Chapter 30 - The Only Version I Know

“Where have you two been?”
Daniel was waiting on the porch of my cabin, leaning against the wall and looking toward the inn where my work crew was laying the last of the planks over the open cellar. The flight back had been… uncomfortable to say the least.
While Willow had been maybe a bit too quick to reassure me in the aftermath of what I’d done, it became painfully obvious that she was burying how it really made her feel. On the way out, as we flew, I’d carried her in my arms as we went over the plan we’d quickly put together, an odd sense of optimism in the air. But, as we made our way back, an uncomfortable silence was all we had to accompany us.
So, when Daniel asked the question, she looked at me almost expectantly. I looked over at her, then back at her brother as I tried to figure out what she was after. I frowned, then decided to just go with the first thing I could think of.
“Didn’t Yurick tell you we were going to look for reagents?”
“For nearly four hours?” Daniel said and it was clear he hadn’t bought the excuse in the slightest.
“Corbin…” Willow said lightly and I looked at her again. “Just… he should know. He’s going to one way or another probably…”
“Know what?” Daniel asked, looking between us. “Did you two sneak off to–”
“Danny, don’t,” Willow snapped at him, cutting him off in a way that made him slightly uncertain. “Corbin… I’m going to go check in on the inn and your brewery… just… tell him… okay?”
“But…” I started to say, but she gave me a look and I stopped. “How much?”
“You know how much…” she replied, then turned and started for the stairs. “I’ll check in with you later… or maybe tomorrow, I want to check in on Darla too.”
And just like that I was standing there alone with her brother and a sinking feeling. She’d… she’d agreed that telling him everything was a bad idea… hadn’t she? Did she just mean about what just happened? No… to explain that I’d have to explain why we were there in the first place. Logically I knew I didn’t owe her or Daniel my secrets… yet as mind boggling as it was, after the day we’d had I just didn’t see the point of fighting it either.
We’d left Gryphon alive, so one way or another knowing how the universe worked, this would find its way back to me. It was just how it worked…
I’d already given in to my own weakness and told Willow, so the cat was partially out of the bag. And since I had decided I still didn’t want to go all in on being the Lord of Dusk and deal with the fighting and nightmare that that entailed, I might as well let in the one other person I felt, for some reason, might listen.
Better to do it on my terms.
“Let’s… uh… step inside,” I said cautiously and Daniel’s brow furrowed.
“Am I going to like this?”
“Probably not, just hold off on strangling me. I rather like my neck unbruised and dying this early would make the next time far harder,” I said with a sigh. Daniel briefly looked from me to Willow’s retreating form, shook his head, then followed and closed the door behind him.
“Okay, Corbin. Talk. What did you do to my sister?”
“What? No, nothing!” I said, my eyes going wide as I shook my head.
“Good. Then you can take strangling off the table,” he said, walking over to the table and taking a seat without asking. “Now tell me what happened and why you look like you’ve swallowed one of Mary’s meatballs whole.”
I walked toward the kitchen briefly, grabbing some water from my now nearly empty skin–mostly just to buy myself some time. Dusk take me… why did Dartigan have to bring that pompous noble here? I could have gotten the fields planted, maybe set up the irrigation idea I had using my Gourd. I’d have been able to have the first batch started by–
“Corbin, what is so rootrotted bad that you’ve got to stall this much?”
“Remember how you asked Dartigan how much trouble you’d get in if you beat Gryphon senseless?” I asked, turning back around and walking over to him. It was the only place I could think of to start.
“Uh… yeah, what’s that got to do with this? You’ve only been gone for a few hours and he’s over in Gold’s Lodge,” Daniel said, his annoyance with my stalling turned to confusion. I cast my Flight spell, lifting off the ground.
“I can get around a little faster than people usually can… I just don’t use it,” I explained, setting myself back down.
“What the…” Daniel’s eyes were bulging. “If… If you can fly, why in the world did you buy a wagon?! Your bag holds more than enough, you don’t need the space.”
“I’d love to answer that, it’s a much easier talk really… but I only showed you I could do it to explain how Willow and I got to Gold’s Lodge and back so fast… you should really be asking different questions before I convince myself not to explain,” I said, trying my best to not do exactly that.
“Wait… you guys went to Gold’s Lodge…” he said, trailing off for a second before jumping to his feet, causing the chair to go flying back. “Corbin… did you attack De Numont?”
“That’s putting it… mildly,” I said, walking over and taking a seat, waiting for him to pick his up. What was with these siblings and knocking my furniture over when they were surprised? “It’s both a good thing and a bad thing your sister was there. She stopped me before he stopped breathing.”
If Daniel’s eyes had bulged at my flight, this revelation left them practically popping out of their sockets. He didn’t grab the chair, instead staring down at me with his mouth slightly agape.
“You… you did… what?! Why?!”
“That’s.. uh… “ I said, trying to decide how I should answer that. If I told him it was because Gryphon attacked his sister, that would only end in him saying something about how ‘he deserved it’ or a congratulations. Maybe… I took a deep breath in, gesturing toward the chair. “Can you sit down…”
“Can you just tell me why?!” Daniel snapped, his shock starting to get replaced with anger. “Corbin, that man could destroy this place if he tries hard enough. So I need to know right here and right now the answer to a few things before I decide what the dusk I am going to do with you. Why were you guys out there? Why did you attack him? Why was my sister with you? And maybe most importantly, why did you do any of this without telling me? We talked about this, Corbin! You can’t make decisions that affect the town without the town!”
He was leaning over the table now, his eyes getting hard.
“I like you Corbin, you might be one of the most interesting men I’ve ever met and worked with, but how many times are we going to have to do this!? This is my home. This is the place I want to build for my family and those that come after them! Do you have any idea the absolute duskstorm this is going to kick up?!”
I waited a second as he started to breathe heavier, waiting to see if he was going to continue. His face was getting redder than I’d ever actually seen it before and in truth… who was I to cut off a justifiable rant. I gave him another few seconds as he continued to breathe, partially hoping he’d actually sit back down before accepting he wouldn’t.
“Because Gryphon threatened what I’m doing here. He did a lot more than that, but truth is, he didn’t have to attack Willow for me to do what I did to him. Though, it certainly was the last straw,” I said, staring right at him. Daniel’s face got redder but before he could start yelling at me again I continued.
“She was with me because she wanted to make sure I didn’t do exactly what almost happened. I had a problem and she came up with the plan that was supposed to fix it. We didn’t tell you because… well we’ll get to the exact reason why, but don’t be mad at her for any of this.”
“Oh trust me, my anger is pointed in exactly the right direction,” he snapped and I held up my hands.
“Just putting it out there,” I said, leaning back in the chair.
“Why was it a you problem, Corbin? Gryphon wanted to get a stake in the town, he only thought you were…” Daniel trailed off, jaw falling again. “Corbin…”
“Yes,” I said, answering the unasked question. “I am exactly who he thinks I am.”
It was this revelation that finally made Daniel reach not for the fallen chair, but the other one on his side of the table to sit down.
“And… you attacked him because he was going to reveal it? I’m not going to lie, Corbin… I feel like that’s a really, really dumb plan,” Daniel said, clasping his hands on the table and staring over at me. “Though… if Willow were involved I don’t see any world where she would have allowed that.”
“Well, you do know your sister…” I mumbled, then shook my head. “But no… I attacked him for the reason I said I did, Daniel. He wants to tell Frederick I’m here, and if he comes, then everything I’ve started to do here just vanishes.”
“That’s a bit melodramatic don’t you—“ he stopped when he met my eyes. He watched me for a second, with who knows what going through his mind. After the moment he finally passed, he asked, “What am I missing, Corbin?”
“A lot…” I said, reaching up and rubbing my temples. Seriously, how was I supposed to do this twice in as many days. “Okay… I guess if I’m going to have to explain this, it’s better to just start from the beginning… What do you know about the Tale of Dusk and Dawn?”
Much like with his sister, he’d heard the standard versions of course. And much like her, he also listened, patiently taking in the details and not recoiling in abject horror when I told him about my past lives. Unlike her though, he didn’t quite care about how many times I’d done this, or how I’d tried to escape the prophecy. Instead, he asked the exact thing I’d hoped he wouldn’t.
“What does this mean for Danwood… is it… did you choose it to be your kingdom? Are we… just tools?”
I swallowed, my throat feeling dry despite drinking most of my glass of water, but shook my head.
“No, Daniel… If I wanted you all to be my tools, why would I have ever let you guys threaten to kick me out? I never wanted any of this to come here… I just… I wanted to be done… I wanted to live a life where I could be normal… have people yell at me for reasons other than that stupid prophecy… maybe even make some ale.”
He watched me again, long enough that the continued stare actually made me feel just a bit uncomfortable. It was enough that I almost started to get agitated before he finally let out a sigh.
“What am I supposed to do about this…” he said, looking over his shoulder and out the front window.
“The right thing would probably ask me to leave… especially if you believe I’m putting your home in danger,” I admitted and his lips turned further down.
“Would you? If I actually asked you to leave… would you?”
It was like the wind had been knocked out of me, even though I was the one to suggest it in the first place.
“Yes…” I finally said. “I know it’s a lot to request… but if you asked without making it a town vote thing… I’d pack my things up and go. I’d rather not have to deal with a whole village knowing if I could avoid it.”
Daniel’s scowl grew deeper at that and it was a look that didn’t suit the normally happy-go-lucky attitude he’d somehow always managed to maintain. His large arms crossed in a way that matched mine and he took another moment.
“I hate to admit it… but I get why you didn’t tell me… Not sure how you convinced Willow not to… but I get it,” he said without looking at me. “And… everything I’ve ever heard about the Lord of Dusk suggests that he’d have killed me for trying to kick him out… I’m not sure what to make of the fact that you’re willing to step aside, but I’m gonna choose to believe you’re being sincere. So, I’m not going to bring this to a settlement vote… not yet.”
“You’re not?” I perked up slightly, my mouth falling just a bit open. “But… why?”
“Because, unfortunately, I like you, Corbin. Regardless of what you say your history is… the only version of you I know is this one. And with what I’ve seen, I think you’ve actually got Danwood’s best interests in mind whether you admit it or not… otherwise you’d never even consider abandoning it.”
Daniel stood up, then retrieved the chair he’d knocked over and put it back before he finally looked over at me again. Just like when Willow had stared me down, I just couldn’t help but squirm slightly.
“But if you ever put my sister in danger like that again, Corbin… Better yet, just don’t,” he said, staring down at me. “I’m not sure how I could actually threaten or hurt the Lord of Dusk… but stars, I’d find a way.”
I nodded. Saying anything else–like how little his threat actually scared me at a physical level–would have been pointless, because, oddly enough, the fact that he felt comfortable enough to threaten me was somehow comforting…
Connecting with people was weird.