Adam sighed, "You two have very good points, but we cannot change the people's minds far enough, and honestly, right now, I'm not desperate, I admit, but the idea I have suggested, it's enough for now as Charles, he might think that it's something from God or such, but he'd roll with it, if I'm correct of his attitude I have observed tonight at dinner, and my cousin, his father, he'd see it as a miracle or something, maybe a gift in a way from his wife.".
The Evening Star gleamed very brightly in response, and Ray said, "They approve of the idea, looks like.", and Adam smiled softly, "Let's hope that the idea works. Charles will be exhausted soon enough to go to sleep, even if it's not quite late in the evening, and same thing for my cousin as the hour difference is hardly noticeable.".
"And what if this continues for a long time, say, a month or a year?", Jules asked, and Adam sighed deeply, "Then we'd tell Charles the truth, and perhaps advise him on other options on how to convince his father about surrendering the throne in the dreams.".
Jules widened his eyes, "You mean, Charles lying to his father?", and Adam raised an eyebrow, "Don't think that I noticed that Charles has quite a history with Ella, considering the glances and such he had at dinner. I'd not be surprised if at the end of the month or later on, Charles would lie that in a way that he had taken advantage unintentionally of Ella and got her pregnant.".
Jules glanced away as he thought about it. He could already tell that whatever sort of friendship that Ella and Charles had from when they were young children still burned even after all these years... a friendship that might very well evolve into love at their ages now...
Adam replied, "I understand that it's uncomfortable for you, Jules, considering that Ella's your daughter, and I am only insinuating that it'd be lying in a way that Charles could use to convince his father to come here, but only if the situation of the revolutions becomes worse over time. Charles would be respectful of her as far as I could believe, for the time being. After all, nobody falls in love on the first day of getting to know each other or reuniting either way.".
Ray gave Adam a look as he blushed, "Alright, maybe I'm a bit off with that idea for sure... sorry, Ray.". Ray smirked as he was sure he fell in love with Evangeline the moment he had met her.
Jules gave a light chuckle upon hearing that, and exhaled, "If it was any other strange man, I'd be really protective of Ella, but Charles, he's an honorable man, and if upon a month or longer, after telling the truth to him, he could go with the lie if it gets his father out of Silla. After all, you heard him. His father is getting old, and when one is getting old, the only other thing besides peace and having hobbies to do, in their minds is grandchildren to spoil.".
Ray frowns, "And what if he comes here, with no grandchildren in sight?", and Adam replied, "He would be upset, I suppose, but he will know that he got lied to, but we will have to convince him that it's for the best for him to be out of Silla, to safety and all, surrendering the throne like that.".
"And what about going to Silla?", Jules asked. "We can't ask Charles to stay here, he's too concerned with home; I'm confident that he's already planning on leaving in the morning to try and race back home.".
Adam replied, "That's where the dream idea comes in tonight. If the king says that there hasn't been trouble yet with any rumblings of revolution within the village itself, Silla is basically fine, but if there's trouble on the other hand, as I and Charles said, the king's stubborn, and if he says that he wants his son to be safe, away from Silla, probably saying that he cannot risk any revolutionaries to ransom his son if he gets caught on the way home.".
Jules blinked in surprise, "That's actually accurate...I knew stories of princes or related kings being kidnapped for ransom and such in situations for the kings to surrender the thrones or pay a huge sum in different places. Hell, we knew what happened to King Richard the Lionheart of England.".
"And they see him still as a hero in children's tales... saving the lands with Robin Hood by coming back and sparing them from Prince John's taxes...", Ray scoffed at just how silly the idea was with the Robin Hood mythos.
Adam replied, "But children aren't harmed by those tales much, you have to admit that. But that's not the point of it. The point is that we have to give Charles and his father the bigger picture on their own.".
Jules nodded, "Yeah. Well, I guess we got plenty to work with for now...Unless there's more, Adam?", and Adam replied, "No. And you heard Sylvia and Jiminy when the monarch in Paris fell. They will update our map as they always have been doing from the start.", and the other two men nodded in agreement, and then left the war room, to spend time with their loved ones and such.
Sylvia and Jiminy, by working out the finer details in the dream idea Adam suggested, used Charles and his father's familial connection to make the reunion in their dreams communal, and created the place to be a peaceful, neutral place which is an endless field with an ever-blue sky, and a lone carved fallen tree seat to fit two.
Charles, in his other pair of shirt and trousers, after his day clothes are given to the staff to be washed and dried, looked around in awe and wonder as he murmured, "What is this place?".
"Charles?", he heard his father's voice call out, "My son, is that you out there?". Charles turned to see his father slowly making his way towards him from the vast field.
Charles gave a wide smile in surprise and relief, "Dad!", running to him, and Aloysius laughed happily, his bushy mustache wiggling, and his rotund belly jiggling, as he then ran in his long shirt and trousers, relieved to see his son healthy and well, as they realized that nobody was watching, they hugged like a son and father reunited for the holidays.
"Is... is this a dream?", Aloysius asked him as Charles shook his head. "I'm not really sure... I think it might... I think I remembered at least going to bed...", Charles said.
Aloysius nodded, "I remember retiring for the evening as well...". Charles then smiled, "But it's so great to see you, Dad...My team of loyalists, Bruno, and I are okay. Rough, but okay. You couldn't believe who I found, Dad.".
"Oh?", Aloysius asked, and Charles smiled, "I saw Mr. Russo and his family. They're far into the mountains, east of Paris, in a well-maintained castle.".
"Wait, Russo, as in formerly Lord Jules D'Artaque and his wife, Leila Russo, and his wee daughter, Ella?", Aloysius gasped in surprise.
"Yep.", Charles nodded. "Still alive, and not too far away than what we had suspected. I always thought they might go further north to perhaps England, but they stayed in France.". Charles then sighed, "I... I guess you must have gotten my message since you said nothing of 'loyalists'.".
Aloysius nodded heavily, "The guards are still loyal, protecting the castle, but I must admit that the village itself is deeply making things a bit harder, especially after many of the villagers had fled by ship upon the moment when I gave the orders to block Silla from revolutionaries of Paris and other places. Less trading, less jobs, and less supplies.".
"Please tell me that there hasn't been any damage.", Charles replied softly, and Aloysius shook his head, "No damage, no shootings, no fires, which is a miracle itself. But there has been whispers that the upturned army of our own kingdom has been helping the collapse of the monarchy in Paris...especially when there has been no sight of the Bourbons since that day.".
Charles widened his eyes, "They fled?", and Aloysius sighed, "I'm afraid that I don't know, through Francois says that if the people of Paris wanted to announce the death of the Bourbons, they could delay it if they're holding the Bourbons hostage somewhere, or if they're already dead, but lying to the city in a way, until the fires of revolution is dismissed away or growing far to the continent for the rest of the people. But on the other hand, they would have perhaps escaped via the old city catacombs and tunnels...fleeing to who knows where, especially if they are in disguise.".
"It has been a month since the monarch came down in Paris...Do you think they could announce now of the death of the Bourbons?", Charles frowned in concern as they walked to the lone tree carved seat.
"I think maybe the revolutionaries are learning from past mistakes... to kill the monarch again would draw the other nations back into war with them to protect their own thrones.", Aloysius said. "My best guess is that at least the Bourbons probably just retreated like when Napoleon had returned in 1815 from Elba. Maybe waiting somewhere safer to either come back or at least stay a safe distance away from the blade. But for us... our own army coming back home, I fear, would be a disaster.".
"Depends on what they want...", Charles admitted. "If it's self-rule... we could negotiate; still keep the throne if at the expense of power. What's the alternatives? Flee? Stay and fight and cause so much of our own blood to be spilled when peace could easily be an option?".
Aloysius sighed deeply, "I cannot afford to flee, especially now...But I can't fight the village either, to risk the guards' lives nor the villagers' lives...Best thing right now is staying...Perhaps our own army has other places to spread revolution for the time being...You cannot come home, Charles, especially when the fires of revolution are to spread...If you say that you're with my friend and his family, deep in the mountains, you're safe as the mountains aren't easy for an army to march through and attack this castle you talked about.".
Charles replied, "...Adam was right...", and Aloysius blinked in confusion and familiarity for a moment, "Adam? Where did I hear that name before?".
"It's your great cousin, Dad...Adam, you must have heard that your cousin, Richard disowned his son...", Charles spoke softly, and Aloysius widened his eyes in shock, whispering, "There was no word since Richard's funeral...I thought he was dead...He used to enjoy sword-dueling like you did when he visited with Richard...Adam...He's alive and well?".
Charles nodded with a smile, "Yes, he is, and he married Miss Perla only a few years after the family left Silla, and besides little Carlo who had grown fast like a weed, to a fine man, they have five children of different ages by a year apart. And Dad...I don't know if you noticed while Richard and Adam visited, but let's say that I was warned by Lord Jules not to mention Richard around Adam as I believe there was neglect, perchance abuse at worst when he was a boy and such...".
"I always suspected that Richard was a poor father to Adam... I dared not say anything though, wasn't really my place, but perhaps I should have, looking back...", Aloysius sighed.
Charles replied, "It's okay, Dad. Adam's happy and healthy and all grown up, in love with Lady Perla. Lord Jules and Lady Leila had two children almost immediately after they left Silla. Jacques and Tiana, twins. And Sir Jiminy, he has moved on out after meeting a woman, probably one of the staff or villagers, but he visits occasionally. And for Ray, he met a lovely woman, and next to raising Naveen who is a great musician and a great man now, he is a father again, to twins, Louis and Charlotte. And for Miss Juliet, she's a unique spinster, but she doesn't care of that as she's happy being an aunt and a pseudo-mother to the children of the staff and the family.
Aloysius chuckled, "Wow. And they all mostly live together in the castle?", and Charles chuckled, "Ella said that her family may be close-knit all around, but there's plenty of space for their own floors of a home in a way.".
"And how is Ella?", Aloysius smiled, seeing the twinkle in his son's eyes, happy for him to reunite with his childhood friend. Charles froze up a bit upon being asked that. "She's... she's been doing alright so far...", he said. "She's not found anyone herself at the moment...", he rubbed his arm as he glanced away.
Aloysius chuckled, "I remember all those times when Jules couldn't leave Ella at home when it's time for the council meetings, and you and she were such two peas in a pod...Laughter echoing through the castle...What was it after Jules courted and married Leila? Those few moments where she called you Charming, you didn't mind, and if I remember correctly, you blushed when she kissed you on the cheek upon leaving Silla after giving you Bruno.".
"Dad!", Charles blushed, now remembering that little embarrassing moment that both felt gross yet weirdly nice, and now...this would be different that he's just over 20...
Aloysius smiled, "If you intend to court her, be the prince I taught you to be, but not too much formal...After all, it's her home where she is basically hosting you, not our castle.".
Charles widened his eyes at him, "You...you don't mind if she's basically a commoner now, after Lord Jules renounced his titles all those years ago, making her not a lord's daughter anymore? What about demanding me to find a princess and getting married?", remembering that his father was quite vocal about him finding a princess for political betrothal reasons and getting married almost immediately after courting for some time, and of course, giving him grandchildren...
Aloysius sighed. "Honestly, I don't really know any more about that. It used to be for power or alliances with marriages, but... not much of a thing too much these days, at least for us. The other monarchs would prefer to consolidate with the large powers amongst themselves, not Silla.".
Charles exhaled deeply, and Aloysius then continued on, his hand resting on his son's shoulder, "Ella made you happy when you two were children, and if you're in love with her after an acceptable time of courtship and such, and you're happy, that's all I and your mother wanted for you, my son.", with a warm smile.
"I... I really appreciate hearing you say that, Father...", Charles nodded as he looked out to the horizon; his mind still racing with so many things that he had come to think of this night. He had rarely gotten a chance to truly think in the days since being on the move to stay one step ahead of those that might wish to use or harm him.
Aloysius replied, "I can see the wheels turning in your mind, Charles. Relax and breathe. Take life one day at a time, and you'll feel better. It's what I do those days now with the situation.".
Charles took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, and then exhaled, opening his eyes, finding himself in his guest bedroom, and he looked around, seeing his fireplace on full force, to warm the room from the chill of the upcoming winter temperatures.
He then felt better after seeing his father alive and well, and his father's managing things well enough in Silla for the time being...He prays that the situation doesn't get worse out there...Taking a deep breath again as his mind is tumbling again of thoughts...He'd feel more better if Adam's spies and such in the village is working to find information about the revolutions all around France...
Perhaps a hour every day to talk with Adam and the others in the war room, to see the progress...He suspects that his group of loyalists would say that traveling through the mountains further back south with winter incoming, it would be hard compared to summer conditions, and honestly, they have been on rough days, surviving on what they caught, and hiding to stay a step ahead on the move.
And he admits to himself that he's being selfish as he wants to know Ella, and his father literally ordered him to stay, and gave him the blessing of courting her and all... Would she see his affections?
"One day at a time...", Charles whispers to himself, and then settles back to sleep, deciding to think on it the next day, to figure out how to show his affections, upon after telling Adam that he's staying, of course.
Dawn came not too long after as Charles stood out on one of the balconies and looked out to the forest. Taking deep breaths as he just listened to the calmness that was the morning around the area. There was a small knock on the door before he glanced back to see Ella opening the door and carrying some breakfast with her.
Charles smiled at Ella, "Good morning.", as Ella notices him on the open balcony, and walks over with the breakfast tray, smiling, "Good morning. I hope you don't mind, but I thought you might want some breakfast before you get going.".