After struggling free from the embrace of a now fully grown Peggy, Garfield rubbed his head with one paw.
"Let me sleep a bit longer," he mumbled. "I've been exhausted for days."
"Huhuhu…"
His eyes closed again, and soon the room was filled once more with the steady, even rhythm of his snoring.
Peggy looked down at the sleepy orange cat in her arms, sighed helplessly, and gently placed him back on the bed.
"Grandfather."
She turned and hurried to her grandfather, unable to hide the excitement written all over her face.
"My little princess."
"Grandpa, Garfield is really back."
"Yes," Old James Carter replied softly. "I thought I'd never see him again in this lifetime."
"If I didn't know how extraordinary Garfield is, I'd think the same." Peggy said.
"But Grandpa… where has he been for seven years? He hasn't grown at all. It feels like he's barely been outside."
"Grandpa is curious too."
They spoke quietly while Garfield slept beside them, completely at ease.
Nearly two hours passed.
Then… a faint scent drifted through the room.
Stewed meat.
Garfield's dull, half-asleep sense of smell twitched. He inhaled unconsciously.
"Mmm… smells so good…"
Sniff. Sniff.
A thin line of drool slid from the corner of his mouth. He rolled over, wiped it away with a paw, and slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Carl's massive furry face, much too close and a warm tongue coming straight toward him.
Slurp.
Carl wagged his tail furiously.
Garfield recoiled at once, stretching out a paw and pressing firmly against Carl's head.
"Alright, my knight." He said calmly. "I know you're excited to see me, but don't lick my fur."
"Woof! Woof!"
Garfield sat up and wiped his face, then looked carefully at his consecrated first knight.
"…My God, Carl." He murmured. "You've grown so old. If I'd gotten lost in a space-time tunnel again, I might never have seen you."
"Woof!"
"You don't understand," Garfield continued quietly. "I don't want my first knight leaving so early."
"Don't you want to live a few more years?"
Carl tilted his head.
"…I'll take that as no objection."
Garfield opened his mouth and spat out a tiny, bean-sized green sphere. He caught it carefully in his paw, whispered a spell, and flicked it toward Carl.
The instant the sphere touched him, it burst into light. Mystical runes flashed across Carl's body.
His transformation was immediate.
Dry fur regained its luster. Worn organs surged with life and the weight of age peeled away as if it had never existed.
In moments, the old hound was gone.
In his place stood a powerful adult dog, strong and brimming with vitality.
Carl didn't understand what had happened. He only knew he felt… incredible.
He lay down before Garfield instinctively.
Garfield raised his paw and rested it on Carl's head.
"I, Garfield, His Majesty, hereby declare."
"My first knight, Carl, is under my protection. Follow in my footsteps, now and forever."
"Woof! Woof!"
Old James Carter and Peggy stood frozen. Especially James.
The old man rose to his feet, his hands trembling.
"My God… this is incredible." He whispered. "Is this… rejuvenation?"
Garfield looked at him calmly.
"Old James," He said, "This is simply the application of time's power. In theory, you could do it too."
"…"
"But." Garfield added evenly, "The price is enormous."
Old James Carter swallowed. "…Then what is the price?"
Garfield rubbed his chin, forcibly dismissing the strange feeling that his words sounded like a confrontation between an old bastard and Hellscream.
He looked at Old James Carter again, his expression turning serious.
"James." Garfield said quietly, "The price isn't blood, or pain, or magic backlash."
"It's watching."
Old James frowned slightly.
"You would watch your lover, your family, your friends grow old," Garfield continued. "You'd attend their funerals one by one."
"You'd remain unchanged while the world moves on without you." He spoke evenly, without drama.
"Loneliness would seep into you. Everything would lose its flavor. Achievements, pleasures, even memories would feel dull, as if the world had already said goodbye to you."
Garfield met his eyes. "And eventually, you wouldn't fear death. You'd envy it."
"Emptiness corrodes the soul. Some grow hopeless. Some grow cruel. Some go mad."
He let the silence do the rest. "I'm telling you this because I don't want that future for you."
Old James Carter didn't answer immediately.
He thought about it carefully.
At last, he nodded. "That does sound… unbearable."
Then he asked, still puzzled, "But why Carl? Why can he receive this gift, and I cannot?"
Garfield gestured toward the dog lying proudly nearby.
"He's a dog," Garfield said simply. "Not a human."
"…" Old James blinked.
"Carl doesn't brood. He doesn't obsess. His emotions are deep, but not tangled. If he ever goes mad, the worst he'll do is chew the furniture."
Carl wagged his tail, offended but loyal.
"You," Garfield said calmly, turning back to James, "Are different."
"You've touched secrets most people never even suspect. If you lost your mind, the damage would be global."
"…I see." Old James inhaled sharply.
After a moment, he asked quietly, "And after death?"
Garfield shrugged lightly.
"Whoever owns your soul gets it. But I happen to know a rather nice fellow named Death."
Peggy stiffened slightly.
Garfield continued, "Trust me, death isn't the end. It's just another journey. Sometimes a very good one."
"So that's how it works…" Old James let out a slow breath.
Peggy had been listening in stunned silence.
She was at an age where the world was opening up and now it seemed much larger, and much stranger, than she'd imagined.
She suddenly stepped forward and hugged Garfield tightly.
"What about me?" She demanded. "What about me?"
Garfield chuckled and patted her head.
"Didn't you tell me once," He said, "That your future husband is a world-famous superhero, and that you'll have three or four little cubs?"
Peggy's face flushed bright red.
"That's disgusting!" She protested. "I haven't seen you in seven years and this is what you say?"
"I mean… can I use magic? Superpowers? Can I be a hero too?"
Garfield smiled in a way that made Peggy uneasy.
"Peggy." He said lightly, "If your husband is a superhero, then by definition you're already powerful enough to keep him in line."
She blinked.
"And your children." Garfield added, "Won't be ordinary either."
"…Really?"
"Really."
Peggy beamed.
Garfield, mercifully, chose not to mention that in certain future comics her eldest son became the Red Skull, and her husband ended up as Captain Hydra.
Some truths could wait.
They talked for a while longer.
Garfield explained where he'd been over the past seven years, how the space–time tunnel had been disturbed, and how what felt like a short detour to him had become seven long years for the world.
Peggy listened, wide-eyed.
Old James felt a chill settle in his chest. The world is far more dangerous than I imagined.
Just then, the butler knocked and entered quietly.
"Master." He said, "It's getting late. Shall we begin dinner?"
As if on cue…
Grrrrrr.
Garfield's stomach growled loudly. Old James laughed, the tension finally easing.
"Then let's eat." He said warmly. "We'll talk as we go."
Garfield, Peggy, and Old James headed downstairs toward the banquet hall.
Before the first dish could be served…
Ding—dong.
The doorbell rang.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream