"I cannot deny that there will be opposition to your rule. You must take a gentle approach and be willing to negotiate, but also ready to stand firm on your morals. Remember, no path is ever a perfect solution, there will always be a cost."
"It certainly would be easy if perfect solutions existed. My fate clearly doesn't line up as nicely with your fairytales, does it?"
Arthur chuckled at Madeline's remark as they strolled through the Inasdiff palace gardens. It was the day after the royal wedding, and the sun was high in the sky as the hour reached noon. It had been decided yesterday that Arthur should enjoy the wedding festivities before returning home, so they postponed his apple-eating until today. There was an appointment this morning that required the Ixaidellians, so Arthur's departure was scheduled for after they finished so that they could bid him farewell.
"I suppose not," he answered, "That's the great thing about fairytales, though, there's always more to the tale when you're willing to explore it. Sometimes you want a short little bedtime story to make a child fall asleep. Other times, you're in the mood to write a hundred thousand words depicting a grand adventure."
"A grand adventure like this one?" Madeline suggested, "What usually happens at the end of such a grand adventure in your tales?"
"It depends on what the character has gone through," Arthur explained, "Sometimes the conclusion is taking a glorious throne, other times it's riding off into the sunset with their true love. There are also stories where the character returns home to live out the rest of their life in peaceful contentment."
"Surely power and love are the more popular options," Madeline guessed, "Then again, in your case, a safe return to your own world is the logical choice. You really did end up like that Don Quixote fellow, didn't you?"
"Yes, I most certainly did," Arthur chuckled, "Just like at the end of his story, it's time to end my fantastical adventure here. As much as I'd love to stay in this other realm, with magic and royalty around me all the time, there are many things waiting for me in my own world. It was refreshing to experience this, and I have no doubt this will shed some light on my relationships with my fellow nations."
As he finished speaking, they turned left down the path back towards the front of the gardens, where they could see the others who had congregated. The pair had left only Tolys, Feliks, Feliciano and Lovino behind when they went for their stroll through the gardens. Now the rangers had been joined by the Prathagean and Stulikyan royal families, as well as the Ixaidellian ladies and the dwarfs. As far as Arthur could tell, the only ones missing were Gilbert, Ludwig and Basch.
When they reached the edge of the clearing, the first person Arthur and Madeline approached was Tolys, who had just finished talking to the raven perched on his arm.
"Naktakė says the Ixaidellians are on their way down," Tolys reported, "If you want to start your individual farewells, Arthur, now is the time."
"Yes, it's time," Arthur said, "I think I'll work my way around the circle and come back to the two of you."
"As you wish," Madeline agreed.
Arthur left her side and walked forward into the clearing, noting how everyone had split off into various groups to chat away. He decided to start at the right and went towards the Stulikyan royal family. Ivan, Antonio and Katerina were chatting with each other, while Natalya stood to the side listening in. The new Queen of Ixaidel was the first to notice his approach and turn to face him.
"Arthur, I have your apple here," Natalya informed, showing the item in her hands, "It's ready when you are."
"Thank you, your Majesty," Arthur acknowledged as the other three noticed his presence, "I am making the rounds first, I understand there's a few of you who wish to say goodbye."
"And for good reason," Natalya endorsed, "Even I need to thank you for all your assistance, the situation in Stulikya would not have been resolved without you."
"I can't take the credit there," Arthur refused, "You did most of that yourself, Natalya, you were the heroine of your own story."
"Don't be absurd, Arthur," Katerina insisted, "You figured out that Ivan and I were both still alive, and you helped Natalya and Antonio break those spells. We all owe you a great debt of gratitude."
"She's right, you know," Antonio agreed, "Your presence and wit made a lot of things happen here, and it was definitely needed."
"I appreciate all the encouragement," Arthur relented, "Thank you for your hospitality during my time here."
"You're very welcome, Arthur," Ivan said, "If you ever find it possible to return to this world, I'd be more than happy to have you visit Tark as an honoured guest."
"I will keep that in mind, your Majesty," Arthur guaranteed.
The foursome resumed their conversation as Arthur walked around them, heading next to where the two Ixaidellian ladies were chatting away. Basch had already used the circumvention order on Lenka, commanding her to tell everyone to call her by her new name instead, lest triggering the Duke's wrath.
"Lilli, Lenka," Arthur greeted, deliberately testing the strength of the spell.
"My name is Vlasta," the brunette immediately snapped back.
"Yes, your name is indeed Vlasta," Arthur chuckled, "Don't you let anyone ever forget it."
"Thanks for everything, Arthur," Vlasta said.
"Thank you," Lilli echoed.
"The two of you were perfect damsels in distress to rescue," Arthur complimented, "I hope you both enjoy your new lives of royalty and luxury."
They both nodded at him as Arthur moved past them to cross the clearing. The seven dwarfs were jabbering away, making Arthur chuckle as they acted exactly like the Nordics and two Baltics from his world. Berwald was the first to notice Arthur's approach, and he quickly got them all to pay attention to their visitor.
"Gentlemen, you were a delight to briefly meet," Arthur commended, "I will admit, I do not know whether your nation counterparts would be amused or annoyed about being dwarfs in this tale. However, I can say without a doubt that Mikkel's counterpart will laugh his head off."
The dwarfs laughed and patted Mikkel on the back, while Arthur walked towards Alfred.
"Thanks for your help in Prathage, Arthur," Alfred said as he held out his hand, "You really helped us sort out a lot of issues."
"It did turn out well, didn't it," Arthur remarked as they shook hands, "I did have my doubts at the beginning over how we'd get along, but you proved to be far more reasonable than I expected. If only America could show the maturity and leadership you've shown here, we'd get along a lot better."
"There's no reason he can't learn," Alfred answered, "You did come across as a nagging parent a couple times, but otherwise your wisdom was greatly needed here."
"Speaking of wisdom, I do have one more parting piece for you," Arthur advised, "Your sister may have ice magic, but her fury can be like a blizzard. Similarly, your cousin can also have a vicious streak. When they argue about the Northern duchies splitting away, which they most certainly will, please try your best not to fan the flames."
"I'll try my best," Alfred promised, "Thanks again, Arthur."
Arthur reached up and patted Alfred on the shoulder, before moving past him. Feliciano and Lovino were sitting on a bench, with Feliks standing between them and Alfred. To the far side was Tolys, one arm wrapped around Madeline's waist and the other occupied by the raven, standing close enough to listen in.
"The unsung heroes of this grand adventure," Arthur spoke to Feliks and the twins, "I can't thank you lads enough for all your support and assistance during my time here. Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to figure anything out for myself."
"You really would've been lost," Lovino chuckled.
"Make sure these rich royals give you the rewards you deserve," Arthur reminded, "You just did all this work to secure their thrones and power. If they don't pay you what you're owed, you have my blessing to incite rebellion."
The three of them laughed as Arthur moved towards Madeline and Tolys.
"No need for me to worry about that," Tolys assured, giving Madeline a gentle squeeze, "I've already figured it out."
"You certainly have," Arthur agreed, "The two of you are quite the pair, I might have to see if your counterparts might also be a match. In this world, Madeline is going to need a lot of support and love. You better take good care of her, you hear me?"
"I will," Tolys vowed.
"Thank you, Arthur," Madeline said as she approached him with her arms open, "For everything."
"Of course, lass," Arthur answered as they hugged, "Don't forget what I've told you."
"I won't," Madeline pledged, "Make sure you tell Canada my story, if you remember it when you wake up."
"I will do my best," Arthur promised as they released the hug.
Naktake gave a squawk as another set of voices entered the gardens. Allowing Madeline to back away, Arthur turned to watch the arrival of Gilbert, Ludwig and Basch. Kiku came with them, and stayed to the side with Lilli and Vlasta while the royals came in closer.
"Good, you haven't left yet," Gilbert addressed, "Can't let you leave without saying goodbye."
"Your timing is perfect," Arthur replied, "I also couldn't leave without thanking you lads for your generous hospitality."
"We were fortunate to have you here," Basch lauded, "Even if Ixaidel managed to avoid most of the drama, you still recovered Lilli and Vlasta to us. I am particularly grateful for your assistance."
"I must thank you as well, Arthur," Ludwig praised, "Even if our stories took different directions, your wisdom and observations made it clear that Natalya and I needed help in Tark. You're the one who guided us all onto the right path."
"You're all too kind," Arthur digressed, "I believe I've spoken to everyone individually, now I'd like to say a final farewell to the group."
"Everybody, quiet," Gilbert called out as he stepped back, "Arthur has some last words for you all."
Arthur could hear a few chuckles from all sides, as everyone paused their conversations and turned to watch him. Gilbert and Basch went to join Lilli and Vlasta, while Ludwig broke off to stand with Natalya.
"I wish to thank you all one last time for your hospitality," Arthur announced once he had the floor, "If I had just been thrown in the dungeons upon my arrival here, this would have all turned out far differently. I truly appreciate all your gratitude for my actions in this world, even if it was simply a matter of having me in the right place at the right time to figure out the right course of action. If my mind allows me to remember this adventure when I awaken in my own world, I promise to cherish the memories of my time here."
Arthur looked around the circle briefly as he saw everyone smiling, the various romantic pairings holding each other close. He finally stopped as he faced Natalya, who now had Ludwig standing with her. The apple was now in her left hand, as her right hand had brought out the dagger.
"I'm ready," Arthur declared.
Natalya nodded as she approached, making a slice in the apple as she did so. She used the dagger to remove the second slice from the fruit, before offering it to Arthur.
"Will that be all I need?" Arthur asked as he removed the slice from the dagger.
"It's all she needed," Natalya ratified, "Once we see that it worked, I'll have Alfred incinerate the rest of the apple."
Arthur nodded as she stepped away, and slowly spun to take one more look at the group. This was the final moment of his time in this world of fairytales and magic, and he wanted to remember it as clearly as possible. As his eyes reached the Prathagean rangers and Princess Madeline again, he remembered a line that he could use to close out his time here.
"As they say in all of my world's fairytales," Arthur proclaimed, raising the apple slice in the air as a toast, "may you all live happily ever after."
As the others chuckled, Arthur raised the apple to his lips and took a bite. As it touched his tongue, Arthur could taste how fresh and delicious it was. Within moments, the taste was so overwhelming that it obscured his other senses, blocking out all sounds and blurring his vision until everything went black.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
Without bothering to open his eyes, Arthur instinctively rolled to his left and slammed his hand on the snooze button, turning off the blaring alarm to give himself another ten minutes of sleep. He then rolled onto his back again, and tried to focus on sleeping for a short while longer. He could afford to, it wasn't like the Ixaidellians cared about him waking up at the crack of dawn.
Arthur's eyes shot open in confusion as he remembered that alarm clocks don't exist in Ixaidel. He turned his head left again, and saw that the alarm clock was indeed sitting there on the nightstand, showing a time of 07:00 AM in red digital lights. He sat up and leaned over, fumbling in the dark until he found the switch to turn on the lamp.
The light revealed to Arthur that he was in his bedroom in his London flat. He was wearing his green silk pyjamas, and had been tucked snugly in his blankets while his head rested on his pillow. Next to the clock on the nightstand was his smartphone, charging and sitting face-down next to his modern English translation of Don Quixote.
Upon seeing the book, Arthur's immediate reaction was to grab it and toss it across the room, where it landed by the door. Reading that book before bed had obviously caused his mind to wander, and to create the fantastical kingdoms of Prathage, Ixaidel and Stulikya. To fill the void with people to interact with, Arthur had inserted his fellow nations as fairy-tale characters, and he had joined them all in their adventures as the Don Quixote caricature.
Next, Arthur picked up his phone and loaded the home screen, where it showed them the current date and time.
Sunday October 31st 2021, 7:01 AM
Momentarily unable to quite remember when he first fell asleep, Arthur opened his messaging app and looked for the last one he sent, ignoring the barrage of Halloween memes that America had already started spamming him with. The last sent message turned out to have been to Spain, to criticize the stupidity of his country's most famous story character, as if 400 years worth of commentary hadn't been enough yet. Arthur smirked at the comment, before tapping on it to show the timestamp.
Saturday October 30th 2021, 9:23 PM
Arthur nodded as he realized what this meant. His adventures in the other realm took place during a single night's sleep. He went back to his list of contacts, pulled up his conversation with Canada, and typed out a quick message for her.
I just dreamt you were a princess with powerful ice magic in a fairytale realm. I'll have to tell you all about it.
After sending the message, he put his phone down and laid down on his bed again, prepared to check and see how much of his dream he could remember. He couldn't focus, however, as he felt something digging into his back. Arthur reached under his bed, found the incriminating item, and pulled it out to inspect it. Once he saw what it was, he could only laugh.
It was an apple slice, with a chunk bitten out of it.
THE END