Chapter 14 – Memories

A/N: So finally, after over a year, I have discovered the horizontal line feature on fanfic's editor... *looks embarrassed*. That should probably save a lot of confusion, especially in chapters like 4 and 8. anyway, here is the latest chapter! I realize that many of you are probably fed up with chapters involving humans, so the next chapter will be the last (I promise!). It's just that these chapters with Lily and the Supreme Council have been so fun to write. I think that after I've finished this story I'm going to write an original story all about her adventures. So I've noticed not many of you are reviewing :( I'd really appreciate some feedback if you have the time, it only takes a few minutes!

Lily sat in the kitchen while Gerard and Marek cleaned up the bodies. They had agreed to incinerate them to minimise the evidence. Gerard had taken one look at Lily and told her to stay where she was. He had made her a cup of tea and promised he wouldn't be away long. While she sat there she had time to think about Gerard's story. The mention of the lunar princess had shocked her, but she hid it well enough. She still remembered that night, almost five years ago…

"Don't. You. Dare. Disrespect. Me!"

Each word was punctuated with a smack to the face.

"Now go to your room, and if I hear so much as a peep out of you, you will regret it!"

Lily scrambled up the stairs as fast as she could, tears blurring her vision. She slammed the door of her room shut, locking it. She slumped to the ground, sobs wracking her thin frame. Her fiery red hair was cut short and her clothing was tight, in order to minimise the chance of being grabbed. The tears streaming from her dull green eyes caused her mascara to form black rivers on her cheeks.

She crawled towards her chest of drawers and opened one, blindly searching inside for a way out. She had come close to this several times before, but something had always stopped her. Not this time though. This was be the last time she saw the silver metal gleaming in the moonlight, pressing against the faint pulse in her wrist. Just then there was a voice, so clear and beautiful that it stopped Lily in her tracks.

"Lily, stop."

She lowered her hand and turned to find someone standing in the beam of moonlight that shone through her window. She wore a dress of some impossible material, that shifted from black to purple to blue, and twinkled in the moonlight. Her hair flowed in a non-existent breeze. Her eyes were a vibrant blue, filled with a mix of sadness, pity and anger.

Lily spoke hesitantly, unsure of what was happening.

"W-who are you?"

"I am Luna, the Moon Goddess. I am here to help you."

Lily cast her eyes downwards. "Why would you want to help me?" she mumbled. "I'm worthless. I'm nothing."

Luna stepped closer, gently taking Lily's hand. "That is not true child. You are more important than you realise, and I cannot allow you to throw your life away so readily."

Lily pulled away from Luna and looked at her. "That's not your choice to make. It's my life, if you can even call it that." She said fiercely.

The lunar princess was silent for a moment. "What if I told you that I could offer you a different way out? A chance at a real life, away from that beast downstairs?"

"You could really do that?" whispered Lily, the beginnings of hope forming in her eyes. She thought for a second and then her voice hardened. "Wait. What's in it for you?"

Luna smiled slightly. "Clever girl. Sometime in the future, someone very close to me is going to need your assistance. All I ask is that you do so to the best of your abilities."

Lily frowned. "I don't know…"

"HEY! Who are you talkin' to?" The door rattled in its frame. Luna spoke with urgency.

"Lily, please. You must make your decision now. The Beast is upon us."

Lily faltered, still unsure. The pounding on the door grew heavier, the lock straining.

"LET ME IN! I swear to God I will beat you to within an inch of your miserable little life!"

Luna was holding out her hand. Lily looked at it. Time seemed to slow down. She could feel her heart beating in time with the banging on the door. The lock groaned. She grabbed Luna's hand. The lock finally lost its valiant battle. The door burst open. The room was empty.

Lily and Luna stood in front of an honest to goodness Medieval castle. Lily pulled away from Luna and vomited on the ground.

"What is this place?" asked Lily in between retches.

"This is the College of Mages. It is to be your new home. Here you will learn to use magic, for you will need it in the future."

Lily's eyes widened. "Magic? Like spells and stuff?"

"Yes dear. The discipline is strict, but you should be able to deal with it. Just remember that I will be watching over you. Now go inside. You will be given food and a bed to stay in. Good luck."

Lily nodded and slowly approached the large door to the castle. She knocked, and while waiting for an answer, she turned around to look for Luna. She wasn't there.

"Hey, Lily."

Lily snapped back to reality to find Gerard and Marek had returned from their grisly work.

"You ok there? You looked pretty deep in thought." Continued Gerard.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied. "I'm just thinking about what we're going to have to do next."

Gerard nodded. "That's understandable. So, shall we go talk to our prisoner?"

The trio entered the living room to find the man sitting on an armchair, glancing around nervously. Lily recognised him, but she didn't know his name. He looked up as they entered, his face turning into a mask of terror.

"P-please don't hurt me!" he pleaded, struggling against his bonds. All he succeeded in doing was wriggling off the armchair. He continued struggling on the floor, his cries muffled by the carpet.

Marek sighed impatiently and crossed to the young mage, lifting him to his feet and holding him in place. Gerard spoke softly, trying not to startle the man.

"Please, we don't want to hurt you. We just want some answers, that's all."

The sorcerer ignored this, still struggling.

"No! You stay away from me! I saw what you did to my friends!"

Gerard sighed, turning to Lily. "Do you think you could deal with him? I don't think he'll respond to either myself or Marek."

Lily nodded. "Sure."

Gerard smiled and motioned to Marek. "Come on, we're leaving."

The two teleported into the kitchen. Gerard's face fell and he turned to Marek.

"Do you have any idea how powerful the Supreme Council would be if they managed to harvest Celestia's powers? I'm not sure we'd be able to take them."

"Trust me," replied Marek, "if they'd harvested her powers, we'd already know about it."

Gerard chuckled humourlessly. "Yeah, I suppose there's that. Lily's right though. Most of those mages will fight us just because the Supreme Council tell them to. They don't know any better. It's going to be hard for her, fighting her friends and teachers."

"She doesn't have to do anything," protested Marek, "We can just cut a bloody swathe through them."

Gerard looked up so sharply that Marek almost took a step back.

"No. I don't care if I have to subdue you myself, but no one dies if it can be helped. I've had enough death today already."

Marek was silent as he glowered at Gerard. Lily entered the kitchen quietly. After a moment she cleared her throat. The two mages looked around.

"I know where they're keeping Celestia. She'll be heavily guarded, but only by High Mages. The students aren't allowed anywhere near her. So we can take out as many as we want with minimal innocent casualties."

Gerard looked shocked. "Lily… are you saying you want to kill these people?"

"You don't know what it was like. They tortured me Gerard. I still have the scars. Kill as many of those bastards as you can."