I'd Give Up The World For You

Rukelion helped Daisy out by holding the basket as she flitted about gathering ingredients from various stalls or stores. Every time she put one in she would beam at him and he nearly melted from the warmth of it, which was saying something considering his heat resistance. He loved watching her go.

She was so, so beautiful and bright. Every simple thing she did filled him to the brim with happiness.

Once they had gathered all the necessary ingredients she walked with her arm around his back while he did the same to her. She chatted excitedly about the feast they were going to have tonight but food was the last thing on his mind.

Honestly, he didn't need some fancy celebration for his accomplishment. She was proud of him and that was enough. He didn't need more recognition for that…especially considering what he was planning on doing with his promotion. He didn't think she would be too keen on it if she knew.

How was Rukelion going to explain things to her when the time came? Daisy had said she would have his back no matter what but if he had crossed her personal line?

She had struggled with the morality of being romantically involved with someone twelve years younger than her. She would probably have a much harder time with accepting murder…though she was already aware he had killed people during the Aveleenian War.

That was different though. It was for his job. He had gotten lucky that half of the people he needed to destroy were who he was going up against. Taking personal revenge wasn't likely to get the same level of understanding.

Rukelion was afraid to ask what she would think of his revenge even hypothetically because she might catch on and try to talk him out of it. It was better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

He loved Daisy deeply but his revenge came first. He owed Katalya that much.

He had worked too hard for too long to pull this off and couldn't back down now even if she did hate it. Terrified as he was of losing that bright smile and gentle touch forever this was something he had to do.

She was his future but he had to satisfy the demands of his past first. He could have given into the temptation of forgetting there ever was a Rukelion Blaze and stayed with her on the farm forever but the rage would have eaten him from the inside out eventually.

Daisy had a calming effect on him but it wasn't enough to rid himself of the nightmares or the all-consuming fury mingled with despair. Justice had to be served or he would never feel whole again.

His wife gave him something to live for after his revenge was complete and prevented the emptiness from consuming him entirely but she couldn't fix everything. Only destroying the king of Mirea could fill the hole inside of him.

Rukelion wanted to kill every single person who had been involved in the slaughter but it would make his military allies turn on him. Tragically, the best he could do was get rid of the royal family and maybe some royal guards in the process. The upper-level officers in the military had to be imprisoned rather than killed even though he wanted to scorch them.

He had justified living among the enemy for this long. He would have to come to accept that even though it killed him.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Daisy's voice was filled with concern. It seemed she had picked up on the general flavor of his thoughts as they walked. He kissed the top of her head to reassure her.

"I'm fine, I was just thinking about something. Why don't you get started on the apple tart when we get home while I handle the duck? I'm very good at roasting things, you know," Rukelion told her.

She laughed, not realizing the full depth of his statement. "I know. Thanks! I've never cooked a duck before."

Daisy only knew roasted duck was his favorite because one day back on the farm a duck stupidly crashed into the side of the silo and broke its neck. He happened to say something about it as they ate.

She may have rubbed it down with seasoning but he had been the one to cook it with his fire magic since she had no experience roasting birds over a spit (which was far superior to cooking them in the oven). When she was on her own she usually resorted to the inferior method since that was what she was used to but when they lived together he insisted on doing things like that himself.

They arrived at the house and both set to work preparing dinner. Rukelion was always content to work by her side no matter what it was they were doing.

"So do you start your training tomorrow?" Daisy asked as she rolled out the crust for the tart.

He nodded. "Yes. I'll be shadowing Lieutenant Colonel Hodges for a week or so to learn my new duties. After that I'll be evaluated before they let me do things on my own the same way they did after I became a major."

"I'm sure you'll do fine. You pick things up faster than anyone I've ever met. The only person who even comes close is Ira but that's because he remembers everything he reads."

"How is Ira doing, anyway?"

Rukelion didn't particularly care but since she had mentioned getting a letter from him earlier he figured he should ask since the boy mattered to his wife. He had gotten over his jealousy as soon as they weren't on the same level anymore.

Ira would always be a child in Daisy's eyes since she considered him like a son. Rukelion was the one she was in love with and he knew it. He didn't have to compete with the kid for her affection.

"He spends most of his time in the library rather than getting involved in clubs or making friends but honestly that isn't surprising. He loves learning above all else. I have no doubt he'll be a very skilled doctor one day…but I do worry a bit about his bedside manner if he doesn't work on his EQ," she admitted.

"…what is EQ?"

"Emotional quotient. In my world it's a way of measuring emotional intelligence. Social skills and stuff like that. He isn't completely terrible—he has his moments—but for the most part he's not that great with people, especially people he doesn't like."

Daisy hadn't used those terms exactly but she had mentioned that particular trait of Ira's before in her letters back when the boy lived with her. It was a large part of why she still felt lonely even though he was around.

Reading between the lines, Rukelion was pleased. Didn't that mean that he had a high EQ? The way she talked about it made that seem like a good thing.

"I see," he said.

"Hopefully he'll outgrow it. I suppose I'll see for myself how he interacts with others when I go see him, though most of his classmates will have gone home by then," she replied with a shrug.

Though he had never met the boy and didn't particularly enjoy the fact that Daisy was so close to someone else he couldn't help but smile. Her worrying about him proved that she would be a wonderful mother for their children despite her fears to the contrary.

She was simply like that with the people she loved. She was the sort of person everyone needed in their corner.

Rukelion was so overcome by that happy thought of their future together that he walked over and wrapped his arms around her from behind, kissing her neck. She laughed and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Not now, Leo! I'm in the middle of this."

"So?"

"So you need to wait until after dinner. The less you distract me, the faster it will go," Daisy pointed out.

Rukelion sighed and backed away, knowing she was right. "Fine. But you're all mine as soon as we've eaten. I'll get back to the duck."

"You do realize I'm always all yours, right?"

"That definitely isn't true. You're too popular for your own good. Everyone wants a piece of you. It's always been like that, though back in Cloverfield you didn't particularly care about anyone else so it didn't matter."

Daisy laughed again. "So you're saying I need to stop making friends?"

"No. I know you enjoy your friendships and I'm glad you have them. I'm simply pointing out that you aren't all mine all of the time," Rukelion said lightly.

"Fair enough. I do enjoy my friends but at the end of the day I still like being with you the most. Doesn't that still make me all yours in spirit?"

"I suppose."

He knew she was teasing him but he was pleased to hear it all the same. His place in her heart was unshakeable…or so he hoped.. Considering how many times she had been abandoned by everyone but him, he was under the impression that she needed him almost as much as he needed her.