Meme Entry: 20 Random Facts (or Maybe a Few More) About Orion and Cygnus Black
Title: 20 Random Facts (or Maybe a Few More) About Orion and Cygnus Black
Author: elfflame and nyx_noire
Person/Pairing: Orion/Cygnus, Orion/Walburgia, Cygnus/Druella
Word Count: 2800+
Rating: R
Author's notes: For iulia_linnea's Random Facts Fest. We've been rollplaying these two for a while, and after seeing snapesgirl62's Walburga piece, I couldn't resist, so I dragged nyx_noire into helping me write this up. It…got a bit longer than I intended. We hope you like!
1. Orion and Cygnus Black were born half a year apart the year leading up to the Muggles' Great Financial Crisis. They were only second cousins, but spent a great deal of time together growing up because their families were so close. Orion liked to call Cygnus his 'baby cousin' because of their age difference.
2. Orion got along well enough with his sister Lucretia, though he tended to avoid girls in general for boys his own age. Any time they had a family gathering, he, Cygnus, and Alphard always ran off together and let the girls play on their own. Nor did things change much once he was in school, though he did attempt to date a few times before giving it up for a loss. After all, he knew his parents would never allow him to choose his own wife.
3. Cygnus was a bit terrified of Walbura growing up, though he tried not to show it. Alphard knew, though, and often teased him about it, if not maliciously. He was a bit scared of her, too. Cygnus adored his big brother, and they always presented a united front against her.
4. While he was growing up, Cygnus loved visiting his aunt Cassiopeia for tea, even though she seemed to have an over-fondness for sweet biscuits. He especially loved visiting with her alone, because then he could talk to her about anything, and no matter what he asked, she would always tell him the truth. Nor did she ever reveal anything they talked about.
He remembers one particular visit where she told him about her brother Marius, who "left the family." It was the only time he ever caught her in a lie. He learned later that Marius had been a squib. The thought horrified him, and he felt his father was quite right sending the defect away from proper Wizards. He had a feeling his aunt wouldn't agree with that opinion, though, so he kept it to himself.
5. Cygnus's aunt Dora, on the other hand, was so devoted to her husband that she rarely visited the rest of the family. Cygnus felt she had deserted them. The Potters might be Purebloods, but they were Gryffindors, and annoyingly courageous, loud, and meddlesome.
Their son, his only first cousin, was a great deal younger than him, born well after all his own daughters had been born. He did meet him a few times, though. He discovered to his dismay that the boy was all Potter, with no Black inclination whatsoever.
He did find it interesting when later his nephew and his cousin ended up not only in the same house together, but best of friends. He only thought it a shame that both had ended up in Gryffindor.
6. Both boys were sorted into Slytherin only seconds after the hat was set upon their heads. Cygnus was sorted first, but he had no worries. He knew that Orion would be sorted into Slytherin as well. After all, what other house would a Black be sorted into?
Their years at Hogwarts helped the two boys grow even closer. Alphard, two years ahead of them, found other friends to spend his time with, and their sisters were too enamoured of Abraxis Malfoy like every other Slytherin girl in school to give them much mind.
7. Orion tried out for the Quidditch team as a Chaser and Beater every year, but didn't manage to get on the team until fourth year. He proved to be a poor Chaser, but his Beating skills were quite good, and he helped the team win the Trophy in his sixth year.
Cygnus was always there to cheer him on, though he never tried out for the team himself. It took an accident on the Quidditch field for Cygnus to realize his feelings had become more than just friendship.
Orion took a Bludger to the side and fell to the field several feet below. He spent the night in the Hospital Wing. Cygnus rushed to his side when he saw the accident. He wanted to spend the night with Orion in the Hospital Wing, but the Matron threw him out, saying Orion needed his sleep. He spent the rest of the night thinking about his best friend and cousin, and talked to his brother about it in the morning, who only grinned and said that "it was about time one of you realized."
When Orion returned from the Hospital the next day, he acted as if nothing had happened, though. He couldn't bear to lose his friendship.
Orion realized shortly after that, though he refused to act on it. His own family had a long line of "improper behaviour," (both his father and grandfather's brothers had gotten into trouble over their relationships with other men) and he did not want to be disowned for the same. It didn't stop him from acting on those feelings with other boys he knew would be discrete, though. He just couldn't bear the look he imagined on Cygnus's face when he learned his friend was a deviant.
8. After Hogwarts, both agreed that they needed to get away from their families and pressure to find a wife. They were still too young to marry, they thought, so both convinced their parents to let them go on a Grand Tour of Europe. Orion arranged for a boat, and both promised that they would keep the other safe. They both tried to avoid what being truly alone together might mean for their feelings.
Their resolution never to tell each other their feelings didn't last beyond London Harbor. Both were standing on the deck, watching the buildings shrink, when Orion's resolve slipped. His gaze turned to his cousin, watching his profile in silence for a few minutes before Cygnus turned to look at him. Before they knew it, they were kissing, arms wrapped tight around one another, and soon after, they found themselves in Orion's cabin. They made love all afternoon and evening, unable to get enough of each other, and only stopping for lunch and supper. They barely left the boat for weeks.
9. The two traveled for much longer than a year, extending the trip several times. They went to see anything and everything they could possibly think of. They were discussing even going to America when Orion's parents owled to say that if he didn't return home, they would marry him off in absentia. He didn't want to return, but knew he had no choice. The boys returned to discover that both had become betrothed in their absence. Though Cygnus wasn't the eldest boy, Alphard had refused to marry, so that fell to Cygnus. His parents had betrothed him to a young woman from the Rosier family who had been two years behind them at Hogwarts. She was quiet and biddable, but she wasn't Orion.
10. Orion, unfortunately, had it much worse. Their parents, in their less-than-stellar wisdom, had chosen to reunite the two families by betrothing him to Cygnus's sister, Walburga. It was enough to turn Orion's stomach. But he had no choice. He had no younger brother to take over the way Alphard had, and he knew his parents would hunt him to the ends of the earth to find him. That night, the two men promised each other that they would get through this together, and that once they had appropriate heirs, they would escape from England and never look back.
11. Cygnus never forgave his sister for agreeing to the match. He suspected she knew about their feelings for one another, and was only agreeing to prove that once again, she was better than Cygnus. He was also jealous that she was allowed to marry Orion, when even if he had been allowed to be with him, he would never have been recognized as his spouse.
12. The two couples married within a year of one another. Cygnus and Druella married first, and within a year, she gave birth to their first child-a daughter, whom Cygnus named Bellatrix. Only he and Orion ever knew why, though some suspected-Bellatrix was in the Orion constellation, after all.
13. Orion put off his wedding for as long as he could, but Druella's pregnancy forced his hand. Still, even after he married Walburgia, Orion refused to touch her until his own father gave him a talking to. As it was, he touched the hag as little as he had to, and the only reason the couple ended up having two sons was because Walburgia drugged him. Twice. He locked his door after the second attempt. He wasn't about to let her have a third.
14. While Cygnus named his eldest daughter for his lover, he never suspected that she would grow up to match her name: "female warrior." They were very close when she was younger, and she became quite a tomboy, even accompanying him when he went hunting. Neither of the other two girls ever liked the idea of hurting other living creatures.
As Bella grew older, the two became estranged. He couldn't understand her growing fanaticism against Muggles, though he never particularly cared for them himself. However, when she chose to align herself with the Dark Lord, he became quite worried. After that, he began to compare her to his elder sister, and the two grew further and further apart.
While Bella had some wild ways, she did settle down and eventually marry a good pureblood boy of a respectable name. She seemed unwilling to marry at first, but once Cygnus and Druella insisted she marry, she went along eagerly enough, after a long conversation with her intended.
It was a glorious day when all of Pureblood society were invited to witness the marriage of Bellatrix Black and Rodolphus Lestrange.
15. Andromeda worried Cygnus from the time she could walk and talk. She would seek out the house elves. She said she found it fun to watch them work. It was a horribly improper thing for any young pureblood girl to do, least of all a Black. Even more worrying was when she was found in the Kitchens with the elves, learning how to bake. Druella refused to leave her room for weeks, claiming she had the vapours.
When it was time for her to attend Hogwarts, he secretly feared she would end up in Gryffindor, and when it arrived, he was quite relieved not to have to deal with another round of Druella's vapours when he learned she had been sorted into Slytherin as Bella had been before her. All the same, he tried not to pay attention to the comments about her love for Herbology. At least it was a good, feminine hobby to take up.
Andromeda was in her last year in school when Narcissa sent him a letter stating that her sister had taken up with a Muggleborn Hufflepuff boy. At the end of the year, when Andromeda returned home, he and Druella sat her down, explaining why she could no longer see him. There was a huge and bitter argument after that, and the two refused to let her leave the house until she agreed never to see him again.
Not even a week later, she was gone, leaving only a letter saying good bye. They waited for her to return to her senses, but when they learned she had married the boy, Cygnus put his foot down and disowned his daughter. Neither of his other daughters were ever allowed to acknowledge her existence in his presence ever again.
16. Narcissa was a delight from day one. Even her eldest sister adored her. Quiet and girly, she became daddy's little princess, and had Cygnus wrapped around her pinky.
Often, Cygnus wondered how he could have had three such different daughters, but then a fight would break out, and he could see the likenesses between them all too well. Bella might be dangerous more often than not, but Andromeda and Narcissa seemed to hold their own just fin against her when needed.
Of the three, he couldn't deny that Narcissa was his favourite. It didn't hurt that she alone had inherited his blond hair.
Though some worried that Cissa was too soft to go into Slytherin House, Cygnus had no doubt she would. She might have seemed quiet to others, but he knew she was already a master at scheming, and knew she would make a great addition to the house.
In school, like her aunt before her, she fell under the spell of the Malfoy in her year. Unlike her aunt, she was able to get exactly what she wanted, however. At her sister Bella's wedding, she dressed carefully to impress, and by the end of the ceremony, she knew he was hooked. They were married only a few years later.
He never got to meet his only grandchild, though he knew Narcissa was pregnant before his 'death' in 1979.
17. Sirius, as the first male child born into either line of their family, was doted on and spoiled by everyone. Walburga claimed he looked like her, but Orion knew his son took after himself. In more ways than one. He kept the peace, biting his tongue and waiting for his son to turn on his wife. He knew it would happen sooner or later. At least the boy would be able to get free of her. Eventually.
When Sirius was sorted, that was when everything changed. He had been talking back to his mother for years already, but when he was sorted into Gryffindor with his distant cousin James, Walburga exploded. Orion and their younger son hid from her as she proceeded to demolish everything in the house, Kreacher following along behind her and fixing them as fast as she could break them.
Orion supposed he should have stood up to his wife, to give his son the freedom he deserved, but in the end, Sirius took it for himself. Orion really couldn't blame him. When he saw the note from Sirius on his desk that morning, he took his younger son out fishing, not telling his wife where they were going. He let her discover the note on her own, waiting for almost a week before returning in hopes that she would be calmer by then. She wasn't.
18. Regulus was a surprise to Orion. He'd wanted to hate the boy. They already had an heir, and he'd been certain that he would never be able to love him. But somehow the boy had grown on him. Sirius had been like him in temperament and personality, but Regulus was almost like a dark-haired version of Cygnus. Though the family doted on Regulus, Orion always made sure to bring the boy extra treats when he went on trips.
After Sirius's disastrous sorting, Orion made sure to tell Regulus that he would love him, regardless of sorting, but that it might make life easier if he were sorted into Slytherin. Whether it was Regulus's choice or the hat's, that was where he ended up, and Orion was grateful not to have to put up with another of his wife's temper tantrums.
When Sirius ran away, Orion and Regulus grew even closer, to the point where Regulus learned of his father's relationship with his uncle. They never spoke of it again after that week, but Orion often saw his son watching them speculatively when they visited.
19. Regulus's death changed everything. Orion knew his son was dead, though there was no body, and knew that it would only be a matter of time before the man his son had served came to "speak" with them about it. Let Walburga deal with him. It was her fault their son had joined the madman in the first place.
He wrote an owl to his cousin, asking him to leave with him. The response was nearly immediate. The two men left on a fishing trip, telling their wives they would return in a few days, and made their way to the harbor. Two boats awaited them there. Two bums were offered a fist full of Muggle money and a vial each of Polyjuice Potion to impersonate them, and once they were aboard the vessel Orion had arranged, Orion and Cygnus went to the other, safe in the knowledge that the boat would disappear, and that "Cygnus" and "Orion" would never be heard from again.
20. Orion and Cygnus escaped to America, traveling around the country for a time before settling in the Rocky Mountains. Once again, they were free to be with one another, and never looked back. There were days Cygnus missed his youngest daughter, but he refrained from searching out news of her family. It was too dangerous.
They set up a business giving tours of the mountains to tourists. Their lives were peaceful and content, and at the age of 100, the men retired, living to 114 before dying quietly in their bed within hours of one another.
Author: elfflame and nyx_noire
Person/Pairing: Orion/Cygnus, Orion/Walburgia, Cygnus/Druella
Word Count: 2800+
Rating: R
Author's notes: For iulia_linnea's Random Facts Fest. We've been rollplaying these two for a while, and after seeing snapesgirl62's Walburga piece, I couldn't resist, so I dragged nyx_noire into helping me write this up. It…got a bit longer than I intended. We hope you like!
1. Orion and Cygnus Black were born half a year apart the year leading up to the Muggles' Great Financial Crisis. They were only second cousins, but spent a great deal of time together growing up because their families were so close. Orion liked to call Cygnus his 'baby cousin' because of their age difference.
2. Orion got along well enough with his sister Lucretia, though he tended to avoid girls in general for boys his own age. Any time they had a family gathering, he, Cygnus, and Alphard always ran off together and let the girls play on their own. Nor did things change much once he was in school, though he did attempt to date a few times before giving it up for a loss. After all, he knew his parents would never allow him to choose his own wife.
3. Cygnus was a bit terrified of Walbura growing up, though he tried not to show it. Alphard knew, though, and often teased him about it, if not maliciously. He was a bit scared of her, too. Cygnus adored his big brother, and they always presented a united front against her.
4. While he was growing up, Cygnus loved visiting his aunt Cassiopeia for tea, even though she seemed to have an over-fondness for sweet biscuits. He especially loved visiting with her alone, because then he could talk to her about anything, and no matter what he asked, she would always tell him the truth. Nor did she ever reveal anything they talked about.
He remembers one particular visit where she told him about her brother Marius, who "left the family." It was the only time he ever caught her in a lie. He learned later that Marius had been a squib. The thought horrified him, and he felt his father was quite right sending the defect away from proper Wizards. He had a feeling his aunt wouldn't agree with that opinion, though, so he kept it to himself.
5. Cygnus's aunt Dora, on the other hand, was so devoted to her husband that she rarely visited the rest of the family. Cygnus felt she had deserted them. The Potters might be Purebloods, but they were Gryffindors, and annoyingly courageous, loud, and meddlesome.
Their son, his only first cousin, was a great deal younger than him, born well after all his own daughters had been born. He did meet him a few times, though. He discovered to his dismay that the boy was all Potter, with no Black inclination whatsoever.
He did find it interesting when later his nephew and his cousin ended up not only in the same house together, but best of friends. He only thought it a shame that both had ended up in Gryffindor.
6. Both boys were sorted into Slytherin only seconds after the hat was set upon their heads. Cygnus was sorted first, but he had no worries. He knew that Orion would be sorted into Slytherin as well. After all, what other house would a Black be sorted into?
Their years at Hogwarts helped the two boys grow even closer. Alphard, two years ahead of them, found other friends to spend his time with, and their sisters were too enamoured of Abraxis Malfoy like every other Slytherin girl in school to give them much mind.
7. Orion tried out for the Quidditch team as a Chaser and Beater every year, but didn't manage to get on the team until fourth year. He proved to be a poor Chaser, but his Beating skills were quite good, and he helped the team win the Trophy in his sixth year.
Cygnus was always there to cheer him on, though he never tried out for the team himself. It took an accident on the Quidditch field for Cygnus to realize his feelings had become more than just friendship.
Orion took a Bludger to the side and fell to the field several feet below. He spent the night in the Hospital Wing. Cygnus rushed to his side when he saw the accident. He wanted to spend the night with Orion in the Hospital Wing, but the Matron threw him out, saying Orion needed his sleep. He spent the rest of the night thinking about his best friend and cousin, and talked to his brother about it in the morning, who only grinned and said that "it was about time one of you realized."
When Orion returned from the Hospital the next day, he acted as if nothing had happened, though. He couldn't bear to lose his friendship.
Orion realized shortly after that, though he refused to act on it. His own family had a long line of "improper behaviour," (both his father and grandfather's brothers had gotten into trouble over their relationships with other men) and he did not want to be disowned for the same. It didn't stop him from acting on those feelings with other boys he knew would be discrete, though. He just couldn't bear the look he imagined on Cygnus's face when he learned his friend was a deviant.
8. After Hogwarts, both agreed that they needed to get away from their families and pressure to find a wife. They were still too young to marry, they thought, so both convinced their parents to let them go on a Grand Tour of Europe. Orion arranged for a boat, and both promised that they would keep the other safe. They both tried to avoid what being truly alone together might mean for their feelings.
Their resolution never to tell each other their feelings didn't last beyond London Harbor. Both were standing on the deck, watching the buildings shrink, when Orion's resolve slipped. His gaze turned to his cousin, watching his profile in silence for a few minutes before Cygnus turned to look at him. Before they knew it, they were kissing, arms wrapped tight around one another, and soon after, they found themselves in Orion's cabin. They made love all afternoon and evening, unable to get enough of each other, and only stopping for lunch and supper. They barely left the boat for weeks.
9. The two traveled for much longer than a year, extending the trip several times. They went to see anything and everything they could possibly think of. They were discussing even going to America when Orion's parents owled to say that if he didn't return home, they would marry him off in absentia. He didn't want to return, but knew he had no choice. The boys returned to discover that both had become betrothed in their absence. Though Cygnus wasn't the eldest boy, Alphard had refused to marry, so that fell to Cygnus. His parents had betrothed him to a young woman from the Rosier family who had been two years behind them at Hogwarts. She was quiet and biddable, but she wasn't Orion.
10. Orion, unfortunately, had it much worse. Their parents, in their less-than-stellar wisdom, had chosen to reunite the two families by betrothing him to Cygnus's sister, Walburga. It was enough to turn Orion's stomach. But he had no choice. He had no younger brother to take over the way Alphard had, and he knew his parents would hunt him to the ends of the earth to find him. That night, the two men promised each other that they would get through this together, and that once they had appropriate heirs, they would escape from England and never look back.
11. Cygnus never forgave his sister for agreeing to the match. He suspected she knew about their feelings for one another, and was only agreeing to prove that once again, she was better than Cygnus. He was also jealous that she was allowed to marry Orion, when even if he had been allowed to be with him, he would never have been recognized as his spouse.
12. The two couples married within a year of one another. Cygnus and Druella married first, and within a year, she gave birth to their first child-a daughter, whom Cygnus named Bellatrix. Only he and Orion ever knew why, though some suspected-Bellatrix was in the Orion constellation, after all.
13. Orion put off his wedding for as long as he could, but Druella's pregnancy forced his hand. Still, even after he married Walburgia, Orion refused to touch her until his own father gave him a talking to. As it was, he touched the hag as little as he had to, and the only reason the couple ended up having two sons was because Walburgia drugged him. Twice. He locked his door after the second attempt. He wasn't about to let her have a third.
14. While Cygnus named his eldest daughter for his lover, he never suspected that she would grow up to match her name: "female warrior." They were very close when she was younger, and she became quite a tomboy, even accompanying him when he went hunting. Neither of the other two girls ever liked the idea of hurting other living creatures.
As Bella grew older, the two became estranged. He couldn't understand her growing fanaticism against Muggles, though he never particularly cared for them himself. However, when she chose to align herself with the Dark Lord, he became quite worried. After that, he began to compare her to his elder sister, and the two grew further and further apart.
While Bella had some wild ways, she did settle down and eventually marry a good pureblood boy of a respectable name. She seemed unwilling to marry at first, but once Cygnus and Druella insisted she marry, she went along eagerly enough, after a long conversation with her intended.
It was a glorious day when all of Pureblood society were invited to witness the marriage of Bellatrix Black and Rodolphus Lestrange.
15. Andromeda worried Cygnus from the time she could walk and talk. She would seek out the house elves. She said she found it fun to watch them work. It was a horribly improper thing for any young pureblood girl to do, least of all a Black. Even more worrying was when she was found in the Kitchens with the elves, learning how to bake. Druella refused to leave her room for weeks, claiming she had the vapours.
When it was time for her to attend Hogwarts, he secretly feared she would end up in Gryffindor, and when it arrived, he was quite relieved not to have to deal with another round of Druella's vapours when he learned she had been sorted into Slytherin as Bella had been before her. All the same, he tried not to pay attention to the comments about her love for Herbology. At least it was a good, feminine hobby to take up.
Andromeda was in her last year in school when Narcissa sent him a letter stating that her sister had taken up with a Muggleborn Hufflepuff boy. At the end of the year, when Andromeda returned home, he and Druella sat her down, explaining why she could no longer see him. There was a huge and bitter argument after that, and the two refused to let her leave the house until she agreed never to see him again.
Not even a week later, she was gone, leaving only a letter saying good bye. They waited for her to return to her senses, but when they learned she had married the boy, Cygnus put his foot down and disowned his daughter. Neither of his other daughters were ever allowed to acknowledge her existence in his presence ever again.
16. Narcissa was a delight from day one. Even her eldest sister adored her. Quiet and girly, she became daddy's little princess, and had Cygnus wrapped around her pinky.
Often, Cygnus wondered how he could have had three such different daughters, but then a fight would break out, and he could see the likenesses between them all too well. Bella might be dangerous more often than not, but Andromeda and Narcissa seemed to hold their own just fin against her when needed.
Of the three, he couldn't deny that Narcissa was his favourite. It didn't hurt that she alone had inherited his blond hair.
Though some worried that Cissa was too soft to go into Slytherin House, Cygnus had no doubt she would. She might have seemed quiet to others, but he knew she was already a master at scheming, and knew she would make a great addition to the house.
In school, like her aunt before her, she fell under the spell of the Malfoy in her year. Unlike her aunt, she was able to get exactly what she wanted, however. At her sister Bella's wedding, she dressed carefully to impress, and by the end of the ceremony, she knew he was hooked. They were married only a few years later.
He never got to meet his only grandchild, though he knew Narcissa was pregnant before his 'death' in 1979.
17. Sirius, as the first male child born into either line of their family, was doted on and spoiled by everyone. Walburga claimed he looked like her, but Orion knew his son took after himself. In more ways than one. He kept the peace, biting his tongue and waiting for his son to turn on his wife. He knew it would happen sooner or later. At least the boy would be able to get free of her. Eventually.
When Sirius was sorted, that was when everything changed. He had been talking back to his mother for years already, but when he was sorted into Gryffindor with his distant cousin James, Walburga exploded. Orion and their younger son hid from her as she proceeded to demolish everything in the house, Kreacher following along behind her and fixing them as fast as she could break them.
Orion supposed he should have stood up to his wife, to give his son the freedom he deserved, but in the end, Sirius took it for himself. Orion really couldn't blame him. When he saw the note from Sirius on his desk that morning, he took his younger son out fishing, not telling his wife where they were going. He let her discover the note on her own, waiting for almost a week before returning in hopes that she would be calmer by then. She wasn't.
18. Regulus was a surprise to Orion. He'd wanted to hate the boy. They already had an heir, and he'd been certain that he would never be able to love him. But somehow the boy had grown on him. Sirius had been like him in temperament and personality, but Regulus was almost like a dark-haired version of Cygnus. Though the family doted on Regulus, Orion always made sure to bring the boy extra treats when he went on trips.
After Sirius's disastrous sorting, Orion made sure to tell Regulus that he would love him, regardless of sorting, but that it might make life easier if he were sorted into Slytherin. Whether it was Regulus's choice or the hat's, that was where he ended up, and Orion was grateful not to have to put up with another of his wife's temper tantrums.
When Sirius ran away, Orion and Regulus grew even closer, to the point where Regulus learned of his father's relationship with his uncle. They never spoke of it again after that week, but Orion often saw his son watching them speculatively when they visited.
19. Regulus's death changed everything. Orion knew his son was dead, though there was no body, and knew that it would only be a matter of time before the man his son had served came to "speak" with them about it. Let Walburga deal with him. It was her fault their son had joined the madman in the first place.
He wrote an owl to his cousin, asking him to leave with him. The response was nearly immediate. The two men left on a fishing trip, telling their wives they would return in a few days, and made their way to the harbor. Two boats awaited them there. Two bums were offered a fist full of Muggle money and a vial each of Polyjuice Potion to impersonate them, and once they were aboard the vessel Orion had arranged, Orion and Cygnus went to the other, safe in the knowledge that the boat would disappear, and that "Cygnus" and "Orion" would never be heard from again.
20. Orion and Cygnus escaped to America, traveling around the country for a time before settling in the Rocky Mountains. Once again, they were free to be with one another, and never looked back. There were days Cygnus missed his youngest daughter, but he refrained from searching out news of her family. It was too dangerous.
They set up a business giving tours of the mountains to tourists. Their lives were peaceful and content, and at the age of 100, the men retired, living to 114 before dying quietly in their bed within hours of one another.