I'd Give Up The World For You

Daisy had been getting closer and closer to losing her mind as her due date approached. Rukelion had gotten so much more overprotective than usual as she started feeling more and more unwell.

He wouldn't let her be alone for even a minute in case she went into labor and needed help. There were guards, maids, and a doctor on standby at all times. 

She understood his reasons for it—dying in childbirth was a fairly common thing in this world and he was paranoid about losing her—but that didn't make it any easier to deal with. She tried to calm herself with the thought that it would all be over soon and then he would be able to relax. 

The last thing she expected was seeing Ira and a group of random people including Juliet sneaking around in the royal gardens but she immediately knew what had happened. She, as the author, insisted that Rukelion was a villain. The very existence of a villain implied that there were heroes as well. 

But children?! She was seriously sending literal children on a suicide mission to fulfil her twisted agenda when Rukelion wasn't hurting anybody who didn't deserve it?

And Ira! He was a character in this novel too? What were the odds that the two people she was closest to were "supposed to be" mortal enemies? She supposed there was something poetic about putting a water mage against a fire mage but she couldn't think about literary analysis right now. 

Daisy was angrier than she had ever been in her life. She had told Juliet to butt out in no uncertain terms and instead of doing that she put together a group of people to come and kill her husband!

"Daisy, what's going on here?" Rukelion whispered as she stopped for breath in the middle of cursing Juliet out. 

"Juliet is a narrowminded idiot, that's what's going on," she hissed back. "Try not to hurt them but you do need to arrest them. But give them a chance to cease and desist first. I don't think Ira and the kids knew what was happening."

"Miss Veronica?" Ira asked tremulously.

Daisy sighed. He had never seen her like that so she had probably freaked him out. She couldn't muster a smile right now but she tried valiantly anyway. 

"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Ira. How do you know her?"

"…she's the literature professor at the academy and she's convinced Mr. Leo is going to destroy the world but we don't believe that. We only went along with what she was doing to try and prevent anyone from our group from getting hurt. I swear I didn't know who the king actually was until a minute ago; you have to believe me! I never would have gotten involved if I had known." 

The poor kid seemed pretty desperate for her to believe him. She did. She knew Ira was a good boy and was only doing what he thought was right after being conned by an adult he trusted. Juliet was absolutely despicable!

"I know," Daisy said softly. "Why don't you and your friends come over here out of the line of fire since you don't mean any harm?"

Ira exchanged glances with the two girls closest to him and they all walked over together with determined expressions. Those had to be Ciara and Sarabeth. He did mention them the most in his letters. 

They crossed their arms over their chests and glared daggers at Juliet, who looked thoroughly taken aback. Ira couldn't join them in it since he was too busy hugging Daisy. 

"I'm so sorry, Miss Veronica," he whispered, sounding like he might cry. 

She stroked his hair while hugging him back with one arm. "It's okay. I'm not mad at you; I'm mad at her. She knows what she's doing is wrong and still charged into it full steam ahead using her influence to drag people down with her. It's not your fault."

Rukelion Blaze momentarily glanced behind him with a frown. "…what do you want me to do about the others?" 

Daisy sighed. There was another teenage girl who looked older than the others standing by Juliet and a man in his twenties who seemed to be glowing. She didn't know if there were any more lurking around somewhere but she didn't want them to get hurt. 

"Arrest them but don't go overboard. I don't want anyone to die, you hear me?"

He gave her a sharp nod before addressing his next question to a rather startled Ira. "Are there any more of you?"

"Yes, there's Nico but I don't know where he is. Probably up a tree somewhere."

"Why would he be up a tree?" Daisy asked but before the words were fully out of her mouth several arrows came whizzing out of nowhere that Rukelion disintegrated in midair. Ah. So he was up a tree so no one would see that coming. 

Unfortunately for the archer, her husband had heat sensing abilities. He would have started scanning the trees immediately after Ira said that and been prepared for any possible attacks. 

"Get down from there if you know what's good for you," Rukelion said in a hard voice. "The next time you fire I'll torch you."

Nico seemed to know that wasn't an idle threat and gave Juliet an apologetic look when he emerged and jumped nimbly down into the garden. "I'm sorry, Professor Gallagher. I don't want to get torched."

Juliet looked like her entire world had come crumbling down around her but Daisy was too furious to feel an ounce of sympathy. She brought this entirely on herself with her stupidity. 

The man next to her looked back and forth between her and the group of students on the other side next to a still blazing Rukelion. Right now he was acting like an attack dog awaiting further orders and it made her sad. At the same time she was proud of him for listening to her and not hurting anyone instinctively. 

Her emotions were a muddled mess right now but she had to try and keep it together. She didn't want her husband to know he was supposed to be the villain of a novel. She didn't want Ira living with the burden of knowing he was a fictional character either. 

No one deserved to believe their destiny was controlled by something else. They should be free to make their own choices. 

The glowing man held his hands up. "I won't fight unless you hurt Juliet or one of these students. Demetria, stand down. I don't want you to get hurt unnecessarily."

The white-haired girl beside him had her hands balled into fists. "I won't stand down until I get answers! You fought in the Aveleenian War, didn't you? What happened to Eliot Veese?"

Veese? As in Rukelion's former lieutenant whose death indirectly resulted in his promotion to captain? Why would she be asking him about that? It wasn't as if he had anything to do with it. Daisy thought he had been killed by water mages. 

"Veese? It's been a while since I've heard that name. He was killed by an Aveleenian soldier," Rukelion said flatly. "Now are you going to stand down or do I need to make you?" 

"No! I know he was too strong to go out like that. Something must have happened. You must have done something! It's because he fought in the Katalyan War, isn't it? You were getting revenge!" Demetria insisted. 

Daisy's heart momentarily stopped at the look on her husband's face. She couldn't describe it if she tried but it was undeniably dangerous. For a split second she could almost believe he was the villain Juliet painted him to be. 

"That," he said in a deadly voice. "Was not a war. That was a one-sided slaughter. And if you dare speak of it again in my presence I will kill you. Do you understand?"

She thought that threat was more than a little extreme before remembering that everyone here had technically committed treason. That was what all of those nobles had died for. He had already been rather merciful with them at her request. 

Daisy stopped hugging Ira to put a hand on her husband's shoulder to restrain him. "Rukelion. She's just a kid."

"That's no excuse! She can't be much younger than I am and I was a military officer. There are certain things you can't say when you don't have any idea what you're talking about," he said furiously. 

"I know. But that's no reason to kill her."

"Daisy, she came here to kill us. That's a perfectly justified reason to kill her!" 

"Yes but it was only because of Juliet!" 

"And why does Juliet want to kill us? I don't understand anything that's happening right now! What is going on here? Why does she think I'm going to destroy the world? I've only talked to her twice!" 

This was going to be difficult to explain. Daisy wasn't even sure where to start.. First things first, they needed to get everyone else away because this conversation couldn't take place around people who wouldn't believe the impossible story she had to tell him.