the triumph of imagination over intelligence

[apocralyptic]

[From this thread, dated to May 3.]It was not often that Coin formed strong intent on his own behalf, but once he did it was very hard to budge him. And the whole subject of wizards marrying was one on which he already had strong feelings, of course

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[curiously_cora]

"I don't know about other people, I've only met Bill and Lucy who are both brave and brilliant and marrying material." Coraline said, she didn't think of Cain or Adam in that category. They were far too old and it was just icky, they were like dads.

[youngestqueen]

Ghost and Shadow noticed the visitors before Lucy who was trying to work in the small garden they had. Susan was far too pregnant to do such, and Lucy did want to help out her sister. Of course two direwolves coming to attention and the whine from Shadow until they recognized Coin was enough to pull her to her feet, dirt smudged on her face and hands. "Coin! Coraline! What are you doing here?"

She'd only seen Coraline that day after all, so she had to wonder, "Are you still telling the truth?"

[apocralyptic]

"We've come to ask you if you would marry Coraline," said Coin immediately. That was what clinched it, really; he'd most definitely intended to get to that part later. "And, um, yes. I think I am, too, only I don't mind as much as she does. Being a queen of Narnia doesn't mean you have to marry a prince, right?"

[curiously_cora]

"Yes, we've-" Coraline said, her mouth opening at Coin cutting her off with her intentions. Coraline made a face at him. "Marriage proposals are supposed to be romantic, you're doing it wrong. Am I supposed to have a ring? I don't know how it works when girls propose to girls or royalty."

[youngestqueen]

Lucy simply stared her eyes open wide as she looked from Coin to Coraline and back. Shadow seemed to pick up on her confusion, tensing beside her. "Pardon? I don't understand. Of course I don't have to marry a Prince or a King, but..."

She'd no idea what was happening.

[apocralyptic]

Coin frowned. "Actually, I don't know how that works either." Then he shook his head- that wasn't important- and addressed Lucy. "I don't want her to marry a wizard because my father was a wizard and we almost destroyed the world, but she says he's brilliant and brave, so I thought you would do even better."

...he was starting to see why Coraline had so wanted to avoid the Truth.

[curiously_cora]

"Oh," Coraline said, smiling at Lucy. "He is brilliant and brave but so are you and because it keeps upsetting Coin so much, we thought I'd ask you instead. And you're much nicer than Bill."

Coraline got down on one knee and smiled at Lucy. "Lucy, will you marry me?"

[youngestqueen]

There was too much to be heard here, too much to be taken in. Lucy glanced from Coin to Coraline, shaking her head at them both. "Destroyed the- Coraline? No!"

"I'm not marrying anyone." Not now, she thought to herself, possibly not ever. "Stop this. It isn't funny."

[apocralyptic]

Coin's face fell a little at that. "I wasn't trying to be funny," he mumbled. "I just thought you wouldn't like me if I said I used to kill people a lot and took over the world and broke it even if I did put it back the way it was afterward and I didn't want anyone trying it here-" and then it fell even further. "Gods, I hate today."

[curiously_cora]

Coraline sighed getting up from her knees. "I wasn't trying to be funny either, he's very insistent that I marry someone other than Bill. And I promised," Coraline said, a little hurt that Lucy had said no. Was she really that bad? Was it the wellies? Maybe Royalty couldn't marry people who wore wellies. Coraline looked at Lucy a little hurt. "Why don't you want to marry me?"

Coin's confession however distracted her. He'd killed people. "I didn't think you were a bad person Coin but if you're going to be killing people then I'm afraid I'm going to have to stop you. I'll be very sorry about it afterwards though, if that helps." Coraline said, making a face at Coin.

[youngestqueen]

Lucy had barely heard Coraline, her eyes and mouth wide in shock. "You killed people?"

That was a horrible thing she thought, even if he had fixed them afterwards. Remember it is not your place to judge, she heard in her mind. Whether it was Aslan, or simply an echo of his words, she could not say, but her breath caught. "Were you sorry?"

[apocralyptic]

Coin had all but curled up on himself by this point, and his voice was strained to breaking. "I don't do that kind of thing anymore. I never liked it anyway but- I wasn't even mortal!" he snapped, as shame gave way to anger. "How was I supposed to know it was a big deal? No one said so until it was almost over!"

[curiously_cora]

"Because you just know. Like how I knew the other mother was a bad person." Coraline told Coin sternly. Lucy might not have judged but Coraline believed in a world of good versus evil. You couldn't necessarily be both or inbetween. Unless you were very sorry and Coin hadn't said he was. "You didn't say whether you were sorry or not. That's important."

[youngestqueen]

"Coraline," Lucy said her name quietly, stepping forward to touch her arm. It was an admonishment of sorts, asking the other girl to be quiet. "People get confused sometimes. It isn't always easy."

She needed to believe this, and saying it aloud helped. Lucy straightened, standing taller between them, looking from one to the other. It was a quiet sort of confidence that she held, and one not always readily apparent. "Stop arguing. Stop talking. I don't know what's going on but I don't like it. You're my friends. We're friends. We don't judge each other, it's not our place. We don't lie to each other, it isn't what friends do."

[apocralyptic]

"Did you think I wasn't?" Coin demanded, but fell silent when Lucy spoke up so authoritatively. He hadn't seen her like this before, and he wasn't quite sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing; either way, he stood frozen and hunched over to look as small as possible. He really shouldn't have pressed Cora, he thought distantly, then they wouldn't be having this conversation.

[curiously_cora]

Coraline was going to reply but Lucy sounded so...queenly.

"Sorry Lucy," Coraline said softly meaning it. She didn't want to upset Lucy even if she didn't want to marry her. Although she still didn't understand why. "Sorry Coin."