Thank you! Really! This started out being just for fun but quickly became my number one project. I love this story as if it were a child and I had to force myself to stop here before I went on boring you guys with this and that. Feliciano and Ludwig's story will be continued in the GerIta sister fic as well as Alfred and Arthur's story~

Thank you all for you support and reviews and sticking with me through thick and thin and all my evil cliffies and what not! I love you guys~!

Kismet

Chapter Fifty-Two: The Last Journal Entry

They arrived in the capital at nightfall and Lovino drank in the familiar sights before him, as well as some of the new. The carriages pulled in front of the castle and Lovino got slightly excited, seeing Femke, Tessa and Savino waiting for him. The former queen was also waiting. Lovino took up the twins and got out of the carriage, instantly being attacked by his family.

Tessa cried out in joy, "I missed you so much, Lovino~! Did you have fun? Were you safe? Oh my! The twins are so big! It's been almost a year, hasn't it?"

Femke kissed Lovino's cheeks and each of the twins received a kiss as well. Savino seemed to be the only one to notice Feliciano.

"Um … Lovino … is this …?"

Lovino's mama looked over and her eyes widened, "You found him?"

"You must be Feliciano!" Femke wrapped her arms around the boy she'd heard so much about, "It's so good to finally meet you! Lovino's told us all about his little brother! I'm Femke! Lovi's sister."

Feliciano tilted his head confused, but was also hugged by the older woman, "I'm Tessa, Lovino's mama." she said in the crucial Illonian.

The younger Illonian smiled softly, "Ve~ yeah, I'm Feliciano …"

Lovino smirked, but the smile didn't last long. "Ah, Lovino. How nice of you to have made it back."

Isabella walked up to hug her son and get a look at her growing grandbabies.

He ignored her, "Mama, can you run a bath for me, Feli and the twins?" The older woman nodded and took a look at the other carriage, before she and her daughter led Feliciano and Lovino to the royal bedchamber.

Feliciano looked in awe at the castle as they passed through halls and statues and paintings, "Ve~! You actually live here?"

Lovino nodded, "Yeah …"

Femke smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow, Lovi?" he nodded and she bid everyone a good night before running off. Tessa smiled, "Oh you should have seen the wedding. It was a gorgeous ceremony~ I cried. Daan came to visit as well … he said he wished he could have seen you and the babies."

The queen smiled and entered his bedroom and smiled, "I wish I had been there. It's so fu- … good to be home."

Tessa laughed lightly, "I see you're trying to stop cursing so much?"

"Just around the twins … they picked up a few bad habits from Antonio so I don't want them picking up anything too terrible …" Romana squealed in delight when she spotted a toy laying on the bedroom floor, one that had been forgotten almost a year ago.

The bath was run and Tessa left the brothers to their devices. Lovino tested the water and stripped his twins, making sure their bottoms were clean, before setting them on the bench/step. Feliciano just stared, "Feli, this bath is for you, too. Go ahead and jump in."

Lovino pulled off his own clothes, until he only wore the armbands, choker and bracelets and seated himself next to the splashing twins. Feliciano looked slightly unsure, but also stripped and sank into the water, making a contented 've' noise.

"The water feels so nice~ who was that other girl from earlier? The one who spoke in that strange Sverran language?"

The queen looked up, "Oh! Femke. My surrogate sister here. We were best friends when we were younger, but Tessa adopted me as her own. She doesn't speak Illonian, so for the first year or two we didn't understand a thing the other said. Oh, and you should probably know that Savino, the male servant, is our half brother." he chuckled at the memories.

Feliciano nodded and leaned back in the water, "A brother huh? Ve~! That's amazing~!" his smile faded, "It's been so long since I've been in a nice hot bath~!"

Lovino laughed, "My whole life seemed to revolve around these stupid things. When I started working here, it was as Antonio's personal servant, mostly folding his clothes and running his bath kind of stuff." he grinned, "Our first kiss was at the bath …" he blushed lightly.

Feliciano smiled warmly, but pain was evident in his eyes, "What if I told you I found Horoem … but he hates me?"

A glare came over Lovino's face, "Why the fuck does he hate you?"

"Well … Lud- … Ludwig is him … I didn't know it when we first met a while back that it was him … but," he frowned lightly, hugging his legs to his chest, void of a special little necklace, "when we stopped to stretch our legs earlier … I slipped down the ditch and Ludwig came tumbling after me. When we hit the bottom of the ditch … ve … I tried to sit up off of him, but got caught … by a matching necklace …" he rubbed away falling tears, "He got mad at me and asked me who gave it to me … I said my true love did and he got angry and pushed away from me, breaking the cord to my necklace. It's Horoem … I just know it … blue eyes, blonde hair … oh Lovi! Ve … I don't know what to do! He hates me, but I love him so much!"

Lovino couldn't help but feel utterly angry with Ludwig, or Horoem or whoever the hell the man was. His brother was hurting and there was nothing he could do.

He dragged himself and the twins to his brother and hugged him, "It's going to be alright, okay? Just … let things be for right now, okay? He'll come around and if he doesn't … then it was never meant to be." Feliciano looked a little horrified at that notion but nodded and helped Lovino wash the babies up and get them out of the bath and all dried up.

Lovino slipped on his pants and stretched.

"Ve~! You have a scar on your belly! And your shoulder!"

The queen looked down and to the side and nodded, "This one is from the naga attack and this is the scar left over from giving birth to Romana and Tristán."

"Ve~!" he hesitantly touched the belly scar, "I'd like to have a baby, too!"

Lovino blushed, "It's not all fun and games!" he looked at his brother's slightly hurt expression and sighed, "but I think you'll make a great mama."

Feliciano smiled half heartedly and helped feed the twins some dinner before putting them to bed in their refurbished room.

They ate a nice big dinner delivered to the bedchamber and talked quietly while eating the food. Lovino shook his head, grinning when Feliciano said the food sucked. The queen knew it was only because his brother was picky about what he ate.

By the time everything was said and done, Antonio was finished with his own bath and ready for bed. Lovino hugged Feliciano, telling him that one of the guards would lead him to a small room nearby that he would be staying in.

Feliciano hugged Lovino tightly, "Good night, brother … I love you …"

Lovino frowned lightly, "I love you, too … good night." Feliciano smiled softly and left for his room. Lovino bit his lip nervously, getting a sinking feeling.

Lovino sat down on the bed and kissed Antonio gently. He grabbed his journal and began writing on the last page.

The passed few days have been hard, what with the travel and emotional spikes. My brother is finally where he belongs and so are we. My kids are growing so fast and I couldn't be more proud of them. They are sleeping now, and I wish them the sweetest dreams now that they are back home, safe and sound.

Antonio is falling asleep as well, but I might have to wake him up to celebrate our homecoming~ I'm sure he won't say no.

While I'm angry with that Gartyrarren bastard for breaking my brother's heart, I'm glad he met him so long ago. Fate seems to work in very odd and mysterious ways for me and my family.

If he never met my brother, never fallen in love or proposed … I wouldn't be sitting in this bed, cuddled against my loving husband, next door to my two beautiful children.

Hell … if Feli hadn't dropped that stupid cross, I could be sitting in some camp right now, watching over my brother, dreaming of going back to my country. I might not have even made it that far, and as much as I hate thinking about it, Antonio would be married to some woman with kids he'd fathered with her.

Ugh … I hate the mere thought of that.

The point is … I look at all the hardships I've faced, both alone and with my family and what could have been and I realize … I'd do it all again , a hundred times, as long as I end up right where I am right now.

I honestly could not be any happier with who I am and what I have … I don't know what the future holds … nor do I know if I'll be happy about it, but I do know one thing: with Antonio, Romana and Tristán … Feliciano … Tessa and Femke … all at my side … I'll always be happy.

Running out of room on this damn thing!

~Queen Lovino Romano Vargas-Carriedo.

Lovino tucked the full journal to the side and bit his lip. Ariana was asleep on her perch and he felt slightly restless. He kissed Antonio's forehead and slid down in the bed to curl up against the king. His hand reached out and touched Antonio's sleeping face and he couldn't help but smile.

No matter what the future held, he was ready for it, as long as he would fall asleep to this face and wake up in the strong arms that currently held him tightly.

The queen kissed Antonio and closed his eyes. His story may not have had a happy beginning, but he knew, he just knew, that it was going to have a beautiful ending.

~Only the beginning~

~Lady Pyrien