From Present to Past

@ katahdin
It worried Aelia that Theo didn't look at her at all. She wasn't sure if she had done alright, she sought his approval. Right now though, it seemed like she wasn't going to be getting it. So, instead, Lia just stepped back like she had been told by the King a few days ago and informed of what she was to do. She waited til Princess Helena was in earshot and curtsied to her. "Would you like to join me for some refreshments in the Parlor?"

Slowly, she glanced up to see if Helena had heard her or not. A little worried that the other researched Princess would think her odd or to quiet for her likings.

--

This whole conference was already getting off to an odd start. To think, that the two Kingdoms that have been fighting with each other for generations were gathering in one place. It was historical, today will surely go down in history. Well, surely it will because Helena had already told him about it. So, as they walked into the house, Orion following after his father and the other King into the conference room.

His dark eyes glancing towards the other Prince as he took a seat across from him. "Alright, let's get started, shall we?" Orion's father asked, his monotone voice rising to be heard over the small chatter that was going on.

@ FallenHope95

Helena was pulled from her thoughts when Aelia spoke to her, frowning a little in thought as she looked like the other princess, finding her incredibly familiar. "Yes, that would be nice.. She glanced over toward the room where the Kings and Princes had gone, spotting Orion as one of the guards shut the doors to the room as the conference got started.

Once they were alone in the parlor, Helena looked over at Aelia with a small frown. "You're... You're not from this time either, right?" She asked hesitantly, worried about the reaction she might get from the other princess.

---

Theodore had never been terribly comfortable doing royal business, but knew that he had to get used to it if he were going to be King one day. He hadn't meant to ignore Aellia, but he was so focused on impressing his father that he had forgotten reassure her before he went into the conference room.

Taking his seat, he looked across at Orion, someone who was supposed to be his enemy, but couldn't find it in him to dislike the other man, or any of the Crearians in general, despite having been raised to consider them evil. He looked to his father as he nodded in agreement. "Yes, let's begin. While the attacks by your people on mine are serious and must also be addressed here, I believe we should start with the appearance of the Princesses."

@ katahdin
It was a relief that Helena had accepted her offer. Aelia was a little nervous that she'd be the only one not allowed in during the first half of the meeting. So, as they got to the parlor, Lia allowed for her shoulders to relax. Releasing a small sigh as she sat down on a chair that was by a window. "Right, I'm from twenty eighteen," Lia told her as she poured herself some tea.

"What about you?" Lia asked as she picked up her cup of tea after adding some honey to it and relaxed against the back of her chair. "How are you holding up with everything?"

--

Orion's father narrowed his eyes ever so slightly as the Princesses were brought up first. "They are simply look-alikes, are they not?" The Vidour King asks, which in turn earned a few murmurs of people agreeing and others not. "Miss Helena has the mark of their people, father. Surely that's not just a coincidence." Orion interjected, sticking up for Helena.

"Does Lady, uh, Aelia not have the mark of our royal family as well?" The Prince asked as he looked across at the Prince of Vidour, then towards the rest of their party. "Why else would you have allowed for her to stay with you?"

@ FallenHope95

Helena nodded a little, sitting across from her at the table as well as she prepared a cup of tea for herself, wanting to calm her nerves. She looked up at Aelia when she mentioned 2018, blinking in surprise. "That when I'm from too.. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one that this has happened to.." She sighed.

She took a few sips of tea, leaning back in her chair. "I've been alright.. The King doesn't seem to like me much, but Ori-.. Prince Orion isn't as cold." She explained softly. "What about you?"

---

Theodore nodded, looking over at Orion as he spoke. "Yes, Princess Aelia has the Crearian Royal mark. As far as our doctors, clerics, and historians are concerned, she is a Crearian Princess, and we've treated her as such." He explained, some of the other nobility as well as the Vidourian King nodding a bit in agreement.

"I assume you have treated the Vidourian princess kindly as well, correct?" The Vidourian King asked, looking across the table at the Crearian King skeptically.

@ katahdin
It felt nice to have another person from her time to talk to through this. It made things feel a lot less lonely for the young girl. It felt like meeting the other Princess was connecting Aelia to home. "Do you have an idea as to why the King is cold to you?" Lia asked, then took a few sips of her tea as well. Then, as she put her cup down, Lia couldn't help but sigh as she leaned back in her chair.

"Same, but, sometimes I feel a little lonely because it's so formal here," Lia confessed. "I'm so used to just picking up my phone and calling my parents when I'm upset, it's a lot to adjust to. Thankfully, Prince Theodore is a kind man."

--

A slight nod of his head was the only response that Orion gave as he listened to how they treated Aelia. They were such accepting people, it surprised Orion how openly they admitted to accepting a strange girl like a Princess so fast. "We have as well, giving her the respect that a Princess deserves." Orion's father said, his voice showing his authority and lack of interest of the subject.

"Then, I guess the question now is what shall we do with the Princesses?" The King asked, looking around the table. "Shall we try and resurrect our peace treaty from over a hundred years ago? Or, shall we toss this as a coincidence and give each other's supposed Princess back?"

@ FallenHope95

Helena shook her head a little, setting her cup down. "No, I have no idea.. I suppose he just assumes that I'm just a spy or something.." she said with a little shrug, leaning back in her seat with a sigh, closing her eyes in thought for a few moments.

"I understand that, I miss going to university. They all think it's so weird for a woman to want to learn anything." She laughed a little to herself.

---

"While I think it would be disrespectful to the Goddess to just ignore this obvious sign to make peace, your attacks on my people over the past few months are unacceptable." The King said, frowning across the table at the other king, referring to the attacks that Helena had attributed to the Rhalleans. There were murmurs of agreement from the other delegates.

@ katahdin
"Well I mean, that's understandable," Aelia said as she brought her legs up and tucked them under herself as she relaxed more in her seat. "How would you react to someone if they suddenly showed up with a mark that a dead Princess had." She didn't mean to be mean, but it was the truth.

Lia raised a hand and slowly ran it through her hair, then, glanced out the window. "Gotta love sexism of the old days," Lia mumbled quietly. Then, she glanced towards Helena. "What was your family like? Back, er, in the future?"

--

"That is preposterous! We have not laid a hand on your people in months! Maybe even a year!" Orion's father defended himself and his Kingdom. Anger evident on his face as he glared daggers at the rival King. He looked like he was about ready to start a fight. "If I may intervene." The young Prince interrupted, pulling out a few papers from his jacket pocket. Orion laid the papers out, revealing maps of each kingdoms soldiers stations as well as a list of rations that Crearia provides their men.

"With the help of Princess Helena, I looked into the problem of our soldiers getting attacked." Orion started, standing up and pointing at the stations that were attacked recently. "Our men were ambushed here and here. If it was your soldiers that were attacked, then it would be several days to and from the attack locations. Much too far for a simple quick and easy attack. Unless they went through the Kingdom of Rhalleans." He pointed to a lone passage that would make it a slight bit possible for either side to attack and get away quickly.

"Now, I don't know about all of you, but last I heard we all hated them."

@ FallenHope95

Helena sighs softly, nodding a little. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." She said, taking another few sips of her tea before looking up when she asked about her family. "Hm? Oh, it wasn't the best.. My mother died shortly after I was born, and when I was four, my father dropped me off with my grandmother and never came back.. I ouslyhave no idea what happened to him. Then my grandmother died when I was seven, and I got put into foster care." She shrugged a little. "It wasn't the best.. But I suppose other people have it worse. What about you?" She asked curiously.

---

Theodore's father glared right back, about to say something equally as unhelpful about the Crearians when Orion intervened, listening curiously without interrupting. Theodore also listened closely, frowning as he studied the maps as well. "It's also possible that the Rhallean soldiers are traveling with the trade caravans, that way they can attack the interior of both kingdoms but still have a legitimate reason to be there.." Theodore said, frowning faintly in thought.

"This all sounds possible, but did I hear you right, Princess Helena helped you with this?" The Vidourian King asked with a frown, studying the maps and papers himself.

@ katahdin
It broke Aelia's heart listening to Helena. It really was quite sad to hear. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," Lia said quietly as she tried to offer the other girl a small sympathy smile. "I grew up in the middle of nowhere with my mom and dad. Actually, my moms my dad's second wife, as his first died having my older sister." Lia explained, glancing out the window as she noticed a cloud moving to block the sun.

"I never really thought about it, but my dad never told me if my older sister lived or not." Her nose wrinkled at the thought. "I think it'd be fun to have an older sibling, I wish I did. Especially now."

--

"Or!" Orion interjected once Theo finished, a small smirk appearing upon his lips. "They are the caravan. Hiding as the merchants, we wouldn't expect a group of untrained men to actually be the ones who are attacking us, right?" Orion's dark eyes looked back and forth as he looked to see if anyone else agreed with this idea. It was a little out of the ordinary, but so were two girls from another time turning out to be their long-lost Princesses.

"She planted the idea that maybe the Rhalleans are hiding. I took that idea from her and did some research of my own." Orion covered, knowing that the man would reject the idea as soon as he heard the Princess was the one to actually come up with this.

@ FallenHope95

Helena frowned a little nodding. "Its alright.. The first few years after my grandmother died were hard, but once I was adopted by a nice family things got better." She said with a little shrug, taking a sip of her tea as she looked out the window, although she smiled when Aelia mentioned her family. "That sounds interesting. I don't know what happened to my father.. Who knows, maybe he left me and went and had you." She laughed a little as she joked, although she didn't really realize how true it might be.

She looked back over toward the conference room, frowning a little. "I wonder how long they'll be in there.. It feels like forever."

---

The other members of the conference nodded and murmured in agreement, the whole idea sounding rather plausible. Theodore nodded, looking at his father to see if he agreed, knowing that if the kings didn't believe the theory, that it would be dismissed.

The Vidourian King hummed a little in thought, looking over the various documents before nodding. "Yes, I think this is all plausible.. What do you think?" He asked, looking across the table at Orion's father, wondering what the other king thought of his son's theory.

@ katahdin
Thinking of her father abandoning his firstborn caused a small frown to appear on her lips. He was a good man, really, he was. Aelia couldn't think of a day where her father wasn't trying to make her mother smile. "Only if his name was Tyler Valerius and came from a family of doctors." Lia murmured quietly as she turned back around. She reached for her cup of tea as she listened to Helena.

"Who knows." Was all Lia was able to reply with as she took a sip of her tea. Her eyes closing halfway as she felt boredom wash over her. She'd love to have Theo come out now and take her exploring again.

--

"Hmm, I agree as well." Orion's father said, sending a wave of relief down Orion's spine. He was so glad that his father agreed with him. Maybe, just maybe, things could work out between the two kingdoms now. Maybe they could finally become allies like they tried to become all those years ago. "We should all make arrangments to check every caravan that's stationed in or near the areas that were attacked." The King added, knowing that things needed to be done immediately.

Slowly, Orion sat back down in his seat. His part for the meeting was done. Now, all they needed to talk about were the girls and the alliance that the two Kingdoms were thinking about having together.

@ FallenHope95

Helena frowned a little as she looked at Aelia as she spoke about her father. "Well.. I dont know about Valerius, but my father's name was Tyler St. Claire.." she said. She knew it was unlikely, but what were the chances of their fathers having the same first name. She sighed a little, shaking her head. "No, it couldn't be, it's too unlikely.. And besides, everyone in that room would have a field day if we were sisters."

---

The Vidourian King nodded in agreement. "All Rhallean caravans will be detained, and the borders closed to them until we get this under control. I'd like to apologize for accusing you and your people for all these years for things that they haven't done." He apologized to Orions father. "Do you believe that in light of these events, it would be possible to create a peace treaty? After all, you have done nothing to harm my people, and have taken care of Princess Helena while she has been with you."

@ katahdin
Raising her eyes, Aelia looked towards Helena as she spoke. Shrugging her shoulders at the idea and then leaning her head back as she looked up at the ceiling. "Good point." Was all Aelia mumbled as she heard her stomach let out a small rumble? "Sorry. I missed lunch." Lia said quietly, her cheeks a little pink as she sat up straight.

Looking at the table, it didn't really make Lia happy to see that they really only had sweets to eat with their teas. She was hungry though, so she grabbed a caramel macaron to munch on. "It's not like we can take a blood test either to see."

--

A wave of relief washed over the room as the enemy King spoke words of truth. The idea was so mind-blowing to Orion that he couldn't help but to grin a little bit at the idea of the two of them finally getting along after so many years of fighting each other over little things. Most of which seemed to have been fake now that they've talked about it.

"Certainly old friend." Orion's father said as he reached out to shake the fellow Kings hand. A great sign to the older man putting things behind them. "Hopefully we can agree on some trade deals as well, hmm?" The King offered, hoping to improve their Kingdoms diversity.

@ FallenHope95

Helena nodded a little in agreement. She was right, there really was no way of knowing whether or not they were sisters, so it was better to not to get too caught up on it. She smiled a little, laughing as her stomach growled. "Its alright. The Prince and I went to a little tavern to eat before coming here, as we weren't sure if there would be any food here." She explained, picking a little blueberry tart to munch on while they waited.

---

Theodore was just as amazed as Orion that their fathers were negotiating peace after living his entire life thinking that they would never be allied. But he was relieved, knowing that he personally wouldnt have been prepared for war.

The King nodded. "Of course, travel and trade between our two kingdoms is welcome. Now, what shall we do about the princesses? Should we send them back to the kingdoms which they belong? Or should something else be arranged?"

@ katahdin
A small hum escaped Aelia as she listened to the other Ancient Princess. Glad she at least ate before all of this. All she got to do was take a nap outside with Theo. Then, they had to part ways. He'd been so busy, and she'd been so bored. There was nothing she could do besides waiting for him like a little puppy.

She really wanted to go home, at least there she could watch a movie as she waited then.

--

"Would it not be best for the girls to return to their home countries?" Orion's father asked, not very fond of the idea of having to keep Helena. She was not a woman he'd pick for his son's wife. But, he really didn't want to turn down the possibility of anything. They needed this alliance.

"What else, would you suggest??" The King asked.

@ FallenHope95

Helena hummed a little in thought as she looked at the door, hoping that they'd be finished with their meeting soon. She turned back to Aelia when she went to grab another tart, smiling a little. "So, what's Vidour like? Is Prince Theodore nice?" She asked, hoping to find out a little bit about her supposed home country before she was shipped off to it.

---

"Well, the marriage of these princesses was what was supposed to unite our countries thousands of years ago. The Goddess obviously brought them back for a reason. Shouldn't we assume that reason is to unite our kingdoms like they were supposed to?" Theodore's father asked, looking across the table at the other King.

"Marriage would ensure the alliance of our two kingdoms. But, if you believe there's a better option, I'd be happy to hear it."

@ katahdin
Aelia didn't know when it happened, but she was really lonely when Theo wasn't around. She was really starting to lean on him. She hated relying on others, but when Theo was around, she couldn't help but get excited to spend time with him. "The country is beautiful, it's very rich in history," Lia told Helena, smiling a little as she thought about the place she had been staying at.

"Theo.." Lia allowed for her words to trail a bit. "We'd consider him a nerd in our time." She giggled a little at the general term. "What about Crearia? An Prince Orion?"

--

The King sat back in his chair, not happy in the least bit about what he was hearing. Yet, he had nothing to argue with. He was a high ranking nobleman who controlled a whole Country, but he did not want to disrespect the Gods or the Angels. A tired sigh escaped from him as he raised a hand and rubbed his eyes tiredly, giving it. "An arranged marriage it is then." He murmured.

Truth be told, Orion was surprised that his father agreed. He thought that the old man would fight the idea tooth and nail. Orion himself as well, but, he actually was kinda glad to marry Helena. He was developing a feeling for her after all.

@ FallenHope95

Helena nodded a little as she listened, although she continued to glance over at the door, hoping Orion would come out soon. While she hadn't had many friends back in her own time, she'd come to be quite fond the Prince, and was glad to have him as a friend to help her though everything. "I studied history back in my own time, and I studied both kingdoms, so I know a little bit about each.."

She laughed a little as she called Theo a nerd, smiling over at him. "Crearia's beautiful as well.. And Orion.. Orion's more of a jock." She said, laughing more.

---

Theodore's father nodded standing and offering his hand to shake the other King's hand. "Settled, then. Princess Helena will be married to your son, Prince Orion, and Princess Aelia will be married to my son, Prince Theodore. We can work out all the details later, but after working out so much, I think it's fine to take a break." He smiled kindly.

Theodore sat in his seat, obviously shocked by the arrangement of the marriage. While he wouldn't object to marrying Aelia, as he'd grown quiet fond of her over the previous weeks, he wasn't sure how she would feel about the arrangement, worried that she wouldn't want it.

@ katahdin
Just listening to Helena caused a small smile to crack on Lia's face. The two princes couldn't be more different it seemed. Then again, they were from different Countries with different backgrounds. "Then, do they sound like what you've studied?" Lia asked, curious as she really didn't pay much attention back home.

--

The old King sighed as he stood up and shook the other man's hand. A small smile appearing on his lips. "Agreed." He said and then looked to the other nobles who were all standing around and shaking hands with each other. Glad that they were able to stop a war from happening between them.

"I'm sure the chefs have prepared a meal for us all. Let's go and relax, now shall we?" The old King said, moving to leave the room. Orion on the other hand just leaned back on his chair and looked at the ceiling. Not sure how to bring this up to Helena.

@ FallenHope95

Helena laughed a little, shaking her head with a little shrug. "Most history books don't really talk about their personalities, just the things that they've done.. But the day we both appeared we changed history, so it's hard for me to be able to tell what's what anymore." She explained, looking up as members from the different delegations began to come out of the room.

She stood, hoping to see Orion with them, although she wasn't surprised to see the Kings exiting first.

---

The King gladly shook the other King's hand, offering him a smile as well. "Yes, it'll be nice to have a warm meal after such a long journey for the both of us." He said as he walked out with the other King, laughing and chatting with him.

Theodore remained frozen in his seat as well, looking down at his hands which were clasped on the table before looking over at Orion, knowing that he must be going through the same thing he was. "So... How are you planning on telling her?" He asked, hoping to get some advice.