Work Text:
Several days have passed since the battle with the Admin had come to an end and Jesse still hasn’t seen hide nor hair of Petra. No one can seem to find her, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise to Jesse; Petra’s always been good at only being found when she wants to be. But it’s just as well, since Jesse doesn’t think she’s quite ready to have the conversation about Petra leaving yet.
It takes about a week and a half before Petra finally shows up at the Order Hall one day. She stands outside the door for ages, anxiety twisting her stomach into knots. Is Jesse still going to want to go with her? What would happen to Beacontown? She knows how much Jesse loves this place, and the fear that she might lose Jesse threatens to choke her.
The door swings open and Petra takes a step back, caught like a deer in headlights. Jesse’s eyes widen in surprise, but her expression very quickly morphs into a joyous smile as she throws her arms around Petra. Petra hugs her back, tight, like she’s afraid Jesse might vanish into thin air.
“There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!” Jesse says when they let each other go. “I thought…” she rubs the back of her neck, sheepish, “I thought maybe you had left without a goodbye.”
Petra doesn’t take offense to that. She figures Jesse has more than enough reason to think she would run off, given the lies and secrets she kept through their whole adventure. Not even just with the Admin, but with the Witherstorm, too, when she’d been sick. “Not a chance. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
Jesse smiles, but her heart is pounding painfully in her chest. Petra’s abrupt disappearance and reappearance doesn’t bode well. She must be on her way out of town. “Glad to hear it. What brings you here? Are you planning on heading out soon?”
Petra hesitates, swallowing. “Uh, I. I dunno. But I caught wind you were looking for me, so I came.”
“Oh. Right.” Jesse’s smile dissipates and she spins around, walking back into the hall. “Yeah, I needed to talk to you. If you’ve got time?”
Petra follows her in, anxiety spiking. She’s terrified of the conversation she knows is coming. Jesse had said before that she was going to stick by her, but… “Sure, of course. I mean, I’m here, right?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I guess.” Jesse sounds jittery now too, fingers drumming rhythmically on her leg. She comes to a stop on the middle of the stairs leading up to where Ivor’s enchanted sets of armor are on display, then turns and takes a seat, patting the spot next to her. Sunlight filters in through the glass wall behind her, illuminating her and forming an almost halo like glow around her head.
Petra inhales as deep as possible without it being noticeable and sits beside Jesse, turning sideways to face her, hands in her lap. She asks, “So what’s up?”
The light makes Petra’s dark eyes sparkle like gems and Jesse has to look away, lest she lose what little nerve she has to say what she wants to say. Her eyes wander over the display cases full of treasures from the New Order’s adventures. It makes the conversation to come a little easier.
“I’ve been thinking a lot since what happened in Fred’s cabin,” she begins carefully, sensing Petra tense up beside her. “About you, about me, about Beacontown. About everything.”
“Jesse–” Petra’s voice sounds pained, but Jesse stops her with a look. Something in Jesse’s expression makes her fall quiet, but the queasiness stays strong.
“After the Admin busted up the town with that colossus, Lukas asked what I was going to do about the gauntlet.” She flexes her fingers unconsciously, muscles remembering how the gauntlet felt when it was stuck on her hand. “He said that, to him, it seemed like no matter what I did and how much I tried to settle down in Beacontown, I just couldn’t get out of the adventuring life. And I remember thinking, ‘I’m getting people hurt doing this. It’s not just a game anymore.’ and I thought maybe Lukas was right. Maybe I needed to just…stop. Maybe I needed to focus on taking care of my home.” She’s frowning now, eyebrows furrowed.
Beside her, Petra’s gaze remains unwavering. Her heart has snuck into her throat and her eyes are beginning to burn, but she doesn’t look away from Jesse, whose eyes are downcast. This sounds like Jesse going back on her word. Petra would be angry if she thought she deserved the right to be, but all she can feel is a stabbing pain in her chest. She opens her mouth at the same time Jesse continues.
“Then everything really went to hell, and I got to spend time with you. Really spend time with you, for the first time in what felt like forever. Obviously the situation wasn’t a good one, but it started to remind me of the old days.” Jesse sniffs, draws in a shaky breath, and Petra is horrified to discover that Jesse might cry.
“Jess.” Petra’s voice is firmer than it was before. Jesse’s gripping her knees, trying to regain her composure. Petra reaches for her hand, withdraws, then pushes through her own insecurities to hold Jesse’s hand in what she hopes comes off as reassurance. Jesse’s grip tightens on her hand.
“…I love Beacontown, and I love its people. I love the Order Hall and all of our old treasures being on proud display. I love my house. I love Reuben’s memorial most of all. Having a stable place to call home and be able to come back to is comforting.”
“Jesse, you don’t have to come with me. I shouldn’t have asked the way I–”
She lifts her head and locks eyes with Petra, resolute in her decision. “But I realized something after all that thinking. Do you know what I realized?”
“That I’m actually a manipulative brat and you would rather stay here in Beacontown after all?” She tries to make it sound like a joke, but now Jesse can hear the dread that has maybe always been there. It breaks her heart. She scoots closer to Petra, the hand holding hers coming up to where the back of Petra’s hand is resting over Jesse’s heart.
“I realized that I don’t love anything in Beacontown more than I love being with you.” The raw emotion in her voice and the sincerity in her pretty green eyes pull a strangled gasp out of Petra, and she blinks hard against the stinging in her eyes. “I was trying to convince myself that I was okay settling down because that’s what I thought I was supposed to do. But I’m not!” She wraps both of her hands around Petra’s, laughing like she’s finally been freed from the restraints she put on herself. “I haven’t been able to live comfortably in Beacontown because it’s not where I’m meant to be. It’s not where either of us are meant to be.” The look on her face is so full of adoration that Petra can hardly believe this is meant for her. “I meant what I said in the cabin. If your place is out there, then so is mine. Beacontown isn’t my home, Petra. You are.”
The crushing pressure on Petra’s lungs evaporates instantly, replaced by a lightness that leaves her dizzy and her mouth dry. But the panic starts creeping in right after. She shakes her head slowly, a few tears finally allowed to roll down her cheeks. She’s clutching Jesse’s hand like a lifeline as she struggles to find the words. Is she being truthful or is this the result of, Notch forbid, Petra inadvertently manipulating her? Doesn’t Jesse deserve something better than being constantly on the move and risking her life so Petra can go soul searching? She’d wanted Jesse to go with her so badly that it hurt, couldn’t bear the thought of losing her, but now she’s terrified that Jesse’s only trying to make her happy.
“Jesse, I– Are you sure? Like, are you really, really sure? If you’d be happier in Beacontown, then–then I get it, that’s your life. I’m not trying to take you away from what makes you happy. That’s never been my intent, I swear.”
Jesse places a hand on Petra’s cheek, wiping away tears with her thumb. She sighs. “I know you’re afraid of becoming like Romeo,” she says softly. “I know nothing I can say can permanently erase those fears. But I promise that I’m telling you the truth. I can’t give up the adventuring life, and I can’t imagine a better partner than you.” In an attempt to bring up the mood, she adds on a cheeky, “Besides, who’s going to watch your back when you get too cocky?”
An involuntary laugh bubbles out of Petra and she leans away from Jesse, swatting at her hands. She’s relieved to have an excuse to reel her emotions back in and replace them with jokes. “And who’s going to keep you from eating twelve cookies for dinner?”
Jesse grins, wide and bright. “Says the girl who goes two days without any food at all sometimes. You’d be a wreck without me!”
“And you’d be dead without me.”
“Touché. Guess we’re stuck together, huh?”
Petra shakes her head again, but there’s a small smile on her face this time. “Wouldn’t have it any other way. But what about Beacontown?”
“I’ve been talking with Radar about leaving. He says he’s up to the task of running Beacontown and I believe him. He’s young, but he’s only ever been a huge help. He’s reliable, he’s brave, and pretty much everyone likes him. Besides, he’s had me as his teacher for like two years now. I think he’ll be fine.”
Petra mulls it over for a second, then shrugs. “Yeah, I can see it. Lukas is still nearby too. I know he’d be willing to help whenever, he loves Radar.”
Jesse nods. “I’m not worried about it. Trouble seems to follow me specifically anyway. Beacontown will be fine.”
“Does anyone else know that you’re planning on leaving?”
“…No.”
“Seriously?”
“I had to make sure you even still wanted me to come! How embarrassing would it have been to announce to the entire town that I’m leaving to go travel the world with you, only for you to turn around and say, ‘Oh yeah, never mind, I actually want to go it alone?’ No thanks.”
“Fair enough,” she says, even though never in a million years would Petra have been able to say no to Jesse’s company. “When are you going to tell them?”
“Tomorrow. Axel and Olivia are supposed to come down, so I’ll get them and Lukas and tell all of them first. Then I’ll tell the rest of the town.”
Petra looks doubtful. “You think the townspeople will be okay with it?”
“They don’t really have a choice,” Jesse answers. “I love everyone, but this is my life. I’m going to do what I want with it.”
“Atta girl.” She hauls herself to her feet, offering a hand to Jesse. “C’mon, let’s get some grub. All this being sappy and talking about feelings mumbo jumbo is making me hungry.”
Jesse snorts and takes Petra’s hand. “Okay, you big softy.”
Three days later, the entire population of Beacontown is seeing the two of them off.
Everyone had handled the news fairly well. There was a lot of crying from both Jesse and Lukas; they’d been separated before, but not so far and not for so long. The girls promised to write to him every week with details of whatever adventure they’d stumbled upon for him to use in his books, and Lukas promised not to exaggerate the stories too heavily and to send drafts back to them to read.
Axel and Olivia were used to the distance and, unfortunately, the fear that came with their friends falling off the map for stretches of time. Olivia said she’d been toying with the idea of some kind of communication device for them to all keep in touch with for a while and that she would double their efforts to create it. Axel told them that he’d send word out to his griefer buddies scattered all over to offer help to them whenever they needed it. All three of them promised Jesse that they would assist Radar in leading until he could comfortably stand on his own. She was very grateful for that.
Radar cried more than any of them, which was something Jesse should have expected but didn’t. She actually had to take him aside at one point and reassure him that they would be fine because look at what they’d already lived through! Obviously there wasn’t anything the world could throw at her that she couldn’t handle. In the end, he wished them all the best, pledged that he would do everything in his power to keep Beacontown safe, and thanked Jesse several times for putting her faith in him. She thanked him for being a great friend and ruffled his hair playfully. Radar hugged her, then had to leave before he started crying again.
The townspeople had…mixed reactions. Some were worried and afraid that something would happen to them while Jesse was gone, or that something would happen to Jesse and they would never know. Others were eager for the new tales that were sure to come from the legendary Jesse and Petra and saw them off with cheers and applause.
So they’ve said their goodbyes, and now the duo stands at the entrance to Beacontown, backs to their past and facing their new future.
Jesse’s wearing Dragonsbane, looking as regal as ever in the royal purple armor, and she’s equipped with her trusty enchanted diamond sword, Glitterbug. Petra’s had her Tempest armor polished for the occasion, and the gold accents on the dark blue armor glint almost blindly in the sunlight. Miss Butter, her beloved enchanted gold sword, rests snugly in its sheath on her back. They’ve each got a pack full of items and food, and they’re raring to go.
Jesse breathes in, chilly morning air only serving to energize her. She glances sideways at Petra, who’s already looking back at her with a grin, eyes alight with excitement. Petra’s happiness makes Jesse’s heart feel like it’s going to burst, but all she can do is grab her hand and squeeze.
“You ready to take on the world again?”
“As long as you’re here, I’m ready for anything.”