Alternate Storyline - A Koralie Fanfiction

This scene takes place in an alternate reality where Kenric never died, and the two Councillors resigned after declaring their love for eachother.

\*spoilers through book 8\*

I would love to hear any thoughs or feedback you have related to the fanfic.

-DressChimera241

She sighed, taking a slow sip of her cinnacreme, wishing her mind would clear. After everything that had gone down with Sophie last week, it seemed to Oralie that she should be relieved. Her big secret was finally out in the open, or, as open as it could be. Even though she wasn’t a Councillor anymore, people learning the truth would still start a scandal. And her life with Kenric was too perfect to risk messing up. Now if only she could truly relax.

“Hello? Oralie? Are you in there?” Kenric’s voice bounced around the hallways of their seaside cottage. Quaint by elvin standards, their land still stretched on for acres, and the house itself could hold many more people than it currently did

“I’m over here,” she called out. Soon after, Kenric walked into the room with a plate of mallowmelt and more cinnacreme. He sat down next to her and she gratefully took a bite. Despite all the kindness he was showing, ever since she had talked with Sophie it had felt as if she was hiding something from him. Which she was, in a way, but it had never felt like this before. As Councillors, they had had much more important things to worry about, and the months that followed their resignation had been full of joy and happiness. But as she rested her head against his shoulder, all Oralie felt was doubt.

“Are you okay? You’ve seemed pretty out of it this week.” he tried to look her in the eyes, but she turned away, wishing she could avoid him entirely.

“I’m fine.” her voice sounded colder than she had wanted it to be, but it was too late to take it back. Kenric recoiled, slightly surprised by his wife’s tone, but didn’t hesitate as he continued.

“You’re sure you don’t want me to call a physician?”

“Really. I’m okay.” But even as she said the words, her heart ached, and she once again wished that she didn’t have to hide her secrets any longer. Kenric seemed to guess at her true feelings, and asked,

“Is there anything you want to tell me?”

“No. Well, yes.” Oralie replied before she could stop herself. Trying to come up with something to say that wouldn’t reveal her secret, she went on, “I just can’t stop thinking about what would’ve happened if we hadn’t resigned from the Council. I mean, so many things might have gone differently. What if we could have done something great, and we didn’t only because of love?”

“All I know is that as long as I get to spend everyday with you, it’s worth it.” Kenric reached in for a hug, and Oralie gratefully accepted, relaxing a little as some of her worries washed away. But there were still plenty left, and Kenric didn’t need to be an Empath to realize something was still wrong. “You still have more you want to say, don’t you?”

“How would you know that?” Oralie straightened, pulling away from Kenric, nervously wringing her hands.

“You’re my wife. It’s practically my job to listen to you. But don’t worry, I’m not reading your mind or anything.” He added hastily as Oralie began to back away slowly. “I just know when you need something, whether it be encouragement, or just someone to talk to.”

“I guess you’re right.” she conceded, leaning closer again, enjoying the closeness of her true love.

“So why don’t you go ahead and tell me what’s worrying you?”

“You don’t understand. If I tell you, or anybody, it could do so much damage. I made a promise not to tell anyone, and I can’t risk messing anything up.”

“You know I’ll keep your secret.”

“Even if you hate me because of it? Even if the right thing to do would be to tell someone? Even then?”

“If I always did the right thing, we wouldn’t be sitting here together.” Kenric stood up and extended his hand to Oralie, bowing slightly.”

“So yes. I, Kenric Elgar Fathdon, promise to keep your secret, even if it is against my better judgement. Are you happy now?” he asked, straightening and pulling Oralie towards him.

“Yes… I suppose so.” Walking around the room, she took a deep breath, calming herself down slightly. “ It all started so many years ago. This was before anybody really knew about the Black Swan, or the Neverseen. Back when we still thought everything was going according to plan. But some people knew it wasn’t. And even if I wasn’t vocal about it while I served on the Council, I was one of those people. So one day, when a mysterious organization sent me a note asking for help, I accepted.”

“Oh.” Kenric breathed. “So you're part of the Black Swan?”

“No, nothing like that,” Oralie said quickly, “They needed something else, something more, one time. My DNA.”

“Wait…” As the realization of what she had just said sunk in, Oralie found herself reaching out to Kenric, wanting to comfort him. “You… You… You’re Sophie’s mother.” She said nothing, confirming his statement. “I see what you mean now. About how no one can know. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anybody.”

“Thank you.” As she spoke the words, Oralie felt relieved, a weight lifting off her shoulders, allowing her to finally breath. Even if it wasn’t the right choice, even if she wasn’t supposed to tell anybody, all that mattered to her in the moment was that she could finally truly be happy.