Juliet's Tryst

Chapter 31: Interlude

Completely sober and exhausted, Juliet finally fell into bed. The bedroom was empty for the first time since their arrival. The only thing that kept Dee away from her was the war at home. Alone time was surprisingly rare in the castle. Immense gratefulness filled her as she looked up at the stars, a reminder of how boundlessly love is. She fell asleep above the covers, a breeze giving gentle pats across her body. 

A river filled with a white liquid was before her. Dee stood at the bank.  There was no light pollution. The stars were so bright across the sky that they almost mirrored the glistening river. There was nothing around them. 

Something terrible just happened. Something large. 

"No," the scream ripped from her throat. "Please, Dee, it doesn't have to be like this." 

Dee looked back at her. She tried to run, to move, but she was paralyzed. 

"This is Kyria's will. It is time for the power of the Ruler to be melded back into her. No more wars. No more fighting."

"Anything, I'll do anything. Take me instead. Take more of Earth. Take it all. Let her live, she's suffered enough."

She must come home. 

"I am her home! You gave her to me, I will protect her. Kyria, please." Juliet reached an arm forward but Dee was no longer looking at her. 

She is safe. She will not suffer. Her love for you will eternally rest in me, and the child inside you. 

"Dee," she cried. "Look at me, baby. Look at me. You know it doesn't have to be like this." 

She looked back. An unquestionable acceptance. There was no doubt in her mind. She took a step into the river. 

"My little human," she said, finally looking back once more. She sunk into the river - dissolving. "My alara, I will think of you forever in my next existence."

"I will meet you there," she replied. Dee fell forward, and disappeared all at once. The paralysis let her go enough for her as she emitted the loudest scream her body could muster. She crawled towards the river. There were so many colors, which slowly morphed before her in a pearly sheen. Then, the imperfection disappeared too. 

The necklace fell, nothing but a piece of metal now. 

Insistent and gentle tapping woke her, and Dee's worried face appeared swam into view. Juliet's face was covered in tears and she wrapped her arms around the Kyrion, swallowing over and over. She didn't want to cry. 

"You screamed as though you were dying," Dee said hoarsely. "Is there something wrong? Are you in pain?" 

"I had a nightmare. You were dying. Kyria wanted to take back, or something. And then you dissolved into the Kulon- is that something that can happen? Can Kyria just take your life if she wants to? I was watching you die- is it even possible for a person to get killed by Kulon?" 

"Take a breath," Dee hoisted her up, holding her like a child. In her size, Juliet disappeared. She took in a large breath and furiously wiped away tears that refused to stop. "No, it is not possible for a person to dissolve in Kulon. And Kyria has never asked for a life in exchange of anything."

Dee gently ran her fingers, sitting as still as she could until Juliet relaxed. 

"Sometimes, the daeestra can cause distressing dreams. It stems from a deep fear of losing that which you love." 

"Like the ones I had before?"

"Exactly." 

"Have you had dreams?" 

"Yes, mostly about what danger you could be in if I am ever separated from you." 

"In the dream, I was pregnant. Have you guys tested definitively whether humans and Kyrions can have offspring?" 

"There has been no occurrence, although I expect that by now it would have happened. This is considering how long we have been here."

"There is a possibility that there is an unknown child, then," Juliet looked up at the nighttime sky. 

"Yes." 

Suddenly, the lights came on in the room. Dee grabbed Juliet's chin, a rage never before seen lighting up her eyes. 

"Who," she asked, her voice deepening. 

"What are you talking about," Juliet said, nervousness blooming in her stomach. 

"There is the mark of a hit on your face, who did it?" 

"Oh, that old thing? I just walked into a pillar. Super drunk." she could not think of a better thing. She just had to protect Sarah long enough to get her out. 

"You have a terrible sense of self preservation, but you are an even worse liar," Dee let go of Juliet's chin, springing upward. As she did, the sky lightened and morphed into a normal ceiling. It was morning. 

"It was a weirdly shaped pillar," Juliet said, stubbornly refusing to relent. "Shaped like a-"

"Human hand," Dee cocked an eyebrow. 

"You're not fucking this one out of me, girl." Juliet stood up as well, putting the distance of a large bed between them. The Kyrion's nostrils flared. 

"Girl?"

"Fully derogatory but in a friendly way," Juliet said, placing her hands on her hips and sticking out a lip. Dee could never resist the lip. 

"If I did not have a war on my home planet, I would be fucking this out of you at this very second. You would be fully aware of who is girl in this scenario. Small, little, human, girl. Big Kyrion. You can take it, can't you?" 

She could not help the blush that creeped onto her face. 

"I have my ways of finding out anything and everything that happens in this castle, and I will find who did this and they will suffer." 

"Uhm, how long approximately would this take you?" 

Dee only shook her head in return. She had exactly that unspecified amount of time to get Sarah out before Dee actually killed her. Great. 

"Why are you protecting this perpetrator? You understand that you are an alara to the Ruler?" 

Juliet knew that the only way out of this was to speak Dee's language. 

"Before you get to them, I want to make them suffer in my own way," Juliet hardened her voice, trying to copy Dee. 

"I am selectively choosing to believe this," she replied, moving to get dressed. 

:)