The World to Come

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This story was born out of a set of drabbles I wrote on the Darkisrising100 community on LJ. The challenge was "AU", and I was instantly struck with a vision of a dark future world in which the Dark had won at the end of Silver on the Tree, but the Light had not been entirely wiped out, and still fought on, in an increasingly dark Britain. I wrote five drabbles set some 24 years in the future, but people clamoured to know the full story. "The World to Come" is the result.

Although this story grew out of drabbles, you don't need to read the drabbles first. In fact, I'd far rather you didn't read them first. The drabbles are actually set near the end of this long story, and, as such, they contain quite a lot of spoilers for things that happen during the course of the story.

This story is rather different from anything else I've written. I normally write stories that cover a small time period, and I rarely have an interval of more than a few hours between scenes. This story covers 24 years, so sometimes I've had to had a break of 6 years or more between one scene and the next. I've tried to write it more as a collection of inter-related short stories, than as one long, seamless narrative.

But that's enough rambling. On with the story...

Rating: PG - It's dark and angsty, rather than gory. Any sex is off camera.
Word count: c. 80,000
Summary: What if the Dark had won at the end of Silver on the Tree? The world is sliding into darkness, and only tattered remnants of the Light remain. Will, Bran and the Drews grow to adulthood, and each to their own destiny in this World to Come.

The World to Come - whole story as a single file (html)

The World to Come - whole story as a single file (zipped Word document)


Alternatively, you can read it broken down into parts or chapters, below:

Part one

Part one as a complete file

Part one broken down into chapters:

1. Undone 2. A vanished dream 3. He lied in every word
4. Holly for the Dark 5. Home for the holidays 6. Bully
7. Forever autumn 8. From shadow 9. To see the King
10. To see you in dreams 11. Seekers of truth 12. The last day
13. What might have been

Part two

Part two as a complete file

Part two broken down into chapters:

1. The letter 2. Dust to dust 3. Just words
4. Left behind 5. Like strangers in the night 6. A walk in the park
7. Laughter 8. Secrets 9. The garden of lies
10. Flight 11. Ruined 12. Ashes
13. All things change 14. The price 15. Footsteps
16. Equal night 17. Doors close

Part three

Part three as a complete file

Part two broken down into chapters:

1. Lion in chains 2. Before 3. The man in the mirror
4. Go gentle into the night 5. Gilded cage 6. Second meeting
7. Blood 8. Mother 9. After the first death
10. Homecoming 11. Broken chains 12. The key
13. Stories 14. Forgiveness 15. Leaving
16. The gathering 17. The tree 18. The Dark is Rising
19. High Magic 20. One goes alone 21. The world to come

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