In the worlds of my imagination, Cammadan, and it’s neighbors, sit comfortably in between two different kinds.

Somewhere in between Westeros and Capside, Massachusetts

Between Middle Earth and The Upper East Side

Between Tortall and Tree Hill, North Carolina

Between Narnia and West Beverly Highschool

Between Earthsea and The OC

That’s where you’ll find Cammadan.

Instead of popular kids and outcasts there are epic forces of darkness and light. Instead of the undeniable pull of destiny, there is the relationship that’s absolutely wrong, but feels so right. Where there was gossip there’s magic. Where there were dragons there are love triangles. Where there were epic, regular formal parties at convenient plot moments…OK, those exist in both genres so obviously we get them here.

I’m always loved fantasy worlds, and I’ve always loved those teen dramas and as the taco commercial says, Why not both? So, that’s what we’ve been doing for five years. Here’s what you missed!

Year One

Lady Marina Sanpierre, The Duchess of Brightcoast is a very powerful potential magic user. She’s been under close control and observation by Lord Brayton Dovetail and evil black magician who killed his cousin, King Anton and Anton’s wife Queen Marie in a power grab. Marie was Marina’s Aunt.

Growing up in this isolated way, Marina had very few friends, among them was Sir Tristan Dugarry, who is a brave, handsome, brooding palace guard. Marina is obviously in love with him because if you only knew five people and one of them was THAT GUY you’d be in love with him too, probably. Tristan and his twin sister Athena are from a long line of military on their father’s side, and on their mother’s side, from a powerful merchant family that’s basically the mafia. (Their parents are also dead.)

Marie and Anton’s daughter, Annalise has been secretly raised as the ward of the Count and Countess of Pantona, alongside their son Aaron. Marina and Annalise are both Chosen by The Goddess of The Sea Rana, who with her brother, The God of Earth Cornan is imprisoned on a giant spinning wheel, no one knows where. Their other sister, Amina, the goddess of hell, is basically trying to bring on war and chaos to expand her own realm.

All of their lives Annalise and Marina have had prophetic dreams about one another that often ended in one of them getting murdered. (YIKES) Athena also had dreams, but they were more vague. Annalise also often had dreams of the young prince of a neighoring nation, Prince Eric of Phania.

The summer Annalise turned 17, Marina was removed from the Capital City of Cammadan Dovetail, while Tristan and Athena were sent to Pantona to evaluate and understand their mission as Annalise official protectors and military advisers. Tristan and Annalise fell in love. So did Athena and Aaron. This was great, until they got rendezvoused with Marina, and Tristan realized that he might return his old friend’s feeling a little. A few stolen kisses and a broken heart for Marina later, though, he chose Annalise, who knows their relationship can’t be permanent.

During all of this, Aaron and Athena are navigating the fact that their new love is nothing like either of them (both pretty experienced in the romance department) have been through before and will require more out of them than they realized, emotionally speaking. It’s exciting and scary and Aaron’s completely up for it while Athena remains cautious.

After Athena and Tristan use their family’s pull to evacuate Dovetail, the resistance strikes and takes back the capital, Annalise takes Brayton prisoner and she and Tristan pledge to try their best. She also has a vision of Prince Eric, where he promises to wait for her. Aaron’s father and Annalise’s foster father, Caleb falls in battle, and his sudden ascendancy delays the plans for marriage he and Athena made, as he confesses his insecureties about his relationship with his father. After the battle, Annalise captures but refuses to kill Brayton, and he speaks to both her and Marina vaguely about plans to create a sword for The Goddess Amina to counter Annalise, and that Marina’s destiny is to give birth to this dark opposite. (He believes, he himself must be the father)

Aaron and Annalise’s friend from Pantona, William Santino joins them in Dovetail as they settle in, and Marina finds herself attracted to him, realizing that although she might not be in love, she needn’t limit herself to pining after Tristan. Annalise and Tristan try to have a relationship while her growing court openly disapproves. But as her coronation approaches, they find it more and more difficult to get past the clear fact they have an expiration date.

On the night of Annalise’s coronation, Athena and her cousin Alex discuss a plan to broker a merchant arranged marriage for Tristan, while he and Annalise recommit to eachother and sleep together. Marina ends her connection with William who accepts Aaron’s offer to become Pantona’s main manager. In the middle of the night, Marina is awoken by Healer Guard Elodie that a ship from Phania has arrived in the harbor.

Year Two

The morning after Annalise is crowned, Prince Eric of Phania arrives with two companions, Sir Raymond Quents, his sister in law’s younger brother, Annalise and Marina’s cousin, who left Phania because boys are often denied magical training there, and because Cammadan is a safer society for gay people, and Lietutenant Damian Lestoff, his first mate and step brother, called Lefty, a known playboy and decided trouble maker.

After the new guests are greeted, Tristan hastily asked Annalise to marry him and she refuses, while Lefty challenges Athena to a duel, and she discusses the future with Prince Harran of the Westran border tribes, who once visited Pantona when Annalise was younger and still has feeling for her. That night Tristan comes to Marina and confesses his love and confusion. Despite her misgivings about the situation and how it would affect Annalise, Marina gives in to what she’s hoped for her entire life.

Annalise and Prince Eric realize that they’ve both seen and experienced things they can’t quite understand in regards to each other and agree to get to know one another before making any decisions. Athena confronts Tristan about his behavior towards Marina and suggests Alex’s plan of an arranged marriage. Tristan is outraged but agrees to think about it.

Lefty begins setting his sights on Marina, who feels drawn to him, though she and Tristan continue to spend time together in secret, he admits he’s considering the merchant marriage to get away from Annalise and get over her, something he’d happily do with Marina, who admits she can’t leave her cousin on her own. Annalise finds them together and while she instantly forgives them, it shocks Marina enough to end it.

As Aaron prepares to return home to bury his father, Athena suggests that she wouldn’t hold him straying against him, which upsets him enough to suggest ending their engagement. When they talk it through, she explains she’s worried that like her mentor and guardian, Thomas Martin did with most of his lovers, Aaron will eventually grow tired of her and leave her. He assures his this won’t happen and they part sadly but hopeful for the future.

Lefty continues to pursue Marina, who after ending things with Tristan tells him that she thinks she might be too fragile to begin anything new, but she does enjoy flirting and dancing with him, and eventually, kissing him.

Meanwhile, Brayton’s health has been failing for no understandable physical reason, and Marina goes to help heal him. When she realizes he’s lost Amina’s blessing, she and Athena fight Annalise to have him executed and Annalise refuses. This leads to an argument between the girls, which Annalise solves through advice from Eric. Their discussion leads to their first kiss, and Eric’s insistence that if they are going to be together he be the only man in her life. Unsure if she’s ready to give up Tristan, Annalise agrees to wait until she’s free to move further along.

She is of course not free, but regularly sleeping with Tristan.

Athena and Aaron write to each other, while Marina plans a winter festival and studies magic with Raymond. Aaron, Olivia and Martin return to Dovetail just in time for the ball, after which Marina and Lefty sleep together and Tristan leaves to go to Dorin, the northern port city where he’ll look for a wife. Annalise is heartbroken but ready to move on.

That same evening, Marina performs a complicated ritual binding her and Athena’s destiny to Annalise’s divine mandate to free the gods. All three young women vow to stand by one another.

Year 3

Royal Court has moved to Brightcoast, the southern port city that Marina controls as Duchess. Marina and Lefty are hopelessly besotted with each other, while Annalise grows frustrated with Eric’s continued caution. Aaron and Athena finally see that enough order is coming around that they can plan the quiet future in Pantona together, even if Athena’s depression seems to be getting the better of her, while separated from her twin.

Tristan arrives in Dorin and is introduced to Carolina Dukarras, the clever older sister of his cousin Alex’s intended. Carolina is determined to leave merchant life behind, after a series of disappointments, including being abandoned by her father’s choice of husband. Carolina is certainly intrigued by this blunt and awkward young man, who seems to want to spend time with her. In fact she finds herself falling in love with him. Tristan is honest with her about his behavior in Dovetail and his continued feelings for Annalise, though he’s beginning to feel for her too. They become engaged, agreeing to marry after Athena and Aaron.

One night when her frustration with Eric boils over, Annalise begins an affair with Harran, realizing that although their affection is only friendly, their physical connection may be able to sustain a longer partnership. Marina has been having Dreams about raging storms, that include a young woman dressed entirely in black, who Harran guesses is probably a Westran tribal witch named Nika, who’s older sister Brea he has a romantic history with. Annalise asks for him to send for them.

Brea and Nika’s arrival unsettles everyone enough that Annalise and Eric reconcile and finally consummate their relationship, while Marina finds herself more drawn to Nika. That same night a fleet of Phania war ships appear in Brightcoast harbor sending the town and court in chaos. While negotiating a retreat, Marina feels Lefty slipping away, and he admits to her that he’s having trouble believing she won’t wake up one day and realize that she is too far above him for them to have any future.

Martin goes to Dorin to ask The Dumanis family to help by supplying ships to protect Brightcoast, under the auspices of celebrating Tristan and Carolina’s engagement. Tristan feels duty bound to return with him, and Carolina refuses to be left behind.

Aaron learns that the Phanian Admiral Franz, has been sent on a dual mission of making sure that Eric and Annalise are legitimately courting (having heard rumors of their quarrel) and to woo Marina. While he (and Lefty) find the plan very upsetting, Athena and Marina remind them that she did have to spend her early teens simultaneously encouraging and discouraging Brayton, and she can handle the situation. Annalise negotiates Franz’s retreat, while worrying about how Tristan’s return may effect her relationship with Eric, which seems to have found an equalibrium.

Tristan and Carolina arrive and she is overwhelmingly presented to Annalise, after a more casual meeting, where she realizes her fiance and his queen need to talk privately. They do talk, and after a kiss declare that while they’ll always love each other, they know they’re on the right path now.

After the presentation a messanger arrives from Dovetail stating that Brayton has disappeared. Everyone agrees that telling Marina that night would only panic her.

After seeing her reunion with Tristan and becoming jealous, Lefty and Marina argue, which leads to her having a conversation with Nika, which also leads to them kissing. After the ball, Marina and Lefty make up, and make love. She tells him about Nika, and he asks if she wants freedom to explore other relationships, and she reassures him that she only loves him, and doesn’t want to end their relationship. Their happiness is short lived, when they find Brayton sitting at the foot of the bed.

After Lefty attempts to defend her, and Brayton unleashes a shadow attack on him, Marina pushes light magic back and sends her lover to the palace to sound the alarm. She binds Brayton and waits for help. Help comes in the form of Annalise and Athena, and the three agree to send him back to Amina, with a message they are done hiding from whatever fight she wants to bring.

While the others go to fight, Carolina sits waiting with Marina’s old friend Mercy Graves, and confesses she knows that Tristan doesn’t really love her and she’s decided it doesn’t matter. Later, he comes to her asking to move up their wedding and her father tells her that she won’t be happy, but she stands by her decision.

As the sun rises on a new day, Marina performs Athena and Aaron’s marriage ceremony, and finally letting go of her doubts, accepting that their love her true home.

Annalise and Eric say goodbye, and he promises to come back soon to plan their wedding. Lefty leaving with him breaks Marina’s heart, and she withdraws from everyone for weeks. Tristan goes to comfort her and they wind up sleeping together, with the shared promise that this is the closure their relationship needed, not the beginning of anything.

Year 4

Four years after the climactic confrontations at Brightcoast, a lot has changed and even more has remained the same.

After Eric’s departure, King Daniel of Phania changed his mind and withdrew his permission for his marriage to Annalise, which set off a cold war between the nations, with the ferries and commerce stopping between Brightcoast and Brinecliff. That’s the political implication. Personally, it’s even more complicated.

Marina and Annalise have moved on in some capacity in their perosonal lives. Marina with Lady Nika Averran and Annalise with the Ranger, Captain Prior Chastain. In Pantona, Athena and Aaron are raising their daughter, Calla who is to be named Annalise’s heir. Carolina pines for Tristan, who spends most of his time with the Rangers searching for the great wheel and battling the shadows who continue to rise in Westran. She begins an affair with William Santino in her loneliness, and as a quiet revenge on Tristan for his indiscretions with Marina. Those same indiscretions build to a boiling point with Nika who ends it.

Athena is pregnant with her second child and Raymond has committed to Lord Evan Allred, before making his vows as a Mastero, which leads to Annalise contemplating a future and family, she broaches the subject of marriage with Prior who assures her that he’ll follow her lead in this, and all things. Aaron questions her love for her companion but vows to support her in whatever she decides.

Court travels to Westran to witness Harran’s wedding to Nika’s sister Brea. Witnessing what the Rangers and Tristan’s presence as a diplomat has built, Carolina forgives him, though conintues to worry about their future. Athena challenges Harran to a due, mostly out of insecurity with how her skills have become rusty. She’s been training with Tristan discreetly however and beats her old friend handily. Annalise contemplates her carelessness with the people who love her, while appreciating Prior’s continued dedication to keeping her spirits up. Marina and Nika part permanently, their friendship intact, but hearts broken, when during the wedding feast, a messanger arrives from the Northern Kingdom Rastan, announcing the King is dead, with a marriage proposal for Marina from his oldest son Raniere.

Wary of leaving behind the carefully planned diplomatic visit, Carolina volunteers to go and see if it’s worth Marina’s visit. Tristan objects to another separation, but she insists. Arriving in Rastan she’s first greeted by Lefty, who escorted Princess Karina of Phania and his younger half sister, Katrin to attend the coronation. He tells her to discourage Marina from coming, as it is revealed that Brayton is living in the Rastani court, disguising himself as an exiled magician named Braga, and that he has been advising the new young king.

Alex DuCray manages to get letters from Carolina and Lefty to Westran, where Tristan and Marina, infuriated at the people they love being left carelessly in danger, insist on leaving immediately. Annalise gives them the permission but despairs losing the two people who know her best. Her Dreams have also become unbearably chaotic, which she’s doing her best to keep from the others.

Brea and Nika have begun training Calla as a witch, and she’s taking to it well, though Athena worries that too much his being given to her to handle. (She is only three after all). The decision to go home to Dovetail while waiting for news from Rastan is interrupted when Prior asks Annalise to visit Allred, the provenance his family hails from. She agrees, much to Aaron’s frustration, as his deep dislike of the idea (and Prior’s family), and Athena’s progressing pregnancy.

Speaking of pregnancy! Carolina realizes she’s pregnant and spits the news out in an argument with her former lover Andrei Arrain, to further ensconce herself in the Rastani Court she and Lefty begin a flirtation that rises to a deep and respectful friendship. While waiting in Dorin for a ship to take them across the sea, Marina and Tristan reach some kind of resolution, namely that they’re going to stop trying to resolve their feelings and simply be, while striving to love Lefty and Caro to the best of their abilities. Arriving in Rastan they find the pair together and after a confrontation and explanation of the situation, Lefty and Marina reconnect, before she begins being courted by King Raniere.

While waiting for news from Rastan, Annalise investigates the death of Prior’s father, which he deems an invasion of his privacy. They settle the argument, when Aaron explains that despite her constant curiosity regarding her origins and family perhaps other people (including himself) feel differently. Athena and Aaron agree to have their second child in Dovetail and Mastero Anselm comes to advise the remaining chosen regarding their continued pursuit of their mandate, once Brayton is dispatched.

Eric arrives in Rastan, and Marina confronts him, insisting he apologize for allowing his own refusal to fight for his relationship with Annalise forcing her and Lefty to separate as well. When he does, she mentions that she doesn’t really believe Annalise would choose Prior over him. However, they never get a chance to find out, as the same night as Raniere proposes Brayton attacks Marina and when Lefty goes to save her, begins changing him into a shadow.

Realizing that the resistance she’s put up all her life has come to nothing, Marina bargains with Brayton, if he spares Lefty, she’ll leave with him. He accepts.

Year 5

After Marina surrenders and disappears with Brayton, chaos erupts at the Rastani court. Carolina calms Lefty’s panic, points Tristan’s rage and sooths and recruits the aid of the broken hearted Raniere. Eric declares he will not return to Cammadan to help search, stretching his and Lefty’s already fraught relationship to a breaking point.

Arriving in Dovetail, Annalise takes the news with heartbreak and rage, dismissing Tristan from the guard for failing and taking to her bed in devastation. Carolina and Tristan agree to return to Pantona to begin a new life and raise their child, while Athena finds herself stuck in between the people she loves the most and frustrated at her lack of ability to save her friend.

Marina awakens in The Shadow Realm, a world between worlds and Brayton mocks and attempts to seduce her, revealing that throughout her life he read her letters to Tristan as a means to know her thoughts and dreams, by using a magical book.

Raymond suggests that Annalise move to Brightcoast to have a place more grounded in Marina’s magic to search from. Annalise agrees, but Athena and Aaron decide to stay behind as Athena’s pregnancy has progressed too far to travel. Prior continues to worry about Annalise’s single focus and refusal to take care of herself and she begins withdrawing from him in frustration.

In Pantona, Carolina and Tristan do their best to settle into their new life, unsure what the shape of it will be. After weeks of isolation, Marina gives in to Brayton, turning over her body and mind to his shadows, no longer seeing a reason to fight.

In Brightcoast, Brea tells Annalise she believe that her Uncle Lestat has been suffering not just from depression and possible dementia but a curse placed in his mind and that she can heal it, but will need someone connected to him by blood, Annalise agrees to the ritual, and Nika informs her that The Prince’s Glory has arrived in Brightcoast. Annalise rushes to greet Eric, who apologizes for not coming sooner, their tender reunion is interrupted by Prior, who later asks Annalise if this changes things between them.

After healing Les’s shadow scar, which was a repeating image of Marina being chained and tortured by King Daniel of Phania, Annalise talks to Eric, who vows to stand by her this time, while she notices that he’s changed and kisses him, she is overwhelmed by guilt and goes to Prior and sleeps with him. While she still won’t commit to anything permanent, she assures Prior at the moment, he is the only one she wants. She then gets a visitation from the goddess, pointing her towards Eric.

Athena gives birth to a baby boy who they name John, to be called Jack, Cornan appears and blesses him immediately, as well as healing Athena from the birth. Aaron and Athena then go to Pantona, where Calla will continue to study magic under Mastero Anselm. One day while practicing levitating leaves, she looks into a pond in the woods and sees an image Marina sleeping.

Sending for Annalise immediately, the others argue over what should be done next, Carolina, terrified Tristan will do anything to save his friend, begs him to wait and stay with her. He agrees, promising he won’t leave her again.

When Annalise, Prior, Eric, Raymond and Evan arrive in Pantona, along with Harran, Brea and Nika, Tristan asks Annalise to take care of Caro and their child if something happens to him, and she agrees. Lefty confesses to Caro that he feels like a failure and that Marina is throwing her life and the rest of the world away for his sake.

Calla and Brea open the gate in the pond and Brea, Thomas, Harran, and Prior stay behind to guard Calla. Once through to the land of shadow, the group is torn apart and shown visions illuminating their greatest desires and fears. Most notably, Aaron is confronted with Anton Dovetail, who assures him that he is not his biological father.

Marina thinks on the months that have passed and her deteriorating mental state, as well as realizing that she is pregnant with Brayton’s child, when Annalise, Aaron, Lefty, Eric, Athena, Tristan and Nika confront them. Annalise hands Marina a dagger which she turns on Brayton, stabbing him in the heart savagely and repeatedly until Lefty pulls her off of him.

After leaving the shadow realm, Annalise and Prior agree to end their relationship and Eric agrees to stay and see what happens. Marina is catatonic and the decision is made to bring her home to Brightcoast in hopes of reviving her. Brea tells Athena of the pregnancy and says that Marina will have a choice to make and hopefully have to time to make it.

Prior agrees to go to Rastan to ask for a ship to go to Brightcoast and returns with Prince Nikolai and rumors that he seduced Rila. (Best way to get over someone..) Annalise is hurt and Carolina is concerned. While at sea, Marina begins slowly getting back to herself, eventually deciding to end her pregnancy as soon as possible. She still cringes at any affectionate touch and her memory is sketchy but she knows who she is now.

Arriving in Brightcoast, Evan and Raymond decide to marry before going to Phania to see Raymond’s family, Annalise agrees to perform the ceremony and Marina sends for Tristan, and after discussing with Carolina he comes to see her and  while discussing their past and her experiences he helps her through a panic attack and they realize they need to accept that they will always be connected and that their lives are fulfilled.

Annalise and Eric consummate their relationship after arguing about what the past four years meant to each of them, and Annalise agrees to go to Phania, leaving Aaron as regent.

Aaron does not like being regent. Athena does her best to support him but he is miserable.

While in Phania, Annalise and Marina meet Erica and Lefty’s parents in Brinecliff, where Marina feels her equilibrium settle, watching Lefty and Eric become protective of Katrin when she brings a suitor, Jaden Larsen, home. They then travel to Vacana and are immediately confronted with the dysfunction of King Daniel’s court, and their cousin Queen Elana’s quiet manipulation.

Upon visiting their ancestral home of Tumona, they both bathe in an ancient and mystic spring. Marina speaks with the spirit of her mother Anne, and she and Lefty decide to marry that night. Annalise sees several visions of Cammadan’s past, and eventually a line of Dovetail bastards, ending in a young woman wielding shadows who mocks her for believing herself to be the last of the bloodline. She then sees her parents and Caleb, who blesses her and asks her forgiveness for abandoning her.

After Marina and Lefty marry, they all return to Cammadan, along with Katrin and after reuniting with Aaron, Athena, Carolina and Tristan, receive a message from Prior, stating that he has found the great wheel where the gods are bound and to meet him at the border keep.