Christopher Kingston was surprised and confused when he received a summons to Kingston Castle so late in the evening after the party had wrapped up. Nevertheless, as acting Champion with Cameron and Ryan gone, he had to perform his duty and rushed there. Leaving Piper a note and a freshly picked rose, he set off back to his family's ancestral home before being whisked off towards the Throne Room.
"What should I expect?" he asked Gerard as the butler led him through the halls.
"The King did not say why he needed you, but he did say it was urgent that you and Miss Odelia come."
"Giselle's here too?"
"Indeed. Though why, again, I do not know." He stopped at the doorway and stepped aside to allow Chris to enter.
Chris gave the butler a thankful smile before entering. He was startled to find that the best of the best Pokemon Trainers that had once participated in the Pokemon World Tournament were now seated at a table, with only one seat at the table remaining. One right beside his best friend and the King of Arcana. He recognized so many faces almost immediately, his face shadowed at the presence of Steven Stone and Wallace, though they did not seem to pay him much mind. Chris sauntered his way over towards his seat and sat down beside Michael.
"Everything okay?" his cousin asked him.
"As they'll ever be. How bout you?"
"Now that your here, a lot better" Michael joked.
"Now that everyone is present" Lance spoke, rising from his own chair, "we can hash this out. We all know the Pokemon World Tournament was a giant trap meant to snare all of us in it on behalf of Mewtwo and his Syndicate allies. Not going to lie, I was looking forward to such a Tournament to truly test our skills. Unfortunately, despite some intense battles, I don't think we were able to truly showcase our abilities to their fullest on Mirage Island."
"Which is precisely why we've all been gathered here" Iris proclaimed as she sat cross-legged in her chair. "I think it's high time we had a make up tournament."
"A makeup tournament?" Mark wondered. "You mean, like with all of us here?"
"Not just us" Steven Stone insisted. "The largest tournament that's ever been held. One that will truly and completely reunite our regions that have been isolated for so long. One that will truly give us an opportunity to showcase ourselves and prove definitively, who is the best Pokemon Trainer in the world. I think it needs to be done. Not only to make up for what happened on Mirage Island, but also to prove that we won't let someone like Mewtwo or this Syndicate divide us ever again." He folded his hands and grinned. "Personally, I think this is almost as important as beating Mewtwo was."
"How big are we talking?" Leon wondered. "We've all got a bunch of things to do back home, right?"
"It won't be held tomorrow, I'd imagine" Michael answered. "We've still got a lot of rebuilding to do."
"Of course not" Lance replied. "We've all got to go home and sort out things there. But maybe in a few weeks or months, depending on availability, we come back to Arcana to host this tournament."
"Why Arcana?" Wes wondered. "Orre has tons of Colosseums to partake in."
"They do" Iris added, "but Arcana is where the fate of the world was determined. As far as I'm concerned, we can host the Tournament here or we can't have it at all." She boastfully looked over towards the other Champions and former Champions in the world. "And it's high time I proved just how strong of a trainer I am. Especially to the guys who mentored me on everything!"
Chris was surprised at this turn of events. "A tournament?"
"What will the winner receive though?" Diantha asked. "I mean, we've all got titles and awards to hand out in our own regions.
Michael scratched his chin in contemplation. "A Champion's Purse would make sense."
"How about the ultimate title?" Lance put forward proudly. "The title of most powerful Pokemon Trainer in the entire world?"
Mark was intrigued. "Most powerful in the world?"
"That title may have past us a long time ago" Lance chuckled to his old friend, "but perhaps we could show our skills to others in the meantime."
"It could do a lot for boosting the images of friendship and cooperation" Leon responded. He laughed. "Count me in. I'd love to prove myself on a world scale." His eyes found the King's. "And a rematch with you would definitely sate my desires to be the best."
Michael sadly smiled. "You think I'm competing in this?"
"Oh, come on Michael!" Iris pleaded. "Think of it as a perfect send off to the entire world!"
"I did that three years ago" he replied.
"I'm sure you have your own unfinished business in terms of being a Pokemon Trainer" Diantha subtly winked his way. "After all, not everyone here has had the chance to battle you. I'm sure Calem would love the honor."
"And we know Dawn is crazy about proving herself to you" Lizzie commented.
"Not to mention you owe me a rematch after all I've done for you here" Giselle smarmily teased.
Lance looked to Michael with pride. "Michael, I don't think anyone here is going to want this to be a thing if you're just going to be a spectator. Even if this is your last tournament, make it one to remember." The Dragon Master rose from his seat. "I'd hate for The World Tournament to be your last stand as a trainer. And I'm certain plenty of others here would agree with me."
Michael looked to all of the faces surrounding him. Chris could tell his cousin was downright exasperated by all of the pleas for him to once again join a Tournament with his concerns for his family and kingdom now dominating his thoughts. He was about to say something to his best friend, but Michael let out a defeated sigh. "Very well. The Arcana Colosseum will host this new tournament you all want. And I'll join in on it!"
"YES!" Iris exclaimed.
"What will we call this new Tournament?" Mark wondered. "The Grand Prix? The World Tournament?"
Steven Stone chuckled to himself. "I think the Master Cup is a perfect name. To prove one is the ultimate Pokemon Master, they would need to win the Master Cup. Right?"
Wallace rose from his chair. "It's decided, then. The Master Cup!"
Michael frowned. "Everyone should go home and spend time with your loved ones and help begin rebuilding your regions to what they were before the Syndicate took form. I'll give us all two months. On the first day of summer, the Pokemon Master Cup will be held in Titanio City. It will definitely help fund the reconstruction of our own region after what's happened, on top of revitalizing Pokemon Leagues dormant for too long." The group began to disperse quickly, though some seemed eager to remain behind and discuss more. Chris was not surprised to find Diantha being the first to come up and address the King.
"Your Grace" she bowed respectfully, "I was wondering about something that troubled me. Of all the people who were here, why wasn't Cynthia here?"
Chris blinked and looked around the room. His sister's former flame was in fact nowhere to be found. "My guess is she's got her own stuff to deal with."
"But surely she would take on a summons like this?"
"She's been through a lot" Michael explained. "My guess would be she's very reluctant to take part if she knows that's why we all gathered here."
"But why would she be?"
"She took Cameron's death kind of hard" Chris answered. "Maybe she just needs some time."
Kalos's former Champion sighed. "I suppose. But it would not be the same if she doesn't take part."
"How about I promise you we'll talk to her about this" Michael assured her. "She's one of my closest friends, Diantha. And I wouldn't put her in any situation she wasn't ready for. You have my word."
She beamed. "Very well. I shall take my team back to Kalos and we'll return in a month." She once more bowed to Michael and waved back to Chris before departing from the Throne Room. As their conversation concluded, Mark, Lizzie and Giselle made their way over to be filled in more closely about the Tournament's details.
"The Master Cup?" Mark grinned. "I'm looking forward to proving myself."
"I don't know if I can really make another run at a Champion's Title" Lizzie admitted. "I haven't trained in a long time."
"Don't worry" Giselle smirked, "I'll go easy on you."
"And you think you'll make it to her?" Chris replied confidently.
"Who's going to stop me? You?"
Michael rolled his eyes. "We all have things to do, guys. Whether it be training or not, what matters is we do the best we can." Chris could tell Michael had his mind on several other things and was doing everything he could to contain his temper. He rose from his seat. "If you'll excuse me, I've got affairs of state to attend to myself." He gently brushed past everyone and made it for the antechamber.
"What's his issue?" Lizzie demanded. "Does he really not want to take part in this?"
"Why wouldn't he?" Giselle replied.
"It's not that" Mark answered sadly. "He's likely got a legal battle in front of him."
"Legal battle? For what?"
"We had dinner with them the other day, Greta and I. Michael wasn't happy at all and for a moment, we thought it was something we did. Julia explained that he had received a letter from Olivia's family, claiming they were going to fight him over the custody of her son. Apparently, Olivia was adamant that her family would abuse the kid and Michael is determined to make sure nothing happens to him. I approached him before this meeting and even bringing up the situation made his blood boil."
"Does Olivia's family have any say?" Lizzie wondered.
"Unlikely, but it's more to put on his plate" Chris stated. "He's under a lot of stress. The last thing he needs is his son involved in something like this." He glanced back towards where Michael had gone, but he wasn't there. "He's exhausted. Mentally, emotionally and physically. Maybe this Tournament will help him sort some of his emotions out. But not until he's made sure Little Michael is okay." He excused himself from the remaining conversation and headed out into the halls. To his surprise, Piper was seated waiting for him to come out. "Huh? What are you doing here?"
"Not me" she winked flirtatiously. "We're going to be babysitting our niece and nephews."
"I'm not sure that should be our problem. I mean, don't get me wrong. I love them. But don't we need to worry about our...ahem...our own additions to the Kingston line?"
Piper playfully slapped him. "We won't make good parents unless we get experience!"
"I don't get a say, do I?"
"Not one I would approve of."
"Not even if I say I've got to start training for the Pokemon Master Cup?"
"Steven told me the Master Cup won't be for another two months" she giggled, grabbing her husband's arm and pulling him towards the stairs that would lead them to the nursery where James and Arya were being kept.
He eyed his wife suspiciously. "And what were you doing talking to another guy?"
"Oh don't go all clingy on me" she joked. "Steven mentioned it in passing, hoping for a rematch with you. I won't be participating. I've got the Queen of Arcana contests to worry about with both Addison and Holly taking part now." She leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. "Steven may be a stud, but he's no Christopher Kingston."
Chris finally relented. "That's better."
{}
In the Titanio Hospital waiting room, which for all intents and purposes was surprisingly empty, Matthew sat alongside his mother, Kayleigh and Jocelyn wondering how long it would take for him to be called in for this special surgery to repair the nerve damage in his arm. He was willing to wait as long as it took, considering this was something he was afraid would never be possible for him to recover from. But both his former protector and his mother did show signs of worry that this was taking longer than it should be. His mother's stance was easy to understand entirely why she took this nervous route. After all, having lost her husband and one son, the fear of losing her second son would definitely impact her. Jocelyn's worry did surprise him, though. She truly did love him like a little brother and this made Matthew feel special for the first time in ages.
His mother was distracting herself with a magazine, while Jocelyn made sure Kayleigh wasn't catching any of the germs on the toys in the room by distracting her with a video on her Poke Gear. This left Matthew to his own devices. His head was in a thousand different places, each strand leading him from one place to the next. Sometimes, he would think about the rumored "Master Cup" Tournament that was going to be held in a few months. Other times, he would wonder where exactly Addison's hopes for the future would take her. He would also let paranoia grip him for a moment, wondering if his arm would never recover or if it would need to be amputated or replaced with a robotic one. The only thoughts that managed to calm him or keep his fears on the back burner were those of Annette. While he hadn't seen her since the celebration of their victory at Kingston Castle, he was hopeful that what Garret mentioned was true and that she truly did have something inside for him. It was all he could think of that wouldn't bring up those fears of never being able to use both of his arms and hands ever again.
Realizing his stress, Jocelyn patted him on the back. "You'll be fine, Matty."
"Easy to say, harder to believe" he replied.
"What do you have to worry about?"
"What if my arm never gets healed?"
"Why wouldn't it? This is going to be the last time you aren't able to use your arms, so just be thankful we have this kind of surgery accessible to us." Jocelyn folded her arms and grinned. "And that you were born into money. I'd hate to see what a poor person would have to endure without access to this."
Matthew remained saddened at this thought. "We should do things so that poor people have access to what we have."
"Perhaps that's something you can request of HRH?" she giggled.
"HRH?"
"The King." She laughed to herself. "It's hard to believe that he's actually a King."
"If there's ever been anyone more deserving, I've never met them" Alison chimed in, before quickly returning to her magazine to distract herself. She tensed up more, as did everyone else, when the door finally opened with a nurse looking out into the sparse waiting room. "We're ready for you, Matthew."
Matthew nodded. "Welp, here goes nothing."
"You will be fine" his mother promised him.
"Just promise me I get to sign the cast if you get one" Jocelyn teased.
Matthew gulped nervously as he rose from his seat and prepared to go with the nurse towards the surgery room where hopefully he would be able to do what he loved once more. Before the nurse could usher him inside, however, the large and loud doors to the waiting room burst open and Matthew jumped back in shock. A red-faced, wheezing and downright exhausted Annette Fiveroux stood in the doorway, doing everything she could to catch her breath. Her brother tagged along slowly behind her, chastising her from what seemed like a mile away.
"...without your inhaler" he growled. "I mean honestly, sis. How can you expect to stay healthy if-" He stopped himself short when he realized just how loud he was being and quieted himself. "Oh. Forgive me. Lady Kingston, Matt, Jocelyn. I just-uh...Annette was wanting to say something." He stepped backwards and out of the waiting room to give his sister a moment to speak her piece.
Matthew eyed Annette in confusion. "You know you could have just messaged me anything you needed to-"
Annette held her hand up to his face as she finally stopped wheezing. "Some things...are better...said in person..." Once she had composed herself, she straightened herself out and spoke to Matthew directly for the first time since Mirage Island. "I...I'm sorry you had to go through that...you know...losing your arm and all that."
"Well, it's not like it's gone forever" Matthew replied earnestly, though conviction was not entirely behind his words. His fear of never being able to properly move about again still reigned inside his head. But he knew better than to lose his cool in front of her. "Hopefully I'll be out there and training again before long."
She smiled at this. "I never got the chance to...you know...thank you for saving my life. That could have been me losing the nerves in my arm or maybe even dying. But you took the blow for me."
"Even given the circumstances of the aftermath, I'd still do it again." He grinned, doing his best to hide his intensely red face, though he thought he could hear Jocelyn giggling behind him.
"When you get out of surgery...and all that stuff...and...I don't know...feel better and all that...would you maybe...you know...want to do something? You know...together?"
Matthew froze. Is she...asking me on a date?!
Annette looked down. "I mean...if you don't want to...I totally..."
"No, I'd love to" he responded. Sincerity. Honesty. Heart. "To be honest...I was going to ask you to dance at the party with me, but you ran off and stuff."
Now it was her turn to flush the same color as a rose. "I'm sorry about that. I-I was nervous and-"
"It's all good. I just thought I did something to hurt you or something."
"Never!" she shouted, quickly covering her mouth and looking at the faces of confusion and shock at her outburst. "I should go before I make more of an ass of myself. But before I do..." She looked away for a long moment before lunging forward and planting a kiss on Matthew's flustered cheek. "Good...uh...good luck." She then rushed out the door after her brother. Matthew was left behind, his lone working hand reaching up to the opposite side of his face where she had kissed him and staring blankly into space.
He laughed to himself. This must have been how Ryan felt the first time Addy kissed him.
His eyes immediately met his mother's. who now shared in Jocelyn's giggling. He immediately put on the face of a bitter and angry loner that was becoming less and less accommodating to him. "You saw nothing!"
"Whatever you say, Romeo" Jocelyn smirked.
"Better get your sister prepped for another girl to come in and steal one of her brothers" Alison joked.
"I said you saw nothing!" He then looked to the nurse. "Please tell me I can get knocked out for a bit."
"You mean will we use anesthesia?" she replied. "Of course."
"Thank Arceus" he groaned. "I don't think I can deal with...them right now."
She smiled. "Come along then, Matthew. We're ready for you."
{}
"It's going to take some time for him to come around to calling everyone what they expect to be called" Michael informed his mother while they met in the Lord's Study after she had come to visit her grandchildren. In particular, she seemed to be somewhat put off at the idea that she was still being called 'Aunt Erin' by his and Julia's recently adopted son, Little Michael. But Olivia's son, unlike James and Arya, had memories of those people in his life. And he wasn't prepared to call anyone anything he wasn't comfortable doing so. Only Michael was being called 'Dad', though considering how emotional he was about the death of Olivia, he felt that it was right that they grieved together.
"He still calls you 'Dad'" Erin complained.
"You'll get to be called 'Grandma' more than enough times in your lifetime" he responded while writing out more paperwork Annie had left for him to do while she attended to other duties for the throne. The fireplace was once more roaring with life, making Mufasa more than excited to keep himself warm beside it, occasionally trying to catch the embers as he saw them fall to the foot of the marble floor.
"With all of the lives lost, I have my doubts" she replied, a bit of sorrow in her voice. "You know he did love you, right?"
"Of course I do."
"Did you two ever reconcile?"
Michael put down his pen and shook his head. "No. But I did forgive him. As I forgave Grandma when she died."
Erin twiddled her fingers. "Will you ever come around to forgiving me?"
Michael's face remained expressionless. "That depends. Are you ready to admit where you came up short as a mother?"
"I just want this tension to end, Michael. You're still my baby boy. My only son."
"The Countess knew more than she let on. She knew that I was supposed to become King from the moment she laid eyes on me when I was born. She also knew you two weren't likely to be the best parents to nurture who I was supposed to become. Grandpa was where I got my morals and inner strength from. My kindness and love comes from Aunt Jane." Noticing his mother's eye twitch at the mentioning of her brother's late wife, he relented. "But they've been gone for a long time, now. So is Grandma. So is Dad. Maybe it is time to bury the hatchet, but not until I hear those words I've needed to hear from you ever since my wife convinced me to come back home and stomp out Giselle and the Syndicate."
Erin sighed. "I'm sorry. I truly am. Not just for not believing you when you said they tortured you. Not just about abandoning you when you needed me the most. For everything. For not being the mother you needed. For not being there for you. For expecting you to sweep so much emotional pain under the rug for the betterment of my own mental health." She put her hands to her eyes as if to force tears from coming out. "Giselle once came to Kingston Castle, shortly after your exile, and gave us your belt buckle as a sign of you being found dead out there in the wilderness. I didn't speak to anyone for six weeks. All I could think of was how much I hated myself for what happened to you. My only son." She bit her lip. "But when you came back and I was overjoyed to find out you were alive, all I wanted to do was say these words to you. But the anger I saw in your eyes made me leery. I didn't know if the little boy I adored ever came home. And for a long time, I was afraid he hadn't. The man I saw after he conquered Giselle scared me. And all of that anger was because of the things I failed to do as your mother. And for that, I apologize."
Michael exhaled. "Then it's done. It's a shame that I didn't get to fully reconcile with the others, but that's life, I guess."
"You don't seem as angry anymore" his mother opined. "I guess Julia has been a good influence on you."
"She's the only reason I came back, after all. Not even Chris or Cam could get me to."
His mother took a deep breath, as if soaking in this new breakthrough she had managed to make with her son. "One day, I want to hear all about your journey."
"I doubt you'd enjoy it. Lots of self-loathing and some very violent outbursts."
"Sweetheart, if it helped make you the man you are today, I would love to hear it. Warts and all."
Michael was about to reply, but the doors to his study opened. His face immediately darkened at the sight of the man who had come for a visit. "Donnie."
Erin spun around and even she gave a derisive look at her nephew. "Donald."
Donnie Novren slowly entered the Lord's Study, carrying two envelopes in his hands. He coughed nervously before making his way towards the desk where the King of Arcana now sat. "I...trust you know why I'm here, Aunt Erin. Your Majesty."
Erin gulped. "Please. Don't do this. We don't need more things dividing this family."
"I don't have a choice, Aunt Erin." Donnie made his way over to Michael and held the envelope in his hands, unable to meet the King in his eyes. "My mother is ready to file a suit for the custody of Michael. She doesn't believe my sister made her choice to name his guardian out of a sound mind. And, I'd just like to point out that she has the right to do so thanks to Arcana Laws favoring blood over parental choice."
"I'm prepared to crush this suit" Michael warned. "Your sister chose me to look after he son. And that boy loves me."
"I'm well aware of my sister's choice" Donnie replied. "But my mother is also prepared to go with everything she can to fight this." He looked at the folder and shook his head. "But she's going to have to do it with another lawyer." He tossed the first folder into the open flames, allowing Mufasa to growl with delight and roll around onto his back as if eager to be pet.
Erin was in shock. "Donnie..."
"I cannot imagine a better place for my nephew to be left than in the hands of a King and Queen" he concluded. "If my mother wants to fight this, she can do it without my help."
"You supported Olivia?" Michael inquired.
"From afar. My mother hated Olivia for what she did, abandoning the family for some preppy art guy from Kalos. But I vetted the guy when they eloped and found nothing wrong with Georges. He was a good man. He did everything he could to provide for my nephew and my sister. I purchased some of his art before he got sick and got them a nice paycheck of about a million Poke Dollars. As long as they were taken care of, I was good. But I wanted to make sure Olivia was happy, because she was one of many girls I found were crushed when their first choice was banished from Arcana." He looked nervously towards the second folder. "Which brings me to the real reason I'm here."
"What's in that file?" Erin asked.
"Would you be able to wait outside for a minute?" Donnie asked his Aunt.
"She can listen" Michael concluded. "What's in this file?"
Donnie sighed and took a seat beside his aunt. "This is my sister's autopsy report."
Michael remained indifferent. "How did you get a hold of this?"
"After Georges death, I became her executor and health proxy" he explained. "So this was sent to me after the funeral. But I figured you needed to see this more than I did."
"Why me?"
Donnie winced at those words. "Because...well..."
"Can you please just tell us?!" Erin snapped.
"Because she was pregnant, okay?!"
Michael was floored by this. "What? She was pregnant?"
"I wouldn't have expected Olivia to be a woman who sleeps around" Erin vapidly responded, not realizing the coming sucker punch until it was far too late.
"She didn't" Michael responded. "How far along was she?"
"Between six and eight weeks" Donnie coughed out.
His mother still didn't get it. "What does that matter?"
Michael looked shaken, as if he was experiencing a soul-crushing heartbreak the likes of which he had never endured. He was breathing heavily and leaned back in his chair. "Six to eight weeks ago, she was either watching over her son or preparing herself to replace Julia in case Courtney's plan to siphon her memories succeeded and she left. She was going to fill in as Queen." He squeezed his eyes shut. "In more ways than one."
Erin's eyebrows rose in surprise, then shock. "You mean..."
"This child was almost certainly Michael's" Donnie replied. Seeing how shaken Michael was by this, Donnie rose from his chair. "I'll see myself out."
"Thank you, Donnie" Michael concluded.
Donnie nodded and exited. Once the door closed behind him, Michael slammed his fists on the desk in front of him, loudly enough to shock Mufasa up. He then rested his head on the desk and let the tears flow. Erin was caught off guard by this deep showing of emotion from her son, even more so than how she had just learned of what could have been between him and the mother of his adopted son.
"I didn't know you and Olivia...managed to get that close."
"It was only a one time thing" Michael explained.
"Clearly there is more to it than that."
"What do you want from me?"
"Nothing but your happiness, Michael" she insisted. "I know she always had a bit of a fancy for you, but did you return her affection?"
"I'm married to the love of my life!" he proclaimed. "And nothing will change that." He leaned back in his chair, with Julia on his mind. Had she been this torn about her affair with Peter? Could she possibly understand what he was going through? He had never looked at Olivia as anything other than a friend before what occurred between them. He would always love Julia more than anything, but he clearly had something still for the mother of his adopted son and, if Donnie's report could be believed, another unborn child.
"Of course Julia means the world to you, darling" his mother soothingly spoke to him. "No one questions that. But if these feelings of yours go unresolved, this chapter of your life go on without being closed, it will only cause more trouble for you down the line."
"How can I get any closure with Olivia when she's gone?"
Erin sighed. "The same way I get closure from your father. I keep my faith in the two most precious gifts he gave me. Perhaps you should form your bond with Little Michael. He's going to need you for a long time, Michael. His parents are gone, but that does not mean he is able to take care of himself." She patted her son on the head and kissed the crown of his head before taking her leave. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I also came to visit my own parents, but I will keep you in my thoughts while I visit them."
As his mother exited the room, Michael simply sat in silence. Julia would be the choice he made every single time he could make one. He was even sure he would have chosen to be single than to marry Olivia before all of this had happened, when Julia's life hung in the balance. But why was he sitting here, feeling as dejected and hopeless as ever? And why couldn't he let this idea go? She became all that he could have ever expected from the child he had known from ages ago. No longer cruel and selfish, humbled by events in her own life as he had been, loving others before expecting anything in return. Had she, in her crusade to do right by those she had wronged, somehow wormed her way into his heart in a way so few people did?
He looked to his hands and knew he could count the people he had ever had romantic inclinations towards on one hand. Dee, Giselle, Julia...Olivia...no one else. Many had tried to make their way into his life, yet only these four had ever succeeded.
He scattered his papers on his desk, with some floating into the flames, to Mufasa's delight. "I can never let anyone get that close to me again. Only Julia. Only her." He then reached into his pocket for his Poke Gear. She had always been able to reinforce his love for her in ways he didn't expect. And he needed this right now. "Julia?"
"Michael? Is everything alright?"
"Where are you right now?"
"I'm with Addison and her friends in the library, trying to help her figure out what this Prophecy of hers meant. Is everything okay, honey? You sound...off."
"I'm more off than I've been in a long time. And I could use you, right about now."
"I'll be up there in a moment, my love" she promised. "Once I've wrapped up here, it will be just you and me until the future king needs his feeding."
"Thanks, Jules."
"Michael, I will do everything in my power to see you smile again. That goes until the day we both die. You get it?!"
He smiled and laughed to himself. "Of course, milady."
{}
The Library became Addison's second home. Though she and her family were now fully and completely moved into their rebuilt home, she felt as if her presence in the house was suffocating to her recently reunited parents. Of course, her father was more than eager to spend time with her. But Addison could tell that a million things were on both of her parents minds. And thanks to her connection with Galatea, she also sensed that there was more to their parents "private time" than they were letting on. And she didn't want to intrude. Beyond her parents and friends, however, finding some way to reunite with Ryan was all on her mind. Which was why the library in Kingston Castle was where she spent almost all of her time.
She scoured every book. Thumbed through every tome and scroll. Scanned through every letter, journal, map and memoir that Michael and his ancestors had collected over the years. All of it in the hopes of coming up with the answer to the one question that no one seemed to have a concrete solution to: how does one reunite with a lost loved one. Not even Countess Rosemary had one for her. The only question that vexed the most intelligent person she had ever known. She had to discover the answer to this one on her own. Well, not entirely on her own. She did have her helpers. All of them eager to somehow make the impossible possible.
Dawn, who herself admittedly didn't have a bit of "bookworm blood" inside of her, raced around the library in search of books for everyone else to read. Lucas read through books at a positively astonishing rate, making Addison know for sure he would make an excellent replacement Professor for Sinnoh when Professor Rowan elected to retire. Julia was her moral support. Addison, after scanning through hundreds of books an hour, would be on the verge of a mental breakdown and letting her grief consume her, but the Queen would be right there to give her an affectionate hug, positive encouragement or whatever she felt would help. Even now, on what had to have been the fourth or fifth straight day in the Library, Addison could feel herself shaking with worry that the dream she had to reunite with the person in the world that meant the absolute most to her would never come. And it would take the Queen all she had to keep Addison's resolve from slipping.
Addison felt jittery. Her eye seemingly twitched every sixty seconds. Her heart would beat at different speeds randomly. She had several empty cups of coffee and tea next to her pile of books that she combed through. She felt liable to collapse at any second, but would not let herself succumb to the weakness. She needed something to work with. Anything.
As she sat across the table from Addison after she dropped a book about Wiccan culture that Shannon always borrowed from the castle whenever she visited, Julia reached for and grasped the girl's hand. "Addy, sweetie. Maybe you should take a bit of a rest."
Lucas sat beside her and also took note of her dilapidated state. "Yeah. When was the last time you slept?"
"Why sleep?" she asked them, slightly agitated. "Plenty of time to sleep when you're dead."
"Your brain would work better if you sleep" Julia cautioned.
Dawn spun around a bookcase and handed them another stack of books excitedly. "Well, we're all out of books from the Legends section. Here are some myths from around the world."
"You know you're not helping by feeding her impulses" Lucas commented.
"Anything to bring Ryan-uh, I mean anything to reunite two lost lovers!" she winked.
Julia rolled her eyes. "How are there even separate sections for Myth and Legend?"
"I might be able to assist you here, Your Majesty" a voice chimed in from nearby. Gerard arrived to collect the cups that Addison had accumulated and cleared his throat to ensure everyone listened. "Lord James took in a deep interest in both Mythology and Legends during his later years. I personally believe his relationship with his sister fueled these interests. Any of the stories he read about that had an inkling of truth to them, such as ruins, statues or the such, would be categorized into Legends. If it is only known in urban legends or the songs of bards and poets, then it becomes a Myth." Once all of the cups were collected, he looked towards the fatigued group. "If he were still here, I would point you in his direction about your search. But alas, the world takes good men so often."
"Would the King be able to help?" Dawn inquired.
"His Majesty is currently embroiled in the duties of running the region" the butler replied. "He has no time for-"
Julia sighed. "He's got enough on his plate, already." She sighed as she looked out the window as light shined in through them. "My love. Oh, how I wish I could make you smile again."
Dawn playfully slapped Lucas. "You see? That's what I want you to do for me if I ever get down."
Lucas laughed as he playfully and flirtatiously pushed back. "You? Down? That'd be a sign of the apocalypse."
While trying to read the latest book she'd picked up, her hands shook so violently that Julia had to take the book out of her hands and tried in earnest to calm her. Addison tried angrily to fight off both her mental urge to breakdown and Julia prying the book from her hands, until Julia was in front of her, holding her shoulders. Realizing it was only Julia taking care of her, Addison fell forwards and cried hysterically in the Queen's arms.
"Shhhh" her mentor shushed. "It's okay, honey."
"No!" Addison shouted, her voice muffled in Julia's shirt. "No it's not! I'm failing him! I promised..." She sniffed loudly and hugged Julia tightly. "I promised him I would find him!"
"Maybe if you got some sleep-" Lucas consoled.
Addison pulled her head up, her face apparently so dreadful that even Lucas and Dawn were taken back. "Every time I dream, I see him. I can't. Not again!"
Julia did all she could to console the girl she thought of as a daughter. "It's going to be fine, Addy." She recognized a book from the pile Dawn had brought over and plucked it out. "Here, maybe a song will cheer you up. This is a lullaby my mother used to always sing to me." She thumbed through the book to search for the lullaby that was the lone memory she had of her mother, but to her confusion, there was no sign of it. The book had the same title, with a few added words: Canción de la Luz y otras Leyendas de Paldea. But why wasn't this song in the book. She looked down towards Addison, who had finally collapsed in her arms and was silently sleeping.
"What's a Paldea?" Dawn asked curiously.
"I've never heard of it" Lucas added. "A Pokemon?"
Julia shook her head. "It's a place, I think. My mother used to speak about it so softly to us. But Piper and I were born in Alola, so I don't know." She thumbed through the book, with all of it's writing in 'The Old Language' as her Abuela called it. She and Piper were the only ones in Arcana who knew the language. For now. Arya and the rest of her children would learn it too, soon enough. As they would also learn Kalosian and any other language that helped them lead Arcana back to the prominence it needed to be. She paused her skimming when she came across one passage in particular: Isla Blanca. "White Island?"
"What's that?" Dawn wondered.
"An answer, I hope." Julia studied each word that was written about this place of myth or legend. An Island that only appeared once every century and could only be walked by they who were meant to frequent it's shores? "Una puerta al Corazón? A Door to the Heart?"
"What does it all mean, Your Highness?" Lucas asked, looking down at Addison worriedly.
She picked up a bookmark and placed it on the chapter she was reading and then placed the book on the table. "We'll table this discussion for later. I need to see my husband. And Addy needs sleep. Make sure she gets to a bedroom of some kind and we'll meet here tonight to read more." She gently moved to let Addison's body sleep on the table. She patted Addison's back and kissed her head. "The poor thing. Hopefully this passage gives her prayers an answer for once." She collected herself and strode for the exit to the library. Her husband and her children needed her.