And Around Again-A 'Cinderella Phenomenon' Tale

by Frostedrose

Princess Lucette has been reliving the same months of her life for 10 years. Inspired by the counsel of a fairy, she tries to live out the balance needed to sustain the Crystallum—the source of magic itself—while under a curse. Will she succeed, stopping the cycle and saving the lives of her friends and family, or will she fail once more and awaken as the cycle repeats?

35. A Plan

Chapter 35. A Plan

"What do you know of the other Bearers, and how might they be convinced?" I ask.

I sit with Parfait, Delora, and Waltz in the private dining room the next day. In order for the gates to be opened so I can get my audience with the gods, I must be able to contact and convince at least four other Bearers to make a total of six of us. Delora has paper, ink, and pen at ready to list anything we will need in preparation for sending our parties out to the Bearers in Cedel and Brugantia. There are other Bearers elsewhere, but not close enough for my envoys to reach them within the prescribed time.

"Alicula of the fairies and Fulgur of the witches are located in Brugantia," Parfait begins. "They are on good terms with each other last I heard, and usually reside north of the capitol. Fulgur will be the easiest to find, as he usually lives in a keep on Brugantia's border with the sea. The witches there did not suffer the effects of the Witch Hunt common to Angielle, as he has his witches organized on the sea boarder to watch for pirates and raiders when the first fairytale book was published. The advanced notice they give the local militias has saved more than one coastline town."

And this makes sense to me. Far to the north, wild ice men dwell where few others care to try to survive, and they often raid for supplies and slaves instead of simply trading for their needs. Brugantia is technically within their reach…but Fulgur was crafty enough to organize his witches and present a plan to the Brugantian king to make witches valuable to the nation by using spellcasting to locate when and where the raiders would arrive. The Fairytales had not caused the same uproar as the Brugantian citizens were able to see the witches serving as a hedge against violent raiders on the coast. This is why many of the witches that had fled Angielle had gone to Brugantia…like the one that had cursed Klaude. Had she been native to Brugantia, in theory Klaude could have had his curse dispelled by Fulgur instead of needing to find me. Actually, it would not surprise me if Fulgur had told Klaude that I was the one that needed to dispel the curse.

"Fulgur," Parfait continues, "will be persuaded by any logical reason to cooperate with you. He had been proposing some…wider cooperation…between witches of different nations when the Fairytales started becoming popular. But then your mother…."

"Decided to deal with the problem with violence," I finish. "And his counterpart?"

"Alicula might be harder to find," Parfait admits. "She usually roams in the forest, camping in place and then another, but the local fairies should be able to point our searchers in the correct direction. She can be somewhat…flighty…and you might need Fulgur himself to settle her long enough to listen to the entire story, not to mention to pick her up on his way to the Throne of the gods. She does have a weakness for tales of true love, and will do much to enable lovers to be able to come together."

I nod. "Put Garlan down in the party to meet her, and Jurien in any other party or even leave her here even if she chooses to participate."

Delora's eyebrows raise. "You know that Garlan will choose to go?"

"He will if I tell him that I'll help him with Jurien during the next cycle," I say, "and his tale of wanting a second chance with Jurien might help convince Alicula to aid me."

"That…might actually work," Parfait admits. "And we need someone with at least some degree of diplomatic skill in the same party for Fulgur himself. It will let him know that you are serious about working with him if you send him someone competent in discussing matters."

"And the pair in Cedel?" I ask. That nation lies to the west of Angielle. Instead of being the semi-isolationist nation Brugantia is, Cedel seeks semi-formal expansion through annexation of the small city-states past its own western border, which have always been too disorganized and uncooperative with each other to resist them. Nations near their power, such as Angielle and Brugantia, are always dealt with fairly so long as we do not involve ourselves in what they consider 'their business.' Their people do not enjoy as much freedom as the citizens in Angielle enjoy, and lawbreakers are dealt with much more harshly than elsewhere. And this is why the Witch Hunt did not happen in Cedel…the population had been sure that they did not have the authority to kill anyone without a trial. In Cedel, if a sentence is carried out without a trial conducted by the proper authorities, those responsible will suffer the same sentence. There was only one documented case where a witch had been lynched by a mob. Soldiers had caught them just as the witch had been stabbed to death and the entire mob had been executed for participating in the murder of the witch. They all had their throats cut, exactly like the aforementioned witch.

That had put an end to all such behaviors.

Parfait gives a weak smile. "Publically, the witch Bearer there is Annoxis, and serves as an advisor to the king. In actuality, the Bearer is really Regius, the king's youngest cousin."

I blink. "What? I did not know that the king's family had any witch blood there, much less…."

"Two generations ago," Parfait explains, "the king…persuaded…the Tenebrarum Bearer to marry him and become his queen. He had hopes that their child would inherit both the throne and the Tenebrarum…but she gave birth to twins, and upon her death, the Tenebrarum chose the youngest to become Bearer when the eldest had already been crowned king. Annoxis is actually a descendent of that queen's brother. The Cedelian royal family chose to hide what had happened rather than admit that the attempt of consolidating power had not worked. The current king is actually a fairly weak witch, compared to what he might have been."

"Interesting," I say. And my oldest will not necessarily inherit the Tenebrarum. If I have more than one child…my two burdens might be split between them. "And I suppose any personal communication from myself involving their king asking after the true Bearer could be seenas…gloating…since my mother succeeded in that, at least for one generation?"

"Possibly," Parfait admits.

"Does Regius possess anything a visiting dignitary might express interest in?" I ask instead, wondering if what I already have will be of use. Klaude could get into any court or noble house friendly to Brugantia, and I know that the relationship between Cedel and Brugantia is congenial.

Parfait blinks. "Well…his lands do include the entrance to a cave with lovely crystals. The public is kept out, but Regius does allow his guest to view them…under his supervision. The same crystals also have a variety of magical uses, and he would not want any damaged."

"Then it is good that Klaude likes shiny things," I note. "Once I dispel his curse, he would be a good ticket in, but he needs someone to keep him out of trouble."

Delora snorts. "You'll have to search long and hard for someone of that caliber."

And then Parfait and I glance at each other in realization. "We'll miss you," I tell my second favorite witch.

And Delora is so startled, she breaks the tip of her pen as she pushes it down too hard. "What?!"

"There is no one I trust with delicate situations more than you," I tell her.

"But…but…what if you need me here?" she practically splutters.

"We'll just have to manage," Parfait admits sadly. "And Waltz should be able to handle emergencies in your stead."

"And what possible cover would I have for traveling with a Brugantian prince if we are hiding that this is a delegation from you two?" she asks, and her eyes widen even further as I grin at her. "Oh no!"

"I know that you are probably old enough to be his mother," I tell her while I attempt not to laugh, "but that doesn't change the fact that you are beautiful enough to keep the attention of even a Casanova of prince, and could pass for twenty-five years old. And as a bonus, I will finally consider my revenge for being drug around by Mr. Broom all those years to be complete. Then I can start on my revenge for being cursed every six months." And I so wish that I could be there, on this adventure, as Delora pretends to be Klaude's lover. I could tell her that he is an excellent kisser, but that would not comfort her. I do no doubt that Klaude will have some fun with this. He will know that Delora is unlikely to get attached to him, and so he might 'overdo' the mandatory flirting necessary for their cover story. Though he might ask me to tell Delora that she is not allowed to curse him before they leave….

"You certainly wouldn't have to pretend to be married," Parfait notes, looking like she is struggling with laughter herself. "You could simply be his lady love. We can send a female fairy with a cover as being your maid or chaperone."

Delora looks between the two of us, as if trying to decide which of us she could dissuade, before finally turning to Waltz. "Please tell them this won't work!"

"I don't know about that," my husband says with a small grin of his own, possibly remembering times when Delora has had fun at his expense. "I really can't think of a better plan. And if you remember, I am not cursed anymore and can actually be useful in a crisis."

"Fine," Delora practically snarls. "But you two owe me!"

"If it helps," I reply, "I'm not sure that he will enjoy this much more than you…on the other hand, he will probably find it amusing. And as far as owing you…once your part in your agreement with me is met, you will not remember this trip in the next cycle. This actually disappoints me, since I would love to find out what exactly happens when the two of you try to work together." Maybe I can ask Regius if we have a chance to talk…he should remember something about how he accepted my offer.

Delora sighs, and Parfait continues. "Veles of the fairies," Parfait says, "is the final Bearer. He is not…exactly…on poor terms with his counterpart, but the only communication between them is to ensure that they are not interfering with each other. Fairies there interact much more with the common people, while most witches enjoy positions granted them due to the deal the Bearer that married the king made. He is something of an oddity, as he uses conventional weapons when he thinks he has to dispatch someone that threatens those under his protection. He distrusts nobles in general, and it will probably take more to convince him to come than it will anyone else."

"Fritz," I say, instinctively.

Delora jots it down after magically repairing her pen, but then looks at me. "Why Fritz? How do you think he can appeal to Veles?"

"He will be the most persistent," I decide. "He is not of noble birth, and is a good swordsman. He can also tell Veles of my own skill with the sword since he has witnessed it, which might make me more…passable…to him."

"It might help," Parfait admits. "It would not hurt at any rate. So, we will need a total of three parities…one for Brugantia since those Bearers are typically near each other only one should be necessary, and two for Cedel."

I nod. "Is there enough coin in what my father sent for my education to cover expenses? I could ask father for some more, and explain that I need to contact other Bearers for help."

"I believe so," Parfait says. "I kept it in an account, like you suggested, instead of immediately settling my debts. Once I heard your explanation, I guessed that we would have to contact the other Bearers and sent for fairies and witches close enough to help, and some are starting to arrive in the city already. They can round out the parities. For a delegation between Bearers, there should be at least one of each in every party sent."

"Very well," I say, and then give a wry grin. "As soon as everyone that can come is here…you can help Waltz and I explain this mess to everyone."

…..

It is a few days later that I sit down for lunch with Karma and Fritz, who are already deep in discussion about something. "Do you mind if I join you?" I ask them, and both men move their own trays over to make room for me at one of the smaller tables.

"You are certainly welcome, Princess," Karma says, getting up to pull the third and final chair at the table out for me.

Since I told him that I could not continue to practice with the knights and why, the news spread and the denizens and the customers of the Marchen started treating me as if I was made of glass. The customers, at any rate, may not particularly care one way or the other for my child…but Waltz's child deserves every consideration in their eyes. The boarders are so careful with me, that I am finding it difficult to do much for myself. I had to insist to Annice that I was capable of carrying my own meal trays for her to allow me out of the kitchen without her carrying it for me. I am in no way pregnant enough to warrant being treated as an invalid. Though with all that has happened lately, I am finding it hard to believe that it has been just a little less than two weeks since the night that changed everything.

Fritz and Karma had been together when I said that Parfait had confirmed that I had a son on the way. My knight's smile had not reached his eyes as he congratulated me.

"Though there is not also room at this table for your husband, unless you prefer we all move to a larger one?" Karma says, looking around for Waltz.

"Waltz is on an errand," I say, sitting down after placing my tray on the table. He has gone to confirm the arrival of the last fairy Parfait is expecting, and to tell them all to meet us at the Marchen tomorrow afternoon directly after lunch. That he is gone at all, and that Delora has not replaced him, shows that they think that I have gained enough control of my magic that I do not have to be supervised every minute. In some ways, it's something of a relief. I have been judged unlikely to accidently kill people.

"Apparently, in Angielle, even princes cannot escape errands," Karma notes.

"With Waltz off on one today, the fact that Rod is being used for messages between myself and the palace, and your own situation I would have to agree with you," I say. "Neither Waltz nor Rod complain about it, but then, they were not born princes like you were."

Karma's eyes widen as he slowly lowers himself back into his chair, and Fritz's fork drops out of his hand and clatters onto his plate. "What?" Fritz asks.

"Who told you?" Karma asks warily, and then glances at Fritz and sighs. He looks around quickly to see if we are near enough anyone else that might have heard us, but the nearest patrons are several tables away and are paying us no mind. "My father is the king of Brugantia. A witch from Angielle cursed me," he explains to Fritz, "and I came here hoping the Princess would dispel that curse. While she should be able to do so since she dispelled her brother's curse, unfortunately she appears to be unable to remember how she accomplished that."

"Oh," Fritz says quietly.

"Well, there is both good and bad news concerning my ability to dispel curses," I admit. "The good news is that I think I know how I did it…the bad news is that the dispelling will only last five or six months due to other…circumstances."

During my lessons, I have succeeded in getting the odd vision with the colors to return, and Waltz refers to it as my 'second sight.' As opposed to more common spells like the one Parfait used to find out if my mother was waiting for her in the private dining area on the first day, this one allows me not only knowledge of a person's status in magic use, but I can sense the assortment of curses that had been cast. I tried using it in the common room last night, when it was crowded, and saw a wide variety of curses on the patrons. There might have been one or two nearly as repugnant and dark as Rod's had been, which I classify as capable of causing serious injury or death, a larger majority of dark grey ones I would guess were either not well deserved or nearly impossible to break but not dangerous, and some light grey ones that I did not find offensive at all. The last would probably meet the classification of strictly instructional curses that it might be better to let stand. I had not tried to will any of them away at that time.

Karma looks at me warily. "I hear an 'unless' in your voice, Princess."

I nod. "I need help from the Bearers in Brugantia and Cedel. Parfait has gathered witches and fairies that are willing to serve as our emissaries to them, but we will need other help as well. Either or both of you would be welcome additions to the parties we will send out."

"And if their help is procured, you will be able to dispel curses permanently?" Karma asks, and I nod. "And you will dispel my curse permanently?"

I nod again. "I would need to dispel your curse on a temporary basis for this mission, but if I get the help I need, I should be able to dispel it on a permanent basis."

'"Should be able to,' Princess?" Karma asks, looking very worried, possibly wondering if it might be impossible for his curse to be dispelled at all.

I shrug. "I will if I can, but there is always the chance that the gods might decide to smite me," I say, a little tongue in cheek. According to Parfait, Bearers that enter the gods' domain always come back out, but I suppose that there is a first time for everything.

"Why," Fritz asks, eyeing me carefully, "do you sound like you believe that might be a plausible outcome?"

Because the last part of that prophecy referred to my blood on holy ground, which could mean anything from a small cut to death itself. It's the one thing I haven't told anyone…I know that I cannot escape it. That witch has been correct so far, and they would only worry. "If you decide you want to participate, we'll tell you about it tomorrow at the meeting," I explain. "For now…let's just say that I'm trying to undo something my mother is responsible for. One of the side effects of her action is that my dispelling of curses can only be temporary until certain conditions are fulfilled."

"And undoing that would be a worthy cause, in and of itself, no matter what is needful I'm sure," Karma admits. "You can count on my aid, Princess. If I must earn the end of my curse in some way, so be it. I…suppose that I earned my way into my curse in the first place."

I nod in thanks, and my gaze returns to my knight, who sighs. "You need the help, but…I would be leaving you alone," he says sadly.

I shake my head at him. "You wouldn't be leaving me alone, Fritz. You can trust Waltz to take care of me. He fights with just as much dedication as you do…he just uses a different weapon, and ironically looks like he could cause less damage than you. You would be leaving me in the care of my husband."

"Yes…I…I would be, wouldn't I," my knight says slowly. His mouth twists bitterly. "I am doing you no good, here. I may as well help as I can. I will be there tomorrow. Officially, I may need permission to be neither with you, nor fulfilling my other duties in the palace."

"That is reasonable; I'll arrange it before you leave. And…thank you Fritz. I know that I can always count on you," I say, and this rates a smile from him. "I should warn you though…some of the things I will say will not be easy for you to hear. Some of it concerns your father."

His smile from my praise fades. "You have found something additional to what Garlan and Jurien overheard?"

"I'll explain tomorrow, Fritz," I say regretfully. "Just…I just wanted you to be prepared to hear the worst."

"Thank you for your…consideration…but if you have the strength to deal with what your mother was," Fritz tells me, "I can deal with whatever my father is."

It's not that different Fritz…they both betrayed us. Your parent has had you cursed to turn you into someone completely different, completely disregarding the person you are; my parent has been trying to corrupt me for years, completely disregarding the person that I am.

Neither one of us were what they wanted us to be…depraved like them…so they tried to change us to exploit us. Rather than love us as we were, they tried to lead us to corruption. It would have been better had they simply abandoned us instead.

And I realize now why, in spite of the fact that I know that I am in love with Waltz…it has still been a little hard for me to let go of Fritz. I look at my knight, and see the closest mirror to my own struggles that I have ever found. I want to comfort him, just as I want the same comfort myself. But I am sworn to another man, and can only pray that Fritz will find another woman to give him the joy he deserves…what I cannot give him myself.

"I hope that you are correct," I tell him quietly, but I know that he is. In my mind, I can still see Fritz kneeling before my father, offering the king the use of an already bloody sword.

…..

The Marchen is shut to regular business, but the common room is still about half-full. There were too many to fit comfortably in the private dining room, so Parfait put a sound barrier around the common room where the customers normally dine, and shut the drapes instead lighting the room with small magical globes suspended from the ceiling. The tables are still arranged, but with the chairs all facing toward a focal point where Parfait and I sit.

At the tables sit all of the borders, as it would be difficult to hide what is happening from even the ones that will remain at the Marchen, as well as the various fairies and good witches Parfait has invited. I recognize a few of the faces, as I have seen some of them in the Marchen before, but others are unfamiliar and I assume that they were the ones that had to travel to reach here. Karma, now that I have rid him of his curse, sits quite happily dressed as a man. As soon as I had accomplished it this morning, he had returned to his room to dress, and spent the next hour in the streets just walking around, enjoying not being mobbed by women. I am sure that he still enjoyed the ladies' admiring glances, however.

"Thank you all for coming," Parfait starts, and the crowd that had been chattering among themselves silences as they turn their attention to the Lucis Bearer. "Several impossible things have been happening over the course of the last few weeks. We have been able to identify the reason behind them, and I beg you all to keep an open mind as we explain it."

"Like the reason the new Tenebrarum Bearer can use her power at the age of seventeen when she is a half-blood?" a grey haired witch at the first table asks. "I heard she even dispelled her brother's curse…and then there was the storm that every witch in Angielle noticed."

I give a weak smile. "The storm was something of an accident. But since that is what it took to kill Mother, I cannot really say that I am sorry that it happened."

And then every eye in the audience widens. "Hildyr was still…" a male witch in a black coat asks.

"She survived by installing herself in the Tenebrarum," Parfait explains. "It stabilized the Crystallum from the damage that occurred when we fought, and she had planned to have her faithful apprentice, Myth, convince or force Lucette to release her when Lucette's magic awoke. But…Lucette was not cooperative."

All eyes turn to me now. "I know what she tends to do when she is released, but this time the Tenebrarum was nearly shattered a few hours before I woke the morning before the storm. I receive power directly from the Tenebrarum itself when I feed it my own negative emotions and it uses this 'feeding' to repair itself. I was only able to marginally control that power that night, but shards shifted within the Crystallum as it partially healed itself, and one of them cut my mother's throat…which is how she died this time."

"This time?" another fairy asks.

Then Parfait launches into an explanation of what we had found out from Myth, concerning my mother's deal with Chaos, how I had been repeating the same months of my life over and over again, and that in each cycle previous to know I had lived in the Marchen as the result of a curse placed upon me.

"Surely you realize how unlikely this sounds, Bearer," a fairy that I have never seen before says.

"That is because it is unlikely," I admit. "And I would be skeptical had anyone else been telling me that they experienced this. However, I do have evidence indicating that this is the truth." I turn to Karma, starting with the lesser evidence first. "You, Jurien, and Garlan are actually responsible for me ability to use a sword. I asked you for lessons once after someone had gotten injured protecting me. This is why Fritz had no knowledge of me being able to use one…I did not learn until after leaving the palace."

Karma stares at me. "If you have lived here for so long, what kind of a curse did I have?"

"You were cursed by a witch who's heart you broke. She used the Beauty and the Beast curse to punish you, and you play both roles," I answer him. "You are 'Beauty' when dressed as a man, and women flock to you so much so you have trouble simply walking around town. If you fall in love, you turn into…."

"Never mind," he says, shifting uncomfortably in his chair, and I notice Waltz's eyes flicker in his direction for a second, and nod as if something has been confirmed. I have not explained any of my previous romantic interests to my husband because he has not asked, but he probably guesses that Karma had been among them. I doubt that Waltz is upset by this, given Karma has no idea about it, and because he might consider Karma a tolerable choice for me to make. "I'm convinced," he finishes. "You would have to be working with the sword for several years to have the degree of skill with it that you do…and that would have been practically impossible to hide were you taking lessons in the palace unless Fritz had been teaching you…and he denies it."

"What about me?" Rumpel asks, curiously.

"You are a doctor, and a good one," I tell him. "Unfortunately, you have a rather bad habit of ignoring your duties to yourself and those closest to you in favor of your patients, and the Witch Doctor cursed you. I'm fairly certain she had your best interests at heart when she did so. You merely have to find people connected to you with written entries concerning you, and your curse will break. As you find more, your knowledge of medicine and your other memories will return. I suggest starting out by looking for a young boy that usually gives you your first diary entry. Your ex-fiancée has your old journals. I am not sure how much of this you would want me to say in public, but your relationship with her did not end well, and I cannot say that fault was necessarily one-sided either."

"I…thank you, Princess. Perhaps I will ask you more on that later." Rumpel is quiet for a moment. "I suppose that living the same months again would make you older than seventeen, and that explains why you can use magic now if you are not supposed to be able to use it until you turn eighteen?"

"Yes and no," I tell him. "Even though I am mentally older, I am typically physically reset at the start of each new cycle. This is the first time I was not, so this is the first time I have been able to use magic or control the Tenebrarum at the start."

"It makes sense now…" Fritz says quietly, just loud enough to be heard at first but growing louder. "You…you changed. It was not overnight; it was over ten years!"

I smile weakly at him. "It is actually probably getting close to eleven by now."

"You smile," my knight continues, "you apologize if you believe you have done wrong, you are pleasant to your stepsiblings, you fell in love…in another cycle…or over several perhaps?"

My smile is now genuine. "This is actually the fourth cycle Waltz and I will be spending together…but this is the first time he remembers anything at all from another cycle. Until now, I was the only one that remembered anything that happened during the past cycles."

"We got married during the last cycle," Waltz explains now. "And since as a witch my promises are binding, I have to remember them to perform what I have promised. I basically remember the ceremony itself and everything that occurred afterwards. So, I woke up at the start of this cycle thinking that I had merely had an incredibly vivid, and highly unusual dream."

"If I may ask…how unusual?" Karma asks from beside him.

"It started when the wedding ceremony did," Waltz tells him. "We were in the throne room with her father on his throne, a room full of nobles, and a Chaos priest to conduct the ceremony. I was in my common clothes, and she was in a blood-stained wedding dress. Immediately afterwards, Fritz, Parfait, Jurien, and Garlan hauled in Alcaster to accuse him of treason, Lucette explained that she had just held a counter-coup, saved her family from both Alcaster and Myth, and switched grooms at the last minute—then we all held an execution right then and there. So yes, it was an unusual wedding."

"The word 'unusual' implies that someone might repeat it; this qualifies as 'unique,'" Karma decides. "No one is ever going to repeat that."

I look over at Fritz who seems slightly pale. "I'm so sorry Fritz, but it is true…your father and Myth conspire to take over Angielle." I then go on to explain most of what I had told Parfait, Delora, and Waltz last week, minus the part concerning my multiple paramours. I owe no explanation of them to anyone but Waltz, and he really has not asked me. I cover what happened once I entered the palace in some detail, up though the execution at my wedding.

"I take it that something happened during this last cycle is responsible for the changes in this one?" a witch that I recognize but cannot name asks.

I nod. "I became pregnant at the end of the last cycle, on my wedding night. The Tenebrarum was damaged keeping me static while the rest of the world reset in order to protect my son…potentially its next Bearer."

"Then that you could die if the Tenebrarum shatters…what you told your father about why you needed to get married…" Fritz begins.

"Is actually a legitimate danger, if not the real reason we had to marry immediately," I tell him. "If the cycles resets before the Tenebrarum is healed, it will probably shatter completely trying to protect my son and we could both die. I do not know if I would find myself alive again at the start of a new cycle or not…but it is quite likely the baby would remain dead."

In the awkward silence following this, Parfait launches into her explanation of finding the most convincing proof that the cycles had occurred—her discovery that I was carrying Waltz's child when I first entered the Marchen before his curse was broken. I hear some snickering from Delora's direction as she is still unable to hid her mirth concerning Parfait's initial confusion about the matter. Parfait sighs when she notices her friend's amusement, and goes on to talk about how this explains the Tenebrarum's instability, my use of magic, how we had discovered my mother's wager with Chaos, and our plan of what to do about it.

"What we actually need from all of you," Parfait finishes, "is for you to find and convince the Bearers in Brugantia and Cedel to meet us at the Throne of the gods, so we can gain entry."

"And you are hoping to accomplish…" one of the witches asks quietly.

"I plan to see if I can find what should be my copy of the original agreement, to see if it is even possible to fulfil it," I answer. "If I cannot find out what the task I am supposed to accomplish is, my only other option to stop these cycles…short of embracing corruption…is to attempt to renegotiate my mother's contract with Chaos. I am sure that I will manage to experience the amount of pain that drove my mother insane eventually—for all I know I may have done so already over the years—but I have no way of knowing how close I am to it at this time."

I close my eyes for a moment, and then open them to look over the gathering of people. "As to my knowledge, getting an audience with the gods is the only chance I have to save my son, and perhaps myself as well. I cannot pretend that the events I have seen happen over the last decade have not worn on me…not that I am saying that I believe myself close to corruption, necessarily. It's just that I have seen kith and kin die fairly often…some of you more than once…and that is never easy to deal with." I eye the two greatest offenders. "Actually, Parfait and Fritz tend to die the most often…and I would appreciate it if you would stop doing that."

"I'm sure we didn't do it on purpose," Fritz says warily, but the fairy beside me gives me a weak smile.

"She destroyed the Lucis in order to stop my mother knowing that it would kill them both," I admit, "so…technically, that one was on purpose." I take a deep breath. "Fritz, I'm sorry to have to say this, but your father has killed you before. There was a time when you were fighting your curse, and had reverted back to yourself only to fight your father. You became distracted during your fight, and he killed you. You tried to reason with him, tried to tell him that this was not the way to gain power…but it did not do any good. I'm sorry, but there is no way you can save him—no way to successfully appeal to him—anymore than there is for me to do the same for my own mother. They are both irreversibly lost."

My knight's shoulder's slump, and his gaze leaves mine to stare at the table, and I hear Parfait sigh from beside me as well. The fairy still remembers the woman my mother once was, and I am not sure that she has entirely accepted the fact that her friend is dead.

"Speaking of family," Jurien asks, "what, if anything, are you telling yours, Princess?"

"I can tell them nothing," I sadly admit. "The end or the realization of the three threats—Mother, Alcaster, and Myth—tends to result in the end of a cycle. With only Alcaster left of the three, I have to take special care to not stop him from being dangerous, though I might be able to slow him down. He will be more dangerous if Father is unaware, so I cannot tell my family. Under normal circumstances, I can usually trust Rod to keep his mouth shut about something important, but you see…I've already broken his curse. And Rod does rash things every now and then. He is really more of a child than he would admit to. Right now, the only thing they know about the situation is that the Tenebrarum is unstable, and that I must spend time repairing it or else risk my own death."

"Is there anyone here that does not wish to participate in helping us?" Parfait quietly asks in the silence that follows.

"Please keep in mind," Delora says, "that failure potentially means another corrupted Tenebrarum Bearer and Great War, which would also stop the cycles. I am sure that all of us that fought in the War or hid in the Witch Hunt had at least one friend or relative that ended up being corrupted; the loss of a child was a common reason for this."

There is some uncomfortable shifting in a few chairs, but no one says anything. And I think that this is the wrong way to go about it. These people need to be convinced in order to be convincing. "Let me put it another way. Everyone that feels themselves willing and able to participate in some way, please raise your hands."

Every hand in the room goes up. Some go up quickly, others slow but steadily, but everyone has a hand raised in the air. And I cannot help but smile. Parfait also smiles from beside me.

"And the next step?" Karma asks.

"You all separate into groups, search out the various Bearers, and tell them what we have told you. We already have assignments made," Parfait acknowledges. She then names the first group going to Brugantia, which includes Garlan and several witches and fairies that I do not know well to locate Alicula and Fulgur. She also gives what she knows of their personalities, likes, and dislikes. "We expect the Bearers in Cedel to be more difficult," she states. "The team going to Regius, the king's cousin, needs to have no overt connection to Lucette as well as a cover story."

"I volunteer for that," Karma announces. "Brugantia has good diplomatic relationships with Cedel…we agree to leave each other alone and conduct equitable trade…and as a prince I can get into any lord's house as a guest."

"Good," I say, "because that is where you are going."

"And my cover story…" he asks.

"Unless you can think of a better one that fits the Casanova reputation you have," Parfait says with an ever so slight smile, "you are showing your lady love the world."

"My…ah…and that would be…?" Karma asks, looking around the room.

"Just so you know," Delora bites while glaring at Karma, "I did not volunteer for this role!"

Several people laugh quietly around us as Karma looks back at Delora like a man that has discovered a snake crawling out of a boot had had meant to put on. "So…I got into this mess by flirting with a witch…and to get out of it permanently by getting these cycles stopped…I need to flirt with another witch?"

"That's about the size of it," I say with poorly restrained humor. "Parfait and I thought that she would be the most likely to keep you out of trouble, as well as attractive enough to be believable in the role."

"Trouble? Me?" Karma asks with a winning smile.

"You don't die as often as Fritz does," I tell him as his smile wanes, "but it has been known to happen."

Parfait smiles, and names a fairy from the back row that manages to be hatchet-faced as their companion. It is left to their discretion if the fairy is introduced as Delora's maid, or her chaperone. She continues to describe Veles, the remaining fairy Bearer, and names Fritz as among those being sent to meet him. I also explain that it is important that at least one swordsman be with the fairy and witch sent to meet Veles considering his own talents.

"Why me instead of Garlan?" Fritz asks quietly.

"Because it will be harder to convince Veles than either Brugantian Bearer," I answer, "and you do not fail me, Fritz. Even when you do die, you still do not fail me."

My knight nods slowly, and gratefully too, I think.

Parfait explains that we have money from the gold my father gave for my education to finance the journeys, and announces that there are refreshments in the upstairs dining area for those that wish them. The various parties are told to choose who organizes each unit, and most of the guests and boarders filter upstairs to the private dining room and sitting area chattering.

Fritz remains in his chair, staring at the table with an almost vacant expression. I sigh, knowing that I need to explain to him how much I truly owe him…and that now is the time to do so.

….

Author's note:

Ok, it's test time for me, so I'll be spending this week studying instead of writing! I'll still be answering reviews (so don't forget to send them!), but don't expect the next chapter for about a week or so….

For background clarification, the Throne of the gods is basically a cross between Mount Olympus and heaven. It is a physical place…or at least the entrance to it is…but living mortals are only allowed in under certain circumstances. It is the permanent dwelling of both Order and Chaos (your standard duality equal/opposite pairing), and the souls of 'good' deceased mortals.

Lucette's copy of the contract is written on a magical object, although no one has correctly guessed which one yet! And yes, I mentioned it before more than once in part one, but Lucette did not realize its true significance at the time. In theory, it could have been within her reach the entire time…. ;) Sneaky, sneaky, irony loving Chaos….