Mia is 2 and Artemis is 5.
Chapter 10: Bedtime Stories
Ollie's POV
"Okay, girls. Time for bed." I ordered as they both shook their heads.
"No!" they cried, pleading with big eyes as I scooped them up.
"Sorry girls." I replied, carrying them up the stairs.
"But, we want a story!" Artemis demanded as I cocked an eyebrow.
"And what kind of story do you want?" I asked, depositing them into Artemis' bed.
I tucked them underneath the covers before pulling up a chair.
"A princess story!" Artemis squealed as Mia nodded vigorously.
Do I even know a princess story? I looked around the room before coming to a stop at a picture of Dinah and Artemis. Hmm…
"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. She had the prettiest blue eyes and long golden hair. She was the fairest in all the land of… um, Sherwood-"
"But, that's where Robin Hood lives." Artemis pointed out.
"Who's telling the story here?"
"You!" Mia shouted as I nodded.
I replied, "That's right, Mia. So, anything I say goes."
"Was she kidnapped?" Artemis asked as I frowned.
I highly doubt that would happen to Dinah. She'd probably just scream at her attacker and punch them in the throat.
"Wait and see. Now, where was I?"
"Sherwood." Mia replied.
"Right. As I was saying, she was the fairest in the land of Sherwood… Not only was she the princess, but she was also the kingdom's protector."
"Like Wonder Woman?" Artemis asked.
"Well, sort of, but Wonder Woman's not in this story… One day, the princess was out riding in the woods… and she was attacked by… goblins."
They both squealed with excitement as I tickled them.
"They goblins were mean and nasty! They wanted to kill the princess!"
"No!" they gasped as I nodded.
"Oh yes! And she fought valiantly, but she was greatly outnumbered… until the prince arrived."
"Yay!" Mia cheered.
"Was he cute?" Artemis asked as I smiled.
"Of course. He had hair of gold along with a golden beard and a bow made out of emeralds… The prince saw the princess in distress and he quickly leapt to her aid. The two fought together as a team."
"Then what?" Mia squealed.
"He took her in his arms as he admired her great beauty and asked for her hand in marriage. He knew that no other woman would ever compare to her. It was true love."
"I can't wait till I get my true love." Artemis stated dreamily as I frowned.
And I can't wait to put an arrow through his heart. "You're not old enough. You can't have one."
"When can I have one?" she asked.
"Thirty-five… Anyway, the prince went to the castle to see the queen."
"What about the king?"
"He had already passed away when the princess was young, but she still had her mother."
"Yay." Mia stated.
"So the prince asked the queen for permission to marry her daughter. And the queen didn't like the prince. She refused to allow him to marry her and frequently tried to change her daughter's mind. For, the princess was already in an arranged marriage."
They gasped as I continued.
"She was to marry an evil… knight?"
"Like Batman?" Artemis asked as I frowned.
"No sweetheart. He's the Dark Knight and he'll have to come up with his own story. He can't steal mine… Anyway, the knight sought out the prince… the two had a mighty battle for the hand of the princess-"
"Hand?" Mia asked in confusion.
"Her hand in marriage, baby." I replied.
"Oh."
"The knight fought bravely but he was no match for the prince's bow. Upon seeing the mighty battle and how much they loved each other, the queen granted the prince permission to marry her daughter."
"Yay!" Mia cheered as Artemis smiled and asked, "What happened next?"
"Well, they got married… and she blessed him with four beautiful children. Two little boys and two beautiful baby girls. And they lived happily ever after."
"Yay!" Mia cried as I smiled.
"And now it's time for the two of you to go to sleep."
"No!" they cried.
"Sorry girls. Only one story per night." I replied.
I kissed Artemis' forehead and tucked her in before carrying Mia to her room and tucking her in.
"Night Daddy." She whispered.
"Night baby." I replied, turning her light out and heading towards my bedroom.
"Kids asleep?" Dinah asked as I slid in beside her.
"Yes, Pretty Bird."
"Good… Tell me more about this beautiful princess."