Chapter 20 The Sweetest Dream

Ludwig shook his head multiple times as he made his way toward his bedroom. By the time he got there, he felt like he had broken some sort of head shaking record. He tried not to let the words of his siblings bother him. After all, they didn't know anything! So what if Ludwig liked the hug between him and Aria? So what if he thought she was one of the most beautiful women he had encountered in a long, long…. long long time? It meant nothing! Absolutely nothing!

Those were the thoughts that ran through his head as he got in bed. With the comforter resting on top of his form, he prepared himself for a lengthy sleep. He felt that that would be the perfect way for him to stop thinking about what just happened with his family. It could also help him recover from the shock that fighting a literal demon had brought upon him. Seriously, those two events were really… well, thinking about them turned out to be mightily taxing for him. The latter still sent multiple trembles down his spine, and the former…

He closed his eyes as he berated himself. No, there was nothing going on with him and Aria. She was a friend. A good friend, a fabulous friend. And sure, he was glad that she had turned out okay in their fight back in the cave, and he wished only the best for her. But… but that were just normal concerns a friend would naturally have! So what if he got jealous of Jarod? So what if he had felt heavily elated when she hugged him? They were just friends. Sure, the fact that he constantly had to repeat that fact to himself came off as pretty suspicious, something that Ludwig was at the very least aware of. But… it didn't even matter anyway. Even if he did feel that way about Aria, he wouldn't want to actually pursue any sort of relationship. That relationship would be in danger of crumbling to dust thanks to the secret Ludwig still kept locked away from her.

But that's the thing; he didn't feel that way about Aria. As he closed his eyes, he focused on this fact. He didn't feel this way about his friend, and he never would.

Yep. Never would…

…

Ludwig smiled. He observed the walls of his house, painted the same color purple of Aria's eyes. Man, he had never thought purple would be a good choice for the interior of a house, but Man was it pretty! It was also soothing, so soothing that it managed to lure Ludwig into a perpetual state of joy. He smiled looking at it, remembering the time so long ago when he and Aria had chosen such a striking hue.

Unfortunately, he did have to turn away from gazing at its beauty eventually. He didn't mind though, as he had a day that he wanted to get started. This new day held a motherlode of promise, a smorgasbord of possibilities. Sure, that was true of pretty much any day, but Ludwig had a very strong sense of excitement regarding this one. There was just something about it, something in the atmosphere. Even if this day did turn out to be horrible, Ludwig knew for a fact that he would still look back upon it fondly due to the vibe alone.

So, as he walked down the stairs, he smiled. He smiled like he had just learned how to. When he got to the bottom and went into the kitchen, the sight that lay before him left him absolutely smitten. There was Aria, sitting next to a high chair and feeding some strained peas to their eleven month old daughter. This scene was so beautiful in his eyes that he almost didn't want to interject himself, as doing that would taint the scene and ruin the serene moment for what would possibly be the rest of time.

He eventually did though. "Good morning, Aria." He walked over to them, grinning at their daughter as some of the food dribbled down her chin. "Good morning, Aysa."

Aria beamed as she fed the baby one more spoonful of peas. "Good morning, Ludwig. It's nice to see you."

"You too." He looked down at their daughter again. "Man, she certainly made a mess of herself."

"Hey, don't blame her" Aria exclaimed. "If anything, you should blame me; I'm the one who's feeding her!"

"Hey yeah, you're right!" Ludwig exclaimed with a playful smile. He laughed as he looked at her. "Shame on you! You know better than to make a baby's face look like a crime scene!"

Aria chuckled. "Do I though?" She laughed just as Ludwig sent her another teasing, playful look. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding…" She stood up, the peas in hand. "I do think that's enough for little Aysa, at least for now."

Ludwig nodded. He turned toward the sink and telekinetically grabbed a paper towel from the roll resting right above it. He then proceeded to clean Aysa's face, thanking his lucky stars that he was a special since he knew that cleaning his daughter's face with his hands would gross him out to no end. As he threw the paper towel away, he couldn't help but smile at his daughter's face.

"She has your eyes," he told Aria.

"I know." Aria giggled. "You tell me that practically everyday."

"Well, it's true!" Ludwig went over and grabbed hold of Aysa. He lifted her up so that her head could rest on his shoulders, something that the little baby really liked (if her giggles were any indication). "And honestly, I think it's worth celebrating. I know my eyes would look horrible on a baby."

"Oh, don't say that!" Aria went over and put her hand on his shoulder, all while grinning at Aysa. "I like your eyes! I think they look very distinguished."

Ludwig snorted. "Yeah, distinguished. That's the word to use." He moved Aysa so that he could look into her glittering violet eyes. "What do you think, Aysa? Do you like Dada's eyes?" Aysa just smiled and laughed, causing Ludwig to shake his head. "Okay, so she didn't agree with you, but she didn't deny it either! I think that's saying something…"

"Dada!"

Ludwig's heart skipped a beat. He looked back at Aysa, his eyes just as wide as Aria's as he looked in his daughter's face. "What did you say?" He smiled. "Did you just say Dada, Aysa?"

Aysa laughed. "Dada!" She bounced in his arms. "Dada, dada, dada!"

Ludwig and Aria gasped. So many positive emotions made themselves known in Ludwig's heart as he put on a smile. "Oh my word!" A tear actually fell from his eye. "She said her first word!"

"I know!" Aria reached over, prompting Ludwig to hand the baby over to her. As she looked at Aysa, her own eyes were a little bit moist. "You're such a smarty, Aysa!" Her eyes glittered. "Can you say Mama too?"

Aysa just looked back over at Ludwig. "Dada!" She reached out to him with her arms. "Dada dada dada!"

"No!" Aria said. "Mama! Say Mama!" Aysa didn't say any such thing, causing her to sigh in defeat. "Okay, fine. Leave me hanging like that, you little stinker."

Ludwig laughed. "She's a Daddy's girl, that's what she is." He chuckled as he looked at her, both of them grinning. "Yes she is! Yes she is!"

Aria shook her head, but thankfully she didn't appear to be too terribly jealous. "Oh well. I'll mold her into a Mama's girl someday." She handed Aysa back to Ludwig, much to the baby's delight. Ludwig held her to his chest, a warm feeling in his chest spreading all over his body. Ludwig wouldn't be surprised if he would be able to transfer this warmness over to both Aysa and Aria.

"Hey." Aria walked over to him, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Remember what you said we could do today?"

Ludwig mocked a groan. "Oh right, we're supposed to go on a walk!" He shook his head. "Darn it Aria, why do you force me to exercise? You know that hours of healthy activity are against my religion!"

Aria snorted. "Right. Your religion." She giggled. "That doesn't matter though. If anything, I think that you converted to my religion when you married me."

"Did I?" Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "Man, I really needed to take a better look at the contract before I signed it." Aria gave him a smirk, causing him to laugh. "I kid. We can go on a walk; it's fine."

"Of course it's fine," Aria said. "Every word I say is law, after all." She turned toward the door. "I'll go spruce up. Clean Aysa up before you put her in the stroller."

"Sure thing!" It was only once he said that that a horrible smell filled his nose. He sniffed, sighed, and looked down at Aysa. "Wow! You just want to make my life as hard as possible, don't you?" He shook his head as he walked her over to the living room. "You really are a little stinker."

Aysa just laughed.

…

A little while later, Ludwig, Aria, and Aysa walked through the town of Sparksville. Ludwig still couldn't get over how beautiful it was; this place only seemed to grow prettier with time. He smiled as he and his family walked their way over to the Bridge of Flowers. Since it was summer, that meant that some different types of flowers were blooming than the ones that had blossomed in the spring. Ludwig honestly preferred the summer blossoms, so he was more than a little excited to walk along the bridge.

And thankfully, getting there didn't take long at all. Ludwig sighed as he looked at the flowers. The petunias, purple as ever, made Ludwig's heart pitter-patter. He also found that he liked the sight of the peonies, with their pink petals that had the softest colors around.

"You know," Ludwig said, "we need to invite my siblings over to the house sometime in the future. They're really missing out on seeing all of this."

Aria nodded as Aysa cooed. "They are. They really are." She turned toward him. "I think it would be nice to walk down the bridge with them. Sometimes, seeing the beauty of nature just hits the spot, you know what I'm saying?"

Ludwig nodded. He tried to turn his head to look at one of the zinnias, but his neck refused to move. Instead, he kept his eyes locked on Aria. He smiled at her, which ignited a bit of confusion in her.

"What?" she asked.

Ludwig stepped forward and put his hand on her waist. "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?"

Aria blushed. "Pretty much everyday." Honestly, that just made the fact that her face was red all the more incredible to Ludwig. It signaled to him that she never grew tired of hearing his compliments, so he decided to compliment her even more.

"Honestly… I wouldn't mind not being able to ever see the Bridge of Flowers ever again." He smiled at her, getting lost in the sight of her eyes. "As long as I have you, that is." He leaned in closer, practically whispering in her ear now. "All these flowers pale in comparison to your beauty."

Aria's face only grew redder. "Ludwig…" She giggled. "You keep saying how lucky you are to have found me. But honestly? I think I'm the lucky one." She wrapped her arms around him. "My life wouldn't be the same if it didn't have you in it. You're just… amazing."

Then, she leaned in, puckering her lips. Ludwig kissed her, doing it with so much passion that he completely forgot that the two of them were out in public. But even if he did remember, he honestly wouldn't care. He didn't mind if the rest of the world saw him with Aria. It would just go to show that the two of them were perfect for one another. It would just prove to everyone that Ludwig had hit the jackpot when he met this beautiful woman. He would never forget that day where he ran across that little girl in the woods, and would never view that day with anything less than the happiest and sweetest of emotions.

When they stopped kissing, Ludwig and Aria stared into each other's eyes. Ludwig didn't want to pull away. It was like her eyes were a magnet, pulling him closer to her soul and heart. He smiled, indulging in this beautiful moment.

"Get a room, you two!"

And just like that, the moment was gone. Ludwig let out a frustrated sigh and turned back to the stranger who had so rudely made their presence known. "Hey! We just so happen to be a very happy couple. Excuse me if our happiness offends your girlfriend-less ass."

The person turned red in the face. They looked like they were about to yell at them, but one glare from Ludwig told him that wouldn't be the best idea. He walked away with his tail between his legs and his head directed toward the ground.

Aria gave Ludwig a look. "Was that necessary?"

"No," Ludwig admitted. "But neither is what he said." He pulled away from Aria and put his hands on the bar of Aysa's stroller. "Come on, let's finish our walk so we don't offend anymore thirty year old virgins."

Aria clearly tried to hide a smile. "Hey! Stop being so mean!"

Ludwig just chuckled. Without anymore words, they continued their walk.

…

When they got home, and Ludwig had put Aysa down for a nap, he let out a sigh. Man. That had been quite the stroll. He honestly felt very similar to his daughter, as he too wanted to conk out in his bed and sleep the day away. That probably wasn't a good sign, as it probably testified about how old and out of shape Ludwig was. But he didn't care. He was too tired to care.

You know what? He thought to himself. Maybe going to take a nap wouldn't be the worst idea in the world. With that, he rose into the air and flew down the hallway toward his and Aria's bedroom. As he did, his exhaustion only grew more and more prevalent. And to think that it was only the middle of the day. Ludwig missed his younger years, where he could stay up into the early hours of the morning without feeling like he was going to pass out. Good times.

With a jaw popping yawn, he opened the door. The first thing that met his eyes when he stepped into the bedroom wasn't the bed, however. No, it was Aria, smiling at him with a smile that was familiar. Way too familiar.

Ludwig blinked before smiling. "You want some love, don't you?"

"You know me so well!" Aria said with a giggle.

"That I do." Ludwig rubbed his eyes. "Unfortunately… I don't know how satisfying I would be right now." He flew over to the bed, not even taking the time to pull the covers up as he lay down. "I'm so tired I could sleep for the next century."

Aria laughed. "Geez, aren't you an old man?" She readjusted herself so that she was lying right by his side. "But don't worry. I wouldn't be too adverse to doing all the work."

Ludwig snickered. "I know. But still… I don't… I don't know. I really am tired."

Aria frowned, but at the same time, also wore a puppy dog-like expression. "Oh, please Ludwig? I promise it'll be fun!" She kissed him on the cheek, causing his face to heat up by at least ten whole degrees. "Besides…" she leaned down so that she could whisper into his ear with the most seductive voice one could possibly speak with. "Is there a better way to rub our love in the face of that 'thirty-year-old virgin' we met on the bridge?"

Ludwig blinked. "Huh. You know, that is a good point." He smiled. "And I do like sticking it to people like that."

Aria smiled. "I know you do."

"Yeah." Ludwig thought about this before chuckling. "You know what? What the hell?"

Aria's grin grew brighter. Without any more discussion, she got up on top of Ludwig. They kissed, all while Ludwig felt like he was the luckiest Koopa in the world.

…

Ludwig woke up with a gasp, bottling upright like he would if he just had a nightmare. He looked around the room, his eyes wide as he took in the scenery. Sunlight filtered into the room through the window, showing that it was in the morning. Even still, sweat poured down Ludwig's back. He just couldn't believe this; he really couldn't believe this! The fact that he had this dream, and the fact that he had been so invested in the life that his dream self had with Aria… it could only mean one thing. One horrible, unexpected, awful thing that Ludwig could never run away from.

He shook. "No." His trembling got worse like he was experiencing the worst illness he had in a while. "No no no!"

Right at that moment, a shuffling sound occurred from across the room. Lemmy woke up, rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms up to the ceiling while he yawned. "Morning Ludwig!" He exclaimed. When Ludwig didn't respond, Lemmy got up and went over to his bed with a furrowed brow. "Ludwig?" He got on top of the bed. "Is something wrong?"

Ludwig still shook, putting his hands up to his head in terror. "This can't be happening. This absolutely cannot be happening!"

Now Lemmy looked confused as well as worried. "Ludwig, what's the matter?"

Ludwig lifted his head, exerting effort in order to do so. He looked at his brother, his heart beating extra fast. With a pit in his stomach, he said the words that he had hoped he would never say.

"I'm in love with Aria."