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Callisto had heard the footsteps that followed him around. It was light, the clicking of each step indicated that it was a woman. Whoever it was, was heading straight for the maze. He grit his teeth. So they really were sending more people after him.
The woman burst into the heart of the maze, she was quiet and upset, nervous as well. He knew her at first sight, there was only one woman who had that shade of hair in the entire Empire. The Mad Dog of Eckhart, the rumoured most beautiful woman in the Empire. And she was, if only she wasn’t stupid and shameless, had her decorum been better, she would have most likely have been courted by now.
He unsheathed his sword and stepped out, the blade at her neck.
“I wondered what rat was scurrying about here.” He said to the woman who looked at him with fear. Her eyes wide but not looking away. She was shaking and stuttering as he asked her over her motives.
“I love you!” She yelled out to his surprise.
And just as he was about to say something else, a light engulfed them.
Throughout the Capital, a few other people were engulfed in the same light. Derrick Eckhart who had been looking for his wayward adopted sister out on the Palace grounds, Reynold Eckhart who had just returned from his bath, the Duke of Eckhart who was busy signing documents at his desk, Cedric Porter who had come upon the scene of a fight within the Crown Prince’s palace, and finally, Marquis Winter Verdandi who was walking along the garden’s path.
When the light was clear, they were all standing within the maze in the daylight. They all turned and saw Penelope an inch from death’s door as the Crown Prince had her pinned with a sword.
“Get away from my daughter!” The duke demanded.
Callisto turned to them; suspicious as he eyed them. “Come now, it was just a civil talk between us, would be lovers…”
“Lovers?” The duke asked in a strangled yelp as he tried to get to Penelope.
“The Lady was just confessing her love to me.”
There were looks of disbelief and displeasure within the three Eckhart men as they turned towards the Lady. Even Marquis Verdandi raised a brow.
“Something’s wrong.” Porter pointed out. “It’s morning and the palace looks different…”
They all turned around and saw that the palace did look different as though parts of it had been rebuilt. Suddenly, there were footsteps coming in and they all tensed before a young woman entered with red eyes and golden curls, golden wings upon her back. She was followed by what was obviously her younger sister, only this sister had no wings. And a little boy with dark pink hair and red eyes.
“Servant Emperor! What are you doing to Mama?” The oldest of the three asked.
There was some more shuffling. “What did I do now? Your Mother’s resting inside.” He heard the voice of a man.
And suddenly, a man entered after them with his face only decades older.
“Ahh…” He said as he paused. “This was the night I met your mother.”
“THOSE STORIES WERE TRUE?!?” The two young women asked as they turned to him.
“I told you, I had a reputation as a cold-hearted barbarian prince.” He said dryly as he picked up the little boy.
The three children looked at one another. “We thought you were making it up, you’re always so…” They gestured to him.
“Continue on with that sentence, please…” He said, daring them to do it. When they didn’t say anything, he smirked at them. “So, confess, which one of you did it?”
“Judith?” He asked, the eldest shook her head.
“Roxanna?” He questioned the next one, but she denied it vehemently.
And then he turned to the little boy in his arms. “Nicholas?”
The boy began to sob. “I’m sorry! I only wanted to see what you all looked like when you were younger, and Master Winter told me not to play with the book, but I did, and I stole the spell and… and… and I wanted to show them that you weren’t a barbarian or that you didn’t threaten Mommy when you first met her but…”
And then he began to cry loudly.
“Who made our baby brother cry?” Callisto heard more footsteps coming in. And suddenly, three more blonde haired, red eyed girls burst in, followed by… Lady Penelope Eckhart, older, and wearing the Empress’ crown. A baby with dark pink hair, turquoise eyes, and a small, sweet face was in her arms.
Callisto could see the Lady begin to sway and he immediately withdrew his blade and caught her when she slumped forward to everyone’s surprise.
“Well, I guess seeing doubles of my magnificence was too much for my beloved wife to take.” His older self said with a teasing smile. Callisto froze from where he was holding the Lady who was beginning to rouse when he heard his older self call her his ‘beloved’. What was going on? Had he lost his mind? Love was a pointless and meaningless thing.
Penelope came to and felt like she wanted to faint again. She was looking at something from the future, had she managed to get home? Was that the real Penelope?
“Look, you’re back with us!” She heard her voice say, happily.
Penelope blushed and immediately sprang up and away from the Crown Prince who only moments ago had been about to kill her. She blushed and immediately hid behind the duke.
She peeked out at everyone from the safety of the duke’s back.
The older Callisto laughed out loud at seeing her. “Look how cute you were, Empress.” There was something fond in his tone and he looked at her with such warm eyes. “I’d forgotten how relatively innocent you were.”
“Relatively innocent?” Her older-self asked. “I was completely innocent.”
The emperor raised a brow. “And are you blaming Judith’s conception on me?”
“Wha?” The Empress blushed as their children immediately covered their ears in horror. “You… well… you were the reason why we had our first night early.”
“And who got drunk on my birthday and jumped me?”
The back and forth was incredibly embarrassing. Penelope was blushing hard and even the Crown Prince looked absolutely stupefied, his fierce demeanour gone.
The eldest of their children waved her hand in between her parents. “Wait, stop flirting for a moment… are you saying I was an accident?”
The Empress coughed. “Well… I mean… you were born five months after the wedding.”
The Princess’ eyes widened in disbelief.
“My little love lights.” The emperor said as he turned towards his children. “From you,” he said pointing to Princess Judith. “To Felicity, none of you were planned. Simply happy and unexpected accidents… I mean, surprises.”
The duke looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Penelope placed her hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright, Father?”
“You… you monstrous perverted rotten Prince! You did my precious daughter dirty.” The duke said angrily as he staggered.
The two Eckhart brothers rushed to help her when the duke’s weight fell on her in full.
“Huh, I guess five years doesn’t change anything.” The Empress said. “That’s exactly what Father said when I told him I was pregnant after I left field archaeology to finally begin preparing for our wedding.”
Penelope’s eyes snapped to the Empress who was looking at her shrewdly and she had a sudden, dawning, horror that she was going to remain here and not return to Earth or Korea. She swallowed hard.
The duke was struggling, threatening a rebellion and the Crown Prince seemed offended until… “Grandpa?” One of the little twin girls asked as she tugged on the duke’s coat.
The duke stopped at the call, his eyes snapping to the little girl with the Regulus family’s colouring.
“Grandpa, don’t you want to meet us? And… and don’t you want to play with us?” The little girl asked.
Her twin stepped up with a pout. “Why are you going to fight Servant? Isn’t playing with us better, Grandpa?”
The Crown Prince twitched at the moniker their children gave him but the emperor took it in stride.
“Servant?” He questioned the emperor.
The emperor shrugged. “Judy started it when she was three to tease me and it stuck. It’s been seventeen years and seven kids, I gave up.”
“That one can’t talk yet.” The Crown Prince said, pointing to the child in the Empress’ arms.
“Do you think she won’t be influenced by her older siblings?”
“Fair point.”
And then Penelope turned to the rest of the children who began to butter up the Duke and the Eckhart sons with matching looks, pouts on their faces and big watery eyes. The Duke practically melting while Reynold twitched, caught between giving in and being indignant, Derrick had a dark look on his face.
“Oh!” Roxanna said, as if just in thought. “And you’d get to meet our cousins!”
Now the two brothers paled. “Cousins?” Reynold asked with a yelp.
“Do you mean that they actually found some poor women to marry them?” Both Penelope and the Duke asked together before they paused and turned to one another, the duke’s lips quirked up while Penelope turned away.
Reynold looked particularly outraged. “I’ll have you know; I can have any woman I want!”
“No, you can’t!” Judith said happily. “You had to beg your wife to marry you, just like Servant Emperor begged Mama to marry him and she still made him wait five years. And Uncle Derrick… well… Uncle Derrick got there eventually.”
“Lies!” Reynold insisted.
“Truth!” Judith sang. “You both have zero charms or appeal besides your face and your name. Or so I’m told. It’s a miracle the two of you got to marry for love.”
And then Judith stopped, a look of unholy glee spread across her face. “I’m actually the same age as you right now, Uncle Reynold!”
“Oh, dragon save us all.” The Empress muttered. “This is exactly what we need. Two Reynolds leading my children into mischief.”
Derrick looked apprehensive. “Is it that bad?”
“My children get into enough trouble on their own, but you add in Reynold and things just spiral out of control. It has been that way since Judith learned to sit up. No, even before then.” The Empress said tiredly. “For the Captain of the Imperial Guards, that man is always getting banned from the Palace because of the things the children get into with him.”
They had no comment to that.
Suddenly, they heard rapid footsteps. The Aide, who was with them, entered the maze, except, he had dark hair rather than blonde.
“What in the devils happened to your hair, Porter?” The Crown Prince asked as he stared at the older version of his Aide. The Aide looked questioningly at his older self.
The Older Sir Porter’s eye twitched. “This!” He said as he pointed angrily at his hair. “This is your fault! I’ve been forced to dye my hair brown for over twenty-six years now! Not just me, anyone in the Palace who has blonde hair has to dye it.”
“Why would you have to dye it?” The Crown Prince asked confused.
“Because you ordered it after the then Lady Penelope Eckhart made a passing comment about liking blondes.”
All eyes turned to her, and she blushed.
“Wait! That’s Sir Cedric Porter?” One of the girls, the middle one, she presumed, asked.
“Yes.”
“And he’s not naturally a brunette?”
“I’m not, or at least not this dark.” Sir Porter said in confirmation.
“My whole life has been a lie.” She said as the other children nodded.
After a bit of back and forth where the Empress finally managed to get the emperor to rescind the nearly three decades old rule, they finally had some time for introductions.
“Well, since you know us, how about having the children make their introductions?” The Empress asked.
The Marquis nodded. “It seems reasonable. Though, we may as well at least tell our younger counterparts our positions.”
There were agreements all around.
“I’m Judith Regulus, I’m twenty years old and I’m the Crown Princess of Eorka.” Judith said as she stepped up first.
Roxanna went next. “I’m Roxanna, I’m fifteen, and I like to tackle the gossip of high society and gather information.”
And then the next girl. “I’m Diana, I just turned twelve and I one day wish to head the army, if Servant Emperor ever allows it.” She finished with a frown thrown towards her father who shook his head.
“I’m Sophia, I’m nine, and I like to read and garden.”
Her twin stepped up. “I’m Selene, and I’m nine too, I like to paint and ride my horse.”
The little child in the emperor’s arms puffed up his chest. “I’m Nicholas!” He greeted with a big wave. “I’m seven years old and I’ll be the next Head Mage after Master Winter!”
Marquis Verdandi paled, and everyone turned to stare at him.
“And this…” The Empress said as she diverted the attention away from the poor Marquis. “is Felicity, she’s just a few months old right now.”
The Empress turned towards the duke. “Would you want to hold your youngest granddaughter, Father?”
“May I?” The duke asked in a whisper. The Empress smiled at him and handed the baby to him gently.
“Psst!” She heard and her head turned towards the Little Prince in the Emperor’s arms.
The emperor turned his attention to his only son. “Hmm?”
“I wanna go down, please. I want to go hug Grandpa too.” The prince requested politely.
The emperor nodded and let him go down. The little boy ran to hug the Duke, his arms not even wrapping around the man’s waist.
The Crown Prince interrupted immediately. “Now then, what’s this about the Marquis being the Head Mage?” It was clear that the prince wasn’t letting it go.
“I… I suppose I wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret anymore, but yes, I am a Mage.” The Marquis confessed. “Though, I don’t know why I would openly let anyone know that.”
The Empress’ lips quirked. “A lot has changed between your time and now, in a few months when Callisto becomes the emperor, he’ll destroy all of those archaic and discriminatory laws against mages.”
“Considering you’re a mage, why wouldn’t I remove any barrier that would prevent us from marrying?” The emperor questioned.
“I thought you did that because it was the right thing to do.” The Empress shot back.
“I’m a mage?” Penelope found herself asking. The question echoed back by everyone from her time.
Prince Callisto frowned and turned towards her. “But she has not a drop of mana within her body.”
“I’m the last of the Ancient Mages, our mana is different, as is our magic use. The ancient language and all the spells are engraved within our very souls. I just haven’t discovered it yet.” The Empress explained.
Callisto watched as the Empress smiled at his older counterpart. The emperor, this man who had his face, years removed from the evening that he had just been in, was a stranger to him. His posture relaxed, face only marked by the ‘smile’ lines by his mouth and the small lines by the sides of his eyes that showed a life filled with nothing but happiness and laughter. There was nothing of the darkness that he felt, the constant vigilance, the tension that he carried, ready for an attack at every moment, the cynicism was still there but less prevalent. There was also, he noted, no weapon on him. At least, none that he could find. It was unthinkable for him who had lived through countless assassination attempts and through war.
The emperor wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist and pulled her in close, the two shared a warm and tender look. This was a man obviously well content with his life. Callisto glanced over at Penelope Eckhart who had been leaning over her father’s side glancing at the baby there. She smiled at the little Prince who was demanding her attention from where he was contentedly seated within Derrick Eckhart’s arms (having begged his ‘uncle’ for it). She turned towards him briefly and she turned away as soon as their eyes met. Callisto remembered the Lady’s obviously fraudulent love confession from mere moments before and wondered if there was some truth behind it if the two of them ended up deeply in… in love.
Suddenly, the baby began to cry, and the Empress immediately went to the duke and asked for the baby back. “I think someone’s hungry.” She noted. “I’ll take the children inside while you entertain them.” She told the emperor before she kissed him. The children all ran to him, following their mother’s lead, and gave him kisses on the cheek.
“We may as well go inside. There’s no use letting ourselves be uncomfortable.” The emperor said and motioned them to follow him inside a newly rebuilt section.
“What happened to the palace?” He blurted out immediately as they walked through halls that were even more unfamiliar than the ones he’d returned to.
The emperor turned to them and motioned them into a room. “The Laila attacked, along with a coup.”
“How were they able to get in?”
“Our dear brother had sided with the Laila. Of course, he doesn’t exactly have enough of the brains for that and the blame would lay primarily with his mother and grandfather.” He said as he sat down in one of the sitting rooms. Porter, the older one that is, bowed and mentioned something about refreshments as he left.
“And father?”
“Beheaded by his new father-in-law. The fang stolen on the promise that all three of them would ascend as one of Laila’s kind.”
“Is that even possible?” The younger Porter asked.
The emperor shrugged. “Who knows? If it were, they’d have turned into soul-sucking demons.” He paused as he turned to look at them. “Speaking of soul-sucking demons; you can call off your search for Ivonne Eckhart.”
“Why? Has… has Ivonne been found?” There was a look from the duke that was both hopeful and timid, the fear in his eyes obvious.
“Ivonne Eckhart died the night she went missing, killed and possessed by the Laila. Which was how she was able to approach the Eckhart and poison Penelope on her coming of age.”
“What now?” The lady herself asked, horrified.
Though that was justified. Even the other members of her family were staring in horror.
“It must not have been powerful or strong enough since she’s clearly alright.”
The emperor shook his head. “The marquis found out that Penelope had purchased poison and suspected that she may try to use it on Ivonne, so to make sure Penelope didn’t take the blame for it, he procured an antidote not knowing that Ivonne had gotten poison as well.”
“What was Penelope’s poison for then?” The duke frowned.
“Suicide.” The emperor’s voice was flat, face dark and pained at the thought of those times. “She meant to drink it after the ceremony so that all the planning and money you spent on her birthday wouldn’t be wasted. Only, Laila had poisoned her first, and in front of everyone. Though there was some suspicion that it was meant to be self-play; however, Penelope had grabbed the poison bitterly for her appearing at the ceremony when it was made clear that she was to remain hidden until the day after Penelope’s birthday when it would be announced that she had returned.”
“Wouldn’t that mean that the demon inadvertently saved Lady Eckhart’s life?” Callisto wondered out loud. “Had she drunk the poison she prepared, no one would have found her until the next day when it was too late.”
“Ironic isn’t it?” His voice was dry. “Anyway, she used the mirror of truth to brainwash people as well as to transfer the souls of her people into the body of the dragon under the palace. Which was where the fang came in.”
“Alright, I understand. I’ll put out an order to eliminate the Laila at first sight. What does she look like?”
“Like a female version of Reynold Eckhart.”
Silence fell over the room at that announcement. He studied his brother-in-law-to-be and nodded. It would be crass to just demand a portrait of the missing daughter given they would most likely be all that they had left of the child nor would it be accurate given the age difference now. However… “Would the young lord be willing to sit down for a portrait?”
Reynold Eckhart blinked and began to look suspicious. “Why?”
“Because I’d like a portrait of how the Laila’s vessel would look and have it distributed across the army.”
“That won’t work they’d only come after me, you need a portrait of a woman or…” He gagged as he seemed to realize what Callisto was implying.
“Yes, would you be willing to sit for a portrait in women’s clothes and a wig?”
“You son a…”
“Careful on your impudence, young lord.” He warned with a smug smile.
Reynold Eckhart scowled at him furiously, his eyes glaring daggers as though he were trying to kill him with his mind.
Soon enough the doors opened and a woman entered. She had bright red hair and Callisto realized that he did know her. It was Lady Viviene Markham. “Your pardons, the Empress sent me to get Lady Penelope to have her neck checked.”
Ahh. Right. He looked at his future wife and remembered that he did have a blade pressed up against her neck less than an hour previously.
“Hopefully she doesn’t get metal poisoning this time.” The Emperor said wryly.
Oh. Well. Yes. That would be bad if he’d given her metal poisoning as well.
Eventually, Lady Penelope returned with the imperial children… his future children… and the Empress.
They were speaking about a recently completed imperial tour which was something that had been done every few years before the war but had been put on hold since then. But it seems to have returned full force with Judith being the main representative for the most recent one.
“We’ve always done this as a family but with Penelope having just given birth and things changing, we decided that it would be best to let Judith take the reins for this and have the people get acquainted with their future empress and her husband-to-be.” The Emperor replied, though he looked slightly sullen at the last bit.
“You’re getting married?” Lady Penelope asked their future eldest daughter.
The princess nodded eagerly. “Yes, to my childhood friend, and the love of my life!” She said happily. “His name is Llewy. Well… Llewellyn Porter.”
“Porter?” He questioned, eyes going to his aide who rapidly paled.
“Oh, yes. The second of three children that Sir Cedric has with his wife Lady Marianne.” Princess Roxanne said as she elbowed her older sister. And then the imperial heirs all began to wax poetics about their childhood friends.
It was towards dinner that they got to meet the Porter children. Or two Porter children, two lady Porters, the Matriarch and her daughter-in-law, and one newly wedded Markham with her corresponding spouse. Gregory Markham was like a copy of his father, Leon Markham, Callisto’s childhood friend and one of his most loyal soldiers.
“Well, we got married last month.” Esme Markham said as she patted her husband’s arm.
Cedric the younger choked on his drink at the implication, the swell of her stomach showed that she was more than three months on. “I can’t believe that Leon’s son would be so shameless!” Young Cedric said.
Esme Markham rolled her eyes. “Oh please father, don’t put too much stock in him being completely responsible. He was completely unaware of things until I dragged him into a closet the first time.”
There was a strangled yelp from the younger and the older one sighed and walked out for a moment.
“Besides, I got the idea from you and mother!” She declared. “You had my brother four months after the wedding. And the Empress had to get the idea for Princess Judith from somewhere!”
At that, the Imperial children all stood up, the crown princess took Felicity from her grandfather and they all bolted with the other Porter children and one Markham running away after them, while the Empress blushed and covered her face. The Emperor grinned smugly. Callisto saw Lady Penelope look mortified at the revelation.
“No, he can’t be alone with you in a room until you’re married.” The Emperor said at dinner.
“Oh no!” Judith declared. “The High and Mighty Daddy is back!”
“High and mighty daddy?” Callisto questioned.
“It came about the same night Servant Emperor did. Servant tried to make me call him his majesty when I was two going on three but I couldn’t do it yet and high and mighty daddy came about and stuck. We call him High and Mighty Daddy when he gets too overprotective.”
The Emperor looked unapologetic. “I still can’t tell which one is worse but I’ve lived with it for a long time now that I’m used to it. And at least I know that they’re not really upset with me when they call me by those nicknames.”
He stared at this man from his future and couldn’t help but think he was some foreign being. The man looked unconcerned and unbothered by anything. Where was the anger? The hatred? The bloodlust? The paranoia? There was nothing but sunshines and rainbows on the man. Literally. There was a crudely embroidered sunshine and rainbow handkerchief peaking out from his pocket, a gift from one of the twins, he’d been told.
The Emperor was spread out on the sofa. The baby was on his chest, napping. “Penelope, help! I’m being baby trapped!” He declared.
The Empress sighed. “What do you mean this time?” She asked tiredly. Obviously familiar with this line of conversation.
“I’m trapped under my sleeping baby. I can’t leave or else I’m going to wake her up. I guess it could also be called a kidnapping!” He declared proudly. “Get it, Penelope? Huh? Because a kid is napping on me!”
The imperial children all laughed uproariously.
“Why not just call it nap trapped?” She said dryly.
The Emperor cringed, as in actually physically cringed. Callisto didn’t even know his face could do that. “That wasn’t remotely funny or punny. Don’t worry my love, we’ll work on that and we’ll finally make you funny and interesting.” The Empress whacked him with a pillow at that.
“You taught him dad jokes?” Lady Penelope asked.
“What are dad jokes?” The Emperor asked with interest. “Does it make me a better father?”
“It’s those jokes you do.” The Empress said. “Not remotely funny to anyone but you… and the children. Unfortunately, they got your sense of humor.” And then she turned to her younger counter part. “I did no such thing! He discovered it on his own.”
The time for them to return came upon them soon after that. The spell’s magic was finally running out. As the spell began to pull them back, Callisto had one question to ask his older self. “What happened to you? Why are you so different?”
“I found happiness and love. Specifically, I found a wonderful woman to share my life with, received her love and made myself worthy of it by being the best husband and father that I could. I became a father to the most wonderful, adorable, sweetest, and quirkiest children in history. Being Emperor at this point is nothing more than a nuisance that cuts into my family time. I took the chance and was well rewarded for it. And in the end, I’ve become someone so far from the man I was that very night I first met her. So take the chance, let yourself live a good life.” The Emperor said.
And to the side, the Empress was talking quietly to Lady Penelope who looked serious and slightly apprehensive, maybe even fearful, but the older woman gave her a gentle smile and nodded towards him. Eventually, they all disappeared in a flash. They had returned to the very moment they had disappeared from, it seemed. The darkness of the night, lit by the lights along the hallway. The music from his brother’s birthday celebration playing valiantly along after his display.
Lady Penelope was staring at him wide-eyed.
He grinned. “Well, shall we go to my palace and discuss our relationship, my dear future wife.”
She was silent for a moment. “Alright.” She said, hesitantly before she took hold of his hand.
In the coming weeks, Callisto did get a portrait, two of them though one was for their personal amusement (his and Penelope’s) out to his men, the hunt had begun. It had taken quite a bit of trickery and a great amount of alcohol plied on to his future-brother-in-law to get him into the dress and wig. Said Lorlding was now vowing revenge in the form of his children being more mischievous than they had seen.
Callisto had also acted on the things his future counterpart had told him about the movements of his step-mother, half-brother, and all of their enemies. Soon enough, all of them were falling down one by one, a noose tightening on their neck with every move as he cemented his status firmly as the one and only heir to the throne. Especially with Penelope at his side bringing along the Eckhart Duchy and Marquis Verdandi to the fold.
His relationship with Penelope was progressing quite nicely too and he found himself more and more enthralled by her with every moment they spent by each other’s side. She had begun to open up more and more to him, confessing little things about her past. And when the time came to topple their enemies from their gilded towers, he relished the vengeance she had delivered upon the demon that had slain her family. The very demon that had been partially to blame for the multitudes of uncountable deaths she had suffered before her soul shattered and she reincarnated and eventually transmigrated back into her original body. Callisto still felt some self loathing for his own part in her deaths.
On his birthday, a few days after the Laila’s defeat, after his stepmother was executed and his brother placed on permanent house arrest, he had appeared with Penelope on his arm. He danced all the dances with her, and during a quiet moment when they’d been able to sneak out, he blurted out what had been on his mind over the last few days as they recuperated from the fight.
“Marry me, Princess.” He said at the tale end of his speech, it wasn’t the most romantic but he couldn’t help it. He was breathless with anticipation.
“Do you love me, Your Highness?” She asked quietly.
Callisto knew his next words would determine her answers. A few months ago, he would’ve denied it, denied his feelings. Denied it out of fear of their story turning out like his parents but that wasn’t the case here. He knew that Penelope would be by his side for the rest of their lives. He knew that he’d love her more each day, that she would bless him with seven children and counting throughout their twenty or so years together. He grinned at her, held her hand in one, the other lifted her chin and cupped her cheek when their eyes met as he bent forward. “You are the love of my life, my one and only, Penelope Eckhart. Please marry me and let me love you forever.”
“Yes.” She said and she moved closer, pressing their lips together.
Penelope’s coming of age comes and goes without any issues. She was beautiful, loved, and celebrated as the star of the evening, the saviour of Eorka, the Eckhart’s only princess, and the fiancée of the Crown Prince, the future Empress of the Empire.
The next morning, Callisto steals her away for a romantic trip where their relationship was consummated for the first time.
They married two years later, right after Penelope had made the discovery of a lifetime. A professor in her own right, the Doctor of Archaeology, well revered by the academe and a role model for the younger ladies. Judith was conceived on their wedding night, a few days after his birthday. It was earlier than in the future they’d visited and they had been worried about erasing the children they had met. But it was still a pleasant surprise when the children came to them, he greeted them each the first moment he met them, held them in his arms and gave them the names they had carried in that other future. He greeted them knowing who they were, knew the kind of wonderful people they would grow to be.
There was nothing but happiness in his life, eternally grateful to have reached this end without all of the unnecessary heartache and miscommunication, or the waiting, that his counterpart did. Though, at the end of the day, the other future hadn’t been bad either, it wasn’t too different from the life he led now. Including the mischief and the ‘dad’ jokes he’d come to love to make.