Falling Stars

Calli caught Julian before he fell off his bed. He had had three cups of her "special tea" and was now thoroughly drunk and laughing like a maniac. She watched him in amusement, sipping her own drink. She'd mixed spiced rum from Vythalon into both of them, but it was essentially impossible for Calli to get drunk because of her increased metabolism. She'd drunk plenty of her fellow soldiers under the table, and this particular rum packed a punch. And it was easy to get tipsy because it was so much sweeter and easier going down than most drinks.

"I think the room is upside-down," Julian said, hiccuping.

"No, Julian. You're facing the floor because you're about to fall." Calli pulled him back and he flopped bonelessly across the mattress.

"Hey, you're right. The room is right side up again," he observed. He hiccuped again and it set him off laughing hysterically.

"Okay, Your Majesty. I think it's time you went to bed."

"I'm not sleepy," Julian said, seeming for all the world like a petulant four year old. Calli tapped him on the nose.

"Growing princes need their sleep," she chided. She practically dragged him toward his pillows, figuring in his drunken state he wouldn't notice that she was abnormally strong for a girl her size. He flopped against the pile of down pillows, moving his arms and legs up and down like he was trying to make a snow angel. Calli laughed.

"Wow, you are quite the lightweight," she said. "I think three cups may have been too many."

"Have you ever noticed how bright the stars are?" Julian leaned forward, comically wide eyes locked on the window. He almost fell again. "Are they supposed to be that bright? Are they getting bigger? Hey, what do we do if all the stars fall out of the sky and crash into us?"

"Cover ourselves in stardust and dance a disco," Calli replied. "Now lay down." She shoved him back down and tucked the blanket around him, wrapping him up in a princely cocoon.

"But Calli, the stars are getting bigger!"

"Yes, okay, Julian. You go to sleep now, and I'll sit over there in the corner and I'll wake you if the stars start falling on us."

"Okay." Julian yawned and laid his head down, out like a light in an instant. Calli shook her head. But she did stay in the plush chair by his window for the night, flipping through a book until the sun started coming up. It probably hadn't been her wisest decision, getting the prince drunk as a skunk, but at least it had eased his tension. She smirked when he woke up with a loud groan, flailing to get free of his blanket.

"My head is on fire," he complained. "Dear God, please close that curtain."

"It is closed," Calli said, eyes sparkling with wicked amusement. Julian groaned again.

"What the hell was in that tea?" he asked, covering his face with a pillow.

"Vythaloni rum," Calli replied. He lifted a corner of the pillow to stare at her incredulously.

"You spiked my tea?"

Calli shrugged, unapologetic. "You were upset and tense and worried. I thought you deserved a night of not being stressed. It worked."

"You drugged the prince's tea," he said, then snorted with laughter. "Goddamn, Calli. You take boldness to a whole new level."

"Thank you. I also have a good hangover remedy, in case you're interested."

"Yes please," was his muffled response. "It's like I have alarm bells going off in my skull."

Calli snickered and headed once again to the kitchen, sweetly requesting fried eggs and apple juice for His Royal Majesty. Julian was still buried in his pillow muttering curses when she returned. He made a gagging noise as she hopped onto the bed and jostled him.

"Here," she said. "I know it sounds weird, but eggs and apple juice are the best cure for a Vythaloni rum hangover."

Julian reluctantly removed the pillow and eyed the food warily. At first he took tiny bites and sips, but once he realized that it wasn't going to make him hurl, he devoured it with gusto.

"I told you so." Calli sat cross-legged at the foot of his bed, unbraiding and re-braiding her hair while he ate. Finally he set the glass and plate aside and studied her.

"You know, if it were anyone but you I think I'd be pretty annoyed that they got me drunk in secret."

"But I'm so charming and effortlessly adorable that you just can't be mad?" Calli asked, batting her lashes and trying to look innocent. Julian cracked a smile.

"Well, it did seem to put me in better spirits. Not that I can remember much after the first cup of tea."

"You thought the stars were going to fall out of the sky and crush us," Calli informed him. He grimaced again.

"You're a very cheerful drunk, actually," she added. "Clumsy though. You almost fell off the bed like, ten times. I rescued you though."

"What are you, my guardian angel?" he joked. Calli smiled at that.

"Maybe I am," she said conspiratorially. "Maybe I'm here on special angel business."

"Angel business includes getting me completely wasted?" Julian arched an eyebrow.

"Angels work in mysterious ways, Jules. Don't question my methods."

He laughed. "Sorry. But thanks, I guess. For caring enough to get me drunk. I have been wound pretty right, because of Kaleb and....everything.

Calli chewed her lip for a moment, debating whether she should say what she said next.

"I know it won't actually make you feel any better," she said quietly, "but I know how it feels. To lose your family. I get it. My whole family is dead."

Julian's eyes snapped up to meet hers. "Your whole family?"

She nodded. "My parents, my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. All of them are gone. My mom was pregnant when she died; we didn't even knew if it was a boy or a girl so they never had a name or anything. I don't know if I lost a brother or a sister."

"That's horrible." Julian looked aghast. "How...how did they die?"

"It was an attack," Calli said, twisting the fabric of her skirt in her fingers. My mom hid me but I could still...see a lot, and I could hear everything. I was taken in as a ward of another family."

It was the truth; she just didn't mention that that "family" happened to be the Centauri Army.

"I'm really sorry, Calli," Julian said quietly. "I had no idea. How old were you?"

"Eight."

He flinched slightly. "That's awfully young to lose everyone."

"Any age is too young to lose everyone," Calli said softly. "So I know, more or less, what you're feeling right now. And how you feel about your mom, and Joshua. They say that time heals all wounds, but it's not really true. They just kind of scar over." She shook herself. "But enough about that. My goal is to cheer you up, not depress us both. Just...know that you can talk to me, or not talk to me, whichever world best for you. I usually opted for the not talking."

Julian smiled slightly. "Thanks, Calli."

She smiled back then hopped off the bed. "Come on, lightweight. We can't just sit around here all day. Let's go find sow thing fun to do."