Hey there! Thank you for waiting for my newest re-write, it's taking me so long. But I hope that this chapter is better than what it used to be. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the next chapter. 

--------------------

Once they reached the office, Sophie gave a faint nod to the prince she barely knew and his servant. This is a terrible idea. I don't even know these people, Sophie thought to herself. But she knew in her heart it was what needed to be done. The Moonlarks needed her. 

A thumbs up from Keefe made her roll her eyes. The guy irked Sophie. He could barely do anything with a straight face. And she didn't even know him that well.

They stepped into the office, Grady and Edaline sitting on one side, Keefe and Fitz sitting on the other. Sophie took her place next to the large floor-to-ceiling window. The room was dark, but when Grady lit the candle, was illuminated slightly. Sophie could still see out the window, though. And that was what mattered. 

As her parents and the prince talked about terms and such, Sophie's eyes scoured the forests below, waiting for the call to arms. Then she saw it. It wasn't much, something a normal onlooker wouldn't notice. A moonlark. It's sweeping tail feathers seemed to be dipped in gold, and a fire was lit beneath it. It flew in three circles and then landed, but Sophie knew her tribe would need her for this particular mission. 

"I don't feel very good", Sophie interrupted. Her parents looked up at her with a worried glance.

"Okay. Get some rest, dear. We'll see you in the morning", Edaline said, and Gardy nodded. No, you won't, Sophie thought as she walked back to her room and ditched the uncomfortable clothes. She pulled on leggings and a tunic made out of golden silk. She donned a black cloak, pulling the hood up, waiting for the signal that would be outside her window. She had explained which window would be hers, and she had very specifically hung a dress in the window like it was 'drying'. 

Sophie paced, mulling over the mission one final time. A caravan of troops was supposed to be on the road in a couple of nights and it was Sophie's tribe who was going to take them out. The Black Swan's entire goal was to stop the war that was escalating and destroying what the kingdom had worked so hard to build. Sophie had always wanted to do something about it. So when she told her cousin she wanted to learn to fight, he sent her to the Black Swan. 

She had started off as a simple information leak, working her way up to the leader of the Moonalrks, a team working directly under General Forkle, and were given special task and missions. That night was when the Moonlarks were going to make themselves known as part of the Black Swan. The other tribes had no idea of their existence, and it was time to unveil their secret weapon, Sophie's tribe, the Moonlarks. 

Her team was a mix of fighters and tacticians. On her team, as fighters were herself, her cousin, a guy her age named Tam, a girl named Biana, and someone named Wylie. As tacticians were Tam's twin sister Linh, herself, and a woman named Calla. Sophie had become the leader of their tribe when the former leader, a woman named Jolie, had died in a battle with a force on the opposing side, the Neverseen.

But that night, they were traveling to a secret meeting to finally discuss the newest plan. She was supposed to lead the Moonalarks and the Alicorns to success. Don't let the names fool you, these teams were the most dangerous out of the Black Swan. 

As Sophie paced, she finally got bored, and sat on her plush chair, listening at her window. Finally, she heard the terrible imitation of a raven far below her window. She ran, literally, over and ripped the dress away, peering down into the night.

"You ready?", she whisper-yelled down. 

"Whenever you are", called a faint voice from below. Sophie took a deep breath and jumped out of the window. She had trained for moments like this ever since she joined the Black Swan, and tucked her knees to her chest, getting ready to hit branches. With luck, the branches would slow her fall. Without luck, the branches would break under her weight, and send her crashing to the ground, more than likely resulting in an injury of epic proportions. But she got hurt all the time, doing stupid things exactly like that. But then was not the time to rethink her plan.

She hit one branch, then another, and another. Her luck was great, and when she saw the dirty ground, she prepared for a roll. The branches parted, and she fell to the ground, rolling away the second she hit, and springing back to her feet. 

Fitz and Keefe stared at her as if she had just grown wings and flown from her window.

"What?".

"How did you do that? You live on the third floor!", Keefe exclaimed. Sophie shrugged, leading the way to the stables. Her horse, a beautiful mare named Silveny, was waiting, saddle still on and everything. Sophie put her hood back on, and climbed on, forgetting the two guys.

"What about us?", Fitz asked. 

"Oh, yeah. Well...I hadn't planned on extra people when planning my escape", Sophie admitted, climbing back off her horse. She looked around the magnificent stables, picking out the gentlest horse, a beauty named Verdi. She led them over to him.

"I assume you know how to saddle up a horse", Sophie guessed, walking back to her horse.

"What about me?", Keefe asked.

"Yes?", Sophie answered, turning Silveny to look at the whiny servant. 

"Don't I get a horse?", Keefe inquired, his ice blue eyes piercing Sophie's brown. 

"Yep. Just climb on behind Fitz and meet me outside", Sophie replied, steering Silveny out the door so she waiting in the cover of darkness. After a few minutes, Fitz and Keefe directed their horse outside and stopped. Sophie burst out laughing at the sight of them. Fitz was sitting in normally in the saddle, and Keefe was sitting on the rump, his arm wrapped tightly around Fitz's waist.

"This is embarrassing", Keefe said in a miserable voice. 

"Yes, And awkward", Fitz added as Sophie laughed harder. She gave it a few seconds, then called out, "Hang on tight!", and took off galloping through the trees. After all the times she had made the same trip, under different circumstances, she had memorized the way, leaping over logs and running around trees. The only disruption being Keefe's whining. 

They slowed when she saw the first signs of a campfire. She broke through the undergrowth to find her tribe gathered around a fire, cooking meat and having a good time. Biana and Linh were laughing about something, and Bex and Calla were pouring over a map, their brows furrowed. Her cousin turned towards her as she jumped down from Silveny. 

"Sophie!", he cried out, and they ran to each other, embracing in a tight hug when they collided.

"it's been a while", She whispered, and he nodded. The guards of the opposite side had captured him, and nobody assumed he would come back. But there he was, and a soft gasp behind her reminded Sophie there was an audience. But a bigger revelation was occurring. Dex pulled away and went to sit next to Wylie, where they were talking about something. 

Sophie looked behind her to find Fitz and Keefe staring at Biana, and her staring at them.

"Biana?"

-------------------------------

This chapter, surprisingly, only took me about threeish hours. I can not wait to write the actual battle scene!! I'm getting so excited, I may have planned a little too far ahead...oh well. Anywho, have good rest of your day.