Redeeming The Enemy

        Finally, the deed was done. You would assume that with my arch nemesis, if you would even call her that.  With her gone, I would have a much easier time continuing the work that I had begun. The part of me that called her my arch nemesis  wanted to continue. That part wanted to move on and conquer the next enemy.
       Most of me remembers that she is not my enemy. Losing her the first time was painful enough but, seeing her die at my hand was very different. She laid in a puddle of gore as I realized what I had done. All she wanted was to have me back. Now I wanted her back.
       I kneeled next to her. "Juice, I am sorry. So so sorry."  I whispered. Emotion welled up inside of me. I turned towards the door and yelled. "Guards!"
       "Admiral," a guard came running in. "What is distressing you?"
       I figured my voice and face was what hinted him to think I was distressed. "She's... She's..." I looked at juice. "Dead."
     He nodded, obviously confused. "Yes, sir."
     "I remember now," I explained, "She's not my enemy."
      "She's... Not?" He was even more lost.
      "She's my best friend."
      "I thought General Platten was the best friend you ever had."
      I shook my head. "There is no friendship that can compare to my friendship with her."
      "Er," he shifted awkwardly,     "What are my instructions, Sir?"
      "Find her followers, her team." She wouldn't  have called them that.  "Her,  uh,  friends." the word came out awkwardly... Friends.
      "Does she have a phone, Sir?"
      I carefully pulled it out of her pocket, "Yes, Why?"
      "It will lead us to them." He explained as he took it. He smiled and turned to walk away.
      "Officer Becket?" I asked after he had already started walking.
      "Yes, sir?"  He turned back.
      "Get a group together to help you track them."
      "Yes, sir."
      "Don't hurt them."
      "Yes, sir."
      "Dismissed."
      "Thank you, sir." He left the room.
      "Don't worry, Juice. Everything will be okay." I said to her corpse.

      Awhile later, another guard came and found me laying on my back next to Juice.
      "Sir?" He sounded hesitant.
      "Hmm?" I answered.
      "Are you okay, Admiral?" He was disturbed by the sight of me laying next to my dead "enemy."
      "Yes, officer."
      "We found them." He informed me.
      "Good work. Bring them all here."
      "They're mad." He warned.
      "I'll explain. Bring them here."
      "Yes, sir."
      "You may leave now."
      "Yes, sir." Heel clacks told me he left the room
     I sat up. "Juice, here goes. Let's hope your friends don't kill me. " I put a hand on her cold cheek. The sensation sent a cold chill up my body, causing my eyes to tear up. I quickly removed my hand. "I can't cry."
     I stood up as the door opened and each of her team members were escorted in. I recognized all of them. "Maria, Lisa, Jeb, Amy, Marcus. Welcome."
     "What did you do to Julia?!" Maria yelled and tried to get out of the guard's grip. Then she saw Juice. "No! Lyle! What did you do?!" She yelled and struggled more.
      Jeb looked disgusted. "Lyle, how dare you, she trust--" I cut him off.
      "We need to get juice back home."
      "Wait," Maria stopped struggling,  "Did you just call her 'Juice?"
       "Yes, she's dead. We have to get her back. Where is her Dragon.?"
      Her expression morphed into smug understanding. "You're lying. You just want to know the location of Emrys to kill her too."
      "No..." I shook my head. "No, you have to believe me." I let my emotions flow into my words. "I remember who she is now."
       Maria suspiciously eyed me up and down.
       "Please..." My voice cracked.
      "Fine. We, " she looked at her friends "All go. You come, alone, unarmed."
      "I carry Juice." Jeb added.
Maria nodded. "Capiche?"
      "Alright." I sat my other weapons down. "My sword is over there."
      She looked shocked but, she was still wary and understanding. "Let's go."
      "Everyone, you're fired. Let them go." I told the guards.
      "What, Sir?" Officer Becket spoke out.
      "Becket, tell everyone to get a new job. I'm leaving and never coming back."
      The conversation ended at that.
      "Lead us out." Maria commanded.
      Marcus came up to me. "Don't try anything."
      "I won't," I assured him. He was intimidating but, that was not the reason I wasn't going good to try anything. Juice needed their help. 
      I looked back and saw Jeb pick up Juice. We left the room and started down the hallway.
Stunned, Jeb commented, "She's so cold."
      "It took a while to find you guys." I explained.
      After a few more twists, turns, and locked doors, we made it to an elevator. I typed my code in once more and the elevator tooks us straight down to the ground. the doors opened to let us directly outside.
      "Man," Amy finally spoke up. "I wish we had known about that elevator a week or two ago! "
      Marcus rolled his eyes." Yeah, me too."
      "Well," I commented, "A week ago, I didn't want you coming in there. Now, It doesn't matter."
they were silent for a while as we went down backroads and alleys.
      When we were almost there, Amy's complaints began again. "Why did we even take Lyle?"
      "We can't leave him here." Maria answered.
      "Why not?" She asked, as if I wasn't right there.
      "He doesn't belong here."
      "So? It's not like he wants to leave anyways." Amy scoffed, "If he wanted to leave he would have let us take him down a long time ago."
       "If Anyone hasn't noticed, I just fired all of my guards and told them I'm leaving." I interjected.
      Jeb glared at me. "Why don't we just leave him stranded here?"
       "We can't!" Maria snapped.
      "Why not?!" Amy retorted back.
      "Because, We--" She cut off, not wanting to admit something.
      Lisa filled in for her. "The Elders won't allow us to leave him in a world he doesn't come from." She whispered to Maria, "Calm down, Mar."
     Maria glanced at her and then to Juice, behind us, "That's not my name." she said coldly.
      "Sorry," Lisa looked away.
      Finally, we got to Emrys. The dragon scampered up to Juice and began to speak in Drakonian. I was able to catch a few words of what she said.
      Maria grumbled, "There's another reason we can't leave him.
     "Why?" Lisa carefully inquired.
"Because, We need him to speak to Emrys." Maria sowled at me.
      "I-- I don't know Drakonian."
      "We all know you've spent enough time to catch the most important phrases." Maria told me.
     *I nodded and in broken Drakonia, I told Emrys what was going on. "Juice, dead. We go home?"
      Emrys sat down, indicating for us to get on.
      "Thank you," I told her as we all got onto her back.
      I counted down in drakonian them, Emrys spit out a portal and jumped into it. A few intense seconds later, we landed in a familiar field.
      "May I take her now I yelled behind me as I climbed off and quickly ran up to Jeb, "Please?"
      He looked at Marcus. "You run the fastest.
      Marcus nodded as he slid down. "To the chief elder?"
      We both nodded as Jeb handed juice to Marcus.
      "Go." I told him and he took off running into the village center.