So the website is being super sketch and super difficult to upload this so it may be formatted a bit differently than usual. I apologize. As you will probably realize the setting will be jumping around quite a lot in the coming chapters but it's because I've built a world with so many characters and settings, and have set up the domino's to fall in a way that will wrap up all of these storylines. Anyway here's the next chapter which has a little bit of Snow/Emma and some Emma/Chris/Daniel which really moves the story along but was also fun to write ;)
Anyway Read and let me know what you think! You guys are the best followers!
Emma had been back at Talharain for a few days but she was still trying to get her bearings. She had lived in this castle for six years and for months before her devastating realization, but it seemed completely different. It had been transformed from a home to a war command center. Soldiers and captains were coming and going at all hours of the night. It seemed as if some members of the war council were always in session. They attempted to keep Emma out of the proceedings as much as possible which frustrated her endlessly. She had been in war and understood it, but most importantly she was capable of using her magic to counteract that of their enemy, something no one else could provide.
She was plagued by memories of her youth melding with what she thought she knew about her life creating the confusing reality of who she was. Sleep didn't come easy for her as the weight of what was to come pressed on her mind, making her nightmares more frequent. To prevent herself from lying in bed and staring at the ceiling she took to roaming the halls, revisiting the backgrounds to the memories that stood out most prominently in her mind.
She was so lost in thought as she was walking she didn't look up when she turned the corner, colliding with the other inhabitant of the hallway. She looked up, her eyes widening as she saw the person was her mother. It was the first time they had seen each other since her return.
"Oh." Snow looked nervous. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…" Snow took a deep breath. "I'll just go."
"No, it's ok." Emma spoke up quickly before her mother could walk away. When her mother turned around Emma paused, unsure of how to continue. She hadn't figured out the game plan for her first conversation with her mother. "I mean, it's your home too. We can't avoid each other forever. We have to figure out how to interact at some point."
Snow nodded slowly. "Interact?"
"I know it's not the…" Emma searched for the correct words. "Warmest of terms, but…"
"We're not on the warmest of terms." Snow finished, sadness filling her voice. "I shouldn't be surprised. After everything that happened, after what I did, after how I lied, you have every right to hate me."
"I don't hate you." The pain of her mother's comments pulling at Emma's heart. As angry as she was, there was still a part of her who craved her mother's love. The little girl who wanted nothing more than to be near her mother still held a firm grip on her hearts desires.
"You're not angry with me?" Snow looked confused and surprised.
"I didn't say that, but people change." Emma said quietly. "It's been eleven years, I certainly have."
"What makes you think I've changed?" Snow asked.
"I'm pretty good at spotting liars." Emma wasn't sure if it was really her ability to spot a liar or her desire to believe her mother was the incredible woman she had always believed she was. "What I saw in the castle that day when Aunt Red told you she hadn't found me? I saw real devastation, real loss. It didn't look like an act to me. I believe you've regretted that decision every day for the past eleven years. I believe you want a chance to fix, to change what you did. As angry as I was when I remembered what happened, I believed you when you said want to spend the rest of your life making up for that night."
"You believe me?" Snow asked in disbelief.
"I do." Emma nodded. 'Or at least I want to."
"So you've… you've forgiven me?" Snow was afraid to hear the answer. She wanted so badly to believe her daughter had found within her the ability to forgive the terrible thing she had done, but she wasn't entirely sure she deserved it. More than anything, she was scared her daughter would never be capable of forgiving her, that she would never again have the relationship that had blessed her life from the moment she had held her little girl in her arms.
Emma took a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair. "I don't even know how to begin to forgive you. Just because I recognize how regretful you are and see the desire to rectify your mistakes, it doesn't make the betrayal any less painful. I may be sixteen, but I still have the fresh memories and feeling of abandonment of that five-year-old little girl who just wanted her mother weighing on my mind. That's not something that just goes away. I just... I don't know how to trust you. I believe that you love me and I feel the love that I had for you, that at some level I've always had for you. I don't know how to reconcile all these feelings, I don't know how to rely on you anymore."
"I have to earn it back." Snow said simply. "I understand that. I have to work to gain your trust, a complete trust that I once had. Something that was so precious. A trust I betrayed and deservedly lost. I just want the chance to try."
"I'll try," Emma offered quietly. "But I don't know how this works. I mean, I have my memories back but they're the memories of a six year old and they're clashing with ten years of memories that really have no connection except for some unexplainable feelings. It's a lot to process. And to process it under this kind of pressure…"
"What pressure?" Snow asked.
"The war?" Emma motioned to the increased amount of guards moving through the hallways.
"Emma that's not something you need to concern yourself with." Snow protested.
"With all do respect, if you don't allow me to help, you're making a huge mistake." Emma said firmly. "You don't have anyone else who can counter Regina's power. But I can. I can make this battle fair, based on skill and man power alone."
"But it's not your responsibility to fight this war." Snow insisted.
"That's exactly what it is." Emma countered. "I'm the princess of this kingdom. I don't just get to sit back while people die."
"You're still a child Emma." Snow tried to reason with her. "As your parents it's still the responsibility of your father and I to protect your from putting yourself in danger like this."
"I'm not that five year old little girl you left alone in the hallway anymore." There was an edge to Emma's voice. Try as she might to push it from her mind, there was still a feeling of abandonment stemming from being left. "I don't need you to protect me from this because I've already experienced this, many times. I'm not scared of this. I can protect myself. I can help you protect all of these people, my people. If I am really to inherit this kingdom some day it is my responsibility to protect them."
"It is your responsibility to live long enough to be their queen, to be able to protect them." Snow insisted.
"What kind of ruler does it make me if I stand by and watch them die when I can do something to save them?" Emma understood where her mother was coming from but she desperately wanted her mother to attempt to see her side. "I get it, I'm your daughter, you want to protect me, its your instinct. But we don't get to decide when we want to be royals and when we want to just be a mother or a daughter. We are both, all the time. Being a royal isn't always easy, and it isn't always fun. You taught me that. This is part of that responsibility. I can help save them."
"Emma…" Snow began to protest but she was cut off by a guard's call
'Your majesty," The guard spoke up. "I'm sorry to interrupt but they need you in the war room immediately."
Snow looked back at her daughter, clearly wanting to continue their conversation. She hadn't expected for Emma to be willing to have a conversation with her so soon after her return and she didn't want to squander the opportunity set before her. Emma saw her mother's struggle and made the decision for her. She crossed her arms and nodded her head towards the guard. "Go."
"Emma." Snow protested, not wanting to leave but knowing she needed to.
"Go." Emma repeated, firmer this time. "Your people need you. You're their Queen, you have a responsibility to them."
"I have a responsibility to you." Snow said, trying to show her daughter she was still very much a priority.
"And right now I'm telling you to go." Emma insisted. Snow looked torn but finally she nodded and turned away, understanding that arguing with her daughter would only leave both of them in a worse place. As she followed the guard she had no idea where her relationship with her daughter stood after leaving her standing in the hallway alone for a second time.
Emma hadn't been able to get back to sleep after the conversation with her mother. Too many thoughts were racing through her head about all manner of topics. Her position in her family, her relationship with her mother, her role in the war, how to deal with the situation in Altair: all where major questions she would soon be forced to answer.
To keep her parents from worrying and questions from being asked she had eventually returned to her room, giving the impression she had slept at least of portion of the previous night. When the sun rose she had slipped into her riding pants and a tunic before escaping the hectic war planning of the castle. She took refuge in the extensive palace gardens that had been the backdrop of many of the adventures of her youth. As she walked deeper into the hedges the memories that played back in her head seemed so real. She hadn't realized it at the time but the life she had led was extraordinarily sheltered. Granted she hadn't spent a day over six in this castle so supervision had been expected but knowing her parents she knew that the hovering and boundaries set by the castle walls would have remained in place.
Part of her wondered if that would have been such a bad thing. She was grateful for the adventure and excitement her life had provided her. The stories and memories she had gained would be ones that she cherished for the rest of her life, but there were parts of it she wished she could push from her memory. She wondered what the blissful ignorance of never having her life threatened, of never losing someone she loved, of never taking a life would feel like.
"I thought I might find you here." A familiar voice pulled Emma from her thoughts and caused her to turn around. A smile spread across her face as she viewed the person standing across from her with renewed familiarity.
"Chris." Emma walked forward and wrapped her arms around him with the joy of seeing someone who had become an odd mixture of both an old and new friend.
"You're back." Chris smiled as they pulled away. "I heard you had left, I was worried."
"You came all this way in the middle of the night to see me?" Emma teased.
"Well when I heard you had a meltdown and disappeared, to Thrain no less…" Chris shook his head in fake dismay.
"You were worried about me." Emma grinned at the realization.
"I wanted to hear the story for myself and I figured no one would tell it quite like you." Chris shrugged, trying to hide the relief at seeing Emma back at home. "You always were a trouble-maker, even if no one could see it but me."
"Oh I was the trouble maker?" Emma scoffed. "That's not quite how I remember it but if that's what helps you sleep at night."
Chris paused, a more serious look crossing his face. Her words filled him with the reserved hope that she might truly remember her old life, that the spark of his childhood friend he had seen in the girl standing in front of him might have been reignited. "So… you really do have your memories back."
Emma shrugged, a playful grin spreading across her face as she tried to keep the moment from getting too serious. "I don't know how I could ever have forgotten you, or all the trouble you got me in."
"Oh well that's just false." Chris shook his head, a renewed happiness filling him as he realized his hopes had come true. "You were always the instigator."
"That is not true." Emma laughed. "But even when I was the brains behind the operation it was still your fault we got in trouble."
"Oh I would like to hear how that is the case." Chris challenged lightly.
"I seem to remember a certain day where we could have made it back into the castle grounds undetected had someone not been afraid to cross the river on the way back."
"I was six and it was high water." Chris protested.
"I was five and a lot smaller." Emma countered. "You were terrified. You were still shaking when our parents found us. I was under castle arrest for weeks."
"You were crazy enough to cross that river and then you let your parents think it was all me." Chris pointed out.
"I tried to explain the truth." Emma held up her hands in defense. "But no one would believe me."
"That was the most amazing part of it all." Chris laughed. "You tried to be honest and take responsibility but no one could believe you would have done something like that, especially after the river incident."
"I did nearly die." Emma reminded him.
"And somehow that made you less afraid." Chris shook his head in disbelief. "You amaze me. Regardless of whether or not I had been able to find the courage to cross that river, we still would not have gotten away with it. Neither of us were exactly low profile. They knew we were missing within ten minutes of us being gone."
"Yes but had we made it back into the castle we could have convinced them we had only been playing hide and seek." Emma shrugged. "I could be pretty convincing."
"Oh I know." Chris nodded with a grin. "You got away with so much when we were children. All you had to do was turn that sad little face to your father and you were off the hook. You had your mother wrapped around your finger too, along with every family friend, guard, and subject."
"Even you apparently." Emma crossed her arms good-naturedly. "Since you claim I'm responsible for every bit of trouble you got in."
"You are responsible for every bit of trouble I got in." Chris reminded her. Emma raised an eyebrow, clearly challenging his claim. "Ok, maybe not responsible for all of it, but you were definitely present for most of it. And I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."
Emma let her arms fall as a soft smile spread across her face. As painful as some of the memories had been to relieve, all of her memories of Chris had been happy. Aside from Alex he had been her best friend, the one who would do anything with her, no matter how crazy it seemed. She understood now what everyone had meant when they told her it seemed that she and Chris had never been apart. They had picked up with the friendly ease they had always had. Even without her memories, he had still made her feel comfortable. "Neither would I. You were a good partner in crime."
"I'm really glad you're back Em." Chris's tone softened. "I've really missed you. I know you were here and you still had the same personality but…"
"It felt like something was missing." Emma saw his inability to continue and finished for him. "It felt like that for me too."
Chris looked at her with a sincerity she hadn't seen since her return. "I missed you so much."
"You missed the plucky five year old you used to climb tree's and get into wooden sword fights with?" Emma gave a small laugh.
"Yes." Chris nodded honestly. He took a deep breath, trying to work up the courage to continue his confession. He looked into Emma's sparkling green eyes and found the strength to speak. "And I missed the incredibly beautiful sixteen year old I'm falling in love with."
Emma's heart stopped, completely stunned by the confession. Sure Alex had teased her about it, but it felt completely different hearing it from him, it made it real. "What?"
"I'm sorry." Chris continued, hurrying to explain himself. "I know its very forward and completely unfair of me to blindside you like this. I wouldn't normally have gone about it in this manner. In all honestly I don't know what normal is for me because I've never experienced falling in love before. But the time needed to find the perfect moment to tell you how I feel isn't promised to us. I don't know if I could bear it if something happened to one of us and I hadn't found the courage to tell you." Chris looked at Emma, eyes filled with such sincerity and emotion it almost hurt. "Emma I've never felt this way about anyone. No daughter any lord or foreign nobleman attempted to convince me to court ever drew me in the way you do. What I feel when I'm around you, it is powerful, something I cannot make myself stop thinking about, no matter how hard I try to push you from my mind."
"People have been telling me about true love my entire life but it was not something I understood before you came back into my life. You make me feel alive in a way I never thought possible. I didn't think love was something I wanted or something I'd ever find. I had resigned to the fact that I would probably just marry someone of my parents choosing because my status as a royal required it. I didn't care about love, I wasn't even sure I believed in it. But then you came back into my life and still had that magnetic pull on me you'd always had. Only this time it was different. I couldn't stop thinking about you but I didn't want to. I realized I was a happier person when I was with you. All I wanted was to be with you. You make me want to be better than I am. You have this light that makes everything seem a little brighter in the world. It took me a while to see it, but that indescribable feeling I had for you, it was love, it was that feeling that everyone had always told me existed, that I had always seen, but never believed in."
Emma struggled to find the words as she attempted to process her reaction to Chris's stunning revelation. She hadn't seen such an admission coming, and she certainly hadn't expected it in the wake of the war brewing around them. Her mind seemed unable to determine her feelings in return. "Chris…. I…"
Chris saw Emma's struggle and cut in. "I'm sorry to lay this all on you now. I know it's not fair. You're barely home, you've just regained your memories and are trying to process how two lives fit together, and I'm professing love to you. But I'm scared I won't have another chance."
Emma was confused by his concern. "Why wouldn't you have another chance?"
"Emma this war, I know our parents have been trying to keep it from us, but its not going to end without major loss on both sides." Chris said gently. "This entire realm is preparing to go to war with one another and neither side is going to give in easily. There is no guarantee that any of us will come out of the other side alive."
"Chris we're going to be fine, all of us." Emma assured him. "We're going to win this war and we're going to have our entire lives ahead of us. And after all of this our lands will be a safer and better place for our people."
"Emma your step-grandmother…" Chris began.
"Is not as powerful as everyone thinks she is." Emma cut in, trying to calm his worries. "I can neutralize her power, especially with the help of my community in Altair."
Chris took a deep breath, concerned with how Emma would take the next revelation. "Em, it's not just Regina you have to contend with anymore."
"What do you mean?" Emma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
Chris hesitated before looking back at Emma. "She's recruited help."
"You mean like Thrain?" Emma asked. "I know about that, I was there, I understand what it means. They're a major power but I believe we can handle them."
"Not just Thrain Emma." Chris shook his head. "She's recruited outside help. We've only heard rumors of him but… he's very powerful."
"Who's he?" Emma asked.
"They call him Mohrion." Chris said somberly.
Emma's stomach dropped and she felt as if someone had collapsed her lungs. It seemed as if the hedges on either side of the pathway were closing in on couldn't breath as the seriousness of Chris's revelation settled in. Her head spun as she thought of everything she had been taught about the name Chris had mentioned. It didn't just denote power, it denoted the greatest power known in any realm, a great evil who would stop at nothing to get what he desired. "Mohrion?"
"You've heard of him?" Chris said in realization.
"Yes." Emma nodded slowly "Anyone with a magical education has. Mohrion… what does he want with our realm?"
"They say Regina has promised him land in exchange for his help." Chris explained.
"That doesn't make any sense." Emma had a faraway look in her eyes as she tried to fit the pieces together in her head. "Mohrion has an entire realm at his command. With his power he doesn't need promises from someone like Regina to grow his influence. There has to be something else going on here."
"Like what?" Chris asked.
"I don't know." Emma admitted. "But Mohrion is the most powerful magical being in any realm. If he is truly aiding her, it changes everything."
The color drained from Chris's face as he realized what Emma was saying. "Is there any hope of our victory?"
"I don't know." Emma looked at Chris with worry. "No one has ever been capable of defeating him. But very few have been crazy enough to try."
"So you're saying there's no hope." Chris's voice was weak, even he knew what he was hoping was far fetched.
"I don't know." Emma shrugged helplessly "How long have you known about this."
"A week?" Chris guessed. "Maybe longer for our parents."
"Does Daniel know?" Emma asked.
"I believe so." Chris nodded. As soon as the admission was out Emma began to walk quickly back towards the castle. He had to run to keep up with her. "Emma wait, where are you going."
"To get some answers." Emma snapped. "I'm a little sick of the lies." Thoughts were flying through her head as the pieces began to fall into place. It was all beginning to make sense. The sudden battles that were cropping up across the realm, spreading out the forces of Altair, the constant flux of the balance, the reason she had to remain present in Eirian, why she couldn't go elsewhere to help, why she had to be seen. She had been blind to not see it before. Mohrion had been behind all of the attacks, inciting them each for a specific reason. He was leading up to something, but she wasn't quite sure what. For some reason her role was to draw his attention this land, to her.
She held out her hand, causing the door of Daniel's room to fly open. Daniel looked around in surprised, shocked by Emma's use of magic. "Emma."
"Mohrion? Daniel." Emma cut him off in anger as she stalked into the room. "And you didn't tell me?"
Daniel turned an accusatory glare to Chris. "You told her?"
"I didn't know it was supposed to be a secret." Chris held up his hands.
"It shouldn't have been." Emma's glare was trained on Daniel, anger and betrayal coursing through her. "Why did you keep it a secret?"
The anger diffused from Daniel, regret taking its place. He looked apologetically at Emma, torn at having lied to his best friend. "Your parents asked me to."
"My parents told you?" Emma asked in surprised.
"No." Daniel shook his head quickly.
"Serafine did." Emma said in realization, shaking her head in disgust.
"Only because I forced her to." Daniel hurried to explain. "I figured it out myself after I looked into what happened to Diana. I had to know."
"But you didn't tell me." Emma's voice wasn't angry, it was filled with betrayal. Daniel wasn't sure which hurt more. "This is why I'm supposed to be here, isn't it? They want me to bring him here.
"Emma I don't know…" Daniel began.
"What do you think?" Emma demanded, tears threatening to spill over.
Daniel paused, at a loss for words. He couldn't quite find he strength to say what he needed to. He knew what she was thinking, and he knew that she had pieced together what he had. His heart hurt knowing that they had both probably stumbled across a very painful truth. "Yes. If I had to guess, that would be it."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Emma sounded hurt.
"How is there a good way to tell your best friend something like that?" Daniel asked, whishing she was displaying any emotion right know other than pain. He hated knowing he was part of the reason she was feeling it. "Especially when you're not sure."
"We used to tell each other everything." Emma said quietly.
Daniel let his head fall, it was another fair blow. Since their departure from Altair things had changed. They were still friends but secrets had come between them, no matter how well intentioned. She had found out he had been lying to her for their entire friendship and the lies had just kept building. He wasn't quite sure when one had snowballed into so many. Despite the good intentions to protect her he couldn't help but feel she was justified in her feeling of betrayal. "We weren't playing a game where the stakes were this high."
"My life isn't a game Daniel." Emma said angrily. She looked at the boy standing in front of her, he was someone she didn't even fully recognize anymore.
"I'm sorry Emma." Daniel admitted remorsefully. "I guess I didn't tell you because… I didn't want it to be true."
"Well it is true." Emma's voice had softened but the hurt was still there. "And keeping it secret isn't going to change that."
Daniel hung his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "I know."
"Well it doesn't really make a difference now." Emma took a deep breath and put her hand to her head. "We need to go."
Daniel looked up, confused. "Go where?"
Emma shrugged simply as if it were obvious. "The one place we can find out exactly what we're dealing with. We may think we know what, but I need to know why."
"You hate the library." Daniel pointed out.
"No you hate the library." Emma crossed her arms.
"Because it brings nothing but bad ideas to you." Daniel shook his head.
"Well right now its about the only place I can trust to give me real answers instead of lying to me under the guise of protection. So come on." Emma knew the last comment was harsh but she didn't care. She was hurt that her best friend had lied to her. She looked over at Chris and held out her hand. "You too."
"Me?" Chris pointed to himself in shock. He had watched the exchange from the doorway and had honestly expected to be left behind in the moment.
"Yes." Emma nodded, motioning with her hand again. "You don't think I'm going to just walk away after what you just told me? No matter how poorly timed it was."
Chris walked forward slowly, taking Emma's outstretched hand. "Am I allowed to come to Altair?"
"If you're with me." Emma grasped his hand. "Just a warning, the first time can be a bit rough."
Chris's head was still swimming as they neared the library at the center of Altair's capital city. The city was larger than anything he had ever seen. The buildings soared to heights he had never though possible. The sprawling expanse was well kept and seemed to almost shimmer in the daylight. He was amazed as Emma and Daniel navigated the streets expertly, never seeming to falter as the moved farther into the city. When they reached the library he was taken a back by the beauty and grandeur of the building. Emma had mentioned it was a largest repository of magical knowledge in existence. If they were going to find answers, it would be there. He tried to keep his bearings as he followed Emma and Daniel through the impossibly large doors, opening up into a massive room. He glanced up at the book cases that stretched up the multiple levels to the domed ceiling. "How are we supposed to find anything in here? Do you even know what you're looking for?"
"Not exactly." Emma admitted as she walked to a table in the center of the room. She closed her eyes and held out her hand. Chris felt a small pulse shoot through the room and slowly books began to float off the stacks and circle her, finally coming to rest in front of her.
"Whoa." Chris breathed as Emma swept her hands over the books, causing them all to fly open, finally settling on whatever page she had been searching for.
Emma glanced back at Chris and Daniel. "These are all the sections mentioning Mohrion. Start looking for anything that might tell us what he wants with Eirian."
"You mean what he wants with you?" Chris asked. He felt Daniel's glare, rather than ignoring it he glanced over at him. "You know ignoring it isn't going to protect her."
"Yes but forcing her to perseverate on it is not going to do her any good." Daniel replied curtly. "Trust me, I know her a lot better than you do."
"Both of you just start looking." Emma shook her head, annoyed by their arguing.
They each took a book and began to scan through the pages, searching for any bit of information that might help them. As time wore on Emma's frustration grew with the lack of answers. Emma placed her hands over her face and slowly pulled them down, sighing in frustration. "This is hopeless."
"Em," Daniel's voice was quick. "I think I found something."
"What?" Emma glanced over, an unsure tone coming from her frustration.
"I can't be quite sure," Daniel admitted, pulling at the tome in frustration. "It's locked."
"Locked?" Emma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Here let me try." Emma walked over to the book and held her hand out over the book, her magic sparking as she tried to get the section to unlock. In frustration she set her mouth in a line and flicked her hand with more emphasis and sent the pages flying open with a bang that reverberated through the massive building.
Daniel looked around nervously, hoping they hadn't attracted any unwanted attention. "Jeez Em, could you be a little more discreet?"
"Sorry." Emma shrugged. "I've never encountered one that was locked that strongly."
Both Emma and Daniel began to read the section intently, trying to shed light on the situation. As they read the cloud of confusion shrouding the connection between recent events slowly began to clear. It soon became clear that what they were reading was not just section detailing the life of Mohrion but a prophecy, and one that had been intentionally hidden. As they read on, the encountered a list of the great powers that stretched far back through time. The page adjacent to the list detailed something called the Cycle of the Great's explaining each era had a magical being of unparalleled power. Their innate magical ability would far surpass all others and once disciplined they would be the preeminent power, unchallengeable by any other singular magical being in existence. As each era came to a close, the Great's power would begin to wane as the next Great grew into their magic, taking their place at the top of the magical hierarchy.
"Emma." Orrin whispered pointing toward the final line in the list that had been filled. It was the line associated with the dawning era of the next great, an era that was apparently just beginning. The birth year of the great had been penciled in, it was the birth year for every member of their magical class. The blank where the name was to be written had been filled in with a phrase that caught their attention, the Princess of Light, with a question mark next to it.
"Princess?" Daniel looked at Emma. "Em you are the only royal in our year."
Emma's eyes were still fixed on the book. "I know."
"Emma, you are the product of true love." Daniel continued. "That is where your magic stems from. You know true love is sometimes referred to as…"
"Light…" Emma managed to speak up, finally looking over at Daniel. "I know."
"Emma." Daniel saw the signs of Emma beginning to spiral.
"So his reign is coming to close and the dawn of the next Great's era has arrived." Emma remained composed. "That's why all of this is happening. He wants to remove the next Great before they can come to prominence and take his power."
"Would they really be taking his power?" Daniel asked. "Can he do anything by killing them before they come to prominence?"
"The cycle works by passing power between each Great in addition to their innate power." Emma pointed to the book. "He believes if there is no reservoir for his power to be transferred he will keep it."
"So you guys have never heard about this cycle?" Chris asked. "I thought you said you had learned about this, Mohrion."
"We have, but they didn't tell us about this." Emma shook her head, looking back to Daniel. "Did you know?"
"About the Cycle?" Daniel asked. "No. I heard he had gained his position by killing some great power but I never knew there was a cycle with pre-determined successors."
"So she hid it from us." Emma nodded slowly. "Serafine kept us in the dark, she kept me in the dark."
"She was trying to protect you." Daniel said gently.
"She didn't want me to know it was me, that it was my name that was supposed to be in this book." All anger was gone from Emma's voice. "That it's my responsibility to kill him."
"Em…" Daniel began.
Emma suddenly pushed herself away from the table, filled with a renewed sense of purpose. "I've got to speak with her."
"Are you sure that's a good idea after how you left things the last time?" Daniel asked carefully. "And we don't even know for sure that it's you."
"I would be grateful if all of this was a misguided theory, but we both know that it probably is real. I need answers Daniel." Emma turned to her gaze to her friend with a look that said more than words ever could. Daniel instantly understood Emma's need for answers. He could see she was overwhelmed and struggling to process the enormity of the information that had been placed on her. "For once in my life, I need someone to be completely honest with me."
Daniel gave a hesitant nod. "Ok, I understand. She's in council right now.
"How do you?" Emma began before waving it off. "You know what, it's not important right now. You need to stay with Chris. He can't come to council."
"You want me to stay with him?" Daniel raised his eyebrow, glancing over at the prince.
"Yes." Emma nodded. "Show him around, I don't really care what you do. I'll find you when I'm done. I'll be back soon."
Both Daniel and Chris watched Emma walk off slowly but purposefully as she went to find her answers. "Well." Daniel turned to Chris with an awkward pause finally asking the question that had been nagging him. "So uh, what did you say to her before… she uh, brought you here?"
"You really want to know the answer to that quesiton?" Chris raised an eyebrow.
"Yea…" Daniel said slowly, realizing he would rather not know. "Not really."
"So…" Chris glanced around, his gaze settling on the view of the city outside the window. "This is where you grew up."
"Yup." Daniel nodded awkwardly. "I uh… you hungry?"
"Yea, sounds good.' Chris said quickly, looking at the books. "Do we um, need to put these away?"
Daniel shrugged. "Someone will take care of it. Let's just…"
"Yea." Daniel nodded his head, silently ordering Chris to follow him. He wasn't sure what Chris had said to Emma but he knew it had been serious for her to bring him to Altair. Regardless of what happened, this was going to be one uncomfortable afternoon.
So if you hadn't gathered by now Emma is going to have a bit of a secondary dilemma in addition to her destiny. I think I know how all of this is going to play out in terms of Orrin/Daniel/Chris but I could always be persuaded by what you guys think should happen. Let me know!