Chapter Text
Back at home, Melody walked along the beach. Her bare feet had flecks of wet sand stuck to them. It had been days since Jim’s disappearance. B.E.N, Dr Doppler and Dash were searching today. They had made a rota, so there were always people looking for Jim. Melody assured herself that if someone wanted to use Jim as bargaining to get something from the local royals- they would come forward soon.
She would pay any price.
Her feet ambled aimlessly along the expanse of gold. She couldn’t think of anything besides Jim’s face when they had argued.
What a fool she had been.
3 hours after leaving the palace she came upon a cliff edge. Her blue eyes followed the ragged up unto the blue of the sky above. She sighed. She was about to turn back to the palace when something stopped her.
A dull singing on the breeze.
She frowned, eyes glancing back to the cliff edge. She narrowed her gaze up the cliff face. Eventually she spotted an entrance to a cave. Her eyes widened.
The singing continued. It was awful, and a voice she didn’t recognize.
But curiosity always got the better of her. Jim had told her off for it before, in a very loving way of course.
**
“Melody!”
I ignored him.
“Melody stop!” Jim repeated. I looked down, flashing him a grin. He too was grinning, desperately trying to contain excited laughter.
He was getting boring in his old age. Three years of travelling, and we hadn’t actually done something reckless in ages . So of course, when we happened upon this derelict castle in the middle of a flaming lava lake across a concerningly small rickety bridge. I needed to go in. Vines and stinging nettles had reclaimed the walls to the castle. The green of them starkly contrasted the ashen red of the island itself.
We went in, and found a stairwell leading to the ‘tallest tower’. Of course, I needed to climb it. And when I found a cobbled room fit for a princess in need of rescuing, of course, I needed to command Jim away so that he could rescue me from the ghastly dragon and set me free.
Jim telling me to stop was during his descent back down the stairs. I was closing the door on him, but also stooping down to pull off my tights. I told him he needed to find an alternative entrance if he wanted to come in and set me free. I closed the door fully then, yelling through it that my dress was horribly uncomfortable.
I heard him running down the stairs after that. I smiled to myself. I then took the time to look about me more closely. It was a stone room, magically clean and dusky in its interior. A large rug lay on the floor, red and gold trimmed. Gothic with its fire lanterns in ornate arches. Green curtains hung either side of a sheer net which surrounded the bed. Bed is a strong word for what was there though. I imagined a glorious mattress and quilt once lay upon the wood.. Now however it was just a wooden stage. In the middle of the wall surrounding it was a beautiful window, almond shaped at the top and flat across the bottom. On the small window ledge set a rose, dead and brown in colour, but maintaining its pretty shape. She smiled at it.
About half an hour later Jim came swinging into the room, crashing onto the ground. He rolled on his back, laughing and panting.
“Melody you are so cruel! You need to stop being this curious or you’re going to get us both killed” He cackled. I smiled, laying on my side on the bed. He finally got up and looked at me. His breath caught and his face flushed.
“
Melody-
” He started, voice faltering.
“Get over here.” I commanded.
He did.
**
Panting, Melody came to the entrance of the cave. It stunk. Melody screwed her face up, and definitely began to regret climbing up. But she had yet to see the dweller, and would be damned to leave before checking said singer was okay.
She stood up, one hand across her mouth and the other holding the rock to her side. She took a hesitant step forward, eyes darting across the rum bottles and patches of vomit. There were wrappers too, used in the palace to keep bread and cheeses. The singing had ceased and the alcove was now filled with snoring. She edged further inside. The sleeper was blocked by rocks. She stepped further still.
What if they wake up before I have a chance to get away?
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Their body.
Wait… what?
Their face.
WHAT?!
Jim!!
Melody screamed. Jim sat bolt upright, yelling in shock. He promptly vomited down himself.
“Jim!” Melody screamed, throwing herself (yes, even with the vomit) onto Jim, arms hugging around his neck. Tears were on her cheeks. She joyfully repeated “You’re alive, you’re alive!”
Jim pushed her back, vomited again and looked at Melody.
“Melody?” He slurred. She smiled, nodding and crying. She hugged him again. He groaned, pushing her back again.
There was some silence, while Jim gathered his senses.
“You were mad at me.” He said, cartoonishly frowning in his drunkenness.
“I was, I’m so sorry! But you’ve been missing for days and I thought you were dead!”
“Days?” He began to fall to the side. She grasped his shoulders and held him upright.
“Yes Jim. We were worried sick.”
“I’m sick.” He said, burping loudly. Melody grimaced.
“You’re very drunk.”
“Yes!” He said, painfully loud for the small cave. Melody looked at him, how he hadn’t died from alcohol poisoning was a miracle.
“You never drink.”
“Nope!” He said, eyes wide and grinning like a child who is claiming they don’t have the item they hold behind their back. Melody shook her head, but couldn’t help smiling.
Jim was here the whole time, so close to home and drunk as a teenager on their first bender.
“Why did you come here?” Melody asked. Jim’s head lulled forward, and sweat dripped onto his filthy legs.
“Angry. Sad. Bought food. Went back for rum at night.” His head sporadically dipped and then shot upright, then dipped again as he spoke. Melody tried to steady his face, but the relaxed weight of a drunkard is a heavy weight.
“I’m sorry Jim. For what I said. I know you didn’t mean children. Let’s talk more about this when you’re sober.”
Jim burped again, then took a hold of Melody’s arms. He moved them to his side, resting them on the rock there. He then flung himself off to the back of the cave, and slowly, slowly shuffled to a bag there. After he threw up again next to it, he pulled out a small box. He then threw it in Melody’s general direction and passed out.
Melody went straight to Jim, checking he could breathe. She sighed, but remained smiling in her relief to find Jim. She then turned to the box. It was small and simple. She opened it and inside were two rings. Both were silver, exquisitely shined yet simple. One was thicker and completely plain, the other was thinner and had a single pearl in the center. It was grasped by three silver arches, curved up and around the pearl. Both rings were beautiful.
She knew what they were. New tears gathered in her eyes as she looked over to her unconscious friend, lover, partner and soul mate.
When the time came, she’d know exactly what to say.