The last time Cinder had been sick, she had hidden herself away. Showing any kind of weakness that was due to her body's very own incompetence was beyond disgusting to her, but this time it was different. This fever was beyond anything she had ever to endure. Everything hurt, was aching with cold and exhaustion…and yet she felt like burning up.
She tried burrowing herself into her pillows, but it didn't help.
A painful moan escaped her lips, as she struggled to breathe in deeply.
Why had she ever agreed to this stupid amputation in the first place?
This is your chance at freedom, Cinder…
Think of it as a fresh start.
Pathetic.
They both knew it had been an ultimatum for trying to rehabilitate her.
Now she was here, back in Mantle…and oh how she wished she could just burn it to the ground after all.
She whimpered pitifully, as she tried to curl up into a ball, thinking back to a time when being sick hadn't been that bad.
When someone had hugged her close and kissed her forehead just right…had kept her warm and safe…secure…
'I want to go home.'
"Cinder, you didn't even touch your food."
The concerned voice sounded way too grating to her poor ears.
Pyrrha just couldn't leave her alone, could she?
Hovering over her like some sort of overprotective nurse, advocating for her freedom at every step and making her decide on how Cinder wanted to live her life now.
She should have killed her on top of Beacon tower…she should have…and yet…at the last moment her fingers had slipped, missing her heart and letting the redhead survive her onslaught.
Not that Ruby Rose had cared for that, blasting her with those godforsaken eyes.
Ultimately it didn't matter now…now that everything was over…that Salem was…
Whatever may happen, don't forget, you hold the key to our victory.
A sudden cool touch on her forehead ripped her from her sluggish thoughts, making her groan a bit.
"Your fever rose again."
'You don't say.'
Cinder wasn't really in the mood to think too much. It was hard and exhausting…and Pyrrha's presence made her head spin even worse.
Her right arm wound tightly around her midsection.
Her orders had been clear.
'Stay alive!'
How disappointed Salem would be if she saw her right now.
She whimpered quietly when Pyrrha withdrew her hand. Another sigh sounded through the otherwise silent room.
"Cinder…please", the maiden could hear her plead, "you need to eat something."
Drowsily Cinder turned her head and immediately cursed herself for doing so.
The honesty behind the redhead's emerald green eyes was overwhelming.
'Destiny…'
It's what tied them together.
An unbreakable bond predetermined before both of them were even alive.
Cinder hated it. The power it had over her.
She knew Pyrrha felt it as well. This pull.
That was probably even the reason she tried to rehabilitate the maiden in the first place.
It was disgusting really!
She didn't need some heroic savior, especially if she came with a blonde dimwit who wanted to play Huntsman.
Yet…the dark haired girl couldn't help but to answer, her voice sounding raspy and weak even to her own ears.
"I'm not…hungry…"
Well…that wasn't entirely the truth, but she was in no mood to explain to Pyrrha that she hadn't been able to contain any food she brought her inside.
She'd rather not eat at all than throwing it up all over again.
That had never happened when Sa-
'No!
Don't go there!
I need to endure this!'
"Cinder!"
Oh by the gods!
Why did this girl refuse to take a hint and leave already?
Cinder groaned again. This time more from the pain than any real annoyance.
She just wanted to be left alone and be able to sleep.
Instead, she found Pyrrha sitting on the edge of her bed, taking the bowl of soup the maiden had ignored into her hands, stirring it quietly with a stern expression on her face.
"You need your strength", the redhead said firmly, holding a spoonful of the warm substance under her nose, as her eyes softened and her tone became almost pleading, adding a soft: "Please", at the end.
The smell of the soup was overwhelmingly strong and made Cinder's stomach churn unpleasantly.
Her eye widened comically, as she had to abruptly sit up, the horridly sweet taste in her mouth making her nauseous. Heaving heavily, she did her best to fight against this horrible feeling, ignoring Pyrrha's panicked expression, who had jumped from the bed in a hurry.
The spoon hit the floor with a loud clang, only accompanied by the sound of retching when the dark haired girl vomited the rest of the meal she had been forced to eat last.
Tears shot into Cinder's eye.
It hurt so much…
She just wanted it to end already…
A hand rubbing her back helped to ease the cramps wrecking her body, allowing her to catch her breath.
"I will get the doctor to check on you tomorrow."
It was probably meant to show how much the redhead cared about her, but it did nothing to quell the sudden horror that gripped Cinder's hard like a tightly wound snake.
Ripping herself away she stumbled backwards, glaring at the persistent girl that dared to call herself her destiny.
"I- I'm fine…", she wheezed out in between gasps.
This outburst had cost her way too much of her remaining energy. Drained, she wavered back to the bed, almost immediately curling up under the blanket again.
She felt hot…feverish.
Her eye so heavy that she couldn't keep it open any longer.
"Salem"
With that Cinder had fallen into a restless sleep, drifting in and out of consciousness, sometimes shivering madly from the cold, sometimes from the heat, sometimes even from…very weird shaky motions rattling through her body as if she was being carried far far away, but what really roused her from her slumber was a…familiar smell.
A feeling of…warmth.
Of…
'Home?'
Her golden eye flew open.
Through her blurry vision she was able to make out…nothing?
Or to be accurate, she seemed to be buried against someone, obscuring her view, making it appear just as dark.
It was strange. Cinder should be panicking right now.
Who knows who got a hold of her and where she was hauled off to?
But…something about this felt…comfortable.
Even her fever seemed to have gotten down a bit, making everything so much more bearable.
"Is she going to be okay?"
The voice was rather muffled, but she was still able to recognize it as Pyrrha's.
Did she drag her to a doctor after all?
A pang of fear rushed through her body, making her shiver violently.
She couldn't-
They couldn't find out…
"Maybe you should have asked yourself that before separating her from an integral part of her body."
Cinder froze.
It couldn't be…
There was no way…
"This horrendous arm you gave her had to go.
It was making her sick!"
Pyrrha sounded beyond mad at this point, but the dark haired girl was still too shaken, subtly straightening her back to make sure she hadn't imagined the other voice in the…room?
"Are you so sure about that?", the other person sighed, an action that Cinder could feel very well through her whole, tired body, along with a familiar hand caressing her dark hair.
"In the end it does not matter. The damage has already been done."
The maiden's heart skipped a beat.
Shifting against the person holding her, she entangled her right hand into black, soft fabric, possibly alerting them to her, but she didn't care.
She needed to know.
To see…
"What are you even talking abou-?"
"Hush!"
The hold on Cinder's hair slackened, as she was coaxed out of the deep embrace, finally laying eyes on the one she craved in her dreams above all else.
"How are you feeling, Firefly?"
'Firefly…'
It had been so long since she last had heard that nickname.
"Am…am I…dreaming?"
Cinder's voice was raspy and almost inaudible and yet lying in the arms of her beloved master was making that fact completely irrelevant.
"Cinder, you're awake!
I've been so worried."
She heard Pyrrha's words, the relief in them almost palpable, but she couldn't stop staring in disbelief at the person sharing the bed with her.
"Salem?"
All of Salem's followers had been separated, not allowed any kind of contact between them, let alone knowing what had happened to their master…outside from being aware that she still had to be alive.
It was all part of their punishment and rehabilitation.
But here she was, Salem, her master, her…
With a knowing smile, Salem placed a hand against her cheek, caressing it lovingly.
"I was told you were being unwell, Firefly."
Cinder's hand flew to her stomach almost on its own accord, the redhead's presence all but forgotten for the moment.
The more her consciousness returned to her, the more she also felt the addled pain it brought along, the burning of her eye and what was left of her left arm, the pounding in her heat, the overall aching and sore throat…
"My arm", the maiden managed to croak out, clinging to Salem for dear life, "they took my arm and they will take it too."
Her voice became more and more frantic, as her mind began to paint gruesome pictures.
"They don't care.
They'll never understand.
We have to protect our-"
With a gentle finger on her lips, Salem stopped her jumbled chatter, making her roll on her back with a soft nudge. Turning her head to Pyrrha, she motioned at something Cinder couldn't quite make out.
To be honest…now that she stared at the ceiling…she didn't even know where she was.
A nagging part inside her chided her for not paying closer attention to the details around her so she could use that knowledge at a later time, but she was way too drained.
"Hand me that vial, girl."
Hesitating shortly, the redhead did as she was told, stepping closer to the bed to give Salem what she asked for. She seemed rather uncomfortable to be here, her gaze flitting from Cinder to the vial and back again with very apparent concern in her eyes.
Did Pyrrha bring her here?
If so…how?
'And why?'
Before Cinder had the chance to voice her questions the now opened vial was placed against her mouth.
"Drink, child, this will make your pain more endurable.
It will combat your fever and give you back your strength."
Pulling herself up with her right hand, the maiden gulped the liquid down to its very last drop.
It strangely tasted like simple water, nothing special about it…and yet she immediately felt somewhat better. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Pyrrha narrowing her emerald green ones.
It was curious how contrasting they were to Salem's.
Warmth flooded through her body, as pain ebbed away, making her sigh out loud contently.
She sank back against the pillows she had been laying on the whole time, robbing towards her master, seeking her warmth.
Salem would be able to fix this. Her trust in her was absolute.
She understood them, her, like no one else could.
Her vision clouded, as sleep tried to claim her once more.
Do you believe in destiny?
Red hair and green eyes flashed through her inner eye.
Pyrrha…
The invincible girl…who tried so hard to give her another chance at life…
Her soulmate…
She would never admit it, but…she felt safe in the redhead's presence.
Cinder reached tiredly for Pyrrha's hand, tugging on it weakly.
Following her wordless invitation, Pyrrha crawled onto the bed as well, running her thumb over the back of the dark haired girl's hand carefully.
Managing a weak smile; Cinder whispered a breathless:
"Thank you."
Before drifting off into a light sleep.
She only heard snippets of the following conversation, as she slipped away completely.
"What did you_?
And how? Did _ _ the consequences?
Was it even_?"
"I believe that is quite irrelevant, isn't it?
We all know what will happen if the secret is revealed.
The real question is…what will you do about it, Pyrrha Nikos?"