"North, huh? If they were in Paris, they would have run to safety by the time the revolution was starting...Through, there is other places up north from Silla as well...", one of the loyalists replied.

Another loyalist smiled, reassuring his prince, "I'm sure they would be fine, sir.", and Charles nodded, "Faith is one of the things we have. Well, we best move on, and find someplace to cook that rabbit without anyone noticing our fire. It might be small, but it's something to eat at least.".

His loyalists nodded in agreement, and they kept heading on, with Bruno at the lead, sniffing and listening, protecting his master and his master's pack.

Of course, what they all didn't realize was that Ella was much closer than any of them would've guessed since they actually had inadvertently found themselves on an off path that was taking them pretty close to the castle.

As winter was coming, most of the grown children were being taught to hunt, grow food, and forage, and so, Ella is foraging for edible mushrooms and wild berries, with her father teaching Jacques how to shoot arrows at squirrels and rabbits near enough to be in earshot.

Ella sang softly as she smiled, plucking delicious berries into her basket, and heard a loud pair of footsteps, and she replied, "All done, Papa, Jaq?", looking back, and then widened her eyes in fear as a big yearling bear stood up, growling and whuffing.

She was quiet for a moment as she stood still. The bear kept growling for a moment before walking towards her, well, slightly, more like it was walking in her direction to go around her as she continued not to move and pose any sort of challenge or threat to the bear.

Ella then saw the bear's nose sniffing as it got closer to her, and then snorted, growling as it batted its paw at her, roughly pushing her out of the way, earning her to shout in pain, and the shout must have sounded like a challenge as the bear roared, rearing up on two legs as Ella screamed in horror, closing her eyes.

Barks and growls then came out of nowhere as the bear roared in pain, hearing distinct voices clamoring and shouting as a nearby voice called to her, "I got you! Hold on!", grabbing her hands, pulling her into a safe embrace, nearly running behind a tree for safety.

Some of the other voices were calling and seemed to be leading the bear away as Ella panted from just the sheer rush of fear that coursed through her as she was certain she was going to die there for a moment.

The voice above her asked urgently, "Are you okay? Anything broken?", and Ella sniffled, "I think so...No, nothing's broken, but I think I got bruises on my side.".

A whine and a nudge of a nose came, and she gasped, looking down, and then sighed in relief to see a brown dog, who's all ruffled up and panting, yet looking proud, and the voice above her chuckled, "Good boy, Bruno. You did a great job stopping that bear.".

Bruno? Wait...Ellla then remembered the puppy she had when she was a little girl...she gave Bruno to a friend, a prince...a nice boy with deep black hair and chocolate brown eyes...She exhaled, looking up, and then those very same chocolate brown eyes are staring back at her...

She whispered, "Charming?", using the very nickname she used to call him by, as she asked Leila once if there's other words besides nice to describe a boy.

He gave a look at her for a moment before he whispered, "No... couldn't be...". He looked at her for another moment before his eyes widened, "Ella?".

Charles often had thought of Ella over the years, trying to imagine what she looked like at different ages, and here, right now, it's even more real than anything he'd imagined...She couldn't be more than 18, 19 years old, her strawberry blonde hair healthy and lush, and just past her shoulders, her light blue eyes so full of life, and her skin is a healthy shade of pale tan. She's beautiful, and if his memory serves right about those days long ago, she is kind and mischievous and witty.

Ella gave an awed smile, "Yes...It's me...", looking at him in amazement, realizing that he's no longer a boy, but a man...A handsome man who saved her, and he's holding her in his arms, strong and firm...Wait, he's holding her like a lover!

She is not a princess, and he's a prince! She blushed, "Can you let go, please, your highness? I'm alright.", not wanting to be caught in an intimate position. She's not like Aunt Sylvia, even if she didn't want to leave the warm embrace at all, as it somehow felt so right. And being a prince, he must be betrothed to a princess or a noble lady...

"Apologies...", Charles said as he released her, and she took a step back. "I feared that bear might have gotten too close with you and would've harmed you had I not been here.".

Ella smiled as Bruno nudged her with a bark, "Thank you, both of you, for saving my life.", petting Bruno as he snuffled, licking her hand, and she laughed, "You remember me too, eh, boy? I missed you too.", leaning down to hug him as he yipped happily, licking her face, "Bruno! You missed me too, huh?", giggling and laughing.

Charles's heart thumped at the musical sound of her laugh, seeing her smile, seemingly better now after the whole adrenaline washed away, and then heard his people return back, "Sir, Prince Charles, Your Majesty!", cojoined by two men, one he recognized, through he's older now with a few silvers of gray in there. Formerly Lord Jules D'Artaque, now Richard Russo, if he recalled his father's story right.

"Ella! Sister!", the two men called out, and Ella looked up from her hug with Bruno, "Papa, Jacques!", getting up as she and the others reunited, as his loyalists asked Charles, "Are you alright, sir?".

Charles nodded, "Very much so. And the bear?", and one of his loyalists replied, "Got an arrow from one of the men within the young woman's embrace. He will bear a wound for a while, and he learned his lesson and ran off, especially after the rocks we threw at him.".

"Good... best no one be bothered by it for the time at least...", Charles turned his attention to Richard. "Lord Jules... how... I'm certainly surprised to see you once more after all these years.".

Jules looked at Charles, "I certainly am the same, and I see that you are now a man, no longer a boy. Is it truly happening to Silla as well, with the revolution? Your father? Is he well and alive?".

"No word, I'm afraid to say, especially if the fires of revolution have spread to Silla. We hardly know what's happening here in France now other than apparently, the monarchy has fallen. We've been on the move since then; our army has deserted us, not wishing to fight to preserve monarchs but rather for the people...", Charles reported wearily.

Jules widened his eyes, "Oh, dear. When was the last time you sent a message by horse or bird?", and Charles sighed, "I sent a letter to Father by hawk a few weeks ago before it got dangerous. I hope my warning within the letter for him, the Grand Duke, and the castle staff gets to safety somehow, but I don't know if Silla is blocked off, or anything else.".

Jules frowned, "This calls for some serious talk with my fellow friends and such. Adam especially would be very worried. Come, Prince Charles, you and your group looks like you all need some well-deserved food, rest, and all. I must tell you that the kingdom around here is basically depleted, but the castle is intact, if not known greatly over the years, especially with rumors of the village just beyond the mountains rumbling with revolution.".

"Any safe place is better than where we are now... we are truly in the dark about what goes on through the country and much less the continent. The worry that the fires of the revolution will spread again; and I truly wonder if we might see a repeat of what had happened before.", Charles said.

"Meaning the other monarchs will declare war on France again, you mean? Perhaps... if they're not engulfed with their own revolutionaries.", Jules nodded.

Charles replied, "My thoughts exactly. I fear Italy is not safe either if your wife wanted to flee to her homeland, next to Perla, if I recall correctly that they originally came from Italy.".

Jules replied, "You are correct of that, but yes, I must talk with my wife about that later once we talk about finding a way to help your father and trusted people of Silla flee to safety somehow. I may not be a lord anymore, but I always had respect for your father and Francois.", referring to the Grand Duke.

Charles smiled, "Any advice would be appreciated, but yes, in privacy, we must talk. The woods may be wild and mostly undisturbed, but I cannot risk anyone overhearing if the village is near as you say.".

Jules nodded, "Understood. Come, Ella, Jacques, your mother must be concerned by now as the sun is coming down.", leading the way for Charles and his loyalists to follow, with Bruno panting and walking by Ella which Charles is amused yet relieved to see.

"It certainly is a surprise to find you all out here...", Charles admitted. "I would've thought you all would've found some place a little more sociable, if you don't mind me saying.".

Ella glanced at her father, and Jules smiled, nodding, and Ella answered, "Aunt Perla was following her heart as she is the matriarch, and still is, of the family, and she found a place for all of the family to be safe and in peace, and so in turn, she found her true love, like Papa did with Mama. You remember Carlo?".

Charles chuckled, "He loved to play with toy trains and enjoying stories, if I remember correctly.", and Ella smiled, "He still does enjoy stories, through reading books those days now. He's the older brother of five siblings who is a year apart one by one.".

"Wow...That must have been challenging for Miss Perla.", Charles replied, and Ella giggled, "It was a lot of hard work, I can say, but she and Uncle Adam strived through it with love and determination. Granted, it was far less challenging for Papa and Mama raising Jacques and Tiana, my twin brother here, and his twin sister.".

Jacques nodded, "Everybody calls me Jaq when they aren't using Jacques.", with a smile, "I loved the game of hide and seek, which everybody swears that I can only fit in, like a mouse, in small spaces. It sure helps with hunting those days now, right, Papa?".

Jules chuckled, "Indeed. And my daughter, Tiana, she absolutely loves cooking, and is doing well in her young yet well-deserved apprenticeship with the matron of the kitchens, Mrs. Potts.".

Charles smiled, "Well, I and my group here would be glad to taste her food tonight, if she is permitted to cook then. And what about Miss Juliet, Sir Jiminy, and Freeman Ray, with his boy, Naveen?".

Jules took a deep breath as he paused. "Jiminy is no longer with us. He met a woman and the two of them moved on. They're still alive, just... they don't live with us anymore.", he explained.

Charles blinked in surprise, "Oh. I guess I shouldn't be too sad for him then...Does he visit sometimes?", and Jacques replied, "Yeah. Uncle Jiminy and Aunt Sylvia visit when they can, through it's rare for them to bring souvenirs as they are nomads, through Uncle Jiminy calls themselves travelers of aid, since they usually like to bring joy to people somehow, even if it's fixing a cart or something else, especially when they aren't usually paid for it, but they love it anyway.".

"That's a very respectable thing to do...I do hope he and his lady is safe, considering the revolutions...", Charles replied, and Jules smiled, "Don't worry. As far as I knew from last time they visited, they had planned to explore Spain, across the Strait to the African coast, which is considerably safe as they aren't nobles or anything of the sort.".

Charles chuckled, "True, true, and with Sir Jiminy being of a tall and strong sort as I recall, nobody could give him and his lady trouble.", and Ella giggled, "Indeed.", as he didn't know that their magic as partners and such, it is more than protection for them on their travels to grant wishes, though she has a feeling that wishes are less redundant and less sincere those days, with the revolutions happening, but in other places, there's more sincere wishes to balance it out.

"And for Ray, he has very much moved on from his memories of being enslaved, creating a life, and having children, with Evangeline, a wonderful, kind woman who's white, yet we don't care ourselves as he truly is a great man who has fallen in love and beyond. And, Prince Charles, this isn't Silla, so, we could be offended if your group here has discrimination against blacks. Ray has been part of the family ever since he and Naveen has been freed thanks to my wife and I.", Jules replied, now serious in using Charles's title, narrowing his eyes, protective of Ray, one of his best friends.

Charles nodded as he wasn't a hundred percent sure that was the case. He could easily make sure those who were loyal could at least keep their bigotry to themselves as not to insult their hosts.

Jules raised an eyebrow, and Charles then realized that he needed a verbal answer, and he replied, "Yes, Lord Jules, I completely understand.".

"Good, that's all that I can ask for. I cannot force your people there to change their minds. I'll not intrude on your personal conversations with them.", Jules replied rationally, before then smiling, "Naveen is not little anymore, through he's not a copy of his father in physical looks as he's slenderer. He's quite talented in the arts of music, and he is working on his songs as he's happy being a musician and teaching his younger brother.".

Ella replied, "Naveen got twin siblings, Louis and Charlotte aka Lottie for short. Louis is quite adept at playing the horn, and Lottie is quite the dancer when it comes to ballroom dancing in all kinds of music.", with a chuckle.

Charles whistled lightly, "I bet it's quite the party when those two come into the ballroom.", and Ella giggled, "Oh, most definitely. And Aunt Juliet, she's happy in taking care of the children, being an aunt and a pseudo-mother of sorts.", not daring to put Juliet and Belle in danger, or Gianna being the same as her mothers in the love spectrum, through Ella, like all of the children, hated hiding the secrets of Aunt Belle and Aunt Juliet being in love with each other, or Carlo being in a courtship with Naveen from the outside world, but with firm explanations and warnings from the adults, they reluctantly understood.

"Really doesn't feel like too much has changed it seems even after all this time.", Charles chuckled as Jules nodded, "Honestly, it really doesn't feel like it... it's bigger than it was before but we're still all together, thankfully.".

Charles smiled, "Father would be very relieved to hear the news of his dear friend surviving with his family, and Francois would be especially glad to know as well, if they were here.", before blinking in awe as the forest thinned out to the grounds of the castle, and the castle itself. "Whoa...Strange, the architecture is different yet familiar like the castle back home...".

Jules replied, "Like I said, Perla is the matriarch of the family, which makes her the mistress of the castle upon courting and eventually marrying Adam. You may not have heard of him since he was disowned by his father long ago.".

"An ex-prince?", Charles tried to think of the history classes he took over the years, "Who was his father?". Jules, after a moment of thought, replied, "I believe he said that his father's name was Richard, and his mother's name was Elisabeth.".

Charles then widened his eyes as he recalled that Father said that he used to have a younger cousin who was a lesser king in the north of France, in the mountains, and that his name was Richard, and he had a son...if Adam is his father's great cousin, then it means that Charles is Adam's great-great cousin.

"Someone familiar?", Jules asked as Charles nodded. "Distant cousin maybe, certainly not one I've ever met in my life though.", he admitted.

Jules then nodded, "I couldn't blame you there, but your father might recognize him, as Adam has parts of his father which he tolerates within but is gladder about having more of his mother's genes. Let's say that your father would be disappointed in how Richard acted and had a hand in Adam's childhood at in harmful ways, not loving ways, like how your father is with you. Best not mention anything about Richard, but you can ask him if he remembers visiting Silla.".

Charles nodded in understanding, "Of course. I understand.", knowing that not every royal family is the same in behavior lifestyles in the monarchy branches of the lineup, and then Jacques looked ahead, "The lights are coming on, Papa! We can't be late for dinner!".