"Come on, wake up sleepyhead."
I woke up to gentle shaking, rocking me back and forth on a soft surface that was the mattress. I groaned, opening my eyes a sliver. I saw a blurry image in front of me, of brown eyes and dirty blonde hair that I knew so well. I shook my head, pressing my face into the folds of my pillow, clutching at it as if it were a lifeline.
"Aw come on. It's getting late Scott. You need to wake up." Jimmy said, shaking my arm again.
"Ugh." I mumbled, pushing myself up from the bed and rubbing my eyes.
"There you go. It's like, ten o' clock." Jimmy said, sitting down next to me, but leaving space between us. "The others were shocked to hear you slept in-"
"Ha ha." I said sarcastically, my voice hoarse from sleep.
Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Oh don't be like that." He said still wearing that cheeky grin of his. "Want to go downstairs for breakfast-?"
"No." I cut off, narrowing my eyes at him.
"Oookay then." Jimmy answered. "I'll bring it up here I guess-"
"You don't have to-" I started.
"Scott, you need to eat. I'll be right back." He said with a tone of finality, standing up and leaving before I could protest again.
Ten minutes later I was sat crisscrossed in the center of the bed, my chin resting in my hand and my other hand playing with the sheets and drawing patterns in the folds.
After a moment, the door opened and Jimmy came back in, carrying two bowls of cereal, although one was absent of milk. "I heard what happened a few days ago- thought it best if I give you it dry." Jimmy said a bit awkwardly, handing me the bowl before sitting down next to me with his own breakfast.
"Thanks." I mumbled, pushing the dry cereal around with the spoon before taking a bite.
"No problem." Jimmy answered with a small smile.
We ate in silence. Surprisingly, I almost finished my cereal. Jimmy smiled at me again, before taking the bowl from my hands.
"I was thinking we could go for a walk. Around the castle or outside or something-" he started.
"Why are you being so nice?" I blurted out before I could stop myself, my face twisting in confusion.
Jimmy frowned at my question. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Why are you being so nice after- after everything I've done. After everything I've done to you!" I repeated, my voice cracking with an emotion I really didn't want to feel at the moment.
Jimmy sighed, putting the bowls on my nightstand. "I guess I just...wanted to start over with you, you know? I miss you." He said quietly.
"Uh huh. And how do we start over?" I asked, feelings beginning to boil seemingly underneath my skin and in the pit of my stomach. "I can't do this again Jimmy-"
"Hi. I'm Jimmy." He said, cutting me off and holding out his hand as if asking for me to shake it.
"Wha- I'm not doing this." I said, my eyes narrowing at him.
"You're doing it. Come on." He replied, moving his hand to try and get me to take it.
I rolled my eyes before I sighed. "Hey, I'm Scott." I said, trying to keep my begrudging tone from my voice, as I took his hand and shook it twice.
Jimmy smiled. "There you go." He said softly. "Now let's go on a walk. Come on." He added, tugging on my arm gently, bringing me to my feet along with him.
I sighed again. "Fine. Whatever. Let's go."
Jimmy walked a little ahead of me through the halls of the castle.
I don't think he noticed how he skipped every other step, or how his arms swung perfectly in rhythm with his body as he walked.
I blinked, stuffing my hands in my pockets, and staring at the ground instead of Jimmy, struggling to stop old feelings from resurfacing. He would never fully forgive me for everything, so why hope?
"Hey, you good?" He asked, turning around after noticing how I had started to trail behind.
"Yeah I-" I started before I was cut off from voice in the room beside us. I raised an eyebrow, approaching the door to eavesdrop. Jimmy came closer beside me, listening in as well.
"Katherine, we cannot keep him here. The meadows are freezing, Hyacinth cannot withstand-" Came the voice of whom I recognized as Katherine's mother, Giselle.
"Mom, please. His sister is still in the apothecary- I don't know how he'll react if I have to separate them-"
"Katherine Elizabeth this cannot keep going. The citizens are complaining about snowfall in July!"
"I know. I know." Katherine sighed. "We've tried mom, I don't know what else to do for him-"
"Well, you and the others will have to find something if he is going to stay here. I am not fond of him, and he brings destruction and violence everywhere he goes." Giselle said, and for the first time getting angry.
"What are you talking about? Scott," There it is. "doesn't do that-"
"He has dragged the Overgrown into two wars, even if he didn't start the first. His comments are barbaric and look at what he's doing to the empire. Either he straightens out and acts properly, taking back the cold, or he leaves. No negotiation."
The entire time I had stayed still, listening, chewing on the inside of my cheek till I tasted blood. Great. This was just great.
Jimmy suddenly pushed the door open before I could stop him, and I pressed myself against the wall so the two in the room wouldn't see me. "I heard raised voices. What's happening?" Jimmy asked, entering the room.
I heard Katherine sigh. "Nothing, it's just... we need Scott to calm down." She said. "The cold is getting to everyone."
"I could work with him." Jimmy suggested.
"Work with him- I'm sorry but we don't have time to work with him." Giselle said with an exasperated tone, not aimed at Jimmy, but at me despite the fact she didn't even know I was there.
"Give me three days." Jimmy said confidently.
"Jimmy, is that really the best idea? Considering your history with-" Katherine started.
"Three days." Jimmy repeated, cutting her off.
"Fine. But if you can't...pacify...him by then, he as to go." Giselle agreed. No answer from Jimmy led me to assume he had nodded, because he reentered the hall again a moment later. He jerked his head down the hall, silently telling me to follow him.
"Jimmy." I hissed in a hushed voice despite being out of earshot.
"We'll talk about it after our walk." Jimmy said, dismissing what we had just overheard.
"No- You don't realize-" I stammered, stumbling over my words in slight panic. "I can't-"
"You can. We might as well start now." Jimmy sighed, stopping.
"You don't understand. I have tried everything."
"I know you say that, but I highly doubt you've tried everything. You haven't tried letting us help you. And as you heard, we have three days. So, we might as well attempt at fixing it." Jimmy answered, and I was surprised to hear the seriousness of his tone.
I groaned, rubbing my face with my hands. "And how do you suggest we 'fix' it?" I asked, my eyes narrowing at him.
"Practice." He said with a smile. "Come on, let's find a place."
Half an hour later we were in an empty room on the ground floor of the castle.
After a lot, and I mean a lot, of arguing, Jimmy had gotten Katherine and she had said we could use this room to practice. "This is going to go horribly..." I muttered to myself, rubbing my face with my hands.
"Relax. Nothing is gonna happen." Jimmy said with a roll of his eyes. "Alright, how do we wanna start this?" He added, putting his hands on his hips.
I had to fight back a laugh, attempting to keep my expression stony as I shrugged.
"You know, you are no help." Jimmy said, giving me a look. "Just- freeze something and we can try and have you unfreeze it."
"Freeze what?" I asked. "Not something important because I'm not going to be able to unfreeze it."
"Well not with that attitude." Jimmy snapped back. "Just- on the wall or something."
I sighed, before I flicked my wrist towards the right. A thick sheet of ice formed from the sparkling frost that flew from my fingertips and palm, growing quickly and covering a wide section of the wall, more than I wanted it to.
Jimmy blinked at the mirror like sheet, tilting his head as he looked at his reflection in it. "Well, that's the easy part done." He said, tearing his eyes away from it and looking back at me. "Now to unfreeze it!"
"You seem way to excited." I pointed out with a sigh, but I allowed him to lead me in front of the sheet of ice.
"Now, how do we approach this?" Jimmy wondered aloud. "I say, just try as hard as you can and then we can go from there."
I sighed again. "Alright then." I said, raising my hand in front of the ice, my finger hovering a few inches from the surface. I tensed my arm, trying with everything I had to retract the cold and frost back into my body, just as I had when attempting to heal Gem. After a moment, my hand began to cramp as I attempted to recreate the feeling of creating the ice. Nothing. But more frost did grow along the edges. "I'm making it worse."
"That's okay. Just keep going." Jimmy said from a few feet away, an encouraging smile on his face.
My face contorted in worry, but I nodded. After a minute though, my hand began to shake violently as I held it over the ice, still trying to pull my magic back. The blue spread down my fingers barely enough to notice, becoming colder. I felt frost grow across my palm, thicker than before.
"I think that's enough-" Jimmy said, stepping forward and taking my wrist, pulling me away.
I bit back a wail, covering my face with my hands and fighting tears. "I told you- it's impossible-" I said, my voice cracking.
"No, no, no, no, no." Jimmy said softly, pulling my hands from my face. "It's okay. We'll find some way. Don't worry. Just sit down for a minute, we can take a break."
I nodded. "O-Okay." I answered through a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. To avoid sobs breaking loose, I took sharp breathes that stung my lungs and sent painful pangs down my chest. My gasps were hoarse and dry, making barely any noise.
"No- Scott- don't do that- cut it out." Jimmy said, sitting me down against the edge of the wall, then sitting down next to me. "You're gonna hurt yourself."
I buried my face in my knees without answering him, attempting to block the other man out.
"Noo, don't do this to me again. Come on, look at me." Jimmy said shaking my shoulder and forcing me to rock back and forth, like a boat in the ocean riding the waves, despite the fact I felt as if I were sinking down to the depths. "Please."
I looked up slowly, still hugging my knees tightly to my chest. My tears crystalized to ice as soon as they fell, leaving a frosty trail down my cheeks.
"Oh Scott, please don't cry, you're going to be okay." Jimmy said, his expression breaking as he pulled me closer, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
As if a lightning bolt had struck me, I remembered the events of last night, the dream and Jimmy's comfort after. I felt my face get warm, but I stayed silent as he pulled me in.
"I can't do this." I whispered into his shoulder, blinking away my tears desperately.
"Yes, you can. I know you can. We just gotta keep trying, alright?" He answered softly, pulling my hair back for me gently. "Let's try again, come on." He stood up, holding a hand for me to take.
I looked at it, nervously chewing on the inside of my cheek for a moment, before I took his hand, hoisting myself up off the ground. He led me back over to the wall covered in the ice. Looking at it, I watched as it glinted off the light from the windows, reflecting blues, purples, and pinks across the room. For the first time I saw the ice as pretty, not just as a small piece of the curse forced upon me.
I exhaled slowly, before raising my hand again over the sheet of ice.
"Here. Don't stress." Jimmy said gently. He placed his hand over mine, pressing my palm against the ice, the cold searing my skin in a pleasant way. "It's okay if you can't do it the first or second time."
I nodded, closing my eyes, and beginning to concentrate again. I tried to wipe my mind of every other thought but the cold in front of me, and Jimmy's hand pressed against mine.
I took deep breathes, continuing my concentration and trying not to panic. After a moment, I felt a sort of tingling spread across my palm, running up my fingertips like pins and needles stabbing into my skin. I opened my eyes a sliver and saw as the ice began to return to the frost like dust, flowing back into my fingertips.
I bit back a gasp of surprise, taking a few steps back. Left in the ice was a small ovale shape where my hand had been. I glanced down at my hand, the glittering frost was soaking into my palm, then back up at the ice in shock.
"Scott!" Jimmy said, his lips parted slightly. "Oh my- you got it- it's a start!" He said excitedly, almost knocking me over with a hug. "I told you it wasn't impossible!"
I couldn't speak, my eyes still on the ice. I had hardly heard Jimmy. I couldn't believe it...it worked.
Jimmy moved to stand in front of me, shaking me back and forth. "I TOLD YOU SO!" He said, wearing a huge grin. "Come on, talk to me, you alive?" he asked jokingly, waving a hand in front of my eyes.
I grabbed his wrist, staring down at his face still wearing a stunned expression. Jimmy stared up at me for a moment as well before a smile broke through his expression again.
"You did it." He said, before he hugged me, wrapping his arms around my chest. I took a step backwards to steady myself, before I hugged him back, pressing my face into his hair. It smelled of the ocean, and sea salt and I couldn't help but smile.
"Yeah. I did." I answered quietly, my voice slightly muffled. I closed my eyes, feeling exhaustion flood my body after performing the act I thought impossible.
After a moment, to my disappointment, Jimmy pulled away. "Jeez, Scott, you look tired." He said, running a thumb quickly over my under eye. "Should we take a break?"
I nodded quickly. "I want to go see Erin." I said, speaking so fast I messed up a few of my vowels, going in and out of elvish as I spoke.
Jimmy snorted. "The only thing I got out of that was 'Erin', so I suppose you want to go visit your sister?" He guessed. I nodded again, almost pulling a muscle in my neck, and Jimmy giggled. "Alright. We can go."
I smiled, a real smile for what felt like for the first time in forever. For one split second, Jimmy's expression melted and filled with affection before it snapped back to small smirk.
"Come on." He said, heading out of the room, and I followed.
I quite enjoyed our walk down to the apothecary.
Jimmy practically was skipping as we wandered down the winding path down to the whitewashed building. It wasn't snowing. That was a good thing. Though it was still a bit cold for July. Jimmy knocked on the door to the apothecary, and the girl called Lavender answered.
She looked mildly surprised, blinking a few times as she stood in the doorway.
"He wanted to see his sister." Jimmy said simply gesturing to me who stood a bit awkwardly beside him, fidgeting with my sleeve.
"Oh, alright." She answered after a moment, moving to the side to allow us in, a slightly puzzled look coming to her face.
Jimmy led me into the building, and I saw Lizzie still sitting beside Joel like they had been yesterday.
"Jimmy what are you doing with that-" Joel started, but Jimmy gave him a look.
"I'm going to stop you right there." Jimmy cut off, and I was surprised by the sharpness of his tone. "He wanted to see Erin, so I brought him."
"You're talking as if you're my babysitter." I said, trying to keep a sneer from my voice.
"I practically am, you can hardly do anything by yourself." He replied with a roll of his eyes.
I opened my mouth to speak, offended. "Excuse me-!?"
"Oh, don't lie to yourself." Jimmy said, and now I could tell he was teasing from the small smirk playing his lips and the light nudge he gave me with his elbow.
I saw Lizzie shoot us a curious look from the corner of my eye, but I ignored her, also ignoring the light heating up of my face. Instead, I narrowed my eyes at Jimmy. "Yeah, yeah whatever." I said, before I walked away, towards Erin's bed. She was still the same as yesterday, her arms crossed over her stomach, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
I sat down in the plastic chair that was still there from yesterday, chewing on my lip. "Is Katherine here?" I asked Lavender after a moment of silence.
"No. She's up at the castle. Why? Do you need anything?" The girl asked, though she sounded quite timid and cautious while speaking to me.
"I was just wondering if there were any updates on..." I trailed off, chewing on my lower lip again.
Lavender's eyes flicked to Erin for a moment. "Well, there's brain activity. She'll wake up eventually." She said, giving me a reassuring smile. "We've patched her up best we could, now we just wait."
I nodded, still not feeling much better about the situation. I looked back over Erin. She was right there yet...still felt miles away.
But that's when I began to pick up Jimmy's conversation with his sister and brother-in-law. My ear twitched as I strained them to listen.
"...so why are you still hanging out with that jerk." Joel said, a trace of a sneer in his voice.
"He is not a jerk!" Jimmy protested, and I saw from the corner of my eye, him slap Joel in the upper arm lightly. More of a tap than anything. Clearly, they didn't know I could hear them.
"Jim, I know you feel like you have to defend him because of your past together-" Lizzie started.
"This has nothing to do with that!" Jimmy snapped; anger etched into his words. "He is so much different than he was during the war-"
"You're seeing what you want to see in him." Joel cut off. "We don't want to see you hurt again-"
"What you think I'm stupid enough to jump right back into a relationship with him?" Why did that hurt? "Of course not, I'm just helping him out a little, jeez."
"We get that Jimmy but-" Lizzie started.
"No buts. I'm just helping him. That's it." Jimmy said with a tone of finality. "If I don't, no one else will."
So, he's just helping me because he pities me?
"Yes. That's the point. He doesn't deserve help." Joel said. "After everything he's done, he deserves to be in a coma just like his sister-"
"Just because he defended his kingdom? What would you do if someone launched an attack on Mezalea and you had the choice to flee and surrender the empire or fight?" Jimmy asked.
"Well- I-" Joel spluttered. "That's not the point! The point is he massacred our armies with that demonic ability of his."
"And you're saying you wouldn't go to any lengths to protect your people?"
Joel's face was crimson now. "Stop trying to humanize his actions!"
"I'm not. Just stating the obvious."
"You can hardly humanize the actions of a nonhuman." I added, finally speaking and turning to look at Joel, raising an eyebrow.
The three of them turned to look at me. Joel looked embarrassed. "Were you eavesdropping-?"
"No, it's just incredibly hard to ignore your obnoxiously loud voice." I deadpanned. "If you wanted me to be ignorant of your insults, I suggest you try whispering. Ever heard of it?"
Jimmy frowned slightly at my words but stayed silent as smoke practically flew from Joel's ears. "Oh yeah?" he asked, going to get up.
"Joel! What the hell are you doing-?" Lizzie started, pressing a gentle hand to his chest to push him back down.
"Lemme at him-" Joel growled, glaring at me.
"Joel, you cannot fight him!" Lizzie said sternly, and slightly panicked as she looked between me and Joel, as if expecting ice to impale him at any moment.
"Don't worry, I won't waste my time on the pipsqueak." I said, narrowing my eyes slightly at the brunette.
"Scott, stop instigating!" Jimmy said, sending me a sharp glare as Lizzie had to practically hold Joel down to stop him from charging at me. "Let's go." He said, standing up and heading towards me.
I glanced towards Erin one last time, watching her exhale slowly. "Fine." I grumbled, getting to my feet. Lizzie and Joel glared after me as Jimmy and I exited the building.
"You are on thin ice Scott Major." Jimmy said, glaring at me again as we began our walk back up to the castle.
"Pun intended?"
"Of course. But you are not making the other rulers fond of you." Jimmy replied.
"Well, that's not my intention."
"Of course, it isn't." Jimmy sighed, facepalming. "If you keep this up, they're going to make you leave, Scott. Do you want to be separated from your sister?"
I was silent for a moment. "No." I answered quietly.
"Exactly." Jimmy looked up at me and again I saw it. Pity. I had the strong urge to slap him across the face.
I glared at him. "Stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you feel sorry for me."
"I do."
"And why is that?" I sneered, stopping in my tracks. "Because I failed? Failed to keep everyone safe including my own family and kingdom? Failed to be a king?"
"No- why on earth- when did I ever say that?" Jimmy asked, stopping when he realized I wasn't following him anymore and turning around.
"You didn't have to." I said, my eyes narrowing even more at the other man.
Jimmy sighed, his face contorting in an emotion unknown to me. "Scott how did we go back to this? We were doing so good just an hour ago-"
"Yeah? Were we?" I asked, a threatening tone to my voice as I clenched my fists.
Tears brimmed in the corners of Jimmy's eyes. "Scott, for the last time what happened to you!? For the love of God, I just want my Scott back." He cried, a tears slipping down his freckled cheeks.
I melted at the words 'my Scott'. Then, I froze, unable to answer or move.
"Where did he go?" Jimmy asked, his voice breaking as he spoke as if it had gone through a paper shredder.
"I-" I started, stumbling over my words as I tried to think of an acceptable answer, but I kept drawing to a blank. "I don't know." I said, barely above a whisper as my voice cracked. "I'm sorry."
Jimmy took a few steps toward me, before pulling me into a hug. I was so startled I froze again, rigid like Erin had been in my dream. "Give me him back. Please." Jimmy said, his voice muffled by my shirt.
I didn't say anything. I couldn't say anything. I wrapped my arms around Jimmy, resting my face in his hair like I had done earlier. I don't know how long we stood there. It could have been seconds, minutes, hours. But finally, Jimmy pulled away, his eyes red.
"Let's just go back inside." He said quietly, before turning and beginning to walk back up the path.
I wanted to say something. I wanted to comfort him. But I couldn't. My voice just wouldn't work. So, I just stuffed my hands into my pockets and followed him in silence, staring down at the ground.
So, we walked without a word, nearing the palace. I felt something nag at me from the back of my mind, and finally I gave into it. "I'm sorry about earlier- snapping at you. Joel just got me upset and..."
Jimmy was quiet for a while. "It's okay." He said in a small voice. "But you were both kind of being jerks-"
I rolled my eyes. "I know, I know, I'm always a jerk-" I said, angrily kicking a rock on the path.
"No, not always. You've been kinda nice when you want to be."
"Kinda nice. That's reassuring." I answered sarcastically.
"Well- You know what I mean!" Jimmy replied, stammering slightly before glaring at me.
"Yes, I know what you mean." I said, smiling with appreciation at him.
Jimmy looked much happier after this, starting his skipping thing again as we approached the castle. "Want to continue practicing?" he asked.
"Three days."
"Fine. But if you can't...pacify... him by then, he has to go."
Giselle's words echoed in my head, repeating over and over, haunting me. Three days or I'd have to go. Three days or I'd have to leave my sister with these people who tried to execute her. Three days or I'd be alone. Again. "Alright." I answered. "Let's go."
***
FINALLY, THIS CHAPTER IS DONE. I swear this has been the bane of my existence. TWO WEEKS. IT TOOK ME ALMOST TWO WEEKS.
The king of procrastination: Me
But anyways, it's done now. Sorry it took me so long. Please vote and comment so I know my TWO WEEKS of work is appreciated (yes, I'm using my procrastination skills as an excuse, shush)
As always have a good day y'all and if you (and I) are lucky, I'll have the next chapter up by the end of the week!