Time, For Eliot Waugh, has run a bit askew since his enrollment at the Breakbills College of Magical Pedagogy. From all the pills and booze to dull life, to the odd flow of time in the land of Fillory that he's been High King of until recently. Then he was possessed by a monster that kept him trapped in his own mind where he relived moments of his life. To say life had changed Eliot would be an understatement.
Eliot lived life with shields up and those few lucky enough to be let in he bonded with quickly. Besides Margo, the other person was Quentin Coldwater. From the moment that awkward, floppy haired, geek stumbled onto Breakbills Eliot was smitten. After the Mike debacle, he kept the boy at arms length until had his proof of concept. They had made a life together, made a home together and together they had demonstrated what a beautiful life looked like.
When his friends freed him from the monster he finally thought he could have a second chance of that happy life with Q, but his heart was once again shattered when the boy died. For good this time. There was no underworld excursion this time. His life mate was gone and he was dealing with that.
Margo suggested returning to Fillory might do him some good and he took her up on that. Once he stepped through the door, unfortunately, Margo was gone and he was not in Fillory. He was sure he had been sober stepping through the clock this time, but, instead he had been dropped on a different planet.
And Q was alive!
It was like one of those romance movie where the long lost lovers run towards one another through a grassy field with their arms out stretched to some sappy tune. By the time they came close he was out of breath too. "Q..." He gathered the boy in his arms and held him tight.