Chapter 20: Goodbye

    “Fourteen years and seven months ago I died and was reincarnated into the world of my favorite video game franchise; 'Era Of Aberrant'. In the games, various people would reincarnate to continue their ongoing feud, but now that Harriette and Aldous are happily married, I believe Bugalas has escaped that fate. I find it befitting that Esmee and Biff have been given different names in this life, so they can carve a new path without the obligation of defending the kingdom from the forces of darkness. It’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out that they are the reincarnations of Prince Ronald and Princess Freya, Harriette and I know that this will cause some drama, and the tensions between the duchies of Bugalas will rise, but that will be something we will deal with in the future.

It is winter now, the coldest one on record. So why am I standing on a balcony-“ I was suddenly interrupted.

“Because you are crazy.” Harriette had appeared behind me. “Are you monologuing?” She raised an eyebrow.

“It’s the last chapter, of course I am.” I turned to face her, leaning on the snow-covered wall.

“Last chapter?” Now both of her eyebrows were raised. “Okay, we really need to get you inside, you are becoming more loopy than my mother-in-law.” Harriette grabbed my arm and dragged me in with her. “Come on we are having hot cocoa in the throne room.”

When we arrived, blankets and pillows were thrown all over the floor with no rhyme or reason. The fireplaces in each corner were lit, Aldous sat in front of the one to the left of the throne, Biff and Esmee sitting on his lap. The twins shared two blankets, one over their shoulders, and the other they held over the front of their bodies. Harriette pulled me over the fireplace, she let me go to pick up a blanket, she walked over to her husband and placed it on his shoulders. She then took a blanket for herself and curled up next to him, leaning her head on his arm.

I grabbed a blanket for myself sitting down on another. I mindlessly stared into the fire, that is when I realized that Ignatius was in the fire. “Yo, dude, what are you doing!” I crawled a bit closer.

“Trying not to get frost bite.” He replied, laying there completely relaxed. “I’m from the demon dimension remember, we don’t have snow or cold.”

“As long as you stay in your more human form you should be fine.” I mentioned to him.

“Oh, this isn’t about being ‘fine’, Amice. This is about being the most comfortable I can be, I don’t settle for ‘fine’. Unlike you, although I shouldn’t blame you. You are lowborn after all.” He teased.

I smirked. “So, where is your boyfriend and your son?”

Ignatius flipped over onto his hands and knees. “He is not my boyfriend!”

“Oh, sorry, I hadn’t heard that you got engaged.” I double downed.

“We are not engaged either!” Ignatius yelled, the flames growing with his anger.

“No! I thought you would have wanted a big lavish wedding, but you got eloped?” My body started to shake as I started to chuckle.

“We are not a couple!” Ignatius then clawed at me, just barely unable to reach me, as he didn’t want to leave the warm flames.

“And this is why we don’t need to hire a jester.” Aldous metioned to Harriette.

Our heads snapped to the south doors as we heard them open. Camillus walked in, shivering. He shuffled over to the fire, nearly crawling in with Ignatius, he was going to do so if I had not grabbed him by the waist. “I will only let you go in there if I see you drink a fire resistance potion.” I told him.

“But then I won’t feel the heat!” Camillus whined. “Papa Ignatius, Papa Naricuss is crazy!”

Narcissus then walked in, taking off a snow cover jacket. “It’s a bit chilly out there!” He casually mentioned. He came over and sat next to me.

“How cold does it usually get in the dark dimension?” I asked him.

He thought for a moment. “Oh, well about negative twenty in the winter, some where around there.”

Some maids brought us some hot cocoa, we sipped them quietly enjoying each other’s company. I was happy in this life, and I was able to keep my two promises to Harriette. She was married and her kids were safe, not much could make her life better. As long as she was happy, I was.

After a while some mail was delivered. I had got a letter from Viviana. She and her sisters were hunkered down in back in their childhood home Ravivui. She says she misses me and the sea. She hopes to visit in a couple months, after some of the ice has melted. I’m glad she is doing alright.

We have been at peace in the castle. There haven’t been anymore assassination attempts, no more break ins, and no more Karens causing issues. Now we just get to focus on building lives for ourselves. Without warning, the doors opened again. Cloelia came waddling in with two boar monsters carrying a giant crystal ball. “Okay, I’m here where do you want this thing?”

I did not know what was going on, but I took some blankets and made a nest for the crystal ball. “Uh, set it here.” The boar monsters did just that.

“Ignatius!” Aldous called out, get out of the fire.

As Ignatius was following the order, I stood up next to the crystal ball, it was taller than me! Ignatius went over to the other side of Aldous. “What is going on?” He asked as he crossed his arms. Camillus immediately crawled onto his lap.

“You will find out soon enough.” Aldous said smugly.

Everyone gathered around, we watched as Cloelia activated the crystal ball. A scene displayed in front of us; Violante sitting at a table, her feet on said table, reading a book. “Violante! Violante!” Cloelia yelled. “Violante! Dummy get your feet of the table!” Her daughter finally snapped her head up as her feet fell to the floor. “Go get your sisters!” Cloelia ordered. Violante nodded and ran out of view.

Within a few minutes all of Aldous’ sisters were huddled in front of their own crystal ball. “What is going on?” Victoria questioned. “Is everyone alright?”

“Oh yes, no need to worry.” Aldous comforted her.

“So, what is happening?” Ignatius pried.

Aldous then snapped. “Shut up.” He cleared his throat. He motioned to Harriette. “We have an announcement.”

Harriette and Aldous held hands as they spoke in unison. “We are going to have a baby!”

Everyone erupted in cheers. Harriette then looked to her twins. “You two are going to be a big brother and big sister!”

“This is so exciting!” Narcissus exclaimed as he shook Ignatius’ arm.

There would be an heir to the throne now. In all his lifetimes, Aldous never had children. He was always reincarnated as a descendant of Victoria. As a descendant of Victoria? I began to think, had Viviana never gotten married in her past lives, I never checked, maybe I had just overlooked the records that mentioned her love life, its not like it affects me. My best friend is pregnant again, this time on purpose. Soon there will be a new prince or princess running around, a symbol of unity, hope and the new era of Bugalas.

We went about our lives; I worked in the library. Aldous began to properly train the twins in combat once the snow started to melt. The twins dream of exploring all of Bugalas, dungeon crawling, venturing into long forgotten temples. When Viviana arrived for her visit, Esmee told her she wanted to explore the sea just like her when she grows up. Biff on the other hand wants to explore the forests, discovering different animals. Their lives will not be without responsibility, but they are free to choose where those responsibilities will be. Ignatius and Narcissus finally began to court each other. Camillus has been enrolled in a school in the dark dimension for a semester, so he and his dads will be going to live there for a while. Harriette and I decided to reveal the location of some of the secret passageways to Aldous, although most of them we still kept to ourselves, just in case.

I still can’t help myself but miss my parents from my old life. Even though it has been many years since then, I can imagine them still stricken with grief that their only daughter passed on to the next world before them. One spring night as I was drifting off to sleep, I saw Cloelia enter my room right before I was taken to dream land.

I opened my eyes. Everything was cold and dark. “Amice.” It was Cloelia. “You need to climb up. I sat up. I felt like I was in something. I did as she said. I reached my arms up and pulled myself upwards until I touched grass.

“Huh?” I pulled myself out of the ground. I was standing in a cemetery. I turned around. I was standing at my own grave back in my original world. “How am I here?”

“You can’t waste anytime.” Cloelia told me. “You are a ghost in this world, but you can’t remain there for long, go now, say goodbye.” She instructed.

I ran down the nearest path until I can to the sidewalk. I knew where I was. I turned left toward my childhood home. The house had become slightly run down, the lights were on in my parent’s bedroom. I went to the front door, I raised my fist to knock but stopped. I then simply walked through the door. I went up the stairs and straight to my parents’ room. There, lying in there bed reading, was my parents. They had become completely gray haired, their faces had many more wrinkles then when I had left this world.

“Mom, dad!” I called out to them.

My mother turned to my father. “Did you hear something?”

That is when I noticed the hearing aid on her ear. I walked over to the foot of their bed. “Mom! Dad!” I yelled even louder.

They looked up. “Amice!” They both leaped out of bed and ran over to hug me, but their arms just went through me.

I took a step back and put my hands up to their faces even though I couldn’t touch them. “I’m sorry I caused you so much pain. I should have taken better care of myself. I miss you so much.”

“Amice,” my mother started, reaching up to my face like I did, “it’s not your fault tragedies happen. We miss you horribly, but we know you are in a better place.”

“You are still a beautiful as they day we last saw each other.” My ran is fingers through where my hair would be.

“How have you two been?” I asked.

“For the first few years we were could barely leave the house, but we managed.” My mother answered.

“Deary,” my father began to ring his hands together. “I hope you don’t mind, but…” His voice trailed off.

Mom put her hand on his shoulder. “It’s best if we show her.”

My parents took me to what used to be my childhood room. There were postures I never seen before handing on the walls, a desk with a laptop covered in anime stickers closed on it. The small television was left on, someone had been playing the fifth instalment in the Era Of Aberrant franchise, in that game you could freely switch between playing as Princess Freya or Prince Ronald, who ever it was had been playing a Ronald, although Freya was standing nearby, along with Harriette.

“Do you remember your cousin Talia?” My father asked as I approached the bed. “Well, seven years ago she passed away in a car accident with along with my sister and her husband. He son was in school at the time, and we took him in.” He explained.

“We hope you don’t mind that we gave him your old things.” My mother added.

“Not at all. I’m glad they are being enjoyed. We should let him rest.” I then led them back to their bedroom, where I told them tales from my new life. I could feel my spirit fading after a few hours of us exchanging stories. “It’s time for me to go back. I will miss you. I love you Mom, I love you Dad.”

We gave each other air hugs. “Goodbye Amice, be safe.” Those were my mother’s final words to me.

“I hope we meet again, kiddo.” Those were my father's final words to me.

I awoke in the morning, back in my bed in the castle, Cloelia looming over me. Without hesitation I gave her a tight hug. “Thank you! Thank you!”

Cloelia began to pet my head. “I was my pleasure.” I then realised she was crying. I then began to tell her what had happened back in my old world. We talked for an hour.

Eventually, Harriette came to my room. “Hey Amice, breakfast is ready, are you-?” She stopped midway through her sentence. “What is going on?”

“Lady Cloelia was able to allow me to say goodbye to my parents.” I answered her. “Let’s go eat.” We went down to breakfast where I recalled what had happened last night to everyone.

After breakfast I went about my work in the library. I feel proud of my parents for taking in my cousin. Maybe I should I adopt, I should probably find love first. I do miss some of the modern conveniences back in my old life, but I am happy here. I have all I ever wanted. I have a family. As I began to deeply read, someone burst through the door. “Amice, you need to come quick, it’s an emergency!” I got up and followed him. There was never a dull moment in this life, what could have happened that I was needed.

We came to the courtyard, where everyone was waiting, Harriette, Aldous, Viviana, Garth, Narcissus, Camillus, Ignatius, Esmee, Biff, Cloelia, Victoria, Viatrix, Violante, Veronica and even Mavis. “Happy birthday Amice!” They all called out in unison.

“What’s all this?” I asked.

“We thought we would give you a little birthday party.” Harriette answered. She then led me over to a cake with candles lit on it. “You said that this was a tradition back in your old world, so we thought we would bring it to Bugalas. Now make a wish!” She instructed.

I blew out the candles, wishing for another exciting year.