VACATION(S)
Daniel was a tired tired old man. Well, technically he wasn't old, but he did feel like it. He felt each of his 30 years and more.
He and his wife, Cordelia, had worked hard to raise a kingdom and eight children at once, at as young as 19. Personally, he thought they did a wonderful job for people so young, but knew that a vacation (or several) were in order.
He perked up at the thought. Yes, a vacation, or vacations, would do his family some good. He loved surprising them, seeing the smile spread in their faces as realization dawned on them.
He had to plan it perfectly, he decided, slamming his fist into his palm, earning a weird look from Cordelia.
Quickly he excused himself from the room, giving a short kiss to his wife, and headed into his study.
He had to plan perfectly for this perfect surprise.
★~★
Several hours and an hurried exchange of letters later, Daniel stumbled from his study room and into bed beside his wife, curing into himself and letting Cordelia wrap her arms around him.
“You smell like ink,” she mumbled kissing his hair, and he couldn’t keep the smile off of his face.
“I love you, sweetheart.” he mumbled back, and fell into a blissful sleep.
The next day Daniel woke up bright and early, despite going to bed so late. He was excited to tell everyone what he had planned, and decided to tell them at breakfast. Even though he and Cordelia were the King and Queen, they always made time for their children.
He stretched and sat up, leaning over to give Cordelia a peck on the cheek, grinning as she swatted him away. She always needed at least eight hours of sleep before she was ready to face the day, while Daniel was perfectly fine getting by on as little as three.
He practically skipped to the kitchen, delighted when he saw his best friends Henry and Helen, and Henry’s daughter Asteri. They were like family to him, so much so that Daniel truly viewed his friends as his siblings, and Asteri as his niece. He bounced into the room, grabbing some eggs that someone (probably Henry) had made.
“I’m so glad you could make it!” He said before swallowing a few bites. Henry grinned, tilting his head. Daniel could see Helen smiling into her food, and Asteri looking faintly amused as her father got so excited he choked on his food.
“I’m glad too,” Henry said, after he had carefully chewed and swallowed. “When I got that letter last night, I admit the contents surprised me, but immediately I thought it was a good idea. You guys deserve a break.”
Daniel nodded. “And not just any break.” He leaned in to whisper:
“A break in different universes.”
They pulled away, looking shocked.
“Could you even manage that?” Asteri asked, curiosity lining her tone.
“Well, my magic’s strong enough, and I know the spell. We each will take a turn choosing a universe at random, and staying for a while. Maybe a month each. And here’s the kicker, time slows down here when someone who’s supposed to be here leaves, maybe to make up for the absence? Anywho, a whole month in a different universe would be a whole hour here. So a year there would be only twelve hours here! Isn’t it amazing! And we wouldn’t age even if we did stay a year in a different universe, at least not physically. We’d age according to time here. So if we want to stay for awhile in a certain universe then we can.”
“So at most you’d probably be a few days? A week?” Helen asked, and Daniel knew why she was worried.
“Don’t worry, I’ll conjure an eagle to travel between universes. He’ll always be able to find his way to you three and to us ten. Whether you want to hear about our travels or if you need advice babysitting the kingdom, we’ll always be in contact, though you may be getting letters quite frequently.” He smiled when she relaxed. Though Helen was often blank faced, he knew she felt a lot, more than normal people at least.
Daniel sat and chatted with the three for a while, taking breaks to get up and serve some eggs as three became four, the six, then eight, then eleven, then twelve as May stumbled into the kitchen. She was always the last to wake, needing at least eight like her mother but staying up to swim in her personal pool until she was too tired to continue.
Daniel smiled, sharing a look with Cordelia as he scooped up May and set her in front of a plate. He waited eagerly as his family ate, having a nice conversation with Alora about her newest painting. Briefly he considered sprucing up a room near hers to put her paintings, or maybe a room that she could paint in, before tossing the thought away for later. For now he would focus on his latest surprise.
As breakfast came to an end, he clapped his hands and then rubbed them together to soothe the sting, smearing ink all over his hands from the night before. He stood up, smiling brightly.
“I am so happy to be telling you this, and hope that you all will be happy too…” He hesitated for a bit, watching the suspension grow on their faces.
“We’re taking a vacation!”
He gave a chuckle at his dramatics, and then boomed a big laugh at his children’s cries of surprise and happiness.
“Are you sure,” he heard Cordelia whisper to him. “Who will take care of the kingdom?”
“I already have it covered. Henry and Helen will rule while we’re gone, and Asteri will be there to make sure they stay in line.”
They both gave a chuckle, at the thought of Asteri coaching the adults through the responsibility. He turned back to his children, amusement flashing through him at the question May signed him.
What kind of vacation?
He should’ve known she would know he had something up his sleeve.
“But wait!” he said dramatically, “there’s more! For this vacation I’ll be using my magic to jump universes! You each get to choose a universe at random and then we’ll get to stay there until we’re ready to go to the next universe!”
There was an awed silence. Finally, Ava raised her hand, her awed look fading to a serious one. Even when it wasn’t study time, she still acted like it was. He pointed at her.
“If we each get to choose a universe, and we spend however long until we’re ready, well, what if we’re not ready until months later. If all of us get a choice, and we spend at average a few months, won’t it be a long time until we return? And though it’s obvious that uncle Henry and Aunt Helen will look after the kingdom while we’re gone, how will they contact us if they have a problem they don't know how to solve?”
The others didn’t even blink at her flurry of questions; they were used her inquisitiveness, a good (though slightly annoying, according to Andrew) trait for the crown princess.
“Okay, first of all, there’s a whole bunch of confusing magic stuff involved, but basically when we’re travelling to other universes, time will work faster where we’re at, and slower here. For example, a month in another universe would equal an hour here. Second, I'm going to conjure a special bird that can carry letters in between universes, tied to me specifically and this universe specifically. This bird will also take us home, as I'm sure he’ll be more familiar with the pathways, but if for some reason he can’t, we’ll be able to make it back just fine, just with extra mind work.”
The last part was directed at Lyla, as Daniel was well aware that the littlest things could make her anxiety skyrocket. She nodded, looking a bit nervous but otherwise okay.
“So basically, all things considered, at most a week, maybe two if we stay a couple years in one specific universe."
He waited for a bit, then when he was sure no one had any more questions, he smiled.
"Okay! We'll be meeting up here for lunch after we get done packing, and then after lunch we'll randomly choose the first person to pick and then they'll randomly choose the first universe. Don’t pack a lot of stuff - on second thought, just bring your bags and whatever necessities you think you’ll need.”
He paused, levitating the dirty dishware out of the room and into the washbin to get cleaned.
“We’ll be collecting a lot of souvenirs, including clothes, to fit in. So just go ahead and pack only what you want to bring and your weapons just in case. We’ll meet to have lunch and then leave right after. Let’s go!”
The children scrambled to get to their rooms, May surprisingly being the first to get out of the room. Daniel gestured for his friends to get comfortable, the exited the room alongside Cordelia.
“Did you want to choose a universe?” He asked curiously, not really surprised when she shook her head.
“No, I’m content to let the children drag us along.” She explained, grabbing a bag and stuffing a few of her favorite clothes in it, and then her lance. He shrunk down his war scythe and placed it in his pocket, along with his favorite pair of pants and his favorite shirt.
Finding a few healing potions here and there he shoved those in his bags, just in case they travelled to a hostile universe and couldn’t defend themselves properly. He grabbed an extra bag and stuffed it in the bag as well. He then found ten books on magic that he hadn’t read yet and stuffed those in the bag as well. For some light reading while his children were off gallivanting as they were more than likely to do.
He checked the time and realized that they had more than enough time to discuss things with Henry and Helen. He went off to look for them, shouldering his bag, and searched for a while before finding them in the dining room drinking tea.
For a moment he stopped, taking in the scene. Henry’s white hair was a mess, sticking this way and that, while Helen’s white hair was put in a bun. Their green eyes were full of laughter, while Asteri’s green eyes of a lighter shade were playfully angry, her lips set in a pout. She shook her head, her short blonde hair shaking around, before she spotted him and waved him over.
“Hi, Uncle Daniel!”
“Hey, Asteri,” he replied, nodding at Henry and then Helen before sitting down and pouring some tea. “I’m here to clear a few loose ends and also conjure up that bird before we leave.”
They got a bit more serious, nodding at settling down. For the next few hours, they asked him question after question about the kingdom, what they should do in certain situations, and what they should do with all the paperwork. He did his best to answer each question, and after thinking about it for a bit, decided that they could send him the paperwork, since it would most likely be spaced out and he didn’t want to get rusty.
They asked even more questions, and with patience that came with parenting eight children of relatively close age, he answered each and every one to the best of his ability. Soon, lunch came and the children flooded the dining hall, carrying bags and talking (signing in May’s case) amongst each other. Cordelia slipped in soon after the last kid did, smiling warmly at him. He smiled back, excitement rising rapidly now that the time to leave was so close.
Having already eaten while talking with his close friends, Daniel conjured the eagle while the children ate, binding the majestic bird to himself and his family, and to Henry and his.
He said his goodbyes to Henry, Helen, and Asteri, standing by and letting everyone else do the same. And then, they were finally ready.
“Ready, kids?” He asked, amused when they all nodded eagerly. “Okay, first we need to pick someone to go first in picking a universe. I’ve written each of your names on a piece of parchment and folded them up and put them in this bag,” he explained, holding up a small bag.
He reached his hand inside the bag, swirling the pieces for a few seconds and then grasping a random one; he took it out and unfolded it. He looked at the children tense with excitement, and with a flourish revealed the name.
Ava.
There was a groan from the other children and a shout of triumph from Ava. She grinned brightly and stepped up to take his hand. He gave her an encouraging smile, and turned towards the other children.
“Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to cast the spell needed to pull this off, and while i’m casting the spell, we’ll be able to see flashes of the different universes. Ava will choose one and I’ll open the portal from here to there. Ready?” He directed the last part to Ava, nodding in return to her nod.
Daniel breathed in deeply, gathering his magic, and releasing it when he exhaled. He cast the spell. He and Ava watched as flashes passed by, of a girl with blonde hair crying, of a guy with green hair and green skin transforming into an unfamiliar beast, of a male in blue and red swing through the sky-
“That one,” Ava breathed, and he latched onto it, opening the portal a few feet away from them. It shone, colors swirling together and casting a muted glow onto their faces. He turned to the children, not surprised to see the awe on their faces.
Clearing his throat, he spoke loudly and clearly. “This is it. Does everyone have their bags?” at their nod, he continued. “Good. Everyone hold hands. We’ll go in together so that none of us get lost. Make sure to hold your breath so you don’t lose it”
He held onto Ava with one hand and Cordelia with another, the excitement growing inside him. He took a deep breath and held it, waiting for the others to do the same, and then with a smile, they all walked through the portal.