I just realized something.
We have reached the end. As of the end of this chapter, we will be beginning the beginning of the end of the Romeli saga. You may actually kill me with how much I will torture you these next chapters.
(immensely evil laugh)
Song for this Chapter: I Gotta Feeling -- Black Eyed Peas. This song pretty much encompasses the mood of the whole story, thanks to Jameson's genius advice. You'll see what I mean once you start reading. :)
Disclaimer (n.): the act of disclaiming; the renouncing, repudiating, or denying of a claim; disavowal.
NOTE: I used a couple Charles Dickens quotes in here, which I will mark with a '*' symbol
Chapter 54: The Last Day
In the last chapter...
Twas the day of The Glitter Massacre. A spell had gone wrong and Romeli had to pay for the consequences. The effects of the Glitter Cloud of Terror left the palace inhabitants rolling on the ground with laughter, clutching their heads in agony, and sobbing with wild abandon.
It took a whole day for the situation to solve itself. Numair had to dissipate the cloud himself while Romeli and James frolicked off into the faraway forest like reckless adolescents.
"Let's flip a coin. Heads we'll be together, tails we'll flip again."
For the third time that day, James sneezed.
"DARN IT!!!"
He sniffed, itching his nose as his eyes began to water. "Look, are you sure this is even possible?" he asked Romeli uneasily. "I mean, I can practically sense your Gift from across the palace on a daily basis..."
Romeli clutched her head in her hands, propped against the wall as she sat on the ground in James' bedroom. She breathed out heavily, the air blowing her bangs away from her face. Frustration began to settle in her sides. "Both Numair and my Guardians said it was possible. They said I can make my Gift senseless...I just have to practice it."
James still looked doubtful. He could practically sense Romeli's Gift even when she wasn't using it.
Romeli looked up at him with narrowed eyes, sensing his incredulous expression. "I've done it once before, during training with Numair."
"I don't see how this would even benefit your circumstances right now," he pointed out with all seriousness.
She groaned inwardly. Were they really going to start this again? "Are you kidding me?"
He didn't bother replying. Both of them knew his answer anyways.
"What if I have to make a surprise attack? I don't want them to sense me before I even turn on the offensive. And if my Gift is so sensitive, then couldn't they use the feeling of my magic to track my location? And if we had to go into hiding..."
"Us. Go into hiding." He voiced the words dryly.
She clenched her jaw, swallowing an explosion of anger. "I have to be prepared for everything, James! I have no idea what's coming for me...us...now. My theory may be completely off!" Her breathing grew shorter as her words began to infest her train of thought. All she could think about now was her lack of knowledge when considering this future ordeal. A lack of information meant a lack of the ability to prepare productively...
The two together implied a failure.
She sighed heavily and let her head fall in her hands again defeated. "I am so doomed."
James slipped his hands into one of hers and she looked up at him wearily. "You said that the last time, when you escaped from Scanra. And the time before that when you found out what the Prophecy meant."
A dark chuckle escaped her lips. "Finding out what the Prophecy meant was a complete failure." Images of the scene in which Maggur placed the slave collar around her neck rushed through her. "And then I ended up dying anyways. I was doomed both times, and I failed both times."
"And yet here you still are." His words were a quiet murmur. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear them or not.
"Doomed to kill both of us," she concluded bitterly.
He pursed his lips, stroking the top of her hand softly. He seemed unmoved by the dark statement. "The thought of failure is a weapon that we hold by the blade. The more you think of failure, the more it hurts you and your chances of success."
"I could do without that weapon altogether."
"Then push it away! Why think of death? All that matters is right here, right now...with you...and me...together."
She met his green eyes steadily, letting his gaze bury into her. "My Guardians told me to prepare for the future."
He sighed heavily. It was not an exhale of exasperation, but an exhale full of thought. "That is what we're doing right? But..." He paused for a moment pulling his thoughts together. "Each day we come closer to the future. Soon enough, the future you've been preparing for will be today. Why not cut out the middle? Instead of preparing for the future, prepare for today."
His wisdom never ceased to amaze her. He always had these jewels of advice that seemed so hard to disagree with. It didn't help that his green eyes would not look away from hers, and the thumb that stroked her hand distracted her from her own thoughts...
She shook her head. "I would rather work hard now and celebrate us being alive later, James. If I can just get through this, it will be finished."
James' eyes narrowed. "And who says this? Who determines whether or not the future holds just as many struggles as the past?"
"I'll have my third Guardian," she countered.
"And then you'll be searching for your identity," he pointed out cooly. "And that will be so easy." Sarcasm.
She clenched her jaw. "It will be easier if you're there next to me...not in the tombs."
"I think I would be more comfortable in the tombs if I lived a little beforehand."
"You take your mortality so lightly!" she snapped back.
"I'm not afraid to die."
"Well neither am I. I'm afraid that you'll die."
Silence.
James bit his lip and looked down knowing that he had hurt her. The both of them were on the same wavelength. Neither could live without the other. Her words had echoed the thoughts of his own heart, and he found himself realizing that if Romeli were to ever depart from this realm, she would be a free woman. He, however, could never again be a free man.
Romeli was the first to speak. There was a weak smile on her lips. "First you're kidnapped, then I'm a slave. I'm forced to kill you and I end up dying myself. You forget me, I come back. We don't talk, and now that we're finally together, we're bound to die in the process. Sometimes I feel like the whole world is against us."
He looked at her deeply, a crooked grin growing as he spoke. "The wind is rushing after us, and the clouds are flying after us, and the moon is plunging after us, and the whole wild night is in pursuit of us; but, so far we are pursued by nothing else."*
Her eyes brightened as he spoke, and she found herself engulfed in his eyes. The weight in her hand felt like a feather as her heart thumped quickly. "We are pursued by nothing else." The words on her lips made her shiver.
James grinned and he cupped her face in his hand, stroking her cheek softly. "All that matters is right now."
Romeli couldn't help but smile. Somehow looking to the future now seemed...pointless. Whatever it was that was coming would come eventually. It could be at any time. It could be now, or tomorrow, or in two hours. In any case, looking towards the event left her handicapped. What she really needed was to throw the dread to the wind; what happens happens. The whole world was against them.
Just the world. That wasn't so bad.
Without hesitance, she closed the distance between them and kissed him sweetly. He embraced her roughly, not expecting the sudden move. After the initial shock, he brought one of his hands to the back of her neck, crushing his lips against hers for only a moment.
"Romeli," he whispered, leaning his forehead against her own. "If this was your last day to live, what would you do?"
She looked at him deeply, leaning away from him to meet his eyes. Her expression was blank for a moment, unsure. It morphed drastically as emotions pulled through her. In the matter of seconds, she experienced immense grief, fear, and love. She did not settle on any of these expressions, however. Slowly the corner of her mouth began to twitch into a grin. Her eyes sparkled with mischief.
OOO
"Something tells me that this is a bad idea. A very, very, bad idea." James' voice was slightly shaking.
Romeli rolled her eyes. "You asked."
"And now I regret it."
"Come on it will be fun!"
"Fun?" His voice shot up a couple octaves. "You call this fun?"
Romeli pursed her lips. "Well...maybe not exactly fun. More like...daring."
"And stupid...and dangerous...and suicidal."
"Look, chicken. If you want to back out that's fine with me. I'll just do this alone."
The thought seemed to terrify him more. "If you jump, I jump."
"Well I'm jumping." Her expression only fortified her steady and sure voice.
James looked down the height of the tower they stood on top of. Balor's Needle was intimidatingly high. Even walking up it was an accomplishment in itself. But no...Romeli wanted to jump out of it too.
James turned away from the open window and towards Romeli, slightly green. "Can I just ask one more thing?"
"Sure."
"How, may I ask, are we going to jump off of Balor's Needle without dying in the process? Just wondering...because...Scanra might get pretty mad if we die before they get here."
Romeli laughed at his dark humor. "Easy." She took out two large blankets from a bag she had brought with her. "We'll use these to slow our fall."
"And to carry our bodies in when we die."
"Nah, they're too big for that I think."
He shook his head in disbelief.
"Are you ready?"
"Romeli, you've already died jumping out of a tower once. And excuse me if my calculations seem incorrect, but that seems like one too many already."
Romeli shrugged off his comment. "Nothing bad is going to happen, I promise. Plus, I can always transform into a bird or something, grab you, and land safely."
His nerves were slightly reassured, but the fear in his stomach would not dissipate. "Fine." He squeezed out the word forcibly, surrendering himself to her stunt.
She handed him a blanket and he grasped the corners in his hand tightly, slightly shaking. Nervousness began to creep in the pit of her stomach, but she pushed it down. The adrenaline rush in the moment would be worth it.
She grabbed the side of the window and hoisted herself on the ledge. The window was not tall enough for her to stand up straight. She had to lean over as she tried to maintain her balance on the thin ledge. James shook his head and climbed up as well.
They both stared in silence, eyes fixated on the ground far below them. Romeli's thoughts were dominated by the lives of the people who jumped off this very ledge and died. The buzzing in her ears of the plants far below her were incessant and loud—they were wondering what she was doing up there.
"We. Are. So. Dumb."
Romeli gulped and nodded forcibly at James' words, a hint of doubt beginning to disperse through her stomach and up her spine. Second thoughts were surfacing to the forefront of her mind, but her stubborn character pushed it back.
"We are dumb," she agreed, voice shaking slightly as she glanced down. With regret, she fixated her eyes on the clouds instead. Heights usually didn't scare her... but jumping from a tower wasn't necessarily the same as flying. "In the end it will be worth it."
"...if we survive."
"True." She sighed heavily, her exhale shaky. James' hand wrapped around her hand. They held each other tightly.
"Ready?" He muttered quietly.
"Uh huh." She nodded, refusing to look down at the ground far below them. With a weakening voice, she began to count down. "One...two...three!"
They jumped, clasping their blankets like their life depended on it and screaming in wild abandon. The pit in her stomach dropped instantly as the wind rushed by, howling in her ears. The blankets were instantly inflated, but did little to actively slow their nearing fall.
Romeli laughed crazily, the adrenaline hitting her instantly. She had only a fraction of a second to glance over at James—he was laughing too. The wide grin on his face was slightly mutilated by the rushing wind, making her laugh even more.
Realizing that the fall wasn't nearly as long as she had anticipated and the blankets that were supposed to break their descent were an ultimate fail, Romeli abandoned her supposed parachute and instantly morphed into a dragon—the only form she could think of that would carry James' weight.
Only feet away from doom, she grasped his upper arms as carefully as possible with her feet-claws. The two of them nearly crashed into the ground, James' feet whipping by the blades of grass as Romeli shot up into the sky, almost crashing into a forest edge of trees in the process.
She flapped her wings down, giving them one powerful beat that left them soaring. In the immobile clasp of Romeli's claws, James was left in wonder. He stared at his dangling feet and the thickening forest far below them. He had flown with Romeli as a dragon once before, but that seemed like such a long time ago. He had forgotten what the wind rushing past him felt like.
Wings extended, they glided through the air in a long descent. Romeli had spotted an open patch of forest that would be perfect for landing in. Her acute senses heard the rippling of a small river right next to it.
The descent was smooth. Flapping her wings carefully, she released her catch just feet from the ground. He jumped down easily, crouching to break his fall and then standing back up again. She then carefully set herself down, claws sinking into the ground. Her wide wingspan took up the whole width of the clearing, and she folded away her wings before transforming into her human self.
James looked away as he held out the blanket that he had kept with him. Romeli took it from his hands and wrapped it around her like a cloak, slightly blushing with the awkwardness.
There was a screech in her ears and she winced as she turned around. Her eyes widened. "Whoops."
Right where she had landed was a large print that sunk into the earth. There were sharp indents where
her claws had pierced the ground. The plants were complaining passionately.
Romeli's eyes narrowed. Oh be quiet. You can grow back.
The noises immediately quieted down to a soft murmur.
Having not heard this exchange, James looked at her oddly. "You okay there?"
"Huh?" She whipped back around to face James. She had one look at him and started to laugh uncontrollably.
His hair, usually messy, was completely disheveled. His cheeks were burning red from the wind and his legs were slightly shaking from the recent gravitational experiences.
James snorted. Romeli had no idea that she looked exactly the same. The two were practically in hysterics. The aftermath of the adrenaline hit them and burned through their veins. Romeli's heart was pounding loudly in her ears and her stomach began to ache with laughter.
She ran into him mercilessly and the two crashed to the ground. James braced her fall, and she landed on top of him, nothing but the blanket between them.
"We just jumped off of Balor's Needle." His voice was breathless, the air knocked out of him for a third time within the past hour.
"We did, didn't we." Romeli couldn't help but smile widely, looking into James' dancing emerald eyes. "...well...sort of."
"Gods we are dumb," he replied. "I can't believe you convinced me to do this. We could have died!"
She grinned wickedly. "But you're glad we did it, hmm?"
He chuckled. "You're right. I am glad. But let's make a promise."
"What would that be?"
"Let's promise to never ever jump off of Balor's Needle again. Under no circumstance."
Romeli snorted and she rolled off of him, situating herself next to him and holding the blanket tightly around her body. She sighed heavily, a smile creeping up her lips as she looked at the web of trees above them. "Deal."
OOO
"You know, I'm actually kind of a fan of the strawberry."
"Are you serious? It's sour, plus there isn't enough of a balance between fruit flavor and crust. It's barely even moist enough." Romeli's fork plunged into another pie as she spoke.
"That's a lie. It's totally moist!" James clutched his platter of strawberry pie protectively, taking another bite of it and savoring the taste in his mouth before swallowing.
Romeli rolled her eyes and stole a bite of his favorite flavor. She cringed as she swallowed it. "You obviously have no appreciation for true pie."
"Hah!" He laughed as he shook his head. "And you are biased against strawberries."
"It's not even a fruit! It's seeds are on the outside. Real fruit has inside-seeds."
"Real humans don't have green hair," he mumbled to himself, setting down the strawberry platter.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
"No seriously."
"I didn't say anything."
Romeli glared at him but broke into a grin as she rolled her eyes. She waved her fork over at a nearby rock where an innocent dish of pie sat. "Have you tried the pecan? I think it has too much vanilla in it."
James got up and walked over to the rock, dodging piles of pie platters. They were seated on top of a mountain, after hauling every single pie flavor they could think of onto Romeli's dragon back and flying there. There must have been hundreds of pies, most of them yet to be touched as they dove in to each of them. The dishes were covering their surroundings, taking over the ground, the rocks, and even the branches of trees.
When Romeli had insisted on trying every single flavor of pie ever invented, James thought she was kidding. Then again...they had just jumped out of Balor's Needle.
James took a bite of the pecan, analyzing the taste in his mouth before swallowing. "Gods you're right. The vanilla is practically burning my tongue."
"Out?"
"Oh yeah."
James placed it in the reject pile, along with apple-cranberry, key lime, and tropical fish.
"What about the cherry?"
"It's a little too generic," pointed out James as he stared at their topic of discussion with doubt. "Everyone likes cherry pie. And apple."
Romeli placed cherry and apple into the reject pile as well before digging into a platter of banana cream.
There was a squeak from the side of her and Romeli looked up startled. There was an awkward silence as James and Romeli came face to face with a mountain squirrel.
The squirrel pawed at a dish of pumpkin pie.
"Hey. That is not for you." Romeli stared down the squirrel, eyes narrowing.
The squirrel looked at her challengingly, standing up on its hind legs.
James laughed as he eyed the creature. "I think he wants to fight you."
Romeli looked at the squirrel in disapproval. "It most certainly will lose."
As if the squirrel had understood her comment, it began to reach closer and closer to the flaky crust of the pumpkin pie in front of him.
Her brows rose. "Don't you do it..."
He reached closer.
Romeli glared at him dangerously. If you even think of coming closer to that pie...
The squirrel found her empty threat amusing.
That's it. You are going down. Romeli's stare at the squirrel increased as she used her Wild Magic to flash images in his head. The creature was immediately subject to seeing the consequences of his actions. He would devour the pie, most likely get very sick, and would then die an ugly death by tumbling off the nearby mountain edge. With the images forever imprinted in the squirrel's head, he scurried away quickly. Romeli's eyes shined victoriously.
James blinked, slightly astounded. "I'm not sure what you just did there...but I'm pretty sure it's illegal."
Romeli placed the banana cream pie in the reject pile and picked up the nearly stolen dish of pumpkin. "I would have let him have it if it wasn't the pumpkin pie he wanted." She took a bite of it, closing her eyes contently as she savored the taste. "This may be the winner."
James stole a bite, shoveling a bite of the pie into his mouth with a fork. He chewed it thoroughly before speaking again. "I don't really like the texture."
She looked at him exasperated. "Do you think we'll ever find the perfect pie flavor?"
"Well which ones have we tried so far?"
Romeli practically threw her arms into the air. "Well I don't know, let's see. Strawberry, apple, peach, banana cream, pumpkin, blueberry, raspberry, banana, cherry, gooseberry, rhubarb, pecan, key lime, meat, apple-cranberry, apple-blueberry, apple-apple, traditional apple, coconut, passion fruit, and tropical fish."
"You know I didn't even know there was a tropical fish flavored pie until today."
"Gods me neither," agreed Romeli. "It tasted like rubber."
"It felt like rubber."
"I'm pretty sure I ate an eyeball."
"That's disgusting," voiced James, sticking out his tongue in distaste. He looked around him, slightly intimidated. They had only put a dent in the amount of pies they had to test.
Romeli noticed his daunted gaze, but shrugged off the amount of work ahead of them. She picked up the next nearest pie and took a bite. She chewed only once before spitting it out of her mouth and throwing it into the reject pile with disdain. "Gross! Mud pie!"
"Real mud?"
She nodded, a contorted look of disgust on her face as she wiped her mouth with her sleeve.
"Nice. Well the lemon meringue is too sour so that one is out too."
Romeli sighed heavily as she got up and grabbed a plain looking pie sitting on top of a nearby rock. The crust was a golden brown which traditionally covered the top, concealing its true flavor. Grabbing her fork, she took a bite. Immediately, her eyes widened. "James. Try this."
He looked at her oddly before obliging. The minute the pie was in his mouth he realized the reason for her awe. "What is this?"
"The best pie ever made."
"What flavor?"
"Best-pie-ever flavor."
Exasperated, he took the platter from her lap and held it up to glance at the number on the bottom. Twenty four. He then turned to a long scroll next to him and ran his finger down the list of pie flavors until he spotted number twenty four. "Seriously?"
Romeli snapped out of her reverie and looked at him curiously. "What's the flavor?"
"Boysenberry."
"Boysenberry?"
"Yeah. And I double checked."
"It's boysenberry."
"Ah hell does it even matter?" questioned James taking another bite. "It's so good."
"All along...the best flavor of pie has been boysenberry."
Mouth full, he muttered an affirmative.
"That's the most random pie flavor ever," she argued, taking a bite and then another.
The two finished off the pie in minutes, wolfing it down in large bites. The flavor consumed them until they couldn't eat anymore. The rest of the pie flavors sat around them, completely abandoned.
James took Romeli's hand and held it in his own, ignoring the tiniest of flinches that twitched through her fingers. Whenever he touched her, there was a subtle and instinctive recoil, but he wasn't sure if she noticed it or not. If she did, she was very good at hiding her internal struggle to give in to his hands on hers. Either way, she seemed used to his maneuvers, and he was used to her subconscious pushing him away. He squeezed her hand tighter.
Romeli looked at him affectionately, her mouth set in a small smile. James put his other hand to her cheek, cupping it softly. Trying to ignore the electric sparks that skipped up and down her skin seemed impossible now. His green eyes staring wisely into her own did little to halt her running heart rate.
When his lips brushed against hers, her racing heart had stopped altogether. The kiss was agonizingly brief, only lasting a fraction of a second. There was want in her eyes as she looked at him again.
"Your breath smells like boysenberry," he said softly, a quiet laugh interrupting his words.
Throwing any regrets to the wind, Romeli pounced, unable to sustain any sort of composure a second longer. Her lips smashed against his, a hand woven through his messy brown hair. He wrapped an arm around her back, readjusting his sitting position to bring her closer to him. From the way he returned the kiss, James had disregarded his control as well.
The kiss deepened. James' tongue pressed against her mouth for entrance and she easily admitted him. She gasped as his tongue played with her own, the two separating only for an occasional breath.
Never before had they kissed like this. It seemed earnest, desperate almost. Electric sparks jumped between the two of them wherever they touched, jolting their hearts as they pounded, intertwined. There was a feeling suspended above them like a weight. The weight seemed to be screaming that it wouldn't be long now before love such as this would be impossible for a while.
They did not disregard this feeling as they did their caution. The sensation of dread and apprehension was stifling and they embraced it. The torturous feeling that filled them both was also a wake up call, and they took it. In being reminded of the future they turned to the present and grasped it. This was it.
James' hands fell to her hips and he picked her up easily, guiding her to his lap which she straddled, knees against his sides. Never once did they break away from the kiss, only disuniting for a breathe now and again.
Their bodies were melted together with not even room for air to circulate through. His torso was firm against her, but also soft and warm. Her cheeks were flushed at the feeling of her legs straddling over him, heart pounding incessantly.
A faint memory rushed through her head of the night when she had escaped from Scanra. It seemed like forever ago with so much time between them now. Despite its distance, the pictures burned just as clearly as if it happened yesterday.
She was over Maggur in nothing but a short emerald dress, straddling him much like she was straddling James now. He was kissing her neck and jaw, leaving marks that haunted her body for weeks after...
Romeli recoiled and James immediately broke off, sensing her stiff posture. He looked into her eyes, concern being the dominant expression on his face. "Are you okay?"
Slightly shaken, she nodded, her heart beginning to slow down as a twang of pain hit her and faded. She had done her best to forget that night. It was obvious that such an accomplishment was impossible, but she had been doing well for a while.
James had noticed her paling face as he asked the question. "Romeli?"
"Oh...yeah, sorry. Just...memories." She looked at him weakly, knowing that the truth was better than a cover-up in this situation. She had never been a good liar anyways.
Despite the burning temptation to place a comforting grasp on her arm or stroke her cheek, he held back. He had learned not to push her with the topic of memories—they would be confessed when and if she needed them to. "Listen," he started slowly. "If you want to stop just let me know..." he trailed off, not exactly sure how to finish the sentence.
Romeli shook her head. The thought of breaking away from him now, his warm body against her own, was more painful than the pictures that had skipped through her head. "No," she said firmly, kissing him softly as if to reinforce her positivity. "It's just a memory."
The words were meant for her just as much as him. Mentally she pushed back the picture of Maggur's face to the back. He was dead, and that was that. She was answering to Scanra now, not him.
Though her words seemed slightly weak, a bit of color had returned to her previously stark pale cheeks. He gave her a warm smile, his heart melting as she returned the look before continuing on with where they left off.
Romeli learned easily that love is something that distracts you. The pictures were gone. After all, it's hard to focus with your fingers clutching at the skin under his shirt. Then there was his hands cradling her hips. Hearts began to beat faster. She heard him murmur "I love you".
Breathless, Romeli leaned her head on top of his shoulder, tucking her head under his neck and closing her eyes. He smelled of linen and rain with a hint of boysenberry. He ran a hand up and down her back, tracing incoherent designs that tickled her spine and made her shiver into his hold. The other hand remained at her hips. Leaning his head on hers, he sighed heavily, feeling her body rise up and down with his large breath.
Only now it had become indispensable to him to have her face pressed close to him; he could never let her go again. He could never let her head go away from the close clutch of his arm. He wanted to remain like that forever, with his heart hurting him in a pain that was also life for him.*
OOO
The breeze's teasing wisps of wind caressed her cheeks as she stared out into the gardens. The sun was beginning to set behind her, leaving brilliant orange rays to rest on her with effulgence. The gentle wind brought with it a chill that licked at her face, but it mixed well with the warmth of the setting sun and its departing rays.
She stood in the gazebo which had become her designated getaway ever since her arrival to Corus after the escape. Something about it, perhaps the dark wood and the surrounding Fall colors, arranged in such a way as to accent the serene atmosphere of the gazebo, calmed her thoughts to a quiet lull.
The only sounds that she could hear were the softened murmurs of the plants around her and the trickle of water from some nearby stream.
The sun began to descend more rapidly now, and the shadows of the night darkened around her. The glow, still on fire, only illuminated the bottom half of her surroundings now. The corners of the gazebo were consumed in darkness. The hair stood up on the back of her neck as everything grew substantially darker and much more uncomfortable. She enjoyed the night, but sometimes it seemed much more hostile.
Shrugging off the feeling, she watched the rays of the sun descend more and more. Almost all of the garden was consumed in black now. The remnants of light were consumed in a fraction of a minute until she felt the warmth on her back begin to creep away as well.
The sun set, lighting the wooden ground on fire, burning the floor with a glowing orange. Soon enough, it too, had faded—Romeli was left in the cold.
With a calm sigh, she got up to leave, her head clearer than it had been all day. That seemed to be the case with this gazebo. One relaxing visit and the world was set straight again.
When she turned, she was suddenly grabbed from behind. Her heart jumped to her throat and she began to bring her arm down into the self-defense maneuver to break the hold. Before she could attack, the familiar sting of cold metal wrapped around her neck and she froze. Her initial shock paralyzed her for a second as realization dawned upon her. She understood instantly, but her comprehension did little to free her from the intense magic that now bound her in both a Gift and physical-sense.
Two firm hands grasped her shoulders and she was spun around forcefully. The magic now encasing her kept her from fighting back. Instantly her eyes widened as she stared silently into the burning eyes of King Maggur.
What?! Maggur is still alive?!
We have reached the end, my friends. The following chapters are going to be action-packed, emotional, and straining. I hope you're ready!
Replies:
Grace: First off, thanks for the nag :). To be honest it finally pushed me to actually finish this chapter. I had been struggling with it for a while, not exactly sure how to continue. To be honest I cut a lot of stuff out. I was also going to have James and Romeli steal a pair of Jonathan's underwear. haha. As for your initial review, I must say that I adore marshmallows. . umm...and her snake and horse are on a vacation in the Yamani Isles, aka I haven't really had any chapters where they were necessary quite yet. But they should be in the next few ones. Happy reading!
randomnessrox: wow. This is such a great review, I really appreciate it. :D I've been working on it for quite a while. I remember I thought of the idea the summer entering seventh grade year. Now I am a senior in high school and I'm still working on it. Haha...I see you have noticed my lack of patience. I do make quite a few mistakes. Luckily, the past few chapters have all been proofread. As for the earlier chapters, I am starting to dive into them again, cleaning them up, but that will most likely take a while. And of course, you also spotted the sneaky Romeli-age-gap. Over much deliberation, I changed her age to a much older one with the justification that the events that she goes through are much too mature for someone younger than 15. I do have a problem with time (to be perfectly honest I have no idea what season it is right now in the story...and I need to figure that out soon), so thank you for pointing it out. It's definitely one thing I need to work on.
Also, I just want to point out (and perhaps I should write an author's note at the first chapter, that I started this story WAY before Trickster's Choice/Queen. Though I've read both, the whole plot of my story would be completely overthrown if I chose to stick to the accurate Tamora Pierce information. As for the modernized Tortall Realm I also must confess that I am beginning to branch away from the story being Tamora Pierce influenced. I don't know if you've read in my author's notes or not, but I am planning on basically re-doing this whole epic when I'm finished and turning it into an original story—hopefully with the outcome of publication. Thank you so much for your amazing review! I need someone to keep me on my feet ;)
amanda: I'm surprised that you caught up so quickly! sheesh! It takes me a few weeks to read fanfics that are as long as my own (not even as long, actually). I am impressed. haha...I'm glad you laughed. The story needed the comedic relief before plunging into the heavy stuff again. GLITTER CLOUD!
dares to dream: Thank. you. so. much. Random is my middle name. It was quite different than my usual writing, I must admit. It was all for good reason though. I was depicting the careless bliss of teenage love and portraying it through writing style and character. The whole chapter is spastic because Romeli and James are spastic, living in the moment and basically enjoying life while they have the chance. When the moment comes crashing down in this chapter, however, the mood returns to the usual. :) I put great thought into it. haha...as for reading during class, perhaps I should warn you before I post a funny chapter.
LittleMissGiggles'94': It was quite the art project, wasn't it. :) There was so much glitter in that chapter that I felt like I was covered in glitter. It was awesome.
Keladry1107: The last chapter was quite odd and random, I agree. I did, however, put a lot of thought into it. I used such a light and spastic mood because of James' and Romeli's relationship. The two of them, in that chapter, were at the apex of their relationship. They both let go, and they both lived in the moment without a worry. Thus, I wrote without a worry. This, however, comes crashing down in this chapter when reality sucks them back down again. Instinctively, they felt the danger coming lived with as much enjoyment and earnest as they could. In the end, Romeli is now forced to face what the Guardian's have been warning her of for weeks. :) deep. Thanks for reading!
massieroxmysox: Isn't laughing fun? Thank you so much! I'm so glad you love it!
iwantaponygal993: man...glitter is quite a dangerous thing. It can get everywhere, and it sticks. I bet that it will takes weeks, maybe months, to get rid of all that glitter in the castle. Milkshakes are amazing. Even Maggur likes them...and he doesn't like anything.
inktounge: magpie...shoot. Maybe I should have put that in my chapter. Ah well. haha...you make me laugh, but I would do the same thing. I love the shining texture of glitter. You really can stare at it for hours. :) Romeli is doing quite better...and she still is better, thought it may not seem like it at this point of the story. ah yes. The Costa Rican trumpet player. If only he wasn't so short! That's a shame about your tall dude...perhaps we should switch? hmmm...a drastic height between Romeli and James. haha. That would be interesting. I think originally I was going to have Romeli be taller than James...I'm not sure what happened to that. thanks for the long review!!!
natsumi456: haha...well sorry for taking so long to post the newest chapter. I did start it right after my last update though. I've been caught up in school in college auditions. I'm pretty much in a different state every weekend between january and march. I. am. exhausted. Thanks for reading! 3
Aly-Of-Tortall13: It is!!! It's the longest TP fic!!! Isn't it great? I feel so proud! hahaha the GCOT was a kick to write. I'd been wanting to write that chapter for forever. As for the next chapter...I've been picturing it for years. James' looks? NICE. thanks! That's the best compliment ever!
jenny-harkness: James and Romeli fluff! You definitely got a nice spoonfull in this chapter. Dumb...well...they can be smart if they want to. James is related to Neal afterall. But what's more fun? Being intellectual or being spastic?
doveofdreams: haha...miracle. My updates have been a bit quicker than my usual slump I suppose. It's funny because I thought I wouldn't be able to update until mid-march when I would be finished with college auditions. Evidently, I found that I have time to write on airplanes and layovers. oh gods. and all girls school...how do you do it? I need guys! haha!
Thanks for reading, Potatoes!!!
KEEP MOOSIN'
Moose