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kuroneko1815 · 11 months

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Story time at the Palace

For @eloise175 who asked me about how Callisto screwed up his children’s perceptions on dating and romance via story time. These are El’s bedtime stories.

One day, Callisto will look back on these moments with a sense of fondness and no small amount of regret and horror after the dust had settled and each and every one of his children had followed the ill thought advices on romance he’d given them. Every single one of his precious little treasures had their first child out of wedlock like some vengeance from the Gods, though his beloved wife claimed that it was all his fault for putting the ideas into their heads.

For now though, Callisto was happily enjoying this moment with his family. The favourite kinds of moments that he, and Penelope, would always keep in their hearts. All of them were laying on a single bed with the children in the middle. And even if he’d been a bit irritated for a brief moment when he’d been interrupted in his seduction, all of it flew away the moment he saw those innocent adorable faces of their little angels looking imploringly up at him. He ushered the children into bed, lifting Rigel up when their baby failed to make it up the high bed on his own.

“Servant Emperor, tell us a story.” Judy demanded. His first born, the Empire’s brightest light whose conception and birth had turned him into the man he now was. (A sap as his wife so often says, senile and soft his children agree despite the fact that he wasn’t even forty).

“Hmm, what story shall I tell you?” He asked as he stroked Eden’s hair.

“How did you and mom meet?” Kaden asked. By any standards, that would have been a good story to tell. He glanced at Penelope who raised a brow and gave him a grin as if to say ‘Go on, how do you spin this?’

“I bet it was romantic.” Eden said, her twin made gagging noises. “Stop it, Dante!”

Well, he could do romantic.

“You want to know how your mother and I met? Well our first meeting was just the customary greeting during the homecoming banquet. But the first time we spoke was on my evil half brother’s birthday. I stormed into the banquet with an assassin in my clutches, fury burning through me and I wanted nothing more than to destroy his moment. Your mother was there too, she’d seen me briefly as I’ve just mentioned, during my homecoming.”

He looked at each and every one of their precious little faces and smiled at how enraptured they look. “As I stormed out of the banquet having ‘discarded’ the assassins, my anger still hadn’t subsided. Your mother, sweet woman that she was, followed me out to to the maze in an attempt to comfort me and to see if I was hurt. I’ll admit, I was a bit presumptuous and paranoid and I’d raised my sword at her and demanded to know why she followed me out.”

He paused for dramatic effect. Watched as they waited with baited breath. “Her words struck me, she said she had fallen for me at first sight during the banquet and that she merely came to check up on me and to confess her feelings but understood if they were a burden to me and quite overstepping. Her words stayed with me and I was enchanted from that moment on, I couldn’t get her out of my mind and I wanted to see her all the time. I tried my best and after some hard work, here we are.” He waved his hands around to gesture at them.

Stories always have a lesson in them, right? Then he should add in one as well. “In short, a good death threat gets a good love confession.” From where he lay, he could see Penelope glare at him for the last part, her finger making a violent motion as she threatened in him behind the children’s back. Did he do something wrong?

Dante took his Father’s words to heart and received a love confession from his future wife after his own bout of death threats and Callisto couldn’t be prouder of his son. Not so proud when he discovered that his son had his own little bundle of joy with the woman before they had even gotten engaged. But that was a story for next time.

Anyway folks, that’s it for part 1. Part 2 which is the cave should be up soon, and part 3 is soleil.

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kuroneko1815 · 10 months

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Storytime at the Palace Part 3

Welcome to the currently last part of El’s bedtime stories because @eloise175 finally and quite literally fell asleep in the middle of this which was the point so I consider it a success.

Callisto watched the children with a fond smile. They were in the Library today. The children having tracked them down after their classes to where he and Penelope had retired for a break before dinner.

“When did you know that Mother was the one?” Eden asked, her wide red eyes looked up at him with that twinkle in her eyes. His heart melted at the sight. He was never one to really deny their children anything that wasn’t dangerous to them. And there was no harm in telling stories. (There was but he didn’t know it yet.)

“When did I know your mother was the one, you ask?” He paused as he thought it through. His mind going to every event from the early days of his acquaintance with the Princess to the one that truly changed things and engraved her within his heart, if she wasn’t there already. “There was an incident on an island that has now ceased to exist because of your mother. And this is the story of how it came to pass.”

His wife groaned as she immediately realized which story it was. He fetched an old map and brought it out, pointing to the one island that they immediately realized hadn’t been on any of the old ones. “Your mother was out with Marquis Verdandi distributing bread because she’s a charitable and kind woman. While the Marquis was distracted she decided to watch over the village children who were all mana wielders. During a moment of distraction, the children were kidnapped by the cultists and your mother fought valiantly to try and save them. When that failed, she and the Marquis went off in pursuit and traced them all the way to Soleil where they became separated.”

Dante leaned in closer, his eyes showing both curiosity at the possibility of his Mother fighting, and worry at the thought of his beloved Mother fighting. “Though fearful, your Mother rose to the occasion and fought the monsters that appeared. Coincidentally, I was at a meeting about an invasion of Soleil when I realized that your mother was there and rushed out to try and protect her.” He remembered Cedric drawing attention to that red dot that was the Princess, the two seconds it took him to realize what it was, or rather who it was, and the mad dash as he rushed to the mages, threatening them to take him to Soleil. It was a miracle he had been able to get to her so fast. But he could never forget the way his heart pounded, the painful squeeze of worry and fear.

“I got there just as your mother was faced with the largest and most fierce monster she’d yet to fight and slew it for her. At that point, we encountered the Marquis and decided to head off together in search of the children.” In hindsight, it was clear that Winston was Marquis Verdandi. There was a stamp of jealousy in his heart when he realized that the Princess was there with another man, not to mention the anger he felt at the man who’d brought someone as sheltered as her to such a dangerous place. Because she may have magic, powerful magic at that, but she was also clearly unused to using magic. The doubts in her head, the fear of rejection and the worry that he’d be suspicious of her and doubt her as the foolish Marquis so clearly had, it was all there for him to see.

“We came upon a most horrific sight, the Leila was devouring the essence of the mages with a single kiss.” He laughed as he saw his children gasp in shock and disgust. His Darling Wife chided him softly about keeping that part in and traumatizing them.

“When she had recouped her strength, she had then brought out the shards of the mirror of truth.”

Judy whispers softly from where she sat. “I destroyed that when I was really little, like three or something.” Callisto nodded with a smile. That damned mirror that showed him all of Penelope’s deaths, that had tried to take her away from them for the last time before she managed to kill her other body to seal her fate here.

“The Imperial Mage Raon, who was still very much a child at that time, was on the verge of being brainwashed when the Marquis attacked, revealing himself. I couldn’t let him face them alone and while we fought, your Mother moved to sneak around and take him while everyone was distracted. Unfortunately, the Leila was still able to notice her using its vile demonic ways. And they unleashed a truly terrifying monster.”

Just like before, the children clung to one another in worry as they looked towards their Mother to reassure themselves that she was alright. Strange that it was always their Mother they worried over and never him, but then again, he worried about them all constantly as well. “Your Mother used magic to destroy it as well, causing irreparable destruction to the island’s surface. Before she could deliver the final blow however, the Leila fled in fear. And we were left on a sinking island. I had the Marquis take the rest of the children while I stayed behind to get to where your Mother had been trapped.”

Then he remembered the feeling of seeing her unleash that blast of magic, the heat that flooded him seeing her so cocky as she taunted the remainder of the cultists with her false bravado. She was so enticing and had things not been pressing, he couldn’t guarantee that he would’ve stopped at a kiss if he’d had the chance. “But I remember thinking in that moment that there was no woman more perfect for me then she was.” He told them, voice a bit distant and wistful.

He snapped out of it. “Anyway, together, we fled for our lives, Raon on my shoulder as your Mother tried desperately to remember the teleportation spell. Luckily, the little mage woke and managed to get us out of the island but he thrust us into the heart of the sea. Your Mother’s clothing weighing her down made it hard for her to get to the surface so I held on to her and gave her a kiss to give her some air.” He coughed as he remembered that moment, their first kiss was Penelope either unconscious or on her way there.

“And I was greatly relieved when she woke a little shaken and wet but no worse for wear. When it was time to return to the Palace, we said our farewells and she begged me to get my arm checked from the injury a monster had dealt me. I rewarded her with a kiss and the way she looked under the moonlight, blushing and surprised, was so beautiful that I knew she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.” He remembered the way she looked under the moonlight, her dress wet and hair let loose. Wide eyes filled with worry that was conveyed in her words as she begged him to get someone to take a look at his wounds. It was music to his ears and he’d turned back and given in, kissing her once again before he disappeared. Relishing the flustered, wide eyed look, illuminated by the golden light of the magic and the silver of the moon. She looked so pretty and cute like a bunny.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about her from that moment, when she used to enter my mind once an hour it became an occurrence that happened every moment waking or sleeping. Every little thing reminded me of her.” That was why he’d spoiled her with presents, why he gave that proposal that even he had to admit was awful. All of them were in hindsight. A marriage of convenience, trying to trick her into a wedding, the garbage area, even the one in the cave because Penelope was in no fit state to have been wandering around and going through those attacks while pregnant. But regardless, he knew then that he wanted to be with her, that she was the one. Even if he denied her feelings.

He decided that this was a good end to the story and finished it with his customary life advice. “So the moral of the lesson here is, if you want a kiss some pyromania and public destruction or full on island sinking is the way to go.”

Judith’s first kiss happens when she’s eighteen, an island sinking behind her. Eden’s happens after she sets fire to an effigy to her Father’s step mother. Both girls also took one other advice from their father to heart. The very same one that he immediately back tracked on. “You could make like your mother, get drunk at a party and get touchy, actually no, forget about that part.” Both daughters do get pregnant under the influence of alcohol and neither regret it. Callisto ends up wallowing in misery even if he admits to himself that he wouldn’t have done anything differently when it came to having Judith then, in fact, if he could go back in time, he’d probably try to have her during the hunting festival.

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kuroneko1815 · 10 months

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Storytime at the Palace Part 2

@eloise175 here’s part two of your bedtime stories.

Tonight the children had decided that they wanted a story before bed so he ushered their family into the private sitting room of his palace and had the servants light the fire and ordered some hot chocolate for them. The children lay on the soft carpet that’s been laid down, the skin of the fire bear from that first hunt was laid over top. Penelope had laughed when she saw it but he’d thought it was a good reminder of how far they’d come and of the days when they were little more than stupid children in comparison to the people they’ve grown into together, to the people that now ruled a vast Empire and raised five children with all the love they could ever muster. The people who had chosen one another over and over and stayed together against all odds.

As he watched Penelope fuss over the children, handing them a cup of the hot chocolate each and piling on some cushions and blankets to keep them warm and comfortable, he realized he knew what story he wanted to tell. So he left his seat and repositioned himself with his family, reaching out a hand to pull his wife to him, holding her close as they gazed upon their little miracles. For that was what they were, for Callisto whose hands were so bloodstained that he thought such things would never happen to him, that any child he may have would have been as a requirement through whatever political marriage suited him the most to win the throne (and wasn’t he ever thankful that he’d been wrong), and for Penelope who had suffered through a thousand years or more of bloodshed, dying repeatedly, agonizingly, until her soul had shattered, been reborn, and eventually pulled back here for one final time where she chose, against all odds and common logic, to stay by his side and live their lives together.

He pressed a quick kiss to Penelope’s forehead before he turned to the children. “There were many moments I could point to about when my feelings for your mother grew. But the one I can point as the definite shift from interest to something more was when we fled from assassins, your Mother asking me to trust her with my life as she shot assassin after assassin. I had no other choice, not when I had to focus on controlling the horse and keeping your Mother safe, so I did and was pleasantly surprised and incredibly impressed by the results.”

His mind returned to that day, it was fury he felt, the same fury that filled him whenever there was an attempt on his life or when he was in the heat of the battle. But Penelope was there, terrified but still determined to fight. “When we hit a dead end, we got off our horse and made what we thought was our final stand with nothing but a cliff at our backs. There was fear in me when I heard your mother scream and I threw myself in between her and the assassin.” The children gasped in horror. Eden clutched Judy’s hand tight, her precious little face hidden by her other hand. Dante clung to Kaden whose eyes were shut tight. Rigel crawled to Penelope and climbed on to her lap.

Callisto, who hadn’t felt fear in so long, who had never been nervous in battle, felt all those things whenever Penelope was concerned. Had been feeling those things since she had confessed her feelings for him in that maze. And even if he’d only meant to tease her about it, he remembered the feeling of anger and disappointment when she took back her words. He remembered some sort of anxiety going through him the night before that, when those monsters had surrounded Penelope and he’d been too far away, remembered how enticing she looked as she took them on single-handedly. It was the same feeling he felt that day, fighting assassins with her, and every day after that, every moment, every encounter where she bewildered and impressed him, setting her apart from the other women. “Your mother, the magnificent woman that she is was still able to shoot the last assassin even as we plummeted off the cliff and into a river. I managed to pull your mother’s unconscious form out of the water and brought her to the cave. And we held each other by the firelight to keep ourselves warm while our clothing dried.”

“She looked so beautiful and I remembered just thinking that this was peace.” He remembered that first night when he first held a woman, well, the only woman he’d ever held was Penelope, so it was better to rephrase it as, the first time he’d ever held her. The warmth that came with it, after living for years away from any comforting touch, where people were afraid to touch him, not just because of his reputation, but also because of his status as the Crown Prince. Where he, as a child in the battlefield, wished he could enjoy that camaraderie with his men where they’d pat each other’s back or throw their arms around one another as they got drunk over a mug. Instead, Callisto had spent much of his time in the tent, the men, despite the ease of their relationship, found it awkward to be too drunk around him.

But in that cave, in that moment. He wished they could stay there forever. That he could hold her in his arms forever and bask in that peace and contentment that washed over him. Years had passed but he still felt that way whenever he held her in his arms. Even their children gave him that feeling. Their precious little dragons who never knew the cold isolation of being touch starved because he and Penelope swore their children would never suffer as they had. That they’d have their golden flowery paths and a warm and happy youth filled with nothing but love and laughter.

He smiled mischievously as he decided to end his story there with his new piece of life advice. “In short… a great assassination attempt and a nice damp cave can do wonders for your romance.”

Penelope who had been listening beside him as she held their baby, was touched until he said the last part, hits her husband as he gives another one of those shitty pieces life and romance advice to their impressionable young children.

Over a decade later, Dante found his way into the very cave his parents spent the night in, his lady love who had confessed to him under duress from sword point was by his side after an afternoon spent hunting together and losing their way. He wasn’t that concerned. His parents would no doubt send every single one of the Imperial guards after them, had probably done so by now. Still, he kept his Father’s words of romance in mind and he, as well as his siblings, followed it all to a T. Two months later, he’d discover that he and his lady were expecting as a result of that night in the cave and their little one would be born nine months to the day.

That’s it for part 2 folks. I hope you enjoyed this.

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