Chapter Thirty-five: Ethan

'Why the hell not?' I demand, glaring from Matt—no; he's Lord Matthew of the Mortal Realm when he's with the other members of the Tribunal—to Neriah—Lady Neriah of the Mortal Realm—to Dartemis—Dartemis, God of the Realms of Contentment—to Lord Penbarin of the House of Samartyne, to Lady Arabella of the House of Sky and Water, to Lady Devine of the House of Divinity, to Lord Meridian of the House of Kavanah, to Queen Brystianne of the House of Averil, to Sir Syford of the House of Syford, to Lady Elenna of the House of Isle, to Lord Alexandon of the House of Criers, and finally to King Richard of Veridian. 'What's the point of my staying in this time period when my future—my soul-mate!—is in the past?'

I can see many of the Tribunal members sigh, knowing that I will not give up on this until I have a valid reason for their not allowing me to go live with Renate in her time period; only in 1400 can we live together without causing a disruption to the course of history. Renate and I, after many debates, agree that we can't go back to living without each other. She understands that the only way for us to be together is for me to give up my future in my own time period, but I can tell by the way she's standing uncomfortably at my side that she is still saddened by the idea of my giving up so much to be with her.

Finally, Lord Matthew of the Mortal Realm decides to give me an answer. I allow myself a moment to appreciate the irony of the situation (my best mate is telling me why I can't live with my soul-mate, while his new wife sits happily at his side!) before I actually pay attention to his patiently stated words (he's always diplomatic when he's Lord Matthew of the Mortal Realm, versus the slightly annoying Matt that he becomes outside these chambers): 'Ethan, you have to understand. I'm not entirely sure you've thought this whole thing through.'

'No, I really think I have,' I assure him. 'I am giving up my future in this time period to take up my destined one in the past. Doing so also means that I would have to transport my physical body through the very fabric of time itself, doing who knows what kind of harm to it. And another risk would be that some of the technologies that allowed us to save King Richard when I rescued him from the godforsaken dungeon he would otherwise have died in had not been in use in the year 1400, so the probability of my actually surviving the trip back in time alone would be slim to none. I think I've thought of pretty much everything.'

Lord Matthew of the Mortal Realm looks stunned for a moment before commenting, 'There's more to it then that, Ethan. You're talking about what is going to happen after you go back in time. I'm talking about right now. Right now there are dozens of Order members still needed to be rounded up and put on trial. Right now you have a career that requires that you give at least two weeks notice before you retire. Right now you have friends outside the Guard and the Order whom you would have to give a reason for your sudden departure. And before you do anything,' a smile plays on the very edges of Lord Matthew's mouth, 'you need to tell your mother you're leaving, and for whom. As I recall, you never did tell her your current social situation with Renate.'

I see Renate blush. I really wish she wouldn't; we only just got back from the underworld yesterday, and everyone knows how we feel about each other. She is still sleeping alone in my bed—not that I would change that or anything; I think sex should wait until after marriage—and all we have ever done is kiss. There's nothing to really blush about, but the way Renate keeps doing it, people might start to think that there is something to blush about!

'If I tell my mother,' I offer lightly, taking Renate's hand in mine, 'will you let me and Renate go back to her time period?'

Dartemis, God of the Realms of Contentment, raises his eyebrows and says in an amused voice, 'Princess Mariposa can return to her time period whenever she wishes. It's only a matter of sending her back to Atlantis, at the exact moment that she left, so that she can call Arkarian's name for him to pull her back to her original time. You, Ethan, are required here in Angel Falls of 2005 to help gather what remains of the Order. Being Named, it is written in the Prophecy that you are to help end the reign of the Order entirely. Although the Prophecy originally intended for this to occur after the final battle with Lathenia, technically it would still apply since our recent battle has taken place with Lathenia's heir.'

I glare angrily at the so-called 'god'. I know that, unlike his 'brother', Dartemis would never throw an Immortal rage if I went behind his back and left for 1400 anyway. However, Lord Matthew would most definitely travel back in time to punish me all during his eternal life for defying him. If Lord Matthew was still Matt, the little kid that used to play with me in the forest and on the mountain, I would be able to kick his butt any day; now, though, with his shiny Immortal skills, Lord Matthew could do serious damage to me if he wanted to.

'How long do you require my presence?' I ask stiffly.

There is silence, and I can tell that the Immortals—and Arkarian, seated in the back of the Tribunal chamber—are holding a Truthseeing council. I feel incredibly left out, just standing here waiting while they decide how long I'll need to stay with them. And what better way to exact revenge than to abuse my reputation as a horrible blocker of my thoughts?

I begin thinking of every time Renate and I have ever held each other close, every time we kissed. I remember each instance in bright, vivid clarity, not holding back any of my thoughts. I bring all of the tender moments between Renate and me to the front of my mind, displaying them for the Tribunal members to see. From the looks of the nobles' faces, I am making it very difficult for them to concentrate—especially Lord Matthew of the Mortal Realms, who keeps shooting me disgusted faces. I go one step further, now recalling every time I've ever seen Matt and Neriah in a moment of extreme tenderness… including the one time I caught them in the closet at Arkarian and Isabel's wedding. This thought I hide from Arkarian, though; I had promised Matt that I would never tell Arkarian or Isabel about the life-scarring images I had seen that day.

'Enough!' Lord Matthew and Lady Neriah cry out together. All of the other Tribunal members look either amused or disgusted.

'We ask for two months,' Lady Neriah of the Mortal Realm says, her face a brilliant shade of deep red. 'That's not so long a time. Especially since you and Renate have had only three days since the day you first met; take this time to get to know each other more.'

While I want to hurl this offer back into the Tribunal members' faces, Renate's expression appears thoughtful. I can tell that she thinks well of getting to know me better, even though we have all of our lives to do so. So instead of embarrassing Renate by arguing more with the Immortals, I nod stiffly at them and turn on my heel, briskly departing the chamber. Before Renate and I pass through the chamber doors, though, I stop at Arkarian and, smirking, share with him the images I had hidden from him before. Sometimes I just can't help myself…