NEXT: Into the Past Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Caught by a Red Rose

Alfred stared wide eyed at the kids and the kids returned it. Then he threw is arms up in the air.

"Where are these kids coming from?! I swear to God, Arthur must have a hole is his house so kids can enter." he muttered, scratching his head.

Nikita's eyes sparkled. She quickly ran towards Alfred before her brother or his friends could comprehend and jumped to give him a hug.

"DADDY!" she squealed.

Roger's, David's, and Momo's jaws dropped to the ground. The secret they all kept so desperately was revealed so easily by an innocent six year old girl in an innocent attempt. Alfred was surprised but caught Nikita. Nikita cuddled into the crook of Alfred's neck and began to speak in Belarusian.

"H-Huh?! Dad?! Wait, wh- wha?! Aww, I ain't your daddy, kid! But I'm fine with a hug!" Alfred said and hugged his future daughter.

Oh yeah, Alfred F. Jones, the super power of the world was a blockhead.

Roger ran up to his sister and future father, flailing his arms wildly.

"Aha- AHAHAHAHA! Um, y- you see, da- sir, this is my little sis, Nicky! U- uh... Our dad rarely goes home because of work, so she... uh... Kinda mistook you for our dad! D- D- Don't think too much about it! Hahahaha!!!" he exclaimed.

Alfred didn't notice Roger's massive stutter (since he was a blockhead).

"That must be hard on you kids! You should stay at my house so we could play games and eat ice cream together while we wait for your dad!" Alfred exclaimed, grinning.

Roger nearly facepalmed.

YOU ARE OUR FREAKIN' DAD! Roger shouted in his head.

And yes, Roger and Nikita spent weekends with Alfred by playing video games and eating about five tubs of ice cream until Natalia scolded then for being lazy.

Roger was currently having a battle in his mind about whether to smack some sense into Alfred's brain or stand still and fight the urge to shake the older American until the door creaked open again.

"What in blazes happened here?"

David and Momo turned to the door and their mouths dropped to the floor. Arthur and Kiku walked in and glanced at the new kids in the room. Anne's and Yangliu's expressions changed exactly like Nikita's.

Uh- oh.

"Vati!"

"Chichi-ue!"

They ran so fast that David and Momo couldn't grab them. David facepalmed while Momo covered her mouth. Anne and Yangliu hugged their future fathers. Arthur and Kiku caught them, aghast.

"I- I- I believe you got the wrong person, little one." Kiku said, unsure of what to do.

He was also freaking out that someone had invaded his personal bubble.

"Where did they come from?!" Arthur asked, confused.

He glanced at David as if demanding an answer. David flinched a bit but quickly regained his composure.

"U-Uh... This is my little sister Anne, sir. I-I- It's a long story but she simply mistook you as our father." he answered, stuttering.

"T-The same goes for my little brother, Yangliu. We weren't able to see our father often." Momo added quickly and nervously. 

Arthur raised his eyebrows, a little confused about the explanation. Anne was currently speaking in German, which took him by surprise.

"Is that... so?" Arthur said as he glanced at the little girl in his arms with messy, long and pale blonde hair much like a familiar girl's hair.

Since Yangliu wouldn't let go of Kiku and kept saying something in Chinese, he simply carried him in his arms.

"Hey, hey look! This little girl keeps saying that I'm her father too!" Alfred pointed gleefully at Nikita, who was snuggling into his hold.

Arthur scoffed.

“I can’t imagine what it would be like if you truly had offspring.” He said as Anne snuggled into his hold.

Alfred pouted while Roger and Nikita death glared at Arthur.

“In any case, you kids must be tired. We thought it would be best if you sleep now in one of Arthur- san’s guest rooms.” Kiku said.

Now that they mention it, they were indeed tired after all that happened. Roger, Momo and David yawning confirmed it. The older kids stretched their arms and nodded to take the offer. They hadn’t really kept track of the time and figured it was almost night when David saw the sun set.

The nations escorted the capitals to a big room with a king- sized bed in it. The guest room was rather big and spacious and were covered with velvet carpets and flooring. There was a cabinet and a closet with clear drapes and a few chairs. Roger jumped on the bed to see how comfy it was and was pleased to find that it was much better than he expected.

Roger and Nikita fell asleep first, hugging each other for comfort. Nikita was muttering a few things in Belarusian and Roger did the same in their sleep.

Momo and Yangliu followed after. Yangliu latched on to his older sister while Momo’s hand was on his head.

The last to sleep were David and Anne. David had his arms around his sister protectively which Anne was smiling in her sleep.

Seeing that the capitals were fast asleep, the nations walked out of the room and closed the door. The three of them walked through the corridors, talking about the kids and other things.

Not for Arthur, though.

He stopped in his tracks, telling Alfred and Kiku to go without him.

Meanwhile, David only pretended to be fast asleep. He carefully let go of Anne and ran for the door, but he wasn’t careful enough.

“Bruder…?” Anne asked as she wiped his eyes.

David ran back to his sister to tell her to be quiet.

“Bruder, where were you going? Were you going back to the library?” Anne whispered.

David nodded. Anne frowned, her eyebrows furrowed uncharacteristically.

“Bruder, I know what mister Quicksilver said was true. We can’t go back home. I really want to, though.” She said, her eyes tearing up.

David gasped and quickly pulled her into a hug. He had to be more mindful, Anne was smarter than she let on. She definitely got that from Lili.

“Don’t worry, Anne. That’s why I’m going to the library. To see if I can find anything.” David answered.

“Then can I come with you? I still have my magic book.” Anne replied, pulling out a tiny version of David’s spell book from her pocket.

David would have shouted praises but he just smiled.

“That’s wonderful, Anne! Yes, you can come with me, but quickly.”

The Kirkland siblings exited the room and ran toward the library.

Maybe there was hope.

//-//

Something just keeps bothering me.

Arthur was thinking as he made his way back to the guest room where the kids slept.

Their appearance, their stories, their resemblance, it doesn’t make any sense.

He stroked his chin with his index finger and thumb, thinking of all the possibilities.

Who are they? They’re definitely not ghosts, magical fairies, nor devils.

The girl named Anne got him thinking of someone. She looked so familiar and even spoke in German. Could she from Germany? He could have asked Ludwig if he’s seen her from anywhere, but there were a number of countries that spoke German, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and a few others. The girl looked strikingly like Lili, but the girl had green eyes. Much like his own…

But, what really made him curious was the boy David, who looked exactly like him except for the turquoise colored eyes. The spell book that he used had Arthur’s own hand writing in it! It would have been easier if he perhaps had stolen it, but Arthur himself had no memory of writing the book! And those eyes. Why did they look so much like Lili’s?

Just when he was about to reach the room, he saw David and Anne exit the room. Arthur gasped and quickly hid at a turn in the corridor.

Ah- ha! Great Scott! I caught him up to something! With his little sister, no doubt!

He chanted a short spell with his pocket magic book, and slowly, his body turned invisible.

David and Anne ran out the door and David closed it quietly. Arthur followed them without a sound. He carefully minded his steps so the boy and girl didn’t find him.

He followed them to the library. The door slowly creaked open by David and he glance left and right to make sure nobody saw them. David slipped in and Anne followed after. Just when the door was about to close, Arthur managed to slip in.

Anne tilted her head to the side and flipped the switch to turn on the chandelier.

“What are we looking for, bruder?” Anne asked.

David pulled her to one of the bookshelves that looked like they had magic books and began to take some out.

“Look for anything with magical terms in it. Anything!” he exclaimed, pulling out some more.

Anne nodded and set to work, taking out anything that seemed useful and look through them. She was quite smart in magical terms so she knew what she was looking for even if she was only six.

Arthur watched the kids and his eyes grew menacing.

So they’re spies after all! That little punk… After all the shows he pulled to fool us--!

Arthur was just about to get him, but stopped when he saw David sobbing. David closed the books and fell to his knees, hugging a book close to cover his face. Anne stopped everything she was doing and ran to her brother.

“Bruder, what’s wrong?” she asked.

David dropped the book he was holding and leant forward to embrace his sister. Anne quickly hugged her brother back, tears forming in her eyes.

“B- Bruder, why are you crying? You’re starting to make me cry!” Anne exclaimed.

“I- I can’t…! I- I just can’t!” he muttered between sobs.

Anne started crying too and soon the siblings became a mess of tears. Anne let go of her brother to wipe away her tears. David picked up a book with shaking hands and just stared at it.

“Forgive me, father… I’m not as brilliant as you… I’m not as strong as you… Oh, please forgive me…”

Father? The one he said that he rarely met earlier? Although it sounded like it was clearly made up, it was true after all?

David wiped his tears with his sleeves, trying to read the book again but it was no use. Tears kept flooding his eyes. Anne grabbed David’s arm for comfort and tried to read a book but she couldn’t either.

“I- If I were to disappear now,” David started, sniffling.

Disappear?

“I- I hope to at least tell you that it wasn’t your fault…”

What is he talking about?

“That I could never despise you… You’re the most wonderful father a son could ever have… That even the past you was so kind to me…” David sobbed again, holding his sister close.

W- What?!

“Forgive me, that I would leave you when I’m not yet an honorable Kirkland.”

He couldn’t possibly mean…

“…How I hope to hug you… and mother… for the last time… Even though it’s just the past you…”

He hugged Anne tighter.

“…Forgive me…”

He broke into tears.

.

.

.

.

.

“…What was that…?”

Arthur spoke. He didn’t even bother being quiet right now.

David and Anne gasped in horror when they heard their father’s voice out of nowhere. Anne immediately cowered behind her brother. Arthur called off his invisibility spell and appeared in front of the siblings. David would have sworn his heart had stopped for a moment there.

“AAAAHHHHH!!” they screamed upon the unexpected turn of events.

Arthur crouched down and grabbed David’s and Anne’s shoulders firmly so they couldn’t escape anywhere. They cried harder.

“I- I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! PLEASE FORGET ABOUT WHAT YOU HEARD!! PLEASE, I BEG YOU, FORGET IT!!” David wailed hysterically.

“DEFINITELY NOT AFTER ALL THE THINGS YOU SAID! EXPLAIN IT!” Arthur sneered.

“NO! NOOOOO!! Bitte verschone mich! (Please spare me!)”

He just kept crying harder and struggling more. Anne was crying for her mother but she knew she wasn’t there.

Arthur realized that David and Anne were really frightened and shouting at them would just make things worse. He hugged them instead, patting their backs reassuringly.

“I’m sorry, lads. Please stop crying. There’s nothing to be scared of.” He said.

David and Anne did stop and ended up hiccuping a bit. They rested their heads on Arthur’s shoulders.

“It’s alright, just tell me. I won’t get mad, nobody would get mad. Stop burdening yourself… I’m here, lads. I swear I will help you in any way I could.” Arthur said as he patted their heads.

David and Anne lifted their heads and locked their gazes to Arthur. David smiled and Anne hugged her brother’s arm again.

Oh, father, David thought, How could I ever bring myself to despise you?

He straightened up.

“…We are sent from 20 years in the future on the same date as today. Precisely on March 16, 2032, which is today.” he started.

Arthur nodded as his head started to piece things together.

“We snuck in the meeting that turned out to be in complete chaos. In the midst of the ruckus, you accidentally casted a very long spell that you hadn’t even mastered yet on Roger, Momo, and I. But it’s not your fault!’

Oh Jesus, I did that? And we still couldn’t hold a meeting in peace even after 20 years? All of us really need some serious self- introspection.

“Before we knew it, we were sent here. When we learnt that we were in the past, I thought it would cause confusion if we revealed who we were. I thought if we told you who we were, you would change your mind to marry your future wives, then we would disappear… So we ran away and hid our identity.”

Arthur was silent, trying to understand what was going on here. David continued, holing Anne’s hand tighter.

“We tried to find a spell to bring us back, so we searched for any book with time travel spells. We accidently found the underground library and met Quicksilver. He said it was useless, finding the the spell. He said the only way was for us to completely disappear from this world… Then our parents would no longer remember that we’re missing, or that we even exist…” David sniffed, “I’m scared… We’re all scared. I managed to convince them that everything would be alright, bluffing that I could find a way… but I can’t. I’m worthless… I don’t know how to find a spell like that… I don’t want to disappear…”

Arthur tightened his hold on the siblings.

“No, lads. You aren’t. I won’t let you.” He said.

David and Anne smiled. Arthur smiled back and ruffled their hair. Anne squeaked by this gesture and David giggled. No wonder he felt some sort of connection with him.

“You still haven’t told me who you are, lads. Although I have it somehow figured out.” Arthur said, stroking his chin again.

Anne giggled this time and David grinned.

“I’m the 2nd Generation of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Before I inherit the title, I’m currently the capital of England, London.”

Arthur nodded, his head piecing things together. David gestured to Anne.

“Anne here is the capital of Liechtenstein, Vaduz. She’s the 2nd Generation of the Principality of Liechtenstein.”

Arthur’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Where are you going with this…?” he asked.

David smiled, as did Anne.

“I’m the son of Arthur Kirkland of England and Lili Vogel of Liechtenstein  Anne is their second child. We’re both half British and half Liechtensteiner. We’re your future son and daughter, father.”

David felt as if a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He felt sweet relief.

Arthur’s brain was kicked into overdrive.

I- I- I actually married Lili?! And actually had two children with her?! Th- this is extraordinary! This is fantastic!!

On the inside, Arthur was currently jumping in circles, whooping. On the outside, his eyes were wide with shock and awe. David and Anne grew worried, and they shook his shoulder a bit.

Arthur was forced out of his daydream and lifted David’s face, inspecting every detail of him. His eyes from Lili, his hair from himself and his personality, a mix between them.

He did the same thing with Anne. His own green eyes were looking back at him, while the hair was most definitely Lili’s. Her personality seemed like Lili’s, being very nervous, but Arthur sensed something that she got from him.

They were a perfect blend of he and Lili.

“…My own children…” he managed to say, “…My very own children.”

Arthur hugged his future children, now tighter than ever.

“You two are fine with me as your father…?” Arthur asked.

The two nodded.

“I love you, father/ Vatti.” They said, snuggling into the hug deeper.

A small tear left Arthur’s eye. Never in his life had he felt so needed before. He let go and looked down at Anne.

“Anne, was it? Yes, I didn't see you when David… appeared. Where did you come from, poppet?” he asked.

Anne fidgeted, but answered.

“I- I went with Yangliu and Nikita because Bruder and his friends went missing. Vatti and Mutti were turning scary so we ran away to get Bruder back… I’m sorry…” she answered.

Arthur frowned.

“The future me wasn't taking it so well?” he asked.

David shook his head.

“Anne says that our mother and father along with Uncle Alfred, Aunt Natalia, Uncle Kiku, and Aunt Mei- Lin called a world- wide search for us. I don’t want to know the measures they’ll take.” He said.

Arthur stood up, the other two following.

“Those measures will most likely be drastic. Let’s tell them tomorrow at the breakfast table. Let me take you to my room. We’ll sleep there.”

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