Welcome to the evolution of Ensnared’s ending, as seen
through my author’s brain. ;)
***CAUTION: MAJOR SPOILERS ALERT FOR SPLINTERED SERIES***
(This is your last
chance to turn back)
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The comments/questions I had to ask of myself while finalizing
this ending are labeled IE
(Inner Editor).
The answers I came to (after carefully examining my character
arcs, prior books/backstories, and overall canon) are labeled AGH.
IE: With this ending, some readers
might feel as if Alyssa doesn’t have to make a choice.
AGH: Alyssa does choose. She chooses
to grow old with Jeb during her human life instead of aging alone while waiting
for her reality to begin with Morpheus.
She chooses this, because firstly, it makes absolutely no
sense for her and Jeb to both live and grow old in the human realm and be
suffering and miserable because they simply *won’t* be together. The only way
that would work is if one of them no longer loved or wanted to be with the
other. And that is definitely not the case with these characters (Jeb’s painted
room of dreams and Alyssa’s vow proved that). If there’s no reason they can’t
be together for that one human lifetime, then why wouldn’t they be? To tear
them apart in order to meet someone else’s definition of a “real life” ending
would be contrived and transparent. Forcing my characters to do something out
of character will never be an option
in my stories.
Secondly, if she's growing old alone and not sharing any of
those treasured memories only another human could appreciate with her, she
would be just like Alice, growing old alone in her cage. And one thing all of
the characters have learned throughout this journey: life should be lived, not wasted.
IE: This feels a little like a
plot driven choice.
AGH: The plot definitely plays a
role. Alyssa said herself what she would have chosen, had the plot not
intervened and forced Jeb and Morpheus to come to a compromise and respect one
another’s roles in Alyssa’s futures. She told Gossamer, “I would’ve chosen
Wonderland, and ruled alone.” Alyssa has two distinctive sides. Both of
them so strong they were fighting within her and killing her. Morpheus told her
in Ensnared (page 217): “The only way you will ever find peace, is if your
two sides learn to coexist.” She had to find a way to concentrate on her
role as ruler and still be true to her human side. And had the guys not
accepted her duality, and that she had a place in her heart for them both and
trusted her to do right by both of them, she would’ve had to leave them behind
in order to do that. She is part of both worlds, and being true to herself had
to be her priority over romance.
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IE: But do the guys really get a choice?
And aren’t they going to be jealous of each other constantly?
AGH: Jeb has to consciously choose
to be with Al and accept the “dream condition”.
And he does, because he’s come to trust her without any reservations. It
would be different if this were the Jeb from book one; but after going through
everything he has throughout the span of all three books, he’s not a typical
human anymore. He sees beyond the here and now, beyond our world’s boundaries.
That change and strength of heart/spirit is undeniable in him by the end. He’s grown and isn’t insecure,
overprotective, or obsessed with proving himself anymore. He understands
there’s another realm out there that Al is always going to be a part of, even
another man that she will marry and reign with one day (after Jeb’s gone and
she’s a widow), who’s a part of that other world. Jeb understands because he’s
been a part of that world himself, he wielded magic and painted it back into
being. His heart is attached to it now, and this helps him make peace with the
bigger picture.
Morpheus also chooses—to wait for Alyssa. No one can force Wonderland’s
wisdom keeper to choose something he doesn’t want to. Not even Alyssa. He
doesn't have to wait. He wants to. He
knows that Alyssa has to be in the human realm to heal. And her life has to be fulfilling,
too, while she's there. Morpheus still gets to train Alyssa as queen every
night so it’s not wasted years for him, either. He understands that his and
Alyssa’s future will be worth the wait in the end, because he knows that once
she at last lives in Wonderland and belongs to him, she’ll never belong to another
again. He is the only one who gets to have her forever. In his mind, that makes
him the ultimate victor.
Together, these three characters have faced and defeated magical creatures and circumstances so vastly large and incomparable to typical human experiences, it would be illogical and petty to strip this down to two typical guys getting jealous over competition.
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IE: But can any woman truly love
two men equally? Since Alyssa and Morpheus have such a fiery chemistry, doesn’t
that mean what she feels for Jeb is platonic, or inferior?
AGH: Alyssa isn’t 100% human. That’s
only ½ of her. She is in fact two separate beings in one body. She loves both
guys equally, but she also loves them differently.
She says to Jeb on page 379 in Ensnared: “There will
always be two different sides to me. And each one loves you and Morpheus in
different ways.” She loves them in the context of the worlds/sides of her
they represent and speak to. For Morpheus, there’s a wildness and passion between
them that actually overwhelms her at times. That's because he IS wildness and
passion, incarnate. He’s Wonderland.
What she feels for Jeb is softer, and gentler—like the human
realm. But that doesn't make it any less genuine or real, or mark it as brotherly-sisterly
/ platonic love. Their scenes throughout the series clearly show the romantic
tension / chemistry/ sensuality between them that people don't have for mere
friends or members of their family.
Magic is involved, separating Alyssa’s heart right down the
middle, literally. So she can’t be held to typical “human” standards. When
magic plays a role, some things have to be taken on faith, since no one has
ever personally experienced it. The only rules a magic system can be measured
by are the foreshadowing, canon, and world building put into play by the
author.
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IE: But how can Morpheus and
Alyssa possibly resist one another all those years in her dreams? How is this even
morally acceptable?
AGH: On page 365 of Ensnared, Ivory said to Alyssa: “Morpheus
will bring you here in your dreams. You will continue to learn the politics of
our world and acquaint yourself with your subjects and your dominion; you’ll
learn to trust, understand, and work with him...” Alyssa and Morph will not
be going on romantic dates. They’ll be spending their time as they did in their
childhood memories. He'll be training and teaching her about her kingdom and
the world. It’s work. There won't be opportunities for seduction because Alyssa
won't be hidden from Wonderland this time. The veil of sleep will be pulled
away and she'll be interacting with Rabid, Chessie, Ivory, the creatures and
her subjects. Basically, they’ll be chaperoned the whole time.
Morally, Alyssa is dedicated to being true to Jeb during her
human life. She’s got the spine to follow through, too. Throughout this entire
series she’s been shutting down Morph’s advances left and right to be faithful
to Jeb. She’s proven her strength. Making the vow of marriage to Jeb isn't
going to make her weaker in that endeavor. It's going to make her stronger. And
once children are born, she'd never do anything to hurt or betray her family. She’s
proven her family loyalty time and time again.
Morpheus will absolutely continue to flirt and tease her...
it's innate in him. But he won’t push any harder than that. Otherwise, he’d be
forcing Alyssa to betray not only Jeb, but herself. And although Morph's
respect for Jeb is new and tentative at best, his respect for Alyssa is
immeasurable, for she’ll one day be his queen.
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IE: But since real life can’t
work out this way, the ending could feel contrived.
AGH: I write fantasy. It’s not
contemporary YA, so it doesn’t have to conform to “real world” ideals. Contemporary
stories won’t have this sort of an ending, for sure … but they also won’t have
a winged man and an enchanted faerie world filled with twisted and warped landscapes
and creatures. Readers choose fantasy because they like the magic (the same
reason I choose to write it). And it’s that very magic that provided a way to
give all three of my characters a happy ever after. It fits into the overall
arc, foreshadowing, and magic of my world-building and canon. This is pure
escapism fantasy. These books have always been about the impossible coming
true. Forcing a painful and overly
dramatic breakup in order to be “realistic” and appease a few readers, would defeat
the purpose by being unrealistic to
this whimsical, weird fairytale story-world I’ve created. That is what would be contrived. Setting aside “teams” and being
true to the characters as individuals is the only way to keep it real.
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IE: True love demands sacrifice.
Are everyone’s sacrifices big enough?
AGH: Here’s what everyone has to
give up in those final chapters: Jeb says goodbye to his amazing artistry (the
very talent that at one time defined him) forever; Morpheus has to wait for
Alyssa; and by actually sharing her human
life with someone, marrying, and having a family, instead of just growing old
alone, Alyssa will have to watch Jeb and her loved ones die and say goodbye to whoever’s
still living when it’s time for her Wonderland life to begin.
All of these sacrifices take true love. They are heartrending
for each character, even if it doesn’t seem like a big deal someone else. Sacrifice
is proportional to the nature and
situation of the person or creature making it, not to how big or small it
seems to an outside observer. No one
can say something isn’t a sacrifice, unless they’ve lived that exact situation.
And since there’s magic involved in Ensnared, there’s no human precedent for
these sacrifices. Unless we can literally bring our paintings to life, burst
out of a cocoon and sprout wings, or find our hearts physically tearing in half
due to an evil spell, we really can’t judge whether these sacrifices are
worthy.
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IE: To some readers, this ending won’t seem fair.
AGH: Maybe it’s not fair that
Morpheus has to wait while Alyssa is with another guy. But then, it’s not like
Morpheus is an innocent. He’s had decades of “practice” and experience with
other women, which he freely admits to in Splintered: “I’ve been in this
form for some time. I had to get some practice in.” Given the fact that he’s
a solitary fae and a flirt, there are obviously countless other faeries he’s
had dalliances with besides Ivory that he didn’t have any real feelings for. So,
saying that because Morph’s the guy, he should
be more experienced, and that he has every right to expect Alyssa—the girl—to
stay innocent and never have any experience with anyone else (someone she
actually loves, no less) is unfair to Alyssa. Morpheus may be a lot of things,
but misogynistic he is not.
Maybe it’s unfair when Alyssa tells Morph that she
understands if he’s done waiting and he should find someone else. Even though, in
her heart of hearts, we know she’s still going to try to win him over again in their
eternal future. She told us so in Unhinged (page 353): “Then it will be my
turn to win you. I’m up for the challenge.” Maybe that’s selfish, to plan to let him go
then strategize some way to win him back later. But then, she is one half netherling, and a fully
realized Red Queen. Of course she’s got a strategy in mind. There’s an
interesting parallel at play there . . .
the shoe being on the other foot. She’s been trained by the master. Good
that she’s embracing it, since it’s the very side of her so perfectly suited
and matched for him.
Or maybe the ending’s unfair because Morpheus has already been
waiting for her. But then, Jeb only has one life. Morpheus has forever. So time
isn’t as precious to him. In the same way that human laws, morals, values, etc…
aren’t applicable to Morpheus or other netherlings, time doesn’t apply to them,
either. On the other end of the spectrum, what would be most unfair to Jeb is
to take away the one thing he’s fought so hard for throughout the whole series:
Al, and make him live his one life without her.
Maybe some of the other possible endings would be more fair,
because Jeb walking away or Alyssa choosing to age alone until she can be with Morpheus
in reality aren’t the only options here. Morpheus could be trapped in
AnyElsewhere, leaving Jeb to be the king of Wonderland with his newfound magic.
Jeb did recreate the world, after all, so in essence, he could logically rule
it by Al’s side. And some would say that would be what’s fair since Morpheus
has used Jeb countless times and has always had ulterior motives and
underhanded means to get things to go his way. But then, someone else might say
that would be unfair, because
Morpheus has always loved Wonderland, and always pushed Alyssa to her very
magical best, so he’s the logical king. Or, both guys could give up their lives
to save Alyssa. Or, her two sides could be magically split apart to make two
separate beings. But then, that really would be unfair since neither guy would
be happy because they have each come to love both sides of her.
There are countless ways I could take this ending to be
“fair” to some readers—but there will always be another sect of readers who
think it’s unfair. That’s because fair is totally subjective, according to who
you ask. But there’s only ONE way that is authentic, organic, and natural to
the story arc and the individual characters. That’s the true ending, and I
should write it.
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IE: But by letting Alyssa have two futures, no
side wins.
AGH: It’s true, neither team wins with
this ending. But this series has never been about the “TEAMS” for me. If I’m totally
honest with myself, sides never even figured into the equation. Character
growth and authenticity were my top priorities. And no one can argue that all
the characters have grown.
As a reward, Alyssa wins. So do both guys. She gets to be
with the men she loves who fulfill each side of her, and they get to be with
the girl they love who makes them better men. They all get to have their happy-ever-afters,
although one of them has to wait a little longer for it. The one who grows the most.
As a solitary fae, Morpheus has always strategized to make
things turn out the way he wants it. He’s a master
manipulator/schemer/puppeteer. This has been proven time and time again. So for
him to know that Alyssa loves him, and he has the ability to alter things using
that knowledge, yet he surrenders the reins and lets her be with another man
for her human life, that is the purest and noblest act of love for a being with
such a skewed idea of morals. His choice is redemptive and makes him completely
worthy of being Alyssa’s king one day, even in the eyes of his haters. So, if I
can redeem even just one character in everyone’s eyes, that win carries more weight
and resonance than any simple “team” win could ever accomplish. And that’s the
ending I’ll be going with.
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IE: Well, the “girl gets both guys” resolution isn’t original or
unpredictable. Here are a couple of examples from past publications: First, in
a popular 2007 YA vampire series turned TV series, one of the girls ends up
w/both guys. “He’s your first love,” the immortal guy tells the girl. “I intend
to be your last. However long it takes.” Next, there’s a series from a few
years ago by Rick Riordan where the two guys in the love triangle merge into
one body and the girl gets them both that way.
AGH: It’s true. The “girl gets to have both boys” concept isn’t
unique to anyone. It was the ending for another recent series, too. That
doesn’t mean I’m copying or being derivative. That’s like saying love triangles
are unique to Stephenie Meyer and Twilight, so anyone who has a triangle is
copying her. But triangles were in play long before Stephenie’s books, as far
back as nineteenth century literature and the Bible.
To look at it from the other side of the coin, what would be
unique about ending my book like the thousands of other books that force the
girl to walk away from one guy permanently? Wouldn’t that be “copying”, too? A
best-selling YA trilogy just ended and it had a highly publicized triangle that
often gets compared to mine: two guys very similar to Jeb and Morpheus (white
knight/anti-hero). That author had her heroine choose the reformed bad,
troubled boy. Wouldn’t I be copying her then, if Alyssa took up with Morph and
walked away from Jeb forever?
Every resolution has been done, again and again, and will
continue to be done. Ergo, there is no perfectly original ending to a triangle.
This is why the only thing I can do is write my ending to appease no one but my
storyline and characters.
Which means I must follow the organic arc of this story, the
one I’ve foreshadowed throughout all three books and a novella.
Here are just three of the seeds that were planted along the
way (there are dozens more sprinkled throughout the series):
Splintered, page 361, Morpheus said to Alyssa: One day
you’ll want to fly again. And rest assured, I’ll be waiting in the wings.
The Moth in the Mirror, Morph’s narrative after he
walked inside Jeb’s memories: No wonder she was so captivated by him [Jeb].
No wonder he held her in his thrall. Hell, Morpheus himself was reluctantly
fascinated by the boy’s honorable traits, so unusual in one as damaged as him.
Morpheus was tempted to step back and let Jebediah have his moment of
happiness. Some would say he’d earned it by being willing to give up his life
for Alyssa… It wasn’t as if the boy would
be around forever. He was mortal. Someday he would die of old age at the very
least, and Alyssa would be fair game once more.
Unhinged, page 280, Ivory said to Alyssa: Just as you have
two sides to yourself, you have two potential futures . . . you’ve been given a
chance at two lives, and two loves. That is nothing short of a miracle. Cherish
the gift for what it is.
And, since I’m not trying to surprise my readers that Alyssa
gets to have both guys—due to foreshadowing—readers are already expecting this
possibility. But what’s NOT predictable is how
Alyssa gets that ending. Both guys finally stop trying to pull her one way or
another. They’re the ones who ultimately compromise. They finally accept one
another as constants in her life, even come to respect one another to some
degree. That’s the twist.
The only thing that can make an ending original is the
telling of the story and the process of the resolution. And mine is exclusive
and true to my characters and world. No other heroine in any other book has had
her heart split in half by an evil spell from the red queen and has to live in
both realms so she can heal and her humanness survive. Which means writing the
ending this way is unique already.
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Final note: As I was bringing the series to a close, I wasn’t simply
looking back at the preceding stories for direction. I had to look forward at
the broad picture, too. To gauge the effect the character choices would have on
the story-world’s canon as a whole. Most especially on Morpheus and Alyssa’s future
roles in Wonderland.
They’re going to rule a mad and magical world together. So they
must have the most arduous, most unusual, and most complex love story imaginable
if they’re to be upheld as a formidable team by their enchanted subjects.
All these years spent together in dreams will grow that kind
of love. In the end, they will have the deepest admiration and trust for one
another because by the close of Alyssa’s human life, they've been *together*
platonically, for a lifetime.
Morpheus doesn't age. Yet he has to watch Alyssa age in her
dreams. Since he sees her that way and still adores and reveres her, it proves
what he feels is not at all superficial. It’s so far beyond that. Immeasurably
so, in fact. And as she's making human memories, he knows her heart will be
fulfilled by them -- the one way she'll be whole and strong enough to wear the
crown and be queen one day. Which is consistent with everything in his
characterization. Wonderland always comes first. A selfless sacrifice from a
once selfish fae.
And without having a physical relationship with Morpheus all
these years, Alyssa will come to love his mind and his character above any lust
or attraction she feels for his physical form. She will become connected to his
eternal spirit, which is important since all netherlings have eternal spirits.
So if anything were ever to happen to Morpheus’s physical body, and he had to
find a new vessel to live in, she would still love him. That's pure and
everlasting. It's also very different from how most relationships evolve in the
human realm. So she needs that experience, to love deeply enough for an eternity.
In Unhinged, the Ivory Queen predicted this exact scenario,
when Alyssa asked her how she was supposed to spend eternity with someone she
didn’t trust. Ivory’s answer: “There may be many, many years between now and
the vision you viewed. Something will change the way you see him. Perhaps a
bevy of small things along the way, or possibly another grand gesture you never
thought him capable of. Whatever it is, it will alter your relationship
forever.” So Alyssa sees Morpheus’s selfless and non-superficial love over
a series of years, and her human side grows to trust him without any
reservation, just as her netherling side respects and cherishes his
manipulative mind as he teaches her to rule over the mad and feral Wonderland
creatures.
And, most importantly, once Alyssa is crowned and becomes young
again, she will retain the wisdom of one who’s lived a lifetime, which Morpheus
already had. Until then, Alyssa still
has some growing to do to be the perfect match for Morpheus. Her human life is
her chrysalis, in which she will reach her full metamorphosis (like he has) and
burst free as a butterfly, to be equal to him and *ready* for him and her
eternal life in Wonderland in every way. Even
if her heart hadn't split in two and needed to heal, she still would've needed
that human life experience to be whole, strong, wise, and ready to give herself
completely to the throne. She still would’ve needed her time in the cocoon.
Morpheus, in his wisdom and experience, understands this
about her (since he practically went through the same thing) ... and it's part
of the reason he concedes and lets her live that life without fighting it.
Because this is what will ultimately make them equals in every respect.
And equals on every level make indomitable partners.
Their romantic journey is magical and far from mundane. A
typical “oh, we met in our childhood, had an adventure, then fell head over
heels” would never do for my Red King and Queen. And the payoff? How many couples get to
experience sixty-some years of slow-burning courtship, and still be young
enough to enjoy the release of all that pent up passion once they're finally
united in marriage? By the time they become King and Queen and have a child of
their own, their love will be indestructible and EPIC.
None of the other endings/outcomes I could've written would’ve
built their relationship up to that degree. Alyssa and Morpheus’s future roles demanded
nothing less than epic, so I gave it to them.
***
I’d like to close with one of my friends’ observations that I
think applies perfectly here (thanks Kerri Maniscalco!):
“As a person, I don’t have to
agree with a character’s choice or reaction. As long as I can follow their
reasons why, I can respect it and understand their difficult choices. And if I
think the author is being authentic to their characters, I will follow them to
the ends of the universe and back because I trust them.”
I’ve already promised never to lie to you. And I’ve proven it
by being true to my foreshadowing via the characters, magic system, and canon I
built for this series.
So, for anyone who still feels disappointed by my love
triangle’s resolution, I have a suggestion that might help:
Do what I did after
feeling let down by books in the past. Become a writer. Build your own
characters and worlds and scenarios. Tell the stories you always wanted to read,
and end them as your writer’s heart leads. You won’t regret it. It’s the most
liberating and satisfying way to right all literary wrongs. ;)
Thank you for reading my series, and for checking out my author’s
perspective behind the ending. I wish you many happy and satisfying reads in
2015! :)
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