The centuries pass, and with their passing comes great change to some things, and hardly any change to others. In the late 500s A.D., "Saint" David converts Wales to Christianity. As Christian influence spreads like plague, the Sidhe and other Fae nobility remove themselves from their earthly freeholds to seek sanctuary in Arcadia. Banality begins to rear its ugly hear in Cymru.
The establishment of the Inquisition in 1233 brings on the condition known as the Sundering. The Fae cloud Arcadia from the dreams of mortals so mortals can no longer pass within its gates subconsciously. Many Fae retreat into Arcadia or strongholds in the Dreaming in order to escape being burned at the stake by the fanatical Church who seeks to rid the world of all undesirable supernatural creatures. Some Arcadian kingdoms begin to seal off their gates from earth permanently, and so the Shattering begins.
The despised Edward I-- called Edward Longshanks by the Caledonians-- conquers Wales in 1282 and as a sign of his domination over the Welsh, he gives his son the title of Prince of Wales and builds a mighty castle-fortress in Caernarfon where all future princes of Wales will be crowned-- until even present day.
Pools of great magic in Cymru are seemingly destroyed as the Order of Reason takes the place of magic and dreams in human hearts, and then between 1347-1351, 75 million people are killed by the Black Plague. With so many Arcadian kingdoms choosing to destroy their gateways-- thus sealing themselves off permanently from the mortal realm-- the nobility of Cymru meet to discuss the fate of their people.
Sitting in the great castle of the Prince of Gwynedd in Arcadia on what would be Mount Snowdon in the human world, the dukes, duchesses, counts, and countesses, and all other nobility with lands under their control meet in a great chamber with a momentous decision resting at their feet. Should they, too, seal off their gates from the mortals, and if so, when?
Ellowyndriel has remained silent and paler than usual throughout the discussion. It's clear that when the nobles vote on the matter of shattering the gates that the vote in favor will be unanimous. Ellowyndriel sees their reason, but to her the human world is glorious with its intrigues, lands, and peoples�so rich in variety! But most horrific of all for her, once the gateways are shattered, she will never be able to see Amon again.
Through the passing of the centuries since first meeting him, the only thing that has kept her from succumbing to Banality has been her intermittent meetings with Amon. Though the relationship had, naturally, never grown into anything more than best friends, Ellowyndriel absorbed such a store of emotional and actual Glamour by being near him�talking to him�laughing with him�that she found she could exist in relative bliss for 50-100 years at a stretch just from a few months with him.
She glances down at the amulet around her neck-- the moonstone that contains one hair from Amon's head-- and her eyes fill with tears. Why did mortals have to be such fanatical, logical fools?! What would she do without Amon-- the only breath of life in an endless expanse of misery?? And how long would her life be measured after the gates shattered? In decades? Or less?
Count Loviander glances beside him at Ellowyndriel and gives her a stern look.
"I do not pity your grief, my wife. You are too obsessed with the mortals, and neglect your duties at home. The shattering of the gates will be good for you, and the two children you abandon."
Ellowyndriel narrows her eyes at Loviander. "Look at you talking of abandoning children and neglecting duties at home-- you who know more of those matters than I! It was YOU who drove me into the arms of mortals-- you whose arms are cold and uninviting!" she hisses, not caring if anyone around them hears.
Loviander draws himself up and enhances his countenance with glamour in warning.
"I do not care if you are driven into another's arms, so long as it's in Arcadia with your own kind where you are needed! The gates WILL shatter, and you will learn to find happiness with your children once more." he orders in a voice filled with power.
Ellowyndriel pushes right back with her own control of Glamour. "You do not care if I lay with one who's not my husband? You are a coward, and you question my honor! In all these centuries since last you were able to rise to the occasion--" Ellowyndriel says with a bittern sneer, "--I have never flown into another man's arms, and I do you great honor by even considering you a man anymore!"
Loviander recoils as if struck-- eyes staring at Ellowyndriel incredulously, and then with anger. He takes in a deep breath and is about to respond in some way when the Prince addresses him.
"Count Loviander, if you would gather the nobles of Snowdonia together for a final conferring, we will hold our vote shortly."
Loviander quickly resumes a mask of dignity and inclines his head to the Prince. Without further glance at Ellowyndriel-- who has hurt him more deeply than she knows-- he stands and calls those of his cantrev to gather around him.
The final conferring is short. All the nobles agree to the Shattering, and the sooner the better.
The Prince again stands and calls everyone to order.
"Count Loviander, what says Cantrev Snowdonia?" he calls.
Loviander stands and bows to the Prince. "We are unanimous. The gates will be shattered at the soonest possible time."
Ellowyndriel feels her heart ache in her chest, but doesn't dare show any emotion. Her husband efficiently excluded her from the final talks in a false message to the other nobles of the cantrev that he and his wife were in agreement, but she knows better than to create a scene in protest.
The Prince goes around to the rest of the cantrevs, and the counts or dukes representing each one give identical answers to Loviander's.
"Then it is decided. The gates within the Principality of Gwynedd will be destroyed. All that's left is to decide when."
The prince turns to a Nocker sitting near him.
"Good Sir Iolyn, would you please use your skill with omens to advise of the best time to do this thing?"
The Nocker bows his head. "I will, my lord."
Sir Iolyn pulls a handful of cogs and sprockets out of a bag while walking over to a table. He sets the objects on the flat surface and begins to work with them, trying to get them to fit together while murmuring under his breath. When the metal objects finally click together in a manner satisfying to the Nocker, he turns back to the Prince.
"My lord, in 2 days time."
The nobles nod in agreement and whisper to one another after this proclamation, and Ellowyndriel suddenly stands.
"My prince, what of the commoners still in the mortal lands? Two days-- how can we recall all of them in so short a time!?" she cries.
Loviander's lips tighten in embarrassment.
The Prince bows his head to her in acknowledgement. "It is a very good point, Countess." He turns back to the Nocker. "What say you to this, Sir Iolyn?"
Sir Iolyn looks down at his fitted piece on the table and shakes his head.
"I am sorry, my prince�Countess�but the fates have spoken. Two days." He says in finality.
Ellowyndriel can't completely hide the grief on her face, and opens her mouth to say something else when Loviander grips her wrist tightly and pulls her back down into her chair.
"Do not question the fates, my wife, and do not embarrass Castle Moonglow." he whispers between clenched teeth.
Ellowyndriel fixes a look of disgust on him. "You who always valued the opinions of he commoners, and you would leave them to the ravages of Banality-- or worse-- in the mortal lands??" she whispers back.
Loviander sighs. "For the greater good of the Fae, I would. They are as foolish as you for remaining with the humans-- humans who no longer believe in them or in dreams! Humans who would burn them as abominations! The ratio of commoners left behind to those in Arcadia is small-- a loss we can afford, my wife." Loviander turns back to face the Prince.
Ellowyndriel's mouth drops open in disbelief, but she knows anything she says will be as a child's whining to his ears. Oh gods-- two days! And Amon still in Amenti! Will he know what happened when she never appears at his side again? Will he think she abandoned him without word?
Fresh tears spring from her eyes, and she clutches her amulet tightly-- fear and sickness just as tight around her stomach.
Suddenly her eyes widen as she glances down at the amulet. Of course! She knows just what to do! She'll need her children's help, but she knows they will understand! She exhales in relief and sits back. She'll be able to return to the world of the mortals, bring all the trapped Fae commoners to her side, explain to Amon what has happened and bid him a final farewell, and then return to Arcadia with all the abandoned Fae! She will not let her people down, and she will prevent Amon the hurt of not knowing what happened to her!
The meeting soon adjourns, and all the nobles return to their chambers in the castle to retire for the night. The next morning all will disburse to their cantrevs to prepare to shatter their gateways.
Ellowyndriel and Loviander walk side by side in silence down the corridors towards their rooms. Loviander glances at Ellowyndriel's face, and his brows knit together when he realizes she's completely at ease. He wonders what she's plotting, but the iciness emanating from her stops him from inquiring into it.
When they reach Ellowyndriel's room, she unlocks her door, turns the knob, and then turns back to Loviander briefly and bows her head. "Good night, husband," and with that she disappears into her room and shuts the door behind her.
Loviander stands studying the door in thought for a moment. He longs for Ellowyndriel's friendship once more-- a friendship that has slowly turned from cordiality to bitterness over the centuries, and all because he wouldn't give her the kind of relationship she outlined that she wanted from him. He shakes his head in regret, sighs, and walks to the next room to retire for the night.
The next morning the Moonglows journey in haste back to their castle surrounded by their entourage of guards. They wait for the drawbridge to lower, cross on their horses, and then dismount. As their horses are lead away by stable hands, Loviander and Ellowyndriel look up towards the palace in time to see Gwendolyn and Corrander hurrying down the stairs towards them.
Loviander turns to Ellowyndriel.
"Tell our children of the proclamation, and I will inform those who will be working the Glamour to see that the gateway is destroyed tomorrow." he instructs quickly. Giving a nod to his approaching children, he departs hastily before the awkward moment when the hugging between mother and children will begin and he is left to stand unnoticed.
Gwendolyn and Corrander watch their father depart with relief, and then rush up to hug and question their mother.
"When will it happen?" Gwendolyn asks, already sure of how the voting must have gone.
"Tomorrow," Ellowyndriel says, voice heavy with regret. "However, I--"
"Tomorrow?? Do the commoners know? It will take until tomorrow for them all to file through the gates!" Corrander exclaims. "Then again, if I know the nobles of this Principality, the commoners mean little to them compared to their own hides. I take it Father suggested the two-days' time-period?" Corrander sneers.
Ellowyndriel shakes her head. "That Nocker auger Sir Iolyn consulted fate and told us."
Gwendolyn's face pales. "But�Vachan is still out there escorting the last of the Sidhe in their return! Surely they'll wait for them!"
Vachan is a loyal Troll-soldier of Castle Moonglow who served as bodyguard for Gwendolyn and Corrander during their Childling-phase, and is a fond "member" of the family.
"Aaaah of course! Sir Iolyn must have known this, for he always hated Vachan! It all becomes plain to me now, the bastard!" Corrander mutters through clenched teeth. "It must be a conspiracy to rid the kingdom of specific undesirables! Was Sir Iolyn on the committee of nobles who selected which commoners would return to the Dreaming to assist the Sidhe across? Hmmm?"
Ellowyndriel gives Corrander a long-suffering look. "No he wasn't, my son. Vachan volunteered to go. Now before you go looking for someone to focus your cynicism upon, I need to speak with the both of you urgently in private."
Gwendolyn nods and takes her mother's arm. "Of course, Mother."
The three hurry into the palace and up and around to Ellowyndriel's chambers. Ellowyndriel closes the doors behind them and fastens the locks. With her back pressed to the doors, she glances around the room-- deep in thought-- and then hurries into her closet. She comes back a moment later holding her metal-working supplies under one arm, and a large moonstone identical to the one hanging around her neck held in her other hand.
Gwendolyn and Corrander look at her questioningly, and find two chairs to sit in.
Ellowyndriel places everything on a sturdy table, and then turns to her children and brushes off her hands. She pauses a moment to check and make sure no one's scrying on the room, and then nods in satisfaction.
"Mother, I haven't felt this kind of anticipation while waiting for a woman to act in ages." Corrander smirks, and Gwendolyn elbows his side.
Ellowyndriel holds her hands together tightly. "The three of us are going to make an amulet this afternoon that will save those Fae who are going to be trapped on the far side of Arcadia."
Gwendolyn and Corrander's eyes widen, and they both lean forward expectantly.
Ellowyndriel continues, glad to have captured their attention.
"With our combined skills in the Arts, we will forge an amulet that will be able to find and open a gate to Arcadia from the mortal world."
Gwendolyn's mouth drops open. "Can we DO that?" she breathes, her mind already working.
Corrander sits back and rests his chin on his knuckles, also lost in thought. "Yes�yes�I see how it could be possible. Brilliant, Mother, I must say! So then I am assuming someone will need to slip back into the mortal world with the amulet before the gates are broken, and then round up the commoners, but I only see one stone on the table. Who is to go, then?" he asks with a knowing look in his eye.
"I have a stone that large back in my chambers-- why can't we make three?" Gwendolyn asks.
Ellowyndriel shakes her head. "This will be a very involved and time-consuming process. We will only have time to make one, and it will take the three of us working together to accomplish the task. I am going. As countess of Snowdonia, it is my responsibility."
Gwendolyn and Corrander's faces both reflect their fear and misgivings.
"You're going alone? No, Mother, it will be too dangerous with the state of the world! I know you frequent the mortal lands, but this�" Gwendolyn shakes her head, unable to complete her sentence.
"�but Mother has feelings for that Mummy and wants to go to him-- am I right, Mother? Father may not be able to tell what your eyes say when they change colors, but I'm a lot more observant than he is." Corrander crosses one leg over the top of the other and folds his arms.
Ellowyndriel's hands tighten together painfully and her lips thin. "That 'Mummy'-- as you called him-- has a true love he is returning to. I am a friend and companion on the long road he has ahead of him. Yes, Corrander, I have feelings for him, and so I didn't want to leave him wondering what had become of me, but my parting with him was only a side-benefit of the amulet. My true quest in all of this is bringing home our people." Ellowyndriel's eyes turn a dark metallic maroon, and Corrander gives a laugh.
"Nice try, Mother. Don't worry-- I know you're dedicated to bringing the commoners back, and I don't blame you for what you do with Mummies on the side�TRUST me�but I worry about your safety, as well." Corrander shrugs.
Ellowyndriel folds her arms and looks at both of her children in turn. "Are you saying I wouldn't be able to do this? I, who the Prince, himself, sends on missions far more dangerous than this one? Are you two trying to deny your fellow countrymen of the only hope they have at returning home?"
Gwendolyn and Corrander listen to their mother with wide eyes, feeling the authority and power emanating from her. They hear the logic in her words, and finally admit to themselves that she's right. She IS the most-qualified person to do this. She's well-liked by those commoners she's going to rescue, she's skilled at defending herself, and she's comfortable with navigating the mortal realm.
"All right, Mother. What do we have to do?" Gwendolyn asks, speaking for both she and Corrander.
A little while later Ellowyndriel, Gwendolyn, and Corrander sit in a circle on the floor. Ellowyndriel has crafted the faery-metal setting around the moonstone putting extreme care into the quality and detail. The links she forged for the chain are so perfectly-fitted that they seem not to be links at all, but one fluid rope of metal. The necklace closely resembles the one she wears now, except that the new one exceeds the old one in craftsmanship because of the years of experience and technology that Ellowyndriel has gained since making the first one.
Ellowyndriel holds the amulet clasped between her hands. Gwendolyn clasps her mother's hands in hers, and Corrander wraps his hands around Gwendolyn's. The three sit in silence except for the murmuring of their cantrips-- eyes closed and concentrating. Using their innate ability to find the Dreaming and then Arcadia, and their knowledge of opening portals wherever they are in the mortal world, they bring all their skill and concentration into imbuing the amulet with these properties. They concentrate on their home within Arcadia, their connection to this realm and their Fae-given rights to caring for it. Each person uses their special talents and connections to different aspects of the Arts while enchanting Wyrd energy into the amulet.
And then-- unknownst to the other-- each child of Ellowyndriel adds their own special blessing upon the amulet. Gwendolyn-- still worried about allowing her mother to do this quest alone-- enchants the amulet so that anyone of her mother's blood can use it.
Corrander-- worried that his mother could be captured or the amulet somehow stolen-- enchants the amulet so that if one of his mother's blood holds it, they can see what happened to all those who have worn the amulet previously.
The three work long into the day until night falls, and finally the Glamour-weaving is complete. After the final words to seal the enchantments are spoken, all three slump onto the ground in exhaustion.
The next day the castle is bustling with activity. Powerful Fae from all over the cantrev arrive to prepare for the spell they will be weaving just outside the drawbridge.
Ellowyndriel packs a small bag of necessary items to take with her, and then dresses in her full suit of faery armor. She sheathes her sword, Petrus' Fist, on her back, and ties her long, white hair back into a ponytail.
In her own chambers, Gwendolyn's activities are very similar to her mother's. She, too, dons her armor and packs a small bag of supplies and survival-items. It has been hundreds of years since she traveled the mortal realm, but she will be by her mother's side and so she doesn't fear. She only hopes that in the confusion of the gates shattering her mother won't be able to force her to stay behind. She knows her mother will be upset that she came along, but she'll thank her later for coming!
Ellowyndriel exits her chambers and walks down the hallway at a brisk pace, her bag over one shoulder and the amulet clutched in her hand. She needs to exit the palace without being stopped, and then hurry across the courtyard and drawbridge to rush through the gates before they're destroyed, and she knows she only has about 15 minutes left to do this.
She nearly runs right into her husband as she rounds a corner, so intent on her path she is.
She gives a gasp, hand coming instinctively up to rest on her chest as she tries to calm her heart.
"Aah, I was just coming to find you, my wife. Are you not going to join me in supervising the destruction of the gateway?" Loviander asks. Suddenly he notices how she's dressed�that she's armed�and carrying a traveling-bag. His eyes narrow in confusion.
"What is this? Are you leaving on another mission? Now? I cannot think of what the Prince would have you off doing on a day such as this."
Ellowyndriel's eyes pale into grays for a moment, and then flare a bright amber. "I am off on a mission of my own design, husband, but time is of the essence. I must be off at once." she replies curtly, and tries to step around him.
"Ellowyndriel, I will know where you are going! This is most unseemly!" Loviander demands, staying in her path.
"As unseemly as you leaving me the day after I returned home from avenging our freehold?" Ellowyndriel demands.
She can't have this delay! She turns and starts walking back the way she came. She'll just have to go down the other way.
Gwendolyn hears her parents' voices arguing and keeps herself hidden.
Loviander becomes incensed with anger when Ellowyndriel turns and walks away from him. He matches her step-for-step until they're almost passing her chambers, and then he reaches and grabs her shoulder, stopping her.
"I will know where you're going whether you will tell me or not." he says in a furious voice.
Ellowyndriel feels the prickle of Glamour being channeled, and a second later she feels her mind being violated. She tries to push Loviander out, but his anger has given him strength over her.
"YOU!! You would leave and return to the mortal realm to be trapped with the commoners?? I forbid this!!" Loviander nearly roars.
Ellowyndriel actually takes a step back, feeling uncharacteristically intimidated. The wrath of an angered Sidhe has the ability to cower even the boldest Redcap.
It takes her a moment to regain her composure, and when she does she realizes she's leaning back from him in fear. She takes a breath and steadies herself.
"We are failing our people, Loviander! We cannot just stand by and allow them to be trapped in the human realm! I have forged an amulet that will allow me to find my way back to Arcadia! You must let me go or those commoners will be lost! Trapped!" she cries with flaming yellow eyes.
"No! I will not lose my wife just for the sake of some mortal-loving commoners! You�will�stay�here!" he shouts. He opens the doors to her chamber and points inside.
Ellowyndriel feels desperation like she's never felt. Her husband is all that stands in the way of her most vital mission! She HAS to get to the gateway! She turns and bolts away from Loviander.
Loviander-- his own eyes blazing-- holds out his arm and makes a whipping-motion while murmuring, and suddenly chimerical vines grow from between the stones in the floor and wrap around Ellowyndriel's legs, bringing her down hard to the ground.
At the impact of her fall, the amulet flies from her hand to land and slide far from her grasp.
"NOOOOOO!!!!" she screams in agony and frustration, reaching out her arm as far as it can stretch, but before she can use her arts to bring the amulet back to her, the vines wrap completely around her, immobilizing her, and in the next instant she's levitating up from the ground and into her chambers!! She tries to counteract the cantrips, and feels real fear when she realizes her husband IS a more powerful Glamour-weaver than she is-- she cannot budge his cantrips!
Gwendolyn watches all of this in absolute shock. She's never seen her father angry�never seen him use his powers against her mother! Corrander WILL kill him when he finds out!
Gwendolyn is instantly brought back to her senses when she feels the prickle of Glamour channeling and the hears chanting of the powerful Fae outside. Adrenaline rushing through her, she holds out her hand and the amulet flies into it as she runs past. Slipping the amulet over her head, she bolts down the stairs, across the entryway, and out of the doors of the palace.
The sight that meets her eyes is horrifying. Dirty and worn-looking Sidhe courtiers stand huddled together staring at the now-visible gateway between Arcadia and the Dreaming as guards from the palace battle Fae commoners who are trying to push back through into Arcadia! The guards are actually preventing commoners from coming through-- some by force from the spilt blood on the ground!
Gwendolyn sickens, clutching her stomach for a moment as a wave of dizziness and nausea washes over her. Suddenly someone grabs her arm.
"Gwendolyn-- where is Mother? Did she somehow sneak past my watchful eyes and make it through the gateway?" Corrander asks in a strained voice.
Gwendolyn shakes her head silently. "She�Father won't let her go�I grabbed the amulet�I'm going�" she says distractedly, repulsed by the site in front of her.
"What do you mean, Father won't let her go? How? Wouldn't she just walk past him? This quest means everything to her? How could he stop her??" Corrander demands.
Gwendolyn looks at him with sad eyes that reveal too much, and Corrander's jaw clenches.
"Go then�but if anything happens to you�" he growls in a strangled-sounding voice.
Gwendolyn nods, and Corrander holds her shoulder tightly for a moment as they lock eyes and communicate their love for one another, and then Corrander releases her shoulder, turns, and runs into the house.
Gwendolyn looks at the gateway, makes a slashing-motion in the air while shouting a word, and suddenly she's standing right there. The guards are so stunned by the sudden appearance of the count's daughter that they pause just long enough for her to run through and into the Dreaming.
Back in the palace�
Loviander paces back and forth in front of the bed. Ellowyndriel is lying on the bed with her wrists and ankles bound to the posts by the chimerical vines. She's sobbing, but has finally given up struggling against her bonds.
"My wife, I did not want it to come to this, but I cannot let you go through the gateway. A cantrev must have a count and a countess�your children need their mother-- why can you not see that?" he tries once again to rationalize with her, but Ellowyndriel won't meet his eyes.
Loviander continues pacing for a moment, and then stops.
"Your necklace-- you dropped it outside. I'll fetch it for you." He offers, striding to the doors. Opening them, he peers outside, and his forehead wrinkles. He looks carefully up and down the hallway, but no sign of the necklace. He pulls his head back into the room and shuts the doors.
"The necklace is gone, my wife."
Ellowyndriel's eyes grow wide, and she lets out another of her screams. "NOOOOO! It cannot be!!"
Loviander gives her a compassionate look. "Do not worry, my wife. I will have the castle searched, and the one who stole it will be punished harshly-- I will place a high reward for the return of your necklace!"
Ellowyndriel lets out another loud, anguished moan, and then falls back, crying softly.
Suddenly there's a knock at the door.
Downstairs�
Corrander pulls the hidden dagger from its sheath and advances slowly up the stairs, unsure of what he'll see when he gets to the floor of his mother's chambers. He hears the clanking of metal coming up the steps behind him, and quickly hides his dagger.
"Lord Corrander," the guard addresses him with respect, and then hurries up the stairs past him.
Corrander raises his eyebrows, and then hurries after the guard.
When he gets to the top of the stairs, he hides and watches as the guard runs for his mother's chambers. The guard knocks quickly and loudly, and after a moment his father comes to the door.
Corrander feels his rage rise again. His father must be holding his mother hostage! He doesn't dare do anything with the guard standing there, and so he keeps himself hidden.
Loviander answers the door.
"Yes, soldier?" he asks.
The guard peers into the room, colors, and bows. "Sorry to disturb you and the Countess, but something horrible has happened.
Loviander waves him in. "Do not mind my wife, she is�unwell. The shattering of the gateway disturbs her."
The guard nods quickly, and then gets back to the reason he was sent.
"Your daughter�she suddenly appeared and then ran through the gateway into the Dreaming!" the guard exclaims.
Ellowyndriel's crying stops for a moment, and she lifts her head to stare at the guard. "Gwendolyn??" she asks in shock.
The guard bows nervously. "Yes. She surprised us and got past. The cantrip to destroy the gates cannot be stopped now that it's progressed this far!"
"Oh goddess!!" Ellowndriel suddenly cries. "She has my necklace! She's going to try to bring them home, herself! Oh my precious daughter!! Oh Gwendolyn! Gods! Please bring her home safely! Oh gods�" Ellowyndriel begins to weep when she realizes Amon will never be told of what happened.
Suddenly the sound of a muted explosion ripples through the palace, and the guard looks with trepidation in the direction the explosion came from.
"It is done. The gateway is destroyed."
Loviander takes an automatic step towards the doors, stops for a moment, bows his head and clenches his fists as emotions overwhelm him, and then throws open the doors and runs out into the hallway. Seeing a window that faces the courtyard, he rushes to it and looks out. He sees the ground soaked with the blood of the slaughtered commoners, and people lying on the ground in confusion from the blast.
"Gwendolyn!! My daughter!! Oh my daughter�" Loviander's voice cracks with emotion for the first time in his life, and he clutches the windowsill to keep himself upright.
Corrander stares at this as if in a dream. His father�crying??
Corrander slumps down into a sitting-position-- his dagger clattering to the ground-- and he holds his head in his hands.
The guard hurries from Ellowyndriel's chambers and up to Loviander.
"My lord, what should we do?" he asks in fear.
Loviander waves him away. "Go." He whispers.
"My lord?" he guard repeats.
"GO!!!!" Loviander shouts, and the guard almost trips while trying to back away quickly. He gives a short bow, and then runs down the stairs.
Corrander doesn't know how much time passes, but after a while Loviander walks slowly back to Ellowyndriel's chambers, leaving the doors open in his daze.
Corrander pushes himself up and steps from his hiding-place to creep over and stand just outside the doors, listening.
Loviander walks into the room and sits on the bed beside Ellowyndriel, who is overcome and senseless�unconscious. He makes a curling-motion with his index finger and then snaps, and the chimerical vines binding her disappear. Unsure of what to do, he stands and watches her for a time. Then he walks over to her side and touches her cheek with shaking fingertips.
"If someone were meant to go, I am glad it was not you, my wife. I would not know what to do with you gone from my life. Although I have never said it, I�" Loviander clears his throat. "I do love you." His face freezes as he battles emotions he's never before battled-- the precise control he's exerted over himself all his life momentarily gone�his comfortable reality lost, leaving him feeling exposed and helpless.
He quickly turns and leaves the chambers, closing the doors behind him.
Corrander stands in the hallway sobbing. Loviander looks at him in surprise, unsure of what to do but relieved that one of his children still remains in Arcadia. He reaches out his hand, pauses, and then places it on Corrander's shoulder.
"She�will return�" he says, struggling to speak with a steady voice, and then hurries away down the hall.
In the Dreaming just before the Shattering�
On the other side of the gateway is sheer chaos. Gwendolyn has to flicker-port herself past the crowd of clawing bodies to the other side of the mess in order to avoid being crushed. She stands there stunned for a moment before she's suddenly yanked to the side as more commoners stampede past the place she was just standing.
"M'lady Gwendolyn??" a deep voice whispers in surprise. Gwendolyn turns to see her captor.
"Vachan!! Oh thank the gods I've found you!" she cries, hugging him tightly.
"What are you doing here? Don't you know they're closing the gates-- trapping us here? I rushed the last of the Sidhe to the gateway, turned back to help the commoners get here, and the next thing I know there are guards at the entrance and they're not letting the commoners through! What kind of madness is this??" Vachan whispers harshly.
Gwendolyn grips his large, blue, muscled arm. "It was decided by the Prince that the gates to Gwynedd would be shattered today-- the fates were consulted and today was the day the omens said it would have to be done. There was no time to warn any of you, but I have a way to bring everyone back once the gateway is destroyed! We must pull the commoners back before there is more bloodshed!" she whispers frantically.
Vachan looks at her with hope, trusting in her completely, and then nods. "It will be done."
He turns back to the crowds. "STOP! TURN BACK! LET THE GATES CLOSE! WE HAVE A WAY BACK IN!" he cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, but the people are so gripped by panic that they don't heed his words, and keep pressing on.
Vachan continues to shout and grab people's arms, but the people tear away from him in fear, and soon his voice is hoarse.
Suddenly a Pooka and Sluagh run up to Gwendolyn and Vachan.
"Vachan! Lady Gwendolyn! Are we the only ones left with our wits?"the Sluagh rasps.
"This is great! The most fun I've had all year!" the Pooka jumps, clapping her hands excitedly.
Vachan turns to the two, and relief spreads across his face.
"I thought you two were lost! Listen, we need to stop the Cymri from trying to push through the gates-- they're being slaughtered! We have another way in!"
"Another way? How?" the Sluagh asks in surprise.
Gwendolyn lifts the amulet from her chest. "This. You mut trust me-- it will bring everyone back."
"That ugly thing? Why it's just a plain old necklace. Why don't you just give it to me and be rid of it! It must be heavy!" the Pooka advises.
Gwendolyn raises her eyebrows at the Pooka before turning back to the others.
"The people are panicking-- they can't be reasoned with. What we must do is wait until the gates have been destroyed and the masses calm down before talking with them. For now, we should gather all the level-headed ones to us and wait."
Her three companions nod in agreement, and start moving together through the crowd. They're able to find a handful of people to join them, when suddenly there's a huge explosion as the gateway shatters-- pieces of the gates flying into the Dreaming and then evaporating like mist. The effect ripples through the crowd, knocking all the Fae to the ground, stunning them.
Vachan throws himself over Gwendolyn to protect her.
After a time, the surviving Fae begin to pick themselves up, and the sound of weeping becomes contagious.
Vachan helps Gwendolyn back to her feet, and suddenly a voice pierces the din.
"Look! It's a bleedin' Sidhe! Make her answer for what's happened!!" a Redcap shouts.
Cymri turn from the gates at the mention of the word Sidhe, and all eyes fix on Gwendolyn.
Gwendolyn raises her hands.
"It's all right! Please everyone calm down! There's another way!" she calls.
"She's lyin'! She's just tryin' ta save her skin now that she's trapped on this side with us!" the Redcap snarls.
"My son!! They killed my son!!" a woman's weepy voice cries.
"The nobles betrayed us! Trapped us here!" a man's voice shouts angrily.
"I want my mommy!!" a little girl's voice shrills.
All eyes turn on Gwendolyn with hostility. She feels panic streak through her. She has the instinct but not the training to lead people the way her mother has, and she's not sure exactly what to do. She looks up at Vachan imploringly.
Vachan nods and turns to the crowds with a protective arm in front of Gwendolyn.
"She is the daughter of the Count and Countess, sent here to lead you all home! Listen to her!" he shouts.
"The Count ordered the soldiers to keep us back!" the Redcap retorts. "And now he sends his daughter here to rule us after ordering many of us killed!"
"Yes! Her father's to blame for the loss of my son! Let's return the favor and show him how it feels to lose a child!" she woman cries, suddenly sounding blood-thirsty.
The crowd takes up this cry, and surges forward to grab for Gwendolyn.
The Pookas in Gwendolyn's little party of loyal followers throw balls and marbles and things to trip those in front in the crowd, while Vachan picks up Gwendolyn and throws her over his shoulder. He and her loyal following flee, and because of the mass of the crowd, confusion, and disorganization of the angry Fae, Gwendolyn's party is able to make a clean getaway and go into hiding.
Gwendolyn would never again know the feeling of absolute security in the years of her life remaining to her. She would never again see her parents, her brother, or Arcadia. And while there would be a sweet time for love, and she would be able to mass a large group of Fae to follow her, her quest would ultimately fail�only to resurge over 650 years later�