Sebastian arrives at Derleth. Eliot finds him and learns of Sebastian's fate. For the first time about his world, Eliot has reason to
hope.
⚠Season five Magicians spoilers.
"JANE!"
The name bellowed from his chest the moment his senses were no longer paralyzed by the crippling sense of confusion that had gripped him in those initial moments; where his gaze had scanned the perimeter to take in his surroundings well before logic or thought could begin to try to process what he was seeing. After an immeasurable amount of time solely in the company of his sister, confined to a limited area of space, any deviation in his surroundings would have been bound to be noticed immediately. The clock barrens protected himself, as well as his sister and his forthcoming niece, from the perils of the world outside of the time nexus; yet it was largely unyielding to the notion of change. The plants grew and expanded, capable of sustaining all that were relying upon them as an aspect of protection, but they could not have been removed so easily to be replaced by new foliage and structures.
Gone was the quaint cottage and garden and the faint sounds of ticking clocks, inescapable when in the company of his dear sister, and instead replaced by an expanse far greater than he was accustomed too since his rescue from the destruction of Fillory.
His present whereabouts, of course, were the last of his present concerns. He could hypothesize and deconstruct how it was he'd been extricated from a nonlinear plane at a future point in time. For the present? He needed to find his sister. Desperation, perhaps, was clear across his features as his hands rose to cup around his mouth and he bellowed out again, "JANE!"
Fray. Alternate Universe Space Husband. Someone who inexplicably had his face without the rest of his charming history or personality? Eliot was already on edge, having gotten Fray settled in the living quarters of his own room and knowing she also had Fen to look in after her, he needed space. Eliot had taken to smoking while his long legs walked at an inappropriate speed only equal to his anxiety. He had covered every inch of the fractured campus over the weeks, and knew it well even with the expansion of The Green.
But hearing that voice…
Eliot’s face threatened to crumple. Sure, what was one more dead boyfriend to add the pile he was already starting to accumulate at Derleth? Maybe Idri and Mike would show up and they could all have a grand old time.
He thought about saying nothing at all, walking on, pretending not to hear Seb’s calls to his sister. Publicly, he claimed it was to emotionally prepare himself when all the sudden new arrivals turned out to be deadly pod people. Privately, he doubted that to be the case if only because that would have made things easier.
The magician squeezed his eyes shut. Eliot’s fingers gripped too tightly on his cigarette and destroyed it in his fingers, splitting apart into useless fibers at his feet. If magic came from pain, how the fuck was he not a master magician by now?
His eyes were still shut when, without thinking, Eliot shouted back, “SEBASTIAN.”
Fuck.
No turning back now.
Eliot’s eyes slowly opened and he hesitated before his feet cautiously weaved him through the trees, closer to the sound of Seb’s voice. This was it. Seb was dead. He probably remembered dying with his sister in some horrific, last ditch effort to save themselves within the Clock Barrens. And Sebastian would confirm his demise, and that tiny ember of hope that Seb had made it-- a feeling that Eliot mostly kept guarded to himself-- would finally extinguish along with the attached piece of his heart.
What the fuck did he even have to go back to if Derleth did ever send him home? Sure, he wasn’t dead, but his fellowship at Brakebills was mostly an imitation of living now that most of his friends were gone in one form or another.
At Derleth no one need ever die, and he could have all the Margos he could ever desire, although any more than two and they would probably start a Hunger Games or worse-- a Welters Tournament.
When Eliot finally spotted Sebastian through the trees, he stopped. Fuck. It was really him.
Logic should have prepared him for the potential of any voice responding to his call but expectation had been waiting for the response from Jane and Jane alone. Solitude did that to one's soul. And yet, when his name was called out in turn, his focus turned towards the direction of the voice. Despite the war of logic and expectation, the one voice he could say with certainty he hadn't expected to hear? That of Eliot Waugh.
His body pivoted and began moving towards the sound. The need to find Jane was still pulsing through him, unlikely to subside anytime soon, but Seb knew the value of a trusted ally. His last moments with Eliot, all those months prior, all but guaranteed aid would be given to him. Not that Seb believed he was deserving of it, after his misguided actions, but he was still certain of the notion.
Spotting Eliot, he picked up his pace until he'd crossed the distance. Impulse had him reaching out, a hand coming to rest against his shoulder in kinship, though the frantic look was still displayed across his features. "Eliot," he said, almost in awe because it had been so incredibly long, "what's happened?"
The magician picked up the pace, not running toward Sebastian but he couldn’t contain his exhilaration or anxiety to just… casually walk up to him either. Forgetting himself momentarily, putting his hand over Sebastian’s, keeping him close.
Eliot was unable to betray his feelings in that moment, his face and particularly his eyes easily read for the care and concern he had for the immortal magician king. He was bracing himself, wanting so badly to ask if Sebastian had survived, not wanting to be the one to tell him he was dead if he did not yet remember those moments, or getting confirmation from Sebastian himself that and his sister did not survive.
“Did you read the letter?” Eliot asked. Normally he would be annoyed by how frequently his attempt to explain things was either ignored or critiqued, but this was the rare exception. Eliot was far more concerned with what Sebastian meant because it was an extremely loaded question.
It hadn't truly hit Sebastian how dearly he'd missed the company of the other magician until this moment. If he'd not have been so concerned in that moment for Jane perhaps he would have been able to enjoy the reunion.
"No," Sebastian answered promptly as his own gaze moved away from searching Eliot's face in wait of the explanation to his own pocket. The letter had been snatched from the air but promptly ignored to focus on the far more critical quandary of Jane's whereabouts. His fingers flexed against Eliot's shoulder but he didn't move to retract his hand just yet, even though the question made Sebastian certain he ought to read the contents.
He brought his gaze back up to Eliot now with a slight frown. "What's in the letter?"
“My regularly criticized attempt to explain what happened,” Eliot spoke wryly, but couldn’t help the small, teasing smile on his face. “You know, for those that actually read it.”
Eliot dropped his hand, but didn’t stray.
“People just show up here. Different worlds, different timelines, alternate timelines. We think there was possibly some sort of experiment that went wrong? This campus is… situated in its own bubble. We spend one week in a void, and the next week the campus is parked on some other world.” Eliot paused and savored Seb’s appearance. Beautiful, not-always-so-bright, Seb. If only they hadn’t been caught on opposing sides. What might have happened between them?
“It’s temporary,” Eliot said, frowning. “A few weeks or maybe even a few months before you’re back to where you were before. No one will know the difference. How is--”
Eliot cut himself off. If he asked how Jane was, what Sebastian last remembered, he would learn more about what happened to Sebastian. Possibly. Eliot didn’t think he was ready to know.
"I'll be certain to be kind in my analysis," he stated with this knowledge presented to him, the smallest hint of jest crossing over his features as he did so. "Oh, I'll read it. Don't you worry of that." He would examine it for a great length of time, he was certain.
Sebastian pulled his own hand free from Eliot's shoulder when the other man made a similar movement. A shift was made, hand slipping into the pocket to extract it, but it was turned over as his eyes rose back up to listen to Eliot's words instead. It was preferable in terms of explanation.
A nod of understanding followed Eliot's words. As far as explanations went? It wasn't too different from the life he'd lived for the past few centuries; with the experiment being the only aspect that made a brow raise out of curiosity towards Eliot. "Experiments with time?" That made him flicker to a thought of his dear sister and a frown set in deeper. It sounded exactly like something she might have had her hands in.
If he wasn't certain, of course, that it was impossible for her to have been involved given her state of being. "Back to the same point?"
Well, that certainly did make it easier to let his shoulders relax. This meant Jane wouldn't be left alone and that she wasn't in present danger. He could manage that. He turned the letter over again. "Jane?" He finished the question for Eliot, assumptions being made, but giving the man a chance to correct him if necessary.
Eliot nodded. It was clear, by the way all trace of relief evaporated from his face, that he was wary of the answer. It was unnatural for him to be honest about his feelings, but he’d been experimenting, and did so again when he added, “And you. I take it you remember what happened, what we had to do…”
He had second thoughts. Eliot just wanted to delay the answer, knowing finally, once and for all, what happened to Sebastian when he was left behind as Fillory was destroyed.
“People come here from different parts of their timeline, so, it can make things complicated. Who knows what, who remembers who. Should we tell them about the shit we do in their future? What happens to them in their future? Or just keep it to ourselves because why torture someone with that here? What good will it do? I mean, honestly, if you knew you were going to die or go through something completely awful, would you really want to know?”
Eliot’s eyes locked on Sebastian’s. He hadn’t meant to betray how miserable he felt.
How much he’d wondered: did Sebastian survive the destruction of Fillory?
He wanted to talk more, say anything else, just to delay the answer, but Eliot found he had no idea what else to say. He couldn’t imagine a happy (or at least not tragic) ending, because wasn’t that what happened to anyone he cared about?
Best case scenario, they ended up in New Fillory. Without him.
Seb's expression, in turn, turned to one of concern. Realization was setting into how it may have seemed from the other side of things. Sebastian had been certain that his own demise was moments away and destined to have his last memory be the obliteration of Fillory in the company of the brother he would always love but could not deny had become completely monstrous. The rescue by Jane had been nothing short of extraordinary and gratitude was something he'd yet to feel subside in the weeks since.
But how was Eliot to have ever known that occured? Fillory was gone. Logic dictated he must have gone with it and as this thought crossed his mind, his expression softened. "Oh, no, my friend," he said gently but it was not really an answer, was it?
He inhaled and reached back out, hand resting against Eliot's forearm, as a steadying and understanding gesture. "I think one could reason both sides of that coin. If those you are trying to protect see how that very act is causing anguish, but have no understanding of why, it may be causing in direct harm." A small part of Sebastian wondered who else had come here and whom Eliot was trying to keep protected by withholding of events. However, that was a question for later.
His fingers flexed against Eliot's arm before he withdrew it, lifting his hand up to rest against his cheek. His thumb brushed gently across it, hoping to maintain the other man's focus, as he gave him his best attempt at a reassuring smile. "I do remember what happened, Eliot. You do not have to keep those moments from me." Another deep breath before he pulled his hand backwards, a sense telling him he couldn't allow himself to linger. They'd left on amicable terms but Sebastian knew how much he'd hurt the man in front of him with his folly. "I've been in the Clock Barrens since we parted. They were never going to be destroyed with Fillory."
“Wait.”
Realization struck Eliot like a bolt. Both hands clasped Sebastian’s shoulders tightly. The news of Seb’s fate, on an emotional level, changed things for Eliot. The pattern was broken. Eliot wasn’t destined for endless heartache and tragedy.
“You’re alive?”
Now Eliot’s eyes were locked on Sebastian’s. There was desperation there. He had been extended a branch containing hope, a chance, one he could not have even imagined existed mere moments before.
It was almost too much.
When Seb’s gaze did not betray any hint of a lie, well intentioned or not, Eliot’s face erupted into a radiant smile. He pulled Sebastian into a tight hug and held on. Sure, Sebastian was The Dark King. True, he had almost destroyed existence being fooled into letting the dead come back to the realms of the living. Yes, Eliot’s friends made multiple attempts to assassinate Seb.
But honestly if they could get past that, what couldn’t they get past?
Eliot released Sebastian and promised, “I’ll find you. I have to find you, right? Your sister is pregnant, but her granddaughter, your grand-niece, is still around. That couldn’t happen if there wasn’t a way, right? The timeline would have totally Back to the Futured her.”
There was a nod of his head, with his answer coming with a bit more joy in its inflection, as a way of reassurance, "Yes, I am."
Seb's arms easily moved to fold around Eliot, pouring as much strength into the embrace as he was being given, as he dipped his head. A small, private smile crossed over his features. The affection he felt for Eliot hadn't waivered in wake of the assassination attempts nor in the weeks of practical solitude. And as one who all too well how heavy a heart could become when weighed down with grief, he was thankful that he was able to lift some from the other man.
He released Eliot in turn and there was a look of genuine hope across his features. Leaving Jane's side wasn't a matter he was rushing to do, after being separated from one another for centuries, but if he could find a way to exist outside of the Clock Barrens and visit when his heart felt content to do so? Well, that would be a gift in itself. "Yes, she is. Plum." A flicker of uncertainty crossed Seb's features at the pop culture reference but he let it slide by, knowing well enough that it must have been something from Eliot's era instead of his own. "That's correct. At some point, she'll have to vacate the Barrens and have her chance in the proper flow of time."
He and Jane hadn't discussed that actuality to it's fullest extent yet. The mourning of Fillory, and in someways of Martin, was still quite in effect. But it was certain it would need to be discussed in the coming months. "I hope our paths cross again. Back home." He hoped it a great deal, in truth. Perhaps it went without saying.