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Ruby runs away because she knows she cannot save Jet. She needs help. Someone to save her sister. Someone to keep a half of her from dying. Someone to help Jet before it is too late. She fears too late was the moment she convinced Jet to go check the attic. She fears her sister is already gone, although she knows it is not true yet. But she feels time sleeping out, so she runs. Air filling her lungs, feeling like poison. She feels Jet’s poison, in her lungs, in her heart and in her brain. It is killing her too. Not in the way it kills Jet. It kills her souls.
She wants to scream. “Help my sister!”. She wants to beg, to cry, to fall to her knees. But as long as there is a chance, as long as she can get to Theo, or her dad, or anyone friendly, she runs. Her half heart glows up. She knows Jet is fighting. She wants to hold her pinky. She wants to turn around and put them together, help her. She knows she must not. She must run. Run until she no longer can, until she has found help, or until she dies. So, she runs as she feels her heart break. There will be time for tears, but now she must try. Try her best for Jet.
Jet, who is trying her best to stay here. She wants to protect her sister, her dad, her cousin, her uncles. Everyone. She wants to protect everyone. She is happy Ruby ran. Ruby is safe. Liam is safe. She did it, she protected them. Why does it feel so bittersweet? Maybe she is not ready to die. She is trying her best to not die. But poison runs through her body, and she can feel Liam trying to help. Sweet Liam, as much as he says he is a war guy, he still has a golden heart.
She looks at Liam. His eyes clouded with sadness. Jet tries to smile, but the pain stops her. There is so much she needs to say. There is not enough time. Questions run through her head. Will Ruby be okay? Is she safe? Her parents, what will happen now with them? It hurts her more than poison could. She just wants everyone to be okay. No hurt, no heartbreak should come to her family. She loves them all so much. They are her world. All of them. No longer here and no longer moving her mouth Jet talks to Liam.
Liam, a seed guy turned war guy. A young man dealing with pain beyond his age. Bloodied hands way too many times. He could not leave Jet behind. He would not. He wants his friend alive. Too many friends gone. Liam was always alone until he met Preston. Then he met the twins. Two princesses that took him as an equal. Two princesses that when Preston was taken away from him, they kept him close. Two princesses that let him in on their language. Two princesses that became his best friends. And now one of them is dying on his arms.
He feels so impotent. Liam tries his best, but he can not do anything. The poison is far too spread throughout her body. Jet far too weak now. At least she will not die alone. Loneliness is far too close to Liam. He knows this feeling far too well. No way that will be what Jet feels last. Not under his watch. Not when he is here. A war guy does not leave anyone behind. Jet deserves to rest with her aunts. He will carry her home. Saving her was not possible, but Liam will honor her. He honors her by staying by her side. Staying as strong as he can be, making sure Jet’s passing is as sweet as it can be. As sweet as her, as sweet as Rocks. Once Jet is gone, she will take her home. How he wished they had listened to Theo.
Theo. A knight, a protector, a failure. He let traitors come too close. He spent all that time hating on the chancellor but trusting Calroy. He hated a good man; he trusted a snake. Now Sir Toby was dead. He was locked. Did Lazuli die for nothing? Did Lapin die for nothing? He cannot lose anyone else. He has to escape. He has to find the king, the Queen, the princesses, Liam, Cumulus. He has to find everyone. Protect them. Be of use, make their sacrifices worth something. Mean something. He thinks of Lazuli’s sacrifice, and he thinks of his lessons. Knock. He opens the door, sword in hand. He fights for Candia, for the Rocks, for his soul.
He fights with fire on his heart. He will find the King and with Him save everyone. The Unfallen. If he finds Him, everything will be alright. But he needs to be fast, he needs to be quick. Now or never. Now or death. Theo slashes the enemies, angrily. He thinks of Lazuli. He thinks of Lapin. No one else is dying. Not anyone he loves. Not anymore. He tells himself no one else is dying, but then he sees Amethar sfall from the sky.
Amethar. His back hurts. He is still trying to understand what happened. Calroy betrayed him. One of his most trusted allies, one of his longest friends. Stabbed him in the back, like a coward. Murdered two of his sisters, like a coward. Threw him of the castle, like a coward. How he wishes he could have grabbed that stupid snake arm. They would both probably die. He always thought dying was okay if you died winning the battle. This was not winning. Falling to his death, with Calroy roaming his home, was the farthest he could be from a win. He had to live another day, so he could kill that bastard. But poison corrodes his body, and it is so hard. Still, Amethar must try.
He thinks of his daughters as he slowly is able to move his fingers again. He thinks of how graceful Ruby looked as she flew attached to the ropes through the ships. Arrows flying, killing the captain in one shot. He thinks of the pride in Jet’s face as they did the Daddy-Daughter special, how strong she had become. Amethar needs to do this for them. He needs to think of his daughters. Once they are safe, maybe he can die. But first, he has to think of Ruby and Jet.
And thinking of them he does. For a second, the king wants to believe his eyes are lying. The red hue, the glow. He knows is one of the lockets. His stomach turns. Arms awaken. This cannot be happening. Anything but this. Amethar wants to stop time. Run towards them, but he cannot. He is forced to fall as he sees the light of his daughter turn off. Forever. He knows in an instant. Jet is gone. His precious daughter, his precious fighter. She is dead. And he, he is furious. He is raging. He has never felt so angry, at the world, at himself, at Calroy, at who ever did this. He rages with so much ire that he slowly becomes fire. A meteor, ready to strike this planet and destroy it. He no longer is falling. He is coming down with a mission. He takes the damage gladly, not falling to his knees. Why does he never fall, why cannot he die? His sisters, his daughter. Everyone he loves dies. He is so angry. He stands up, and with all the rage he has ever felt he roars. Payment day on his hand, a crater left on impact. He lets out a scream that breaks the sky in two.
When Theo hears the scream, he knows something terrible has happened. He knows he lost someone again. He cannot explain why, but his chest feels it. The air smells like grief. He failed yet again. No time to feel bad for oneself, he thinks. He must find the King, protect Him. Find Liam, and the princesses who he can only pray they are alive. He looks for Cumulous, scanning the area as he runs outside. He needs back up. Sir Toby is dead, someone else is dead. Lazuli, Lapin and now who. He cannot be consumed by grief. He must fight it, and he must protect whoever is left.
Cumulous, who was talking to the Sugar Plum Fairy hears screams. He runs towards them. Death is beautiful, but he is here to protect Candia. To protect the magic of this world. His cousin’s screams, the sound of clashing swords. Something truly bad is happening, and he must save magic. He must save Candia. He could not save Lazuli, it was his time to redeem himself.
Liam stands besides Jet’s body. He hears war happening at the castle. He does not know what to do. Leaving Jet behind, even if it is just her body, feels wrong. Can he do anything else? Liam is so tired of loss, of war, of pain, of loneliness. He wipes his tears of when he hears Jet speaking to him for the last time. “Tell Ruby I love her” her mouth does not move. It is frozen in slightly curved lips, starting a smile. He does not understand, until he looks up. Jet’s spirit talks to him once more “And that she did the right thing.” He wishes he could answer, but all he can do is nod as he sees Jet be taken away by someone he cannot quite see. Tears run down his cheek. He must find Ruby.
Ruby is still running. Every fiber of her being aching from exhaustion, the hits she took and the grief she feels. The Locket of the Sweetest Heart is on her hand, and she can feel it glow. She knows before the light goes out. It is a fragment of a second, but she knows. She feels a part of her die, and then she sees the light glowing no more. How unfair life is. Lapin and Preston hurt, but this destroys. She wants to weep; she wants to wail. For a second Ruby does think she managed to scream. But her lungs are too deflated, her throat to dry. It is her dad. She feels him, and she feels that he knows. A hug is all she wants. Guilt runs through her veins, if only she had listened to Mom. Oh, how is she going to tell mom… Jet is gone, her best friend, her sister, her heart is gone. And she cannot process it beyond wanting to run, kill and cry all at once.
Jet feels herself float away. Her body no longer hurts, and although she is sad she is gone, she is glad Ruby and Liam are safe. She hears a voice, as a hand touches her shoulder. “Good Job solider, you got her home. Ruby is gonna be alright”
Rococoa is there, in front of her. Glorious, beautiful and regal. She is smiling at Jet with sadness and love.
“Thank you” Jet does not feel scared. She has her aunt here, and she feels calm.
“Work is not over, there is plenty we can do from this side. You ready?”
Jet laughs. “I mean yeah, that sounds awesome.” Nothing can keep the greatest fighter out of this. Not even death. She is ready to fight for her sister, for her family, for her country. Even beyond the grave. If it is needed, for an entire eternity.
Rococoa smiles and looks at Jet in the eyes. “I have bad news. If you thought the adventure was gonna end, it is not. “
Once again, Jet smiles. It is horrible she will no longer see them, but she can still protect them. She was born to protect, and in death, she will save them. “Well if you thought the adventure was gonna die, she definitely fucking wasn’t”
A proud smile adorns Rococoa’s face. She kisses Jet’s cheek, and with love and kindness of someone who happily died to protect others she says “Let’s go to work”.