THE CHERRY TREE
The Witch and Brankaresh team up to overthrow the Queen. The Witch intends to kill the Queen and Brankaresh once she’s got a firm grip on the Kingdom. Brankaresh wants to use this to pressurize the Queen to marry him and persuade her to exile the Witch later. He intends to kill the Witch once she is of no further use but the Witch isn’t stupid and has long coveted the throne. She wishes to avenge herself on her royal relatives for all slights, real and imagined, given to her ancestors over the centuries. Her usurpation is as good a way of doing it as any.
Jennifer has given birth to son, Eddie. The Witch, and Eileen, know as Jennifer is half-human, she can experience illness. While not impossible for Eileen and her ilk to do so, it is unlikely. The Witch also knows the half-fairy blood Jennifer has can be used to make her illness take on a physical manifestation. So the Witch inflicts Jennifer with post-natal depression, its magical form to be an ogre of despair. The aim is to make Jennifer kill herself, ideally taking the brat out too. The Witch cannot see Eileen recovering from that or of then wanting anything to do with the magical world which effectively killed her daughter. The Witch not only wants to limit how many problems she faces at a time, and with brusque Eileen busy trying to help her daughter but only driving her deeper into despair (Eileen is phenomenally strict, would not understand Jennifer getting the blues, always being tired etc), it means the Witch’s nemesis is out of the Witch’s lank greasy hair. The Witch and Eileen were close as children. The Witch does not want to have to kill Eileen and knows if magic is seen to kill Jennifer, Eileen’s stay on earth will be permanent (if only in disgust at the magical world) and there’ll be nothing the Queen can do to overcome that.
The Queen gets overthrown. Eileen goes back to the Kingdom. When push comes to shove, she cannot leave her cousin to it. Nor does Eileen want to be Queen and she’s the next in line. Jennifer feels abandoned by her mother.
The Witch does not welcome Eileen’s return to the Kingdom but realizes Jennifer’s antipathy to her mother can be utilized to further the girl’s descent into depression and hasten the girl’s likely suicide.
Jennifer resents her mother for abandoning her. Eddie is a fretful child and Jennifer finds the lack of sleep the biggest thing denting her confidence. Post-natal depression does take hold and it isn’t long before Jennifer looks worse than the average zombie. Paul, also tired by lack of sleep, not as sympathetic as he could be and Jennifer is in no mood to make allowances for him given he’s making none for her. The couple quarrel more than they ever have before. Both feel miserable. Jennifer feels guilty. She and Paul had wanted to be parents for a long time and she thinks they weren’t meant to feel this way, that they must be doing something wrong.
The ogre of despair does turn up at Brenebourne. To put it mildly Stan, the wildlife and Jenny are not impressed. Jenny’s resentment at magic in general intensifies. Watching Witch very pleased with how things are going.
Witch and Brankaresh take the Kingdom. He lures the Queen into a trap, imprisons her at his magically reinforced mansion. Witch takes over the government. Executes most of the Council live on FNN. L’Evallier and Nimble escape. Witch begins reign of terror. Sends her allies around realm to make the peasants “see reason”. Brankaresh wants this scenario as he intends to use it to pressurize the Queen to marry him. She won’t want the Kingdom destroyed.
Eileen comes to the Kingdom. Battles Witch and Brankaresh. Gets imprisoned by Witch. Witch shows reluctance to kill her but sadly not a reluctance to injure. At one point Eileen gets stabbed repeatedly by a knife man whilst trapped in a ball and gets pegged up on the Witch’s wall just out of reach of the slobbering dragon.
Witch promises dragon he can have Jenny as a reward but Witch is not at first aware of dragon’s intentions. Witch assumed he’ll eat her. Dragon plans to transform Jenny into a lady dragon and mate with her. Once someone has been mated whilst in an animal transformation, they cannot be changed back. The dragon is after the magic in Jenny’s blood for his offspring that he’ll have with her. As things stand, creatures like him are dependent on everything from a powerful being, typically a witch or wizard, and this dragon wants to be magically independent. Dragon has learned and absorbed magic from being with the Witch. He also reads! Later, the Witch discovers the dragon’s plan and is livid. She sees she’d lose control of him, indeed he could then destroy her with Jenny’s help but comes to realize what the dragon has in mind for the girl is a truly horrible fate and something to torment Eileen with.
Witch and Brankaresh killed. Eileen beheads and takes limbs off Brankaresh - standard practice for traitors to stop them reciting or thinking a spell or reaching for a weapon. Queen kills Witch. Eileen set trap for the pair and summoned Queen (which is a no-no, she summons you) who takes advantage of situation. Eileen livid with Queen and Kingdom for the danger in which this situation put her in. Nor did Eileen like having to abandon Jennifer to rescue her cousin.
Jenny didn’t like Eileen leaving her. Their relationship under strain. Queen doesn’t care. Relieved to be alive and to have dispatched the traitors. Hanastrew with the squad Eileen set up before her defection goes around repairing the damage. This takes huge amounts of magic. Queen vows never to be overthrown again and to have her family in the Kingdom no matter what it takes to achieve it. Is still in a state of panic. Her life, Eileen’s, Jenny’s were in danger. Queen loathes the suffering the Witch inflicted on her people. Jenny kills ogre of despair and dragon. Is briefly transformed into lady dragon but is saved by Eileen. Jenny not keen on this! Everything in her is screaming to have nothing to do with magic and to keep well away from its practitioners.
Queen at end of novel snatches Edward with Jenny distracted by wildlife (riot set up by Queen to achieve that) forcing Jenny to follow him into Kingdom. Stan warns Jenny not to go, having been warned by L’Evallier monarch is up to something and is not in the most settled, sensible mood. He blames post-overthrow panic. Jenny doesn’t listen to Stan, goes through the cherry tree to find Eddie. Tree is immediately destroyed to prevent anyone following. Stan gets a note from Queen to say if she wants him in realm she’ll find another way of transporting him. Queen knows Eileen can make her way back and will to get her daughter and grandson back. Queen intends none of them will leave her realm again.
Jennifer has given birth to son, Eddie. The Witch, and Eileen, know as Jennifer is half-human, she can experience illness. While not impossible for Eileen and her ilk to do so, it is unlikely. The Witch also knows the half-fairy blood Jennifer has can be used to make her illness take on a physical manifestation. So the Witch inflicts Jennifer with post-natal depression, its magical form to be an ogre of despair. The aim is to make Jennifer kill herself, ideally taking the brat out too. The Witch cannot see Eileen recovering from that or of then wanting anything to do with the magical world which effectively killed her daughter. The Witch not only wants to limit how many problems she faces at a time, and with brusque Eileen busy trying to help her daughter but only driving her deeper into despair (Eileen is phenomenally strict, would not understand Jennifer getting the blues, always being tired etc), it means the Witch’s nemesis is out of the Witch’s lank greasy hair. The Witch and Eileen were close as children. The Witch does not want to have to kill Eileen and knows if magic is seen to kill Jennifer, Eileen’s stay on earth will be permanent (if only in disgust at the magical world) and there’ll be nothing the Queen can do to overcome that.
The Queen gets overthrown. Eileen goes back to the Kingdom. When push comes to shove, she cannot leave her cousin to it. Nor does Eileen want to be Queen and she’s the next in line. Jennifer feels abandoned by her mother.
The Witch does not welcome Eileen’s return to the Kingdom but realizes Jennifer’s antipathy to her mother can be utilized to further the girl’s descent into depression and hasten the girl’s likely suicide.
Jennifer resents her mother for abandoning her. Eddie is a fretful child and Jennifer finds the lack of sleep the biggest thing denting her confidence. Post-natal depression does take hold and it isn’t long before Jennifer looks worse than the average zombie. Paul, also tired by lack of sleep, not as sympathetic as he could be and Jennifer is in no mood to make allowances for him given he’s making none for her. The couple quarrel more than they ever have before. Both feel miserable. Jennifer feels guilty. She and Paul had wanted to be parents for a long time and she thinks they weren’t meant to feel this way, that they must be doing something wrong.
The ogre of despair does turn up at Brenebourne. To put it mildly Stan, the wildlife and Jenny are not impressed. Jenny’s resentment at magic in general intensifies. Watching Witch very pleased with how things are going.
Witch and Brankaresh take the Kingdom. He lures the Queen into a trap, imprisons her at his magically reinforced mansion. Witch takes over the government. Executes most of the Council live on FNN. L’Evallier and Nimble escape. Witch begins reign of terror. Sends her allies around realm to make the peasants “see reason”. Brankaresh wants this scenario as he intends to use it to pressurize the Queen to marry him. She won’t want the Kingdom destroyed.
Eileen comes to the Kingdom. Battles Witch and Brankaresh. Gets imprisoned by Witch. Witch shows reluctance to kill her but sadly not a reluctance to injure. At one point Eileen gets stabbed repeatedly by a knife man whilst trapped in a ball and gets pegged up on the Witch’s wall just out of reach of the slobbering dragon.
Witch promises dragon he can have Jenny as a reward but Witch is not at first aware of dragon’s intentions. Witch assumed he’ll eat her. Dragon plans to transform Jenny into a lady dragon and mate with her. Once someone has been mated whilst in an animal transformation, they cannot be changed back. The dragon is after the magic in Jenny’s blood for his offspring that he’ll have with her. As things stand, creatures like him are dependent on everything from a powerful being, typically a witch or wizard, and this dragon wants to be magically independent. Dragon has learned and absorbed magic from being with the Witch. He also reads! Later, the Witch discovers the dragon’s plan and is livid. She sees she’d lose control of him, indeed he could then destroy her with Jenny’s help but comes to realize what the dragon has in mind for the girl is a truly horrible fate and something to torment Eileen with.
Witch and Brankaresh killed. Eileen beheads and takes limbs off Brankaresh - standard practice for traitors to stop them reciting or thinking a spell or reaching for a weapon. Queen kills Witch. Eileen set trap for the pair and summoned Queen (which is a no-no, she summons you) who takes advantage of situation. Eileen livid with Queen and Kingdom for the danger in which this situation put her in. Nor did Eileen like having to abandon Jennifer to rescue her cousin.
Jenny didn’t like Eileen leaving her. Their relationship under strain. Queen doesn’t care. Relieved to be alive and to have dispatched the traitors. Hanastrew with the squad Eileen set up before her defection goes around repairing the damage. This takes huge amounts of magic. Queen vows never to be overthrown again and to have her family in the Kingdom no matter what it takes to achieve it. Is still in a state of panic. Her life, Eileen’s, Jenny’s were in danger. Queen loathes the suffering the Witch inflicted on her people. Jenny kills ogre of despair and dragon. Is briefly transformed into lady dragon but is saved by Eileen. Jenny not keen on this! Everything in her is screaming to have nothing to do with magic and to keep well away from its practitioners.
Queen at end of novel snatches Edward with Jenny distracted by wildlife (riot set up by Queen to achieve that) forcing Jenny to follow him into Kingdom. Stan warns Jenny not to go, having been warned by L’Evallier monarch is up to something and is not in the most settled, sensible mood. He blames post-overthrow panic. Jenny doesn’t listen to Stan, goes through the cherry tree to find Eddie. Tree is immediately destroyed to prevent anyone following. Stan gets a note from Queen to say if she wants him in realm she’ll find another way of transporting him. Queen knows Eileen can make her way back and will to get her daughter and grandson back. Queen intends none of them will leave her realm again.