[url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/246624086/0/0]Table of Contents[/url] Natalia woke up to pain. Every inch of her body was sore. When she shifted she felt her legs on the verge of cramping, tugging at the blanket that covered her. Her chest ached terribly and her breaths were shallow. Natalia slowed her breathing, inhaling slowly, then exhaling, inhaling again. This agony wasn’t new to her; she was used to it. That didn’t make it hurt any less, but she could work through it. A little. She opened her eyes and the world seemed to spin around her as she was assaulted by a wave of dizziness. She closed her eyes again and waited for it to pass, focusing on her breathing. Extreme thirst gripped her as she became aware of the dryness in her throat. Her eyelids parted once more, letting in the light of Sol. She saw the ceiling of her bedroom in the fortress of Fairmont, as dull and depressing as ever. She was in her bed. This wasn’t where she was supposed to be, was it? She rolled her head to the side, and her eyes met Hayden’s. He had pulled one of her chairs up to the bedside to sit in. He held her gaze, not saying anything to break the silence, and she knew he would have stared into her eyes all day if given the chance. But Natalia saw the concern in his face. “Flats,” she mumbled, the memories of the battle at their hometown returning to her, “What happened?” “That was yesterday,” Hayden grunted, leaning back in the chair and rubbing at sleepless eyes, “You fainted. I took you here and Alexander led the charge for you.” Natalia closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh. “They’re all dead, Nat,” Hayden said, and Natalia opened her eyes again. Hayden was very upset. “You would be, too,” he continued, his voice becoming increasingly strained from emotion as he spoke, “I told you. The only reason you’re alive is because you were pushin’ yourself too much. What were you thinking?!” “Shhh,” Natalia soothed, speaking slowly and sliding her hand over the blanket towards him, “I’m sorry. I was trying too hard. It won’t happen again.” Hayden reached out to rest his hand on top of hers. She curled her fingers around his palm, trying to give it a comforting squeeze but lacking the strength to do much. “Nat, you-“ “Hayden,” Natalia interrupted, fearing she wouldn’t be able to stand hearing him say more, “Avery’s coming.” Hayden shook his head, “We think she’ll be here soon. An hour or two, maybe. The others are gettin’ ready.” “Oliver, Caden an’ Hannah?” Natalia queried, “They’re here?” Hayden nodded, “They got back before us.” “Get them,” Natalia ordered softly. “You need to rest. They can handle-“ “Go Hayden,” Natalia urged, pulling her hand away from his, “Hurry.” Hayden hesitated for a second, then stood and went to the door. He opened it, paused to look at her, then stepped out and closed the door behind him. Natalia was left alone, lying in her bed. After a moment, she rolled onto her side. The pains in her legs and chest flared as she propped herself up on her elbow, and she discovered another ache in her arm. She groaned as she forced herself up and twisted, lifting herself into a sitting position. She scooted back over her pillow and leaned her back against the wall, letting it take the burden of supporting her body. Then she rested her head against the wall as well, shutting her eyes once more. She needed to think. Seeing Hayden suffering because of her always managed to weaken and harden her resolve at the same time. She knew he was always worrying about her, and she hated the cruelty of torturing him by risking her life. But it was what she needed to do. It had taken all her will to leave him lying in the snow at Flats, but that effort was wasted when she fainted. Natalia ran her hands over her aching legs. She hated being like this: weak and miserable and trapped in a body that couldn’t even make it out of bed. She was sick of being sick. Natalia realized her train of thought was going into dark places and steered back to Flats. She focused on remembering the events of the battle, running through what had happened. Avery had been hoping Natalia would lead a charge at Flats, otherwise she would have waited until night. Attacking during the day meant risking more casualties, but Natalia’s charge had guaranteed their victory and probably ended with the lowest death toll possible. Avery knew how Natalia fought, and had used it to her advantage. The best option, Natalia knew, had been to retreat to Fairmont. Fairmont was defendable. From there Natalia could have forced Avery to give up her invasion, unless Avery had the resources to wait outside and starve them out. Or the desperation to attack. There had never been any hope of a true victory for Natalia, though. Avery was too smart, and now Natalia knew that she had too many men. There was no chance of beating Avery now. A strange contentedness sparked in Natalia, and her lips parted in a small smile. It wasn’t done yet. She began piecing together her plan for what she would do next, and what she would say to the others when they arrived. It wasn’t long before someone knocked on the door. “Come in,” Natalia called, and the door swung open. Hannah stepped into the room first, pausing a moment to take in Natalia, “You look terrible.” Caden and Oliver followed her in. All three wore full armor and carried their firearms. Hayden lurked in the doorway behind them, still dressed in his civilian clothes. “Hayden,” Natalia said, “Go get your armor. Then get mine ready an’ wait there. I’ll come to you as soon as I’m done tellin’ them what to do.” Hayden’s brow furrowed and he glanced to the others, but he started to slip away without protest. “Wait…” Natalia realized, and Hayden stopped. She looked down suspiciously at the nightgown she was wearing instead of her armor, “Who dressed me?” “I did,” Hannah answered, winking mischievously and holding up her hands, “Don’t worry, I behaved myself. Mostly.” Natalia couldn’t help but giggle at the vulgar joke, and put her left hand to her mouth as she waved Hayden along with her right. He sighed tiredly and walked out. “AND GET SOME WATER FOR ME!” Natalia hollered, remembering her dry throat. She coughed a little and brushed her tangled hair out of her face. “What’s the plan?” Caden inquired, fiddling with his gun absentmindedly. Natalia waited, listening until Hayden’s footsteps faded away. When she was sure he was too far away to hear, she looked to Oliver, “Close the door.”