Epilogue
“...LEON SCREAMED at the top of his lungs." All right. That’s it for today!”
Bookshelves lined the room, and children’s toys were strewn about in its center. Noelle sat in one chair, reading from a book perched on her protruding pregnant belly. The kids who’d listened attentively were all Leon’s.
One reached up and tugged her shirt. “Mommy Noelle, what happened next? What’d Daddy do after that?”
Noelle had been reading from a volume Livia herself wrote, an epic that recounted Leon’s many heroic journeys.
A blond boy whose face looked just like his father’s said, “I wanna hear more about Daddy’s adventures.”
Noelle smiled at him but snapped the book shut, leaving her chair. She tucked it back into a nearby shelf, emphasizing that story time was over for the day. “It’s late, so we’re going to end there. Time for you all to sleep. And I’m sorry, but that book doesn’t continue. The next part isn’t written yet.”
The children collectively whined in disapproval.
A girl with curly hair much like Deirdre’s launched herself at Noelle’s leg and clung to it. “Why won’t you write the next story for us? We want to hear more.”
Noelle smiled bitterly. “We can’t write it yet,” she told the girl.
Her eyes scanned the children’s faces. Some already looked drowsy. A girl who resembled a younger copy of Angie was nodding off, her head dipping before popping back up. She held the hand of a boy who looked identical to Leon. He was already fast asleep and had collapsed onto the floor beside her.
The children invested in the story insisted they weren’t sleepy and begged for more.
“Write it!”
“We can’t,” Noelle again said firmly. “Just wait a little longer. Your father’s embarking on his next big adventure as we speak. Once it’s over, Mommy Livia will write the next part. When she’s finished, I promise I’ll read the book to you before anyone else gets their hands on it.”
A girl with pink hair leaned against Fact’s mobile unit, her chest rising and falling slowly. Fact supported her as he chided the children. “Lack of proper sleep will negatively impact your growth, young ones. Now, enough arguing. Off to bed with you.”
His nagging didn’t sit well with them; those who remained awake were anxious to play some more. They began poking and prodding him.
“Aw, look! Fact’s mad!”
“Let’s roll him across the floor!”
“N-no, stop it! Can’t you see I already have someone sleeping on me? Stop! I shall negatively adjust my evaluation of you all!”
Although it had initially seemed that all the AIs perished during the battle, Fact and his brethren had in reality preserved themselves by transferring their data to their mobile units. They supported the kingdom from the shadows now, carefully toeing the line so that they didn’t interfere too much.
Leon hadn’t wanted the AIs to be overinvolved. Angie was anxious to call upon their help, but however much she’d tried to persuade him, Leon rejected her idea without showing any indication of budging. “I want us to be as independent as possible,” he’d said. His stubborn refusal wore Angie down enough that she acquiesced.
Personally, Noelle agreed with Leon. She knew it’d be more efficient to let the AIs handle things, but she still thought it was healthier for their civilization to stand on its own two feet and develop by itself.
“Enough,” she scolded the children. “No bullying Fact. If you don’t go to bed like you’re supposed to, I’ll tell your father.”
“All right,” the children answered in unison, reluctantly obeying.
A girl with black hair pulled into a side ponytail stood in front of Noelle, fidgeting anxiously. Noelle knelt down to her level. “What’s the matter?” she asked sweetly.
“Mommy, um, uh… When is Daddy coming home?”
Noelle’s smile faltered a moment. That was a hard question to answer. Leon had gone off to deal with a particularly troublesome problem, and there was no way for anyone to know when he might return. He probably didn’t even know himself. His troubles had only just begun.
“I wish I had an answer for you, but I don’t know either. What I do know is that he should have a long break once summer arrives. Maybe he’ll come home then,” said Noelle.