open post: further up and further in

[magicianking]

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.

Comments

[magicianking]

"Really? A handsome and funny guy like you? Come on."

[futaille]

"And now I'm going to get conceited. But really, do go on."

[magicianking]

"You're not a bad conversationalist."

[futaille]

"Grand praise indeed!"

[magicianking]

"Now do me." Eliot grins. "I do have an advantage, 'cause I've read your book, but try. I want some compliments too."

[futaille]

"You are excellent at compliments, I will begin easily. And at least you are aware of your advantage, because it leaves my own compliments tragically superficial, because you must obviously know you're handsome."

[magicianking]

"You're right, I do know that, but it's always good to hear again in case I forget."

[futaille]

"In that case, the reminder is a service I'm happy to provide."

[magicianking]

"If only I could bring you home with me to remind me more often."

[futaille]

"And charming, too, I see. That's undoubtedly served you well."

[magicianking]

"It has, though it's not how I got to be king. That was really more of a first-come first-served situation."

[futaille]

"A novel way of attaining kingship, I think. Usually, it's hereditary."

[magicianking]

"We intend for it to be hereditary from now on. If only to stop the Fenwicks from trying to gain power. Well, I guess I don't care what happens after I'm dead and Princess Jackie is dead. She's the heir. Not my kid, the other king's kid."

[futaille]

"Oh, that's interesting. Who are the Fenwicks?"

[magicianking]

"Just a noble family. They were more or less running things before we showed up, so they're kind of pissed at us. They're pretty ineffectual." Eliot thinks of Benedict with a pang. "Well, most of them."

[futaille]

"Ineffectual rulers? Why, I am shocked and amazed. Surely there has never been historical precedent for that sort of thing."

[magicianking]

"They were the first ones ever," Eliot says, mock-seriously. "It fell to us to oust them."

[futaille]

"Ah, a successful uprising! I am even more impressed!"

[magicianking]

"Yeah, let's go with that, and not that they're still around and annoying us. Ineffectually, but still."

[futaille]

"With an unsuccessful uprising, you would have worse troubles than ineffective annoyance."

[magicianking]

"True. But, like, I'm magic and they're not. They're pretty much handled."

[futaille]

"There we have it, then. Successful uprising."

[magicianking]

"I know you don't believe in this divine right of kings shit, and neither do I, but I think if I were one of my subjects, I'd maybe believe in it a little, with all the magic."

[futaille]

"I don't doubt that that's easy enough to make use of."

[magicianking]

"What about you? How do you get people to do what you want?"