“What the hell?” Bert growled as he received the summons. He pulled his armor back into place, and Bell clicked her fingers, her clothes returning a split second before a lighting strike blinded him.

When the flash faded from his eyes, he found himself in a tall, expansive, opulent room. Bell was beside him, in human form and looking defiant. The iridescent stone floor swept into a patterned wall broken by a parapet with a series of thrones. Karl and Myrtle sat in the center thrones, with other pairs appearing as he watched.

“The Lords and Ladies of the Four Seasons,” Bell whispered to him.

“What the hell are we doing here?” Bert whispered back.

“Ask her,” Bell nodded across the room where another small platform held Gwen. Her eyes bored into him, fury in every line of her face.

“Lords, Ladies, and Fae of all ranks, welcome to this Court of Courts.” Karl stood as he spoke. “For the record, I think this is an unnecessary action that would be better resolved privately.”

“Noted,” A lady of one of the other Courts stated.

“The matter before the Court is a betrayal of Marriage vows by one Lord Bert J. Hudson of the Court of the Travelling Lands. The offended party who called this Court is Gwen Hudson of the Court of the Autumn Winds.”

“Is this a joke?” A woman he couldn’t see clearly laughed. “A cheating husband? Hands up everyone here who has slept with others than their spouses.”

Most of them put up their hands.

“Callie, get your hand up,” The woman laughed. “You slept with me, remember?”

“How could I forget,” Another Lady groaned. “It started a war!”

“If we could get to the matter at hand?” Myrtle tried not to laugh. “We are all busy people.”

“Very well,” Karl called. “Lord Bert, how do you plead? Did you cheat on your wife?”

“I didn’t,” Bert insisted. “She dumped me weeks ago.”

There was general laughter.

“We are still married!” Gwen insisted.

“Very well,” Karl sighed. “Let the trial begin with testimony.”

“The accused will explain their side!” A man in winter clothes and with long white hair called.

Bert found himself teleported into the center of the room.

“Uh, Hi!” He said to general laughter. He saw Bell groaning at his reaction.

“Are you ready to give testimony?” Karl asked.

“I... guess?” Bert sighed. “What do you want to know?”

“Have you knowledge of how this court works?” Myrtle called.

“No idea.” Bert shrugged.

“You may call forth any memory, and we shall witness it entirely,” Karl said. “There is nothing hidden.”

“Okay,” Bert sighed and remembered his last conversation with his wife.

He stood and stared as it played out in front of him again. Perfect recreations of all parties rising into existence in the middle of the floor. It was tough to see it play out.

Finally, it ended when Gwen told him she did not want to hear from him again.

“That seemed pretty final to me,” Bert grimaced. “It certainly felt that way.”

“Thank you, Lord Bert.” Karl waived, and Bert was back with Bell.

“Let the accuser answer!” A woman called.

Gwen appeared in the center of the floor, her eyes still boring into Bert.

“What say you?” Myrtle asked. “The fact of your breakup was seen by all, felt by all.”

“Felt?” Bert asked.

“They all feel what you felt in the memory,” Bell explained, shushing him.

“What he felt and thought is irrelevant,” Gwen insisted. “We are still married.” She shot him a look, “Even if we are not together.”

“We will consider,” Karl said and a wall rose, blocking them from sight.

Gwen turned and stalked back across to her side of the court.

Bert sighed and turned to Bell.

“What do you think?” He asked.

“What if they decide you were in the wrong?” Bell fidgeted with her nails. “What will you do?”

“What can they do?” Bert asked. “To us, I mean.”

“Umm, not a lot?” Bell said hesitantly. “They could call you a cheater? Or maybe declare your marriage dissolved.”

“Worst case?” Bert asked.

“They declare your marriage valid, and she can keep dragging us back here.” Bell sighed.

The partition wall dropped again. They all turned to look as Lord Karl stood.

“I give the accuser one last chance to drop this complaint?”

“I will not,” Gwen said.

“Then the court will consider the validity of the marriage.” Karl raised a hand. “We will decide not based on documents or words but on memories. Your lives will be laid bare.”

“Bert, if you would?” Karl waived him forward.

Bert took his place in the center of the room once more. The Lords and Ladies all seemed excited as he took his spot.

A seat appeared, high-backed and comfortable looking.

“Sit, please; this may take a while,” Karl called.

Bert sat, and the chair slid back, clearing the center of the floor. Figures began to form…

“Gwen?” Myrtle motioned, and a second chair formed; Gwen sat in it, and it slid to the far side of the room.

“For this sequence, up until the moment of Gwen’s death, both memories will be combined,” Myrtle explained. “This will remove the aspects you each see as individuals and paint a real picture of events. I warn you, this may be tough to watch.”

The figures in the center took shape…

Bert watched as he met Gwen for the first time. It was just as he remembered it, except it went on after he left to make a call. Gwen took out a phone and called a friend, chatting about their date. She mentioned he was a little dull but seemed like a nice, safe guy.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

After a moment, he came back, and they continued their date.

Bert frowned, having never known about that. Still, it was only their first date. Time seemed to speed up from then, and he watched date after date take place over the next few days. He also started to notice something he hadn’t remembered.

She looked bored so often, her eyes lingering on better restaurants, better-clothed people, and nicer holidays than they could afford.

It came to a head when he saw Gwen crying on the phone to a friend, saying she was getting kicked out of her house share.

“I’ll just have to move in with Bert,” Gwen sighed, “At least for now.”

Bert felt the pain of that. She hadn’t even wanted to move in with him. Time sped up again, with them moving in and their life together. As time went by, Gwen spent less time looking at better things and seemed happier. It slowed at a night out with some friends from work. Gwen was sitting listening to a woman who was lamenting having to settle for a ‘lesser’ life.

“I don’t know,” Gwen smiled warmly, “I settled, and I have never been happier. Sure, he can’t give me everything, but he always does his best, and he will try and get anything I want.” She laughed. “Somewhere along the way, I really fell in love with my silly little hubby.”

Time sped past, their lives playing out for everyone to see. They both had chances and offers to cheat, and they both refused. It was obvious they were happy together. But it was also clear that their entire relationship was about Gwen. She wanted, she needed, she demanded.

Over time he just stopped noticing that.

Then she got sick, and of course, it was hell. He wept openly, seeing her weaken and die all over again. He wept as she laid a ghostly hand on his shoulder, telling him she loved him before she went into the light.

The figures faded, and the silent room was quiet for a moment longer. A soft susurration from the Lords and Ladies was followed by Myrtle standing, still wiping her eyes.

“There is no doubt the marriage was valid at the time of Gwen’s passing to the Summerlands.” She said, and Gwen looked triumphant.

“Don’t celebrate yet,” Karl warned. “This is only half of the story.

“Let us see the rest,” A Lady called. “The Accused first, please.”

==============

This part really hurt as Bert watched his misery and loneliness play out.

Bert watched his second life t, hearing laughter at his mistakes and seeing more than one tear among the Lords and Ladies as he kept talking to Gwen.

They cheered his victories and booed his enemies, but he was distracted. As time went by, he noticed he talked to Gwen less and less often. He didn’t notice at the time because it was busy, and he was often frantically terrified at the time.

But it happened.

Over time, he talked less and less often to his wife. He also noticed how he spent more and more time talking to Bell, laughing with Bell, and so on. It was only friendly, but was there a spark there that shouldn’t have been?

He didn’t think so, but could he really be sure?

Then he reunited with his wife, and his joy was clear to see. They thankfully skipped the actual ‘reuniting’ showing only the conversations. It felt strange to see it all over again. He still felt the same pain, but it was more distant now. A partially healed wound rather than a fresh one.

It went on, focusing on his conversations with others about Gwen, until it came to the actual point of the trial, where he pushed Bell up against the wall of the impressive building.

The images faded.

“And now the accuser!” A Lord called, and Bert felt himself sliding backward as Gwen moved forward.

Gwen had wept as she crossed the rainbow bridge and wandered the Summerlands listlessly, spending most of her time watching Bert, her pain at his state written all over her face.

A little over a month into her time on that side, she had seen a woman casting light balls and pretending to juggle. She approached her and started to try the same thing. Gwen’s smile when she discovered her first magic was just the same smile he had seen so many times.

She spent the next few months tracking down new spells, acquiring a series of pets along the way. She checked in on him constantly, always in pain at seeing him in such a state.

Even after everything that had happened, it was nice to see her smile as she learned new spells, made friends, and gained confidence. When he ran into Felicia, she was watching; her rage was as clear to see as her smile had been.

She cried and then cheered, then cried again as time passed. Finally, she tracked down a spell that would let her pierce the veil.

She really was there, pointing him to the Waystation.

Things sped up again, with everything continuing until the Fae discovered him. Gwen sat back in shock as she watched it happen, then turned and began to run.

Her feet flew over the ground as she ran for days, arriving at a gate with a decoration of falling leaves blown in the wind.

She spoke to the guards and was let in.

Life in the Summerlands changed for her then. She lived in a palace, was waited on by servants, and trained with the best the Autumn Wind could offer. She blossomed, returning every now and then to those she learned from and bringing them gifts and spells. She danced at balls, made friends, and still, at first, she sat and watched him every day in her spare time.

She used her new power more than once to reach through the veil and help him.

Over time, she was busier, watching less and less as her new life caught more and more of her attention.

She even became part of a crowd, handing out with them most days and laughing, chatting, studying together. It was nice to see.

Then, a week between checking on him became two.

Just as they approached the time when the two of them would finally meet again, she learned of the plans of the Autumn Wind to return to Earth. She spoke to friends about how much she was looking forward to showing all those she left behind her new power and titles.

It was brutal to see their relationship die. It happened when a memory showed Lady Myrtle talking to Gwen, advising her to slow down and stay with Bert for a while. And Gwen really considered it.

He saw the indecision on her face, but ultimately, the idea of more power, more levels, and a return to Earth won out.

The final warning from Myrtle was that should she walk away from Bert now; he may not be there to walk back to,

Gwen laughed.

“He’ll always be there.” Gwen said, “A guy like him gets a girl like me? They’ll wait for you forever!”

He looked over at Gwen, seeing her wince at the comment.

After that, watching her say goodbye made so much more sense. As far as she was concerned, he would always be there. To settle for when she needed him again.

He had to admit to a bit of fury flowing when he saw her laugh as Bell fell. And her anger as he fought his way to save Bell. She watched then, watched him suffer.

Her face set in anger in misery the whole time she watched.

“I warned you,” Myrtle said in the memory. “You changed much since you died. Did you really think he didn’t?”

“He wasn’t supposed to change,” Gwen said grimly. “He was supposed to wait.”

“He did, Gwen.” Myrtle said gently, “And then you left all over again.”

“I never wanted to lose him,” Gwen said simply. “I just didn’t want him right now.”

“Even in the land of the Fae, that’s not how it works,” Myrtle told her. “It’s not too late, you know. You can go to him.”

“No,” Gwen pulled herself closer to the viewing portal. “He still might die and join me here.”

Gwen watched more after he recovered than she had in a long time, and everything she saw made her angrier. She complained to her friends that he was supposed to die, and she was sure he would.

Now, if she went to see him, it would be obvious she let him suffer.

No, she would wait, and it would be fine.

Then, one night, she saw Bell move over and get into his camp bed. She watched all night, seeing nothing happened, but she was in a rage.

When she met with him and the others, that rage, fear, and anger all poured out.

She arrived back in the Summerlands, and the rage slowly left her.

“Go, fix it.” One of her friends told her the next morning. “Tell them you are sorry, and get him back.”

“No,” Gwen sniffed. “I don’t want him back now. He’ll never look at me the same way.” She laughed and pretended not to care.

But just once more, she looked.

And she saw him press Bell up against the wall, and her patience snapped.

The chair slid back, and Gwen and Bert returned to their platforms.

The partition wall was only up for a moment before falling.

“It is with a heavy heart that I deliver this verdict,” Karl said. “But I will do so.”

He waved, and Bert and Gwen found themselves standing together in the center of the floor.

“The marriage between you two was strained by death but was broken as you both grew apart. You are not the people who married or even those you were at the time of Gwen’s death.”

“But-” Gwen started only to be silenced.

“There was no crime, as the marriage was over before the incident, and you both knew that. This trial happened only because one of you regretted it more than the other.” His face grew grave as he sat, and Myrtle rose to her feet.

“Lord Hudson of the Court of the Travelling Lands, go forth from here with no mark against your good name. You are a single man, and your marriage to Gwen is dissolved.” She took a deep breath, “Moreover, it is your right to demand sanction of Gwen for her false accusation.”

Bert looked at Gwen, frozen in fear and rage.

“No, thank you,” Bert said. “I’m sad about what happened between us, but as Lord Karl said, we just grew apart.”

“Thank you, Lord Hudson.” Myrtle smiled. “Abstaining from punishment is a credit to you and your Lady.”

“Now that’s what I call a show!” Was the last thing Bert heard before he found himself and Bell back where they had started.

==========

“Are you okay?” Bert and Bell asked each other. Then laughed at the same time.

“Are you?” Bell asked.

“I’m better than okay,” Bert smiled. “I know what happened, and it wasn’t that bad.” He slid his hands around her waist. “What about you?”

“If you ever let anyone say you're single again, I’ll rip your dick off!” Bell grinned and clicked her fingers, removing both their clothes. “Okay?”

“Anything you say, dear.” He grinned as she wrapped her legs around him again.