I'd Give Up The World For You

Juliet was relieved when she discovered that three of her five heroes were onboard. The problem was going to be the last two. 

She was afraid of even talking to Krae. What if he somehow got word to Rukelion and he knew they were coming? He was a stalwart person who cared for the well-being of his clan above all else. If Zelish clan leaders were truly allied with Rukelion…

"Professor Lucien, I don't think we should talk to Krae. It's too much of a risk," she said as the two of them sat down to eat lunch together one day. 

This had become a habit. Other members of the staff seemed to think they were dating but, as was the case with Ira and Sarabeth, they were plotting something. That was the only reason they were spending time together. 

He nodded since his mouth was full, waiting to respond until he had swallowed. "Honestly, I was thinking the same thing. I haven't talked to him yet because I was worried about him potentially tipping the enemy off. The only other person I can try from the magic class is Demetria because, excluding Ira and Ciara, my students are all wind mages. We'll probably run into the same issue."

Juliet hadn't written a character named Demetria but she hadn't written a character named Alec Lucien either. She didn't like using wild cards but right now she didn't have much other choice. 

This was what she got for ending up in a fictional world functioning outside of the established timeline! Thus far she had only met six people she had actually written and several of them weren't following the rules they were supposed to. 

There hadn't been very many important characters in Down in Flames since the majority of the population was dead or in hiding to avoid the Flame's wrath. Most were only mentioned a few times. There was a very good chance that the majority of the people she had met since coming to this world would end up dead before the start of the novel. 

They might be dead already. She had no idea what Rukelion Blaze was currently up to. 

"Do you really think she'll want to get involved?" Juliet asked rather despondently. 

Professor Lucien shrugged. "We'll never know unless we try. I believe her hometown isn't too far from the capital. She might be worried about her family the same way Ira is."

Hang on… "Ira's worried about his family?"

"That was the main reason he agreed to help. The woman he thinks of as his mother works in the castle and she's expecting. Supposedly, she hasn't mentioned any details of what's going on there but generically said there have been 'changes' that people are adjusting to. 

"The vagueness of that statement makes me think that people are being threatened to keep their mouths shut about what's going on in the capital as much as possible. The less people who know what's going on, the less likely it is that they will rebel."

Juliet had all but forgotten the issue of Ira mentioning he had received a letter from his mother. Now she was hearing that it was the woman he thought of as his mother. Meaning his parents were dead the way they were supposed to be. It couldn't possibly be Daisy, could it?! She had already dismissed the possibility but now she suddenly recalled that Daisy once said she had a ward who went off to school…

"Did he mention much about her?" she asked as offhandedly as she could manage. 

Professor Lucien seemed surprised by the question but answered anyway. "Uh…let me think. I believe he mentioned she used to run a farm near Cloverfield but moved to the capital to marry her husband who is in the military. That's all I know."

Juliet's knees went weak. Cloverfield. He had seriously been in Cloverfield?! He was supposed to end up with a wealthy benefactor who sent him to school to later benefit his house but instead it seemed that he ended up with Daisy. Who kept twisting this story with every step she took. 

"Professor Gallagher? Are you alright?" Professor Lucien asked in concern. 

"I think I'm going to be sick," she confessed before lying her head on her arms on top of the table. 

"Why? What is it? What's wrong?"

"My friend. The one who married Rukelion Blaze. I think she's Ira's foster mother. I can't think of anyone else it could possibly be. There are too many coincidences."

"Oh…wow." It seemed Professor Lucien was at a loss for words. It took him more than a minute to say anything else. "Are you going to tell him? He does have the right to know but I'm concerned it will cause him to panic and lose focus on his training. He does seem very attached to her."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about," Juliet said grimly. "I don't think I can tell him. He'll find out when the time comes anyway but…"

"That might backfire on you."

"I know! But what am I supposed to do, Professor Lucien?"

"You can call me Alec, you know," he replied casually, making her blink at him in surprise. "We're around the same age and hold the same position. It wouldn't be rude, especially since we spend so much time together. Don't you think?"

Juliet hadn't expected him to change the subject so abruptly. She had to admit it would be nice though. No one had called her by her name since she fled the capital. She was 'Professor Gallagher'd to death. 

"Alright, Alec. But only if you call me Juliet." 

He beamed at her, momentarily breaking the seriousness of the conversation they had been having. She nearly went blind. That was what she got for hanging out with a light mage, she supposed. 

"Excellent! And to answer your earlier question, I think it's probably for the best not to say anything for now even if there could be issues later. If Rukelion Blaze is as obsessed with his wife as you say he'll most likely keep her hidden away somewhere. It's possible we won't even see her while we're there."

That was rather likely. But there was another problem regarding Daisy that Juliet hadn't previously considered. She was pregnant! That must have been a recent discovery or she would have heard of it before the two of them stopped being on speaking terms. 

She didn't want her friend to have to be a single mom but at the same time they couldn't let Rukelion Blaze have his reign of terror. He was a monster who needed to be stopped before he hurt anyone else. 

Juliet had given her former friend a chance. She had warned Daisy and she chose not to believe it. She probably believed it now.

Whatever she had been writing in her letters to Ira had been seriously skirting around the truth. Working in the castle…she was the queen! That would certainly take quite a bit of adjustment considering she was a modern woman. 

She had to have seen her husband's dark side at least a little by now in the aftermath and she was still protecting him by not straight out telling anyone not already in the know what had happened. That made more sense considering she was pregnant with his child. She wouldn't want anything to happen to him even more in that situation. 

"Probably," Juliet agreed absently, her mind still full of thoughts about Daisy and what terrible fate awaited her for loving a villain. 

Alec seemed to read her mind. "You're worried about her, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm worried about her! She completely disregarded my warnings and now she's stuck with a madman! Even if he isn't the one to hurt her she is going to be hurt and I don't want that for her but she made her choice."

He hesitantly reached over and put his hand on top of hers. She had taken her head off the table a while ago. "We can't control what the people we care about do, though it would be nice if we could. Whatever happens, happens and it won't be your fault. Got it?"

Juliet did feel like it would be her fault though. She had created that monster and as such she needed to be the one to destroy him (with help). 

Losing Rukelion would hurt Daisy even if she did survive all of this. She would likely never forgive Juliet or Ira for their involvement and then she would have lost everyone she cared about in one fell swoop aside from her unborn child. 

Being alone in a foreign world was difficult. Juliet knew that very well. But Daisy had chosen the worst possible person to rely on! She had to believe the other woman would find someone else to be happy with someday. It was the only way she would be able to live with herself for getting Daisy's husband killed.

Hopefully, she would move on sooner rather than later after realizing what sort of person he truly was. Who would mourn a mass murderer forever? 

Juliet knew Daisy wasn't a bad person. She wouldn't be able to accept what Rukelion Blaze truly was no matter how much she loved him. She was probably horrified by what she was discovering about him right now. 

"Got it," Juliet said because Alec was looking at her expectantly. 

That didn't stop her from worrying though. She was positive that Daisy wouldn't be able to handle whatever she learned about her husband. Whatever platitudes she was sending Ira definitely weren't true reflections of whatever she was feeling.. She had to be struggling right now.