How I Met Your Father

It was stormy outside, one of the first storms of the month if Jack remembered correctly. Torrential rain beat down on the ground, the wind whistling and screeching. Thunder rumbled loudly, and every so often a flash of lightening would illuminate the otherwise darkness of the Barakat-Gaskarth's residence.

Alex and Jack were curled up on the couch with popcorn and a bottle of wine, watching a film. Well, they were supposed to be watching the film, but they were too wrapped up in each other to pay attention to what was happening on screen. Alex straddled Jack's lap, their arms wrapped around each other, lips pressed against the others.

Alex opened his mouth, allowing Jack entrance. Their tongues met, battling for dominance, making the kiss hot and heavy. Jack grinned into the kiss as Alex moaned quietly, loving the effect he was having on his lover.

They were lost in each other, both of their senses overwhelmed by the other man. All Alex could think about was JackJackJack, his mind too wrapped up in his husband to think of anything else. Jack's hands moved from Alex's sides, one moving up to the other man's neck to kiss him harder, the other moving down to his lower back to pull him closer.

Jack broke away from Alex's lips, moving his head down to attack his husband's neck with kisses. Alex threw his back, closing his eyes and biting his lip to stop himself from moaning as Jack latched his mouth onto one of his weak points.

They were so focused on each other that they didn't hear the sound of small footsteps quickly coming downstairs, nor the slight creak of the living room door as their children pushed it open.

“Daddy?” A small, scared voice said, echoing in the otherwise silence of the living room.

Alex broke away from the kiss at the sound of his sons voice, jumping out of Jack's lap and to the other side of the couch. Jack gave him a weird look, but Alex just shook his head; he'd rather not traumatise his kids before they turned 8. He was also glad they weren't watching porn; Jack had a tendency to put it on when they hadn't been intimate in a while. That would have been hard to explain to their children.

He looked over to where the voice came from, seeing a dark haired boy peek around the now open doorway, holding the hand of a slightly smaller girl who was sucking her thumb, hiding behind her brother. Her doe-like eyes were watering, a few tears escaping and rolling down her face.

Alex smiled lovingly at the sight of his babies; they were 6 year old twins, Caleb Riley and Melody Rose. Caleb was 10 minutes older than Melody, and so he often took the role of 'big brother' and ' brave protector' of his younger sister. With coffee-coloured hair and eyes, he was a spitting image of Jack. Melody had the same dark eyes as her brother and Alex's mousy brown locks, only hers were loose curls that hung slightly past her shoulder.

“What's wrong, baby?” Jack murmured from next to Alex, having moved closer than he was a minute ago.

“We- I mean, Melody can't sleep because of the storm.” Caleb said, his face turning into an adorable pout. He was trying to hide his fear, but wasn't doing a good job at it. Recently his obsession had been about being the 'brave boy who wasn't scared of anything'.

Alex sighed softly, turning to Jack to peck his lips quickly before looking back at the twins, “Come on you two, let's get you upstairs.”

Caleb and Melody turned quickly and rushed back upstairs, still holding hands. Alex followed them, grabbing the banister to pull him up the staircase. He walked into the twins room, finding the pair of them in Caleb's bed.

“Why did you run?” He asked, a puzzled emotion crossing his face.

Melody's face turned into one of shock, as if she couldn't believe her father didn't know, “Because of the monsters!”

Alex chuckled softly at his daughters words; it was adorable that they were still scared of the 'monsters'. He remembered when the twins were younger, how he and Jack had to check under their beds and in the closet every night to make sure there were no monsters hiding in the darkness.

A loud crash outside made both children scream, jumping and gripping onto each other in terror. Alex sighed and moved towards the bed, gesturing for them to shuffle over so he could lie next to them. Melody instantly pressed herself against her father as he wrapped his arm around both of them. Caleb leant in as well, momentarily forgetting he was supposed to be a 'brave boy'.

“Will you tell us a story, daddy?” Melody said from her place under Alex's arm, peering up at him with wide eyes.

“Ah,” Alex went into deep thought about a new story the twins hadn't heard, “Okay, let me think...”

“About Sir Alexander, daddy!” Melody exclaimed, getting excited about the thought of hearing her favourite story.

“What, again? But I've told that one so many times!”

“But I love it so much!” Melody said, nodding her head furiously. Alex knew it was her favourite story- it was Caleb's favourite too, but he wouldn't admit it. His little boy was going through a phase of 'I'm a tough boy, stories are for girls'. 

“Okay, let me see... how does it go again?” He wondered to himself, slightly teasing Melody who was getting impatient.

“Once upon a time, silly daddy!”

Alex laughed and faked surprise, “Of course! How could I forget?”

Melody giggled as her father grinned and leant down, blowing a raspberry on the top of her head before beginning to tell the story.

”Once upon a time, in the great Kingdom of Baltimore there once lived a beautiful prince named Jacques. Unfortunately; Jacques was in distress; he was caught in the evil claws of Dulaney, a wizard that had taken him away of King Bassam and Queen Joyce almost four years ago with false promises and sweet nothings. Saying that he'd give him the "best years of his life". Now, Jacques was locked away in a high tower, defended by jock trolls (vile, little creatures... not necessarily dangerous, but very hard to fight if found in large numbers) and principal-dragons. The principal-dragons were a lot more dangerous than the jock trolls, especially when angered. Their fire was known to be very punishing, burning through even the toughest of knights and destroying even the slightest hint of rebellion.

Jacques' family bathed in depression. They had tried everything, they had begged many knights to try and rescue their son, but with no luck. Even their latest try; Duke Jeffrey from Boston Shire and his squire Vincentius hadn't even succeed. They couldn't get past the dragon.

What the King and Queen did not know, though, was that their saviour was on his way. His name was Sir Alexander born and raised in the Shire of Essex, a land far far away, and when he had heard about the Prince, he knew it was his job to save him, even if it were be the last thing he would do. 

It was a huge surprise when he gallantly tread through the huge mahogany doors, and stopped in front of the occupied thrones, at the end of the path. He lowered himself on one knee and explained that they could stop worrying, that he would be their saviour, whatever it would take. 

With tears in her eyes Queen Joyce stood up and strode over to him and she begged him to save her precious baby boy, he was their last hope.

So that same day Sir Alexander started his journey. Well... at least to the blacksmith; this rescue acquired a sword. And coincidentally Alexander had heard that this Smithy was one of the best in the surrounding area.

''Stand fast, Peyton," Alexander demanded his precious brown/white comrade. Many years ago he had saved his beautiful horse from a greedy-for-money animal-handler. Back then he was starved, weak and afraid of people, even slightly mean, but now he was healthy and the best, most loyal horse you could find, so he made sure to tie him up well before entering the shop.

The small bell rang, warning Roberto that there was someone. He put down his work and went to the front. Seeing a tall, brown haired familiar figure standing there.
''Alexander!'' he exclaimed surprised, spreading his arms to envelop him in a tight embrace. Alexander was just as surprised, hugging him back and begging a small chat.

"How dost thee, my friend?" The knight asked, patting the blacksmith's back. 

"Excellent well! In faith, handling the shop... though what could I doth for thee these morrow?" He asked, as the two men walked into the forge chamber. Heat wrapping their fingers and licking their bodies with it's suffocating temperatures, and that's when Alexander's expression changed from friendly to loving, immediately thinking of why exactly he was here again. He started talking about how he was going to rescue his highness Jacques as he eyed the few swords hanging from the walls. 

A sudden banging of a hammer against an anvil penetrated his ears. Metal on metal. Not far away from him, a shirtless boy with a wee bit muscle and a fair amount of black fluff on top of his head was concentrated on forming the sword he was busy with. 

''Yonder is mine apprentice Mattheus, as you can see he's working on a sword that perchance be in your possession, if desired. Wondrous well, Matt. How far thee?'' An ear to ear grin was painted on Mattheus' face and he nodded, yelling something back along the lines; ''Fairly good, sir!''

Alexander's eyes darted around the place. Taking in the different weapons with different contours made of different materials with different methods how to make. His attention was caught by one of the swords that was hanging on the wall. The handle was sparkling with... Diamonds? And a growling lion was pictured on the top. The swords self was silver, tall and swirly figures could be found over its body. It was beautiful.

''Roberto, I bid thee: Doth thee sell that sword?''

Roberto teared his eyes off of his apprentice's busy appearance with a small sigh and strolled over, examining the sword. Silence lingered between the two man for a mere moment, before the smaller one nodded. 
''Aye we do, Sir! Wait...''

The man walked over to the wall and with caution he took if off of its standard. With a swift motion he switched hands and grabbed the handle. You could easily see how much experience he had with swords, just in that one little movement. It was almost frightening.

''It's a beauty! What may be the cost?'' Alexander asked, taking over the sword when Roberto handed it over to him, so he could find the fitting scabbard. The holder and waist belt for holding his new friend. When Roberto came back, he was holding this beautiful dark brown tinted scabbard with hard case in his hands. On this one there were swirly golden figures painted that matched the sword. It was perfect.

''Nay cost, thee are my friend!'' Roberto exclaimed, handing him the scabbard.

But Alexander didn't agree, he shook his head furiously and after hanging the belt and scabbard and storing the sword. Reaching into his pocket and pulling out this small brown bag of coins. He tried to put a stick between it, but Roberto seemed determined and placed his hand over Alexander's. 

That was the only thing Alexander needed and he was able to leave now, which he did. He made sure that his scabbard was tied down well and his sword was tucked away, before turning around. He remarked that Roberto wasn't paying him any attention for a moment and that was the point he dropped his brown coin-bag on the nearest table and so said fled the building. He was still a noble, fair man.

His real journey started at the Chesapeake Bay, where ships would be awaiting for him. Prince Jacques was locked away in a tower, but there was something odd about his situation; it was in the middle of an ocean. An ocean with a bad reputation, people speculated that there were horrifying creatures there. On the surface and deep down, in the dark depths. He has heard the weirdest things, from sea devils to sirens, as if, Alexander wouldn't be affected by them. 

The ship he was offered was small and ancient looking, just able to transport him and his horse. It was good enough, though, he didn't need anything more besides that. So he accepted it with gratitude and so, sooner than he thought he would be, he was on the calm water. Before he well and truly realised it, he was sailing off in some side-branch of the ocean some... canyon. It was a fairly broad one, with coves on both sides. The place looked magnificent with its shoals, shells, small puddles of water and big rocks where you could sit on. It fitted perfect with the weather; a small breeze, clear air and calm water, but Alexander couldn't take a break now, his prince Jacques had been waiting for long enough now. 

He was close to the coves when suddenly beautiful singing filled his ears. It was a musical treat that caressed his eardrums. His body was filled with a heavenly feeling and want. You could say he fell in love right there and then. He looked around, to find the source of this mysterious hymn.

A small, in figure, girl was sitting on top on one of the big rocks. Her long blonde hair had a wet look and was brushed away, over her shoulder. Her body was cloaked in seaweed. Her eyes were closed and apparently the notes were coming out of her opened mouth. Alexander had to find out about this girl... 

The sails were turned by sir Alexander, in such a way that the wind that blew it would bring him to the shore, but what Alexander didn't know was that the cove was literally a death-trap. Just under the surface of the water, close to the shore and the girl, were all different kinds of sharp rocks, that easily could make him shipwreck and ruin his whole rescue. 

Distance was closing between them and with every metre he inched towards her, the singing seemed to get more intense. As if it was determined to get him there. Which, in a certain way, was the truth, but Alexander did not know that. He did not know that the girl was actually a jealous-ex-siren, who intended on drowning him. 

High up in the air an alert, small eagle was flying around. An eagle who-''

''Oh!'' Melody exclaimed, ''Is this the part with the eagle?! Wait... what is the colour of the eagle once again, daddy?'' Alex looked down and saw how the brown eyes of his little girl literally shone with excitement, her lips turned up in a wide grin. 

''Hmhm, let me think,'' Alex said, whilst he decided to find a more comfortable position. He slid slightly down, so he was practically lying on his lower back, and bend his legs at the knees, placing his feet flat against the mattress. He improved his arms around Melody and Caleb and pulled them closer toward him, snuggling them.

He was smiling slightly, when Melody got impatient and made soft whining sounds (a quality she definitely earned from Jack, he could act exactly the same). ''The eagle is definitely white with bits of brown and black.''

''Oh, like Baz!'' Caleb suddenly yelled, almost hitting Alex in the face when he was talking with big hand gestures (a quality he definitely earned from the elder man himself). Alex chuckled and agreed, saying that it was exactly like Baz and he could hear Melody squeal.

''Can we name the eagle Baz?! Please daddy?! Please, please, please!'' She begged, looking at him with cute, puppy-like eyes (another thing she had picked up from Jack) and Alex sighed. How could he ever deny his children anything? 

''And eagle Baz, as protective as he was, saw that there was something wrong. The sirens! He made a crash-landing down and placed himself on sir Alexander's shoulder. His sharp claws could dig through his shoulder, but the protective pads made it quite hard. 
He spread his wings, pushing them effectively in Alexander's face, but it didn't seem to work. A loud screech rolled out of his beak and warned Peyton, the horse. He got his attention, but unfortunately he couldn't do anything, once again he was tied up well and he barely enough rope or space to walk around. The only thing he could do was neigh, and that's what he did, as loud as he could.

Baz the eagle spread his wings once again, being sure that they hit them well in Alexander's face. Still no effect, the ship was coming dangerously close to hitting the rocks. There was only one thing left to do: Eagle Baz started pecking sir Alexander in his cheek, with his sharp beak. 

That seemed to do the trick. Alexander shook his head and turned the ship, floating away from the siren, who was getting angry. Her hands were balled and her song was getting louder and more desperate, the soothing melody turning into screeching and wailing, it sounded horrifying.

Alexander had escaped, though, and was now back on course to the island of Jacques, pushing the happenings with the siren to the back of his mind and trying to forget about it. All throughout his journey to the island, noticed that eagle Baz hovered above his ship, as if he was keeping an eye on things.

At the moment Alexander set foot on land, eagle Baz begun flying lower and eventually landed himself on Alexander's shoulder. With an easy pull, the knight freed Peyton, who was overjoyed that he could stretch his legs well. 

A horrifying growling sound was heard and Alexander's senses were on sharp. What could that be? Bears? Tigers? Dragons maybe?! Once again the growling sounded and the young boy jumped up and drew his sword, pointing it to wherever it came from. Could you imagine how he felt like a dummy when he discovered that the growling sound was his stomach?

Right after that his eyes spotted a tempting mango tree and Alexander saw that the fruits that were hanging in there looked orange, delicious and satisfying. His mouth started to water and he rushed towards it. Eagle Baz still bouncing on his shoulder.

The fruits hung high above the ground, but fortunately enough Alexander was a tall man and he was sure that if he would stand of the last bit of the tiptoes of his feet, his fingertips could brush the hard, smooth surface of the fruit. So he did that and just when he was almost... almost able to touch the fruit, a loud poof sound rang and-

''Is Zacharius the Sparkling Fairy Princess coming on now, daddy?!'' Melody yelled in ecstasy, clapping into her hands and practically squealing in excitement. Alex smiled lovingly and confirmed that this was it, whereby his daughter as a response made more indistinguishable sounds. You could guess: the fairy was her favourite character, even though Zacharius was a normal fairy prince not a sparkling princess one, but Alex knew he would never be able to correct his daughter, even if he wanted to. 

On the other side of him, Alex felt his son moving around and snuggling closer to him. His eyes were half-lidded, as sign that he was sleeping, but apparently he was still attentive enough to yell; ''Melody! Ssssh! Stop interrupting the story!'' Cheeky boy.

''Stop whining, Caleb!'' Melody said with a whiny voice; talking about irony. 

Alex quickly interrupted the squabbling, before it took a serious, "six-year-old-children mean" turn. The twins obediently shut their mouths (Alex anticipated the day they wouldn't do that anymore and would put on a big mouth) and found comfort.

''So a loud poof sound rang and sir Alexander suddenly felt something falling on his free shoulder. Surprised he looked sideways and saw there a tiny creature, barely taller than twenty centimetres. He had what seemed transparent but still slightly light pink-ish, tall wings. He was wearing white ripped trousers and a silvern with the same light pink as could be found on his wings crown was spun around his head. In the total picture he looked- very glittery and sparkling.

''Don't eat that fruit, brave knight!'' The voice of the creature was high pitched, though surprisingly loud and booming. He flew up and decided that Alexander's hand was a better place to sit, seeing that it was on a straight line with his eyes. ''Thou art in the territory of Dulaney now, sir. Thou hath to be cautious with everything thou does! Ne'er dost anything without thought anymore!'' 

Sir Alexander pulled up his eyebrow. ''Who are thou?''

''Zacharius. Zacharius the Sparkling Fairy Princess and- Ahh, I examine thou has founded my loyal comrade, eagle Baz. In faith, I knew thou wouldst be in need of saviour, therefore I sent him.'' Ah, so that was the reason an eagle suddenly came to save him.

Alexander's attention was drawn by the very attractive looking fruit, something Zacharius apparently didn't appreciate that, because he very effectively bit him in his hand. Alexander jolted and frowned upon the fairy. ''Why did thou dost that?!'' he exclaimed, huffing.

''Prithee, let me travel along with thou. With me thou will be save.'' 

It was with a sigh that Alexander agreed to this. He wasn't a very big fan of the fairy prince (he bit his hand!) but he knew it would be his best choice. Zacharius would prevent him from doing anything stupid, making his journey more likely to succeed.

You'd think that sir Alexander was almost there, that there wouldn't be anymore setbacks. But nothing was less true; every once in a while a wild jock-troll would come running out of the bushes, producing this atrocious sound. They were small and ugly, with their olive green skin-colour, bumpy-lumpy face and exploded hair-do's. Though Alexander was lucky enough to have Zacharius on his shoulder, because with one simple hand gesture the fairy princess was able to transform the trolls into lucky and benign leprechauns. 

Besides that the weather was also horrific and were there many temptations (who were mostly food-related) for sir Alexander, but his new acquired ''squire'' was a great help and kept Alexander focused and going.

''When do we arrive?'' Alexander asked, wiping his wet fringe from his eye sight. He could feel the hill getting steeper and thanks to Peyton, his horse, he was sooner on top than if he would've walked.

Alexander had perfect sight over the woods, seeing as the hill was situated higher above the sea level. The golden-haired knight could see over the tops of the trees the pointy end of a grey tower in which he was certain his one and only would be waiting to be saved. 

What setback would be waiting for him along the way, though, he did not know, but what he did know was that he wasn't going to back down. He had come all this and there was no chance he would give up, soon enough he would hold the prince in his arms and would he get his hand in marriage for saving him. 

Suddenly a colossal fire reached above the tops of the trees and the first thing that entered Alexander's mind was wildfire, but then Zacharius attracted his attention by coughing in a slightly high pitched tone and poking him repeatedly in his cheek. ''That's the dragon, sir,'' the fairy princess said, his brow furrowed in an anxious frown. 

Wait... What? Dragon? Uh... oh... 

''Peyton, tantivy!'' Alexander demanded him. His horse sped away, as fast as he could. His hooves barely seemed to touch the ground, as if they were floating. Flashes of green darted beside him and brown flying underneath him. 

A loud roar made the ground shake. Alexander called his horse to a halt and let himself glide off his comrade with elegance. This was the point where he had to continue his journey on his own, he didn't want to endanger his best friend. 

''Thank you for everything, my friend, I'll miss you.'' Alexander stroked his flank and turned around on his heels. He felt his boots slightly sinking away in the soft, wet earth. Whilst Alexander was waling, the tress disappeared and now he could see the tower right in front of him, in full form. The grey building was build on a medium-sized rock. Not too big, but it needed a climb to get on.

At the moment Alexander's hands touched to stone, once again a ear membrane ripping roar sounded. He turned quickly, spotting a flash of ebony scales out of the corner of his eye. His head snapped to the other side, spotting the dragon flying towards him just in time to let go of the rock, dropping to the ground and narrowly missing a blaze of scorching fire. 

''I am not afraid!'' Alexander screamed holding his sword high up in the sky and- 

''I'm not afraid either!'' Caleb screamed out of the blue. His hand (which was folded in a fist) was just like Alexander's sword raised high, swaying a bit around. He squealed something else, which was muted (and incoherent) because he was hiding his face in Alex's shirt. Alex felt the urge to coo because his son was just that obviously scared.

"The dragon landed on the rock face, causing the ground to shake beneath Alexander. It took him half a second to jump to his feet and dart out of the way as another blast of heat came hurtling in his direction. He span on his heel, unsheathing his sword as he did so. He took a step towards the beast, slashing his sword in front of him only to miss by inches.

A loud, terrifying roar shook the earth, almost making Sir Alexander fall, but he didn't – he was too strong for that. He raised his sword again, rushing forwards and swiping it down the dragon's underbelly. The dragon let out a wild roar of pain as blood-" 

“Ew! Daddy no, it has to be lemonade!” Caleb exclaimed, his hands flying upwards to prove his point. 

Alex chuckled at his son's actions, noticing how they were a little slower and drowsier than they had been before. The twins were getting tired; Melody hadn't even reacted to the mention of blood, and usually she would freak out saying 'blood is icky, daddy!', but no, nothing came out of her mouth.

He glanced over to his daughter, smiling affectionately as he saw her trying to keep her eyes open, fighting sleep, her thumb in her mouth as she snuggled up against his side. Turning back to Caleb, he grinned down at his son. 

“Why lemonade?!” He asked, playing along. 

“Because all dragons have lemonade in their bellies!” Caleb said, as if he couldn't understand how his father didn't know that. 

Alex just laughed, and carried on with the story.

"The dragon let out a wild roar of pain as lemonade began to come out of the wound. It stood up on its hind legs, throwing its head back as it roared angrily, hot smoke coming out of its nostrils. The beast's head snapped down to Sir Alexander, its eyes turning red and glaring down at him before shooting a hot fireball straight at the knight. 

Sir Alexander knew he could not move out the way in time, so he knelt down and covered himself with his shield, which had a lion printed on the front. He waited for the fiery hot burning to reach him, but it never did. Peering over his shield, he saw that Zacharius had turned the fire into a-

“Rainbow!” Caleb said, shooting up in bed into a sitting position. 

Alex rolled his eyes, “Yeah, okay...” 

Caleb grinned, apparently happy with Alex's answer, and he snuggled back into his father's side. Alex carried on with the story, adding in Caleb's interruption. 

"Peering over his shield, he saw that Zacharius had turned the fire into a rainbow, and could no longer harm him. He smiled his thanks at the fairy helper, before jumping to his feet. 

He rushed towards the dragon, sword held high. He stabbed it into the dragon's heart, hearing the beast roar in pain again. It staggered back a few steps, before disappearing in a-"

“Poof of flowers!” Caleb interrupted once again, his voice coming out sleepier than just minutes ago. This time he didn't even shoot up in excitement. 

“Are you going to let me tell the story, or do you want to?” Alex laughed, teasing his son who simply shrugged. 

“Keep telling it please, daddy.” He mumbled, his head lolling to the side and resting just underneath Alex's shoulder. 

"It staggered back a few steps, before disappearing in a poof of flowers. Once he saw that the dragon was gone, Alexander yelled in triumph. He'd won! Now he just had to save the prince. 

Slightly cautious Alexander strode back to the rocks again. His hand floated hesitant over the cold grey subsurface for a moment, but that didn't last long. He was a hero, he didn't know fear. Alexander curled his hand firm around one of the protruding stones and hoisted himself up. 

The moment his foot slipped away slightly and he was only just able to keep himself hanging, his heart may have skipped a beat, but he wouldn't admit that. He was able to reach the top. It was flat and had grass growing on it, with here and there a small daisy. 'That's weird', Alexander thought, but he shrugged it off.

Still vigilant, he closed step by step the distance between him and the tower. Though he had an advantage with his sword, shield, fairy friend and eagle, anything could still happen. 

Alexander wasn't able to find the entrance of the tower as easy as one-two-three. More precisely, there wasn't an entrance at all... What even.

''Sir, thou should look to heaven,'' Zacharius meek voice tickled in his ear. He did what he was told, though, and saw a small plateau above him, followed by more. The first one was around six feet away from him and looking at the size of them, he would just be able to put his foot on it. Great... Everything he does for the Prince... 

It took all his manpower to get himself at the top. Like he had thought this wasn't easy at all. His foot had to make a rather funny turn to fit himself on the extending bricks and his fingers were scratched and sore of the rough surface. 

When the opened window was right in front of him, Alexander let out a weird wail combined with a sigh of joy, however that turned quickly into a growl of rage when his eyes spotted the twisted staircase. Well, it was too late now anyways... And he could use this a great addition of the story he'd tell his soon-to-be spouse, and maybe their offspring. 

Zacharius had to help him for the last time. With another one of his simple-looking and quick hand gestures (and that funny thing he kept doing with his tiny wings, whenever he was using his magical powers) he opened the securely locked door. 

''I thank thou for everything, Zacharius, without thou this would've never succeeded,'' Alexander said with a small smile. Zacharius nodded his head, bend and saluted him, before he (and the eagle Baz) disappeared with a loud poof. Alexander was now ready to enter the room. 

And there he was, after all this time and misery; his prince. The black haired beauty was lying peacefully asleep on a virgin white canopy bed, with equally white curtains hanging down from every post. The sun slipped through the open window and lit up his pale face, making him glow like an angel. The prince was even more beautiful than the stories he had heard, or than he had imagine in his mind.

His idea was to strode over with elegance, so that when he was close enough he could bend over and let their lips brush together, so the love of his life would calmly wake up. A dazzling smile would appear on his face and Alexander would be pulled close for another, more deepened kiss.

His plans never worked out, though, for just as he took a couple of steps he managed to trip over his own feet and he tumbled face first, with his complete body atop of Jacques. This wasn't as romantic as he wanted, this was more of an attack.

Jacques jolted awake and as an automatic reaction he slapped Alexander across his cheek, the loud skin against skin smack echoing through the round room. Well, that hurt.

''Ne'er again, Dulaney!'' Jacques exclaimed, but when he took in the appearance of Alexander, he gasped, covering his mouth with his hand. ''Oh, my apologies my Knight! Are thou here to rescue me?'' A giggle rolled out of his mouth. The most magical sound in the universe, according to sir Alexander.

He nodded and he was being engulfed by a tight embrace. Their eyes met and Alexander drowned in those dark brown pearls, everything about this boy was perfect and he couldn't wait until- Their lips touched.

A warmth that seemed to be produced by a dragon's breath spread through his stomach, a thousand daggers seemed to prick in his skin and everything was fine and dandy. He had made it, he had saved the love of his life.

When they returned to the kingdom's palace, it was an emotional reunion. Crying hysterically queen Joyce pulled her baby close and coddled him until he had to beg her for some air (and even after that she kept pulling prince Jacques to her chest and hugging him tight) and Alexander would swear he even saw king Bassam sweep a tear away.

Alexander was indulged. Everyone in the kingdom treated him like a royalty. He got gifts, respect and admiration, but above all; he got Jacques hand in marriage, and the way his prince looked at him (intrigued and amorous) when he said ''I do'' would always light up his world.

No matter what, Alexander knew that his choices were never a mistake and that he would spent the rest of his life with his one and only, his significant other."

With a small, content smile, Alex opened his eyes, in order to come to the discovery that both of his children had fallen asleep. Both wearing the same loving smile as Alex on their identical faces. Gingerly Alex maneuvered from his spot between the siblings. In an automatic reaction they snuggled up together.

Plunged in thought Alex stared at his offspring, thinking about everything and nothing. A small cough brought him back to the world. In the doorway his husband was leaning against the doorpost, his arms crossed and, once again, his lips curled in a small smile. Butterflies erupted in Alex's stomach, even after all these years Jack could make him feel like a teenage girl who's for the first time in love. He pulled his husband close against him and pushed their foreheads together.

''I assume they wanted to hear the story of sir Alexander and prince Jacques again?'' Jack said, voice softened; whispering even. They wouldn't want to wake the kids now.

''Yeah, they love that story.'' Alex lowered his arms and rested his left hand just above Jack's bottom, but feeling naughty and placing his right hand actually on his bum, biting his lip slightly. Jack made a soft ''ooh'' sound, followed by a hum.

''I love it too,'' Jack sighed happily, ''even though the story is slightly modified. Only a little bit,'' a hoarse, soft laugh rolled out of his mouth. The same thought rolled through their heads; one day the twins would grow curious and then they'd have to tell the real story, that was going to be awkward.

A moment of silence lingered between the two men, consisting of them staring in each others eyes and bathing in the feelings that were cruising through their bodies. Jack sighed once again, ''I have a question though; why do you always have to make me the girl?''

Alex listened to what his instinct told him to do and kissed the top of Jack's nose. ''Because you are the girl, baby,'' he whispered.

And they lived happily ever after.