Lewis looked a little worried when she said she was tired, but it seemed as though she were trying to push herself like she always used to do. After a moment, though, she asked a strange question, to which Lewis looked at her curiously.

“That’s an odd question,” Lewis said as he cocked his head to the side. “We’re as happy as can be. There are hiccups, for sure, but…we manage. There are times where we are sad, and times where we are happier beyond our wildest dreams. But…as long as we have each other, we’re always happy.” That was something that he was sure of, without a doubt. There were times in the past where he was scared that Simone would leave, but never once did he doubt that she wasn’t happy here. That he wasn’t happy to have her here.

There was no room for that kind of doubt.

“Simone and I are happy. We…are happy.”

“That’s good.” She gave him a smile.

“I could never tell if I made you happy or not. So I always wondered if you were… but I am glad you are happy with me.” She blushed and looked up at the sky. “At least happy with me now.”

She took a breath in and looked back at Glynn. “You’ve changed for the better. But… Lewis is Lewis.” She smiled at him and reached out to pet his head too. “I was really worried about you. You never took care of yourself and I knew once you sent me away or did whatever… That you would go back to how you were. You aren’t very good at looking after yourself… Maybe you are now but… You weren’t.”

Lewis laughed as they tucked Glynn back into bed. He was getting a little grumpy, and it was during his nap time anyway. They left the room, and in the hallway Lewis smiled.

“I’m still not that great at taking care of myself, but…you keep me in check. If I forget to eat, you’re right there reminding me. Likewise…whenever you feel alone, I remind you that I’m right here. That I’m always here. That she’ll never have to be alone again. We have each other, and our wonderful children…”

Lewis hugged the younger Simone. “I love you. All of you, Simone. I can’t express it enough.”

Little Simone was unsure of everything she was seeing. It was more like a fever dream that she dare not tell Lewis about… but it was real. He was here. They were married and had a load of kids who loved them. It was crazy where they had started.

“I felt lonely too but even when you were being mean… As long as you were with me I didn’t feel alone. If that… makes any sense.” She walked with him. “Have I kept you away from everyone too long?”

“I… love you too.” She gave him a hug before they continued their walk.

She caught the original Simone looking at them from the great room now. She had a sleepy Janus in her arm and a book in her hand. “…Do you guys talk a lot? I feel like we do.”

We talk all the time. Simone’s voice entered her and Lewis’s head as she connected them. You might not be used to this but Lewis and I do a lot of this. Just the two of us. Private conversations. Sweet nothings.

“Sweet nothings? Lewis is romantic?”

Shockingly, a lot.

“Like how?” The younger Simone was now being critical of the Lewis in front of her. “I don’t believe you.”

There was a giggle and a cranky Janus. “I’m sorry baby… Mommy just heard something funny.”

“Prove it,” Simone poked Lewis in his chest.

Lewis smirked. “Prove it?” He leaned close to her, and started to whisper in her ear.

“Fair Daffodils, we weep to see
You haste away so soon;
As yet the early-rising sun
Has not attain'd his noon.
Stay, stay,
Until the hasting day
Has run
But to the even-song;
And, having pray'd together, we
Will go with you along…”

He recited the rest by heart, his voice nothing but a low whisper in her ear. At the end, he pulled away with a half smile, taking her hand as he pulled away, only to pull her along into his arms, as if they were dancing. He twirled her gently before letting her go. “I can do a lot of things now…I’ve even been practicing the piano in my free time. Though…I did have to take a break when I broke my arm. I could play if you like…”

The poem made the younger Simone blush intensely. The Lewis she knew was never into what she was reading.

Flashback to almost a decade beforehand

Simone was sitting on her windowsill back in the tower. Her little heart was racing as she read the words and every once in a while she would blush.

“Simone.”

She didn’t hear him.

“Simone…”

She adjusted herself and flipped the page. An audible gasp left her as she continued. She was enthralled in whatever she was reading.

“…Hey. Simone?” Lewis got impatient and snatched the book out of her hands.

“Hey!” Simone’s face was bright red as she jumped off the windowsill and tried to get it back from him. “Come on Lewis! I was reading that! I was not existing in your space like you told me to.”

“Yeah, but I need your attention,” Lewis kept her away as he read the pages that had gotten such a reaction out of her.

"What is this trash?"

"I don't get it?"

"It's just…words.…"

After he spoke all of this Simone was left with a red face, “You don’t get it because you are a boy!” Simone tried to get the book some more and Lewis kept evading her. “Not fair. You are using your assassiny skills to keep my book from me!”

End flashback

“What I was reading in the tower. You used to make fun of it! Now you like it?” She tilted her head. “Men are so… So weird.” She made a face. “You’ve grown a lot… You don’t use your assassiny skills on me anymore?” If only she knew. She protected Lewis inside his mind the one time because the guide told her a little bit but even seeing it now… Now it was weird for her.

Lewis smirked. Her reaction was cute. But her confusion was quite understandable.

“It’s not about being a man,” Lewis said as he pet her hair. “You should see Lucas when he gets excited over books. But…I get it, Simone…” He took a breath. “It’s hard to explain. Really hard to explain. To keep it simple…you…er…Simone…uh…” He frowned. “All of you. The whole you. You…taught me to slow down and understand what I was feeling.” He paused. It was hard put into words.

“When I was…living on the streets…it was to survive at all cost. There wasn’t time to think or feel. The other boys…even Xeik…they were bigger than I was. Stronger. Faster. They had time to catch their breath. But me…I was always a step behind. I saw the kids that used to sleep beside me get dragged away and beaten to death. I saw the girls who used to tend our wounds get sold and carted away…” He paused. “It wasn’t that I didn’t feel for them. It was that I couldn’t. If I broke down…that would be the end. I couldn’t stop moving. So I just suppressed it all.”

“And then you came along, and slowed me down. Yeah…they were stupid words, but….I memorized them. That was the first poem that I saw. Of course…I had no idea what it all meant. That came much later…”

He paused. “It was…a lot of work. These feelings…they made no sense. It took a long time to figure out what they meant. And the resonance…that…that helped a lot. I could draw on experiences…try to figure out what they meant and why I felt them.” He smiled. “As for the assassin-y skills…well, I still use them on you.” There was a half snort from the other room where the true Simone was.

“Let’s just say they get…more mutually beneficial uses, lately.”

Little Simone tilted her head at him and gave him an understanding nod. They never spoke to each other in this capacity before. She could only remember their time since the main Simone remembered everything else. She had no ‘bad’ memories that she could think of. Except maybe whenever Llywellyn and Jerome got into a fist fight.

“I’m sorry for how your life was. I can’t even begin to imagine. It was hazy before but I can remember now. It was lonely in the castle but… it was never like that.” She frowned a bit. It was an experience to see her like that since her life had been an utter shit show but for the moment… This Simone knew nothing about it. “Living in the tower with you was difficult but it wasn’t bad. I liked it in a way. I don’t know why but I didn’t feel lonely. I don’t know why I felt that way but… I liked it. Even if you were kind of mean sometimes.”

She reached her hand up and patted his head. “You grew a bit.” She made a face. “And I am still short. This is not fair.” That? That was what her little self was more upset over. It was a snort from the true Simone.

It’s so interesting how innocent I was.

Little Simone tilted her head to him. “Use.. it on me?” She thought about it. An intense look was on her face. Then she smacked her fist into her hand with an ah-ha moment. “Oh! You trained me to use them?”

Laughter and a thud resounded near them as the older Simone was trying to contain herself.

“She’s laughing at me… Did I say something wrong?” She tilted her head cutely.

As the true Simone started laughing in the other room, Lewis smiled and laughed a bit himself. This version of Simone was so innocent. It dawned on Lewis that this was far before they explored their relationship and really got into the more explorative things. He smiled, and leaned over, whispering a few things in her ears. He was careful not to go into too much detail, but Simone’s eyes widened and her face flushed.

“And before you ask,” Lewis said as he leaned back up. “Half of it was her idea. So don’t go thinking I did all of this on my own.” He smiled and pet her as she turned a deeper shade of red. “You’re so innocent…it’s cute. You definitely have missed out on a lot.”

In her shock, Little Simone opened her mouth and shut it as she tried to think her words carefully. Simone was dying to know what her more innocent counterpart was thinking. It was an interesting view on their new world and it was different since she wasn’t tainted by the fey lord. This was how Llywellyn remembered her. Fair, kind, and innocent Mone.

“And all that work I did to make you put in some work!” Little Simone if she could have blushed even brighter would have. “So much has changed.”

Ah, well… all of that work ended up paying off. She had her own hand in how all of this played out even if she doesn’t know it.

The younger one took his hand delicately and she had a weird look on her face. It was one of contentment. “I would have never done this before… You would have probably taken my wrist off… Maybe.” She gave a smile. "I saw a gazebo by the water… I like it. Do you think we can go?"

Of course she would like that dumb thing. I built it. It reminded me a lot of the gazebo when I was younger. Llywellyn would sneak me out of the castle and read me stories. We were like eight. That was what freedom used to be to us before the madness started when I didn't realize what actual freedom was. She is beyond innocent. It makes me smile.