I'd Give Up The World For You

The three teenagers leaned in eagerly hoping to hear what it was but didn't dare ask. Rukelion looked at Daisy with a stunned expression on his face. 

"You know?! How long has it been? Why didn't you say anything? What did she tell you?"

She sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead. "I told you I would tell you later." 

"Miss Veronica, I'd like to know too," Ira said quietly. "We came here because we wanted answers to questions before we knew you were involved. Could you please tell us too? I want to understand what is going on."

Daisy didn't know what she was supposed to do. She hadn't wanted to tell any of these people that they were characters in a novel who would end up fighting and killing each other!

Maybe there was a way around this. There was magic in this world so wouldn't it be less crazy to talk about fortunetelling than being inside of a novel? She would have to reword things very, very carefully but…

With a heavy sigh, she began twisting her hands in her lap as she twisted the truth. "Juliet and I aren't from Mirea. We're from the same place and where we come from there is this thing called fortunetelling. It's not exactly like magic but it allows certain people to know things about others without being told and see possibilities about that person. 

"I don't have that gift but Juliet does. She saw my husband's past and a possible future that didn't end up happening. Fortunetelling can be rather imprecise because people are changeable creatures capable of making their own choices. 

"That's all there is to it. The past is unchangeable, which is why she was able to know those things without anyone telling her, but the future is up to us. People like her put too much stock in fortunetelling and forget about the human element." 

"So you're saying that she saw a vision or something that Mr. Leo or uh…should I call him His Majesty?—destroyed the world and we saved it. And that's why she did all of this without checking any of the facts?" Ira asked incredulously. 

Daisy nodded. She was glad someone else found it as ridiculous as she did. Juliet really was off her rocker. 

"Well, that's just stupid," Sarabeth scoffed. "No wonder they didn't have answers to any of our questions. They hadn't bothered looking!" 

"I can't believe we ever listened to her," Ciara said despairingly. 

Ira looked at her with anguished eyes. "I knew there were too many things about this that didn't make sense. What we have seen for ourselves doesn't fit with what she said at all. We never should have believed her without proof."

Looking at them beating themselves up now made Daisy feel bad. It wasn't their faults for listening to their teacher. Technically speaking, that was their job as students. 

"You didn't believe her completely," she comforted. "You were able to see that there were holes in her story and searched for the truth yourselves. You did well. Don't worry about her anymore, okay?"

"What's going to happen to them?" Ciara asked in a hesitant voice. 

They silence grew very heavy. They had committed treason even if the students had been influenced by their teachers. Daisy hoped Rukelion was willing to go easy on Nico and Demetria at the very least. 

Juliet was another story. She had done this maliciously and nearly gotten innocent kids hurt. If he did choose to have her executed, the woman would probably deserve it. The thought still hurt because they had once been friends. 

Would she ever find someone else from her world here? Or would she spend the rest of her life being the only one who truly knew what it was like back on earth? At least she wouldn't be alone in that regard. Rukelion was in the same boat as the last Katalyan. 

But thinking of Rukelion… He hadn't spoken a word since hearing her explanation. That was concerning. 

"That will be decided after I interrogate them," he said coolly.

"I see," Ciara replied quietly. "I know I have no right to ask this but could you spare Demetria and Nico? All they were doing was following their professors' instructions. They wouldn't have done this on their own."

"I will consider it."

"Thank you."

Daisy could tell that her husband was bursting at the seams with negative emotions even if he was outwardly acting calm. She needed to talk to him properly but that couldn't happen until she got these kids out of the way. 

"Ira, would you like to check out the royal library? It's twice as big as the one you have at school," she wheedled. 

Even though this conversation had been difficult his eyes lit up. "Can we really?"

"Yes. I'll get someone to take you there then come fetch you when it's time for dinner. How does that sound? The food here is delicious; I'm sure you'll like it."

The three of them nodded eagerly. Once a scholar always a scholar! Daisy called down the hallway for the nearest guard, who happened to be Pole, and he escorted them off. Once that was done she looked at Rukelion in trepidation. 

"Are you alright?"

"How could I be?! What did she say to you about me? How long ago was this? Did you believe what she said?" he demanded. 

Oh boy. This was going to be another fun conversation. 

===

Rukelion had been worried that something bad was going to happen in the days leading up to when Daisy was supposed to give birth but the last thing he expected was assassins. Especially since one of them was the boy his wife had raised while he was in the capital. 

He had never been so confused in his life but did as she said knowing she would be upset with him if he didn't. Upsetting her was the last thing he wanted to do in her current condition. 

Finding out her friend Juliet was involved and that the two of them had some sort of falling out was the most confusing part of all but it made more sense when she said Juliet was capable of fortunetelling…and had specifically done it about him. 

What had she said to Daisy? It had to have been bad for her to recruit people to try and kill him, laughable a notion as that sort of thing succeeding was. And if she knew about his past did she know what he had done in Aveleen and to the crown prince? Had she told Daisy about that? 

Rukelion could barely hide his panic until she shooed Ira and his friends away. Then he couldn't take it anymore and his questions flooded out of him. 

Daisy looked up at him sadly. "I'm sorry about this. I wasn't going to tell you because I didn't believe her so I didn't think it was relevant. Whatever she saw…I know you, Rukelion Blaze. You aren't a villain.

"I don't remember the exact date but she stupidly tried to warn me thinking I was in danger because of you. She said you would go crazy and burn the whole world down because of what happened to your country without mentioning specifics. That you were obsessed with revenge.

"I cut her off when she tried to tell me what your name was because I wanted to hear it from you myself. I hadn't spoken to her since until today. I can't believe she was so stupid as to gather the protagonists!" 

Rukelion was too stunned by what he was hearing to even wonder what a protagonist was. Juliet knew about his revenge and told Daisy?! She had defended him—believed in him—and then he proved her wrong by going and taking over the country anyway. 

He thought back to the day she confronted him about what he had done and recalled that she hadn't seem very surprised. It was as if she was expecting something like that to happen. 

"You knew about my revenge?" he asked in a shaky voice. 

"Vaguely. All she said was that your country had been destroyed and your whole family had died in front of you so you would stop at nothing to avenge them. I didn't know you were a prince or the name of it until you told me," Daisy said apologetically.

"It fit with what I knew of your goal but I knew your intentions weren't bad. That you wanted to prevent anyone else from going through the same thing you did and that it wouldn't happen as long as the former king was in charge. 

"I don't blame you, Rukelion. You did what you felt you had to do and you didn't hurt anyone you didn't have to or use excessive force. You aren't the bloodthirsty monster she painted you to be."

So Juliet hadn't said anything about Aveleen or the crown prince. Because Daisy wouldn't think that if she knew. 

Rukelion was a bloodthirsty monster. Even now he hated that so many of his enemies still lived and breathed in prison while all of his people were dead. He had used excessive force on the crown prince and he had enjoyed it. 

Would she still love him if she knew? She had defended him rather hotly against one of her closest friends. Someone she was close enough with to tell her secret about being from another world. How had that happened, anyway? She hadn't told him until after they were married!

"Why were you so sure she was wrong about me? How did you even know about her fortunetelling? Why did she decide to warn you out of nowhere? I don't understand," he said. 

"I told you, I know you. You're a good person. As for the fortunetelling…she took a risk and told me after finding out we were from the same world. She heard me singing a song from back home and thought I would hear her out, which was stupid because I know you and she doesn't. 

"Even if you were 'supposed to be' the villain, you aren't because you chose not to be. You're kind and smart and you care too much about people to kill indiscriminately.. I don't care what she says," Daisy said scornfully.