The Once and Future Queen

Paula Lafferty

68 pages 2-hour read

Paula Lafferty

The Once and Future Queen

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2025

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Chapters 25-32Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence, illness, death, death by suicide, sexual violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse, mental illness, and substance use.

Chapter 25 Summary

The next morning, Vera and Arthur run up the Tor together. Arthur struggles with the steep climb but refuses to slow down. At the summit, they find a stone totem surrounded by 12 smaller stones where St. Michael’s Tower will stand in Vera’s time.


Vera goes to her future favorite spot, and Arthur joins her. He encourages her to open up. She tells him about Vincent’s death—the first time she has shared the full story. She reveals that her father is very sick and that she hopes to return home.


When Vera asks if Arthur is in love with Matilda, he laughs—Matilda is his cousin and practically a sister, something Guinevere would have known. As Arthur paces, Vera recognizes the exact scene from a vision she had on the Solstice and realizes that the ghost she saw was him.

Chapter 26 Summary

While descending the Tor, Vera tells Arthur about her vision. At the market, Arthur buys hot apple pastries. Maria approaches and asks if they will perform the Yule Carola to open the festival. Vera agrees without knowing that it’s a dance.


Back at the inn, Arthur arrives with a lute enchanted by Gawain. They practice the Carola, with Vera inventing silly lyrics.

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