As Matthew made his way swiftly through the bustling crowds of cheering and dancing soldiers, he approached the glittering auditorium, with his focus on Cid, watching the fumbling older man that forced his stomach to knot as he further approached him.

Right now, for someone that he once revered, he now felt a growing sense of unease around. The same person that was about to propel his life forward, and the truth was he had never asked for this, never wanted to be thrust into a leadership role before he was ready.

When Cid ascended the main stage in the middle of the auditorium, the music had began to drop off and it forced the thousands of faces to break apart as their attention moved to their headmaster.

Matthew swallowed the resentment and watched from the sideline as the young faces of the cadets and older ones of soldiers that had admired and respected him looked up to their headmaster, they had all  believed in the cause of what the academy's foundations were built for. 

Now, it would fall on his shoulders, Matthew donned a steely resolve as he buttoned up his suit and ascended the stairs to join Cid. At the top of the stairs, the elderly man stood poised and waved his hand upon the defeaning chasm of sound, capturing the attention of the soldiers. The very same ones that also depended on them to know the way forward out. The ones that trusted them to make the right decisions.

The endless crowd held some of the faces of some of his best friends in life, Jesse, who was currently organizing the event managers on the schedule to follow for the announcement. Jasmine that ensured the committee had smoothed out any issues. The same powerful two warriors that stood with him in protecting their worlds.

Just like Toni had been, one of his best friends that stood smugly staring at him, as he raised his glass to him, telling him almost that it was now or never to take this on. To do what they really wanted to do in this war.

Richie stood with Mya and Mackenzie in the back a bit, both parents, that understood the sacrifices that were to be made, both had a reason wrapped into their daughter to see this through. For Matthew, he did what he had, so parents like they were, could be protected. People that both wanted to see their daughter grow up.

As his eyes surveyed the soldiers before him that had applauded and cheered, he had stumbled across the very thing that sparked his jealousy into a dangerous fury. Eko, was radiantly giggling and half-dancing with Luke in the distance. He could only stand there, seething, as they came to a stop, their hands intertwined as they engaged in animated conversation.

This was precisely why he avoided emotional entanglements - it was situations like these that made him regret ever getting attached in the first place.

Cid's booming voice echoed through the speakers, abruptly halting the oblivious dancers as he greeted the audience with a "Good evening!"

Matthew watched the onlookers, his attention barely straying from Eko, as Cid continued with his speech, as he stared consumed at the crowds before him, moments later he heard Cid announce him as headmaster urging the audience to applaud.

Like he had a fucken choice. . The mass of people in front of him erupted into an uproar of applause - screams, shouts, whistles, and claps filled the air, overwhelming his senses.

Though deafening, he did what he always did when thrust into such situations - he absorbed it all, carrying the weight of the moment on his shoulders. Matthew forced a smile where necessary, waving to the jubilant soldiers as they celebrated. 

As Matthew stood on the podium, the weight of his new role as headmaster sinking in, he felt his attention being pulled away from the cheering crowd and onto Eko. The same brunette who had been staring at him now with her mischievous smirk. 

There was a part of him that revelled in the knowledge that she wasn't looking at anyone else, not at Luke beside her, not the various other soldiers that wanted her. No, those blue eyes were only on him, and when they were he felt everyone fade away, and he didn't know how she had done it to him. He didn't know when he had developed tunnel vision with her, nor did he understand how his resolve unravelled when she stood there staring at him, biting down on her bottom lip, smiling at him in the way that told him that she knew she got under his skin. 

It was only when Cid had been calling his name had Matthew's reality filtered back into place. 

--- ---

As Eko stood there in the crowded auditorium, her gaze fixated on the man on the podium, she felt her heart thumping rapidly in her chest. He was the one bright spot in her otherwise harsh and bleak world. Whenever she was with him, the weight of everything that had been pulling her down seemed to lift ever so slightly. And when they locked eyes, it was as though no one else existed in the world except for the two of them.

She craved more of that solace that he brought into her life, and she found herself wanting to be near him every chance she got.

"Another Year is all anyone can ask for," Matthew begun, having already known his speech for quite some time, regardless of the burden placed on to him tonight, the speech would only resonate more now that he was headmaster.

"We have endured and we have push forward. Since we were children, and since it is so likely that the children today even, will meet cruel enemies. Let them at least know as we give them hope, that they had heard of brave soldiers and heroes that have the courage to fight this war. The same soldiers that have suffered, and knew as they laid their heads down tonight that we kept fighting these beasts! That is what we were built for, and that is why we have come together. Soldiers, you give the citizens hope and hope is a bitch to come by- but that is what we are here for- that is what you are designed to give people!"

Eko's mind raced with hope as she smiled up at Matthew standing on the podium, and she could tell that he had prepared for this moment for quite some time despite the burden that was placed upon him tonight. As the applause drowned out his speech, she gazed around the auditorium, where everyone seemed to be echoing their beliefs in Matthew and the hope he instilled in them, they were hooked on every word he spoke.

"In your training you are taught to never be told the odds!" His voice penetrated  That we fight not because of what we hate in front of us, but because of what we love behind us! You are asked that when you started here at the beginning, that you better know what you're fighting for!"

The crowd roared, and they mimicked the same words in unison as Matthew now spoke.

"If you don't stand for something, you would fall for anything!" 

The auditorium was filled with life, as Eko heard the deafening roar of every person around her echoing the same belief. She looked to Luke beside her, and even some of the girls from her classes were caught up in the moment. Jasmine wasn't too far away, with her hand raised high in the air.

The war chant continued to drive the intense atmosphere, and Matthew's presence on the stage left everyone awestruck. Eko watched him with a dumbfounded expression, rolling her head towards the man on stage, who continued to drive the frenzy. His mega watt smile, the one she had fallen in love with, only added to the electric atmosphere.

"We taught you that it never mattered how it looked to other people, if it was important to you than you do it- fighters fight!"

Again, the crowd cheered.

"And importantly what we have learned –what I have taught you all through this, is that the hardest lesson to understand in life is letting go. Whether it's guilt, anger, love, loss, revenge, or betrayal. Change will never be easy, we fight to hold on and we fight to let go."

"But never stop fighting!" the auditorium roared in place of his words. 

"Once we do that," Matthew's voice broke back in, "that is when we will lose this war!"

"Amen to that!" Luke and a few of the crowd around Eko screamed, while others expressed their support in various ways.

As the room erupted in noise, she however watched curiously as Cid hung his head a little, his eyes sullen, if she would of guessed from where she was standing he did not appear happy. Did the old man regret his decision? Was that what that look was for? Or did he know he willingly pushed his commander into an incoming freight train with his choices?

After all, Matthew held such a passion and such strength that Cid lacked. Eko knew also, like the academy around her, that that was what had drew her to him to this whole time. His love of life for life, his drive – it was everything that was broken within her, and it was everything that he was bringing out in her. Everything about him, had been making her fall in love with him, tonight, more so than ever before.

"Today cadets, my strong versatile bright minded soldiers- you are one of us, you fight with us, and for us! Yes, we will fall, and we will rise that is what humanity is about. Humanity that we must keep close to survive this and to come out the other side, If you can do that than trust me when I say you can get through anything!" Matthew paused before he stepped forward and the crowd waited on bated breathes, hanging onto every word.

"Now before we wrap this up- I want to tell you all something as we go into this new world before us. We all cannot hide the fact that things are different to how they were last year. We have lost our united front with both our Queen and Princess, may their souls rest,"

Glasses and bottles were raised in unison, accompanied by a low murmuring that echoed through the room. Eko looked around, feeling confused by the unexpected display of loyalty towards the crown from these soldiers. She had always believed that they followed orders simply because it was their duty, as Madison had told her. They served, without question.

But now, it seemed that they followed with something more akin to faith, a deep belief in the cause and the crown's leadership. Eko wondered if she had been mistaken all along, if her understanding of their motivations had been completely off-base.

"But the utmost thing that I can tell you as we head into all of this," Matthew's voice brought her back, "is that the first place we will lose this battle is in our own thinking. If you think its permanent, then its permanent. If you think you've reached your limits, then you have. If you think you'll never get over the past then you won't."

It stirred in Richie that last comment, and he turned slightly to Mya who held the same look on her own face when she looked up to him. Knowing the unspoken truth between them about their past, and with one uncomfortable glance they snapped their attention forward.

"You have to change your thinking. You need to see everything that's holding you back, every obstacle, every limitation as only temporary. Because that's what this is, temporary, and we will fight to our dying breaths to change that!" The applause echoed, and Matthew clapping stood back, allowing Cid to take the centre stage again.

"Congratulations, Cadets! Congratulations to our new headmaster!" Cid's gaze briefly flickered towards Matthew, who refused to meet his eyes, before returning to the crowd. "You will make our academy proud!"

The room erupted once more into deafening cheers and applause. The music swelled, filling the air with energy, and the crowd came to life before Eko's eyes.

"He knows how to get the crowd going," Eko whispered to Luke, who leaned down to hear her over the noise. "I've never seen anything quite like it."

"Come on, let's dance!" Luke changed the subject, taking her hand without hesitation and leading her towards the centre of the dance floor.

The pulsing beat quickened, and everyone around Eko began dancing with wild abandon. The energy in the room was infectious, and she found herself caught up in the exhilaration of it all.

As she swayed to the music with Luke, Eko caught a glimpse of Matthew making his way through the crowd. He was immediately surrounded by well-wishers and admirers, eager to offer their congratulations.

Eko knew tonight changed a lot, it shifted alot of things. To be at Allegiant, to be somewhere that counted truly for the first time in such a long time, she was determined to hold onto it. she knew her way forward now and she wasn't going to give that up.