hahaha...

okay so, yea. I'm glad you all liked the previous chapter. I certainly enjoyed writing every second of it.

And now that the cats out of the bag, it's time to worry bout the big stuff. Scanra.

Song for this Chapter: Chocolate → Snow Patrol. An inspirational and yet light song to listen to.

Chapter 51: Achieving Regularity

In the last chapter...

As if we could forget, right? James and Romeli finally talk. She freaks. But eventually he gets to her, and Romeli tells him why she's been acting so secluded. She failed during the escape mission in fully completing the spell that obliterated her slave bondage to Scanra, making her still a formal slave of Scanra.

This proves to create a big situation for James, considering what happened to D'mitri after their relationship. Her and James had already kissed twice, and she had been trying to avoid him since so that Scanra wouldn't give Tortall a reason to kill them both—meanwhile training her ass off to protect the both of them.

But James said he didn't care, stating clearly that he was not afraid to die. The two of them kissed and embraced for a long time. James had finally reached to Romeli and made her start to realize that alone they could not succeed, but together they were unstoppable.

"Without, the sun shines bright and the birds are singing amid the ivy on the drooping beeches. Their choice is made, and they turn away hand-in-hand, with their backs to the darkness and their faces to the light." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

It's a confusing sensation, torn between two obligations with different means to acquiring the goal. But the goal was all the same, hopefully. James would live—both of them would get through this, and this great burden of a chapter would finally be finished. But the two scenarios to acquire it tore her just as much as the efforts to acquire the goal itself.

Option one) Push him away. Go back, because she would train hard enough—and she would win. It would take that much more work, that much more perseverance. But she would be guaranteed the assurance that there was that much more of a chance he would survive. She loved him, and her cold actions were out of love.

Option two) Embrace the circumstances she was now under, because sure, her strength to push away was strong, but when compared with love it was no competition. She was irrevocably and undoubtedly in love with him. Now that he knew...

Romeli sat up from her bed and ran both of her hands through her hair frustratedly. No longer was there an option in her mind—there was never an option to begin with. Now that James knew, there was no turning back. If there was one thing she knew about James, it was that his wit, compassion, and foolishness outshone any other trait he could carry. He followed any path blindly, no more concerned about the end than he was about his outfit.

She hated that so much about him right now, but fell in love with him all the same.

So this left her with one outcome: follow the words of Ryoku and her Guardians, despite how unrealistically dumb they sounded. She would have to depend on the support and help of her friends and James to win this war. For without them, she was done for.

So irritating. This whole situation she was left in made her feel uncomfortable. It was who she was—a part of her. Independence was a trade-mark that she embraced. She was always the one who saved the day—alone. It wasn't because she was selfish. It wasn't because she wanted the glory to herself. She was looking for no material pay in return for her justice. It was because she could not see the ones she loved most be hurt. She was like a superhero—A protector, a guardian.

and this was her one and only fault.

With a great sigh, she released her thoughts and let her hands fall from her head. If she were to win this, she could not afford to give in to her weakness. To succeed, she would need her friends and a dependence on others more than anything else.

It was a hard line to walk, but since when had she ever taken the easy way?

OOO

"How are you doing today, Romeli?" asked her father calmly. They were both standing in the forest clearing for another daily dueling lesson. They hadn't had one since Numair had excitedly discovered her new ability to shield Dark Magic, and had been huddling in his study ever since. He was beaming now, a sign that he had many theories and many experiments.

Romeli's only reply was a yawn.

He frowned. "You look tired."

Tired was the understatement of the century. She had just 'woken up' from another twenty hour training session with her Guardians, pondered what the hell she was doing now and what she got herself into, and then walked here for yet another Gift session. And though this seemed like the usual everyday routine, she had sacrificed yesterdays sleeping opportunity to stare out at the gazebo garden and get cornered by James.

James.

Even the thought of his name made her feel dizzy, but surprisingly it wasn't like she felt previously. Only a couple of days ago, even the thought of him made her uneasy with dread to the point of nausea. Now she felt light—rejuvenated, even. A hint of happiness was gleaming through her soul.

"Romeli?" He repeated her name again.

He brows shot up. "Oh...yeah. Yeah. I'm a little bit tired."

He silently chuckled. "I can tell. Well we'll get started with training then. I have many ideas about what happened with that shield of yours."

"What do you think?"

He pursed his lips. "Yes, well...I do have one big theory. I know for sure that what you did during that last duel, shielding the dark magic like that, was absolutely not the work of your Gift. It couldn't have been. Dark magic has been impenetrable to any force of magic that I've seen so far. Then again," he spoke the last two words with a grin, "you are incomparable to anything I've seen so far.

"I don't know what the reason to it is. It really could be anything, but it isn't your wild magic or plant magic. Neither of those powers hold the ability to technically block something like this. The nature of wildlife doesn't associate itself with darkness.

"So it's something deeper than that—something much more powerful that I have not witnessed before. It's not the work of your pitless Gift...it's some other magic. I just don't know what. I looked in books, manuscripts, talked to mages at the university in Carthak...nothing. Nothing but ancient superstition. For all we know everything we're reading can be true or false...there is no concrete assurance, so I can not make a knowledgeable judgment off of it...

"Anyways, I'm rambling," he said apologetically. "Either way, it seems to be a whole other ability that you have room to grow and expand with. It worked well under great desperation, frustration, and determination. Those were the circumstances you were under during the duel a couple of days ago. We know you can make what I saw as an 'ultimate shield', but for all we know it could be able to conduct many more abilities beyond this."

She nodded slowly. "Wow."

"Have you considered talking to your Guardians about this?"

The question was a good one. She remembered being curious and excited about it at some point in time during the past two days, but asking her Guardians about it hadn't even crossed her mind. She had been so engrossed in her own personal training with them that she had forgotten altogether. There was no doubt in her mind that they knew about this 'ultimate shield', and they covered it well. They were just waiting for her to bring it up.

She shook her head, symbolizing her own disbelief and answering her father's question. Just when she thought she understood the capacity of her Guardian's abilities, they surprised her once again. She wondered just how much they were keeping from her.

Numair's voice broke off her thoughts. "Well let's get started then, yeah?"

She nodded silently.

"What we're going to be doing right now is dueling defensively. We've done this before..." his voice faded off when she nodded a second time out of confirmation. "So yeah. You know what it is. I attack, you defend. Only this time...I'm going to be using Dark Magic, and you're going to be using the 'ultimate shield'."

Romeli's eyes widened slightly and a flutter of fear formed in her stomach. Now? She still remembered the last time the dark magic had haunted her. It was a pain she did not have the temptation to feel again. The last time her father attacked her with it, she didn't even know she had this 'ultimate shield'. It just came to her—a form of self-preservation. How was she supposed to conjure it now?

She looked at her father uneasily, but he didn't seem to notice. Instead, he walked to the opposite side of the field, not bothering to look back as he did so. Her shoulders fell and she too walked to the sidelines.

This wasn't going to end well.

Numair brought his hands up and without hesitation conjured the dark wind that began to drift easily towards her. Watching it now made her frustrated. It didn't blast towards her menacingly, like all stereotypical threatening things do. It more or less floated to her at a moderate pace, looking more mysterious than anything—almost like its wisdom was its real weapon.

She clenched her jaw. Don't think about it. Just...focus. Remember what you did last time. Last time you were really...determined. And fucking pissed.

Romeli flexed her fists and channeled all of her focus—her being—into defense. It felt kind of silly—if she wanted to defend something, she used her Gift...it was practically reflex now. In fact, she felt her Gift begin to stir inside of her...but nothing else.

So try harder. She closed her eyes now, not bothering to watch the looming black dust crawl towards her. Defend yourself. You don't want to feel that pain again...

She brought in her focus, thinking of one thing only: defense. She would not feel satisfied until she was protected. It was instinct—she would survive. It was a part of her, and therefore a tactic in which she had the right to achieve a victory. The strength that she had inside of her could outdo what was looming ahead.

The self-determination brought it out of her. It was a spark, but it was bright. She felt light, like the shield wasn't necessarily a shield, but a layer of glowing light that countered the darkness. But it dimmed quickly and the wrath of the dark magic that hit the shield was not finished with her untouched.

It wasn't as bad as the last time. That most likely had to do with the circumstances of quantity. The darkness entered her and she felt empty—tortured. Like she knew the sorrows of the world one by one, first hand. It was gone quickly, but it hurt all the same.

Romeli rubbed her head. "Ouch, Dad," she muttered quietly.

"It almost worked," he said, and then bit his lip. "You don't think you can overdose on dark magic can you?"

Her eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?"

He inhaled shakily—a sure sign that he did not know. "You should be fine."

Her eyes grew even bigger, lips pursed. A great conclusion had just been drawn: her father was trying to kill her.

"Fine," she snapped back. "Bring it on."

He nodded, not noticing her hint of sarcasm. "This time, you know what it feels like to hone in on this shield. Embrace it."

When the dark dust came at her again, she forced her thoughts to leave the idea of her potential murdering father and towards the risk at hand. The only thing she could think was his words: embrace it. It ran through her head at an absolute constant—never stopping, but making her focus grow exponentially with every repetition.

It didn't work.

Romeli's eyes shut closed as the dark mist seeped through her. She hissed a breath in painfully. "Ouch."

"What happened?"

"Dad. I feel like such an idiot right now. I don't even know what I'm doing." She rubbed her temple, feeling a headache coming on.

"Do you think I have any more of an idea?"

Ugh. She bit her lip as her headache began to pierce. Immediately, she brought her Gift out and healed it with a cooling touch to her temple. "I guess not."

"This is just like when you were first learning how to work your Gift," he explained to her softly, but loud enough for her to hear from across the field. "It's like you were pulling at nothing. But the more you work at it, the more you get used to it. Now, using your Gift is like second nature."

Romeli nodded slowly. "I understand," she said, slightly tense. "I just...well...what do we know about this? Nothing. The boundaries of the Gift have been researched and analyzed for years. You knew what you were doing when you taught me, because you have the Gift yourself."

"But I don't have the pitless Gift."

"You still have a Gift," she countered. "what the hell is this anyways?" she was obviously referring to her 'ultimate shield'

He gave her a defeated shrug. "I don't know. But with practice comes power, and you certainly will be able to achieve that if you work at it. Ask your Guardians about it tonight. But for now, we keep working so that you familiarize yourself with it."

She clenched her jaw but gave in to his reasoning. Fighting her father's words was not the greatest philosophy for overcoming what was ahead of her.

Keep fighting, Romeli, she told herself strongly as she saw the dust coming at her again. Remember the goal. You will keep James alive.

OOO

When Romeli entered the Dining Hall for dinner that night, she knew what to expect before even opening the great oak doors. True to her prediction, her friends were all sitting there, talking amongst themselves in a secluded group away from the rest of the palace inhabitants.

She deliberately took her time in deciding what to eat, taking particular interest in wondering whether or not to chose the chicken or beef as that night's main entree. Of course, her attention was far from the food—it was the third table to the left and three more down the column where James sat.

Thoughts were racing through her head and she found a bundle of nerves begin to tighten in her stomach, making her appetite fade away quickly. She took a small piece of chicken and filled the rest of her plate with a salad, deciding eating light was in her best interest at the moment.

Do I sit next to him? Should I sit next to him? I haven't talked to him since yesterday and I don't want him to think that I'm ignoring him... but he knows I wouldn't—scratch that, yea he would. But if someone sees us... she cringed internally.

If someone sees you, she reminded herself slowly. It wont even matter. The damage is already done.

Damage or not, I don't want to risk anything any further... not to mention all my friends asking questions...

"Shut up, shut up, shut up," she told herself quietly, inaudible to anyone but her. There is no choice anymore. This is how it's supposed to be, how it was going to be anyways. Commit to it.

With great effort, she turned away from the serving area and walked to the table, carefully keeping her chin high, her eyes drained of fear. To say it worked would have been a lie—she was never one to be able to cover her emotions like others could. It took only a single forced reminder for her to remember that she was walking towards her friends and not her enemies. They would not judge her—she wasn't alone anymore.

She set her tray down next to James and squeezed in between him and Ryoku. Her friends looked up at her expectantly. Whave gave her a nod as a hello.

"Hey Romeli," said Sereem with a smile. The rest of the table was silent, sending up vibes of awkwardness throughout the atmosphere. Nonetheless, it was nothing compared to the torture she usually experienced at this time of the day.

"Hey," she greeted back lightly, breathing out the words with a nonchalant tone. It came out shakier than she had anticipated, but it was an effort.

Next to her, she could feel James' body mere centimeters away from her, and she was suddenly aware of the electricity coursing between them like a charged current. His firm arm sat next to hers on top of the table easily, it's sturdy but lean muscle protruding slightly on his forearms. She pursed her lips, staring at the closed distance between her appendage and his, confused by the tickling sensation in her arm—the ache in her heart.

Without meaning to, she met his eyes and her breath caught in her throat. If she was going to be dazzled like this every time she stared at him, she was going to have some real problems. The dark emerald green was glowing—humorous, but soft. His lips slowly grew into his infamous crooked smile, making her mouth twitch involuntarily. Whatever he saw in her made his expression grow softer, and he breathed out heavily.

Don't. Look. Away.

Whave cleared his throat, and there was quiet laughter coming from her right as Ryoku covered her mouth. They broke the gaze immediately, unaware of the time that had apparently passed. Romeli bit her lip and picked up her fork, stabbing it into her salad deliberately. The whole time she ate, she could not shake the magnetic pull collecting at her side, making her glaringly aware of James' body inches from hers—close enough to touch with one swift move.

"So," started Ethan happily from his place next to Ryoku. "Did everyone else's day suck like mine did?"

There was a collection of groans from everyone at the table, and Romeli couldn't help but snort, rolling her eyes. Whave laughed, shaking his head, obviously thinking of today's previous events.

"You have no idea," he voiced, stabbing his chicken with more force than necessary. "Dad totally creamed me in sparring today. You should see the bruise I have on my side! When I wake up tomorrow I'm going to be so sore..."

"Jeeze," whistled Ryoku, laughing. "Mine wasn't too bad. I'm definitely in the process of failing math though." There was a hint of worry in her voice, but she waved off the situation lightly.

Romeli blinked tiredly, taking a bite of chicken and forcing it down her throat. The conversation flew past her easily, as each of her friends complained about their day's events. She listened to them intently, though she could bet anything that if someone debriefed her on the conversation, she would undoubtedly fail. Retaining information was beyond her capabilities—James' body heat was a constant reminder of that.

She heard someone say her name and looked up from her food. "Yeah?"

"How was your day?" Sereem had made an effort to include her in the conversation. She was just as fine listening as talking, but she couldn't help but reply.

In fact, she internally winced as today's memories flashed through her. There was nothing exactly memorable, but the pain that was the dark magic seeping into her still infested the majority of her day. "Nothing too eventful," she said easily. "I had more training with my father, and we're trying to figure out this new shielding power I have. It's able to block dark magic, but most of the time it didn't work... dark magic hurts."

She felt James cringe next to her, and her heart involuntarily squeezed in pain. He looked over at her, his mouth in a grim line as she met his gaze. "Why would he..."

Romeli knew exactly what he was thinking. Why would her father do that? Ha. If only she knew the answer to that question. "I honestly have no idea. It was so frustrating. This power...whatever it is...isn't even attached to my Gift. It's something entirely different...and we don't know what."

Ryoku looked at her curiously. "So this is some different power entirely."

She shrugged. "I guess so. But I honestly don't know anything more than that."

Whave nodded, impressed. "Shit."

His words pretty much explained it.

Ethan asked his next question slowly. "And how is um...everything else going?"

The conversation immediately took a turn that she had practically been expecting and she found herself facing another situation that she had held off until now—her friends. Where did they stand in her circumstances?

She sighed loudly, savoring the relaxing feeling of the air smoothly leaving her lungs and coming back in again. Dropping both hands under the table, she played with them frustratedly, deliberating quickly her next words.

Pushing her friends away now seemed foolish, but at the same time, weren't they uninvolved? It had only been a day since her confrontation with James, and therefore, just one day of settling into a whole new situation and perspective than she had never been expecting. If she talked to her friends now...wouldn't that put them in danger?

James was already involved—he had been before she even knew what was going to happen, before she knew there was even danger in the first place. Her friends knew nothing. Was that the way it was supposed to be?

There was a movement next to her and she suddenly felt James' hand grab one of hers and hold it tightly. She froze, instinctively panicked by the single touch, immediately drawing to the conclusions that every touch he gave her would bring. But, slowly she relaxed and gave into it, the electricity sparking and coursing through her fingertips and down her arm to jolt her pacing heart.

Him holding her hand was a simple action, but the warmth that spread through her was all she could think of. It thawed her heart, as deep in her chest she felt an aching pain to close the distance between them and touch him more.

She gripped his hand tighter.

His touch had alerted her to the fact that technically her friends were there for her just as much as he was. And though his love for her was in an entirely different classification, there it still stood—a strong foundation that left any other force weakened.

Her friends were in this just as much as he was, and, unfortunately, she knew they wouldn't be letting go anytime soon.

The Guardian. The word sunk through her swiftly, and she exhaled quietly. And her only weakness is also her biggest strength.

She met her friends' gazes silently, her heart pounding as she laid her eyes on each of them. Unease still notably drifted through her, and she had a feeling it wasn't leaving any time soon, but she fought it off anyways.

"Um."

So starting off was a little harder than she had expected.

Whave leaned in closer, and suddenly she was distractingly aware of James' hand closed around hers, stroking her wrist gently.

"Things have been going all right," she started, her voice low, uneasy. "I've been doing a lot of training lately."

She found Sereem staring at her intently, his eyes knowingly smoldering at her own. It startled her. Usually Sereem was so humble, down to earth. This determination that she saw in him now was brinking on disapproval, and she found herself feeling a little guilty.

A quiet tremble shook through her and she broke his gaze. Suddenly she was very aware of the humming of voices around her of the moderately busy dining hall. And despite the urge to run for it again, she stayed rooted, bent on one outcome only—a revived friendship.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled apologetically. "But do you think we can maybe talk about this somewhere a little more private?" she met the eyes of friends evenly, straying lastly on James'

There was a loud sigh from Ryoku, her expression glinting with humor. "Don't tell me we're going to the tombs again."

There was a collected laugh as they all got up. That destination was the last place any of them wanted to be going to right now.

As they exited the room, Romeli swallowed hardly practically seeing the fate looming over her. In doing this, talking to them, she had no idea what would happen. She felt like she was helping herself emotionally, just as much as she was hurting herself by endangering them further. It countered everything out, leaving no changes at all.

But still her Guardians' words echoed through her head, leaving no doubt. She would be listening to them—for once.

They left the room swiftly. James never let go of her hand, and she found herself not wanting him to.

OOO

"So...you're still a slave of Tortall."

Ethan's remark was not a question, it was a statement, and all of them knew it. The atmosphere inside of James' room was grim, almost to the point of silence, and Romeli found herself beginning to regret heaving up the courage to say anything in the first place. It put her in a situation she was not prepared for. Until now, everything had been set. She knew what was coming, she would train until it came, and when it came—she would fight, alone. Whether she had succeeded or not, that was the plan. Now it was completely overturned.

All of those thoughts rushed through her now as she sat against the foot of the bed on the ground, James right next to her. The rest of her friends were circled around her, situated on the ground. But instead of saying anything, she only nodded, keeping her eyes on the ground.

There was an impressed whistle.

"Shit, Romeli. You're a disaster." Whave's words made her look up alarmed. Here she had been expecting an overdose of concern and sympathy. She may have gotten a little bit of both, but her friends had extracted the one feeling she needed the most right now—ease.

She laughed bitterly. "Yeah..."

"This is way too rad to handle," whispered Sereem, mostly to himself. He looked up to the rest of them. "So... this leaves us where?"

Romeli raised and lowered her shoulders in a big shrug. "I don't know. All I can do is train and grow stronger until it comes. Then..." she fought a shudder. "It all comes down to ability and luck."

Ryoku shook her head slowly, disbelieving. "I can't believe this is happening." It seemed that out of all of her friends that she had just informed, she had grasped the true impact. She had grasped the reason why Romeli had been acting the way she had—why she had run from James. It had clicked for her.

Romeli's shoulders fell slightly, and she felt her heart begin to sting again. Who knew how long James and her would be able to sit so closely like this? It made her feel guilty, this was her fault after all.

She looked at Ryoku steadily, her grim expression matching her friend's. Ryoku turned her eyes to her brother's, her emotions composed behind her Yamani mask, though there was a hint of sadness in her gaze.

"You don't care do you," whispered Ryoku quietly, her voice shaky. She seemed to have forgotten the rest of her friends around her—it was just her and James, and the remembrance of previous conversations between the two.

James met her stare, his expression steady. "Not one bit."

Romeli looked down, and James wrapped his hand around Romeli's again, holding it firmly. She was absolutely crazy for giving in like this, for letting it even happen in the first place. Never before had she regretted such a foolish mistake...

...and yet, his words were moving. There was some assurance behind them, like he had somehow come to the terms of seizing the day. The tenor of their previous conversation in the gazebo still rang through her. They could not win this war if they were alone, but together, Scanra could not compete.

Ryoku shook her head in absolute disbelief while Whave, Sereem, and Ethan looked at James confused.

"What are you talking about..."

Romeli clenched her jaw, holding onto her previous thoughts tightly before she sank back down into doubt again. The whole time, she was unsure if even telling her friends was in their best interest. Would they take it the wrong way? Would they get mad at her for thinking she was handling James' life so lightly? The thought tormented her, and she faced Whave's question with silence.

James was the one who spoke, and he did so quietly, his voice low. "The biggest complication in this situation is the fact that since Romeli is still a...slave," he said the word with some difficulty, "she technically still needs to abide by slave rules."

Romeli pursed her lips and leaned her head back on the side of the bed. "James..." hearing him talk was agony.

He ignored her stubbornly. "One of the biggest rules being you're not allowed a lover or...um...sexual interaction...without notification or an approval from the king."

Simultaneously the rest of the group who had been left in the dark came to realization. Their eyes widened and fell upon his hand that was holding Romeli's. Her eyes were closed now, and she seemed to be attempting her best form of meditation with little success. Her brow was wrinkled with pain.

James continued. "And we kissed—twice. Before I even knew it was dangerous, before I knew of the consequences."

"What are the consequences?" Whave asked the question slowly, his face already grim. He could have easily guessed the answer.

"Death." Romeli choked on the word as she spoke it, pinching the bridge of her nose with two fingers. Her eyes were still closed. She didn't need sight to see their morose expressions.

James looked down and nodded in confirmation. "The second time I kissed her...she ran off because she already knew. Anyways...that's why she'd been avoiding me."

"Then why..." Ethan's question faded off when Romeli looked at him, her expression in agony, but steady.

"Because I'm...we're...going to fight this—and win. Because James made me realize that I can't do this alone. He is my foundation...all of you are—and I can't fight that any longer." She opened her eyes at her own words and turned to face James, her expression tired. James let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her, letting her lean her head on his chest.

There was a brief silence.

"The both of you are ten different types of crazy," voiced Whave shaking his head. His mouth was situated in a wry smile. "This whole situation...I mean jeeze, Romeli. You're a natural disaster."

She snorted, her eyes closed again as she inhaled James' scent. "Thanks."

"But we're totally here to help," piped in Sereem lightly.

"That's all I can ask for," replied Romeli, stifling a yawn. Weariness was beginning to creep up on her. She had slept after her training with Numair, but it was not enough to keep up with her demanding schedule and adapting was a challenge.

"Then don't hesitate to ask," said Ryoku softly. Her eyes were sad, burdened by the dark thought of her brother's possible demise, but there was a determination in her eyes—a support that was unshakable.

Romeli met her gaze and nodded. She knew that she meant it.

"All right well...Romeli looks like she's going to crash," said Ethan with a chuckle. "We best get going."

She found herself snuggling deeper into the nook between James' arm and chest. His low chuckle was like a purring in her ear as his chest rumbled.

"Exactly, Romeli," Whave agreed with a laugh—it was soon interrupted with his own hearty yawn. He, along with Sereem, Ethan, Ryoku, and Ethan, all got to their feet gingerly.

"You look stuck," observed Sereem with a laugh as James remained on the ground, leaning his cheek on the top of her head.

He looked up at them with his eyes, an amused grin on his face. "Is she out?"

"Looks like," confirmed Ryoku, her expression looking entertained.

"Want any help?"

"No, it's fine, Whave," replied James easily. "I'll take her up. Good night."

Bidding their farewells, Ryoku, Ethan, Whave, and Sereem quietly exited the room, shutting the door carefully behind them.

James exhaled in a quiet sigh, hugging her relaxed body closer to him. "You never cease to amaze me," he mused to himself.

She was completely asleep.

He pursed his lips and closed his eyes, leaning his head on top of hers, if only for a moment. Every breath he took he inhaled her scent, a warm combination of willow and pine—it was intoxicatingly soothing. His heart was pounding gently—her light touch was toying with the tempo of it.

He sat there for only a moment, savoring the peace—the quiet serenity that had taken control of the room. Right now, there were no problems, there was no looming chance of death ahead. It was just peace, and he held on to every second of it.

Finally, he lifted his head and leaned it on the side of the bed, his eyes still closed. "Romeli." His voice was louder as he deliberately spoke to her.

She stirred and buried her head deeper into him.

He chuckled lightly. "Come on, silly. You need to sleep."

"James...?" Her voice was surprisingly smooth for someone who had just woken up from a deep slumber.

His brows furrowed in confusion. "Yes?"

"I need you to do a favor for me."

"Anything."

"I need you to carry me to my room..." Her voice was distant, and it seemed strained.

He repositioned himself, his eyes showing a hint of concern. "I will...but, what's going on? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, everythings fine." Her brow creased in strain, like talking took a great deal of effort. "My body is in the process of shifting...to the Divine Realms. When I fall asleep every night, my Guardians grab me for training...anyways," she breathed in sharply. "It's hard enough to talk, much less walk..."

James relaxed a little, though he still stared at her with confusion. "No problem..."

"I love you."

James' heart melted at her words, and he wrapped his free arm under her legs, scooping her up and getting to his feet in one swift move. She was light. He could easily carry her any distance without exerting himself. As he opened his door with his Gift and exited his room, he swore to himself he would begin to feed her himself. She hardly ate anything at dinner...

He cradled her gently in his arms, her head fitting perfectly on his shoulder as he walked down the hallway. It was dark out now, and the only lighting he had were the candles placed on the walls.

James practically laughed unbelievably. "Crazy, crazy, girl," he muttered, his voice low. "Training with Gods...visiting the Divine Realms on a nightly basis... what did I get myself into?"

When he arrived at her door, he opened it with his Gift again and walked inside, shutting the it behind him with his foot. He looked around her room carefully—it hadn't changed at all. The weapons rack was to his right, the bookshelf (though it looked to be nearly vacant) right across from him. The large bed was to his left, and it took up most of the space.

Carefully, he tucked her into the bed, and pulled the blanket over her with gentle hands. His hand lingered on her cheek, and he traced her jaw softly until he let his finger fall on the scars around her neck. He shivered when he touched them, but he did not cringe away. They were filled with magic that made his nose burn.

He let his finger withdraw and he lowered his hand to his side, giving her one last look before turning around and walking towards the door again.

"James?"

He nearly jumped in surprise before turning around, practically expecting her to be sitting up in her bed, wide awake, the voice was so strong.

Unease sunk in as he found himself unsure of what to do. Could she hear him? "Um. Yes?"

"Don't leave me."

The words sunk into him slowly, and he walked towards the bed. Her face was serene, emotionless, her soul in a whole other world entirely. But still...he was as real to her as ever. He could never let that go. Slowly, he climbed into her bed and slipped under the blanket, his skin coming to life as it brushed against hers.

He put her hand in his and watched in fascination as her muscles tightened around his. Slowly, he leaned over her and kissed her cheek softly before resting his head next to her ear.

"I will never leave you." His voice was only a whisper, but it echoed through the Divine Realms like the ringing of a reverberating bell.

So...replies?

Replies:

LittleMissGiggles'94': omg thanks!! I'm glad you like it so much. Romeli is going to be a lot more relaxed now...well..there's definitely going to be some humor coming up. Once I figure out how to write it again.

xxTunstallChickxx: haha. oh yeah. I left it there. omg (gives tissue box) theres. stop that crying. Trust me, I'm glad they're together now too. But now I have to start stretching my fluff muscles. I've been getting so good at sexual tension, and now I don't really have a need for it. Thanks gurl!

BlackWidow12: gawd i know right? 50 chapters. she let's someone in AT LAST. everything will be getting a lot brighter now. For a while. mwaha. but yes. omg. I kind of updated fast again!!! well faster than usual...it's cuz im bored out of my mind right now. nothing to do. seriously.

dares to dream: Nah it makes perfect sense! It was super emotional, I agree, but I had so much fun writing it. You have no idea how long I've been waiting to write that. 4 years. YES. you want action?? lol don't worry. It's coming. You're gonna hate me so much...

Aly-Of-Tortall13: lol MOOSES. I'm glad you loved the romance. I was thinking of you when I wrote it, cuz I know you've been looking for it!! haha.

inktounge58: lol. turtleshell. nice. never thought of it like that. Yup. the outlook is going to start to get a lot brighter...and sexier...before the end. trust me on that.

x17SkmBdrchiczxx: OMG THANKS!!!! yay. I was so happy when I read this review. I was like 'omg I did it! I succeeded!' ya...I think it wins 'most intense conversation of the year' for sure. They really went at it with each other. fluff fluff fluff. like the fluff in this chapter?? not a lot, but like I mentioned...this chapter is one of those awkward transition filler chapters that no one really likes writing but has to anyways. haha. we should throw a party. want a party hat? (gives)

KEEP ON MOOSIN'!!!!