Poor Fancy's Followers is a short story written for Seanan McGuire's Patreon supporters. It closely follows the events of Wishes and Tears.
| “ | Then let us teach our trial patience, Because it is a customary cross, |
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Author's Summary[]
A return to Tybalt's adventures in Armorica, wherein he makes a very important decision maybe a little bit too quickly, and finds himself on an unwanted adventure. Again.This is the latest entry in our ongoing Tybalt stretch goal, and follows directly from "Wishes and Tears."
Plot []
Tybalt returns to Morane's Court and tells her about his visit to Privela, then formally claims the throne of the Court of Silvered Cats. Morane is horrified by this action, and she orders everyone else to leave so that she may talk to Tybalt alone. She begs Tybalt to reconsider his decision, and after some convincing, she tells Tybalt the true story of what happened to all the Cait Sidhe in Armorica.
Morane's grandfather, Alain founded the Kingdom of Armorica, along with a Queen of Cats, Lilou, and a Bridge Troll, Ealhstan. As the three of them were killing the beasts of the land and making space for the new Kingdom, they came across the den of a huge, ancient wolf. It took them three days and three nights to fight the creature, but they couldn't leave a wound that would have ended the fight. Finally, they killed the wolf with their silver blades coated in the ash from rowan wood, and when they did, he shed his skin and turned back into a man: he was Isengrin, Firstborn son of Oberon. With his dying breath, Isengrin cursed the three founders and told them they or their descendants would never find peace for their crime.
Under the curse, Ealhstan killed his lover Lilou, then fled into exile. Since the curse was laid on the land and on the descendants of the founders, Morane's parents were compelled by it to slay every Cait Sidhe in their territory, as well as numerous Reynards who came to the defense of the cats.
Morane begs Tybalt again to set aside the crown, but Tybalt tells her it cannot be undone. To avoid the curse taking hold of him, he leaves immediately to find the place where Isengrin died and figure out a way to end the curse. In his search, he finds a forgotten garden where he comes face-to-face with someone who's been mourning Isengrin since his death: Hirsent, the Firstborn of the Reynard. In exchange for lifting the curse, she demands that Tybalt kills the last alive founder, Ealhstan.
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Quotes[]
- "Changelings have few rights and less status, but they deserve to be treated as beloved pets, not abused and cast aside. They exist because of our poor decisions. They did not ask to be created, nor to be thrown to a world they are ill-prepared to survive." -Tybalt
- "Changelings are neither pets nor toys, and while only a monster or a fool would treat them as truly fae and deserving of a pureblood's place--it is not a kindness to ask someone to aspire beyond their abilities, nor to set them a challenge they cannot possibly meet--they are worthy of our respect, and our kindness." -Tybalt
- "For a problem as potentially deadly as this one, I might even have sought Eira, had it not been well known that she was taking one of her long, long naps, secluded from her descendants somewhere even Titania would not be able to reach. That was honestly for the best." -Tybalt
| Tybalt Shorts |
|---|
| A King Without a Court |
| Remembering to Rule |
| Caring for Cailin |
| September |
| Hero's Quest |
| Court of Silver |