A Better Version of Romeo and Juliet

In The Beginning

I turn away, not ready to accept it. He couldn't leave, not yet. He's all I've had since she died. He along with hundreds of other soldiers, including our father, had been preparing for this for ages and they weren't going to change their plans now. From what I've gathered, ever since Alaric was elected he wanted the power it gave him and everything that went along with it. Now to be fair, I wasn't actually there when he came into power, I only came into existence about 8 months after. Although it was spoken in hushed tones around the village by many of the elders.

"You won't have to worry about me Alexandra," at the sound of my full name I turn to see Dimitri standing in the doorway. "I'll have father to protect me."

"It's Alex," I remind him. "And that's not what i'm worried about." There it was, lying through my teeth yet again.

"You're not gonna miss me?" he pouted. I took his hand saying, "You know that's not true Mitri."

"I know" he replied happily as he wrapped his giant frame around me in a bear hug. "I'm just saying you need to lighten up, we can take these Romans."

Pulling back slightly, "We haven't been able to yet," I countered. Every time we attacked the huge empire, they had slaughtered the Visigoths without breaking a sweat.

"They'll never be as strong as they once were, divided as they are." came a gruff voice from behind us. Alaric. Immediately Dimitri stepped back away from me to greet him. The way my brother looked at the man, with the eyes of a mutt about to be fed, irked me. He had nothing but he utmost respect and unwavering loyalty for the Chief, and he hardly noticed the thick air of animosity between my father and I.

"You're packed and ready Dimitrios?" he asked my brother, completely ignoring me. Before he could answer, the giant of a man continued, "Good, help your sister gather her things. We leave within the hour."

I was unable to stop myself from blurting out the words, "What are you speaking of?"

Barely hiding his disgust of being spoken to in such a manner, he spoke to me as if I were a child. "You're brother is to help you with your things. We're taking you with us." I guess my fear caught in his heart and his expression softened. "You don't think I would leave my only daughter in the village alone, do you?"

I stumbled through my words, "I'm not alone, I have family and friends here. I have the village with me. I have Aunt-" Cutting me off sharply, he practically hissed, "Don't mention that woman, she is the devil in white linen."

Grabbing my shoulder, Dimitri pulled me back, putting himself in between our father and I. His soft exterior cracking to show his seemingly perpetual state of protectiveness for me.

"I'll make sure she's ready to leave," he stated with little emotion. Alaric raised an eyebrow at the two of us, as he did every time Mitri stood for me, nodded curtly and left the room, slamming the door closed.

Dimitri released a breath I had no idea he had been holding and seemed to shrink several centimeters without the air of confidence surrounding him. He turned to me and somewhat exasperatedly said, "Now, I know you've had absolutely magnificent ideas to talk back to him but at a time like this? And you bring up Aunt Cassius? How could that possibly have been a good idea?" I knew my father hated Mother's sister, Cas had been the only one to blame the Chief for her sister's murder.

I looked to the ground to avoid his questioning gaze, "it slipped out, I-i can't go with you...."

"Because of Octavian?" he asked expectantly. I thought about lying to him but he already knew the truth. I nodded slowly, hoping he would drop the subject. But of course he couldn't.

"You know you two can't stay together, he isn't one of us." I couldn't answer him. I knew he was right. Octavian was a soldier from a rival tribe whom I had met after a peace meeting between the tribes. I guess you can tell how well a peace meeting might go if both sides had fully armored solders. 

He went on instead, "Do you need help packing?"

"No, thank you. I'll be fine." I answered distractedly. Octavian would be home in two days time and I would be long gone.