Epilogue IV:
The next morning Cameron walked down seemingly empty corridors with the shell necklace around her neck and her sketchbook and bag of utensils in her hands. There was no one to pass by in the halls, though that could have been because most of the adults all had a little too much to drink the night before—at least that's what her mom said.
She smiled at the guard, someone to finally wave at and tell her that she wasn't in an empty part of the ever-expanding castle. She walked past him and turned down one more hall before she finally found the door she'd been looking for.
She knocked.
It took a few minutes, but Arely came to the door and looked down at her with a wary look, trying to hide a smile. "Princess? Is there something I can do for you?"
Cameron looked up at him. She huffed a sigh and nodded, "Yes, Prince Arely, there is." She took a breath, "I know that Remy isn't supposed to use her toys as real weapons, but she was defending me. I would very much like it if she could not be in trouble anymore and I would like to play with her if that's all right?"
Arely couldn't help the smile that grew on his face. This little girl was determined. He relented, "I think it's fine to lift her punishment." He said and gestured her in, "Would you like to play with her now?"
"Yes, please." Cameron stepped in the quarters and waited.
He smiled at the girl again before gesturing for her to follow him, "Come on. She's back here." He knocked on his daughter's bedroom door, "Remy?"
"Yes, Daddy?" The tone was sad and pitiful.
"You have a guest." He opened the door, poking his head in with a smile before he let Cameron in and left them alone.
Remy looked up from her domino chain and saw her ladylove, "Cameron!" She stood, knocking the last domino she set up down, causing the chain reaction.
Cameron watched the chain run all around the room in awe, "That was really neat."
Remy shrugged, "It's just dominos…" She stared at Cameron's neck, "You're wearing the necklace…" A happy smile graced her face.
Cameron smiled at her new friend's modesty and the fact that she noticed the necklace right away, "Your dad said you weren't in trouble anymore…"
"I'm not?"
"That's what he said." Cameron smiled, "I supposed to greet the rest of the guests today. Would you like to play after?"
Remy smiled, "Cameron, I will play with you until you get bored of me. And even then I'll still want to…"
Cameron didn't know what to say. She did feel the smile on her face and eventually words did come out of her mouth, "I don't think I'll ever get tired of you…"
Remy's smile widened to a grin, "Can I come with you? To greet people? I don't know why, but I just don't want to not be around you…"
Cameron swallowed and looked around shyly. Finally, she leaned in and kissed Remy's cheek, "I think it's because you love me. I like being loved." She smiled, "I think I might just love you right back." She turned, heading for the door, "Come on." She offered her hand.
Remy put her hand against her cheek and reached out with the other, taking the blonde's proffered hand, drunkenly following the other princess out of the room. She took notice that Cameron's other hand was full, but she didn't ask what it was. The way the blonde was holding it, it seemed special.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Bailee was staring out the window, breathless with a wild anticipation. It was then she saw the carriage come through the gate onto the land and watched it park in front of the castle, "They're here!" She cried as she flitted over to the rest of the royals, "They're here." She smiled up to her mothers. Emma smirked at her daughter's excitement.
Remy turned to Cameron, "Who is it?"
"The French. King Henry, Queen Danielle. Princess Olive… Bailee and Princess Olive are best friends. They write letters and are always together when they're in the same place." The younger Shadow Princess answered.
"Do they love each other?" Remy asked before leaning in, taking Cameron's hand and whispering, "Like we do?"
Cameron beamed as she thought about it, "I don't think so. Maybe they are and just don't know it." She shrugged, "I think they're just best friends. Like my dad and Emma. Or like my dad and your dad…"
"Oh." Remy understood what Cameron was saying.
"Olive!" Bailee exclaimed as she ran down the stairs passed Henry and Danielle and even Gustave to greet her friend.
~0~
Henry and Danielle had been trying for a baby since before the Battle was held in the Shadow Lands. It wasn't until after they got back to their castle, after they heard that the Shadow Queens were already expecting, and after they tried to not be jealous that the gods smiled on them and gave them Olive. Olive is 8 now.
She is the apple of everyone's eye in France. Including Gustave. Gustave, when not visiting Kendall and Gwyneth, acts as the princess's personal guard. Though, he tended toward the former more often than not.
~0~
"Hi Bailee!" Olive smiled as she hugged her friend.
"Gustave." Regina and Emma walked down together, hand in hand.
Emma still gave Gustave a hard time for thinking he was going to win the competition and putting his tongue in her wife's ear. She made sure to always keep an eye on him. Though during a random visit of Gustave's to the castle, Emma's keeping an eye on him led to an eyeful of Gustave, Kendall and Gwyneth in the kitchen. It was gross. And that led to a stern talking to and warnings of children running rampant in the castle.
Emma hugged the man before greeting Henry and Danielle. "Hello, Henry. Danielle." She smiled.
"Momma!" Bailee's voice stopped any conversation about to happen.
"Yes, Bailee Cakes?"
"We're going to go to the library. Olive hasn't read 'The Life and Times of Willow Rosenberg'!"
Emma put a hand up, "Alright…" she shook her head as she turned back to them, "They really enjoy each other." She laughed.
Danielle nodded, "This reunion is all we've heard about for a month…" She smiled as she noticed two women lurking in a doorway. She then saw Gustave not-so-subtly excuse himself and make his way over to them and officially out of the throne room. "I assume one of them is her?"
Emma turned from watching the knight leave, "Her who?"
"The girl he always comes to see here?" Danielle asked, "It would be nice to put a face to… Well, not a name, but I guess more of a Queen's hunch?" She smiled.
Emma looked to Regina and back to Danielle, "Uh… yeah… Gustave is uh…"
Regina placed her hands on her wife's shoulders, "Gustave is a complex man. More complex than you might think…"
Henry knit his brows, "You mean to tell me he's gay? That's hardly complex. I say congratulations."
Emma shook her head, "Oh, Henry, if only it were that simple…"
"Gustave has two reasons for coming here to visit." Regina tried.
Danielle jumped in excitement, "A child?"
Emma shook her head hard and vigorous this time, "No."
"Well… Now, I'm confused. Really confused. I thought I hit it on the head with the gay…" Henry wiped his face and looked up in thought, "Will you just tell us what he comes here for?"
Regina looked off to the side, "It seems that our good knight comes to visit our cook, Gwyneth."
Emma swallowed and took her wife's hand, "And our other cook, Kendall."
Danielle knit her brows, "So… he's playing them both?"
Emma laughed, "I would definitely say that. Ow-fff!" the Shadow Queen fell forward when her wife elbowed her.
It was time for Chip and Allison to come interrupt, "See, he comes here to see both Gwyneth and Kendall…" Chip started.
"At the same time." Allison added, "The three of them are kind of a couple." She knit her brows and looked to the other Shadow Queens.
"That's actually… that's exactly what it is… He's in a committed relationship with two women." Regina said.
Danielle looked off to the side, "Hm." She shrugged.
"That's all you've to say, Danielle? 'Hm'?" Henry looked at her.
"Henry, what would you like me to say? Kudos? That's an abomination in the eyes of the one God? Not everyone believes in the one God. You and I certainly don't." Danielle shrugged again, "To each their own. That's what I believe."
Remy turned to Cameron, "How can three people be a couple? A couple means two…"
Cameron raised her hands and scrunched her shoulders, "I have no idea…"
"I think I would like to say here and now that I don't want to have a third person in our relationship."
"Here, here." Cameron nodded. Remy took this opportunity to lean in and kiss her cheek again, which caused Cameron to blush and beam and even bubble up with a giggle to show her happiness.
~0~0~0~0~0~
"So there are no hard feelings?" Cordelia asked Ruby as they walked down a hall.
"Absolutely not!" Ruby's tone was serious, "The Grant-sometimes-Robin-Cameron thing has been going on for a while. None of us know how to make it stop. We keep them apart as much as possible, but that only seems to make it worse…" She shook her head, "I am such a terrible mother… I was not cut out for this lifestyle. I mean, one day, I'm waitressing and bartending, the next I'm in a relationship with a Shadow Advisor, the next I'm married, have a long lost sister and quints…"
Cordelia gave her a look, "I know exactly how you feel."
Ruby knit her brows, "You have quints?" she deadpanned.
Cordelia laughed, "I know the fish out of water feeling—pun intended."
It was Ruby's turn to laugh, "Oh, a pun! We love a good pun around here…" She shook her head and got back on the subject, "Listen… I think that the rest of your stay, Remy should be allowed her toys and should be around Cameron as much as she wants—and Cameron will allow. And if Grant tries any of his usual stunts and Remy stops him… I really think it would be best for all the kids. Grant will get taken down a peg, Allison will get taken up and Remy…" Ruby shrugged, "She gets to look good in front of her girlfriend…"
Cordelia rolled her eyes, "Can you believe that? I can't believe she yelled it out for everyone to hear… She thinks she's in love." The mermaid couldn't help but smile at her daughter despite her words.
"I think she's adorable. And she knows what she wants…" Ruby smiled. She stopped as she glanced into the throne room, "And it looks like nothing is going to stop her from getting what or being with whom she wants…" She nodded into the room.
Cordelia turned and watched her daughter give Cameron a peck on the cheek. She placed a hand over her heart, "My little girl…" She smiled, "She is growing up too fast…"
Ruby nodded, "It doesn't slow down. Ever."
~0~0~0~0~0~
Dunstan and his family arrived later that day. "Hello, all!" He smiled as he and his wife made their way into the greeting room, "How has everyone been?"
Emma and Regina both made their way quickly down the steps, followed by Chip and Allison to give the Prince a hug.
~0~
Dunstan and Esmeralda had an interesting life. They would live a gypsy life for a couple months at a time before Esmeralda decided it time to spend time at home. Esmeralda was truly happy for the first time in her life. She married a man that tried for her, everyday he tried to please her and live the life she'd wanted. She could see the wonder and delight in the places they would go fade from her husband's eyes though; that was when she would suggest a month in the castle. He would only hug her and nod, almost thanking her, but not coming right out to say it. They would go home and spend time with his parents and grandparents. His parents regretted drawing the short straw to stay behind in the kingdom during the Battle Royale; though his mother, Rebecca thanked the gods each and everyday that she didn't have to be the worried mother that she knew she would have been had they gone.
They'd yet to have children, but were beginning to talk.
~0~
"Marriage has done you well, Dunstan." Emma gave Esmeralda a pointed look, "You've done well." She gave the credit to Dunstan's coming to be his real person to his wife.
Esmeralda smiled, "I've done nothing…" She saw her goat about to jump in excitement, "Djali, don't you dare jump." She gave him a warning look.
Emma raised her brows, "Esmeralda, I too am a married woman. I know that to be a bold-faced lie. You've done well."
"I've merely taken him out of his shell. That's all."
Regina leaned into the conversation after greeting Dunstan with a kiss to his cheek, "That, dear, is everything." She moved on to the other four people coming to visit, "Tristan, Yvaine." She smiled and gave the King and Queen of Stormhold each a hug and a kiss to the cheek. Then she moved to Dunstan's still young parents, "Jesse. Rebecca, thank you so much for coming."
"Thank you for having us." Rebecca smiled wide.
"Esmeralda has really pretty eyes…" Cameron whispered to Remy who was staring at Djali, "They're like yours but a little darker."
"They are pretty." Remy looked from the goat up to the goat's owner, but her eyes landed right back on the goat. "I like that goat."
Cameron turned to Remy and giggled when she saw the Caspian Princess staring the goat down.
As soon as the goat felt her eyes and trotted close enough to Remy, she was up and making to pet him, "Why do you suppose Esmeralda always has him with her?" She asked as she scratched the goat under his chin. Djali was just happy to get attention.
Cameron stood hesitantly, "I don't know." She backed up a step.
Remy laughed, "He's not going to hurt you… Have you ever even seen a goat before?"
Cameron crossed her arms and turned from the other princess defiantly, "Of course I have!"
"Come here. He's cute. He just wants to be pet."
"Goats don't like me much…"
"Why?"
"I think they sense my wolf."
Djali's ears perked and he stared at the Shadow Princess.
Remy looked between the goat and princess a couple times.
Esmeralda took this opportunity to step in, "Djali, you know she's not a normal wolf. She's not going to eat you. She's nice. She'll pet you…" Esmeralda stuck her hand out for Cameron to take. "He's going to be suspicious of you for a few minutes, so stay where he can see you. He really likes to be scratched right behind the ears." She showed the little girl.
Cameron cautiously stepped forward and placed her hand on Djali's head. She smiled when he didn't make to run away and quickly started petting him and scratching behind his ears. "Hello, Djali."
"Thank you." Remy smiled at the Stormhold princess.
"Yes, thank you!" Cameron turned back to pet the goat more.
Esmeralda smiled, "You're welcome."
"Your eyes are very pretty." Remy stared at the woman.
Esmeralda smiled, "Thank you. Yours are too."
"Cameron's are prettiest." Remy smiled back to the other little princess.
"My eyes are hazel…" Cameron shrugged, "Yours and Esmeralda's are really bright and pretty."
"Yours are still prettiest."
"Why? They're not bright."
"They belong to you. That makes them prettiest." Remy said simply.
Esmeralda raised her brows and turned to her husband who had come to check on the three girls and the goat. She hugged her husband and whispered in her ear, "How adorable are they, Dunstan?"
~0~0~0~0~0~
After a couple of days into everyone's stay at the Shadow Castle, all of the men and Ruby, Emma and Gustave's girls seemed to gather in the den in the late afternoon. Most of them were sitting on the couch swapping stories, shooting pool, throwing darts, playing ping-pong or foosball. But Emma, Dunstan, Artie, Chip and Arely were playing poker.
Arely stared at Chip for a long while.
Chip, having felt the stare, finally looked back at his friend. "You all right there, brother? You know I'm going to beat you either way…"
Arely cocked his head, "How would you feel if we were in fact some form of brother?"
"Beg pardon?" Chip raised his brow.
"I'm just saying that it seems our girls are quite the smitten kittens. What if, years down the line, they decide to get married, thus we become related?"
"I'd say that your daughter has treated my daughter decently which is better than some of her cousins can do… And as long as Remy continued doing so, then they go off into the sunset with my blessing."
Arely spoke in a tone that told everyone where he was going to go, "You'd actually enjoy being my brother?"
Chip threw his cards down, "Here we go…"
Emma put her hands up, "Before you get into the whole, 'Chip hated Arely' thing, can I just say that your girls together are just… They are going to have the sweetest romance ever."
Artie and Dunstan looked to each other then nodded.
"They are adorable." Chip admitted.
"No!" Emma then conceded, "Well, yes, but I didn't meant 'sweet' as in 'cute,' I meant 'sweet' as in…" She put her hands out and stared at them as she crashed them together, "You can just tell that they are going to be passionate and have fights and probably break up once or twice because they are so young…" She was really getting into it, "What? Was that too much for you two to think about?"
Chip stared at his friend a moment, "No… Not at all. Say… When do you think Bailee's gonna find her first partner, go on a first date…? Have a first kiss?"
Emma put her hands to her ears and 'lalala'd until she saw Chip's mouth stop moving. She then took her hands down, "So it was too much to think about…"
~0~0~0~0~0~
All the women in the castle had gathered around the biggest fire pit that lined the courtyard and set into similar conversation.
"So…" Allison swirled her wine in her glass as she sat next to Cordelia, "It seems your daughter and my daughter are in love."
Cordelia laughed a bit, "So they are."
Allison nodded. They were quiet for a moment, "They are so…" The newest Shadow Queen sighed.
"They are." Cordelia nodded.
"I like your daughter." Aurora paused her trek to her wife, who was talking with the female royals of Stormhold, and looked at Cordelia, "Phyl does too. She's spunky." She then continued walking to her spot.
Cordelia knit her brows, "She didn't act like that before the mean man, right?"
"I don't believe so, but I honestly have no clue." Allison said.
Regina took this opportunity to sit with them both, "No. She didn't. It was all Rumple and my mother that did that to her." She glanced over to Maleficent and Aurora, "But Maleficent is still so irrevocably in love with her… They are who Emma and I aspire to."
"You don't aspire to your in-laws?" Snow took a seat next to Regina.
Most of the other women had found a seat and settled, having conversations of their own.
"We do… in ways…" She nodded, "But between the challenges you and Charming have had to face and the challenges those two have… We'd like to aspire to you and Charming first and surpass that by aspiring to Maleficent and Aurora."
"They do adore each other." Red said as she and Belle sat down next.
"The rumors alone of what they've been through…" Nancy sat down with Danielle and Delaney.
Delaney nodded along, "I can't even imagine."
"Speaking of going through things…" Snow turned to Allison, "How is Cameron doing this week, now that more kids have been around?" She was trying to hint at Remy, not knowing that's where the conversation started.
Allison smirked and shook her head, "If you're trying to ask about Remy's person, you're talking to the wrong mommy." She glanced to Cordelia.
Belle smiled, "I'm sorry, but your daughter," She pointed to Cordelia, "And my granddaughter together are probably the cutest thing since Chip was small…" She shook her head and pouted her lip at the cuteness, "They call each other their girlfriends, and apparently they're going to get married as soon as they turn legal age."
Red chuckled at her wife, "Lavender is going to be the main flower at the wedding because of Remy's tail…" When she got all the looks she shrugged, "What? I eavesdropped… I couldn't help it!"
"This might be more serious than I thought…" Allison said before looking to Cordelia who only nodded before taking a sip of her wine.
"Well, honey, if makes you feel better, Mulan and my husbands picked us up from our native countries and brought us here and married us. Well, mine married me. Mulan is woman, hear her roar." Tiana finally put herself into the conversation.
"That's true… Sort of." Mulan pursed her lips. She looked at the ground more than anything else, "My people ran me out of my country. I tried to overtake Killian and steal his ship."
Most of the women had intrigued smirks on their faces as they waited for more.
"We just… there was more chemistry than hostility…" Mulan trailed off.
"Mhmm…." Tiana shook her head, "They were practically glued together when I first met them."
"They were practically glued together when I first met them… a year and some later." Rapunzel chuckled.
~0~0~0~0~0~
All of the kids except for baby David, who was napping, were getting as much playtime as they could before the sun set.
Bailee and Olive spent most of the afternoon in one of the tree houses reading. Olive reading "The Live and Times of Willow Rosenberg," Bailee reading the sequel but more partner novel, "The Life and Times of Tara McClay."
Walker played with the quints and Jefferson's younger girls. The smaller kids, Neal, Liam, Borre stayed in sight of their nannies and babysitters. The big kids, the five kids in the double digits, were off in the hedge maze doing things that big kids did.
And Remy and Cameron were playing house in the tree house adjacent to Bailee and Olive. Olive couldn't help but get distracted with the two.
"Do you really think they're in love?"
Bailee shrugged, "I think they think they are…"
"Is there a difference between thinking it and just being it?"
This made the Shadow Princess think, "I guess not… Not in the broad sense."
"It just baffles me that kids, younger than us—we're young kids, too, Bailee! We're not even preteens yet… But those two girls younger than us have already found love."
Bailee nodded, "It is baffling, I guess." She looked back over to them. She watched Cameron pour Remy some pretend tea and she saw them look at each other, "But I think they really love each other. I don't think people can look at each other like that unless they are really in love…"
Olive sighed, "I guess…"
~0~0~0~0~0~
"Dunstan, I'm not going to lie to you, friend… I thought your parents dead when we first met." Arely said the round after he lost all his chips.
"What?" Dunstan looked back to the man.
"I did. I really did. I mean, your grandparents never spoke of them, you never spoke of them. I assumed they died and that's why they were never talked about…"
Dunstan shook his head, "No… my father and mother are still very much alive."
"Yes, I know…" Arely looked around.
Emma leaned over to Arely, "If it makes you feel better, I thought the same thing…"
Chip nodded along with Emma and shrugged when he received a look from Dunstan, "What? I did…"
"Me too." Artie said as he laid down his four Kings, winning the hand.
A lull fell over the people in the den. Finally though, Artie started talking, "Emma, can I ask you and Chip a question?"
"Sure…" and "Alright…" came from the Shadow leaders.
"How does this all work?"
"How does what all work?" Emma knit her brows.
"Running the Shadow Lands. Running what is in all actuality three countries… How does it work? Is it easier to run than say one of our countries?" Artie gestured to him and Arely and Dunstan, "Is it really equal responsibility? And why do you keep the other two castles standing if you all only live in the one?"
"Okay, Artie, my friend, that was more than one question…" Emma chuckled before sobering to answer, "I think it's far easier to run than running a kingdom alone with my wife. Yes, we debate and fight over issues and bring in his and my parents for help sometimes, but that's what it's all about. Agreement, considering all options. And I think we all like to debate and play devils advocate with each other. So, yes, in that sense, it's quite easy…"
Chip nodded along, "We keep the other castles so that every month, when we have open hearings, there is a place for them to be held. We're not going to make the representatives of villages by the shores take long trips to come to this castle; that's just not fair."
Tristan and Jesse had come over for this conversation. Tristan considered the little that the two Shadow Royals had provided, but knew how prosperous the new kingdom was, "Well… Where do I sign up?"
The table turned and looked at him.
Dunstan waited for the punch line as did his father. "Grandfather? Are you serious?"
Tristan smiled at his grandson, "You know… your grandmother and I watch you and Esmeralda go to these far off places, we watched you go into a real, life-threatening situation without batting an eye, and we miss that. We really do. We've been in the beginnings of talking about stepping down. I just want to know all my options."
Ariel and Eric walked over from the pool table as they heard Tristan talking, "Eric and I have started talking about stepping down. Unlike you, we're just getting old…" Ariel joked.
By the end of Ariel's statement, all the men and the few women that were in the den, were surrounding the table, sitting on barstools and extra chairs. Everyone except Van Dyke who had gone outside for a smoke.
Edward spoke up nex, "I know I probably speak for every father in the room when I say that I'd like to spend time with my child. He's growing so fast; he's going to be grown up and I'm not going to have really been there for him, not like I could be…"
"I understand that." Henry clapped Edward's shoulder, emphasizing how very well he knew the feeling.
Shrek took a long drink from his pint, "Well, unlike most everyone here, I married into the kingdom. I never wanted to be in charge of anybody. I mean, seriously… An ogre? For a king? I'm surprised my lands are still functioning."
Artie chuckled at his cousin before looking off in thought.
"Well, this is an uplifting conversation…" Emma looked to Artie, "Artie? What do you have to say for yourself?"
Artie started speaking, not realizing he was asking another question, "What if all the kingdoms were to follow in your footsteps?"
"Huh?" Emma asked.
"Beg pardon?" Chip spoke at the same time.
"What if all the kingdoms combined to form one land. Of the royals that are in place now and the representatives from the Battle Royale, what if there was a representative for each country that lived in this castle and went to the hearings that you spoke of before? What if we all ruled all of our lands together? All of the lands would either be prosperous or in deficit. There would be no 'better land' for our people to move to… Everyone would have the same freedoms and rights… And everyone would be represented."
Emma looked over to Chip as silence fell upon them once more.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Aurora stood up and looked out at the sky. She walked away from the gaggle of women, who all turned to Maleficent.
Maleficent tilted her head and watched her wife with a small smile a moment before Regina's cough caught her attention.
"Is everything alright?" Regina asked.
Maleficent nodded, "Just fine." When she still got looks of concern, she rolled her eyes, "She's fine, she's doing what she does when she's getting a big something… Be it a vision, feeling, I don't know what they are specifically. She'll come back when she's ready to tell us."
~0~0~0~0~0~
Van Dyke was sitting in a chair on the den's patio. He had a cigar lit and was entertaining himself with smoke rings before something big caught his attention. A change in the wind. It was about this same time that he saw his daughter-in-law move to the edge of the patio across the courtyard and look up at the sky.
He looked up at the moon and a smirk made its way onto his features, "Winds in the east. Mist coming in. Like something is brewing. About to begin. Can't put me finger on what lies in store. But I feel what's to happen, 'asn't 'appened before…" He stubbed his cigar out and stood, whistling an all too familiar tune as he made his way back into the castle.
AN: Super easy quiz question: Van Dyke's little bit in these last two paragraphs… okay, the last paragraph. What movie did I take it from?
Please read and review. Thoughts and feels?
