path, Ren turned to her and remained silent for a few seconds.

'I want to fight.'

Carina too stopped in her tracks and forced a laugh. 'Fight who silly? You know you'd lose, you can't even beat me in an arm wrestle-'

'Adarlan.'

No.

He couldn't. She couldn't lose him too.

'Hear me out Carina-'

'You know what happens to our people that cross to Adarlan. They do not come back, Ren. You have seen mother after mother after mother wail as her son is taken from her! She needs you- please do not be so stupid!'

'Carina, we have become stealthier. We have become stronger! We have Princess Nehemia fighting our cause- she herself has spoken about crossing the waters to see what she can do for the cause. We want to be free. I hate this more than anything, and I know you do too. You were one of the gifted for Gods sakes- and now look. You can't even access your powers!'

'I notice every single day Ren! I feel strangled! But I CANNOT LOSE YOU!'

At this, Ren fell silent. They turned together and continued walking towards the town square, in an uncomfortable silence for a while.

'Then come with me.' So quiet, she could have sworn he'd whispered it or not said it at all.

Maybe she could. Join one of the rebel groups. Make a difference. Her father had wanted to, before-

Before he'd gone.

'I'll think about it, okay?'

Before he could reply, they walked into the square and heard screams. A frantic crowd had been riled up around a single man standing on an overturned crate, howling into the writhing masses.

'JOIN THE EFFORT. DOWN WITH ADARLAN. OUR PEOPLE SHALL BE FREE ONCE MORE!'

For the first time in over a decade, her magic stirred.

And so Carina knew what she had to do.

Thanks for reading! Sorry about the less than gripping narrative- I just needed to set the scene and introduce some new characters.

Next chapter will be more exciting, I hope!

I will attempt to post weekly, but we know what i'm like.

Hope to see you all soon!

Katniss xxx