Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #2)
by TJ Klune
Contents
Epilogue
Overview
Months after Marsyas becomes a sanctuary, Arthur sees a growing community of magical newcomers, new services, and Zoe struggling with the burdens of queenship. Public backlash forces Jeanine Rowder out, while Doreen Blodwell is named to lead DICOMY/DICOMA and reveals she is a satyr, signaling possible institutional change. The chapter culminates in Arthur and Linus’s wedding, a public declaration of family, safety, and hope amid uncertain politics.
Summary
On an autumn morning, Arthur Parnassus walks the transformed Marsyas peninsula, noting new paths, homes, and visitors. He meets Gayle and her son Billy (now calmer and sleeping through the night), and Gayle accepts Zoe’s offer to serve as Marsyas’s solicitor. Arthur also shares that a selkie psychotherapist is coming to help residents process trauma, acknowledging they cannot do it alone.
Gayle asks what happens if the government tries again. Arthur recounts the public fallout after the “Miracle in Marsyas,” especially a widely shared photo of Jeanine Rowder raising a hand to strike Lucy, which fuels rallies for magical rights. Rowder’s attempted press spin collapses under hostile questions, and Prime Minister Herman Carmine later announces Rowder’s retirement. Carmine introduces Doreen Blodwell as the new head of DICOMY and DICOMA; Doreen reveals she is a satyr (half) whose horns were painfully removed in childhood, promising reform. A subsequent letter in pink handwriting suggests cautious progress: “It’s a start. Give me time.”
Arthur visits Zoe in her flower-petal clearing as she meets new arrivals, including a family of væters who confirm the land is “happy.” Zoe struggles with the emotional weight of listening to refugees’ stories, while Arthur reports that eighty-four residents now live on Marsyas, including thirty-two children, and that teachers are helping Linus build a school program. They trade affection and nerves over the day’s main event: Arthur is barred from the south end until the ceremony, and Linus refuses to see him beforehand.
The village is effectively closed, with signs reading “GONE TO CELEBRATE! RETURN TOMORROW!” At the grove leading to the beach, Merle checks invitations and offers blunt romantic advice. Arthur and Zoe enter a wedding venue packed with more than five hundred guests, magical and not, including village friends, newcomers, and the children dressed for the occasion. At the front stand Linus, the children, Helen, and Calliope; David presides at a podium as the ordained minister.
After comic chaos, David speaks sincerely about arriving wary and learning that Marsyas is a place where difference is safe and community matters. Arthur and Linus exchange vows, each crediting the other and their family for making a life of hope possible. With David’s exuberant permission, Arthur and Linus kiss, then pull David into a fierce embrace as the children and crowd celebrate the marriage and the future they are building together.
Who Appears
- Arthur ParnassusCo-leader of Marsyas; recruits help for newcomers; marries Linus in a public ceremony.
- Linus Allen BakerArthur’s partner; helps organize education; exchanges vows and marries Arthur.
- ZoeQueen and Sprite of Oceans; receives refugees, builds governance, supports Arthur’s wedding day.
- DavidYeti child; becomes ordained minister and officiates Arthur and Linus’s wedding.
- GayleBilly’s mother; accepts role as Marsyas’s solicitor and seeks reassurance about future threats.
- BillyGayle’s son; excitedly explores Marsyas, newly calmer after settling into sanctuary life.
- AliceMagical child visitor/resident; plays with Billy and uses invisibility during their “treasure” hunt.
- Jeanine RowderFormer DICOMY head; public image collapses; forced into retirement after Marsyas incident.
- Prime Minister Herman CarminePolitical leader; announces Rowder’s retirement and appoints Doreen to lead magical departments.
- Doreen BlodwellAppointed head of DICOMY/DICOMA; reveals satyr heritage and promises major protocol reforms.
- HelenSupports David at the podium and helps keep the wedding ceremony on track.
- LucyArthur and Linus’s child; part of wedding party; adds sharp commentary during the ceremony.
- ChaunceyArthur and Linus’s child; impatient for vows and leads celebratory chanting afterward.
- TaliaGnome child; wedding party member; provides blunt comedic asides and practical presence.
- SalArthur and Linus’s child; wedding party member, affectionate toward Arthur during the ceremony.
- PheeArthur and Linus’s child; wedding party member; gifts Arthur personalized socks.
- TheodoreSmall magical child; rides on Sal’s shoulder and shows affection during wedding moments.
- MerleFerryman; manages the guest list and offers terse advice about love and honesty.
- CalliopeLinus’s cat; sits near the podium, meows during vows, and wears a decorative collar.
- Martin SmytheZoe’s representative; helps settle new arrivals and is visibly moved during the wedding.
- ByronGuest connected to David; attends with Jason and cheers David’s speech and the wedding.
- JasonGuest connected to David; attends with Byron and celebrates loudly during the ceremony.
- FridaYoung væter; senses Arthur’s approach and stirs petals with nature-linked magic.