"Well, who am I to reject the offer of a princess?", Jacques said as she took his hand and started to lead him elsewhere while Vinny, Erskine and Thaddeus followed them.
"Was it everything you've dreamed?", Erskine whispered as Thaddeus sighed. "Actually, yes, sort of...", he admitted. "But Abraham... I've seen the girls before...".
Erskine glanced at him in surprise, "You did?", and Thaddeus nodded, "That night we met for the first time...Before I came to the mansion, I held the Journal, and a vision came to me, a vision of them in the shadows. Their voices, I knew they are familiar, but I didn't realize them until they spoke English for the first time. They had visions of Milo and Jacques individually, Kida with Milo, and Sia with Jacques.".
"Oh, my...That explains a lot...We are lucky that they found us instead of other hunters...", Erskine exhaled in amazement and relief as Thaddeus nodded.
Sometime later, Sia pointed out to Vinny, "See those kids in that courtyard?", and Vinny nodded as Sia smiled warmly, "They're playing a ballgame that uses hands and feet, but no torsos or hips allowed.".
Jacques replied, "It looks like they're doing some combination of kickball and marbles.", and Sia smiled beamingly, "Exactly. So, you play or do you not?".
Vinny smiled, "I want to try! Papa?", and Jacques nodded with a fatherly smile, "Of course. And remember, -", and Vinny replied, "No fighting to make trouble.".
Jacques chuckled, ruffling his hair, "That's my boy. Go have fun.", shooing him off, and Vinny gave a bright grin, running off to the courtyard, and Sia chuckled, "He deserves to have fun. Our children around here are required to do their chores before going off to play.".
"What about school?", Jacques asked, and Sia sighed deeply, "I'm afraid that the parents are teachers to their children, for we have forgotten to read since the great flood that brought Atlantis down here.".
Jacques winced, "Oh, I'm sorry...", and Sia spoke, "Do not be. We have found other ways to work around that over the centuries.", and Erskine replied, "Truly?".
Sia nodded; but they could all tell that her heart wasn't in her answer. The sheer look of the whole place told them that of just how it looked very much like the last legs of people living amongst the ruins. The sheer fact that they were still here for thousands of years...
They kept walking a bit more before Sia smiled widely, "Here we are.", climbing a laying pillar of small size, helping Thaddeus while Jacques helped Erskine up, finding themselves on a makeshift bench that is sort of a crevice in the pillar, but luckily this pillar isn't hollow, and seeing a group of Atlanteans gathering up in groups, as the clearing is well-used, with a trail between the groups.
"Whoa, what is this?", Jacques asked curiously, and Sia smiled, "A wedding. Everybody is welcome to watch as it is not a mandatory or invited celebration. This one is very special as it happens every 50 years or so.".
Erskine replied, "Why is that?", and Sia replied, "Because of him.", with a gesturing nod, and they looked, seeing a Atlantean man that is not wearing shades of blue like most citizens, but a white chiton that reminds one of Ancient Greek.
He seems to be walking up to someone else revealing them to be a man who is smiling lovingly at him, wearing a green toga that reminds one of Ancient Rome, as the groups of Atlanteans watched with smiles and anticipation.
"Who is he?", Erskine asked as Jacques leaned over, "If you want my guess, some sort of Atlantean equivalent to either a holy man or a matchmaker; considering he's related to weddings...".
Sia chuckled, "I'm afraid you are wrong. They are grooms, in love with each other.", and Erskine's heart skipped a beat, as Thaddeus looked at Sia sharply, his eyes wide as his heart skipped a beat as well.
"Hold on, are you saying that this is a free city?", Jacques asked in surprise, and Sia smiled, "Well, what do you expect when this city has traded with the surface of the Ancient World?".
Erskine exhaled, "Oh, gods, Miss Peggy was right...So, the one in green, he's what?", stunned yet hopeful to hear that there's no law about same-sex relationships banned, and Sia smiled, "He's the provider of the couple, and the one in white, he's the settler of the couple, yet the extra-bright whiteness means that he's a carrier as well.".
Thaddeus roughly spoke, "Carrier?", and Sia nodded, "Carriers are born one out of 10 men per the population, and they are treasured for they have the ability to carry children to full term like women, through the babies can be girls as well as much of being boys without the carrier gene, or having it either way, as it's not predictable to know which gender.".
The trio was quite stunned with that information. It wasn't just that Atlantis was advanced in its technology but sheer physical being as well from that discovery.
Thaddeus glanced at the two Atlantean men who is clearly in love, not afraid or hiding their love from anyone watching, and he exhaled deeply...If he's declared dead for a long time already on the surface, then he can marry Erskine here, alive and free...He has to tell Erskine to ask the King to allow just the two of them here...Maybe Milo and Jacques as well...If Hydra heard that Erskine died in the sub, they wouldn't care and just move on without a second thought...
Of course, that had to be put aside for the moment at least; right now, they still needed to focus on both the tour and discovering a way out. "From the sounds of it...", Jacques said. "It seems like it's been a long time since one of these events have happened...".
Sia nodded, "Yes...Do not get me wrong, non-carrier men if in a couple, are just as special as a normal man and woman, or two women as well.".
Erskine asked, "What if there's a carrier with a woman?", and Sia replies, "They decide on adoption, natural pregnancy for the woman if the carrier is trying to be the provider for some decades first, and surrogacy for the carrier, by a best friend or the woman's brother, either way, with trust and love, for we live a long time. Do not be shocked if you see a few pregnant men, for there are 100 carrier men, if you have calculated by what I have said before about 1 in 10 men are born carriers.".
Jacques replied, "How long is the pregnancy?", and Sia smiled, "18 months for a normal woman, 24 months for a carrier.", with a hum. "Double, almost triple the gestation time...", Erskine said as Thaddeus nodded.
"So, it's different on the surface then?", Sia asked as the others gave a nod. "Sorry, it's just... it's just been so long since our people were above the ocean...", she sighed.
Jacques reached out to hold her hand, "Hey, it's okay...We definitely aren't the same on the surface. No carriers, but adoption exists, and surrogacy is barely starting out as an idea, as it's...well, women doesn't get to be warriors like you, though they try to be, and for the length of pregnancy, it's 9 months.".
Sia nodded as she glanced back in the direction they once were, "I can tell that a few of those women that were with you are similar to us in a way...".
"Carter and Ramierz; I think you're referring to.", Erskine had a small proud smile. Jacques replied, "Through, with the redhead, her name is Peggy, and the Spanish-accented girl, that is Audrey. Carter and Ramirez are their surnames.".
Thaddeus roughly spoke, "What are they doing now?", gesturing to the two Atlantean men, and Sia squealed happily, "Oh, this is my favorite part! This is the ceremony!", as they watched the two Atlantean men holding their crystals up to each other, touching each other's chests, right on their hearts, speaking Atlantean.
Sia smiled romantically with a sigh, "Time flies. Suns rise and shadows fall. Let time go by. Love is forever over all.", translating for the others, as the crystals glowed under each other's hands on their hearts, bonding them into a true couple.
Erskine, while making sure no one could see, gave Thaddeus' hand a squeeze for a brief moment. "Certainly quite the sight...", Jacques said as Sia nodded.
"Fewer and fewer times however...", Sia sighed as they all knew more than likely why. Her people were clearly dying... they even might just be a generation or two left before being as extinct as the rest of the world thought they were.
Erskine then asked, "What is he doing?", as the Atlantean man in green is kneeling before the Atlantean man in white, kissing his crystal, and resting it on the man's belly, and Sia smiled happily, interpreting the man's words, "I swear, by the Great Kings of the Past, to protect my love of my life, and all the precious lives he will carry in the future, to love them, to care for them, to give them a life to live from the moment of creation to the moment of death, and see them through it in between, let it be from this moment to forever and always.".
The Atlantean man in white was in tears, smiling so brightly as his lover stood up, and they traded silver earrings into the right ear of each other, as Sia replied, "The silver earrings on their right side signify them as married, and here comes their kiss for the first time to bring their bond into another level.", with a smile.
With loving smiles and tender caresses on cheeks, the Atlantean men kissed passionately yet happily as the crowd of Atlanteans cheered happily, with the others clapping politely yet in awe.
"So, wait, the gold earrings of the right side on Kida and you?", Jacques asked, and Sia smiled, "Single.", with a shy nod, brushing her hair back.
"You? Really?", Jacques gave a small chuckle. "You're joking? A princess like you and you don't have like any suitors or anything lining up? Not to mention the same being with your sister as well?".
Sia spoke softly, "Not that easy...All Atlanteans has a way of finding their true love. Oh, they can court prior to their adult years, but it's not often recommended, though they find their best friends sometimes through that. And besides, one's true love should align with their others like yin and yang...Kida is an adventurer and fighter, yet she is passionate of her family, her city, her people...As for me, I'm a romantic, and a dreamer, yet I am fierce at any enemy who dares to hurt anybody including children. That must sound stupid since I brought you to a unique wedding, not fishing or something...", looking away as she noticed that the crowds are now heading back to their jobs or such, with the couple given a cart of gifts that is pulled by an ostrich-lizard.
"You know... my homeland is renowned for its romanticism.", Jacques told her as he had a small smile on his face. "It's not anything stupid.", he assured her.
Sia looked back at him in mild surprise, and then smiled at him before blushing as she realized that he had held her hand for the last 10 minutes, feeling the warmth and roughness of his hand, "Thank you, Jacques...You realize that you have my hand, do you not?", with a flirty smile.
Jacques stammered, widening his eyes as he went red, letting go of her, "Sorry, sorry!", and Sia smiled, "Do not be...I rather liked it.", looking at him coyly. Jacques gulped a bit, smiling nervously. He can't believe this...A real, living princess is flirting with him...
Erskine spoke gently, "Miss Sia, shall you guide us to someplace for fresh breakfast?", and Sia nodded, "Of course. I know a few friends who wouldn't mind. Let us fetch Vinny. I believe he will love the trees where we are intent to go to.".
Jacques can't believe his luck as they agreed on Sia's suggestion...He wonders if Kida is doing the same with Milo.
Elsewhere, Peggy smiled widely at Kida, "I can't believe you have sparing duels and that archery clearing! No wonder why you were so good at being silent and all back there while watching us.".
Kida smiled warmly, "It keeps all our warriors sharp-eyed, and ready to take on anything on our hunts, and believe me, it took me almost 4,000 years to practice and all before I was offered a spar against one of the best warriors, and now I have decades of experience.".
Milo widened his eyes, "Wait, wait, back up, 4,000 years?! How long have you been...since Atlantis got down here?", and Kida blinked, "Oh, you mean, the mehlboak...I remember it barely. People shouting and running, everything going dark, a bright light...".
"But that means...you were there...That...you are 8,400-8,600 years old...", Milo stared at her in shock, and Kida smiled warmly, "Yes...Sia was only three years younger than me, just out of her crawling stage when it happened...".
Steve jabbed Milo's arm, and he stammered, "You look great for your age! By our surface equivalents, you wouldn't be more than 28 years old, and Sia, 25 years old...", and Kida blinked, "And that's good, right?", glancing at Peggy.
Peggy smirked, "Oh, yes, definitely. It's like the maximum range of life for a surface woman, to consider the more personal things.", and Kida nodded, "I see.", before smiling kindly, "Do you not mind if I take Milo around personally? You haven't told your people that I have healed you two and Milo, and I appreciate it. I do not know how, but I have sensed that something has been off, and I cannot seem to find the words for it on my tongue, and I want to give a personal thanks for you two. You see that tower?".
Steve looked where her hand was pointing, "The one that looks like a fat bell with one layer of pillars, resting on a straight, perfectly square bottom?", and Kida smiled warmly, "That's right. The stairs are destroyed or eroding, but there's vines you can climb. You will love the view from there.", before whispering the last part to Peggy, "And it's private, and far up so no one can hear.".
Peggy blushed deeply as Kida chuckled, "We've been keeping an eye on you since you got fairly close to the kingdom, let's just say that it was quite obvious between the two of you.".
Peggy practically was about to die of embarrassment in hearing that, considering that Kida was still mostly a stranger to her. "I... um... we'll keep that in mind...", she stammered as Kida giggled before taking Milo's hand.
"As for you, Milo... there's something important that I want you to take a look at; and I think you're the only one who can help.", Kida replied.
Milo nodded, blushing, "Yeah, okay.", and Kida smiled so brightly before dragging him off, and Steve chuckled softly, "I believe our friend got a crush on the crown princess...And you know, Milo never told anyone else about us...Only Erskine was obviously close to me, next to him.".
Peggy smiled wryly, "He can keep secrets surprisingly well when he is determined to keep his friends safe.", before taking his hand, "So, is it true back there? In the cave?", looking at him.
"Is what true?", Steve asked for a moment as Peggy closed her eyes and sighed, "Steve... is what we said just a spur of the moment, our fears taking hold and worried we couldn't say it, or did we actually mean what we said when we said that we loved each other?".
Steve exhaled deeply, squeezing her hand, "I honestly thought I was about to lose you before Kida and her group came in, and I knew what is in my heart, Peggy. Having you in my life, it's better than I've imagined...I love you, Peggy.", his other hand moving to cradle her cheek.
"Steve...", Peggy whispered as he took a deep breath. "You feel that too, right? After everything we've been doing, all the touching and kissing and the moments we've shared, you share the same feelings?", he asked as she nodded.
"Steve Rogers... I love you too... I love you as much as any woman would love the man her heart has been stolen by...", Peggy spoke warmly.
Steve smiled tenderly as he leaned in, "You are incredibly the love of my life, Peggy Carter...", before kissing her deeply and lovingly.
They held the kiss for a long minute before they pulled back for air, and Peggy whispered softly, "Shall we go for the place Kida has so graciously suggested?".
"We should... of course, what we do there... well, we'll still have to decide...", Steve said. "Getting cold feet?", Peggy chuckled as Steve blushed.
"Well... sort of for a few reasons...", he admitted as Peggy smiled, "Alright, as you said, let's talk about it when we get there.". She held his hand as they started to move.
On the way to the suggested building, they found a few stalls, and as a trade for drinks and a few snacks on sticks, they weaved bracelets and drew pictures in the sand, and so, they ate and drank.
