Karl Brooks stepped down the gangway and onto the bustling docks. Servants carrying their luggage and his family guards followed behind him. His beautiful wife, Jane Brooks, walked beside him, her arm hooked around his own. On his other side, Karl held his young daughter’s hand. He pulled her along as they weaved through the crowds, making sure to hold her close even as the seven-year-old openly gaped at the grand buildings of the capital. His wife, Karl knew, was also impressed, though she hid it much better. She looked as calm and composed as he had ever seen her, yet she couldn’t quite hide the slight widening of her eyes, or the twitch of her mouth as she worked to keep herself from gaping like a country bumpkin. Or like her daughter.

“Elisa Brooks!” she snapped, swatting their daughter on the back of the head. “Close your mouth, you are a lady, not a pirate!” Elisa Brooks, his daughter, snapped her mouth shut with an audible click and pouted angrily as she looked away. Karl made sure to pull them both along through the docks and into the streets; he did not want to cause a scene just as they arrived.

Unlike his wife and daughter, Karl was not impressed. He had seen bigger and better—not in this life, of course, but in his previous one. He had seen glass towers that blotted out the sky and sprawling palaces whose back gardens could house the entire city. But as they walked down the street that rose with a slight incline and approached the distant palace that housed the royal family, Karl couldn’t help but note how the buildings became more exquisite the further they got from the docks. They reminded Karl of a lesser version of those that had not been bombed in central London. Squatter, of course, the buildings were not nearly as high. But the architectural style was very similar, not the same, but close. Karl felt a pang of nostalgia as they made their way deeper into the city. Had it already been three decades since he’d left his old world behind? He shook his head to clear his wandering thoughts, then looked down at his wife and daughter as they continued to stare at what they thought were architectural marvels. Oh, how he’d love to show them the things he’d seen. But no, he centered himself—he wouldn’t long for the past; it rang hollow compared to what he had right here with him. A loving family.

They approached the main street that cut through the center of the city, the side street they had been on widening further to accommodate the flow of traffic to and from the docks. Their guards fanned out around them as a servant rushed out in front of them to call down a carriage. After a momentary wait, a carriage large enough to carry both themselves and their servants, painted in a garish gold, came to a stop before them. The pair of giant horse-like creatures pulling the carriage neighed as if in greeting. The driver, dressed impeccably, tipped his hat with a flourish as he bowed deeply.

“Milord, milady,” he greeted. Karl offered a respectful nod in return, as was proper, his wife and daughter curtsying behind him.

“Where to?” asked the man. Karl took a moment to deliberate on his answer. Did he want to stop by and visit the landmarks of the city as any good tourist should? Or head straight to their original destination? He looked back at his wife and daughter, his daughter giving him an exaggerated pleading look, as his wife smiled back at him with that gleam in her eye. She knew he knew what she wanted and that she would have her way, or else. That look told him so much. They didn’t need to argue as he sighed and held his hand out to help his wife into the carriage. The auction didn’t start ‘till the afternoon anyway. She took his hand with her gloved one, giving him that slight victorious smile of hers, her dress swishing behind her. His daughter clambered in right after, imperiously ignoring his outstretched hand.

“To the central square, please,” he said to the waiting driver, who had returned his top hat to his head, and followed his family into the carriage. Servants carried the luggage right behind him as the guards surrounded the carriage, and they set off.

The carriage was wide and spacious, sunlight streaming in from the large windows illuminating the red plush benches on either end of the carriage and a floorboard made of a mosaic that depicted a knight battling a Sea King. A small chandelier reflecting light from the thousands of crystals it was made of hung from the ceiling, adding to the feeling of opulence. The walls that were not covered by the large glass windows had been painted with images of the sea, with a picturesque depiction of the island housing the capital of the Briss Kingdom front and center.

Although the Brooks family was not a noble family, they were the next best thing: a prosperous merchant family. A family Karl had spent two decades enriching using the knowledge and ideas from his previous life, and as he stared at how his wife stuttered a step when she took in the interior, he knew it had all been worth it. His daughter, the little princess that she was, didn’t pay any mind to the open display of wealth, and promptly sat on the seat closest to the window, bouncing in place as the carriage began to smoothly roll its way down the cobbled main street. Karl was unsurprised to find the suspension system—a system he had pioneered and one of the many products that had made his family so wealthy—in use. Karl took a seat next to his daughter and leaned his head back against the headrest, closing his eyes, as his wife pressed herself to his side.

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“Thank you, dear,” she whispered in his ear and squeezed his arm, her warm breath tickling his neck. Karl nodded imperceptibly, keeping his eyes closed as she then pecked him on the cheek. A warm glow of contentment filled him as he listened to his daughter pointing out everything she saw from the window, his wife fondly indulging her with her soft voice.

They reached their destination in barely any time at all and descended from the carriage into the plaza. The square was dominated by a towering monument—acting as a fountain—that commemorated the founder of the kingdom. Notable buildings such as the National Briss Bank and the Imperial Briss Gallery framed the square. Directly behind the monument, Karl spotted the open gates that led to the famous Briss Park. The inviting gates revealed a winding path that meandered through a literal forest of trees in a gradual upward incline until it reached the royal palace, its tall spiraling towers and domed halls perfectly visible from atop a hill and like nothing Karl had ever seen before. The architectural style differed vastly from the rest of the city, and actually left him impressed.

Their guards stepped in around them as they headed towards the park, making sure to keep well away from the bustling crowd surrounding the fountain, both street performers and artists grabbing Elisa’s attention.

“Daddy…” she complained, trying to pull him towards the crowd.

“We can’t,” he tried to say, and Jane laughed quietly as she watched him struggle with their daughter.

“Honey, maybe tomorrow,” she said, finally lending a hand. “We don’t have much time today, but tomorrow we’re free for the entire day.”

Elisa finally gave up as they made it to the large gates that led to the park.

“The Briss Park,” Karl said, “—the park with the oldest trees in the whole of the kingdom.”

Jane shook her head. “Those little facts of yours…” she smiled at him fondly as he playfully winked back at her, and they made their way down the path. The crushed gravel beneath their feet softened each step with a gentle crunch. Tall trees lined the path on each side, the trees divided into clusters of different species. They saw all kinds of trees along the path, from common Briss oaks to Tayan sycamores, even the Oykot yew from the east blue—he only knew what it was due to the plaque on the side of the path.

“The trees here have come from all four corners of the world,” he said, and looked down at his daughter. She stared up at the natural canopy overhead, not even paying attention. Sunlight filtered through the interlacing branches, and she watched as birds of all shapes and sizes fluttered overhead, chirping and nestling up in the treetops. They walked in companionable silence, the path curving gently, revealing small surprises—a cluster of wildflowers bursting with colour here, a small pond with a family of light blue swans there. Karl was feeling the most peaceful he had in ages. He breathed in the fresh, earthy scent of nature and felt a blanket of pure contentment envelop him.

Every so often, benches had been placed strategically along the route; they reached a small clearing and sat down on one of these benches, the quiet hum of life around them soothing his nerves. Karl felt a blanket of tranquillity settle over him, a peace he had rarely experienced in either of his lives. Leaning back, he breathed in deeply, savouring the calm before the storm of the auction later that day.

The three of them sat there, their guards and servants keeping out of sight. The birdsong and the gentle rustling of the leaves worked to lift the burdens Karl had shouldered to help his family. As the third son, he would never inherit. But the bigger the pie and the more he contributed, the larger his split. He would retire on some faraway idyllic island, without having to worry about berries ever again.

Karl took one final deep breath, filling his lungs, and stood up.

“Are we going now?” Elisa jumped up with an eager smile. She had been the quietest, not even making a smidgen of noise.

“Yes, Honey,” said Jane, standing up and taking her position by Karl’s side. Elisa ran up and took his other hand.

“Finally!”

Karl and Jane exchanged amused glances as Elisa pulled them along. She wanted to see the rest of the city. She’d seen enough big trees and beautiful birdies.

Together, they strolled back through the park, Elisa leading them with all the authority of a self-appointed explorer.

In that moment, as Karl looked down at his daughter’s wide-eyed excitement and his wife’s quiet smile, he knew he’d made the right choices. Whatever the future held—whatever pressures and challenges lay ahead—he could face them. Because here, in this life, he had them to stand by his side.