"Again."

Andromeda scrambled to her feet from the concrete floor. Dalton stood before her, looking particularly bored of this.

She threw a punch at his face, the only thing she really enjoyed doing in this base. He easily knocked it aside and gave her one in the gut. As she doubled over from the blow, something cracked against her skull. Andromeda was back down on the concrete.

"Again."

She pushed herself up, wasting no time on the floor. Screw Imperial fighting techniques; she reached for his eyes, determined to claw them out.

The force of her attack made him stumble backwards. Andromeda backed off. Instead of finding any blood on her hands, black liquid dripped from her fingers to her palms. Andromeda looked towards Dalton. Ardyn now stood in his place.

"Andromeda."

The voice, quiet and urgent, was familiar. Crowe was very close to her face. The bed and dark room were not immediately recognizable to Andromeda.

The other woman hushed her. Two other beds were still occupied: Aulea and Monica were still asleep. They were all far, far away from Dalton's base in Galahd. They were here by choice.

"What's wrong?" Crowe asked, keeping quiet.

Andromeda continued to listen for a moment. It remained silent. The chaos hadn't been summoned. She relaxed a little again, relieved.

"Nif bases creep me out," She muttered. She was frustrated that she let a dream bother her so much, and that it took a moment to remember where they were. "What's going on?"

"It's our turn for watch again," Crowe said.

Andromeda wasn't aware of any set schedule or turns for watch, but she did not complain as she got out of bed and prepared quietly. After a couple of minutes, she followed Crowe out of the barracks.

The sky was still dark. There was no sign of dawn, although it had to be close to time. The base continued to be brightly lit by the spotlights standing alongside each wall.

Nyx was already waiting—along with Ravus. Andromeda didn't care: watch was done far apart, and in silence. She went to the east wall without saying much more. It felt too early yet to deal with whatever would come of the day.

One of Aranea's nameless henchmen, wearing a gray trench coat, was positioned on top of the east wall when she got there. He silently acknowledged her approach.

"Your shift's over," Andromeda told him. "Seen anything?"

He gave a shrug, then walked for the stairs. She continued to wait for him to say anything until he descended. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to understand from that.

It was difficult to determine what was out there in the darkness beyond the spotlight that shone out of the base. Neither animal nor daemon strayed to close to the light. Andromeda watched many shapes. She knew those with glowing red eyes were daemons, and spotted several pairs looking towards the base in the couple hours she stood there. The other shapes, animals, didn't seem to care much about the base, and hurried from one destination to the other.

Watch passed quietly as it had before, with only one or two warnings between the Glaives and Andromeda to "look alive". The shift lasted until the sun rose. Even then, the clouds above blocked much of it, giving a gray overcast. She could smell rain on the wind.

Shortly after sunrise, Prompto came up to the east wall. As interested as she had been to know of Solara and Stella's origins, she preferred to not know how a clone escaped the Imperial Army and took up residence in Insomnia.

"It's an easy watch. The daemons probably won't do anything in the next few hours," Andromeda shrugged, already walking towards the stairs before he had even reached the center of the wall.

"Cool," Prompto nodded, somewhat nervous. "Uh, breakfast's been made."

That was all she wanted to hear. She kept walking. Watch stretched on longer when she had an empty stomach.

As she reached the stairs, she felt she did have to say one thing to him. She turned back for a moment. "Your mom is in Lestallum."

"What?" Prompto asked. It must have been the last thing he expected her to say.

Andromeda went down the stairs despite the questions that followed her down several steps. There was nothing more to it than that. She hoped Harper was still in Lestallum. She should let her son know she was still alive.

No one had anything interesting to report over breakfast. Nyx, Crowe, and Andromeda were enlisted by Monica to help her set up more rooms in the barracks when she found they had nothing to do after breakfast. Additional Glaives were being sent to the base for extra security, and to maintain it. It was a hint that perhaps sometime soon, they would all be allowed to leave the base. It certainly meant more people would be available to go on watch. Andromeda kept herself from becoming too hopeful at the news, though.

When more rooms in the barracks were cleaned up and ready, Monica also had her help organize the old medical office. They took stock of what they had, and what was needed. Andromeda did not mind all of this busywork: the longer she looked busy, the less likely anyone troublesome would pull her away. Monica was pleasant company, when she didn't ask too many questions.

The morning passed as they organized. She went on watch when the shift change came up. Andromeda, left with nothing to do, wandered, looking for Crowe or Aulea.

Rain had come and gone while she worked inside, leaving a much stronger scent behind. She did feel a little sorry for Prompto and the other three who must have been on watch while it rained. She didn't see anyone else as she stepped outside, presuming that the other women were not in the barracks.

Andromeda only made it halfway to the administration building when she was approached by two others. Solara and Stella made straight for her, leaving the barracks through a different door. It was strange that they were not being escorted by anyone; Andromeda became guarded.

"Where's Luna?" She asked when they stopped before her. It was now clear that they weren't looking for anyone else.

"Lord Ravus wanted to talk with her privately, so she sent us to find you," Stella answered.

The woman kept a straight face. She thought to ask where Aulea was; she hadn't seen her since breakfast. Yet she knew Noctis had just come off of watch duty—perhaps Luna knew as well, although she didn't know of Aulea's struggle with him.

"So, what do you think of your cousins?" Andromeda asked casually. Technically, Stella was more of a half-sibling to the Nox Fleurets, but she wasn't going to think too much into it.

The shock of the girl's origins aside, she decided to try to get to know Stella. They were likely to see a lot of each other, through their associations with Luna.

"Lady Lunafreya is very kind," Stella said, then hesitated. "I can't say much of Lord Ravus yet. He's been very busy. She said that's very typical for him."

"Yeah, they're different," Andromeda agreed briefly. "What have you both been up to?"

She always had found something to do before this moment, but she hadn't seen either one of the girls doing anything whenever she was around. Perhaps they weren't allowed to do anything, or were too used to not doing anything. Yet even Luna pitched in whenever she could—if only to help cook and babysit the girls.

"Lady Lunafreya usually has us help make meals, clean up, and talk with most everyone around the base," Solara said. She seemed much quieter than she had been the day before.

"Do you know anything about the private talk that took place after I arrived yesterday?" Stella asked.

Of course they were curious—it didn't take much to assume it had been about Stella, if not both of them. She must have been perceptive if she considered that Andromeda might tell them.

She tried to shrug it off. "I'm not the one to tell you about it. I wasn't there."

"Are we going to leave this place anytime soon?" Solara asked.

She must have also felt imprisoned here. The Lucians seemed to be running everything, and the four Imperials that were here followed their orders. Andromeda presumed this was not the first time they asked these questions: whatever Luna had told them, it hadn't satisfied their curiosity.

"I don't know the answer to that, either. Hopefully soon," Andromeda told them. She was reminded of her own arrival in Lucis when she was a kid. Like Solara, she had been afraid in a new land, surrounded by strange people. Most of all, she had been homesick.

Andromeda looked around. There wasn't anything for girls to do around here for fun. She took notice of the watchtower on the northeast corner of the walls. It stood taller than them. As there was only one for the whole base, it was decided that it didn't offer much of a view for the watch shifts.

She looked back to the girls. "Want to see something cool?"

"Yes," Stella brightened a little at the prospect. Solara didn't. The last they had spoken to each other, Andromeda had told the girl she had fought against the Empire. It had not been a good way to end that conversation.

She led the way to the northeast corner of the base. Still no one appeared to be around—there was the threat that the rain would start again. The watchtower had a roof; Andromeda didn't mind the chance of getting wet, and neither did the girls, it seemed.

The steps up to the wall and watchtower were slick. She continued to lead the two girls up, cautioning them to mind their steps, and to be quiet. As they reached the top of the wall, Andromeda took note of who was on guard. Monica stood on the north wall, and one of Aranea's men—the one in the white coat—was on the east wall. They seemed far enough away from the stairs, and looking in their respective directions, that they didn't notice the three on the stairs. Andromeda signaled the girls to continue after her, still walking quietly.

She sighed in relief once they were in the watchtower, then turned to the girls. They were surprised to find it empty.

"Look over there." She pointed to the east.

Stella and Solara went over to the railing. They quickly noticed what they were meant to see: across the vast plain split by Taelpar Crag was the solid white crests of the Disc of Cauthess. From their awed expressions, it was clear that they both recognized the famous landmark.

"I didn't know we were so close," Stella said. "I thought there was more to it. The spires are missing."

Andromeda nodded. For never having been to Lucis before, the girls seemed to know a lot about its landmarks already.

"After Titan woke up over the summer, he took the Meteor away," She explained. "Now all that's left is the crater. It's full of meteorshards, from what I've heard."

"May we go there someday?" Solara asked, interested. "I heard that many people go there to pay their respects to Titan."

"Hopefully someday you can go yourselves," Andromeda answered.

"Have you ever been close to it?" The girl asked another question. Her mood had brightened just by looking beyond the walls. Andromeda was glad it had worked.

"I haven't. It's not easy to get close to the Disc," She said. "The ground is rough, and the whole area is very hot."

Not to mention the Empire had always closely guarded it since they conquered Duscae. The temperature might not be a problem anymore, with Titan and the meteor gone.

"What is that great rift in the land?" Stella asked, pointing towards the feature between the base and the Disc.

"Taelpar Crag," Andromeda replied. "Legend has it that one of the gods cut into the world during the war. Few that go in ever come back out alive."

That was one thing she would not encourage the girls to do. As that was the only legend behind the massive rift stretching the length of the border between Cleigne and Duscae, she had no interest in going into it, either.

"It's so green," Solara noted of the land.

Cleigne and much of Duscae was covered in grass. There were also many clusters of trees and shrubs in the area. Andromeda didn't know much about Niflheim's ecosystems. From what she had seen of that country, she had only known deserts and tundras. She didn't recall ever seeing any green in Niflheim.

"I was a little older than you when I first came to Lucis," She told her. "I hadn't wanted to come, either. I hadn't wanted to leave Tenebrae."

"Why did you?" The little princess asked.

"It hadn't been my choice. My aunt dragged me along. She didn't want to stay in Tenebrae after Niflheim's attack. Our family was gone, and I was in rough shape, too," Andromeda admitted. No doubt the girls had already taken note of her scarred arms and chest, but were too polite to mention it. "But when I saw some of the landmarks here, I missed home a little less."

Not to mention that she felt there was nothing left to go back to. The rest of her family was dead, and the resistance seemed to die with them. She meant to mention this all to Solara as a way to explain that she understood what the girl was feeling, but alluding to Niflheim's attack might make her feel cornered.

"You can't see it from here, but beyond the Disc, on the other side of Duscae, is the Chocobo Post," Andromeda moved on to brighten the mood again. "I've been there multiple times. I was most excited about that place when I first came to Lucis."

"We might not ever see Niflheim again," Stella said quietly, no longer distracted at all.

"Don't assume so. I thought the same, but I've been to Tenebrae twice since I came to Lucis. Never for very long," Andromeda cautioned. "I still get homesick for it sometimes, but rarely, and it's never very bad. It's not what I remember."

She had since made new homes for herself in Lucis and Galahd. At the moment, however, the girls would probably balk at the idea of simply making Lucis their new home. It was too soon.

"Since the war is over, does that make Stella and me prisoners here?" Solara asked, turning away from the landscape.

She had also picked up on that feeling. Andromeda felt she had even more in common with her. Solara's abruptness suggested that this wasn't something she had asked Luna. Stella looked to the woman for an answer as well.

"No," Andromeda replied. "No one is a prisoner here. Everyone is just worried about your safety."

"Isn't everyone supposed to hate me? I'm the Imperial princess," Solara mumbled.

"Has anyone given you the impression that they hate you?" Andromeda put her hands on her hips. "I know for a fact that Luna is incapable of hate. After we had Harper take you out of Gralea, we couldn't wait to find you again."

The princess only looked down at her feet, her face turning red. It wasn't very princess-like to have such an outburst, but perfectly normal for an eight-year-old girl in enemy territory. Andromeda continued to be surprised at her intelligence.

"No one hates either one of you. No one here truly hates anyone else here," She explained carefully, minding her tone for an already-hurt girl. That might not have been the exact truth. "Certainly not two girls who weren't involved in what happened. Both sides have hurt the other, and everyone has agreed to stop fighting and work together. Everyone's tired of assigning blame and accusing one another. There's no end to that cycle, and it's no way to make peace. We'll get through whatever will happen by working together. But personally, of all the people here, I might like you two the most."

Despite their embarrassment, the slight aside made both girls give small smiles. Stella's came first, then Solara's, when she realized she wasn't being scolded. No one would punish her missteps here.

"General Cor and Lord Ravus are rather intimidating," Stella mentioned.

"Don't let that bother you," Andromeda said. "They are the two most miserable men you will ever have the misfortune of meeting."

Her claim caused the girls to widen their eyes. It was probably the worst thing they have heard anyone say about anyone else. Then they giggled.

"You can't say such things about a prince," Stella chided.

"I did, and lightning will not strike me from this tower," The woman assured. It only entertained the girls more. "Don't worry. The past is in the past. You have nothing to fear from anyone here."

Solara and Stella had nothing to fear. Andromeda, on the other hand, felt that she did. It was nothing for them to trouble themselves with. It appeared that they were already troubled.

The princess was a little brighter now, having some decent answers that no one else would give her before. It was likely few were taking her seriously, because of her age. Luna had probably told them the same thing, but in gentler terms meant for children. Children weren't so easily fooled, especially two so well-trained like Stella and Solara.

"Have you ridden chocobos?" Solara asked.

"A few times," Andromeda answered. "Have either of you?"

"No," She said as Stella shook her head. "We've never actually seen one in person."

That was concerning. Andromeda crossed her arms. "Every kid in Lucis has to ride a chocobo at least once. That's what I was told when I learned."

"Do you think we'll be allowed to learn?" Stella asked earnestly.

"I don't see why not. Chocobos are good at outrunning predators and daemons," Andromeda shrugged. "Just because the sun isn't around as much anymore doesn't mean you can't have any fun."

As it was, the sun was setting for the day. The gray overcast ahead was steadily becoming darker. It was much too early.

"Look at the Disc again," She said. She hadn't thought they would be up here long enough to see the most interesting feature of the crater.

The girls leaned against the railing as they observed it again. It was a moment before they saw what was happening to the white crests of hardened earth.

"It's starting to glow," Stella noted.

Andromeda grinned. "It's not as good as it once was, but it still glows at night. It can still be seen for miles."

They watched the glowing grow brighter as the rest of the area became darker. She couldn't help but notice the white glow of the Disc was similar to that of Etro.

Heavy footsteps stomped up the steps. All three turned, startled. The man in the white trench coat came into the watchtower. They had finally been caught.

"You're not supposed to be up here," He scolded.

"We're sorry," Solara said. Stella echoed and matched her sweet tone perfectly. Andromeda said nothing.

Their apologies worked; the man was caught off-guard. "Right. Well, no harm done. Just come on down from here."

Andromeda took the lead. Before descending the stairs, she noticed some red on the horizon to the southwest and pointed. "Look. You can see a little bit of Ravatogh from here. It glows at night too."

Then she started down the stairs. Their luck had been pushed far enough. The man would not wait for them to look at it. The girls followed her after a couple of seconds.

"Is it still an active volcano?" Solara asked, behind Andromeda.

"I think so, but it hasn't done anything in a long time."

"Have you been there before?"

"No. There's not much over there."

Cor and Aulea were waiting for them on the ground. Both looked bothered that the three were where they weren't supposed to be.

"What were you doing up there?" He asked.

"We were just looking around," Andromeda said.

"The watchtower is off-limits," Cor stated.

"Sorry. I didn't know that," She had been on watch enough times already to presume such a rule, though.

She glanced at the girls and gave a shrug. It wasn't so bad getting into trouble with Cor—at least with them around. They were completely innocent and he understood that.

There was enough of a gap between the administration building and barracks that she could see the other side of the base. Two vehicles had arrived. More Glaives scurried about to unload supplies from them. Reinforcements had arrived while Andromeda had taken the girls into the watchtower. They hadn't even heard the gate open.

"Watch the girls for a bit," Cor ordered.

"Yes, sir," The man replied, although Cor was not his commanding officer.

With a gesture, he led Solara and Stella away without having to be told to. They were not the ones in trouble.

"What happened to Luna watching them?" Aulea asked.

"They told me she was talking privately with Ravus," Andromeda shrugged again. "They were bored and they're cooped up."

The older woman visibly relaxed. She had to understand their side of it.

"Don't be so reckless again," Cor remained stern.

"I'm not going anywhere," Andromeda replied simply. That was probably what worried him the most.

He surprisingly let it go. He glanced at Aulea and spoke quietly. "I want to show you something."

She began to follow his lead towards the administration building, then glanced back at Andromeda. "You might want to help with dinner soon."

The younger woman gave a slight scowl at the still-disapproving-but-too-busy tone. She went to the barracks anyway. For the moment, it seemed that her stunt was dropped. She had just wanted to show the girls something interesting to cheer them up.