magicianking: (Default)
magicianking ([personal profile] magicianking) wrote2025-01-05 08:02 am

open post: further up and further in

Eliot hasn't been depressed, per se, because it's sort of impossible to be depressed in Fillory. There's too much to do, these days: rebuilding Castle Whitespire, helping Josh and Poppy with the baby, and generally trying to run a post-apocalyptic-but-now-pretty-much-fine magical kingdom. Being High King of Fillory is, not to be totally cliche, Eliot's calling, and he's found a peace that he never had before. But it still sucks absolute balls that both Quentin and Janet are gone.

When Janet had first disappeared, Eliot had devoted all of his kingly resources to trying to find her. None of their world-jumping buttons had been missing, so he'd promised a knighthood and a castle to anyone in Fillory who found the missing Queen Janet.

"She won't love being treated like a damsel in distress like this," Poppy had told him.

"Well, if you have a better idea," he'd snapped, and that had been that, until a letter had arrived in the gazing pool. It had been frustratingly contextless, but obviously from Janet.

"Where is she?" Josh asked at the next meeting of the monarchs.

"I don't know. She's trapped, but she seems more annoyed than in danger."

"So she's in another universe? Since she had to use your telegram thing?" Poppy asked.

"Seems likely."

All of them had lapsed into silence.

"Should we call off the Queen hunt? Some of them are getting a little Don Quixote out there," said Poppy.

"No," Eliot had decided. "Just in case." Damsel in distress, Janet was not; but hell if he would ever be the one to give up on finding her.

--

Eliot's on his way to check on the progress of Castle Whitespire, wandering up the path from the comfortable townhouse he's been staying in, when the ground changes abruptly beneath his feet. He stumbles, and when he looks up--Dorothy, he is not in magical Kansas any more. Not in Oz any more? Whatever. The energy of wherever he is is totally different. He doesn't think it's Earth, either, despite the fact that he's in front of a huge Earth-style mansion.

"What the fuck," he mutters, and opens the door.
futaille: (grin)

[personal profile] futaille 2025-02-06 04:35 pm (UTC)(link)
"And charming, too, I see. That's undoubtedly served you well."
futaille: (Default)

[personal profile] futaille 2025-02-14 10:32 pm (UTC)(link)
"A novel way of attaining kingship, I think. Usually, it's hereditary."
futaille: (grin)

[personal profile] futaille 2025-02-16 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh, that's interesting. Who are the Fenwicks?"
futaille: (mockity mock mock)

[personal profile] futaille 2025-02-17 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
"Ineffectual rulers? Why, I am shocked and amazed. Surely there has never been historical precedent for that sort of thing."
futaille: (snark)

[personal profile] futaille 2025-02-21 03:54 pm (UTC)(link)
"Ah, a successful uprising! I am even more impressed!"
futaille: (shifty)

[personal profile] futaille 2025-03-02 04:41 pm (UTC)(link)
"With an unsuccessful uprising, you would have worse troubles than ineffective annoyance."
futaille: (Default)

[personal profile] futaille 2025-03-14 02:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"There we have it, then. Successful uprising."
futaille: (smirk)

[personal profile] futaille 2025-04-21 01:36 pm (UTC)(link)
"I don't doubt that that's easy enough to make use of."
futaille: (snark)

[personal profile] futaille 2025-05-15 01:43 pm (UTC)(link)
"Me? Normally I just ask nicely."