A Fate Foretold (formerly: A World Gone Mad)

A Fate Foretold Epilogue

Epilogue

         

            Political upheaval in Geneva, the capital of the First Pack’s territory, did not directly affect daily business in the other packs, although they were aware of what was going on and kept an ear and an eye on what was happening. The Crown Princess Alianora had suddenly reappeared after vanishing for fifteen months and being proclaimed dead by drowning. The queen regent and the Lycan Council had had to issue a hasty retraction and apologize for their erroneous announcement that had declared the First Descendent lineage over. Behind the scenes, the queen regent had had to answer some difficult questions put to her by the Council regarding how she had come by the information in the first place. It was most unfortunate for her, particularly in her state of ill health.

            Ally had been correct in assuming that Lydia only took such monumental actions because she felt her time was running out. Which it soon did, but not before Leonard and his allies tried numerous attempts on Ally’s life. Calling upon her old friends and contacts within the Council and the spy network, she had consolidated support and worked night and day to weaken the opposition and drive them from any position of power. Attempts to destroy both her body and her standing, kept quiet for the stability of the realm, were swiftly punished when Queen Alianora ascended the throne. The nine months since she had began her rule had started out rocky, while she purged the court of traitors and Leonard’s sympathizers by sending them into exile to different parts of the First Pack’s territory and jailed her elder stepbrother and his two closest cronies. With the Council’s support, however, having a First Descendent on the throne had given both the pack and the greater werewolf world the stability and security needed to flourish.

            After the court had settled down, one of the new queen’s first enacted laws was to formally outlaw the practice of nat amatras. The Council had been confused, seeing as the tradition had been phased out a century ago, but had passed it nonetheless. Sir Walter and Ralph had supported the measure understandingly, while Cornelius, who had returned from his self-imposed exile in New York to support Ally, hid a knowing smile.

            The Sullivan pack had several disagreements with their eastern neighbor in Canada, the Schumer pack. George Sullivan decided to send an emissary directly to the First Pack, before the territory dispute was blown out of proportion and required full on negotiations again, like with the Tsolmon pack. First Pack politics had settled down and stabilized by now, and so the Sullivan alpha chose to reward Tim’s natural knack for politics and promote him by sending him to Geneva to speak on his behalf.

            The great château that, situated in the Swiss Alps close to Geneva, housed the First Pack’s court far surpassed any pack headquarters that Tim had ever seen. He was ushered into a large room where Council members and advisors gathered in the presence of the monarch to do business, trade news, and discuss any matters relating to the Lycan world. The group was broken into smaller clusters and had a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere for the epicenter of werewolf politics.

            Tim allowed himself to be led to the back of the room where in a high-backed chair the monarch of the First Pack sat. It would have been unassuming, had an aura of power and dignity not radiated from the spot. As the crowd of people parted to let him through, Tim caught his first glimpse of Ally, sitting serenely in the chair as she talked to Sir Walter. Her hair was now light blonde, but she was unmistakable. He would recognize her anywhere.

            His guide cleared his throat to attract Ally’s attention and then announced, “Your Majesty, this is Timothy Hart, an emissary from the Sullivan Pack. Her Royal Majesty, Queen Alianora of the First Pack,” he directed the latter at Tim, who could do nothing but stand there slack-jawed.