A Miracle for Love (Caesar Drisdall from The White Knights Chronicles)

Chapter 20

Katelyn looked into Caesar's golden eyes, contemplating how she had gotten so lucky in life, to have met the man of her dreams. Caesar brushed a piece of hair from her face, placing it behind her ear. "So, tell me the truth, do you still love me now that you see the real me," she whispered as he looked into her eyes. He said, "Katelyn, I knew that you weren't Kara when I met you the first time. You looked a lot like her yes, but you were so strikingly different. Your personality is warm, happy, familiar to me in ways that she wasn't. I fell in love with you. The curious girl. The one who stopped to look at wildflowers when we walked along the trail, who gasped at the sight of the Demithor under Greede, who had a sparkle in her eyes as she saw walked through the city of Greede. The girl who literally fell for me while putting up with my corny jokes and personality. I never cared about how you looked because you could have been any shape, size, or color, and my soul would have recognized yours. I can say, yes, I was physically attracted to you when you looked like Kara. I am still physically attracted to you now. You were beautiful either way in looks, but your personality is what made you the most beautiful woman in the world to me. I loved you then, and I still love you now." Katelyn teared up a bit and said, "Gosh, how did I get so lucky to meet you?" She kissed him on his lips before he could respond. Caesar deepened the kiss, pulling Katelyn against him. "Well, you are stuck with me now," Caesar said as Katelyn pulled back from the kiss to get a breath of air. "I love you, Caesar," Katelyn said. "I love you, too," he said back, "And I will run through the streets yelling it to the entire world if you ever don't believe me." Caesar wiped the tears from her eyes that had fallen and said, "I also can't wait to raise Lena, have a mini you or me running around. I want to show off my beautiful wife to every person in Greede." Katelyn said, "I can't wait to start our own adventure, either." Just then, a yelp was heard down the hallway that made the happy couple jump in alarm. Then, laughter was heard as the door burst open and Lena ran into the room laughing, her hair shorter and curly, trying to shut the door before Sapphire could make it. A foot jammed the door and Lena tried to hold the door. She yelled out, "Katelyn, Caesar, help. Sapphire is trying to tickle me to death, but I won't let her take me alive." Katelyn got up and moved in front of the door when Lena let go. "And what do you think you are doing, ma'am," Katelyn said in a sassy tone. "The little bug started it! I took her for a walk in the gardens and she tackled me and knocked me into the fountain. Look what she did to my dress." Katelyn looked to see that the dress was soaked with a big smear of dirt across the back of the once white dress. Katelyn stepped aside and said, "She all yours, then." Lena looked at Katelyn wide eyed as Sapphire came charging into the room after Lena. Lena ran into the bathroom and locked the door. Sapphire tried to open the door to no avail and shouted, "I will get revenge when you least expect it, Lena." She then walked out of the room in a huff, muttering about needing to change her dress.

Caesar said, "Well, we know a good babysitter who can tire Lena out for us when we need it." Katelyn started laughing and said, "Gosh, I remember when I used to get involved stupid antics like that as a kid. I would chase my brother around the yard until one of us ended up covered in dirt, mud or leaves." "What made it end," Caesar asked, sensing more to the story. "My brother got bit by an ant when we were playing one time. He was a little older at that point and had to be rushed to the hospital. It was really scary. He broke out in a rash, his airway closed up, he almost didn't survive." "That's awful. But I have a question. What is an ant," Caesar asked. "Well, all the bugs in my world were tiny. An ant is a tiny red or black bug that live in hills made of dirt or sand. They live in colonies with hundreds to thousands of other ants underground. They are so small that they are smaller than my pinky nail even. One small bite almost killed him." "Wow, so what happened after that?" "He had to go to a doctor called an allergist. They treat allergies in people so that they eventually become immune to them. He had to get a shot every couple of weeks to take away the reaction he had to ants. He wasn't cleared for two years. By then, he wouldn't go outside to play. He was too scared that he would die from a tiny bite." "I never had a lot of friends going up," Caesar said. "One of my favorite games I would play with my father was hide and seek. I would stump him with some of the hiding spots I chose. I could hide for hours, he would call in the cavalry, and they still wouldn't find me. There was one day it took fourteen hours to find me after I ended up in the Underbelly." "Wow, that's crazy. I'm sure your father loved searching every nook and cranny to find you all the time," Katelyn said with a hint of sarcasm while laughing. Finally, Lena emerged from the bathroom and asked, "Is it safe to come out now?" Katelyn said, "Come here, sweetie." Lena looked at Katelyn and said, "You betrayed me. You let Sapphire loose after me." "Well, she was only trying to get even. And you will apologize later to her," Katelyn replied. Lena said, "Okay. Now, can we go explore the town some? I want to see the city. I've never been outside of Albana before." Katelyn said, "I suppose." Caesar then got up from the couch and said, "Let's go." Katelyn grabbed her shoes and placed them on her feet as she walked out the door. She realized that not only had her gear changed earlier, but also her shoes. The dark leather boots had turned into delicate, white ballet flats. "It seems that both Lena and I may need a new pair of boots while we are in town." Caesar looked down at the flats and let out a laugh at the sight of her flats. "Come on. We will get a pair for the both of you." Katelyn put her hands over her face and said, "I can't believe that the magic took my boots away. I liked those boots, even if they were a tad too big." "Hey, don't worry about," Caesar said, taking her hand. "Maybe it was the fates telling you that we can get you a pair that fits right this time." Katelyn just shrugged as she squeezed his hand and replied, "Okay, to town it is." With that, the three left the room and headed towards the exit of the castle.