"You should've seen him. Little Cam running around the palace halls, barefooted! Mal tried to catch him, three maids by her tail," Hedith chuckled, leaning against the side of the alcove, a glass of ambrosia balanced in her hand.

Uma sat on a bean bag not too far away with her own choice of drink.

"Mal with kids?" Uma scoffed in amusement. "You remember how she was with you?"

Hedith laughed, throwing her head back, hitting the wall. "Yeah. Made me ruin her birthday parties until I was banned by my own mother."

Uma shook her head and took a sip from her glass of rum. Right after both of them finished their work for the day, they headed straight to the palace and asked for the butlers to just bring dinner to Hedith's room and snacks and drinks for later. Both girls--no, women changed into comfortable night-wears and talked about Hedith's life in the first timeline. One that she already shared with her sister. And now, she's telling stories about her 2-year-old nephew that Ben and Mal should've had five years ago.

The little Crowned Prince of Auradon that ceased to exist.

"When I first saw him, I told Mal he looks one peculiar little creature. Evie said Maleficent said the same thing a week prior," Hedith scoffed, more out of irony than any. 

"He would've turned 5 a month ago. Probably already learning magic. I could've taught him stuff that I learned. Evie would've made an extravagant suit for him on his special day. Cammie loved Mal more than Ben, which is kind of ironic. Mal spoiled him so much. Ben loved him so much. Jay and Gil would come home from their trips with treats for the little guy. Harry once stole him away from the palace for the whole day to get him play pirates with him. Mal was so mad that she lit Harry's sails on fire."

Uma laughed, imagining the scene with Harry. She cannot imagine Harry doing anything but if any of their circles had kids. Now, Harry has his own pirate crew. Went from being her first mate to becoming his own captain. Last time she'd met him, he was so proud of the sails he got from a foreign continent.

"What about me? How was I with Cammie?" Hedith took a deep breath and smiled.

"He called you Auntie Octie." Hedith smirked making Uma abruptly frown and gave her a look.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes!" Hedith laughed and turned to her. "First time he met you, you were in your sea-witch form. He was just learning about animals that week and he pointed at you and called you Octie. Gil and Jay were dying on the floor. Mal was trying to hold back her laughter. You were pissed but the boy was too cute that you let it slip. And that's what he started calling you from then on out."

Uma huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Guess he was pretty cute," Uma reasoned.

"Yeah. He was. He's got Mal's eyes. Ben's hair. But I swore, he was growing some purple roots last I saw him. I..." Hedith paused, the floor seeming to be the most interesting thing to her right now. "I'm actually starting to forget how he looks like."

Silence filled the room, for the first time that night, Uma can feel the alcohol taking effect. Hedith looked distraught. Not like Uma expected her to look her greatest. She's telling her the life she lost. The life that only she would be able to remember and no one else. And the grief for that is something Uma can never understand.

I guess, getting her own domain meant losing something else.

"You can...maybe ask for someone to draw him," Uma suggested after some minutes and Hedith sighed.

"I did. Back on Olympus. I asked Apollo's help. I got it done and had it framed in my office. But the more I looked at it, the more I doubt my own memory. I would think, the nose isn't quite right. Or the eyes aren't that big. So, I had to put it away before I ruin it," she said, her shoulders slumping. Her grace and elegance leaving her body and out came the little girl from the Isle of the Lost.

"I'm sorry, Hedith."

"It's not your fault."

"What happened to the guy that changed the timeline?" Uma asked, changing the topic. But Uma cannot skirt around the whole discussion. It's too big to even skirt around to.

"I found him. A resident of Wonderland who thought he did the Queen of Hearts a favor by giving her a better life. But when it backfired badly, he tried to change it again and I threw him to Tartarus. He regretted what he did but if he tried to change it again, it would just break the timeline again. He cannot bring back the original timeline." 

Her pale fingers fiddled with the ring again, the ambrosia set down on the table beside her. Uma's eyes was attracted to the star diopside and the way it contrasted the deathly pale skin of Hedith's hands. 

"I was a new goddess. After I got my domain and ascended, Carlos...he proposed to me. We've only been dating for three years but he said he was sure. I was hesitant at first."

"Why? You've had a crush on him longer than you even realized."

"I'm a goddess now, Uma. He's human. I live longer, I stay young longer. And Carlos deserves someone who would grow old with him." Hedith said it as if she doesn't believe the logic of it but desperately wanted to. "I didn't say yes right away and he understood. He always does. Best and worst qualities of him and still..."

Hedith took a deep breath, her eyes glistening with hint of tears. "Dude died two weeks after his proposal. He was old and lived a fulfilled life. Carlos was devastated. He didn't pack up any of Dude's stuff for weeks. He only did when I came to him and talked him through. Mavros helped a bit, I guess. It helps him to have another dog around. So, he got better. He asked me again and at that moment I just thought that he loves too much. I said yes and he gave me this ring."

Hedith thumbed the ring again and the corner of her eyes became wet. Uma watched her shoulders slump.

"I was a new goddess. I was...reckless with my responsibilities. When I felt the shift, I did the bare minimum because I was too busy preparing for the engagement party picnic. When I woke up.."

Hedith's hand went up to her mouth, choking in a sob. Uma stood up from her bean bag and all but walked towards her. Uma caught Hedith as they slide down to the floor, the goddess letting out a deep, shaky breath. She was shaking and her tears started flowing down her face. All Uma can do was hold her close and soothe her tensed body while rocking her back and forth like a child.

"It was like...It was like I was hit by a truck, Uma. One moment, I fell asleep next to him, next thing he was dead for seven years. It broke me, Uma. I went on a rampage. I almost fell off the edge. I almost killed the man who did it," Hedith sobbed, loudly.

Mavros who was sleeping on the other side of the room ran to Hedith's other side and nuzzled his snouts under her arm. The goddess sniffled and gasped through the tears. Her head on her face, fat tears drenching her palms and falling to her lap. Tiny wet spots started staining her pajama. The graceful, stoic instructor that the students of Auradon Prep know vanished in a heap of sobs and painful gasp for air.

Uma loosened her arms around her and started stroking her hair, pushing the stray parts to the back of her hair and pulling it up to tie it together. Hedith continued to cry for almost an hour. Her eyes puffy and red by the time she settled down. Her nose a but swollen and red and she looked tired. More than Uma had ever seen her. Uma should really stop thinking to the girl from the Isle when she thinks of Hedith, but it brings some kind of comfort that she can still run to her for some sort of safe place.

"The man was brought into a trial for his crimes against the balance of the Universe. He was sentenced to Tartarus and that's the most I can ask for without going over the edge. I kept thinking, if I do kill him, all of Auradon would know about it and it would reflect badly on Mal. To deal with the pent up emotions, I focused on my work to safeguard the timeline. It went well for three years. Until the girls ruined it."

"You can't put them in Tartarus."

"I can't," Hedith agreed, weakly. "I won't. They're naïve kids. So, I just took the time machine away."

Uma sighed and embraced Hedith who welcomed it. Her other hand went to pat Mavros which the dog happily accepted.

"I plan to pass a bill that prohibits any form of time travel. It's too dangerous. We still don't know what changed. I sent out my dad's furies to investigate anything that seems off with the timeline, going off the list and information I provided."

"Did something else change?"

Hedith shifted, her eyes furrowing.

"Merlin's health started deteriorating. He was completely healthy last time. Traveling the world and enjoying his retirement. But his health suddenly plummeted yesterday. Chad's got a girlfriend now. But, some civilians don't exists anymore. They were deleted from the timeline."

Shock was an understatement. A sudden fear and understanding passed through Uma's entire body as she tenses up against Hedith. She pulled away and stared at the goddess who looks tired and withdrawn.

"Time travel is very dangerous. It's not a simple matter of changing one thing. That one thing creates a chain of events that can blow up on your face." Hedith slumped further, her thoughta back to the two girls. "Those girls will know of a past that no one else knew and might also find a new present that they will have to deal with."

Then Hedith's eyes closed, silent tears shimmering underneath her lashes.

"That's not my Carlos, Uma." Hedith choked up as tears pour down her cheeks again. She looked down and let out a shaky breath as her lips tremble. She sniffled, threading her fingers into Mavros' fur.

"He was too young to be my Carlos. He hasn't graduated high school yet, haven't gone to vet school. He wasn't Auradon's best vet. He hasn't fallen in love with me. He loves Jane--loved Jane to his death. You all have mourned him for seven years when it all happened. The pain was...lessened but it was all sudden for me. You knew the pain of losing him, but I--"

Hedith choked at her own emotions, new set of tears rushing down her face.

"I lost him overnight and none of you even know or understand the pain I was in. I am in." Hedith sobbed loudly. One might say it's unbecoming of a princess, but Uma understands that Hedith needs this. And she wasn't about to tell her otherwise.

"That's why I pulled away. For three years, I ran away from all of you because I was angry. I wanted to destroy the person who gave me this pain, this damning wrath. I had to find him even if it takes me to the end of the Earth, I had to make him pay for the pain he gave me.  I went on a rampage. I went absolutely berserk to the point that Teri and dad had to restrain me and tie me up in Olympus until I calm down and make sure that I wouldn't pose a danger to anyone."

This was the first time Uma was hearing about this. Or at least the actual thing. She'd heard of the commotion in Olympus a while back. It was kept on a downlow as none of the gods were actually willing to share anything about it. Uma brushed it off as another drama between that mess of a pantheon. But hearing about it now, it broke Uma's heart to realize that her little sister was in the middle of it all and had to endure it.

"So, that's it," Hedith ended and took a deep, steadying breath. Uma held her closer and massaged her scalp.

"Thank you for telling me. Are you okay now?"

"A bit," Hedith breathed and closed her eyes. "I think I need to hit the hay."

Uma huffed in amusement and stood up, pulling Hedith with her.

"Alright, princess. Up. I'll tuck you in."

"I'm not a kid," Hedith pouted.

"I do remember a certain blue-haired little girl who would hide at a pirate pub wanting to sleep over."

"I think you're thinking of another timeline."