“Of course,” Dale replied, barely daring to breathe.
“Did you perhaps write a message on a castle wall intended for my mother?”
“I did.”
“Your Grace, I think you know enough to know why I’m here. I came because of that message. If it means what we thought it meant, speak up now.”
This was it. The moment of truth. “I want to go to her. Is it possible?”
The other man smiled and nodded, appearing relieved.
“Yes. That is why I’m here. Mind you, it will not be a simple mission. My mother saw your message years ago, before I was even born, but there was nothing she could have done at the time. After their expedition, time travel was suspended for years. When it was resumed, she could not do it anymore.”
“I trust your mother is well?” Dale asked, concerned. He had just seen Kalli a few days ago. Strange to think years had passed in the future.
“She is very well, thank you. It is just that she has been having babies and taking care of them. She kept working as a consultant in the Project for the Repopulation of Earth. And making a good contribution to it, I daresay,” Roys said with a sardonic twist of his lips. “I have ten siblings.”
“What an extraordinary achievement. From what she said, women in her time had stopped having babies.”
“Yes, that is correct. After their expedition to this time, she and my father fell in love and married. They then made it their mission to propagate the message and educate people about the importance of love between human beings. It hasn’t been easy. The big companies that manufacture the robots tried to silence them many times. But they persisted, and at long last their message is taking on. This year, for the first time in over a hundred years, births were higher than deaths. The tide may at last be turning. And it was all thanks to what my parents learned when they came here.”
“I am glad for the future of humankind.”
“You and Olivia had a big role in it. We have much to thank you for. That is why I’m here.”
“I am grateful you came to help me, but I assure you I did nothing to deserve it. Your parents did their research with no help from me.”
“I beg to differ. You and Olivia fell in love. They had a chance to observe you, study you. What they learned from you was invaluable for their research and further decisions.”
Dale did not know how to respond to that. To think that the love between him and Olivia had affected humankind in a distant future was... staggering. Thankfully, Roys did not seem to expect an answer.
He continued. “Which is why my parents resolved to help the two of you be together. They had to bide their time. Time traveling was put on hold for almost twenty years. By the time it was resumed, about ten years ago, they were both retired. But I had been training to enter the program. I had been establishing myself, waiting for the opportunity to travel back here to help you.”
Dale leaned back, awed. “It looks like this has been a life mission for your family. I have no words to express how thankful I am.”
Roys waved a hand. “You have nothing to thank me for. You and Olivia are a legend in my family and among my parent’s circle. Neither me nor any of my siblings would exist if not for what my parents learned from you. It’s an honor to help the two of you be together again. I had to fight three of my siblings for the privilege of being the one who undertook this mission. I won because I’m the eldest,” he said with a cocky grin.
Dale had to smile at Roys’s enthusiasm. He trusted the younger man, who looked earnest and capable. He would go with him. “Tell me—what’s the plan, then?”
Before Roys could answer there was a knock on the door and Alasdair entered, followed by a young woman of about Roys’s age. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I found this young lady wandering in the gardens. She says she is with you, Roys.”
Roys scowled at the newcomer. “Anlise! I told you to stay hidden until I came for you.”
“You didn’t think I was going to let you have all the fun, did you, brother?”
Roys glared at Anlise, but with a sigh, accepted the futility of arguing with his sister. “Sirs, allow me to introduce my insubordinate little sister, Anlise, who doesn’t know how to obey commands.”
