BROOK

It was the day for the patrol to the old ruins, and honestly? Brook had her doubts about how productive it would be already. They were going off the assumption that everyone who was banished was still alive. What if the effects of the Wingwatcher arrests were worse than she had initially imagined? There wasn't much of a way to tell.

But I did make it official. And I am the one who proposed the idea… There wasn't really a way to back out from it, even if Brook wanted to. I…probably should've just stayed in Valor instead of going with…

She made an attempt to push those worries aside, however - she was going to see if the others were alright, and wouldn't rest until she saw them for herself. Next to Brook's side was Lark, who seemed to be shivering slightly.

Brook raised an eyebrow. "You alright?"

Lark grimaced. "Yes, I am - well, I think I am, anyways…" She took another look at the blueprints and sighed. "You're really sure about letting me take over?"

"Lark, I trust that you'll do your best no matter what happens. I'm confident that everything will be fine," Brook assured her, smiling a little. She shrugged. "Besides, you've already ran a lot of helpful projects for Valor in the past. This won't be any different, I'm sure."

Lark only smiled back, laughing to herself. Well, at least that seemed to ease her nerves. Brook shared Lark's gaze briefly before turning back towards one of the exits closest to the ruins. After some more silence passed between the two, Lark spoke up once again.

"…so. Why are you even headed to the ruins in the first place?"

Oooh, that's the kind of question I was hoping you wouldn't ask. Of course, Brook was more than willing to answer, but she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to hold onto her anger with Heath and keep it from taking over the conversation - she didn't particularly want to hurt Lark, and there was no time for Brook to complain about all the fine details, anyhow.

Brook grimaced. "That's where several of the banished have been hiding. For years now, if my memory serves me correctly."

Lark paused for a moment, a shocked yet relieved look on her face. "You mean…they aren't dead? I thought they had to be, living out on the surface like that…"

"No. Or at least, not all of them, if the last report I got about the ruins is true…" Brook kept her sights focused on the path ahead of her, still walking. "But thinking they were dead was probably something Heath could've settled for, if actual death didn't happen."

"I…" Lark was quiet for a moment. "I guess I can agree with that."

The rest of their walk was void of talk, much to Brook's concern. Did I say the wrong thing to her? Probably. She didn't have much time to dwell on it, though - she could ask Lark about it later. Nearby she caught sight of Holly, who was pacing within the tunnel corridors. Holly noticed Brook before she could say anything, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Commander, I'm so glad I found you!"

Brook narrowed her eyes - neither Parsley, Daffodil, or Violet was with her. What happened to my order to keep an eye on those two? "Holly."

Holly shrinked back at her tone. "I know what it might look like, but please hear me out-"

Lark placed a hand on Brook's shoulder - she exhaled deeply, trying her hardest to avoid sounding exasperated already. It might be that Holly wasn't shirking her tasks this time. Don't assume too much.

Don't act like Heath would.

"Go on."

Holly let out a brief sigh of relief before continuing. "I knew that you would be heading out soon, so I decided to find the kids you asked Parsley and I to watch. …Only, I'm not sure where they are?"

Lark leaned into Brook's shoulder. "She means Daffodil and Violet, right?" Brook gave her a subtle nod - she let out a quiet groan of irritation. "Those girls really haven't changed at all."

"Well that's…not ideal. I had them confined to the caves before we left, so there shouldn't be any reason they'd be outside Valor. I made sure no one told them when we were heading out, either."

Shrugging, Holly frowned. "If that's the case, then I'm not all that worried. There's only so many exits to sneak out of Valor from."

Lark looked doubtful, but said nothing. I'm guessing they aren't her favourite kids, huh? Brook could recall Ivy constantly hanging out with Daffodil and Violet - she supposed it made sense that Lark wasn't particularly fond of them, their strong personalities considered.

Brook crossed her arms. "I suppose so. Where's Parsley?"

"She's probably searching for them, I can't imagine her slacking on the job. She's too much of a-" Holly stopped suddenly, growing quiet. "What's the word again? I forgot."

"I am not helping you insult Parsley," Brook reprimanded her, scoffing. "As long as you two keep them within Valor, I don't really care what you do. I can't risk losing any more apprentices." Especially the really promising ones…

Holly snorted. "Alright, alright! I'll try my best to make sure they stay in the caves. Good luck out on the surface, commander."

She rushed off, giving Brook a small wave as she left. Lark frowned.

"Aren't you worried about Daffodil and Violet making an attempt to sneak out right now? I wouldn't put it past those two…"

Brook thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Not really. There's only so many exits leading to the ruins." Well, that and Violet's been trying her hardest to avoid everyone, even Daffodil. Brook wanted to guess something had gone down between the two after getting caught, but she wasn't entirely sure. Either way, if anything they'll just have to look out for Daffodil…

Lark looked doubtful, but didn't argue. The rest of the walk was silent, up until they reached the small group of Wingwatchers, with Foxglove leaning against one of the tunnel's walls, waiting patiently. She perked up upon seeing Brook, as did a few of the others.

Foxglove glanced back at the patrol, then back at Brook. "I see you had a long walk." There was a small smirk on her face - Brook tried to ignore it to the best of her ability.

Lark cleared her throat briefly, grabbing Brook's attention. "Well, um…I guess you're leaving now, right?"

"Yes? I mean, I would hope so…"

"Good luck up there." Lark gave her an awkward, unsure smile. "And please don't die."

Brook laughed softly. "Aw, thanks. If I die, then make sure you yell at me for it, alright?"

Lark simply stared at Brook for a moment, unblinking. "If you were dead, how would I be able to yell at you? That makes no sense…"

Stifling a few more laughs, Brook nudged Lark's shoulder. "Oh, I'm sure you won't have to figure that out, anyways." Thinking her words over a bit more, she added, "And good luck to you too, not that you'll need it to handle this."

Lark scoffed, though the smile on her face said otherwise. She waved at Brook one last time before heading off in the direction of the damaged tunnel, muttering to herself. Brook held back a few chuckles, turning back to the group.

Foxglove sighed. "We should probably get going now. Right, commander?"

Brook nodded, gesturing for the others to head out first. I can only hope this turns out alright…

…

It had been a few hours since they had set out, and already Brook was starting to regret coming along even more than she had initially. While for the most part, things seemed oddly alright on the surface (to Brook, anyways - she found the decreasing amount of dragons flying overhead odd). And no one on the patrol had started fighting - then again, it wasn't like Parsley was on the patrol, who often picked fights with Yarrow. Foxglove really does know who can and can't be put together on a patrol.

Still, she couldn't help but worry. What if something happened to her while she was out on the surface? Valor couldn't have that - not again, she told herself. Valor won't lose its lord now. Or at least, it better not. What would happen to Valor if it lost her now? Who would take her pace? Would it technically be Forest? He is my only son…and only child, at that...

Moons above, I hope I made the right choice in going with this patrol.

Squirrel was walking alongside Brook, while Foxglove took the lead. Behind her were Yarrow and Wintersweet, both of which seemed to be sticking close. Brook frowned. I'm glad ve's made a friend, but…Wintersweet really needs to make more friends around vis age.

Brook glanced at Squirrel, who was just barely containing his excitement. "So…I'm guessing you'll be happy to see a certain someone."

His cheeks flushed. "Well, I…yes." He exhaled deeply, sounding vaguely annoyed. "Do you really have to tease me about it too? Foxglove and Moth are bad enough…"

"Oh, I can imagine," Brook snorted. She didn't know Moth that well, but from what she'd heard from Chipmunk and Squirrel, teasing his older brothers was a favourite hobby of his. "But I'll stop, just for now."

Squirrel rolled his eyes, smiling. "Gee, thanks."

Brook only replied with a simple laugh, turning her attention back to the upcoming ruins. She felt a boulder drop in her stomach upon seeing it. That's Valor. That's my home.

And it's all gone.

She had wondered if Heath ever felt sick whenever he came to the ruins. Was he aware of how much pain he brought after that day? Did he...even feel the slightest bit guilty over it? Probably not. It's Heath, after all. He's more likely to mourn for his treasure, if anything.

Pushing aside the feelings of unease and grief, Brook picked up her pace, not saying a word. Let's just get this over with. She soon caught up with Foxglove, who was already giving the signal from the top of one of the crumbled buildings. Sure enough, Pine and Azalea came out of the shadows, surprised. Both approached apprehensively, before Pine's face lit up. He rushed over to Foxglove and Brook, beaming. Azalea simply walked over, following him.

"You guys are okay!" Pine breathed. He took Foxglove's hands, squeezing them slightly. "I got so worried when I heard Heath arrested you guys-"

"Relax, Pine. We're okay now," Foxglove reprimanded him, though Brook could tell she was grateful.

Azalea only raised a brow. "We also heard that Heath planned on executing you all. You sure?"

Foxglove ignored her, gesturing for Squirrel to step forwards. He approached Pine awkwardly, a meek smile on his face.

"Hey Pine."

Pine let go of Foxglove's hands, embracing Squirrel. "Thank the moons you're alright! I've been so concerned since you stopped showing up with Foxglove to check on us, and then I hear you could've gotten executed-" He took in a deep breath. "You worry me so much."

"That is true," Azalea chimed in, casting an irate glare towards Pine. "I could go on and on about all the things he's said, but I'll spare you." She turned to Brook, her gaze more serious. "I wouldn't have expected a whole patrol to come by, though. Does this mean…?"

Squirrel nodded. "Yeah. Heath isn't Valor's lord any more. You can all go home now, if you want."

Azalea frowned. "Wait, then who's the new lord? And what did you decide to do with him?"

Brook inhaled sharply. "I'm the new lord of Valor, apparently. It was Ivy's decision, not mine."

"Of course she'd make the decision for everyone," She muttered, crossing her arms. Foxglove shot a glare at her, though Azalea didn't seem to notice. "You didn't answer my other question. What did you do about Heath?"

"For now, he's a regular citizen of Valor. I'm not exactly sure what would be best to do about him right now, and I'm swamped enough."

Azalea stared at her in disbelief. "He- that awful man…you kept him alive? After all he's done?"

Brook avoided meeting Azalea's gaze. "I don't think I could handle giving him a death sentence. Not now, not ever." Not only that, but…Lark and Ivy would be devastated. I couldn't willingly do that to them.

"I can't believe the Commander Brook I knew would be the same one casually defending the vile man who banished us out here to die," Azalea spat. "Don't expect me to come back until you do something about him, Brook."

Before Brook could say anything else, Azalea stormed off further into the ruins. I'm not defending him. I just haven't gotten around to dealing with Heath properly yet… But she knew that those words would be wasted on Azalea. She turned to the others - Foxglove had an expression of concern on her face, though Brook wasn't entirely sure if it was meant for Azalea or for her. Yarrow, who had been watching the scene with narrowed eyes, glanced at Pine.

"Could you take us to see the others?" He asked, his voice somewhat hoarse. "I…I need to know if she's still gone with my own eyes."

He's talking about Aster, Brook realised. Both Azalea and Aster were his older cousins, and if she was recalling correctly, he had been especially close with Aster. Did she ever make it to the Indestructible City after all? I doubt it, but…there's no way she'd come back. Not after Heath.

Pine grimaced, but nodded. "Yeah, we probably should do that anyways. I'll go on ahead." He took the lead, which prompted Squirrel and Foxglove to catch up to him.

Yarrow was about to rush to catch up to them, but looked back at Wintersweet, who was nervously glancing up at the sky every so often. He gently nudged vis shoulder.

"Hey, kid? Don't worry, I'm not going to leave your side," Yarrow murmured.

Wintersweet gave him an awkward smile, slightly leaning onto Yarrow. "I-I know that, but thanks."

Brook let them go ahead, remaining in the back. At least Wintersweet has someone ve can rely on. She avoided looking around the collapsed structures and ravaged crops, feeling sick. How could Heath even stand being here for a second? How could anyone, even?

That was probably how the banished felt, having lived in the ruins for so long. And I couldn't do much to help, She thought, already feeling guilty. Not without looking suspicious to Heath.

Hopefully I can make it up to them now.

A/N: dfghdfg i would normally respond to reviews via pm but idk who does and doesn't mind it so i'll just say thank y'all for the compliments on the story so far, it means a lot! and of course, guest reviews-

Dragonlover: yes i loved writing Camellia so much in chapter nine, even if she is being a jerk- and i'm glad you enjoyed the sibling dynamic! i'm not tired of your suggestions, exploring Thyme's character is a good one, i've been thinking of doing that in this fic, admittedly

WoFFan: hopefully this chapter came soon enough, haha-