Setting the Clock

“It's time to turn back the clocks,” Marigold said. She stood outside, beating a carpet against the front porch to loosen the dust.

“Already?” Killian asked. “I thought we just did that.” He was sitting in a chair by the window, avoiding work as usual.

“It's been two hundred years, dear. A kingdom has already arisen and fallen since last time.” Marigold finished her task and folded the carpet up for storage. “That doesn't exactly happen overnight, you know.”

“Feels like it sometimes.” Killian stood and stretched. All of his joints popped and groaned. “Fine. So how far shall we set them back this time?”

“I was thinking five hundred years. The music and food was decent back then, if I recall, and there wasn't too much war.”

Killian rolled his eyes. “Wasn't that the reign of Archibald the Chaste? God, that was boring. I'd really rather not live through that again. Can't we go somewhere exciting this time? I think about 750 years back there was a great royal tradition with harems and the like we could get in on. The civil war didn't last too long.”

Marigold scowled at her brother. “You and your harems. You wouldn't even know what to do with one. Are you really willing to risk a final death over a few years of excitement?”

“The exciting thing would be to stop setting back at all and see what actually happens in the future for once.”