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— First Room —
It was a quiet room where a beautiful scene unfolded, one that Keith looked forward to watching every evening.
By the door, he could see their figures bathed in the dim light of the candles — Maeve rocking in the nursing chair slowly, with their youngest latched onto her breast. She was focused entirely on their baby, smiling and softly cooing, while the little one made little murmurs and stretched his round fingers as if responding to her.
It had been a while since they’d had a baby as shy as Cosmos. In front of others, even his siblings, he would always hide behind his parents’ legs or stretch his little arms to be picked up, curling up against their chests while avoiding eye contact with anyone. But when alone and enveloped in his mother’s warmth, he would look at her attentively, smile, babble, and move with no inhibition.
And Keith understood him. Dealing with people could be overwhelming, but Maeve possessed this comforting aura that could make anyone feel free to be themselves around her. It certainly worked its magic on him, as her husband. He could only imagine how much more magical it could be for their children, enveloped in her neverending motherly love.
Maybe this was why he enjoyed silently watching such scenes for a while before walking quietly into the room. The tenderness melted his heart, making all of the day’s hard work even more worth it. Granted, he loved Jade and would give all of himself to his kingdom and for the flowers of happiness to bloom all over the land. But his family were his own flowers of happiness, and witnessing his garden grow radiant and full of love was much more than he could have hoped for in this life.
He would never understand how he could be so lucky.
When Cosmos unlatched and gurgled softly, announcing his satisfaction in his own way, Maeve gently cleaned his little face before covering herself. Finally, she looked up to meet Keith’s loving gaze, offering him a welcoming smile.
“Just in time! His belly is full of milk, and now he’s ready to sleep!” Maeve said with gentle excitement, hoping to make the baby smile without causing agitation. She kissed his cheek before holding him against her shoulder. Meanwhile, Keith approached them, joining their little, perfect world with a delicate touch on Cosmos’ back.
Together with his wife, he would sing lullabies to their baby and rock him to sleep.
— Second Room —
The room belonged to a girl that was a bit demanding, nonetheless sweet.
“Dada, tell story.” Aurora squeezed the deer plush tighter in her little arms, hanging on to keep herself awake with her sluggish voice and heavy eyelids.
“But mama just told you one, flower,” Keith said softly, his fingers running soothingly through her olive curls as he gently tried to coax her to sleep. She was properly tucked underneath the blankets, the room was warm, and Maeve, standing on the other side of the crib, had already told her a little fairy tale. However, her mind remained stubbornly alert.
“Baby like story…” she murmured so heartfelt a manner that Keith felt a pang in his chest, tearing up. He blinked back his tears and looked up at Maeve. She seemed to be more prepared to handle Aurora’s pleas than he was, discreetly gesturing for him to just go on.
Trying to convince her to sleep would only make her start fussing and maybe even crying. His heart couldn’t bear to see her cry. Given her drowsiness, telling another story would certainly be more effective, and Aurora would probably drift off in the middle of it.
“Alright…” he said, trying to think of a story to tell her. “Once upon a time, in a mystical forest far, far away, there lived two tiny fairies…”
Aurora wasn’t fully focused on his gentle voice. Her eyelashes fluttered more and more as she battled to keep her eyes open, and she cutely yawned every now and then. Still, Keith continued with the story patiently until her lids finally shut, and Maeve leaned in to place a kiss on her temple.
She was asleep at last.
“Good night, little sweet,” Keith said gently and mimicked his wife, kissing her other temple. Aurora stirred a bit, worrying him for a second. However, she simply turned to her side, still hugging her plushie.
Now that the room was completely silent, Keith caressed her soft hair for a while longer. She was a lot like Mireille, not only in the way she looked but also in her demeanor. He couldn’t help but feel nostalgic for the times when he used to look after his little sister, trying to be there for her since their mother couldn’t, and their father wouldn’t. Of course, he couldn’t really replace them, and eventually, he felt like a failure, which led him to distance himself from her, despite her own opinions about it.
Thankfully, a lot had changed since he found true love. Not only the one he shared with Maeve, although it was what opened his eyes and his heart to everything else. Self-love, loving his other self, and renewing the love for his family through his children by welcoming them with open arms, caused him to no longer feel like a failure when it came to caring for and protecting his loved ones. It had been a long journey, but one that had brought his sister, and surprisingly, even his father closer again — although the former king would always be a better grandfather than a father.
It all fell into place, and everything was flourishing as peacefully as Aurora was sleeping now.
“I promise I’ll always listen to you and never push you away,” he vowed to her silently.
Keith felt Maeve’s hands on his shoulders, and they brought him back to the present. He offered her an apologetic smile before moving on with her to the next room.
— Third Room —
The room was… empty.
He and Maeve looked around to find evidence that Iris had been in the room, and that the maid had put her in her pajamas, but her robe and her slippers were missing, as well as the girl. Maeve huffed, placing her hands on her hips and turning to Keith with an exasperated look.
“I bet she’s on the training grounds, again .”
She wasn’t happy, for a good reason. Although Iris developed this habit only recently and had never gone farther than the training grounds — unlike two other little rascals — they couldn’t help but worry about her. Iris had way too much confidence and energy for someone so tiny, and they knew it could put her in trouble, something that definitely gave them a headache.
“She’s been getting a little too much into it, hasn’t she?” Keith asked Maeve with an apologetic tone as they rushed to track down their little girl.
“I wish she was into the discipline part of it as well,” his wife was starting to breathe in relief as they approached the training grounds and the sounds coming from there indicated what they expected.
Iris, in her pajamas and with a wooden sword in her little hands, was sparring with her big brother Helia. During the brief seconds between finding and interrupting them, Keith could see how fiercely the girl charged against the boy twice her size. Granted, Helia was most likely going easy on her. Iris had just started learning how to use a sword — a decision made not by himself or Maeve, but by him . She was younger than her brothers when they had started, but she had always been such an unstoppable force that he assured it was for the best for her to spend her energy in fighting rather than just studying and learning manners. Although it was unusual to have princesses joining in military training, there wasn’t anything official preventing them to. Keith and Maeve didn’t concern themselves with conforming to tradition anyway.
And Keith had to admit, Iris seemed so happy sparring that it warmed his heart and made him feel proud. But too soon him and Maeve had to intervene, and he knew the part each one would take.
Or the one he would not.
“Helianthus!” Maeve surprised the children by calling Helia by his full name. She would only do it when he was in trouble. Wooden swords dropped on the floor when the protective mother stormed in towards her children. “You’re her older brother, you’re supposed to be taking care of her!”
“But I am, mama! She was sneaking out to come here anyway. It’s better if I am with her, is it not?”
By the time the boy replied to Maeve, the other Keith had already surfaced, watching the little troublemaker start running around, yelling “I don’t wanna sleep! I don’t wanna sleep!”. He chuckled. He hadn’t switched because he didn’t want to deal with Iris, but because he knew he was better suited for it.
Each one of their children was unique, but he could also see something of the three of them blooming in their personalities. And Iris was the one who carried more of his heart within her. If Keith had had a chance to enjoy childhood, he could see himself being as free and full of life as she was. This is why what could be considered a challenge was delightful to him. He had fun chasing after the little one while Maeve was busy covering Helia with her cloak and chiding him over the risks of catching a cold. Then both his wife and his son would go inside, and in a more carefree manner, Keith would catch his daughter, throw her in the air, tickle her, and play tag again if it was needed to tire her out.
Because much like Aurora, Iris would only fall asleep when there was no energy left. But while Aurora’s mind was more alert, Iris was more physically active, and getting her to lie down in her bed to sleep was almost an impossible task. In the end, Keith would have to carry her to her room, wrapped snugly in his cape and curled up in his arms, deeply asleep.
Only then could he tuck her under her blankets and kiss her lids goodnight.
— Fourth Room —
In the boy’s room, Maeve had already seen that Helia was in bed and with a warm mug of milk in his hands. Despite telling him off only a while ago, she was now caressing his soft hair like the doting mother she was while he drank his milk.
Being born the way he was, Keith had been free to avoid the King and only watch his demands and demeaning insults to his other self. He had never met his mother, and there weren’t good examples of a father around. When Maeve got pregnant for the first time, all he could do was promise to himself that he would be different — he couldn’t risk his children growing up believing themselves a failure. And it got even more important when they had Luna and Helia, twins to be looked down upon by the shitty nobles who still believed that nonsense about twins being bad luck.
In this, Keith ended up being too lenient with them, even more than he and Maeve could be, which ended up causing some problems. “They can’t always ask for fun dada whenever they do something wrong,” his wife told him one day. “Kids need space and encouragement to grow, but they need boundaries too; otherwise they’ll end up hurting themselves.”
And so he understood that being a father should be both fun and boring, at the right times.
“Everything alright there, buddy?” Keith sat on the edge of Helia’s bed and poked his nose playfully, making him giggle. “Did mama explain to you why you can’t train swords with Iris late at night?”
“Mama did, but…” Maeve pursed her lips when the boy said but . Sensing his mother’s disapproval, he leaned towards his father and proceeded more quietly, as if he could keep it a secret between both of them. “Dad, you know I can protect her if anything happens, don’t you?”
“Helia…” Keith understood him, with all his heart. He himself was born to protect, after all. This is why he meant every word when he said next, “I know ya can protect your siblings if you have to, but I don’t want ya to ever need it, especially not now. You’re a kid, shouldn’t be worrying about that.”
Maeve reached out to touch Keith’s hand. Only then he realized he had been tapping the edge of the bed lightly. There was a look in her eyes he was used to seeing when she dealt with him , not him. He turned his hand over hers and squeezed her fingers reassuringly.
Meanwhile, Helia, who couldn’t understand it, frowned.
“Only Aster is older than me! And Luna by some minutes, but it doesn’t matter…” he muttered in the last part. “I’m better than him with a sword, and he’s good with swords! And I always take care of him when we…”
“When ya both are out there sticking your noses where they don’t belong,” Keith finished the sentence for him and poked his nose again to make him stop frowning. “Gotta stop that, and gotta be a good role model for ya sister. I don’t wanna see any of you gettin’ trouble, gotcha?”
“Gotcha…” the boy echoed halfheartedly.
Some things take time to sink in, and Keith could only hope he would learn this lesson smoothly. Until then, he and Maeve would keep a closer eye on the three little rebels they had.
She took the empty cup when he finished his milk, and together they kissed their son goodnight.
— Fifth Room —
The room was as peaceful as the girl who lived there. Luna was sitting by the window, a colorful picture book on her knees and a lantern by her side. Her green eyes lit up when she saw her parents by the door, and she immediately closed the book, set it aside, and blew out the candle in the lantern before rushing to meet them. Keith knew she had been eagerly awaiting their arrival, and had she been more outspoken, she would have complained about their delay.
But she was too sweet to say anything. Instead, she took Maeve’s hands and asked, perfectly politely, “Mama, would you braid my hair, please?”
“Why won’t ya ask me to braid your hair?” Keith asked with a playful tone before Maeve could reply to her. He knew his oldest daughter well; she was a reflective child, and he enjoyed teasing her with sudden questions to see her little face twist while trying to find an answer.
And without failing, the girl blinked in confusion a few times, trying to think of an answer to that question. The truth was, both Keiths had done her hair multiple times before, but for some reason she couldn’t quite understand — most likely sheer habit, or the memories of the fun girl’s slumber parties she attended with her mother — Luna always turned to Maeve first.
“Well, do you want your dad to braid your hair, sweetie?” Her mother asked with a smile. Keith could see that she was finding that little interaction funny.
Luna was still hesitating when she nodded in agreement. He clicked his tongue, crouching down to meet her eye level.
“Why don't we each do a braid, and then you can decide which one is better?” Keith suggested, and she paused again to consider.
“I don’t see why not,” she spoke like a true lady, graciously moving between them so she could take both Maeve’s hand and his, and walk with them to her dresser.
Luna sat down and her mother took the hairbrush, parting her long black hair in two so they could each work on one side. Keith still played with her hair a bit, messing it up to try to make her laugh. When he succeeded in amusing his shy and serious daughter, those cute little giggles were enough to warm up his heart. He could keep going just to make her laugh more, but it was late, and she was supposed to go to sleep soon.
“How was your day, flower? I heard you got a letter,” Maeve asked her when she caught her breath. That moment when she was relaxed and enjoying her parents’ company was the best time for conversation.
“Indeed! From godmama. She said Lianna remembers me, can you believe that? We haven’t seen them in two months!” Luna exclaimed joyfully.
“You’re like a big sister to her too, see?” Maeve said with a smile, reaching out for a pink ribbon to tie off her braid.
“There’ll be a goodwill ball in Rhodolite in a few weeks, so we can pay a visit to ya godmama, sweetie,” Keith decided to cheer her up even more, and the gleam in her eyes were better than her giggling.
“Can I write to her to tell we’re visiting?” Luna turned to her mother to ask her.
It was Keith’s turn to fetch a ribbon to tie off the braid he had done.
“Of course, dearest! Beatrice will be so happy to know,” Maeve leaned closer to see her reflection on the mirror, and Keith followed her. “But now tell us. Which braid is the best?”
“Mine, naturally! Isn’t it a perfect braid?” he said with a smug smile.
“I don’t know… Mama’s braid is more neat, but yours got style, papa!”
Keith chuckled. She was way too sweet.
With that matter settled, they tucked her in bed where she talked a bit more about her day before starting to yawn. It was time for their goodnight kiss, and Luna, being the affectionate child she was, returned the kiss on their cheeks every night.
“Papa…” she murmured drowsily. “I wanna give the other papa a kiss too.”
“Of course, sweetheart.”
He would do anything for her.
— Sixth Room —
The room wasn’t as cozy as the previous ones, with too many candles lit as if the boy who lived there was still fully active, rather than getting ready to sleep. However, the truth was that Aster was deeply asleep, his head resting on open books as he sat by his desk in an uncomfortable position. He probably had dismissed his attendant earlier that night to study, but had eventually become so tired he dozed off while doing so.
Maeve silently brushed his curls away to reveal his closed lids and flushed face, confirming his slumber. She nodded at Keith, signaling that he could pick Aster up and place him in his bed.
His little boy was growing taller and heavier by the day, Keith thought as he carried him in his arms. Being his first child, he clearly remembered how it felt holding him right after he was born, when everything was new and made him so scared. He was so tiny that Keith felt safer holding him in his hands, where he fit better, rather than in his arms. Now he knew Aster would easily grow as tall as him in some years.
It was magical how a small and fragile sprout could grow to be a tall and strong tree. And Keith knew he would become really magnificent. Sure, he had his share in his parents’ headache when he joined Helia and Iris for some mischief, especially the former, when the boys’ need to explore took them too far into the woods, mobilizing searching parties just to find them. “If I am to be king, I need to know every inch of this land, papa,” he would try to explain himself. And studying how big Jade actually was never made him fret. There were no efforts he wouldn’t make to meet the expectations people had over the prince heir.
Keith placed him in his bed, and he and Maeve gently removed his shoes, belt, and vest to help him feel more comfortable through the night. As Keith tucked his son under the blankets, Aster stretched his body a bit, and his eyelids opened just slightly, revealing unfocused golden eyes that looked straight at him.
“Dad… Will you help me with politics?” His voice sounded distant, and his speech was groggy and slow. Aster wasn’t quite awake, but he echoed a request he likely had been thinking about before falling asleep. “It’s… So hard to get…”
Maeve, who was ceremoniously extinguishing the candles of his room, turned to stare at father and son with a worried look.
“Don’t worry, bud. We will study together in the morning. Now sleep tight.” Keith ruffled his hair softly and reassuringly. The boy didn’t answer, but he smiled before closing his eyes again.
“Isn’t his tutor pushing him too hard?” Maeve finally expressed her concerns in a quiet whisper, moving closer and taking Keith's arm. They watched their son sleeping together. “He’s just a kid.”
“He’s the future king of Jade, love,” he kissed her forehead and brought her a little closer. Even after all those years, he knew many things about the royal life were still new to her, or just hard to accept. “I’m ensuring that his tutor isn’t overwhelming him, and I’m assisting him in every way I can.”
Maeve sighed, but ultimately she smiled and nodded. She trusted Keith would always take the best care of their children, no matter their responsibilities as little princes and princesses. With time, he had learned to accept that he had done the best he could for Mireille and Tio — no matter how painful the memory still was to his heart. Now, he and his other self could do a lot better to nurture, protect, and work side by side with Maeve and their children as he intended to with his brother.
His family, for Keith, was a chance to start over. And together, they would ensure that the flowers of happiness were always blooming in Jade.
— Seventh Room —
Every night felt like Heaven. After so much work, and so much love, Keith still could snuggle with his wife, laying his head against her breast and intertwining their legs together. He would never be able to describe that feeling. Maeve had become even warmer and softer over the years, so naturally it took a while for him to realize that all of that comfort he felt whenever they were alone in their bed, right before sleeping, emanated from her. And from the neverending love, support, and acceptance she gave him.
Keith closed his eyes and let himself dive into those delightful sensations. The flowery and herbal scents of her, mixed with the milky one on her skin, filled his mind so deeply he was sure it reached the forest in his head, and his other self was likely indulging in it too.
Maeve was his safe haven; the one who showed him what true love was in many of its shapes. She had taken them — him and his other self — as lovers, as husbands, as the fathers to her babies. She had changed her life to embrace the title of princess and of future queen out of her immense feelings towards them and their land, and she would always be the symbol of that eternal bond between Jade and the spirit of nature. The Goddess she served, he saw, felt, lived and loved in her. For there was no other word to define Maeve to him that wasn’t sacred.
“I love you…” Keith whispered against her skin, pressing their bodies together even further. He wished he could simply melt into her.
“I love you too…” She murmured so softly and earnestly in return that he felt like it could be possible.
They could melt and become one forever.
Or at least until next morning; when the sun would bring their children barging into their room and jumping on their beds so they could live it all again.
Happily, and full of love.