The Dawn of a New Time
Roisin reached out, grabbing onto Paul's arm to steady herself, her happy delirium overtaking her for a moment. She looked up into his eyes, smiling as he pulled her close.
"It's over," she said. "Holy shit. I'm a queen. Oh, fuck."
"It's going to be okay," he murmured, through there was a nervous hitch to his voice.
She looked around the field, not sure she was ready for the many conversations she was about to have. Especially as her parents and Darraugh were quickly making their way over to her.
"I guess this is the moment I get to meet your parents," Paul said, bringing her back down to earth. Seemed he was attempting to put a light spin on things.
Roisin looked up at him and nodded, unsure of what to say. They still needed to talk about what that was with Clodaugh, and while he looked relieved now, she could see the worry in his eyes. Could feel anxiety coursing through their connection, though she wasn't sure if it was because of her parents or because of the gift the goddess had offered. Whatever it was, there was no getting out of speaking to her parents at the moment. The rest they would have to deal with later.
Roisin turned and had just stepped away from Paul when Darraugh wrapped his arms around her in a fierce hug that nearly took her breath away. He then stepped back, taking her face into his hands.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked softly, agony in his eyes. "I could have helped you."
"I couldn't. I tried, but I couldn't," she whispered, reeling once again. Why were they here? How did he know?
"I'm your brother, Ro. I would have killed him myself," he said, suddenly appearing angry. Roisin shook her head, knowing he wasn't angry with her.
"How…"
"Mae and Cara. When Rian attacked they got to us. Begged us to come help. Told us everything," he said. Roisin frowned as she looked over, seeing Mae standing with Cara and Carlisle, looking uncomfortable though Cara was attempting to fight off the vampire doctor by loudly protesting she was fine and he should see after others.
She then looked over at her parents, both of them a bit ragged and looking slightly older than when she had left. She supposed they had spent the last 100 years worrying about her. Wondering if she was safe. Though her mother was tall in her own right, her father towered over her, a slight grizzle on his face as the sun glinted off his sunburst locks. Roisin was the spitting image of her mother, everyone used to say, though Oonaugh's hair fell around her in a straight curtain. Roisin and Darraugh had both got their waves from their father, Cian.
"Oh, my sweet girl. Can you ever forgive us?" her mother asked, though she kept her distance. Her blue eyes were alight with tears that trekked down her cheeks in shimmery streams.
"I should have never made that agreement," her father added. "I see now how foolish it had been… Rian wouldn't have stopped fighting even if we had gone through with it. But knowing what I do now… I should have been protecting you. Not trying to force you to fulfill a prophecy in the way I had interpreted it."
Roisin felt a large lump form in her throat, unsure of what to say or do. She had always known that her parents had loved her. But when they had insisted on the marriage to Winter, refused to listen to her arguments, she had felt as though they turned their backs on her. That all they cared about was the court and keeping their power. She didn't think she could forgive them just yet - even if they hadn't known the full truth - but perhaps they could start to rebuild the once close relationship they had.
"It's… going to take me some time," she finally said, a diplomatic edge to her voice. "But we can work on it."
She glanced around at her three family members, seeing the smiles starting to form.
"Well then, let me be the first to offer an alliance to the Court of Dawn," Cian said loudly, his voice easily booming through the field like thunder in a summer storm. He held his hand out to her.
Roisin stared at it a moment before she stepped forward and hugged him, finding tears now filling her own eyes.
"And… who is this?" Oonaugh asked when Roisin stepped back, her sky blue eyes fixed on someone over Roisin's shoulder.
"Oh, um," Roisin said, turning to Paul, who was shifting uncomfortably on his feet, trying to cover himself. Ah. Right.
She quickly moved to step in front of him, providing a bit of cover. Even if she told him that nudity wasn't necessarily a big deal with the fae, she knew he'd be embarrassed regardless.
"This is Paul… my imprint," she said. "And my boyfriend."
"And apparently your king," Darraugh said, his eyes crinkling slightly in unspent laughter. Roisin's eyes widened slightly as she glanced at Paul over her shoulder.
"Uh… let's start with boyfriend first, maybe?" Paul said, smiling nervously at the Summer royals.
"Yes, that sounds good," Roisin quickly agreed. Her parents shared a look and then turned back to the couple. "Darraugh you've met. But this is my mother and father, King Cian and Queen Oonaugh of the Summer Court."
"Cian and Oonaugh are enough," her mother said graciously, a wide smile on her face. Oh bother. Roisin recognized that look. She was going to have wedding plans started before she left to return to Summer Court.
Shit.
"Are you the leader of the wolves?" Cian asked.
"Um, no, sir. I'm third-in-command of the Uley pack. Sam, over there, he's the alpha," Paul said, motioning over towards Sam with his head, who was thankfully walking over to them with a pair of shorts for Paul.
"And you," Oonaugh said, turning her eyes to Sean. "The former Shadow crown prince."
Through there was a slight coldness to her voice, her eyes held a bit of awe. Likely because she had seen how Sean had been fighting with Roisin. And well, Clodaugh had made it pretty damn clear she expected Sean to help with running the new court. But old prejudices died hard. They had lost almost as many fae fighting Shadow as they had Winter.
"Yes, though I left some 500 years ago. I didn't wish to rule a court like that," he said formally. He glanced at Roisin and winked, which only had her worried about what he was going to say next. "I met Roisin shortly after she ran away. Took in her and Mae to keep them both safe. Though it turns out Ro was the one keeping me safe. She fought and beat my brother so that he wouldn't kill me when I offered myself in exchange for Mae and a mortal friend of hers."
Roisin blushed slightly as both of her parents turned to gape at her, though Darraugh laughed softly.
"See? Those combat lessons did come handy," Darraugh said. Roisin rolled her eyes.
"Oh, so now you're going to take credit for that?" she asked, tilting her head to the side as he shrugged. It was almost surreal how easily they fell back into their old ways.
"No, wasn't intending to," he said lightly.
Roisin chuckled, finding the heaviness she had been carrying with her all these years starting to dissipate. It wasn't like it used to be… but it would some day. And she had missed the closeness she and Darraugh used to share.
"If I may, we do have a lot of injuries and casualties to see to," Sean said, interrupting the family reunion. "Both wolf and fae."
Roisin turned her eyes back to the field, her thoughts immediately turning to who could have been hurt or killed. In an instant, her light mood was gone as a deep sense of responsibility took over. These were her people now. Or well, if they chose to be. But regardless, they had fought for her today and she needed to take care of them.
"The packs are all alive. Some worse for the wear, but we heal quickly," Sam said quickly, trying to stem off some of her worry, she could tell. Roisin nodded and sighed.
"But still, I should look into everyone," she said, her expression serious. The group started to move back towards the house, but Roisin stayed put a moment, turning to Paul.
"If it's okay, I need to go see my dad," Paul said, before she could even open her mouth. Roisin's eyes widened slightly, but she nodded.
They really needed to talk, but that could wait. There were so many other things she had to take care of now.
"Of course. Just come back whenever you can," she said, smiling slightly at him. He nodded and stepped over, pulling her back into his arms as he kissed her forehead.
"I'll try not to be too long," he said before he let go of her and turned, running off into the woods.
Roisin stayed for a few moments longer, watching him go.
"He'll be back, Ro," Sean said softly. She turned to look at him, seeing a gentle look on his face. "Sure he's got a lot to figure out right now."
She nodded as they both started towards the house as well.
"We've all got a lot to figure out right now…"
OOOO
Paul didn't stop running until he reached the backyard of his father's house. And only then, he stopped long enough to pull his shorts back on before he strode into the house. He wasn't completely sure where his dad was at the moment - could only hope that the others had sent the humans far away when it became clear there was a fight going down. But he needed to be alone right now. To process.
Holy shit, Roisin was now queen of a new court. Which he had known would happen, but for some reason it hadn't set it that it would be this soon. And this goddess wanted him to help her run it. What the absolute hell was any of this? That he hadn't expected for some reason.
While he had thought perhaps bringing the fae, wolves and vampires together was part of the prophecy, he didn't actually think he had a real part in it. Okay, sure. He had helped bring them all together by imprinting on Roisin, but… that didn't mean he had to be some sort of leader, did it?
What's more, Clodaugh wanted to give him immortality. Did he want that? To live forever while everyone else that he loved and cared about would age and die? To watch them age and die? Yes, he would have Roisin and the other fae. But was that enough?
Paul stopped pacing and roughly ran his fingers through his hair, but then started pacing again, his agitation pushing him to keep moving. Or else he might punch something. Where did he even start unpacking all of this?
"Paul?"
He stopped pacing as he looked up to see his father walking in through the front door. In a second, he had crossed the room and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug.
"Thank god. I heard that we won, but I wasn't sure how you were or if you were hurt," he said. "I went back to the house, but they said you went to look for me. Figured you'd be here."
"Where'd you go?" Paul asked, feeling guilty that he hadn't thought to look out for his father in the thick of it. All he could think about at the time was taking down Rian.
"Oh, they got us out of there quickly. Took us to Billy's while Bella took Nessie to their place, though I think Emily stayed behind with Sue to help with patching folks up afterwards," he said. "But I saw… I saw enough."
Paul stared into the wizened face of his father, seeing the relief in his eyes. But also the awe.
"You've got quite the imprint, Paul," he said, smiling slightly. Paul sighed and walked over, sitting on the couch. "What happened?"
"Well… we won. Obvious now," Paul started. "Then a goddess showed up. The one who gave the prophecy on Ro… and she gave her her own court. The Court of Dawn."
Ben Lahote whistled low as he walked over and sat in his recliner, leaning over to rest his elbows on his knees.
"That's pretty big. But it means you can stay, right?" he asked. Paul nodded.
"The court is here… in the mortal world. And it's not just fae, from what I understood… I think… She wants everyone - wolves, humans, vampires and such - to be part of it. If they want," he said, knowing that Roisin wouldn't force anyone to join her court. But she would protect everyone regardless. He then took a deep breath. "They want me to help her run it… as her… king, I guess…"
Ben chuckled.
"Thought that was obvious. You are imprints," he said matter-of-factly. Paul shot him a frown.
"But what if I… what if I can't do it?" he asked, his frustration building. He was trying to be serious here. He pushed up from the couch and started pacing again. "I've never done something like this before. I'm a screw-up. Barely graduated high school. How on earth can I help run some sort of supernatural court?"
"Hey, hey. It's okay to be afraid of this," Ben said, slowly standing. "No one thinks you should go barreling into it head first."
"I can't do this, Dad! I barely handled the responsibility Sam gave me with the packs. And… no one thinks I can do this," Paul continued.
"Paul… that's not true," Ben snapped. Paul looked over, locking eyes with his father. "I think you can do it. And Sam. He wouldn't have named you third-in-command if he didn't think you could."
"But-"
"And I'm sure that Roisin thinks you can," Ben continued, cutting him off. "Yes, you were a bit rough around the edges when you were younger. Made some mistakes. But we all do. And even then, I knew that you could do better. That you would be something great someday."
Paul just stared at his father, his mouth falling open slightly, even though Ben had told him this much many times before. He ran his fingers through his hair again.
"I don't know if I can do this," he finally said, looking over at his father. "And they want… the goddess offered me immortality. So I could always stay with Ro…"
Ben's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Well, that doesn't sound so bad," he replied. Paul groaned.
"Don't you get it? I'll have to watch everyone I know and care about die! I'll live forever while you all grow old and…" Paul said. He motioned wildly with his hands, unable to finish the sentence.
"But you'll be with your imprint - with Ro - forever," Ben said, pain briefly coming over his face. "What I would give to spend forever with your mother…"
Paul didn't speak. While they talked about his mother here and there and Paul knew his parents had been deeply in love, it wasn't often his father spoke about the pain of losing her.
"And well, kid, you were going to have to watch me die someday regardless. That's just life," Ben continued. "But this… this is a chance not everyone gets. To make something of yourself, to build something great, and to do it with the person you love. Not to mention, Ro… she's going to need you."
Paul frowned. He was of the opinion Roisin didn't really need him to do this. She was strong enough on her own. And she had Sean to help. But at the same time, he couldn't help but imagine spending forever at her side. Never dying or getting sick. The two of them creating a whole new world together. Building up a new court.
And that he would love her from now until the end of time.
Paul staggered back slightly at the implications of that.
"Look, I get that you're scared. I'd be worried if you weren't, but you don't have to be," Ben said softly. "You belong together. And you need each other."
"I need you too," Paul said, still frowning.
"And you'll have me until the day I die. That's kind of what fathers do, Paul," Ben said, smiling. "Something you'll learn someday."
Paul swallowed. He was still coming around to the idea of being with Roisin forever and all that. He hadn't even thought of kids yet. That was another can of worms for another day. He then took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
"I… I need to think about this a bit more," he said softly. Ben nodded.
"It's a big decision. Take your time. I have a feeling Roisin'll wait, but… don't let your fear dictate your decision. And don't let any worry for me or the others get in the way. We all support you, no matter what you decide. And we like Ro. She's one of us now," Ben said.
Paul nodded and turned, starting towards the back door. He then stopped and went back to his father, hugging him.
"Thanks, Dad."
OOOO
Roisin was exhausted. She thought she could sleep after everything that happened, but it was now getting pretty late and even though the rest of the house was quiet, she couldn't bring herself to settle down.
It didn't help that Paul still wasn't back. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until they talked.
The hours after the battle had been a blur. The first order of business was making sure that everyone was taken care of. They had lost three - Niamh and two others that they had got to join them. But then more fae showed up, somehow hearing about everything - goddess, fae were such gossips sometimes - all of them eager to join the new court.
Then Jacob and Sam had pulled her aside, saying they wanted to talk in the coming days about how they could integrate the packs and the court. Both wanted to keep a level of independence, which Roisin could understand, but still wanted to form some sort of alliance. However, that would entail a meeting with the tribal elders. They would get back to her tomorrow with a day and time.
After that, Carlisle had come up to her and said that his family wished to continue working with her and the court as well. They were set to leave for a time when Nessie got older, but they always came back to Forks.
She then sat down with her family, the four of them going over everything and reconnecting. It was difficult at times, but Roisin found herself actually eager to try and mend things. And it seemed her parents and brother were as well.
Finally, after all of that, Roisin finally got some time to herself.
She walked over and sat on the end of her bed, her thoughts finally able to turn towards Paul and what all of this meant for their future. While they had both wanted to find a way to get out of her betrothal - a way for her to stop running and stay in Forks - she hadn't expected it would be like this. And she hadn't expected he would hesitate, though now that she thought about it, it made sense. She had been running from her destiny, after all. From becoming queen and ruling. But now that it was here, she had quickly accepted it. Stepped into the role that she had been meant to take all along.
But she really wanted him to be at her side. It was going to be difficult and she knew that Clodaugh was right. She would need Paul in this. And Sean. At least she didn't have to worry about that. He had already pledged his allegiance to the Court of Dawn in whatever capacity she wanted him in. Roisin was still trying to figure that out as well, but at the very least, he would be an advisor. He and Cara, who had joined as well. In fact, Roisin was pretty sure the next few weeks were going to be a long line of fae showing up to pledge to her court if today was anything to go by. And then it was likely that Autumn and Spring would be in touch to form alliances. Though she would still have to deal with Winter and Shadow - whatever that meant.
Roisin groaned, leaning over to rub her temples. At this rate, she'd never get to sleep tonight.
A knock at her door had her putting aside those worries for the time being as she looked up, her heart skipping a beat. Paul was back. Had to be.
"Come in," she called out, rising to her feet.
But rather than Paul, a nervous Mae stepped in, unsure if she should move any closer. While she had cleaned up, there were still visible cuts and bruises painting her skin. She quickly dropped into a bow.
"You don't have to do that. You never did it when we were at Summer Court," Roisin said, her heart seizing. She still hadn't processed Mae's betrayal.
"You're a queen now. It's different," Mae said, straightening, but not looking up from the ground as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. She then glanced up at Roisin. "I… I'm sorry. I know it doesn't mean much, but I am. I wouldn't… I shouldn't have gone to Rian. Or Shadow before that... I didn't mean to… I didn't know…"
Roisin studied her a moment and then sat back down, her brow furrowed.
"Well, that's not completely your fault. I didn't tell you," she said.
"You told Sean. Paul," Mae said, hurt creeping into her voice, though she still looked ashamed. "Why couldn't you tell me?"
"I…" Roisin stopped, thinking over why. Now that it was all over with - everything in the open - she wondered just why she hadn't trusted her so-called best friend with what Rian had done to her. "At the time, I wasn't strong enough." Mae looked up at her, surprised. "I wanted to forget that it happened. To get as far away from Rian and Summer Court as I could. Sean - it took him years to get the full story out of me. And I suppose he told Cara, which isn't a surprise. And Paul… that was the imprint. And the fact that he was here when Darraugh found me. Otherwise, I don't know if I would have told him everything… No… I would have. Eventually."
"I would have stood by you, you know. And I would have done everything to make sure he never found you," Mae vowed.
"I know," Roisin whispered. "I didn't want to burden you with my pain."
Mae stared at her a moment and then chuckled softly.
"You're always trying to look out for me," she said. "You know you can let me look out for you sometimes." Roisin raised her eyebrows.
"Yea, isn't that what you were trying to do that got us into this whole mess?" she asked. Mae's cheeks flushed.
"I deserve that, but… actually no. Even without knowing, I should have done things differently," she said, now looking at the floor again. "I just… I understand if you hate me and never want to forgive me, but I just want you to know that I love you and still think of you as my best friend. And I support you. This. Staying here."
Roisin was silent a few moments before she stood and walked over to Mae. She pulled her in for a hug, shocking Mae.
"It's going to take some time to trust you fully again, but… you're still my best friend. And it's up to you. You can stay here or go back to Summer Court. I won't stop you," she said gently.
"You're not going to kick me out of your life?" Mae asked in shock. Roisin smiled and shook her head.
"I don't think I could, truthfully. You've been part of it for a very long time," she replied. Mae smiled in relief and stepped back from her.
"I haven't decided what to do yet, but I'll let you know," she said.
"Okay."
Mae smiled at Roisin and then turned, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her. Sighing, she walked over and pulled open the curtains, staring out into the night, her thoughts yet again turning to Paul. Wondering where he was. When he would come back. She felt restless without him. Unsure.
It was then that she saw a figure walking towards the house. Stepping closer to the windows, her heartbeat faltered a bit before speeding up as she recognized who it was. Smiling, she walked over to the door and threw it open. In an instant, she was in front of Paul, throwing her arms around him.
He chuckled softly as he held her close, both of them calmer just being together. Roisin then stepped back and looked up into his eyes, finding him more settled than earlier.
"I wasn't sure when you'd come back," she said.
"I wasn't going to be away that long," he replied, smiling slightly. "Imprint, remember?"
"Right," she said. "Look about earlier…"
"Yea, that was… a lot to take in at once," Paul said. He then tightened his grip on her waist. "But… I think I've made a decision." Roisin's eyes widened as her heart raced. "I still don't think I'm ready for… all of this. But I know that I want to be with you. And we are better together. And if I'm doing this with you… I'll figure it out eventually. I mean… we need each other."
"We do. I really need you, Paul," Roisin whispered. "And… I don't really know what I'm doing either. So we'll be learning together." Paul chuckled.
"Yea, gonna need a long learning process," he said wryly.
"You can do it, you know. Rule with me. We're in this together. You and me," Roisin said firmly. "Always."
"Helps that we have Sean and Cara too," Paul said. Roisin grinned as she stepped back from him, finally feeling all her nerves and anxiety fade away.
"So… are you saying that you'll stay with me? Rule with me?" she asked. Paul laughed and nodded.
"Even though part of me thinks this Clodaugh has it wrong, yes. I'll stay with you. Always," he vowed. "But… could we maybe wait a bit before we do all the… wedding and… other stuff?"
Roisin found herself laughing as she planted a kiss on his lips.
"Yes. There is definitely no reason to rush into that," she said.
"You will have eternity, after all."
Both of them jumped, turning to see Clodaugh standing next to them, smiling serenely.
"And as I said, I did not decide anything. I merely saw what would happen. You made the decision to accept your destiny," she said.
"Some warning would have been nice," Paul muttered, causing the ancient fae to chuckle. "I guess this means you're here to… do the thing?"
"Yes, as you so aptly put it," she replied. Paul looked down at Roisin, who was smiling up at him as she stepped back a bit. Paul took a deep breath and turned to Clodaugh.
"Okay. I'm ready," he said. "Or, wait… I'm… will I have wings?" Clodaugh chuckled softly.
"No," she said. "You will always stay as you are. You will be impervious to age, illness. You will be both fae and wolf, though even I will admit that I am most eager to see how it affects you fully. We have never gifted one such as yourself with our power."
Paul took a deep breath and nodded, closing his eyes. Clodaugh walked over to him, gently taking his face into her hands and kissing his forehead. She then stepped back as they waited and watched.
Roisin looked on with wide eyes, watching as Paul began to glow slightly. When he opened his eyes and looked at her, she could see the flames dancing in them. He smiled and she could see the rays of the sun in it. He had always been beautiful to her. But now… he was so much more.
"I wish you both the best. Rule well. Rule wisely," Clodaugh said before silently disappearing.
"Really wish we could do that," Paul said, looking back over where she had stood a moment before turning to Roisin. "So… how do I look?"
She grinned as she walked over and slid her arms around his neck.
"Perfect," she murmured as her lips met his.
As Paul kissed her back, she could feel his love flowing over her like sunbeams. Her love for him coursing through her like fire. Without breaking the kiss, he reached down and easily picked her up in his arms, making his way back to her room. He then broke the kiss, staring deep into her eyes.
"I guess forever starts today, huh," he said. Roisin grinned and nodded.
"I guess so…"
OOOO
I couldn't help myself. When the opportunity came up to have an awkward meeting-the-parents moment, I couldn't resist. Though originally, they were there to confront Roisin with Rian, but then that made no sense as Darraugh had promised a month, so I changed it to what it is.
I felt it was fitting to have Paul struggle a bit rather than accept everything outright. Yes, he had decided to go with Ro, but at the same time, there hadn't really been much time for him to process fully what being with her would mean. And while I'm of the mind that I would jump wholeheartedly into being immortal (god, imagine all the things you could do with an infinite amount of time – all the books you could read or write, the experiences you could have, the places you could go and see) at the same time, I think it wouldn't be a completely easy decision. I've lived through losing family that I was super close with before I should have, and the thought of having to go through that with EVERYONE that I know and care about, it would be a bit daunting. Not to mention, I had Paul struggling with finding purpose, with feeling as though he wasn't good enough, from the beginning. So, his doubts about himself are very valid and realistic. And it's different from Ro. She's been running from it, but she's known all along that this was something that could happen. So, when it did, she was already at a point where she could accept it. Just took Paul a good chat with his dad to realize that yea, he doesn't really know how things are going to go down, but he loves Ro and she seems to believe in him as do others, so maybe he can do it.
Not to mention, I think this story needed some sort of resolution with Ro's family and Mae. Yea, it's not completely resolved, but we're on a good start.
After this, I have a bonus steamy chapter going up on AO3 (username rubberduckz84 – same title on the story) if you want to pop over to read it. If not, you won't lose anything from the story.
Thanks for reading and following! One more chapter to go!
