Life After Death

Corryn: what happens next?

                 

{Corryn}

"Quinn's back," Nick said suddenly, rising from the seat next to my bed. "I mean he's been back for a while, but everyone's wondering where you are now."

"I doubt they really care where I am," I replied, but I rose from my bed. I was grateful that Nick had kept this room for me, even though it had been more than a decade since I had actively lived here. he could probably afford to keep it for me; the Torninc had enough rooms.

"We should go down," Nick suggested. "Come on."

I grumbled a bit under my breath, but Nick took my arm and pulled me through the floor to another room. I could see that Dinadan was leaving as we entered; I guessed that was why Nick wanted to come down now. He wasn't allowed to be seen by the boys.

"Hello," Mikaela waved at the two of us. The door shut behind Dinadan. "What have you two been up to?"

"Talking," Nick replied. "Corryn was telling me about Queen Maewyn. It was very interesting."

I didn't expect the grimaces to appear on both Quinn's and Mikaela's face. Even Ryon didn't look pleased to hear that name.

"I wish I had better things to say about our former Queen," Mikaela admitted. "But she was a horrible faery to deal with. I hated being on the Cabinet with her."

"That's only because you two couldn't be in the same room together," Quinn replied.

"And it's still a bad thing that I tried to kill her?" I asked.

Mikaela rolled her eyes and gestured for Nick and me to sit. Nick summoned a glass and a bottle of wine, pouring himself some before sitting. I was not allowed such luxuries.

"Corryn, no matter what Maewyn did or didn't do, she didn't deserve to die. She just didn't deserve to be Queen. And she's not now, so all is well."

"Whatever happened to her?" Nick inquired. "Corryn only knew about her until he died."

"Adele got married and Maewyn abdicated," Quinn explained. "The moment the crown was on Adele's head; she vanished. No one knows where she went. What's worse is no one cares."

"We have enough to deal with," Mikaela agreed. "Like faeries accusing us of taking over the world?"

"I have done that several times," I said. "Anyone with seven sons and a sentient estate ought not be trusted."

Nick punched me in the arm, which hurt more than it should.

"I am a pure innocent soul," he sniffed.

"Nick, you don't have a soul," I countered, and was forced to dodge Nick's fist once more.

"Someone actually accused this family?" Nick asked, once I settled on a different chair, away from him.

"Today," Quinn nodded. "Some crazy man in my parent's city. He tried to kill me; well, tried implies that I expended effort on my part to keep my life. He thought I was just some noble. I'm just irritated because I had Finran with me, and he could have been injured. I don't know what I would have done."

"But it didn't happen," Mikaela soothed. "Don't think through all of the 'what if's.' I'm sure that Juliet will talk to the man and figure out what he babbling about."

"You know what the strangest part is?" Quinn asked.

We all shook our heads.

"What would any of our family gain from taking over Otherworld? We are already key members of every aspect of government. We have no reason to want the throne; Gawain will have it eventually. He's family."

"Also, Corryn, Juliet asked me to relay this question to you," Mikaela added. "The man keeps saying how the future is blocked somehow and that Dimitri and Porphia and other seers can't see what's coming. How can a spell block every future?"

"I don't think Porphia travels in the future very often," I mused. "But the others wouldn't be impossible, at least not with massive amounts of magic. Hazel could do it, maybe Dagonet. Definitely Guinevere."

"Guinevere?"

"She's a wizard," I pointed out. "And for as young as she is, she's is very well trained. Work as a spell caster will do that."

"So what you're saying is that this is possible," Mikaela questioned, sounding a bit concerned.

"They have the magic to do so," I agreed. "Hazel could do it with a curse, but the other two would need spells and research. As far as I know, I'm the only one who has attempted such a spell before. So they would have to talk to me."

"That's not true," Nick corrected. "Both Guinevere and Dagonet were trying something similar; back when Adele and Guinevere were fighting. They couldn't get it to work though."

"Should we be worried that this man was right?" Mikaela asked. "I mean, if this is possible, shouldn't we give it consideration?"

"He attacked Quinn," Ryon pointed out. "He can't be that strong of a seer if he neglected to consider how stupid that was."

"Gawain's in the dining room, looking for Corryn," Nick said suddenly. "I'll get him here."

The boy vanished and the door opened a second later with a very confused looking Gawain.

"There you are, Corryn," he said when he spied me. "You weren't at Dagonet's, so I had to track you down."

"You could have just summoned me back like normal," I told him. "But hello to you too."

Gawain shrugged. "It seemed rude. You want to come back or are you staying here?"

"It is more exciting here," I admitted. "But Lunete and Blanchefleur wanted more lessons, and I've got some more illusion cats to set loose on your house."

Mikaela and Quinn laughed as I stood from my seat. Gawain only shook his head. The cats the first time weren't my fault, but it had been funny all the same.

"Goodbye," I told them. "Though I'm sure I'll return. I get bored easily."

Mikaela waved a shaped handkerchief at me, as Quinn rolled his eyes. These were the Guerres after all.

"Try not to take over any countries in the meantime," Ryon remarked.

"I'll try not to," I promised, and Gawain and I transported home.
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I like to think that Corryn has the longest, slowest character arc of all my characters.
One more chapter and this book is done. The next one takes place in... twelves years I think. I'll have to check, lol.
Thanks for reading!