Of Ice And Poppies - An EmpiresSMP Flower Husbands Fanfic

Chapter Four

The weeks following the ball were filled with worrying and confusion as Jimmy tried desperately to make sense of what he and Scott had seen. There was no logical explanation.

That is, there was none until GeminiTay and Scott arrived at the castle.

"Jimmy, did you invite Prince Scott and Gem?" Lizzie called up the staircase. Jimmy jumped up from his bed and scrambled down the steps, positioning his crown.

"Yeah, I did, I.. Sorry for not telling you, I wasn't exactly sure when they would be here," he rambled, smoothing down his wild blonde hair. Lizzie smiled ever so slightly at him.

"It's alright. Do they have rooms prepared?" She queried, quirking an eyebrow. Jimmy nodded eagerly.

"Yes, they do, don't worry.  Prince Scott, Gem, I apologize for our rudeness.  Please, follow me." He led them into the hall while Lizzie returned to doing queen things.  "How have you two been?" Scott nodded to him.

"Quite well, thank you," he responded.  Gem smiled.

"I've been good.  I've done a lot of research on this, and it's been my most intriguing project yet," she said excitedly, a pleasant and interested gleam in her eyes.  Jimmy's heart skipped a beat.

"You found information?" He exclaimed.  Scott glanced around anxiously.

"Is it good news?" The elf whispered.  Gem tilted her head to the side.

"Before I get into it, uh, is there somewhere a bit more private we could go? I don't want everyone hearing this," she mumbled, gripping her journal tighter.  Jimmy blinked twice and nodded.

"Yes, yes, of course, sorry, right this way to the study!" He scurried to the library- a large, warm room with a protected fireplace and walls lined with walls.  He sat down at a table that was enclosed by a bunch of shelves, motioning for the others to follow suit- which they did.

"So what did you find?" Scott demanded, leaning forward.  Gem sighed and set the notebook down, flipping to a page covered in sketches and writing.  There were poppies, himself, Scott, three hearts- red, yellow and green-, a person labeled 'Joel'-

Wait, Joel? What did he have to do with this? Was he dangerous? Was Lizzie safe!?

"Why is Prince Joel there?" He asked suddenly.  Gem exhaled.

"Okay, so I was researching a planet just west of us- Nelya Coiv-"

"Third Life?" Scott interrupted, translating the planet name.  So it was Elvish then.  Interesting.

"Yes, Third Life- a destroyed planet now, but before that happened, I found three people's records.  Joel Beans, and Scott and Jimmy Major." Jimmy froze.  Weird... Scott looked at him, eyes wide.

"Woah.. Super strange," he muttered.  Gem nodded and pointed to Joel on the page.

"From a bit of digging, I realized that these three people looked much like their counterparts in the world we live in now.  This is Joel Beans, and this is a drawing of Prince Joel." She turned the page as she spoke.  Jimmy stared in awe.  They were so similar, he realized, she was right.  The same skin, the same hair and face shape and height- only their clothing was truly different.  From the look on Scott's face, he could tell that the prince was thinking the same thing.  How...

"I see you both agree with my assessment.  Well, I've started studying soul magic, and I've made a discovery... Prince Joel and Joel Beans are the same person.  Prince Joel is a reincarnation of Joel Beans." Jimmy nearly fell out of his chair.

Past lives!?

Those were real!?

"Gem, you're my closest ally and I trust you know what you're talking about, but what!?" Scott cried softly.  Gem held a hand up.

"Peace, peace," she murmured.  "Yes, I am sure that this is true.  I won't get into all of it.. But this... This is only half the answer.  I want you both to be fully positive that you want the rest." Jimmy hesitated.  Was it really that bad? Scott frowned delicately.

"Is it a negative thing?" He queried.  Gem hesitated.

"It may bring back memories which could cause you some inconvenience if I share this with you," she said cautiously.  Jimmy shook his head.

"I want to know if Prince Scott does," he said stubbornly.  Scott nodded agreement.

"It must be important," he added.  Gem looked them both in the eyes once more before turning one more page.

There were Prince Scott and himself...

And then again.  But human, this time.  Scott had rings much like his current crown all around his head, but they were glowing green.  Jimmy had red all over his clothing- not blood, but not fabric.  Something else.  It, too, glowed.  He looked up at the elf questioningly, but the cyannette looked just as confused as Jimmy felt.

"Alright.. The two humans here are Jimmy and Scott Major.  They lived in Nelya Coiv.  They were married- known as the Flower Husbands for their association with poppy flowers and the quote 'This feels right.'" Jimmy stiffened in surprise, as did Scott.

"Poppies..?" Scott breathed, obviously thinking of the ball.  Gem nodded.

"Are things beginning to click?" She asked.  Jimmy stared at her wordlessly.  Everything was... But one tiny thing.

"Were we gay?" The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them.  "Wait- I mean- were we- were we platonically or romantically married?" A smile tugged at Gem's lips.

"I believe you were romantic." Oh.

Well crap.

"Oh," Jimmy mumbled numbly.

So he was gay in every life, for Scott.

Great.

"Oh is right," Scott said, losing his calm demeanor for a moment.  "We- we were married-!? I thought- Jimmy, you're gay-!?"

".. Yeah," he responded briefly.  "Are you- is that cool with you- it isn't with my parents-"

"It's cool with me, I'm gay too," Scott interrupted before Jimmy could panic anymore.  His face warmed a bit.

"And I'm bi," Gem offered.  "Don't worry, we're all cool here.  But yes, you two were gay and married in a past life, and that's why poppies and such have such an effect on you.  It's also why you had that weird flashback."

...

"Fantastic, thank you, can I interest either of you in anything to eat?"