I'm glad that all of you enjoyed the action packed fun of the previous chapter. :)
But we're only partially finished with our duel. So I suppose we should finish it up then.
Song for this Chapter: Alla this → Ani DiFranco. The ultimate song of empowering motivation and realization. And of course, Dizzy → Jimmy Eat World. A concluding song. Love.
Chapter 60: Decency
In the last chapter...
Romeli and Maggur have this gigundo debate. You know, why she's alive, what she's doing, etc etc. It is then that we discover that she is no longer a slave of Scanra. She is free! Um...after that (or maybe before, but the time doesn't really matter), she runs over to James who is unconscious and struggling. She begins to heal him, but then Maggur sicks some guards on her. After fending them off, she heals him as much as she can before handing them off to Alanna and Numair for finishing touches.
Maggur and Romeli made a deal. There would be a duel between her and ten blacked-robed mages. If she won, Scanra would leave her alone forever. If Maggur won, Romeli would go back to Scanra permanently.
So the duel begins and it's going cool. It's been going on for about an hour now. Romeli as killed two mages so far, and four others are contained in a fortified root. Things seem to be going okay until the lead mage sneeks a dark magic attack into her system. She falls to the ground due to the impact. She's hit again with more dark magic.
...Perhaps giving up wont be so bad after all, she thought as she shivered. She tried once to get up by lifting up her arm and propping it on the ground to steady her rise, but it shook too much and she could not hold it up for more than a few seconds. She let it fall, defeated.
The sound of crunching ground neared until a pair of black boots stood over it. It was the head mage, and he looked down on her with a victorious smile.
"Give up little one?" he asked of her with a thick Scanran accent.
"No." She told him quivering. She stared at him with the little menace that she had left, but the Dark Magic that had hit her made her feel like she was decaying.
He clenched his fist as if with regret before hitting her again with another dose of Dark Magic.
"Sometimes fear is the appropriate response." - 9
After the initial wave of confusion, it only took James around two minutes to figure out that he wasn't dead. Certainly he was supposed to be dead, that alone was clear, but he wasn't. He was lying on the dirt ground in the middle of a large crowd (though he certainly wasn't the reason for the mass gathering). The only people who seemed to realize his now conscious state were Alanna and Numair, who were perched over him with alert eyes.
"Good, he's alive," Alanna murmured over to Numair as they stared at him. James brought his hand to his head and began to massage his temple. His whole body was sore and his head was pounding.
"Where am I?" he asked them groggily as he sat up. He winced with pain, but it was tolerable. A couple people in the crowd looked down at him but then turned their heads again towards the direction of interest.
Numair eyed Alanna uneasily, but neither of them had to break the news to him first. There was a loud animalistic roar from the front of the crowd that made them both snap their heads towards the duel. James jumped to his feet in surprise, the pain in his body forgotten as he looked towards where the noise was coming from.
In front of the crowd was an open area of the gallows that had been transformed into a dueling arena. Romeli was standing on one side, her eyes glued with focus on the scene in front of her. On the other side was a team of black robed mages. One was hacking away at a great fiery dragon with a peculiar sword while three others looked on, Gifts at the ready.
When the dragon was destroyed, James turned towards Alanna and Numair in shock. "What is going on?!" he asked them, disbelief in his voice. "How long have I been out?"
Numair answered the second question easily. "A few hours..." he started.
James cut him off. "A few hours?!" He threw his arms in the air.
Alanna put a strong hand on his shoulder to calm him down. James stared back at her with a clenched jaw. His green eyes were glowing with confusion and anger.
"We'll tell you what's going on, Queensove," she told him with a steady drawl. "Just...don't do anything...well...stupid."
Suddenly there was a collective gasp throughout the crowd and they turned their attention to the duel in front of them. Romeli was on the ground trembling, a faint cry of pain escaping her lips. One of the black mages walked over and hit her with another heavy dose of Dark Magic.
James' eyes lit on fire and he whipped his head towards Alanna again. "You better start explaining real soon, Alanna," he told her dangerously.
OOO
When something begins you have no idea how it's going to end.
You may enter the predicament with a positive mindset. You may picture yourself the winner, but in the end it all depends on ability, focus, and luck.
And sometimes, that doesn't even do the trick. Sometimes you lose, and there's not much you can do about it.
Romeli was hit with a fourth blow of Dark Magic from the head mage looming over her. Sweat began to break through her brow as she trembled on the ground below him. Her eyes were closed, the strength to open them evaded her. When the aftermath of the fourth hit of Dark Magic began to diffuse through her limbs and brain, delirium overcame her. The ground against her back did not stay where it should and the inside of her eyelids began to fill with swirling colors.
"Forfeit, Romeli," the mage told her. She heard him fine, but she couldn't find the strength to reply. Her lips were quivering and her skin was clammy.
All she wanted to do was forfeit. But something held her back and kept her firmly rooted where she laid. Though the world was swirling around her, the dizziness was only in her mind. Outside, the ground was still, her body merely trembling on a stable ground. She held on to this stability like it was a tight rope. She would not let go and she would not forfeit.
The voice of the head mage came closer to her now. It was merely a whisper in her ear, inaudible to the bystanders. "Romeli I do not want to kill you," he murmured with a thick Scanran accent, "Please forfeit."
"N-No," she whispered shakily.
She couldn't give up. The idea of it sent more shivers through her body. She would be back in Scanra again with the same constraints, the same torture, the same...everything. It would be back to square one, except this time there would be no Maryann and D'mitri to help her. Worst of all, her third Guardian would be lost. No, she couldn't forfeit.
She had to fight.
"You'll be sorry," he told her with a hint of remorse. He was up from his crouched position and loomed over her once again. He brought out the black substance of Dark Magic into his palm again. His eyes flashed with a hint of dark menace before shooting her with a final blow of Dark Magic.
There was a flash of bright light, brighter than the burning sun directly above them. It blinded the head mage and the crowd beside them. When their eyes regrouped from the temporary blindness, their eyes fell upon Romeli's lying body surrounded by a magnificent golden light. The Dark Magic that was supposed to be her defeat was no where in sight.
Romeli opened her eyes, breathing heavily. The Golden Shield held on for a moment longer before dissipating in a small flash. With a wince she sat up, keeping her eyes on the surprised mage in front of her. Her arms trembled but she maneuvered them in a way to get on her feet anyways.
"Defeat isn't an option," she told him, her voice cracked and shaken. She shifted her weight from her back to her hands and knees. The weight she was now carrying nearly made her collapse, but she dug her fingers into the dirt and held on. "Not for me. I don't back away until my last breath is long gone."
She put one foot on the ground and then the next, placing her hands on her knees. Her legs shook uncontrollably beneath her. "I'm not easily intimidated," she continued. "I don't flinch. I don't back down."
She was at her full height now, her eyes burning with a newfound power—an emergency fuel tank. "And I certainly don't surrender."
The head mage nodded, a mix between shock and excitement on his face. "All right then." He stepped back to his side of the dueling stage. Three other mages shouldered him, their Gifts at the ready.
Romeli clenched her fists, reigning in her power. It was time to use her Golden Magic. It would take a lot, but she could take it. She could take anything.
They came at her immediately with glass. Shards of the crystal substance span towards her with rapid speed. There seemed to be a heightened energy in the dueling arena, a fresh flow of adrenaline coursing through their veins.
Romeli instinctively shifted further away from the crowd next to her. Golden magic was risky and unpredictably powerful. It needed more than wits to maneuver, it needed control. Her Golden Magic was raw, hardly seasoned with years of experience and training. The result had potential to be cataclysmic for any onlooker.
The Golden Magic lit up in her hands as two glowing flames of gold. She placed her palms out in front of her and formed a shield. All of the glass disintegrated immediately at first contact. Not even a hint of debris could be found on the ground.
The counter-attack was the one offensive maneuver that her Guardians had taught her. She rubbed her hands together, hoping it would work. The single catch of Golden Magic was in the forefront of her mind: the magic could only affect what it was made of, plant, Gift, and People. Of course, this seemed limiting, but her Guardians had informed her that the rule had many loopholes and interpretations.
Okay, she told herself. Now focus, and...
Two blasts of Golden Magic erupted from both of her hands and hit two mages square in the chest. Romeli's eyes narrowed as she anticipated the aftermath, whatever it would be. This was no time to be experimental, but then again, this was no time to give up and die either. Choosing the former was practically implied.
The two mages she hit stood stunned as the Golden Magic entered through their chests with ease. There was a brief moment of silence—the crowd stared wide-eyed, Romeli bit her lips darting her eyes between the two of them, and the two remaining mages seemed equally as transfixed.
Suddenly the two victims dropped to the ground, almost simultaneously. They started shaking and seizing, writhing on the ground and causing dust to stir into the air. Romeli's eyes widened further, a lump of fear growing in her throat. What had she just done?
The shaking stopped and when the dust cleared away again, all that was left of the two mages was their outsides—their skin. Even their bones had disintegrated and departed to wherever it was that bones departed to. Romeli shook her head in horror as she stared.
Essentially her plan had worked. She attacked the mages with her Golden Magic, hoping that it would destroy them. What it had done was much worse than expected. It had attacked the one thing it could—their Gift. And that's where the loophole came in. The two men were mages—black robed mages. As a mage, all they did was eat, sleep, and breathe their Gift. Their Gift was who they were, and without it, they were nothing but skin...
Romeli had no idea that the Golden Magic would destroy in such a symbolic manner. Her hands began to shake and she looked down at them as if she were looking at a monster. She had no intention of cruelty. She had expected a short death, a painless death. She had tortured instead. There was a pang in her heart.
Yes, they were enemies. In order to save herself, she had to destroy them. But they were also her family in a way. All of them were mages. All of them held the same phenomenon in their souls to create and work with magic in ways normal human beings could not. All of them were the same.
She put her hands down and shook her head. No, Golden Magic was too powerful. She could not use it again until she understood it. She would not take another life like that again.
A swoosh of air reached her ears and she looked up just in time to dodge a fatal slash from the glass sword that the mage wielded. Romeli hissed in a sharp breath, her adrenaline kicking back to life—that was a close one.
She didn't have much time to think after that. The mage's swordplay was relentless, leaving her with only reflex to keep her alive. His slices had her all over the place. She had to lunge to the ground a couple of times, covering her already soiled tunic with dirt and grime.
Sweat began to break into sweat on her brow as she nearly dodged a lower attack by jumping out of the way. The mage's swordsmanship was mediocre, but that meant next to nothing when she had nothing to defend herself with.
Using her Gift was out of the question. If she made a shield, the glass blade would break right through it. Sure, her Gift's supply tank was infinite, but that didn't mean it was invincible. Not to mention the amount of magic she had already used in the duel—too much. Thinking about it now made her insides feel sore and strained.
Her plant and wild magic would have little influence on the blade as well. Both of the fields of magic were too physical. She could turn herself into a bird, but that wouldn't give her an advantage. Making flower beds was pointless too.
I'm not using Golden Magic, she told herself determinedly. She ducked down, narrowly escaping another slice from the sword. The wind whistled past her head from the closeness of the glass blade. Her breathing became more labored, her moves more sluggish. It would destroy the sword that's for sure. It would destroy more than the sword—it would destroy the wielder. He may be an enemy...but I can't let him fall to the same fate as the other two.
This conclusion left her with nothing. All she could do now was defend, and that was no way to win a duel.
The mage brought down the sword in another frontal attack meant to slice her right in half. She halted the blade in its tracks, sandwiching it between the palms of her hand. No, she couldn't continue on like this. Her muscles were beginning to protest from the overexertion. She just had to fight him long enough to think of a more proactive solution.
She twisted her palms in a maneuver that would hopefully disarm the mage. The first offensive move of their showdown was unsuccessful. The sword seemed glued to the mage's hand. Fortunately, the strength in her twist set the mage off balance, which gave her just enough time to slip in another attack.
With as much force as she could muster, she kicked him right in the groin, making him fall to the ground with the wind knocked out of him.
Then, Romeli did something she had never done in a duel before: run.
She darted as quickly as she could into the crowd, legs burning beneath her as she ran at a sprint. The Tortallan bystanders parted quickly for her. As she scanned the eyes of those she past, she saw confusion. They thought she was running away from the problem. In reality, she was running towards the answer—hopefully.
The hair on the back of her neck was prickling, like someone of menacing nature was following her. It wouldn't be a surprise really. By now the mage with the glass sword would be on his feet and chasing after her. Or perhaps it was the head mage whom she abandoned on the field as well. In fact, she was surprised he hadn't attempted to take her down when she started to run away.
The uneasiness settling in her stomach made her pump her arms harder. The faces to her right and left were a blur and she scanned them with as much precision as possible. She was only looking for one person.
She came to a skidding halt, kicking up the dirt, when she came face to face with Numair, James, and Alanna. They stood in front of her with no intention of parting. Romeli exhaled heavily, relief on her face as she stared at the weapon strapped on Alanna's belt.
Never before was she so thankful for Alanna's somewhat anal preparedness.
A look of horror flashed on Jame's face and she had just enough time to register the upcoming danger before she snaked her hand around the hilt of Alanna's blade and unsheathed it in record speed. Romeli whipped around just in time to block a fatal blow from the glass sword. The two mages stared at each other for a moment, swords crossed and immobile before stepping back for more swordplay.
I hate the sword, I hate the sword, I hate the sword, Romeli repeated in her head as the mage came in for another attack that she narrowly defended. Despite her intense training with the weapon from James and Alanna both, she still didn't feel comfortable with it. The hilt was foreign in her hands—she was much more used to her staff or a pair of daggers.
Romeli came in for another offensive attack in their little side-duel. She cut in from the side, aiming towards his middle. He blocked the move, albeit slowly, which gave her just enough time to feint another attack and cut down on his shoulder.
The mage hissed when the blade cut into his skin. The move left a large gash on his shoulder, but the mage shrugged it off, his eyes burning with fire.
He came in with his own series of attacks. First he came in from the side, then he attempted another frontal attack. Romeli blocked both of them, and then narrowly escaped a slice through her middle by ducking down to the ground. When she hopped up to her full height she brought her sword up in a fierce frontal attack—the mage blocked it.
The strength of impact between the two swords was what finished the duel. There was a crack in the previously perfect cut of the glass blade. The crack expanded until eventually the glass blade broke into thousands of pieces. The mage now held nothing more than an empty hilt.
Romeli's exhaustion caught up with her and she began to breathe heavily as she watched the mage back up. Her heart was pounding and her legs were shaking with fatigue.
The mage put both of his hands up in the sign of surrender. The hilt in his hand dropped to the ground. "I yield," he said, his words thick with Scanran.
Romeli nodded, gasping for breath. "Right." She turned to Alanna and handed her the sword that she had craftily taken. "Here you go."
Too exhausted to say anything after that, she walked past the sword-wielding mage and towards the real battle ground. She wasn't finished yet.
The crowd stared at her retreating figure and then began to fill in the gap where the miniature duel had taken place. Their attention once again was turned towards the grounds in front of the gallows.
When Romeli returned back to the dueling field, she came face to face with four more guards than she had left with. Her eyes darted over to the massive tree root that had consumed four of her opponents. It was blown apart and smoldering on the ground. While she had been busy dueling with her sword-wielding opponent, the head mage had taken advantage of the distraction to release the root's captors.
Her heart fell a little. There were five of them now, all standing in a row. Technically, she had only defeated half of the enemy line. Only half. Exhaustion pulled at her muscles like weights and she looked upon the Scanran mages with dread.
There is no way that this is humanly possible, she told herself, staring. No one can defeat ten black robed mages.
Giving up right there didn't seem like that bad of an idea. In fact, it almost seemed welcoming. She would go back to Scanra, only this time she was stronger. She could escape again...
But if this is Maggur's traveling arsenal, I'd hate to see the rest of the mages he has up his sleeve back in Scanra. Romeli pursed her lips, keeping her eyes firmly rooted on the duelers across from her. If I'm forced to return to Scanra, there's no leaving, which means I can't surrender.
But what could she do? Her legs were trembling beneath her and every thought came to her like mush—overworked. Her endurance was beginning to give out, and she knew that she had past the limit of her abilities hours ago. Her magic had been essential in her survival the past couple of days—escaping her imminent death, healing herself of the damage Maggur had done to her, destroying the slave collar, and saving James. All of it had taken its toll, and she had never anticipated a duel of this proportion on top of it.
Come on Romeli, think! She told herself firmly. Stop reminding yourself of your exhaustion, and focus on the solution...
Just when she thought of a potential solution, the mages attacked. Glass shards came flying in her direction with magnificent speed. Romeli took advantage of their deadly attack and conjured a shield of Golden Magic so bright that it was bound to temporarily stun anyone proud enough to keep their eyes open through the collision.
Content with her protection, she closed her eyes and focused on the large group of onlookers on the side of the field. In that group of people, there was one person who she needed now more than ever. As she closed her eyes, a slight wave of serenity washed through her—she reached the center of her being. The picture became clearer to her than ever, and suddenly the presence of hundreds of people transformed into millions of neon-like threads taking the forms of their inhabitants. She searched through the threads, looking for the right combination of colors. This person wouldn't be that difficult to find—sleazy and Scanran. There would only be one of those.
When Romeli found him, she immediately snapped out her Gift like a whip and snaked it around his middle. The whole maneuver took only a couple of seconds. By the time the mages' eyes had cleared, Maggur was pinned against Romeli, his hands and feet bound with emerald fire. Romeli held her Gift-consumed fist next to Maggur's cheek. The fire licked dangerously close to his sweating skin, and for once, Maggur looked both panicked and shocked.
Romeli's eyes burned with a hatred never before displayed on her usually serene face. The mages froze, eyes glancing at Maggur's captive state and back at her again.
"Forfeit," she told them fiercely. Her voice was hard—there was no bluffing.
The head mage stepped out from his line of comrades, making his presence more known. "You wouldn't..."
Her glare increased, and her fist lurched closer to his skin until she could hear a crackling. Maggur cried out, his right cheek raw and burned. "I've killed him before," she told him. "I'll kill him again."
"And what good would that create?" the mage asked of her, his words accented with Scanran inflections. "We would have no king."
"You're right," Romeli returned. "You would have an opportunity instead. You could find a new king with new ideas."
The mage shook his head. "It's not that easy, surely you know that."
"Of course I know that!" she snapped. "Something as monumental as choosing a new king is never easy."
The head mage walked closer to her. She could see the details in his face now—his expression seemed desperate. "If you follow through with what you're about to do, who would you be killing?"
"A monster," she growled.
He shook his head. "Look closer."
Romeli narrowed her eyes at the mage in front of her, but she followed his instructions. When she looked into Maggur's eyes, her stomach lurched. Here was the man who was the cause to all of her problems. He kidnapped her, abused her, used her, and killed her. He had taken away her right to love for the sake of his own self gain. He had killed D'mitri and almost killed James as well. He was a king who did not deserve his people, and he had sunken a once thriving country into depravity and transformed its reputation to barbarity.
More than anyone else in the world, Maggur deserved to die.
Looking at him now, he was a coward. He trembled whenever she brought her fiery Gift closer to his face. His eyes shone with a desperate plea to live that made her sick. It wasn't fair. He had tortured her relentlessly ever since her initial capture, and yet he never stopped. This would be her ultimate revenge. Now she was in power.
Romeli froze, her eyes glued on the king's.
So they had switched roles then. For once, she played the part of king. She controlled his fate, and there was nothing he could do about it. It was her ultimate revenge. Now he could find out what it felt like to be her.
The thought was horrifying.
There is a vast difference between the ideals of human decency and revenge. Many people don't realize there's a choice between the two. Either their fury consumes them and they follow through their intended actions before rational thought takes hold, or their grace does not allow their emotions to take the reigns every once in a while.
And the truth was that Maggur was the most indecent person Romeli had ever laid her eyes on. To him, everything was revenge and self-gain. But she didn't have to be Maggur. Who was she to follow his footsteps? If she gave in to the temptation of revenge, then she was no better than the man she was about to kill.
Her heart pounded in her ears and she knew that there was no way she could kill Maggur—not like this.
Romeli's hand fell from its threatening position next to Maggur's face. The Scanran King exhaled shakily, his face clammy and pale except for the red burn on his cheek. With effort, Romeli dissipated the binding around his hands and feet. Maggur stood there for a moment, staring at Romeli with a stunned expression.
She couldn't look at him. Instead she kept her head down, staring at her shaking hands in her lap. "Go," she told him. "Before I change my mind."
Maggur didn't need reminding. He quickly walked away from the open ground and into the gaping crowd.
The head mage stared at her with knowing eyes—there was no need for Romeli to explain her merciful action. "So," he started, his expression lighter. "Let's finish this duel."
Dread crawled up her spine as she stared at his retreating back and the four other mages he was walking towards.
Home stretch, she told herself, so exhausted that even the voice inside her head speaking her thoughts seemed breathless. There was nothing left in her to use—her adrenaline didn't even kick in when the final five mages brought out there Gifts again.
What else did she have? Using her Gift was a possibility. It would always be there, after all. But the worry in the back on her head that her endurance could not keep up with her powers seemed all too likely. Fainting was losing, and losing was unacceptable.
Wild Magic seemed to be useless in the factors of this duel. Calling to the People would do nothing but put them at risk and transforming into a species of the People would do next to nothing as well. And unlike her Gift, Plant Magic was not invincible to magic, giving way to risk factors that would only factor in to her defeat.
Once again she was found coming to the one conclusion she did not want to conclude to: Golden Magic.
The mages attacked before she could make a conclusion at all, and Romeli found herself depending on instinct rather than thought. Perhaps it was this instinct that saved her in the end after all. For Romeli pulled out her Golden Magic with one heave of effort and flashed a shield so strong that it left her opponents' offensive attacks...well...not so much of an attack, but a tiny little tickle on her indestructible shield of gold.
Maybe it was the look of fire in Romeli's eyes, or perhaps it was in the head mage's plans all along. Either way, the flames in the Scanran's hands extinguished and he place them in the air over his head. Though it was hard to spot from Romeli's position on the opposite side of the field, there seemed to be the smallest of twinkles in his eye.
"I forfeit," he announced, his hands still placed above him. The other mages looked at his state of surrender and followed suite. None of them felt the need to fight on when their leader felt no reason to fight at all.
A surge of relief swept through her that she could barely comprehend. She merely stood there for a few more moments and then nodded. Her legs were numb beneath her, like she were floating on a cloud instead of standing on a dirt covered ground. There seemed to be some sort of cheer coming from the crowd, but she could not hear it. She stared at the head mage across from her.
Unable to hold the weight of the past few days for a second longer, Romeli collapsed. Her vision was black before she even hit the ground.
OOO
The first scent that hit her was an extreme smell of fresh cotton. It filled her lungs in a refreshing way, leaving her with memories of open fields and newly washed laundry. She savored the crisp air in her lungs for a moment before exhaling and opening her eyes.
For some reason she thought that she would be lying on her bed back at The Tower. Reason set in however, and she realized that that would be ridiculous. Though she had grown up in that desolate area full of open fields, forests, and gardens, she could hardly call it her home—she had not been there ever since she left it, and she had left it more than a year ago.
Instead she was in the Healing Wing of the palace, tucked into a clean set of sheets with her head resting on a soft pillow. She blinked a few times, getting her sight into full focus.
"Daine, she's awake," announced the clear voice of her father. Romeli turned her head towards the voice and smiled tiredly when she came face to face with her parents.
"How are you feeling?" asked Daine gently, sitting on the edge of her cot.
Romeli assessed her current state and came to the conclusion that as long as she didn't think about it, it didn't hurt. In reality, her muscles were so sore that they were screaming. There was a heavy and raw weight on her chest—the ultimate sign of an overworked stock of magic. "I feel fine," she lied.
Daine nodded, her eyes full of disbelief. "That was quite the...well...it's been an interesting week." She seemed unsure how to word her statement.
Of course Romeli agreed, but her mind hung on her mother's last word: week. "How long have I been out...?"
"Three days," Numair informed her gently, knowing the news wouldn't settle over well.
"What?!" She shot up quickly, ignoring her protesting back muscles. She attempted to leave the tight containment of her well tucked-in sheets, but Neal scurried over just in time to push her back down.
"Stay," Neal told her firmly before walking away to tend to another patient.
Romeli exhaled sharply before speaking again, this time with a softer voice. "Three days?" In all honesty her blackout felt like three hours.
"It's perfectly understandable Romeli," Numair told her, convinced her rational brain had been thrown out the window. "So much trauma and overexertion can trigger lengthy regrouping processes such as this..."
"Fine, fine," Romeli said shaking away the thought. "Where's Maggur and the rest of the Scanrans? What happened after I...you know."
Numair gave her a reluctant smile. "Well we rushed you here immediately after you fell," he told her. "Maggur seems to have kept his side of the bargain. He didn't try anything funny after you passed out, which is good. Perhaps there's some honor left in him after all."
"Well where is he?" she asked him curiously.
"He fled with his remaining guard and mages. Back to Scanra, I'm guessing," Daine told her.
Romeli's heart sunk a little. A part of her wanted to see him off herself, just to rub it in, just to make sure he kept his word that he would leave forever. Instead she only nodded and voiced a small word of approval.
So where did that leave her now?
And suddenly she remembered. She sat up again, this time with a more careful intent, and began pulling up the sleeves of her sleeping gown. She scoured the surface of her arms, her shoulders, her legs, all while her parents eyed her with the slightest confusion.
Neal glanced over a couple times, a look of pure disapproval on his face, but he never came over to reprimand her. The whole search was for naught anyways. The only things she discovered on her skin were the numerous bandages that left more of her skin covered than exposed.
Romeli laid back down on her bed again, defeated. A small lump grew in her throat, and she knew it was just because she was tired, sore, and in shock. Still, there was a small fear in the back of her head that she had failed. She still didn't have her third Guardian, and therefore a third tattoo.
Numair seemed to figure out her previously questionable actions and placed a hand softly on her shoulder. Romeli winced internally under his touch but did not display a sense of pain on her face. "You'll get that Guardian, Romeli," he told her assuringly. "You did everything they asked, and you certainly worked hard enough to require it. All our dueling sessions certainly paid off, eh?"
She nodded, relieved by his words though she knew they held no authority when it came to the Gods. He had no way of knowing whether or not she would get her third Guardian. However, he was right when it came to the training. There was no doubt in her mind that she would have lost if it weren't for her daily training with her father.
"Yeah," she said, exhaling with the intent of relaxing her tightened chest.
Daine gave her a soft pat on the knee. "You probably need to sleep more," she told her conclusively. Both her and Numair got up. She looked at her, a little unsure for a moment. "When you do get back up on your feet again, I want to forewarn you. All of Corus is convinced you're a hero—your fame pretty much rivals the king's."
Romeli blinked a couple of times. She had a feeling that such fame was not necessarily a good thing.
Her parents said their finals goodbyes before leaving the Healing Wing. Neal redressed her bandages and gave her a bite to eat. Within minutes of the meal she was fast asleep.
OOO
When she woke again, it was the middle of the night. The only light in the room came from a small window behind her that the moonlight shone through. Romeli sat up with a wince, growing restless with her confinement. She flinched when she felt something move on the sheets beside her.
"Who's there...?" she asked, feeling just as dumb talking to the open air as she was scared. For some reason the first thought that came to her mind was that it was Maggur, and that terrified her.
"It's me," a soft voice whispered quietly next to her, a hand wrapping around her arm. Romeli let out a breath of air with relief, her heart still thumping wildly.
"Hey," she breathed out. It took a couple of minutes for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. James was sitting on a chair next to her bed, his hand placed softly on her arm. His green eyes were staring intently at her own. "You're alive."
He chuckled softly. "So are you."
Romeli placed her hand in his, and his fingers intertwined with hers immediately. Romeli stared silently at their hands for a minute. So this was the aftermath. The conclusion. The finale to her ultimate fear.
The best part was that she won. To say that everything went as planned would be a mistake. Nothing went as planned. Nothing even went as expected. Nonetheless both of them ended up alive, and that was all she could ever ask for.
She was suddenly filled with an intense feeling of euphoria. They had survived and at last they were finally free. No longer did she have to worry about touching him, kissing him in public. No longer did she have to stay up at night wondering whether or not James would be alive in the morning.
The release was so strong that she practically felt a physical weight drop from her shoulders. She grabbed the back of James' neck and smashed her lips against his with such desperate need that it left them both breathless.
James kissed her back sweetly, but refused to touch her anywhere but her face. He knew how mangled her body was—despite the multiple healings she and others had done. Her magic was overused, her body was bruised, her muscles were torn. He had seen Maggur torture her himself. Though he craved to wrap his arms around her, he pushed back the temptation. Romeli didn't deserve to feel any more pain for a while.
"Romeli?" he whispered to her in between kisses. His lips brushed against hers when he spoke, leaving her cheeks hot with his breath.
"Yes?" she whispered back, heart pounding.
"I love you."
She kissed him harder, her tongue gaining entry past his lips. Her hand ran through his dark hair, messing it up more than it already was. When they separated, she leaned her forehead against his.
"I love you too."
woo. Hot and steamy. Just the way I like my James.
I am guessing that we have two chapters left. Which is like totally woah.
Replies:
Lady Andy of California: lol. To be honest that's just the push I needed to actually get my butt in gear and finish writing this thing. For that, I thank you. Haha.
Alliekat1996: O.O omg I'm so sorry that my reply last chapter was so horrible. I even looked at the reply, and I myself not impressed. In fact, I was horrified. For that I apologize. And I totally know what you mean. When I review, I expect a reply. And not only a reply, but a good one. Mine was total weaksauce.
Hey. So guess what? GIRAFFE. Yeah. That's what. :) I'm really happy that you think I'm good at scaring people. To be perfectly honest, I was SO tempted to have Maggur kidnap her again in the Healing Wing, but I thought that that would be a little too outrageous. Also, I scared myself a couple times in this chapter. I actually had every intention of killing Maggur. I was going to kill Maggur up until the very sentence in which I didn't kill him—I shocked myself.
Actually, rambling is kind of my thing. I don't think you've ever read a world famous moose ramble, but they're pretty crazy. I would show you one, but I think they were lost a long long time ago. I know what you mean about the whole 'only able to talk to older people thing'. That used to be me—I was always mature for my age. Now people have caught up with me (either that or I've learned to be able to tolerate them).
Ah. That's so relieving that you liked my action. I've had some rough patches with it. I run out of moves, I can't think of anything. Writing this chapter was hard too, which was why it took so long. : /
Grace: lol "a update" I like I like. I know, I'm sorry bout the long update. I legit struggle with action scenes. Well...not action scenes but dueling scenes. I can't think of anything! ah. It was rough. That was one of your favorite chapters? Hallelujah. I was legit worried about it. Haha. As for Maggur keeping his word...even I don't know that one. I had every intention of killing him. But then I didn't. Don't know why I did that. Romeli is definitely stronger than a black mage. The thing is that she's dueling ten black mages. And while Romeli could win in a duel against two or three, then is pushing it. That requires some major strength and endurance. Hmm. I guess Romeli can use black magic. She never has though. Lol.
Clear Blue Rain: hooray! Haha. You know, I was thinking about it. And Romeli being a touch cookie is like a compliment. But then when you think about it, tough cookies are kind of gross. Like eating-wise, if you eat a touch cookie, it's just...tough and hard. Lol. Dunno just something I thought up.
Whisperingwinds11: Yeah I totally know what you mean. You can't kill the main character off too many times. Otherwise it just gets redundant. As for the James, Numair, or Alanna saving her theory, I believe this chapter answers your question.
Jenny-harkness: hahaha. To be perfectly honest I was tempted to have her lose the duel. But then I was like 'Moose, everyone knows you're evil. Plus then you couldn't follow through with your plan'. I totally know what you mean though. I should have the bad guy lose in the sequel. Too bad I don't know who the bad guy is yet.
Natsumi456: haha "dangit" love it. Well hopefully this chapter answered that question for ya! If it didn't I'm a little worried...
dares to dream: Ugh. Boring trips. That was totally my past two days. Absolute hell. When I become a spy, boring trips wont be a problem. Gory wounds...holla. I'm in the process of drawing a picture of her badass self. Don't know when it will be finished. It may even be finished this chapter. Haha. Ah yes. The crowd. Yeah...they were just standing and watching. My justification for their lack of help is that doing anything would probably put Romeli in more danger. Hahaha. Well...yeah. Romeli can be pretty threatening. 10 black mages. Jeeze, I wish I could have just blown them all up, but it wouldn't have been nearly as amazing. I never saw the Narnia Prince Caspain movie. Is it any good? I saw the first one and I wasn't that impressed...but you never know. Hahaha...ah yes the placement of the cliffhanger. You know I pride myself in my cliffhangers. Thanks for the review!!!
.: hahaha...I love the word menacing. I want to use that word for everything. And disheveled. I use that word a lot because it goes with anything. HAHAHAA LLAMAS FOR OBAMA?! That's priceless. I work near a llama farm. That's pretty amazing. Dude. Aplacas are the dumbest things in the world. And they think they're so cool because they're like llamas. No. They're not. Never trust an alpaca. They'll just use you. Hahaha...the bang bang pow pow scene was so hard to write. I could not write it all all. SO HARD. Thanks for the review!
RandomTamTamlover: hahaha. I'm glad you liked all the magic. Writing all that magic was like the hardest thing in the world though. I'll be honest, these past two chapters have been rough. Talk about writer's blocks! And I think there are two more chapters left. Scary huh?
Inktounge: eh. I signing in never matters. YES! That is the best compliment ever given ever! Sometimes I'm worried that something gets to melodramatic. And then I'm like...oh god now everyone is gonna think I'm a sap (so not true). Yes, I do believe Romeli has gotten a lot better with the bad habits and the solitary confinement depression (after like 50 or so chapters hahaha)...woo. Ya. I've been stuck with these past two chapters. Writing all of the dueling has been super hard. You have to make it fast paced, so you have to have a lot of moves and ideas...it's hard! Agh. Thanks for reviewing!
LittleMissGiggles'94': Alas...it is almost finished. The thought scares me. 2 chapters. (cue thunder and lightning) SO CRAZY!!! we should throw a party! ...and then get a publisher. Haha.
KEEP MOOSIN'
-moose