"Creeping?" he chuckled, shaking his head as he moved the conversation along, "I'm told your injuries weren't severe. If anything, you were lucky with the minor lacerations and bruises. Some scarring but nothing to the extent that was first indicated."

"Creeping, definitely. Any whoo... lucky should be my middle name," she half grinned, knowing the trouble she would find herself in and how well the crystal healed her body after it all. Honestly, luck had nothing to do with it.

"Speaking of names for the record. Yours?"

"Mine?" Fuck. Okay, she couldn't use her first name; clearly, her subconscious snapped at her.

And it really wouldn't be wise to use a shortened version of her name, either. That was way too obvious. Sera? Like, come on, girl, think! Could she use one of her middle names? Isobelle? She didn't feel like an Isobelle. Besides, that was her grandmother's name, which might also be suss.

Ekovanelina? Fuck it. He had been staring at her. Just answer!

"Ekovanelina."

"Ekovanelina." He acknowledged, tilting his head at the unique name.

"Eko,"

"Eko?"

"Why are you saying it like that?" she pursed her lips.

Matthew straightened in his chair with a grin, "saying it like what?"

"With that accent. It's just, Eko."

"Eko," he tried again exactly as she said it.

"I know it's spelt E-K-O... but pronounce E and co.."

"Like echo?"

"Did I say echo... do I sound like a description of a sound at all?" shaking her head, her quick tongue forced the man to smirk again at the way she got riled up with the pronunciation of her name.

Steel blue curiously watched as she exhaled now, shoulders dropped slightly and then tried again, having brought those brilliant bright blue eyes straight at him.

"Eko... like ecosystem...Eko... just with a K instead of a C. It's not that hard."

"Eko."

"There you go," she clapped, "now you know my name, Matthew."

He couldn't help the way he almost had laughed, pleasantly surprised by how taken aback by her he had been, "parents didn't like you much for that name, huh?"

"You're a ball of fucken sunshine, aren't ya?" With that, Eko sat forward as she readjusted herself against the pillows. She smoothed out her hair to look as presentable as possible before looking over to the Commander; what was curious was that smile he had plastered across his smug-looking face when she first met him officially a few days ago.

Seriously though, her mind mused, what a different world that was.

"So, what happens now?" Sera tore that lingering look of wanting to jump his bones from her mind. There were far more important matters than the thoughts she was having. She had to understand the severity of her home, find her cousin, and obtain 100% confirmation on whether her mother was dead.

What a terrible fucking day this was turning into, all things considered.

"No communication from the Eastern border has been established at this point. Which means they have not claimed the attack as theirs. We have numerous unaccounted pods and ships, with survivors still pouring in over the academies and bases across nearly every inch of the world."

"This came from nowhere, this attack," Eko explained, "I have no reservations about it being Ezra. Who would demonstrate an act of war if not her?"

Matthew shifted forward, "confirming there was no warning?"

"None," Eko replied, recounting her night in her mind, "one minute we were sleeping and the next you could feel the air sucked out of your skin. The reapers invaded by the hundreds."

It was still vivid how she woke up to the darkness and icy air. The world was burning outside her balcony, raining down like a firestorm of an apocalyptic war. The scream that omitted, if not moments after, rattled her bones before the whole palace trembled.

"Hyports, Reapers, Wraiths. Creatures that were not inhabitants of the moon. Whatever magic she holds, she can transport them off this planet and other planets to where she pleases! Like, come on, Hyports are not just your local cute little creatures. Those soulless demons are out past the third districts."

"I'm aware," running his hands through his darkened blonde hair, contemplating the severity of what they were being led into.

"You are aware the Queen is dead?" Matthew confirmed, for steel held sky blue's gaze.

"Yes," Eko nodded firmly, "I remember you talking when I was pulled from the rubble. Has the Princess been located yet?"

"One of my questions for you was exactly that. Unlocated so far, do you know how she left? If she had left potentially?"

"She left," Eko found that the lie slipped out of her mouth quickly. "I saw her running towards one of the loading ships used to transport commodities back and forth from Earth."

"We only recovered three of those ships. They docked back at base safely."

"There were more than three there that night," Eko rolled her eyes, "come on, usually, on any given day, there are more than thirteen going back and forwards every hour. Her highness was on one of them, considering that every other vessel had left us, with people unable to get to the escape pods, being butchered and all. The royal fleets were destroyed the moment they were airborne. I made sure she took off in one of them."

"You physically saw her leave?"

No... "Yes." Thankfully she knew how to lie when she needed it. The man before her took her word for it without so much as a flinch.

"I'll order the districts to see if any loading ships reached their planets. They could have diverted course as a precaution."

"Wouldn't surprise me." Holy shit, this could actually work she lamented. With their attention diverted, it would be easy to slip away from Isadora's base and make the trek towards the Eastern Border. She would give Ezra a fucken war all on her own for everything she had done.

Straightening out the sheets on her bed, she noticed curiously that he was watching her mannerisms, studying them almost. "Yes?" Drawing her words, her head slightly tilted as to the why of it.

"What's going on in that head of yours? Your actions indicate there is more." 

He was quite observant of his mannerisms her mind mused, even if it forced her to scoff, "Ezra knows that it doesn't need a declaration or an invasion to start this war again. She's not stupid, and she knows it takes an 'us' and a 'them' and a fucken spark. She literally just lit that spark."

Curiously Matthew cocked his head at her forwardness, "there is a war coming. That is inevitable. Whatever peace we held in the middle between the old war and the new is now gone. She's ready to play ball."

Eko moaned as she flopped her head back against the pillow, groaning and mumbling at some specific words that Madison had said, "when it all goes wrong, huh?" as though he would understand.

Matthew paused, "her Highness's words?"

The brunette scrunched her nose, "ironic, huh?" then rolled her head back to him. "I never thought it would start like this. I always imagined we would go to war with her."

"You understand that in war, everyone loses?"

"Dust of dreams," Eko smirked at the reference to a book he must have read to know that, "to quote 'the brutal truth can be seen in the eyes of every soldier in every world.' I wouldn't have thought you had time to read Commander?"

"Read," he laughed, "perhaps not. Our onsite psychologist often has most books or some idealising metaphor memorised for our sessions. It is one of his favourites to quote."

"Smart man."

There was a moment of silence between the two bodies. More questions had to be asked, and Matthew watched as the brunette goddess before him readjusted in the bed again.

Fingers subconsciously itched at the cannula in her arm, her brows furrowed in annoyance.

"Before you passed out, you mentioned they were after her?" Matthew continued with his questioning.

"Yes," Eko picked at the cannula now. The sensation in her veins was causing her skin to itch. "They were specifically searching for her."

"Why would they be searching for the Princess?" it piqued his interest now as he leant forward, both elbows on his knees, unsure if he wanted the confirmation of that question. "To kill her?"

Eko shrugged, unsure about that herself. It was a good question she wanted to be answered, considering it was her own life she was referring to. If she had to guess all the options available in the concise list she had put together, to kill her was her top one. Why? – well that was a very, very good question.

"It's not like they were searching for her to protect her. Think about it; they wouldn't have invaded in the manner they had if Ezra and co. were ensuring they needed her alive. Based on that speculation, we can safely assume death was their agenda."

"Agreed," he nodded, "if the Princess was to be found alive. Isadora will be placed under a threat of alert."

"That is true," Eko muttered mostly to herself. Her survival could trigger another blindside attack, and that wasn't something she wanted to risk. Not when she didn't understand her enemies' real motives at the moment.

"This base is safe, and Isadora will remain safe. If there are concerns, then know that there are already measures to ensure that." Steel blue was determined in that statement alone.

Eko didn't question the comfort she felt in that statement. At what measure the Commander had in place, with what little she had known, was that her mother ensured that the academies were prepared for such things as this.

Built upon contingency plans, after contingency plans, especially with a confident Commander before her, he wasn't in the position he was in for his good looks. There was a very sharp, cunning mind in that perfect, well-built body that he owned.

"Again, if by any means you are concerned about your safety, don't be. There are more than a few thousand elite soldiers trained and ready at the command at our base alone."

"Not concerned," Eko squinted, her statement forcing the man to sit back into the chair at her relaxed demeanour now.

"What is the exact situation we are facing with all of this? How many have been found? Pods? Ships? Survivors? Death toll? What is the game plan forward that you are looking at?"

"Thirteen per cent of the palace has been cleared; the foundations are making it unpredictable to continue the search for any survivors. We have identified another thirteen pods sprawled from the northern districts down to the ice poles. Teams are en-route to them as we speak.

"We have forty-five ships in the air scouting the area of known landing locations. Forty-one pods are currently unaccounted for, and five thousand pods were destroyed as they were airborne from the debris and surveillance we managed to pull."

Eko's brows furrowed again at the update, "survivors, what are you doing with them?"

"Those that we had found are being sent to be refugees at our other bases further off from Isadora. Away from the Eastern borders where Ezra is held up."

"And the casualty rate, how many were wiped out?"

"Thirty-one hundred of the court are confirmed dead. Twenty-five million civilians dead from the predictions."

"Fuck," Eko brought her fingers to her lips, "you said twenty-five million. Twenty...five... million people are dead?"

It choked her, the unnerving reality they are faced with. Her eyes had tried to look to anything else in the room to slow down her pounding heart.

How the hell did it come to this? How did they get here like this? "The crazy bitch really wants domination over us for some illogical reason?"

"She does." Matthew acknowledged shortly.

"Look." Sera brought her attention back to the man that hadn't stopped studying her.

She needed to find Madison; she had to make sure she was safe. Once she had done that, she would slowly and painfully obliterate Ezra and tear her limbs from her bones. That was set in stone. "I need to find the princess before they do,"

"I understand the hesitancy."

"You don't." Eko cocked her head. "I protected her. So, I need to find her. It's my duty. Her death cannot be my fault."

Again his interest was piqued by her words. No longer controlled as the rest of their conversation had been, "protected her, your  fault?"

"Yes," she snapped angrily. "I wasn't just her servant."

Eko pushed her brunette hair backwards to get more comfortable again; this was the best lie she could figure out to tell people that would begin asking questions and the best way to find Madison with their help.

She figured if she had them on her side to help her, she would have their resources at her disposal, which would be of better value than trying to find her alone at this point.

"I was a guard for her royal highness, Seraphina." Eyes narrowed on him, gauging if he would believe the lie, "and I should have gone with her rather than staying back and defending what was left of our home."

"Hindsight," Matthew believed, "you cannot predict an event like this. For instance, if she had stayed with you, she could have been killed. We barely rescued you. If you had gone, you could have been on a ship that, for all we know, has been destroyed."

Touché. "Are you going to find these thirteen pods? Visit the survivors at all? I want to assist. I need to get out of here and out there to the other survivors!"

"Assistance isn't required Eko. I have enough soldiers on the ground."

"You have soldiers," she retorted, undermining him. "You don't have a court member there that could find if the Princess had hidden amongst her people. You think she would dress and remain the same in knowing about all this if she didn't board the carrier and was on one of those ships. I will be your best chance at finding her."

She had a point, his mind mused. There would be no way that the Princess would be trusting, nor would her people if they were helping her. "I'll see what your condition is in the meantime and run it past Headmaster Cid. He might want to keep you here under guard."

"Under guard for what?" Bright blue eyes raised in suspicion. She would not stay here in this infirmary, with the same four dull white walls that would soon drive her insane.

"You cannot hold me here under any form."

"You were just under one of the vilest attacks."

"And?" shaking her head at his statement.

"Do you have no regard for your own life?" he smirked. He'll give her credit where it was due. She was stronger than many of the soldiers he knew, stubborn in all the wrong ways. She was fearless, and perhaps it was something they needed more of, considering how the world turned—arrogant, maybe a fraction, but who wasn't these days?

"Are you smirking at me?"

"That I am," Matthew responded.

"I have a regard for my life," arms folded with that statement, "but other things are at stake here. I want to assist Skarsgard. I know you can make this happen without discussing it with the Headmaster."

"Really?" eyebrowed raised at the challenge, "what makes you say that?"

"Your reputation precedes you, for instance, or have you forgotten exactly who you are and your influence?"

"Very well," he countered, "if you wish to get yourself killed, we will be leaving tomorrow. One of our soldiers has been tracking some of the landing sites. You can leave with us to attend the first of four."

Eko nodded, "you'll find me when we are ready to leave?"

"Kicking me out already?" Matthew laughed at her presumptuous manner.

"I'm sure my company is not the best at this present moment. Besides, I would like to shower and clean up before we leave. I'd find that rather awkward with you here trying to do that."

He nodded. "Very well. I'll have one of the soldiers, Mya. Bring you clothing and some food that's better than what they supply here. Understand that she will be under orders to stay here in the infirmary. I was serious when I said I wanted you under watch still."

"If it helps you sleep at night, Skarsgard, then by all means," Eko acknowledged, "we can be bunk buddies together, her and I."

"Bunk buddies," he chuckled, "Mya, will keep an eye on you if you decide to do something reckless, perhaps sneak off to the Eastern Borders like the rest of the militia seems to be doing."

"Little old me?" she snorted, "why I never." As though she humoured him and his thoughts of her, "nor would I go so unprepared if I was planning to."

"Eko,"

"Yes, Commander?" her sarcastic voice rolled off her tongue effortlessly.

"I am about order and control. Don't disobey that, and we'll be fine. Understood?"

"Yes sir," she saluted him in her mocking tone.

Matthew bit his tongue with a smart-ass comment he would have loved to give back. "Remember Mya, will be with you soon."

"Understood," saluting again, that bright smile reached ear to ear, "I'll see you later then, Commander Skarsgard."

He nodded impassively, and as he rose from the chair, Eko couldn't help but notice how his uniform clung to his body. The dark grey t-shirt hugged every inch of his broad chest. She shook her head, diverting her attention once again away from him. The blush on her cheeks was not something she wanted him to see.

This really wasn't the greatest time to be thinking about him in this way.

No, no, no. Nooooooo...

Except as he exited the room, Eko couldn't help but quickly steal one last glance at the man from behind, and she honestly believed that his pants did not do him justice, not with the kind of ass she thought he had. The same thing made her subconsciously bite her lip before he completely left the room.

If this was any other circumstance, her head told her, any other time...sleeping with him would have been her number one priority.

But she knew it would be a short-term fix; they always were men like him.

Using them to escape the bigger part of her that she didn't know how to heal, it was easier to distract herself with pleasure than to figure out how to belong to any of this.

See that button on the right-hand side, now, hit the vote if you couldn't help but have your heart break for the poor woman in some manner!

Go on, hit it, Eko really wants you to tap vote to begin to heal her broken heart!

You don't need a crying princess on your hands, do you ?