Jaron
Jaron took a deep breath, as he met Farris' glare firmly. He had made his choice. This was a better way and it was worth the risk. … more“My name is Jaron”, he introduced himself. “Ser Jaron, a hedge knight” He looked at his companion. Samuel frowned at his words and though he was not making any overly aggressive gestures, he reminded Jaron of a predator about to attack. “And this is Samuel Harrington”
Farris narrowed his eyes, instantly putting a hand onto the greatsword on his back, though he remained surprisingly calm. Jaron breathed out with relief as the feared confrontation did not happen immediately. There was a chance, he saw it now.
“So, the day has come at last”, Farris sighed. “Ryder has warned me you'd come” He took a step forwards and Jaron saw himself urged to get between the two, to make sure that they won't just attack each other immediately. “I was not afraid then and neither am I now”, the guard growled. “Tell me, w… [view original content]
This was an interesting voting for me, as it was one of these where I could have seen things going into either direction. Clearly, Samuel is getting more and more stressed and almost uncharacteristically reckless the closer he gets to his brother. He is emotional right now, after several chapters in which he has been considerably colder (save for some more humanizing scenes with Raenna and Ellena) and there is really no saying how he will react, or how far he is going to go to get the information out of poor Joshawa. This however is going to mean that Lanford is going to catch both of them in the next part, after Erik more than likely just alerted him to their presence. What this means, we shall see. Jaron's next part won't be too far away, as we are getting closer to the ending of the chapter and Book 1 and I wish to give him two more parts in it.
Now, I think I should announce something. I am going on a short trip after all, from today to Saturday. I was not sure if I manage to finish another part before, but I got up early today to finish it in time before I have to leave. This trip is likely going to leave me with only my phone's mobile data for internet and it will be very bad, meaning I will be somewhat active, but likely unable to even check my feed, so I will vote on the stories I follow, but any PM I don't manage to answer until I have to leave has to wait until Saturday. However, I will take my laptop with me and I will have both, plenty of time to spare and the dire need of some distraction, so I will try to write at least one part, as well as some writing stuff for other stories which I wanted to finish for a while now. The reason for this trip is not a happy one and I wish to share some details with you. My grandfather has recently fallen ill, basically the first time he ever fell seriously ill in his entire life. He was diagnosed with a tumor in his bowel and has to undergo surgery on Thursday, as far as I know, to have it removed as quickly as possible. It is not clear yet if it is cancer or merely a tumor, but it does seriously affect him, by attacking the leucocytes in his blood and making it hard for him to breathe as a result, so it has to go. I try not to be too worried as long as the doctors see a realistic chance for this operation to succeed, but then again, he is in his mid-eighties and yes, this is terrifying and I am scared shitless. This is one of the moments where I am particularly glad that I have picked up writing as a hobby, because what better distraction could there ever be? In any way, me and my father will visit my grandfather today and will stay at his place until Saturday. I shall keep you updated about the situation once I return.
Onwards to a more pleasant subject, the next part will be out in the next two hours. It will be an Arthur part and unless I'll have internet at my grandfather's, which is unlikely, it will be the last part until Saturday. Actually, it means the voting is only going to be open for a day longer, because I'd usually likely close it around Friday. This next Arthur part is going to start off exactly where he was last seen, in a small room in the castle, together with Aditha and the corpse of Hackor. Both siblings are heartbroken over the loss of their father, but at least, Aditha was able to tell Arthur that his father told her that he loved an respected him. This was of course a clear lie she told, because she's enough of a sweetheart to try and make Arthur feel better even during such a horrible time. While Hackor indeed expressed some positive feelings towards Arthur before he died, he did so in his final conversation with Jenna and Aditha does not know about it yet. As they comforted each other, a new situation came up, when a guard entered the room, telling Arthur that a lady wishes to speak to him. From Drent's latest part, you already know that this lady is Edonia, who was sent by Argella to fetch her the man called Nathamer, who leads the city guard as far as she knows, unaware that the man she seeks to speak to has perished during the raid. Putting more value into comforting his grieving sister, Arthur decided to remain with her for a while longer instead of immediately hurrying to the meeting.
There is also going to be another thing upcoming, as the wonderful @Lord_EAA has written something which I urged him to share with you. Due to how brief the time betwen closing this voting and posting the next part will be, he will, as far as I know, post it later this week, around Thursday or Friday, when most of you had a chance to read the next part already. It should further give you something FoT-related to read during my brief absence and it will reveal some very interesting and very important information, which will be further elaborated upon in Book 2. I am sure you will enjoy it.
As said, I will try to remain active over the next few days, but with terrible internet. If anything comes up, I will try my best to answer to everything as good as I can and I will surely remain active in my followed stories and in here, but I cannot promise if I will be even able to load my feed with this internet, so private messages might have to wait for a little longer. Until then, enjoy the next part
I wish you and your family good luck on your trip. Hopefully this all gets sorted and your Grandfather makes it out of this ok and lives many, many more long and healthy years with the people he loves. I'll pray for his recovery. But if it gives you comfort I have had family members survive worse. You might remember my aunt had 3 of her arteries blocked last year and they gave her a 10% chance at survival. We had to get a special surgeon for him to even get us a 25-30%. During the operation the surgeon kept coming out of the room nuts about how stressed he was. By the end of it, it was the hardest operation he did in his life, but she made it and is in good health. So after that I'm very optimistic and hopeful that your grandfather will make it out fine and you will all be ok. Please talk to your family members if you ever feel like you can't deal with how stressful the situation is, they'll probably be feeling the same sometimes. In fact a few might look to you for comfort. And if its just a stressful wait, you can write a part like you suggested. Strong emotions tend to calm themselves when put to something productive. But again I am very hopeful it will all go well and I wish you the best.
On a lighter note thank you for giving the heads up about my little writing piece. I'll post it Thursday probably unless things change. Hopefully it will hold down the fort .
Anyway, just in case you don't get any reception, thank you again, my prayers and hopes to you and your family getting the best out of the situation and have a good week man .
The Voting is closed!
Jaron is going to calm Samuel down
This was an interesting voting for me, as it was one of these where I could h… moreave seen things going into either direction. Clearly, Samuel is getting more and more stressed and almost uncharacteristically reckless the closer he gets to his brother. He is emotional right now, after several chapters in which he has been considerably colder (save for some more humanizing scenes with Raenna and Ellena) and there is really no saying how he will react, or how far he is going to go to get the information out of poor Joshawa. This however is going to mean that Lanford is going to catch both of them in the next part, after Erik more than likely just alerted him to their presence. What this means, we shall see. Jaron's next part won't be too far away, as we are getting closer to the ending of the chapter and Book 1 and I wish to give him two more parts in it.
Now, I think I should announc… [view original content]
The Voting is closed!
Jaron is going to calm Samuel down
This was an interesting voting for me, as it was one of these where I could h… moreave seen things going into either direction. Clearly, Samuel is getting more and more stressed and almost uncharacteristically reckless the closer he gets to his brother. He is emotional right now, after several chapters in which he has been considerably colder (save for some more humanizing scenes with Raenna and Ellena) and there is really no saying how he will react, or how far he is going to go to get the information out of poor Joshawa. This however is going to mean that Lanford is going to catch both of them in the next part, after Erik more than likely just alerted him to their presence. What this means, we shall see. Jaron's next part won't be too far away, as we are getting closer to the ending of the chapter and Book 1 and I wish to give him two more parts in it.
Now, I think I should announc… [view original content]
Thank you for the support! This is really reassuring, I'm glad your aunt survived this surgery. In comparison, my grandfather's upcoming surgery is far more of a routine procedure. The only fear I have is that it is cancer after all, because that would mean the surgery is not the only thing he has to survive. In fact, I am not all that concerne for the surgery itself, because the people there know what they are doing and if they are willing to risk it, it means they are confident in their abilities, as am I. For now, I can also still deal with the situation, I will wait with any negativity until there is a clear diagnosis.
About your writing, I will try to send you a PM during the journey, where I should still have better internet. There is one thing you mention which I wish to elaborate upon. Ah, so much to write, so little time, I already regret that I have to keep some of you waiting for so long with my answer
But anyways, thank you for the support, I appreciate it. I'll keep you updated once I know more!
I wish you and your family good luck on your trip. Hopefully this all gets sorted and your Grandfather makes it out of this ok and lives man… morey, many more long and healthy years with the people he loves. I'll pray for his recovery. But if it gives you comfort I have had family members survive worse. You might remember my aunt had 3 of her arteries blocked last year and they gave her a 10% chance at survival. We had to get a special surgeon for him to even get us a 25-30%. During the operation the surgeon kept coming out of the room nuts about how stressed he was. By the end of it, it was the hardest operation he did in his life, but she made it and is in good health. So after that I'm very optimistic and hopeful that your grandfather will make it out fine and you will all be ok. Please talk to your family members if you ever feel like you can't deal with how stressful the situation is, they'll probably be feeling the same sometimes. In fact a … [view original content]
No way I'm going to take some time off now! If anything, being able to work on this story and seeing how much it is appreciated does wonders in keeping me calm and stable right now. And so far, nothing too bad happened. I will see how things develop, but right now, I have things to focus my mind on and I am happy I have. The thought of being absolutely alone with my thoughts is the worst for me. I really appreciate the thought so, thanks for the support
Softly, Arthur pulled Aditha closer into a hug. She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder. The guard meanwhile raised an eyebrow. “Ser, what shall I tell her?”, he asked and Arthur shot him a glare. “Tell her the truth”, he said. “My father has died and I wish to mourn together with my sister. I will meet your lady when I am ready”
The guard frowned at his words, though the look in Arthur's eyes was enough to make him give in. Reluctantly, he nodded. “Fine, I will tell her”, he agreed. “But I can tell you, she won't be happy with this. Neither would you, once you see her. Not the kind of a lady you keep waiting” His glance fell upon the commander's body. “And... my condolences. Your father has been an inspiration to us all” With these words, he turned around and left the room, leaving Arthur and his sister alone.
Aditha looked up at her brother, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you”, she said softly. Despite the grief, Arthur felt a smile on his face. “Always”, he promised her. “We will always have each other” This caused her to close her eyes again, as she clung onto his shoulder.
“A part of me hates him for leaving me”, she admitted glumly. “I love him. I miss him. Never thought I'd ever do, but now that he is gone...” She paused. “I just wish there would be time, for me to tell him what he means to me”
“I think he knew that”, Arthur replied. “It's the reason he never lost his cool around you, not in the way he did with me at least” He gulped. “I... should have been better. I should have helped him, I should have been by his side, by yours”
“You did what you have to”, she said. “What he wanted, what you always did. Your duty” Softly, Arthur shook his head. “I did not do enough”, he mumbled. “This is how he must have felt. He had the same choice and he chose the city. I did my duty and my father paid for it” He grabbed Aditha by the shoulders and looked at her with despair, as the realization hit him. “You nearly paid for it as well”, he gasped, with a tear-stained voice. “Gods... it is just like him”
Aditha frowned. “Don't speak like this”, she said. “Don't...” She pulled him into a hug, or maybe he pulled her, what mattered was that they were lying in each others arms, crying. “You are the best big brother in the world. What happened, you will not blame yourself for it!”
Arthur looked at his dead father. It was the first time he truly understood him. This must have been how he had felt, when he held a much younger Aditha in his arms, next to the corpse of her mother. The same choice. The same consequence. And Arthur knew how it had changed Hackor. There was a part of him that, even beyond the grief, that was afraid of how it would affect him. He feared he would become like his father now. “And father...”, he whispered. “He wanted to make things right. He wanted to save you. He did and now he's gone forever”
“He left us again”, Aditha growled, not without sharpness and now, Arthur raised an eyebrow. “He saved us”, he stated. “And he loved us. Always did. His final actions prove this” He shook his head. “How can you still hate him?”, he asked. “He did not leave us. He was taken from us”
Aditha sighed and avoided his glance for a moment. “It's not just leaving us... There is one part of me that hates him for...”, she started, though she cut herself off, her bright, green eyes mustering Arthur, who had a slightly confused look on his face. “For what?”, he asked and his sister sighed. “For nothing”, she quickly said. “It was stupid. I was stupid. Forget it”
To this, Arthur narrowed his eyes. He wanted to believe her, wanted to believe that what she had told him was the truth. But she was his little sister. There was no lie she could ever convincingly tell him. And a terrible realization dawned upon him the longer he spoke to her. “Aditha...”, he said softly.
She looked up, heavily biting down onto her lower lip, with widely opened eyes, tears glistening on the emerald, though she remained silent. “What did father tell you?”, Arthur asked softly. “About me” She gulped and the look in her eyes was enough for him to crush whatever hope he just had gotten.
“He told me he loves you”, she repeated. “He told me he's proud of you” Her voice shivered as she spoke. “It was the last thing he told me before I lost consciousness” Arthur felt a lump in his throat, as the hand he had around Aditha's shoulder clenched into the dark cloak she was wearing. “What... did he tell you?”, he asked again, in a demanding tone this time.
With tears freely streaming down her cheeks, Aditha looked at him with a pleading expression, begging him not to ask this, not to inquire any further. It was answer enough. “He loved you”, she told him. “He was proud of you. He told me...”
Arthur rised from the bench, pulling away as Aditha tried to reach for his hand. With shaky steps, he stumbled towards the corpse of his father. He was still lying there, in his green armour, his face almost peaceful. A man that never loved him. A man whom he had tried to make proud for all his life, to no avail.
With sudden anger flaring up, Arthur clenched his fists. From behind him, he heard Aditha quietly rising from the bench. “Arthur...”, she whispered, but he did not look at her. Overcome with grief, with disappointment into the man he had looked up to so much, he turned to the door. “Arthur!”, Aditha yelled now, but he did not listen. He stormed off before she could say anything further.
The guardsman was still waiting in the hallway. He frowned as he saw Arthur's angry, tear-stained glare. “Where?”, he barked. “The one that wanted to speak to me” The guard gulped, as he pointed down the hallway. “I told her to wait”, he said. “She should be over there. Come, I show you... Ser”
Marching down the hallway, Arthur focussed onto the other end of it, his vision but a tunnel, the corners of it anger, sorrow and disappointment. This was it. The final chance his father would have had. He did not pick it and this was reason enough for Arthur to assume that he indeed never loved him. No matter what he had tried to do, it hadn't been enough. Realizing this... it would have been crushing, but there was a task he could focus on. That's how his father had gotten through grief. One task at a time. Slowly, one by one, forever.
Due to him focussing on the door at the end of the hallway, he was surprised when the guard just stopped, nudging him by the elbow and pointing down one of the smaller hallways to his right. Arthur followed his glance and saw someone leaning against the wall, in the shadows. “The man you wished to speak to, mylady”, the guard said politely, before he turned to Arthur and bowed. “Once again, my condolences. Farewell, Ser”
He left and the person in the shadows stepped into the light of the torches. Arthur could see that she was a woman, probably a bit younger than Aditha. Even in his current state of mind, he noticed her outstanding beauty. Her auburn hair was tied into a loose bun and she looked at him out of greenish eyes, though the look in them was tired and slightly annoyed. He also noticed the tabard she was wearing. Black on yellow, a crowned stag. One of the Stormlanders.
“Finally decided to show up”, she sighed. “It was about time” She extended her hand and still slightly dumbfounded by her surprisingly pleasant appearance, it took Arthur a while to shake it. To this, she rolled her eyes, though her expression softened almost instantly. “Apologies, I did not want to sound rude”, she said in a tone that struck Arthur as genuine. “Your guard told me what happened. My condolences for your loss”
Arthur sighed, before he gave her a nod. “It's alright”, he assured her. “A pleasure to meet you. My name is Arthur Nathamer” She pulled her hand away. “Edonia Bernile”, she introduced herself. “I was told to find Commander Nathamer, though news of his passing certainly surprised me”
“I am his son”, he said and she nodded. “As I was informed”, she told him. “Hopefully this will suffice. The princess is hard to please and in a... particular mood today, not that I can blame her” As she said this, Arthur raised an eyebrow, before he realized what she just implied. His eyes widened. “The princess?”, he gasped.
“Aye, the Storm Princess”, Edonia answered and now, her lips formed the small hint of a smile. “She wants to speak to you. Or... to your father, to be precise, but with the recent events, I believe you are the closest she is going to get”
“She... she wants to speak to me?”, Arthur stuttered, finding himself staring into these green eyes. Edonia blinked, before she nodded. “Yes and trust me, this is as unusual as it feels to you”, she said. “But she has a good reason. Something happened and it appears she needs the help of the city guard”
Before Arthur could answer, she turned down the hallway. “But now we really shouldn't keep her waiting”, Edonia urged him. “Come” Arthur glanced down at his clothes, the same sweaty, slightly bloody tunic and armour he had worn for the entire day, the one he had survived the raid in. He had crouched through the alleyways together with Mathea in them, had chased after Wolfius together with Ryler in them. They were far from what he would wear when meeting a princess. Then again, he had never met a princess and was genuinely unsure what one would even wear for such an occasion.
“Perhaps I should get changed”, he offered and Edonia looked over her shoulder, mustering him a moment longer than it was necessary. “Poppycock”, she said. “She wishes to speak to you, not marvel at your style. Besides, if it helps, you are far from the most filthy person she has talked to today”
“Oddly enough, this does not help”, Arthur mumbled glumly, as Edonia continued to lead him to the castle. She chuckled sweetly. “Well, perhaps I can help then. Your first time meeting a princess, I guess” He nodded. “First time meeting anyone important, to be honest”, he said. It was strange, though he felt different as he focussed on the talk with her. There was something new to focus on instead of the grief and it wasn't all bad.
She sighed theatrically. “Oh boy, here we go”, she said. “Okay then, listen. First of all, there is no reason to be afraid. I know I was like you once, when I first met her father” Arthur raised an eyebrow. “You met the Storm King?”, he asked.
“When I joined the army, yes”, Edonia replied. “He greets the recruits of Storm's End personally. My brother had joined a few days before and he hasn't exactly been helpful, so I faced King Argilac without being prepared. Honestly, I wasn't even prepared for the army, but since my brother is an idiot, I had no choice” She shot him a smile. “I nearly fainted the moment I stood before him”, she continued. “So you can imagine my surprise when he turns out to be not all that bad. He was polite, friendly. A normal man, once you get to see past the crown. His daughter is no different”
“So, there is nothing to fear?”, Arthur asked and Edonia shook her head. “Of course not. Just be respectful, do what she asks of you and you won't have any problem”, she promised, as they stopped in front of a room. After Arthur gave her a nod, Edonia knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”, a female voice sounded from within. “Edonia, my princess”, Edonia answered. “I bring the man you ask for” A moment of silence followed, before the princess spoke again. “Get in then”, she said.
Edonia opened the door, revealing a large chamber, one of the finer guest rooms of the castle. Compared to the kind of rooms he usually saw, it was lavishly decorated, though he guessed that it was nothing too spectacular compared to what the princess herself was used to. She however was more than spectacular. Standing near the window of the room, she was a breathtaking sight. Clad in black, her raven locks fell below her shoulders. Deep, blue eyes stared at him and luscious lips formed a slight smile. The only stain to what was otherwise the closest thing Arthur had ever seen to flawless looks was the bruise on her cheek, a blueish spot that contrasted with the pale skin in an ugly way.
“Commander Nathamer?”, she asked and Arthur cleared his throat, captivated by her beauty. “Well... not... not exactly”, he said. “My name is Arthur Nathamer, the son of the commander. My father has perished during the raid”
Argella's smile faded, as understanding appeared in her eyes. “I see”, she said, which came as close to an expression of condolence as he would get from her. “I wished to speak to the man in charge. But you are obviously a member of the city guard. I think this has to suffice” She pointed at a chair, while she sat down on one next to it. “Sit down”, she ordered. “I need your help”
He was quick to follow her wish, as he sat down next to her and more than before, he was aware of what kind of a sight he must be next to such beauty. “How may I be of service?”, he asked and Argella smiled at his manners. “With your commander dead, I doubt the city guard is as effective as it otherwise would be”, she spoke and for the first time, Arthur frowned in her presence. She was quick to dispel any negativity that came from her comment by grabbing his hand, a gesture that caused Arthur to hold his breath.
Having his hand in both of hers, she looked at him with a pleading expression. “I require your help, Ser”, she explained. “It is about something that happened during the raid” Having his full attention, the princess let go of his hand again, as a dark look appeared on her face. “One of my men was murdered”, she growled. “And I need the help of a local to find the one who did this”
Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Murdered?”, he said. “Do you mean the Ironborn killed your man?” Argella shook her head. “I wouldn't have bothered you if that was the case”, she said sharply. “No, I mean murdered, not killed in battle. Murdered in cold blood, in an attempt that was meant for me”
The realization of what she implied sunk in and Arthur narrowed his eyes. “You mean someone tried to murder you during the battle? Not one of the Ironborn?”, he asked. Argella gave him a nod. “Trust me, they tried”, she said grimly. “But one person came closer than others. If it wouldn't be for the sacrifice of one of my knights, I would have died back then”
“And what makes you believe this person was not Ironborn?”, Arthur continued to ask. This time, anger appeared in Argella's eyes. “It was a trap. Someone shot at me with a bow”, she explained. “How many Ironborn have used a bow in this raid?”
“Not much”, Arthur admitted. “And it explains why you approach the city guard. Attempted murder within our walls, this is a matter that concerns us” As he noticed the hint of a pleased smile on her face, he was quick to continue. “And you can count on whatever assistance me and the other guardsmen can offer. There will be justice”
Despite the smile, something changed in her eyes. The warmth faded quickly and Arthur saw a chilling coldness in them all of a sudden. “Justice is not the only thing I am after”, she explained with a deceiving calmness. “Someone tried to murder me. Someome murdered my knight. Ser Jax Montclair, the most loyal man in my service. Selfless to the end. I want vengeance, for him, for his two sons who have to grow up without a father” She leant closer towards him and Arthur got aware of the faint scent of strawberries that surrounded her. “I want to show the world that this will not remain unanswered”, she whispered. “Can I count on your help?”
He nodded quickly. “You can”, he promised her. “I... need something to do in either way and what better would there be to do?” She flashed him a smile. “Precisely”, she replied. “Of course, you won't remain unrewarded. Help me, bring me the man who did this, or news of his demise, and you and your city guard shall be rewarded. Be assured that my gratitude is a useful thing to have”
“Oh, I am sure of that”, Arthur assured her. “Is there anything else I have to know?” Argella glanced at the other woman in the room and Edonia stepped closer. Next to the princess, her own beauty did not pale, though it felt more unkempt, wilder. “Edonia has already underwent some investigation of her own in the last hour”, the princess explained. “Please, share it with our new friend”
Edonia cleared her throat, before she began to speak. “The archer who attacked us yesterday, I think I got him”, she said. “No, I don't just think so, I am absolutely convinced. He had us pinned down, but I managed to get a shot at him and I know I hit him. The fact that he did not continue to shoot at us is proof enough for this”
Her revelation surprised Arthur and he looked at the princess. “If this man is already dead, what do you need me for?”, he asked and Argella sighed. “Unlike Edonia, I am not convinced that he truly died”, she told him. “If he is dead already, confirm it and consider your task successful. But even then, I have reason to believe that any man who dares to attack me does so for a reason. In this case, I want you to try and find out said reason, as much as possible”
She and the auburn-haired woman exchanged a glance, followed by a nod. “Of course, you won't have to do this alone”, Argella proclaimed. “Edonia will be by your side during this. She is not only a useful ally, she will also serve as your connection to me. Anything you find, she will report” As Arthur opened his mouth, she raised a finger. “This is not negotiable”, she said sharply.
Quickly, Arthur shook his head. “I did not want to negotiate”, he said, as he smiled at Edonia. “I accept. In fact, I am happy to have some support. I believe you can show me where this attack happened?” Edonia nodded. “Sure can do, Ser”, she answered. “We haven't had the time to check back with it for now, but I am sure we will find more there. Maybe even the corpse of the man who did this”
“If not, time is of the essence”, Argella warned them. “If the archer is still out there and dangerous to me, you have to hurry. Any minute you waste might be a minute the trail gets colder” What she said here was correct and all of a sudden, Arthur felt regret over having kept her waiting. It seemed to be a good idea back then, but with what happened out of it...
He still remembered the look in Aditha's eyes, as she tried to uphold the lie. Of course, he loved her for it, for caring enough about him to lie to him about this, but it did not change the overwhelming disappointment he felt in his father for this. He had tried for so long to please him and instead, all he had gotten was disrespect and neglect. A grim smirk formed on his face, as he had to imagine his father's outrage at him, of all people, being assigned to such a crucial task. It was something he could have never done had Hackor still been alive. His commander wouldn't have allowed it.
“Speaking of trails...”, Edonia said. “There might be something, though I am not sure how reliable this is. I don't know her as good as you might do” Arthur looked at her and she continued. “I asked around about unusual events that happened during the attack, which might be connected to our case”, she explained. “A woman, a certain Nora Recton, commander of the castle guard, claims to know something. Haven't gotten around to speak to her yet, but it might be something we can check out”
“Nora, I know her”, Arthur stated. “As far as I know, she was wounded during the raid” Edonia raised an eyebrow. “Do you think we should bother her then? She might need the rest”, she asked. “If you believe her information to be worthless, it might be better to head to the site of the attack at once” She shrugged. “But this is something I leave to you, Ser. You know this city better than I ever could”
[Head to the site immediately][Talk to Nora first]
Ok, I'm glad it helped. But right now it's just a simple tumor removal. Hopefully it will stay that way and be over quickly. So I agree for now be as calm and optimistic as possible. I'll do my best and hope and pray it all goes fine.
I await your response eagerly but patiently. Take your time. I'm sure the others feel the same.
You will always have my support. God bless you and your family and may you only find ease and happiness on this trip.
Thank you for the support! This is really reassuring, I'm glad your aunt survived this surgery. In comparison, my grandfather's upcoming sur… moregery is far more of a routine procedure. The only fear I have is that it is cancer after all, because that would mean the surgery is not the only thing he has to survive. In fact, I am not all that concerne for the surgery itself, because the people there know what they are doing and if they are willing to risk it, it means they are confident in their abilities, as am I. For now, I can also still deal with the situation, I will wait with any negativity until there is a clear diagnosis.
About your writing, I will try to send you a PM during the journey, where I should still have better internet. There is one thing you mention which I wish to elaborate upon. Ah, so much to write, so little time, I already regret that I have to keep some of you waiting for so long with my answer
But anyways, thank you for the support, I appreciate it. I'll keep you updated once I know more!
[Talk to Nora first] Nora know that Sherryl is the woman that sabotage the castle gates before go to the city with a bow and,since it is obvious that she is the assasin,that is an information that can be VERY useful to Arthur
RT:
I really like the conversation between Arthur and Aditha
It seems that his father death has a really different outcome to Arthur opinion of him that I expected!While I obviously found it sad I really enjoy it from a reader PoV.
And today Arthur obtain a mission from the princess of a foreign country!
Arthur
Softly, Arthur pulled Aditha closer into a hug. She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder. The guard meanwhile raised an e… moreyebrow. “Ser, what shall I tell her?”, he asked and Arthur shot him a glare. “Tell her the truth”, he said. “My father has died and I wish to mourn together with my sister. I will meet your lady when I am ready”
The guard frowned at his words, though the look in Arthur's eyes was enough to make him give in. Reluctantly, he nodded. “Fine, I will tell her”, he agreed. “But I can tell you, she won't be happy with this. Neither would you, once you see her. Not the kind of a lady you keep waiting” His glance fell upon the commander's body. “And... my condolences. Your father has been an inspiration to us all” With these words, he turned around and left the room, leaving Arthur and his sister alone.
Aditha looked up at her brother, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you”, she said softly. Despite the gr… [view original content]
The Voting is closed!
Jaron is going to calm Samuel down
This was an interesting voting for me, as it was one of these where I could h… moreave seen things going into either direction. Clearly, Samuel is getting more and more stressed and almost uncharacteristically reckless the closer he gets to his brother. He is emotional right now, after several chapters in which he has been considerably colder (save for some more humanizing scenes with Raenna and Ellena) and there is really no saying how he will react, or how far he is going to go to get the information out of poor Joshawa. This however is going to mean that Lanford is going to catch both of them in the next part, after Erik more than likely just alerted him to their presence. What this means, we shall see. Jaron's next part won't be too far away, as we are getting closer to the ending of the chapter and Book 1 and I wish to give him two more parts in it.
Now, I think I should announc… [view original content]
[Talk to Nora first] The shooter probably already got away. We should see what this lead is with Nora before we miss it. It could be something important. If the shooter was Sherryl, which is a likely option, she might've fled back to the castle. Nora may have seen her then, or she has news about Mullendore which is equally important to know, seeing how Sherryl likely serves him.
I really liked this part. So much heartache. Ahhh it is amazing. I love how Aditha tries to keep Arthur happy by lying to him. And that animosity Arthur has right now is great. I can't wait to see how much he throws himself into his work that he forgets about his family, becoming even more like his father. And Arthur already falling for the first new lady he sees after the raid is adorable. I wonder how this buddy cop show is going to turn out
Arthur
Softly, Arthur pulled Aditha closer into a hug. She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder. The guard meanwhile raised an e… moreyebrow. “Ser, what shall I tell her?”, he asked and Arthur shot him a glare. “Tell her the truth”, he said. “My father has died and I wish to mourn together with my sister. I will meet your lady when I am ready”
The guard frowned at his words, though the look in Arthur's eyes was enough to make him give in. Reluctantly, he nodded. “Fine, I will tell her”, he agreed. “But I can tell you, she won't be happy with this. Neither would you, once you see her. Not the kind of a lady you keep waiting” His glance fell upon the commander's body. “And... my condolences. Your father has been an inspiration to us all” With these words, he turned around and left the room, leaving Arthur and his sister alone.
Aditha looked up at her brother, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you”, she said softly. Despite the gr… [view original content]
Arthur
Softly, Arthur pulled Aditha closer into a hug. She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder. The guard meanwhile raised an e… moreyebrow. “Ser, what shall I tell her?”, he asked and Arthur shot him a glare. “Tell her the truth”, he said. “My father has died and I wish to mourn together with my sister. I will meet your lady when I am ready”
The guard frowned at his words, though the look in Arthur's eyes was enough to make him give in. Reluctantly, he nodded. “Fine, I will tell her”, he agreed. “But I can tell you, she won't be happy with this. Neither would you, once you see her. Not the kind of a lady you keep waiting” His glance fell upon the commander's body. “And... my condolences. Your father has been an inspiration to us all” With these words, he turned around and left the room, leaving Arthur and his sister alone.
Aditha looked up at her brother, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you”, she said softly. Despite the gr… [view original content]
I really like the conversation between Arthur and Aditha.
Glad to hear it! The sibling relationship between the two hasn't been explored all that well in the past, which I plan to change from now on. Aditha is very much the most important person in Arthur's life and this part might gave you an idea why. In any way, I plan to show more of Aditha in the future. Her Book 2 role is going to be massively expanded.
It seems that his father death has a really different outcome to Arthur opinion of him that I expected!While I obviously found it sad I really enjoy it from a reader PoV.
Yeah, it is not what Arthur expected either. He never thought that he'd ever be disappointed in Hackor, but realizing that Aditha has lied to him really brought up some frustration. I mean, let's face it, Hackor was a good leader and probably genuinely loved his children, but he was a shitty father and Arthur is slowly coming to terms with this now. It is at least better than him trying to be someone he isn't.
And today Arthur obtain a mission from the princess of a foreign country!
A real city guard is always there to serve But yes, this will be brought up. Then again, it is less of a mission and more of an investigation of a crime that happened in his city, so it is questionable that anyone will hold it against him.
[Talk to Nora first] Nora know that Sherryl is the woman that sabotage the castle gates before go to the city with a bow and,since it is obv… moreious that she is the assasin,that is an information that can be VERY useful to Arthur
RT:
* I really like the conversation between Arthur and Aditha
* It seems that his father death has a really different outcome to Arthur opinion of him that I expected!While I obviously found it sad I really enjoy it from a reader PoV.
* And today Arthur obtain a mission from the princess of a foreign country!
Nora may have seen her then, or she has news about Mullendore which is equally important to know, seeing how Sherryl likely serves him.
Well, I cannot comment on what exactly Nora knows, but I can confirm that it is nothing about Mullendore. She has no idea of his true nature or Sherryl's work with him. The ones who know more about that are Saerya and Jenna.
I really liked this part. So much heartache. Ahhh it is amazing. I love how Aditha tries to keep Arthur happy by lying to him.
I am happy to hear this I very much tried to build up a sad scene here, so I am happy I apparently succeeded. Aditha is indeed willing to lie to Arthur if this means that he is happy, considering how heartbreaking the truth is. She is feeling terrible for this, he is feeling terrible for this, so overall, it can be safely said that her attempt backfired.
And that animosity Arthur has right now is great. I can't wait to see how much he throws himself into his work that he forgets about his family, becoming even more like his father.
This is indeed a big problem Arthus has to face here. He and Hackor have been similar in this regard and their way of dealing with grief is largely the same. It's not a pretty thing and Arthur is aware of it. I'll plan to show more of it later. Though the big difference here is that Aditha is older now than she has been back when Hackor did this and she might react differently.
And Arthur already falling for the first new lady he sees after the raid is adorable. I wonder how this buddy cop show is going to turn out
Hehe, this is Arthur, after all. He has a hard time resisting a pretty lady even in times like these and two? Consider him very excited to help I do look forward for him in this chapter, his storyline should lead to some pretty important moments.
[Talk to Nora first] The shooter probably already got away. We should see what this lead is with Nora before we miss it. It could be somethi… moreng important. If the shooter was Sherryl, which is a likely option, she might've fled back to the castle. Nora may have seen her then, or she has news about Mullendore which is equally important to know, seeing how Sherryl likely serves him.
I really liked this part. So much heartache. Ahhh it is amazing. I love how Aditha tries to keep Arthur happy by lying to him. And that animosity Arthur has right now is great. I can't wait to see how much he throws himself into his work that he forgets about his family, becoming even more like his father. And Arthur already falling for the first new lady he sees after the raid is adorable. I wonder how this buddy cop show is going to turn out
This is very much a possibility! Unless something happens to Nora, nothing could stop Arthur from speaking to her after checking out the crime scene. The main problem is that her lead, if it is one, could have gotten cold by then. The same danger lies in not checking out the scene, to be fair, so that is another thing to consider.
So Arthur tries to get over his grief the traditional way, getting obsessed with his work and meeting with several beautiful women. Oh and leaving his sister to suffer alone, body's not even cold and already Arthur is following in his footsteps.
[Talk to Nora first]
Very mixed on this choice but I agree with The_not_chosen_one (Or Chosen as ill probably end up calling him) Nora has a lot of valuable info.
Arthur
Softly, Arthur pulled Aditha closer into a hug. She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder. The guard meanwhile raised an e… moreyebrow. “Ser, what shall I tell her?”, he asked and Arthur shot him a glare. “Tell her the truth”, he said. “My father has died and I wish to mourn together with my sister. I will meet your lady when I am ready”
The guard frowned at his words, though the look in Arthur's eyes was enough to make him give in. Reluctantly, he nodded. “Fine, I will tell her”, he agreed. “But I can tell you, she won't be happy with this. Neither would you, once you see her. Not the kind of a lady you keep waiting” His glance fell upon the commander's body. “And... my condolences. Your father has been an inspiration to us all” With these words, he turned around and left the room, leaving Arthur and his sister alone.
Aditha looked up at her brother, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you”, she said softly. Despite the gr… [view original content]
Arthur
Softly, Arthur pulled Aditha closer into a hug. She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder. The guard meanwhile raised an e… moreyebrow. “Ser, what shall I tell her?”, he asked and Arthur shot him a glare. “Tell her the truth”, he said. “My father has died and I wish to mourn together with my sister. I will meet your lady when I am ready”
The guard frowned at his words, though the look in Arthur's eyes was enough to make him give in. Reluctantly, he nodded. “Fine, I will tell her”, he agreed. “But I can tell you, she won't be happy with this. Neither would you, once you see her. Not the kind of a lady you keep waiting” His glance fell upon the commander's body. “And... my condolences. Your father has been an inspiration to us all” With these words, he turned around and left the room, leaving Arthur and his sister alone.
Aditha looked up at her brother, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you”, she said softly. Despite the gr… [view original content]
[Head to the site immediately] We can always get info from Nora later, if the murderer is still alive or anyone who works with him or her is still around I imagine they'd want to eliminate any trace of them.
Edonia is very quickly growing on me. I'm beginning to think I'm in love with all the women in this story. XD
They'll never top Saerya though.
Arthur
Softly, Arthur pulled Aditha closer into a hug. She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder. The guard meanwhile raised an e… moreyebrow. “Ser, what shall I tell her?”, he asked and Arthur shot him a glare. “Tell her the truth”, he said. “My father has died and I wish to mourn together with my sister. I will meet your lady when I am ready”
The guard frowned at his words, though the look in Arthur's eyes was enough to make him give in. Reluctantly, he nodded. “Fine, I will tell her”, he agreed. “But I can tell you, she won't be happy with this. Neither would you, once you see her. Not the kind of a lady you keep waiting” His glance fell upon the commander's body. “And... my condolences. Your father has been an inspiration to us all” With these words, he turned around and left the room, leaving Arthur and his sister alone.
Aditha looked up at her brother, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you”, she said softly. Despite the gr… [view original content]
Arthur
Softly, Arthur pulled Aditha closer into a hug. She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder. The guard meanwhile raised an e… moreyebrow. “Ser, what shall I tell her?”, he asked and Arthur shot him a glare. “Tell her the truth”, he said. “My father has died and I wish to mourn together with my sister. I will meet your lady when I am ready”
The guard frowned at his words, though the look in Arthur's eyes was enough to make him give in. Reluctantly, he nodded. “Fine, I will tell her”, he agreed. “But I can tell you, she won't be happy with this. Neither would you, once you see her. Not the kind of a lady you keep waiting” His glance fell upon the commander's body. “And... my condolences. Your father has been an inspiration to us all” With these words, he turned around and left the room, leaving Arthur and his sister alone.
Aditha looked up at her brother, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you”, she said softly. Despite the gr… [view original content]
Ah, the scene between Arthur and Aditha surely was emotional. This part also really made feel there is a lot of potential for Arthur in terms of character development and story from here on. In fact, this part alone raised him very close to my favorite PoVs. And seeing him talking with Argella was pretty nice I'm also sure he and Edonia will make a great team.
[Talk to Nora first] No reason not to, really, because Nora's info can be extremely useful. And I don't really see many benefits from going to the site immediately, it's not like they are going to find the killer (read: Sherryl) there anymore.
Arthur
Softly, Arthur pulled Aditha closer into a hug. She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder. The guard meanwhile raised an e… moreyebrow. “Ser, what shall I tell her?”, he asked and Arthur shot him a glare. “Tell her the truth”, he said. “My father has died and I wish to mourn together with my sister. I will meet your lady when I am ready”
The guard frowned at his words, though the look in Arthur's eyes was enough to make him give in. Reluctantly, he nodded. “Fine, I will tell her”, he agreed. “But I can tell you, she won't be happy with this. Neither would you, once you see her. Not the kind of a lady you keep waiting” His glance fell upon the commander's body. “And... my condolences. Your father has been an inspiration to us all” With these words, he turned around and left the room, leaving Arthur and his sister alone.
Aditha looked up at her brother, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you”, she said softly. Despite the gr… [view original content]
Not at all. Please don't take this bad joke seriously
Anyway, hey guy's this is Lord. Some of you know have known me for a long time, some of you are starting to. If you still barely know who I am I'm the guy who likes to debate votes with people and makes those very long question lists that Liquid answers and from time to time some of you guys do too. But right know all you need to know is that I am also a writer, a big friend of Liquid and a big fan of FOT. You may remember Liquid said I have something ready to show you guys to keep you filled with your weekly FOT content. Quoted directly from Liquid: "There is also going to be another thing upcoming, as the wonderful @Lord_EAA has written something which I urged him to share with you............ It should further give you something FoT-related to read during my brief absence and it will reveal some very interesting and very important information, which will be further elaborated upon in Book 2. I am sure you will enjoy it." Well I just want to confirm that part will be out Tomorrow at the earliest time I can post it. The parts content is a surprise but I will reveal a few things, lets see if anyone guesses what its about before I post it. It mainly deals with the backstory of several related character's who have been know for a distinct lack of morality and evil action's. Well anyway that is it. See you with the part Tomorrow and have a good day.
So Arthur tries to get over his grief the traditional way, getting obsessed with his work and meeting with several beautiful women. Oh and leaving his sister to suffer alone, body's not even cold and already Arthur is following in his footsteps.
That is the most sociably accepted way to deal with grief after all Be glad he isn't turning to the bottle yet. It's also precisely what his father would have done. Well, minus the part with the beautiful women of course. And this makes it particularly hard for Aditha, who now faces the danger of losing her brother like she lost her father so many years ago.
So Arthur tries to get over his grief the traditional way, getting obsessed with his work and meeting with several beautiful women. Oh and l… moreeaving his sister to suffer alone, body's not even cold and already Arthur is following in his footsteps.
[Talk to Nora first]
Very mixed on this choice but I agree with The_not_chosen_one (Or Chosen as ill probably end up calling him) Nora has a lot of valuable info.
Edonia is very quickly growing on me. I'm beginning to think I'm in love with all the women in this story. XD
They'll never top Saerya though.
All of them? Now I am curious, does that include Sherryl? In all seriousness, I find this very flattering, because I enjoy to write most of them and it is nice that these characters in return are appreciated. Edonia in particular is going to have a lot more to do in the future, so it is good that she is growing on you so quickly. And naturally, I am glad you enjoy Saerya so much, especially as I was not sure how she would be received.
[Head to the site immediately] We can always get info from Nora later, if the murderer is still alive or anyone who works with him or her is… more still around I imagine they'd want to eliminate any trace of them.
Edonia is very quickly growing on me. I'm beginning to think I'm in love with all the women in this story. XD
They'll never top Saerya though.
Ah, trust me, Arthur kind of ships them as well I enjoyed writing these two here, though with their different backgrounds and duties, it remains to be seen what comes out of this.
I am very much looking forward for this! I loved it, I am sure the others will as well and it will establish some things I wish to elaborate upon in Book 2, so this is also a very important part for understanding a certain character. Tomorrow sounds great. My mobile internet here is surprisingly not terrible (though it does not allow me to post parts, something I regret, considering that I will have at least one ready by tomorrow), so I will certainly give my own thoughts on it as well. This of course also does not mean that the voting is closed, I'll do that once I return from my trip. Though I guess leaving it open till Saturday will be long enough
By the way, as much as my mobile internet wirks, this does not apply to my feed, so I cannot write PM's here. Any answer has to wait until then, most likely at least. This thing I wanted to discuss with you, I figured it is not essential to what you wrote, so we'll speak about it once I return
The Voting is NOT closed!
Not at all. Please don't take this bad joke seriously
Anyway, hey guy's this is Lord. Some of you know have … moreknown me for a long time, some of you are starting to. If you still barely know who I am I'm the guy who likes to debate votes with people and makes those very long question lists that Liquid answers and from time to time some of you guys do too. But right know all you need to know is that I am also a writer, a big friend of Liquid and a big fan of FOT. You may remember Liquid said I have something ready to show you guys to keep you filled with your weekly FOT content. Quoted directly from Liquid: "There is also going to be another thing upcoming, as the wonderful @Lord_EAA has written something which I urged him to share with you............ It should further give you something FoT-related to read during my brief absence and it will reveal some very interesting and very important information, which will … [view original content]
[Talk to Nora first]
We need to talk to Nora first. She has valuable information, plain and simple, and she's not in prime condition. We need to get to her before anyone who might want this to stay hidden does first.
I guess it's something about that evil brother of Edward Anturion that I always forget the name of. Or maybe their, even more evil recently mentioned sister?
The Voting is NOT closed!
Not at all. Please don't take this bad joke seriously
Anyway, hey guy's this is Lord. Some of you know have … moreknown me for a long time, some of you are starting to. If you still barely know who I am I'm the guy who likes to debate votes with people and makes those very long question lists that Liquid answers and from time to time some of you guys do too. But right know all you need to know is that I am also a writer, a big friend of Liquid and a big fan of FOT. You may remember Liquid said I have something ready to show you guys to keep you filled with your weekly FOT content. Quoted directly from Liquid: "There is also going to be another thing upcoming, as the wonderful @Lord_EAA has written something which I urged him to share with you............ It should further give you something FoT-related to read during my brief absence and it will reveal some very interesting and very important information, which will … [view original content]
I guess it's something about that evil brother of Edward Anturion that I always forget the name of. Or maybe their, even more evil recently mentioned sister?
Ah, trust me, Arthur kind of ships them as well I enjoyed writing these two here, though with their different backgrounds and duties, it remains to be seen what comes out of this.
Edonia is very quickly growing on me. I'm beginning to think I'm in love with all the women in this story. XD
They'll never top Saerya th… moreough.
All of them? Now I am curious, does that include Sherryl? In all seriousness, I find this very flattering, because I enjoy to write most of them and it is nice that these characters in return are appreciated. Edonia in particular is going to have a lot more to do in the future, so it is good that she is growing on you so quickly. And naturally, I am glad you enjoy Saerya so much, especially as I was not sure how she would be received.
“You know sometimes I just close my eyes and try to dream.”
“Really? About what?”
“About how it all started.”
Princess Nadira
Princess Nadira walked down the steps of the hall, surrounded by thousands of eyes looking upon her. To her left her husband Prince Tamir, in front of her, laying in his ornately decorated throne, sat her father, the great King Mydras, and in her arms was her child just three years of age. She was nervous beyond all understanding, now walking towards her father it became so real what she had done and how irreversible it truly was. After this moment, there was no turning back. She however showed no worry on her face and any nervousness was attributed by others to the greatness of the event. It had been a tradition of their people for centuries, that three years after the birth of a child they would be blessed with a name for all to hear. She and her husband had discussed it much but in the end, she had won out. She would get the honor of picking the child’s name. But in truth she let her beloved chose his name in the end. It seemed only right for a father to name his child.
As she approached her father she made an elegant bow, as did her husband. Then the powerful King let his voice echo through the halls. “Tell me who it is that approaches me.” He said looking down upon them. As the carrier of the bloodline she approached and answered first. “It is I, your daughter, Princess Nadira.” Then Tamir took his turn. “And I, her husband, Prince Tamir.” The next verse had to be spoken in absolute unison. If one was louder or faster disgrace would fall upon the ceremony and all it would have be redone at later time after priests had purified the hall and all those who took part in it. “We bring before you the fruit of our love. The child heir of your crown. May he be wise and strong. May he be powerful and know how to use his power well. May he bring prosperity and riches to our lands. And most of all may he be a blessing given to our family and be remembered well for all eternity and time.”
“Come forth with the child and lay him in my arms.” Commanded the King. As she approached she looked at the boy in her arms. So young and healthy, with black hair from his father emerald eyes just like her own. Yet still this did not give her joy. She handed him over to her father, who played with the boy for a moment and then proceeded with his verse. “I accept this child. And I grant him the right that all men should have. Speak his name, the one he shall be known as for the rest of time!” As her father spoke the words, she knew this was her last moment. The last moment for her to stop this, to repent before them all. But either out of sheer impulse or from deep within her heart she spoke the words that would change all their lives forever. “His name shall be…..Nain!” she yelled as loudly as she could.
The King nodded and spoke to all who would hear “Then let all men know. The name of the heir is Nain!!!” It was then at that moment as the crowd erupted into cheers and her father smiled and laughed as he held the boy that she knew that all hope of turning back was gone. And with this in mind the Princess realized the horrible truth she had hid from herself all of this time.
She felt no remorse.
It had been three years since she last worn this dress. At that moment Nadira had felt shame, fear and confusion. But now she only knew happiness, love and joy. Her second child had been born merely a few months after the first’s ceremony, another gift from her most beloved. She had given birth once again to a boy, a little brother to accompany Nain through life. As she thought of this she looked over to her firstborn, watching his little brother sleeping in a crib. The boy had grown up to be so strong and active. He would grow up to be a great king and with his brother at his side the future looked very promising for her family indeed. She smiled as she walked over to the boy still looking at the crib.
Nain saw her approaching and asked her the question that had been bugging him in his mind. “Mother why is he important to me?” The Princess was taken aback by the question. But then she remembered Nain was still young and had to learn much about life and truth. “Because he is your brother.” She replied with a kind smile. But Nain still seemed puzzled by this. “Yes, I am told this every day. But I still don’t know why should care.” He said soberly.
This shook her to her core, it horrified her to see her child speak this way about his own brother. This mixture of anger and fear broiled inside her and made her turn her child towards her and speak in a nervous but serious tone. “Don’t you see Nain? He’s the only one who will ever understand you. The one who will always fight for you no matter what happens. And you will do the same for him as well. He will care about you and you must always care about him. Promise me Nain. Promise me no matter what you will always love your brother.”
The boy had clearly been distraught by her reaction. He had always cared for his mother and to see her like this made him feel emotions that were usually uncommon to him. He looked into her eyes determined and said with as much pride as he could muster. “I promise” His mother was not satisfied with his answer. “Promised to what?” To this Nain responded with even more commitment and certainty. “I promise to always love and protect my brother.” With this Nadira let him return to a crib and look once more at his brother, who had now woken up. Nain stared intently into his little brown eyes as he had done previously when he was asleep. But there was now something in his look, something she had always felt Nain had trouble to develop. There was thoughtfulness, there was bravery, there was strength but now there was also love. She felt very happy at what she had accomplished, perhaps this this would be the beginning of Nain breaking his hard exterior and opening up to others more. To grow up as man who would have the heart of his father as well as his skill. As she felt this joy she heard someone opening the door to their room and turn around to see her husband entering.
“Everything’s ready, dearest.” Tamir said as he brushed off his robe. Then he paused as he looked at the room and saw that it had other occupants. “Nain go into the hall your mother and I have to talk about something private.” The boy complied- with reluctance his mother noted. Only one moment of brotherly love together and already they were inseparable. She felt very happy that she had had that talk. She turned her eyes to her other boy, yet unnamed, sleeping peacefully. Her husband locked the door with all its bolts and turned to her.
“There is something wrong with that boy.” He said desperately as his wife could not help but roll her eyes. “I just got done talking with a member of the guard. They caught him beating some peasant kid in the street so hard he managed to break his nose. Who knows what else he would have done if they hadn’t caught him.” This made the Princess turn to him in anger and disgust. “Do not dare speak of our child that way. It’s difficult for him to socialize with others yes, but he will grow and learn.” To this her husband responded in the same panicked voice. “Do I need to remind you what he did to that dog?” Enough, she hated that story but she hated the way he told it more. Making her beloved son sound like some monster from a child’s story. She refused to give him anymore of her time. Instead she turned from him and grabbed the baby from the crib, putting him gently in her arms. “I will hear no more of this. Come, we have many guests waiting outside.” From this the Prince could merely attempt to dissuade her, but before he could try she was already out the door. To save face he grabbed arm just in time to remain unnoticed by the visitors. Nain saw them come in and took his customary spot to the other side of his mother.
There were less guests this time but the majority had returned from the last celebration. Regardless this slightly bothered the Prince, but Nadira payed it no mind. There was only one man who was needed for the whole ceremony to work, her father, the King. He had the same outlook as before but she could notice in his attitude that he considered this event slightly inferior to the other. She found it rather underestimating, after all her secondborn could quite easily rule another kingdom one day. Still it was very minor detail and most of the ceremony showed reverence and respect. As they approached she and Tamir bowed. Nain did the same, though his mannerisms still needed some work. Then the king began to recite his section of the verse. “Tell me who it is that approaches me.”
“It is I, your daughter, Princess Nadira.” She replied. “And I, her husband, Prince Tamir.” They both turned to look at Nain. She could not help but see him slightly shy so she gave him a small nod of reassurance. This seemed to take effect as he quickly answered. “And I am the child of their love, your heir, Prince Nain.” She smiled reassuringly. Then both her and Tamir turned to the King and recited their dual verse. “We bring before you the second fruit of our love. The child who shall not have the crown, but who will live in memory and love as well. May he be wise and strong. May he be powerful and know how to use his power well. May he bring prosperity and riches to our lands. And most of all may he be a blessing given to our family and be remembered well for all eternity and time.” To this the King responded by stretching out his arms. “Come forth with the child and lay him in my arms.”
Nadira carried the boy up the stairs and into her father’s arms. As she looked into his innocent eyes she could not help but think of the greatness they would one day accomplish. Once the King took hold of the child he played with it slightly and then recited his verse. “I accept this child. And I grant him the right that all men should have. Speak his name, the one he shall be known as for the rest of time!” As she spoke a warmth covered her body as she remembered the time her beloved had chosen his name. “His name shall be Edward.” She said with confidence in her voice. “Then let all men know.” King Mydras spoke out to the hall. “The name of the secondborn is Edward!” The crowd once again erupted into cheer as it had last time. But this time she felt happy and proud. Her first son would be King and her second would be his closest friend. Their life was perfect and their future was bright and in that moment, she couldn’t be happier.
Nadira was lost in thought as she looked at her daughter. Her beautiful face and eyes a bright blue color one could not help but to look at. She was to be the last child between her and her beloved, she felt a deep sadness at the thought. The girl had been born 6 years after Edward which at this moment made her younger than her elder sibling by nine. She still remembered Nain’s ceremony, how ashamed she had felt at the time. She had always wished she had been stronger that day, happier, more cheerful. It was hard for her to remember sometimes that she had merely been a girl of 18 years and held to many of the insecurities of her age. Nearly ten years had passed and her life had been very different. In the years after Edwards ceremony he had grown to be a studious and well-learned boy, much more calm than his brother. He enjoyed to play the daring hero with a wooden sword and recue damsels from horrid beasts. Edward was also much more cheerful than his brother able to laugh and show glee openly. Her eldest on the other hand remained the same as he had so many years ago. At the age of two and ten Nain had already become the talk of the palace girls. The mysterious and brooding future king was a much sought after prize it seemed. He however payed no mind to this. As always Nain preferred to train, fight and challenge himself physically each day. He had already obtained a notable reputation for his strength and determination to become better at each skill. Still he remained as thick as rock when it came to showing emotion. Mostly his face showed boredom or disinterest. It was only in times of high tension that he demonstrated excitement and sometimes a temper similar to what she was told her own was. But besides that, he barely showed anything at all. She knew he cared about her and Edward deeply and he had shown respect for some men, her grandfather included. But his attitude towards others, her husband Tamir for example, was dry and indifferent. In all his years, it was always his brother who got him to show the most emotion.
“What do you have there brother? She heard her firstborn say from behind her. She turned and saw Nain approaching Edward, who was holding a book in his hands. He seemed to have been very focused as it took him a second before here replied. “It’s a book about dragons. Stories of them mostly.” He replied with an innocent voice. “Dragons? What so special about them?” Nain questioned. Edward looked befuddled. “They are the strongest beast in the world.” Nain shook his head. “Many skilled men have killed them easily. Why do you think they are so rare?” Edward got mad at this. “If I had one right here and now you would be afraid!” Nain showed a stern look in his face. “Me? I would never fear a flying lizard.” And with that the boys erupted into a shouting match.
‘Not again’ Nadira thought as she went up to them. It seemed like all they did was fight these days, almost like they wanted to. It had kept her awake sometimes and others just made her a nervous wreck. Both were so hard to control and even harder to get to reach a compromise with one another. Tamir did not bother with them anymore unless his image as a good father and husband was at stake. That left her as the only one who could keep an eye on them. That was impossible sometimes, especially when they worked together to break the rules. The servants could do very little to contain them, she had heard that more than once they had even managed to escape from the palace grounds and into the streets of the city. She had imagined it, her children alone in the dark, cold streets. Lost and calling for help when none would come. This frightened her deeply, and she woke up during the middle of the night sometimes to make sure they were still in bed. So far they had stayed there, but she dreaded the thought of a night she would find them gone. She needed to keep watch of them, she needed to keep them in control.
“Enough, my sons! Can you not give your mother peace?” She said as she got between the two. To this they both went silent, but retained the same look of anger. It was then that Tamir entered the room once again. If anything the years had made him a more arrogant man, fond of accepting praise for things he boasted with much exaggeration, but despite this he had remained both cowardly and cruel. Yet he hid these traits from most and only in private did he really show them. He looked upon their scene with disdain. “It is good to know my family has not changed since I left merely a few minutes ago.” He began as he went to the nearest mirror and straightened the collar of his shirt. “Perhaps the guests would prefer viewing this to the ceremony.” She briefly felt the urge to fight him, but she stopped herself. They fought daily now, about so many things. Their differing attitudes and opinions, how he had begun to treat her, how he barely showed her love and most of all the children, always the children. She had grown tired and would not fight him, today she only wished for peace.
“Children, leave.” He said aggressively. The two boys reluctantly obeyed but with a clear hatred in their eyes as they left the room. She was saddened by this once more, it was so hard to keep her family together. “Lousy brats!” Tamir spat just as soon as the door closed. Noticing the fact that his wife wasn’t fighting him this time he took the opportunity to reaffirm his agreement with her. “Remember, this time I shall be the one to begin the verse. I don’t care if it’s tradition anymore, I refuse to be put second to a woman.” She lowered her head. “Yes my love.” This compliance pleased him so he added. “And I shall also be the one to name the child in the ceremony” She kept her head lowered as a tear fell down her eye. “Yes my love” She replied nearly fully breaking into tears. This did not face him and he smiled. “Good, then let us be off before those children demean me any longer.” She grabbed the child from her crib, looking for a moment into her sweet face again. Then Tamir approached grabbed her hand very harshly and she felt the need to tell him to stop, but she didn’t. She just wanted the fighting to stop.
She was dragged outside and only then did Tamir feign his care for her. The two boys were in an instant walking on her opposite side. The hall looked the same as it had the last two times, but the people in it were very different. The first thing that caught Nadira’s eye was the attendance, or rather the lack of. She could count about maybe thirty men, a joke at the previous attendance had been. There had been enough to fill the palace, now there weren’t enough to fill this single hall. And her father was beyond clearly bored and even eating fruits during the ceremony. She could not help to think all of this was partly due to the fact her child was a girl. She had heard her mother speak of this when she was young, how fewer people had come to her ceremony not only because she was a girl but the very pale skinned daughter of a western woman. She loathed this way of though, loathed it deep within her soul. She wanted to yell at them all in rage at the disgrace they brought her daughter. But once more she resisted, for her daughter most of all.
Her kingly father continued to chew on a fruit even after they approached, stopped and bowed before him. His chewing was soon the only sound in the hall. Finally, he swallowed and with clear disinterest spoke his line of the verse. “Tell me who it is that approaches me.” Tamir quickly spoke first. “It is I, your heir’s father, Prince Tamir.” Then she spoke hers formally. “And I, your heir’s mother, Princess Nadira.” At the moment she felt no pride in naming herself her father’s daughter and she would die before declaring herself the wife of Tamir on this day. Nain then spoke his verse strongly. “And I, your heir, Prince Nain.” And finally, Edward. “And I, his brother, Edward.” And so she and Tamir began their verse. “We bring you the third fruit of our love. A child who….” But then both were stopped by the King’s raised hand. “I have heard enough, bring me the child.” He said with a solemn voice. Nadira was broken, how could this happen? Such disgrace towards her daughter. But she still refused to cause a scene and complete this insult toward her legacy. She took her up and handed her over to her father. She had a glare in her eyes but her father seemed too uninterested to notice. After this she turned and walked back towards her spot.
Then the King began to play with the child but quickly stopped and began his verse. “I accept this-AHHHHHH!!!!!” Nadira turned to the scream and saw that that the child had bitten the Kings index finger. All of the room reacted in shock. Tamir seemed paralyzed, Edward had a look of surprise and even Nain showed clear disbelief and fear at what had occurred. Nadira herself was at the moment frightened by the child’s sudden act. The King was in panicking in absolute horror, especially at the child’s unending gaze as she did this.
He was unable to push her off as she continued to bite him and one of the royal guard, a captain by the name of Tedyn, grabbed her and managed to pull her away. The Kings finger however was already bleeding from the mark. The King maddened with rage let forth a frightening yell. “Damn this child! As punishment for what you have done this day, I forbid you the right to a name till the day you behave and repent your actions.” He said pointing at the child. “This ceremony is over!! Leave!!” He screamed at the guests who all left in a hurry. Nadira could not believe this. Never had she seen things go so wrong. She tried to call out for her father to beg him for mercy but to no avail. As she stood there Tedyn approached and pushed the child on to her. She cried as she saw her daughters face. What a monstrous thing it was to deny it a name.
The rest of the day was a nightmare. Her children were escorted to their rooms and Tamir yelled at her with every insult he could imagine. Then he left her, cold and alone with a child only she loved now. A child every man and woman would curse this day but her. Her poor little daughter with her little bright blue eyes. Brought into a world that hated her for a single act she had done without thought or malice. She hoped her daughter would grow to outshine this. She hoped she would be strong. She hoped she would be smart. But most of all she hoped that the girl would always would find love.
Ah, I am very glad you posted it! As I told you before, this is a seriously great part you have written there. Naturally, I loved the backstory it offered for the Anturion siblings. This might explain a couple of things about the upbringing they received to become these, well, particular people they are at the time of the main story. I loved how this part basically introduced Nain and the delightfully screwed up little sister. Both will be a joy to work with when the time has come in the future (likely late Book 2). Thank you very much for writing it, I greatly loved it
He was unable to push her off as she continued to bite him and one of the royal guard, a captain by the name of Tedyn, grabbed her and manag… moreed to pull her away. The Kings finger however was already bleeding from the mark. The King maddened with rage let forth a frightening yell. “Damn this child! As punishment for what you have done this day, I forbid you the right to a name till the day you behave and repent your actions.” He said pointing at the child. “This ceremony is over!! Leave!!” He screamed at the guests who all left in a hurry. Nadira could not believe this. Never had she seen things go so wrong. She tried to call out for her father to beg him for mercy but to no avail. As she stood there Tedyn approached and pushed the child on to her. She cried as she saw her daughters face. What a monstrous thing it was to deny it a name.
The rest of the day was a nightmare. Her children were escorted to their rooms and Tamir yelled at her wit… [view original content]
Ah, I am very glad you posted it! As I told you before, this is a seriously great part you have written there. Naturally, I loved the backst… moreory it offered for the Anturion siblings. This might explain a couple of things about the upbringing they received to become these, well, particular people they are at the time of the main story. I loved how this part basically introduced Nain and the delightfully screwed up little sister. Both will be a joy to work with when the time has come in the future (likely late Book 2). Thank you very much for writing it, I greatly loved it
Really interesting! It took me the longest time to realize where this was all taking place. At first I thought this was somewhere beyond the wall, like Thennland or something, with the practice of not naming children and all. But I am pretty sure to say that this is somewhere is Essos. Didn't expect the Anturions to be royalty.
He was unable to push her off as she continued to bite him and one of the royal guard, a captain by the name of Tedyn, grabbed her and manag… moreed to pull her away. The Kings finger however was already bleeding from the mark. The King maddened with rage let forth a frightening yell. “Damn this child! As punishment for what you have done this day, I forbid you the right to a name till the day you behave and repent your actions.” He said pointing at the child. “This ceremony is over!! Leave!!” He screamed at the guests who all left in a hurry. Nadira could not believe this. Never had she seen things go so wrong. She tried to call out for her father to beg him for mercy but to no avail. As she stood there Tedyn approached and pushed the child on to her. She cried as she saw her daughters face. What a monstrous thing it was to deny it a name.
The rest of the day was a nightmare. Her children were escorted to their rooms and Tamir yelled at her wit… [view original content]
Glad you enjoyed it. The practice is actually naming children only three years after their birth and announcing it to everyone in a big ceremony. Yep I will confirm it is in a kingdom in Essos.
Really interesting! It took me the longest time to realize where this was all taking place. At first I thought this was somewhere beyond the… more wall, like Thennland or something, with the practice of not naming children and all. But I am pretty sure to say that this is somewhere is Essos. Didn't expect the Anturions to be royalty.
I'm back. And this time I can't even make all that much of a cheery entrance. I'm sorry for that.
So, I am back, but the voting is not closed. This is due to me being back a day earlier than planned. I thought I'd get more writing done today, it was my plan and well, I got a lot of writing done in the past three days. With a lot of time on my hands, I have written the equivalent of five and a half FoT parts but most of it were projects for other stories, which I am going to share with the authors in question as soon as possible. I have written most of the next part yesterday, but have not yet managed to finish it, so I will leave the voting open until tomorrow, maybe some haven't had the time to vote and there's really no need to close it yet when I don't have the part ready and won't be able to finish it today.
The thing is, there are good news and very bad news. I have been very open with you so far and wish to remain so, so that you know what's going on and why I am in a particularly bad mood today. The good news first, my grandfather has gotten through the surgery and is currently recovering. It was a tumor, but there is no sign of cancer, meaning he is expected to make a full recovery in time an this is something that came as a great relief yesterday, before things turned sour this morning when something new came up from a completely unexpected side. I was supposed to stay at his house until tomorrow, but then there's the bad news. I only got them today, though it happened on Wednesday already. My mother got into a very bad car accident on her way home. She survived and is in a stable condition in one of the best hospitals in western Germany. And... I am honestly not even sure how much you want to hear, but her injuries are very bad. She is already in a bad condition due to being physically handicapped from a severe scoliosis and she damaged her spine in this accident, though to what extent cannot be said right now. Or well, it can be said, but this would probably go a bit too deep into the whole thing and I myself don't know everything due to only having learned about it today. She's not paralyzed, so there is a tiny silver lining. The doctor said that she had a lot of luck, considering the situation. At this point, it seems that she won't have any permanent injuries, but this is still in a very early state, the surgeons haven't yet done anything with her and I don't know what is going to happen. She's in an artificial coma, done because the combination of broken ribs and scoliosis makes it hard for her to breathe, so I haven't yet talked to her and won't be able to do so until Tuesday. As much as I try to remain positive, I cannot really say anything until I got the chance to talk to her.
This is the situation as it is right now. I am in a mood that is to be expected and I don't think I will do any further writing today. But given how much this story, this forum and every single one of you mean to me, I have the deepest wish not to take even the tiniest break from it all. After all, if I can't even write, then I wouldn't even have anything to think about aside from what happened and how easily things could have been much, much worse. I sure as hell need this. However, I think it is only fair for you to know why I might not be all that happy at the time. I have no doubt that being on here and also spending some time with friends in real life tomorrow will give me something else to think about and it is quite possible that I will feel better when being on here for a bit and when I got the chance to speak to a couple of other friends. Expect me to close the voting tomorrow, as most of the part is already written. Anything further, I have to wait and see. All I want to assure you of is, I won't take a break, safe for the next few hours before heading to bed. Naturally, I will also keep you updated if I receive any new information, which is probably on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Dear Lord what a mix of news. So on the one hand your grandfather is fine, but on the other your mother is heavily injured. Just after good news come more bad news . I hope your mother makes a full recovery and i'll pray for it like I did with your grandfather. Hopefully its just some minor injuries and she should be fine. In the meantime I think its good that you're taking this break. In fact taking tomorrow off would be good too under the circumstances. Don't worry about us, by the looks of it only me and Bounden are here. Most of the others seem to have taken a break this weekend. So don't worry the majority can still enjoy my little side story for a couple of days.
I'm back. And this time I can't even make all that much of a cheery entrance. I'm sorry for that.
So, I am back, but the voting is not cl… moreosed. This is due to me being back a day earlier than planned. I thought I'd get more writing done today, it was my plan and well, I got a lot of writing done in the past three days. With a lot of time on my hands, I have written the equivalent of five and a half FoT parts but most of it were projects for other stories, which I am going to share with the authors in question as soon as possible. I have written most of the next part yesterday, but have not yet managed to finish it, so I will leave the voting open until tomorrow, maybe some haven't had the time to vote and there's really no need to close it yet when I don't have the part ready and won't be able to finish it today.
The thing is, there are good news and very bad news. I have been very open with you so far and wish to remain so, so that you … [view original content]
Comments
[Distract Lanford and Erik]
The Voting is closed!
Jaron is going to calm Samuel down
This was an interesting voting for me, as it was one of these where I could have seen things going into either direction. Clearly, Samuel is getting more and more stressed and almost uncharacteristically reckless the closer he gets to his brother. He is emotional right now, after several chapters in which he has been considerably colder (save for some more humanizing scenes with Raenna and Ellena) and there is really no saying how he will react, or how far he is going to go to get the information out of poor Joshawa. This however is going to mean that Lanford is going to catch both of them in the next part, after Erik more than likely just alerted him to their presence. What this means, we shall see. Jaron's next part won't be too far away, as we are getting closer to the ending of the chapter and Book 1 and I wish to give him two more parts in it.
Now, I think I should announce something. I am going on a short trip after all, from today to Saturday. I was not sure if I manage to finish another part before, but I got up early today to finish it in time before I have to leave. This trip is likely going to leave me with only my phone's mobile data for internet and it will be very bad, meaning I will be somewhat active, but likely unable to even check my feed, so I will vote on the stories I follow, but any PM I don't manage to answer until I have to leave has to wait until Saturday. However, I will take my laptop with me and I will have both, plenty of time to spare and the dire need of some distraction, so I will try to write at least one part, as well as some writing stuff for other stories which I wanted to finish for a while now. The reason for this trip is not a happy one and I wish to share some details with you. My grandfather has recently fallen ill, basically the first time he ever fell seriously ill in his entire life. He was diagnosed with a tumor in his bowel and has to undergo surgery on Thursday, as far as I know, to have it removed as quickly as possible. It is not clear yet if it is cancer or merely a tumor, but it does seriously affect him, by attacking the leucocytes in his blood and making it hard for him to breathe as a result, so it has to go. I try not to be too worried as long as the doctors see a realistic chance for this operation to succeed, but then again, he is in his mid-eighties and yes, this is terrifying and I am scared shitless. This is one of the moments where I am particularly glad that I have picked up writing as a hobby, because what better distraction could there ever be? In any way, me and my father will visit my grandfather today and will stay at his place until Saturday. I shall keep you updated about the situation once I return.
Onwards to a more pleasant subject, the next part will be out in the next two hours. It will be an Arthur part and unless I'll have internet at my grandfather's, which is unlikely, it will be the last part until Saturday. Actually, it means the voting is only going to be open for a day longer, because I'd usually likely close it around Friday. This next Arthur part is going to start off exactly where he was last seen, in a small room in the castle, together with Aditha and the corpse of Hackor. Both siblings are heartbroken over the loss of their father, but at least, Aditha was able to tell Arthur that his father told her that he loved an respected him. This was of course a clear lie she told, because she's enough of a sweetheart to try and make Arthur feel better even during such a horrible time. While Hackor indeed expressed some positive feelings towards Arthur before he died, he did so in his final conversation with Jenna and Aditha does not know about it yet. As they comforted each other, a new situation came up, when a guard entered the room, telling Arthur that a lady wishes to speak to him. From Drent's latest part, you already know that this lady is Edonia, who was sent by Argella to fetch her the man called Nathamer, who leads the city guard as far as she knows, unaware that the man she seeks to speak to has perished during the raid. Putting more value into comforting his grieving sister, Arthur decided to remain with her for a while longer instead of immediately hurrying to the meeting.
There is also going to be another thing upcoming, as the wonderful @Lord_EAA has written something which I urged him to share with you. Due to how brief the time betwen closing this voting and posting the next part will be, he will, as far as I know, post it later this week, around Thursday or Friday, when most of you had a chance to read the next part already. It should further give you something FoT-related to read during my brief absence and it will reveal some very interesting and very important information, which will be further elaborated upon in Book 2. I am sure you will enjoy it.
As said, I will try to remain active over the next few days, but with terrible internet. If anything comes up, I will try my best to answer to everything as good as I can and I will surely remain active in my followed stories and in here, but I cannot promise if I will be even able to load my feed with this internet, so private messages might have to wait for a little longer. Until then, enjoy the next part
I wish you and your family good luck on your trip. Hopefully this all gets sorted and your Grandfather makes it out of this ok and lives many, many more long and healthy years with the people he loves. I'll pray for his recovery. But if it gives you comfort I have had family members survive worse. You might remember my aunt had 3 of her arteries blocked last year and they gave her a 10% chance at survival. We had to get a special surgeon for him to even get us a 25-30%. During the operation the surgeon kept coming out of the room nuts about how stressed he was. By the end of it, it was the hardest operation he did in his life, but she made it and is in good health. So after that I'm very optimistic and hopeful that your grandfather will make it out fine and you will all be ok. Please talk to your family members if you ever feel like you can't deal with how stressful the situation is, they'll probably be feeling the same sometimes. In fact a few might look to you for comfort. And if its just a stressful wait, you can write a part like you suggested. Strong emotions tend to calm themselves when put to something productive. But again I am very hopeful it will all go well and I wish you the best.
On a lighter note thank you for giving the heads up about my little writing piece. I'll post it Thursday probably unless things change. Hopefully it will hold down the fort
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Anyway, just in case you don't get any reception, thank you again, my prayers and hopes to you and your family getting the best out of the situation and have a good week man
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If you need time off don't be afraid to take some. Just know that we're all hoping for the best.
Thank you for the support! This is really reassuring, I'm glad your aunt survived this surgery. In comparison, my grandfather's upcoming surgery is far more of a routine procedure. The only fear I have is that it is cancer after all, because that would mean the surgery is not the only thing he has to survive. In fact, I am not all that concerne for the surgery itself, because the people there know what they are doing and if they are willing to risk it, it means they are confident in their abilities, as am I. For now, I can also still deal with the situation, I will wait with any negativity until there is a clear diagnosis.
About your writing, I will try to send you a PM during the journey, where I should still have better internet. There is one thing you mention which I wish to elaborate upon. Ah, so much to write, so little time, I already regret that I have to keep some of you waiting for so long with my answer
But anyways, thank you for the support, I appreciate it. I'll keep you updated once I know more!
No way I'm going to take some time off now! If anything, being able to work on this story and seeing how much it is appreciated does wonders in keeping me calm and stable right now. And so far, nothing too bad happened. I will see how things develop, but right now, I have things to focus my mind on and I am happy I have. The thought of being absolutely alone with my thoughts is the worst for me. I really appreciate the thought so, thanks for the support
Arthur
Softly, Arthur pulled Aditha closer into a hug. She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder. The guard meanwhile raised an eyebrow. “Ser, what shall I tell her?”, he asked and Arthur shot him a glare. “Tell her the truth”, he said. “My father has died and I wish to mourn together with my sister. I will meet your lady when I am ready”
The guard frowned at his words, though the look in Arthur's eyes was enough to make him give in. Reluctantly, he nodded. “Fine, I will tell her”, he agreed. “But I can tell you, she won't be happy with this. Neither would you, once you see her. Not the kind of a lady you keep waiting” His glance fell upon the commander's body. “And... my condolences. Your father has been an inspiration to us all” With these words, he turned around and left the room, leaving Arthur and his sister alone.
Aditha looked up at her brother, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you”, she said softly. Despite the grief, Arthur felt a smile on his face. “Always”, he promised her. “We will always have each other” This caused her to close her eyes again, as she clung onto his shoulder.
“A part of me hates him for leaving me”, she admitted glumly. “I love him. I miss him. Never thought I'd ever do, but now that he is gone...” She paused. “I just wish there would be time, for me to tell him what he means to me”
“I think he knew that”, Arthur replied. “It's the reason he never lost his cool around you, not in the way he did with me at least” He gulped. “I... should have been better. I should have helped him, I should have been by his side, by yours”
“You did what you have to”, she said. “What he wanted, what you always did. Your duty” Softly, Arthur shook his head. “I did not do enough”, he mumbled. “This is how he must have felt. He had the same choice and he chose the city. I did my duty and my father paid for it” He grabbed Aditha by the shoulders and looked at her with despair, as the realization hit him. “You nearly paid for it as well”, he gasped, with a tear-stained voice. “Gods... it is just like him”
Aditha frowned. “Don't speak like this”, she said. “Don't...” She pulled him into a hug, or maybe he pulled her, what mattered was that they were lying in each others arms, crying. “You are the best big brother in the world. What happened, you will not blame yourself for it!”
Arthur looked at his dead father. It was the first time he truly understood him. This must have been how he had felt, when he held a much younger Aditha in his arms, next to the corpse of her mother. The same choice. The same consequence. And Arthur knew how it had changed Hackor. There was a part of him that, even beyond the grief, that was afraid of how it would affect him. He feared he would become like his father now. “And father...”, he whispered. “He wanted to make things right. He wanted to save you. He did and now he's gone forever”
“He left us again”, Aditha growled, not without sharpness and now, Arthur raised an eyebrow. “He saved us”, he stated. “And he loved us. Always did. His final actions prove this” He shook his head. “How can you still hate him?”, he asked. “He did not leave us. He was taken from us”
Aditha sighed and avoided his glance for a moment. “It's not just leaving us... There is one part of me that hates him for...”, she started, though she cut herself off, her bright, green eyes mustering Arthur, who had a slightly confused look on his face. “For what?”, he asked and his sister sighed. “For nothing”, she quickly said. “It was stupid. I was stupid. Forget it”
To this, Arthur narrowed his eyes. He wanted to believe her, wanted to believe that what she had told him was the truth. But she was his little sister. There was no lie she could ever convincingly tell him. And a terrible realization dawned upon him the longer he spoke to her. “Aditha...”, he said softly.
She looked up, heavily biting down onto her lower lip, with widely opened eyes, tears glistening on the emerald, though she remained silent. “What did father tell you?”, Arthur asked softly. “About me” She gulped and the look in her eyes was enough for him to crush whatever hope he just had gotten.
“He told me he loves you”, she repeated. “He told me he's proud of you” Her voice shivered as she spoke. “It was the last thing he told me before I lost consciousness” Arthur felt a lump in his throat, as the hand he had around Aditha's shoulder clenched into the dark cloak she was wearing. “What... did he tell you?”, he asked again, in a demanding tone this time.
With tears freely streaming down her cheeks, Aditha looked at him with a pleading expression, begging him not to ask this, not to inquire any further. It was answer enough. “He loved you”, she told him. “He was proud of you. He told me...”
Arthur rised from the bench, pulling away as Aditha tried to reach for his hand. With shaky steps, he stumbled towards the corpse of his father. He was still lying there, in his green armour, his face almost peaceful. A man that never loved him. A man whom he had tried to make proud for all his life, to no avail.
With sudden anger flaring up, Arthur clenched his fists. From behind him, he heard Aditha quietly rising from the bench. “Arthur...”, she whispered, but he did not look at her. Overcome with grief, with disappointment into the man he had looked up to so much, he turned to the door. “Arthur!”, Aditha yelled now, but he did not listen. He stormed off before she could say anything further.
The guardsman was still waiting in the hallway. He frowned as he saw Arthur's angry, tear-stained glare. “Where?”, he barked. “The one that wanted to speak to me” The guard gulped, as he pointed down the hallway. “I told her to wait”, he said. “She should be over there. Come, I show you... Ser”
Marching down the hallway, Arthur focussed onto the other end of it, his vision but a tunnel, the corners of it anger, sorrow and disappointment. This was it. The final chance his father would have had. He did not pick it and this was reason enough for Arthur to assume that he indeed never loved him. No matter what he had tried to do, it hadn't been enough. Realizing this... it would have been crushing, but there was a task he could focus on. That's how his father had gotten through grief. One task at a time. Slowly, one by one, forever.
Due to him focussing on the door at the end of the hallway, he was surprised when the guard just stopped, nudging him by the elbow and pointing down one of the smaller hallways to his right. Arthur followed his glance and saw someone leaning against the wall, in the shadows. “The man you wished to speak to, mylady”, the guard said politely, before he turned to Arthur and bowed. “Once again, my condolences. Farewell, Ser”
He left and the person in the shadows stepped into the light of the torches. Arthur could see that she was a woman, probably a bit younger than Aditha. Even in his current state of mind, he noticed her outstanding beauty. Her auburn hair was tied into a loose bun and she looked at him out of greenish eyes, though the look in them was tired and slightly annoyed. He also noticed the tabard she was wearing. Black on yellow, a crowned stag. One of the Stormlanders.
“Finally decided to show up”, she sighed. “It was about time” She extended her hand and still slightly dumbfounded by her surprisingly pleasant appearance, it took Arthur a while to shake it. To this, she rolled her eyes, though her expression softened almost instantly. “Apologies, I did not want to sound rude”, she said in a tone that struck Arthur as genuine. “Your guard told me what happened. My condolences for your loss”
Arthur sighed, before he gave her a nod. “It's alright”, he assured her. “A pleasure to meet you. My name is Arthur Nathamer” She pulled her hand away. “Edonia Bernile”, she introduced herself. “I was told to find Commander Nathamer, though news of his passing certainly surprised me”
“I am his son”, he said and she nodded. “As I was informed”, she told him. “Hopefully this will suffice. The princess is hard to please and in a... particular mood today, not that I can blame her” As she said this, Arthur raised an eyebrow, before he realized what she just implied. His eyes widened. “The princess?”, he gasped.
“Aye, the Storm Princess”, Edonia answered and now, her lips formed the small hint of a smile. “She wants to speak to you. Or... to your father, to be precise, but with the recent events, I believe you are the closest she is going to get”
“She... she wants to speak to me?”, Arthur stuttered, finding himself staring into these green eyes. Edonia blinked, before she nodded. “Yes and trust me, this is as unusual as it feels to you”, she said. “But she has a good reason. Something happened and it appears she needs the help of the city guard”
Before Arthur could answer, she turned down the hallway. “But now we really shouldn't keep her waiting”, Edonia urged him. “Come” Arthur glanced down at his clothes, the same sweaty, slightly bloody tunic and armour he had worn for the entire day, the one he had survived the raid in. He had crouched through the alleyways together with Mathea in them, had chased after Wolfius together with Ryler in them. They were far from what he would wear when meeting a princess. Then again, he had never met a princess and was genuinely unsure what one would even wear for such an occasion.
“Perhaps I should get changed”, he offered and Edonia looked over her shoulder, mustering him a moment longer than it was necessary. “Poppycock”, she said. “She wishes to speak to you, not marvel at your style. Besides, if it helps, you are far from the most filthy person she has talked to today”
“Oddly enough, this does not help”, Arthur mumbled glumly, as Edonia continued to lead him to the castle. She chuckled sweetly. “Well, perhaps I can help then. Your first time meeting a princess, I guess” He nodded. “First time meeting anyone important, to be honest”, he said. It was strange, though he felt different as he focussed on the talk with her. There was something new to focus on instead of the grief and it wasn't all bad.
She sighed theatrically. “Oh boy, here we go”, she said. “Okay then, listen. First of all, there is no reason to be afraid. I know I was like you once, when I first met her father” Arthur raised an eyebrow. “You met the Storm King?”, he asked.
“When I joined the army, yes”, Edonia replied. “He greets the recruits of Storm's End personally. My brother had joined a few days before and he hasn't exactly been helpful, so I faced King Argilac without being prepared. Honestly, I wasn't even prepared for the army, but since my brother is an idiot, I had no choice” She shot him a smile. “I nearly fainted the moment I stood before him”, she continued. “So you can imagine my surprise when he turns out to be not all that bad. He was polite, friendly. A normal man, once you get to see past the crown. His daughter is no different”
“So, there is nothing to fear?”, Arthur asked and Edonia shook her head. “Of course not. Just be respectful, do what she asks of you and you won't have any problem”, she promised, as they stopped in front of a room. After Arthur gave her a nod, Edonia knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”, a female voice sounded from within. “Edonia, my princess”, Edonia answered. “I bring the man you ask for” A moment of silence followed, before the princess spoke again. “Get in then”, she said.
Edonia opened the door, revealing a large chamber, one of the finer guest rooms of the castle. Compared to the kind of rooms he usually saw, it was lavishly decorated, though he guessed that it was nothing too spectacular compared to what the princess herself was used to. She however was more than spectacular. Standing near the window of the room, she was a breathtaking sight. Clad in black, her raven locks fell below her shoulders. Deep, blue eyes stared at him and luscious lips formed a slight smile. The only stain to what was otherwise the closest thing Arthur had ever seen to flawless looks was the bruise on her cheek, a blueish spot that contrasted with the pale skin in an ugly way.
“Commander Nathamer?”, she asked and Arthur cleared his throat, captivated by her beauty. “Well... not... not exactly”, he said. “My name is Arthur Nathamer, the son of the commander. My father has perished during the raid”
Argella's smile faded, as understanding appeared in her eyes. “I see”, she said, which came as close to an expression of condolence as he would get from her. “I wished to speak to the man in charge. But you are obviously a member of the city guard. I think this has to suffice” She pointed at a chair, while she sat down on one next to it. “Sit down”, she ordered. “I need your help”
He was quick to follow her wish, as he sat down next to her and more than before, he was aware of what kind of a sight he must be next to such beauty. “How may I be of service?”, he asked and Argella smiled at his manners. “With your commander dead, I doubt the city guard is as effective as it otherwise would be”, she spoke and for the first time, Arthur frowned in her presence. She was quick to dispel any negativity that came from her comment by grabbing his hand, a gesture that caused Arthur to hold his breath.
Having his hand in both of hers, she looked at him with a pleading expression. “I require your help, Ser”, she explained. “It is about something that happened during the raid” Having his full attention, the princess let go of his hand again, as a dark look appeared on her face. “One of my men was murdered”, she growled. “And I need the help of a local to find the one who did this”
Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Murdered?”, he said. “Do you mean the Ironborn killed your man?” Argella shook her head. “I wouldn't have bothered you if that was the case”, she said sharply. “No, I mean murdered, not killed in battle. Murdered in cold blood, in an attempt that was meant for me”
The realization of what she implied sunk in and Arthur narrowed his eyes. “You mean someone tried to murder you during the battle? Not one of the Ironborn?”, he asked. Argella gave him a nod. “Trust me, they tried”, she said grimly. “But one person came closer than others. If it wouldn't be for the sacrifice of one of my knights, I would have died back then”
“And what makes you believe this person was not Ironborn?”, Arthur continued to ask. This time, anger appeared in Argella's eyes. “It was a trap. Someone shot at me with a bow”, she explained. “How many Ironborn have used a bow in this raid?”
“Not much”, Arthur admitted. “And it explains why you approach the city guard. Attempted murder within our walls, this is a matter that concerns us” As he noticed the hint of a pleased smile on her face, he was quick to continue. “And you can count on whatever assistance me and the other guardsmen can offer. There will be justice”
Despite the smile, something changed in her eyes. The warmth faded quickly and Arthur saw a chilling coldness in them all of a sudden. “Justice is not the only thing I am after”, she explained with a deceiving calmness. “Someone tried to murder me. Someome murdered my knight. Ser Jax Montclair, the most loyal man in my service. Selfless to the end. I want vengeance, for him, for his two sons who have to grow up without a father” She leant closer towards him and Arthur got aware of the faint scent of strawberries that surrounded her. “I want to show the world that this will not remain unanswered”, she whispered. “Can I count on your help?”
He nodded quickly. “You can”, he promised her. “I... need something to do in either way and what better would there be to do?” She flashed him a smile. “Precisely”, she replied. “Of course, you won't remain unrewarded. Help me, bring me the man who did this, or news of his demise, and you and your city guard shall be rewarded. Be assured that my gratitude is a useful thing to have”
“Oh, I am sure of that”, Arthur assured her. “Is there anything else I have to know?” Argella glanced at the other woman in the room and Edonia stepped closer. Next to the princess, her own beauty did not pale, though it felt more unkempt, wilder. “Edonia has already underwent some investigation of her own in the last hour”, the princess explained. “Please, share it with our new friend”
Edonia cleared her throat, before she began to speak. “The archer who attacked us yesterday, I think I got him”, she said. “No, I don't just think so, I am absolutely convinced. He had us pinned down, but I managed to get a shot at him and I know I hit him. The fact that he did not continue to shoot at us is proof enough for this”
Her revelation surprised Arthur and he looked at the princess. “If this man is already dead, what do you need me for?”, he asked and Argella sighed. “Unlike Edonia, I am not convinced that he truly died”, she told him. “If he is dead already, confirm it and consider your task successful. But even then, I have reason to believe that any man who dares to attack me does so for a reason. In this case, I want you to try and find out said reason, as much as possible”
She and the auburn-haired woman exchanged a glance, followed by a nod. “Of course, you won't have to do this alone”, Argella proclaimed. “Edonia will be by your side during this. She is not only a useful ally, she will also serve as your connection to me. Anything you find, she will report” As Arthur opened his mouth, she raised a finger. “This is not negotiable”, she said sharply.
Quickly, Arthur shook his head. “I did not want to negotiate”, he said, as he smiled at Edonia. “I accept. In fact, I am happy to have some support. I believe you can show me where this attack happened?” Edonia nodded. “Sure can do, Ser”, she answered. “We haven't had the time to check back with it for now, but I am sure we will find more there. Maybe even the corpse of the man who did this”
“If not, time is of the essence”, Argella warned them. “If the archer is still out there and dangerous to me, you have to hurry. Any minute you waste might be a minute the trail gets colder” What she said here was correct and all of a sudden, Arthur felt regret over having kept her waiting. It seemed to be a good idea back then, but with what happened out of it...
He still remembered the look in Aditha's eyes, as she tried to uphold the lie. Of course, he loved her for it, for caring enough about him to lie to him about this, but it did not change the overwhelming disappointment he felt in his father for this. He had tried for so long to please him and instead, all he had gotten was disrespect and neglect. A grim smirk formed on his face, as he had to imagine his father's outrage at him, of all people, being assigned to such a crucial task. It was something he could have never done had Hackor still been alive. His commander wouldn't have allowed it.
“Speaking of trails...”, Edonia said. “There might be something, though I am not sure how reliable this is. I don't know her as good as you might do” Arthur looked at her and she continued. “I asked around about unusual events that happened during the attack, which might be connected to our case”, she explained. “A woman, a certain Nora Recton, commander of the castle guard, claims to know something. Haven't gotten around to speak to her yet, but it might be something we can check out”
“Nora, I know her”, Arthur stated. “As far as I know, she was wounded during the raid” Edonia raised an eyebrow. “Do you think we should bother her then? She might need the rest”, she asked. “If you believe her information to be worthless, it might be better to head to the site of the attack at once” She shrugged. “But this is something I leave to you, Ser. You know this city better than I ever could”
[Head to the site immediately] [Talk to Nora first]
Ok, I'm glad it helped. But right now it's just a simple tumor removal. Hopefully it will stay that way and be over quickly. So I agree for now be as calm and optimistic as possible. I'll do my best and hope and pray it all goes fine.
I await your response eagerly but patiently. Take your time. I'm sure the others feel the same.
You will always have my support. God bless you and your family and may you only find ease and happiness on this trip.
[Head to the site immediately]
If the archer got injured, he couldn't have gone too far. Better to chase after him now than wait til later.
[Talk to Nora first] Nora know that Sherryl is the woman that sabotage the castle gates before go to the city with a bow and,since it is obvious that she is the assasin,that is an information that can be VERY useful to Arthur
RT:
I hope that your grandfather will get well soon and,like others readers have already write, don't worry to take some time from the story
[Talk to Nora first] The shooter probably already got away. We should see what this lead is with Nora before we miss it. It could be something important. If the shooter was Sherryl, which is a likely option, she might've fled back to the castle. Nora may have seen her then, or she has news about Mullendore which is equally important to know, seeing how Sherryl likely serves him.
I really liked this part. So much heartache. Ahhh it is amazing. I love how Aditha tries to keep Arthur happy by lying to him. And that animosity Arthur has right now is great. I can't wait to see how much he throws himself into his work that he forgets about his family, becoming even more like his father. And Arthur already falling for the first new lady he sees after the raid is adorable. I wonder how this buddy cop show is going to turn out
[Head to the site immediately] First to investigate the scene, and then talk to witnesses. Well, hopefully we can talk to her later.
Glad to hear it! The sibling relationship between the two hasn't been explored all that well in the past, which I plan to change from now on. Aditha is very much the most important person in Arthur's life and this part might gave you an idea why. In any way, I plan to show more of Aditha in the future. Her Book 2 role is going to be massively expanded.
Yeah, it is not what Arthur expected either. He never thought that he'd ever be disappointed in Hackor, but realizing that Aditha has lied to him really brought up some frustration. I mean, let's face it, Hackor was a good leader and probably genuinely loved his children, but he was a shitty father and Arthur is slowly coming to terms with this now. It is at least better than him trying to be someone he isn't.
A real city guard is always there to serve
But yes, this will be brought up. Then again, it is less of a mission and more of an investigation of a crime that happened in his city, so it is questionable that anyone will hold it against him.
Well, I cannot comment on what exactly Nora knows, but I can confirm that it is nothing about Mullendore. She has no idea of his true nature or Sherryl's work with him. The ones who know more about that are Saerya and Jenna.
I am happy to hear this
I very much tried to build up a sad scene here, so I am happy I apparently succeeded. Aditha is indeed willing to lie to Arthur if this means that he is happy, considering how heartbreaking the truth is. She is feeling terrible for this, he is feeling terrible for this, so overall, it can be safely said that her attempt backfired.
This is indeed a big problem Arthus has to face here. He and Hackor have been similar in this regard and their way of dealing with grief is largely the same. It's not a pretty thing and Arthur is aware of it. I'll plan to show more of it later. Though the big difference here is that Aditha is older now than she has been back when Hackor did this and she might react differently.
Hehe, this is Arthur, after all. He has a hard time resisting a pretty lady even in times like these and two? Consider him very excited to help
I do look forward for him in this chapter, his storyline should lead to some pretty important moments.
This is very much a possibility! Unless something happens to Nora, nothing could stop Arthur from speaking to her after checking out the crime scene. The main problem is that her lead, if it is one, could have gotten cold by then. The same danger lies in not checking out the scene, to be fair, so that is another thing to consider.
So Arthur tries to get over his grief the traditional way, getting obsessed with his work and meeting with several beautiful women. Oh and leaving his sister to suffer alone, body's not even cold and already Arthur is following in his footsteps.
[Talk to Nora first]
Very mixed on this choice but I agree with The_not_chosen_one (Or Chosen as ill probably end up calling him) Nora has a lot of valuable info.
[Talk to Nora first]
[Head to the site immediately] We can always get info from Nora later, if the murderer is still alive or anyone who works with him or her is still around I imagine they'd want to eliminate any trace of them.
Edonia is very quickly growing on me. I'm beginning to think I'm in love with all the women in this story. XD
They'll never top Saerya though.
[Talk to Nora first]
Ok, I kinda ship Edonia and Arthur already
Ah, the scene between Arthur and Aditha surely was emotional. This part also really made feel there is a lot of potential for Arthur in terms of character development and story from here on. In fact, this part alone raised him very close to my favorite PoVs. And seeing him talking with Argella was pretty nice
I'm also sure he and Edonia will make a great team.
[Talk to Nora first] No reason not to, really, because Nora's info can be extremely useful. And I don't really see many benefits from going to the site immediately, it's not like they are going to find the killer (read: Sherryl) there anymore.
I do too but I was a little afraid to admit it...
The pair just clicked in my mind so quickly.
The Voting is NOT closed!
Not at all. Please don't take this bad joke seriously
Anyway, hey guy's this is Lord. Some of you know have known me for a long time, some of you are starting to. If you still barely know who I am I'm the guy who likes to debate votes with people and makes those very long question lists that Liquid answers and from time to time some of you guys do too. But right know all you need to know is that I am also a writer, a big friend of Liquid and a big fan of FOT. You may remember Liquid said I have something ready to show you guys to keep you filled with your weekly FOT content. Quoted directly from Liquid: "There is also going to be another thing upcoming, as the wonderful @Lord_EAA has written something which I urged him to share with you............ It should further give you something FoT-related to read during my brief absence and it will reveal some very interesting and very important information, which will be further elaborated upon in Book 2. I am sure you will enjoy it." Well I just want to confirm that part will be out Tomorrow at the earliest time I can post it. The parts content is a surprise but I will reveal a few things, lets see if anyone guesses what its about before I post it. It mainly deals with the backstory of several related character's who have been know for a distinct lack of morality and evil action's. Well anyway that is it. See you with the part Tomorrow and have a good day.
That is the most sociably accepted way to deal with grief after all
Be glad he isn't turning to the bottle yet. It's also precisely what his father would have done. Well, minus the part with the beautiful women of course. And this makes it particularly hard for Aditha, who now faces the danger of losing her brother like she lost her father so many years ago.
All of them? Now I am curious, does that include Sherryl? In all seriousness, I find this very flattering, because I enjoy to write most of them and it is nice that these characters in return are appreciated. Edonia in particular is going to have a lot more to do in the future, so it is good that she is growing on you so quickly. And naturally, I am glad you enjoy Saerya so much, especially as I was not sure how she would be received.
Ah, trust me, Arthur kind of ships them as well
I enjoyed writing these two here, though with their different backgrounds and duties, it remains to be seen what comes out of this.
I am very much looking forward for this! I loved it, I am sure the others will as well and it will establish some things I wish to elaborate upon in Book 2, so this is also a very important part for understanding a certain character. Tomorrow sounds great. My mobile internet here is surprisingly not terrible (though it does not allow me to post parts, something I regret, considering that I will have at least one ready by tomorrow), so I will certainly give my own thoughts on it as well. This of course also does not mean that the voting is closed, I'll do that once I return from my trip. Though I guess leaving it open till Saturday will be long enough
By the way, as much as my mobile internet wirks, this does not apply to my feed, so I cannot write PM's here. Any answer has to wait until then, most likely at least. This thing I wanted to discuss with you, I figured it is not essential to what you wrote, so we'll speak about it once I return
[Talk to Nora first]
We need to talk to Nora first. She has valuable information, plain and simple, and she's not in prime condition. We need to get to her before anyone who might want this to stay hidden does first.
I guess it's something about that evil brother of Edward Anturion that I always forget the name of. Or maybe their, even more evil recently mentioned sister?
Could be. But remember as I said it will be several characters that are somehow related. So it could be both.
That goofball Arthur falls for every pretty girl he sees. It is so darn funny seeing him googly eye every other girl he meets.
I wouldn't go as far as to say Sherryl's one of them.
Though admittedly there's parts of her that I've enjoyed.
Anturion: Part 1
“You know sometimes I just close my eyes and try to dream.”
“Really? About what?”
“About how it all started.”
Princess Nadira
Princess Nadira walked down the steps of the hall, surrounded by thousands of eyes looking upon her. To her left her husband Prince Tamir, in front of her, laying in his ornately decorated throne, sat her father, the great King Mydras, and in her arms was her child just three years of age. She was nervous beyond all understanding, now walking towards her father it became so real what she had done and how irreversible it truly was. After this moment, there was no turning back. She however showed no worry on her face and any nervousness was attributed by others to the greatness of the event. It had been a tradition of their people for centuries, that three years after the birth of a child they would be blessed with a name for all to hear. She and her husband had discussed it much but in the end, she had won out. She would get the honor of picking the child’s name. But in truth she let her beloved chose his name in the end. It seemed only right for a father to name his child.
As she approached her father she made an elegant bow, as did her husband. Then the powerful King let his voice echo through the halls. “Tell me who it is that approaches me.” He said looking down upon them. As the carrier of the bloodline she approached and answered first. “It is I, your daughter, Princess Nadira.” Then Tamir took his turn. “And I, her husband, Prince Tamir.” The next verse had to be spoken in absolute unison. If one was louder or faster disgrace would fall upon the ceremony and all it would have be redone at later time after priests had purified the hall and all those who took part in it. “We bring before you the fruit of our love. The child heir of your crown. May he be wise and strong. May he be powerful and know how to use his power well. May he bring prosperity and riches to our lands. And most of all may he be a blessing given to our family and be remembered well for all eternity and time.”
“Come forth with the child and lay him in my arms.” Commanded the King. As she approached she looked at the boy in her arms. So young and healthy, with black hair from his father emerald eyes just like her own. Yet still this did not give her joy. She handed him over to her father, who played with the boy for a moment and then proceeded with his verse. “I accept this child. And I grant him the right that all men should have. Speak his name, the one he shall be known as for the rest of time!” As her father spoke the words, she knew this was her last moment. The last moment for her to stop this, to repent before them all. But either out of sheer impulse or from deep within her heart she spoke the words that would change all their lives forever. “His name shall be…..Nain!” she yelled as loudly as she could.
The King nodded and spoke to all who would hear “Then let all men know. The name of the heir is Nain!!!” It was then at that moment as the crowd erupted into cheers and her father smiled and laughed as he held the boy that she knew that all hope of turning back was gone. And with this in mind the Princess realized the horrible truth she had hid from herself all of this time.
She felt no remorse.
It had been three years since she last worn this dress. At that moment Nadira had felt shame, fear and confusion. But now she only knew happiness, love and joy. Her second child had been born merely a few months after the first’s ceremony, another gift from her most beloved. She had given birth once again to a boy, a little brother to accompany Nain through life. As she thought of this she looked over to her firstborn, watching his little brother sleeping in a crib. The boy had grown up to be so strong and active. He would grow up to be a great king and with his brother at his side the future looked very promising for her family indeed. She smiled as she walked over to the boy still looking at the crib.
Nain saw her approaching and asked her the question that had been bugging him in his mind. “Mother why is he important to me?” The Princess was taken aback by the question. But then she remembered Nain was still young and had to learn much about life and truth. “Because he is your brother.” She replied with a kind smile. But Nain still seemed puzzled by this. “Yes, I am told this every day. But I still don’t know why should care.” He said soberly.
This shook her to her core, it horrified her to see her child speak this way about his own brother. This mixture of anger and fear broiled inside her and made her turn her child towards her and speak in a nervous but serious tone. “Don’t you see Nain? He’s the only one who will ever understand you. The one who will always fight for you no matter what happens. And you will do the same for him as well. He will care about you and you must always care about him. Promise me Nain. Promise me no matter what you will always love your brother.”
The boy had clearly been distraught by her reaction. He had always cared for his mother and to see her like this made him feel emotions that were usually uncommon to him. He looked into her eyes determined and said with as much pride as he could muster. “I promise” His mother was not satisfied with his answer. “Promised to what?” To this Nain responded with even more commitment and certainty. “I promise to always love and protect my brother.” With this Nadira let him return to a crib and look once more at his brother, who had now woken up. Nain stared intently into his little brown eyes as he had done previously when he was asleep. But there was now something in his look, something she had always felt Nain had trouble to develop. There was thoughtfulness, there was bravery, there was strength but now there was also love. She felt very happy at what she had accomplished, perhaps this this would be the beginning of Nain breaking his hard exterior and opening up to others more. To grow up as man who would have the heart of his father as well as his skill. As she felt this joy she heard someone opening the door to their room and turn around to see her husband entering.
“Everything’s ready, dearest.” Tamir said as he brushed off his robe. Then he paused as he looked at the room and saw that it had other occupants. “Nain go into the hall your mother and I have to talk about something private.” The boy complied- with reluctance his mother noted. Only one moment of brotherly love together and already they were inseparable. She felt very happy that she had had that talk. She turned her eyes to her other boy, yet unnamed, sleeping peacefully. Her husband locked the door with all its bolts and turned to her.
“There is something wrong with that boy.” He said desperately as his wife could not help but roll her eyes. “I just got done talking with a member of the guard. They caught him beating some peasant kid in the street so hard he managed to break his nose. Who knows what else he would have done if they hadn’t caught him.” This made the Princess turn to him in anger and disgust. “Do not dare speak of our child that way. It’s difficult for him to socialize with others yes, but he will grow and learn.” To this her husband responded in the same panicked voice. “Do I need to remind you what he did to that dog?” Enough, she hated that story but she hated the way he told it more. Making her beloved son sound like some monster from a child’s story. She refused to give him anymore of her time. Instead she turned from him and grabbed the baby from the crib, putting him gently in her arms. “I will hear no more of this. Come, we have many guests waiting outside.” From this the Prince could merely attempt to dissuade her, but before he could try she was already out the door. To save face he grabbed arm just in time to remain unnoticed by the visitors. Nain saw them come in and took his customary spot to the other side of his mother.
There were less guests this time but the majority had returned from the last celebration. Regardless this slightly bothered the Prince, but Nadira payed it no mind. There was only one man who was needed for the whole ceremony to work, her father, the King. He had the same outlook as before but she could notice in his attitude that he considered this event slightly inferior to the other. She found it rather underestimating, after all her secondborn could quite easily rule another kingdom one day. Still it was very minor detail and most of the ceremony showed reverence and respect. As they approached she and Tamir bowed. Nain did the same, though his mannerisms still needed some work. Then the king began to recite his section of the verse. “Tell me who it is that approaches me.”
“It is I, your daughter, Princess Nadira.” She replied. “And I, her husband, Prince Tamir.” They both turned to look at Nain. She could not help but see him slightly shy so she gave him a small nod of reassurance. This seemed to take effect as he quickly answered. “And I am the child of their love, your heir, Prince Nain.” She smiled reassuringly. Then both her and Tamir turned to the King and recited their dual verse. “We bring before you the second fruit of our love. The child who shall not have the crown, but who will live in memory and love as well. May he be wise and strong. May he be powerful and know how to use his power well. May he bring prosperity and riches to our lands. And most of all may he be a blessing given to our family and be remembered well for all eternity and time.” To this the King responded by stretching out his arms. “Come forth with the child and lay him in my arms.”
Nadira carried the boy up the stairs and into her father’s arms. As she looked into his innocent eyes she could not help but think of the greatness they would one day accomplish. Once the King took hold of the child he played with it slightly and then recited his verse. “I accept this child. And I grant him the right that all men should have. Speak his name, the one he shall be known as for the rest of time!” As she spoke a warmth covered her body as she remembered the time her beloved had chosen his name. “His name shall be Edward.” She said with confidence in her voice. “Then let all men know.” King Mydras spoke out to the hall. “The name of the secondborn is Edward!” The crowd once again erupted into cheer as it had last time. But this time she felt happy and proud. Her first son would be King and her second would be his closest friend. Their life was perfect and their future was bright and in that moment, she couldn’t be happier.
Nadira was lost in thought as she looked at her daughter. Her beautiful face and eyes a bright blue color one could not help but to look at. She was to be the last child between her and her beloved, she felt a deep sadness at the thought. The girl had been born 6 years after Edward which at this moment made her younger than her elder sibling by nine. She still remembered Nain’s ceremony, how ashamed she had felt at the time. She had always wished she had been stronger that day, happier, more cheerful. It was hard for her to remember sometimes that she had merely been a girl of 18 years and held to many of the insecurities of her age. Nearly ten years had passed and her life had been very different. In the years after Edwards ceremony he had grown to be a studious and well-learned boy, much more calm than his brother. He enjoyed to play the daring hero with a wooden sword and recue damsels from horrid beasts. Edward was also much more cheerful than his brother able to laugh and show glee openly. Her eldest on the other hand remained the same as he had so many years ago. At the age of two and ten Nain had already become the talk of the palace girls. The mysterious and brooding future king was a much sought after prize it seemed. He however payed no mind to this. As always Nain preferred to train, fight and challenge himself physically each day. He had already obtained a notable reputation for his strength and determination to become better at each skill. Still he remained as thick as rock when it came to showing emotion. Mostly his face showed boredom or disinterest. It was only in times of high tension that he demonstrated excitement and sometimes a temper similar to what she was told her own was. But besides that, he barely showed anything at all. She knew he cared about her and Edward deeply and he had shown respect for some men, her grandfather included. But his attitude towards others, her husband Tamir for example, was dry and indifferent. In all his years, it was always his brother who got him to show the most emotion.
“What do you have there brother? She heard her firstborn say from behind her. She turned and saw Nain approaching Edward, who was holding a book in his hands. He seemed to have been very focused as it took him a second before here replied. “It’s a book about dragons. Stories of them mostly.” He replied with an innocent voice. “Dragons? What so special about them?” Nain questioned. Edward looked befuddled. “They are the strongest beast in the world.” Nain shook his head. “Many skilled men have killed them easily. Why do you think they are so rare?” Edward got mad at this. “If I had one right here and now you would be afraid!” Nain showed a stern look in his face. “Me? I would never fear a flying lizard.” And with that the boys erupted into a shouting match.
‘Not again’ Nadira thought as she went up to them. It seemed like all they did was fight these days, almost like they wanted to. It had kept her awake sometimes and others just made her a nervous wreck. Both were so hard to control and even harder to get to reach a compromise with one another. Tamir did not bother with them anymore unless his image as a good father and husband was at stake. That left her as the only one who could keep an eye on them. That was impossible sometimes, especially when they worked together to break the rules. The servants could do very little to contain them, she had heard that more than once they had even managed to escape from the palace grounds and into the streets of the city. She had imagined it, her children alone in the dark, cold streets. Lost and calling for help when none would come. This frightened her deeply, and she woke up during the middle of the night sometimes to make sure they were still in bed. So far they had stayed there, but she dreaded the thought of a night she would find them gone. She needed to keep watch of them, she needed to keep them in control.
“Enough, my sons! Can you not give your mother peace?” She said as she got between the two. To this they both went silent, but retained the same look of anger. It was then that Tamir entered the room once again. If anything the years had made him a more arrogant man, fond of accepting praise for things he boasted with much exaggeration, but despite this he had remained both cowardly and cruel. Yet he hid these traits from most and only in private did he really show them. He looked upon their scene with disdain. “It is good to know my family has not changed since I left merely a few minutes ago.” He began as he went to the nearest mirror and straightened the collar of his shirt. “Perhaps the guests would prefer viewing this to the ceremony.” She briefly felt the urge to fight him, but she stopped herself. They fought daily now, about so many things. Their differing attitudes and opinions, how he had begun to treat her, how he barely showed her love and most of all the children, always the children. She had grown tired and would not fight him, today she only wished for peace.
“Children, leave.” He said aggressively. The two boys reluctantly obeyed but with a clear hatred in their eyes as they left the room. She was saddened by this once more, it was so hard to keep her family together. “Lousy brats!” Tamir spat just as soon as the door closed. Noticing the fact that his wife wasn’t fighting him this time he took the opportunity to reaffirm his agreement with her. “Remember, this time I shall be the one to begin the verse. I don’t care if it’s tradition anymore, I refuse to be put second to a woman.” She lowered her head. “Yes my love.” This compliance pleased him so he added. “And I shall also be the one to name the child in the ceremony” She kept her head lowered as a tear fell down her eye. “Yes my love” She replied nearly fully breaking into tears. This did not face him and he smiled. “Good, then let us be off before those children demean me any longer.” She grabbed the child from her crib, looking for a moment into her sweet face again. Then Tamir approached grabbed her hand very harshly and she felt the need to tell him to stop, but she didn’t. She just wanted the fighting to stop.
She was dragged outside and only then did Tamir feign his care for her. The two boys were in an instant walking on her opposite side. The hall looked the same as it had the last two times, but the people in it were very different. The first thing that caught Nadira’s eye was the attendance, or rather the lack of. She could count about maybe thirty men, a joke at the previous attendance had been. There had been enough to fill the palace, now there weren’t enough to fill this single hall. And her father was beyond clearly bored and even eating fruits during the ceremony. She could not help to think all of this was partly due to the fact her child was a girl. She had heard her mother speak of this when she was young, how fewer people had come to her ceremony not only because she was a girl but the very pale skinned daughter of a western woman. She loathed this way of though, loathed it deep within her soul. She wanted to yell at them all in rage at the disgrace they brought her daughter. But once more she resisted, for her daughter most of all.
Her kingly father continued to chew on a fruit even after they approached, stopped and bowed before him. His chewing was soon the only sound in the hall. Finally, he swallowed and with clear disinterest spoke his line of the verse. “Tell me who it is that approaches me.” Tamir quickly spoke first. “It is I, your heir’s father, Prince Tamir.” Then she spoke hers formally. “And I, your heir’s mother, Princess Nadira.” At the moment she felt no pride in naming herself her father’s daughter and she would die before declaring herself the wife of Tamir on this day. Nain then spoke his verse strongly. “And I, your heir, Prince Nain.” And finally, Edward. “And I, his brother, Edward.” And so she and Tamir began their verse. “We bring you the third fruit of our love. A child who….” But then both were stopped by the King’s raised hand. “I have heard enough, bring me the child.” He said with a solemn voice. Nadira was broken, how could this happen? Such disgrace towards her daughter. But she still refused to cause a scene and complete this insult toward her legacy. She took her up and handed her over to her father. She had a glare in her eyes but her father seemed too uninterested to notice. After this she turned and walked back towards her spot.
Then the King began to play with the child but quickly stopped and began his verse. “I accept this-AHHHHHH!!!!!” Nadira turned to the scream and saw that that the child had bitten the Kings index finger. All of the room reacted in shock. Tamir seemed paralyzed, Edward had a look of surprise and even Nain showed clear disbelief and fear at what had occurred. Nadira herself was at the moment frightened by the child’s sudden act. The King was in panicking in absolute horror, especially at the child’s unending gaze as she did this.
He was unable to push her off as she continued to bite him and one of the royal guard, a captain by the name of Tedyn, grabbed her and managed to pull her away. The Kings finger however was already bleeding from the mark. The King maddened with rage let forth a frightening yell. “Damn this child! As punishment for what you have done this day, I forbid you the right to a name till the day you behave and repent your actions.” He said pointing at the child. “This ceremony is over!! Leave!!” He screamed at the guests who all left in a hurry. Nadira could not believe this. Never had she seen things go so wrong. She tried to call out for her father to beg him for mercy but to no avail. As she stood there Tedyn approached and pushed the child on to her. She cried as she saw her daughters face. What a monstrous thing it was to deny it a name.
The rest of the day was a nightmare. Her children were escorted to their rooms and Tamir yelled at her with every insult he could imagine. Then he left her, cold and alone with a child only she loved now. A child every man and woman would curse this day but her. Her poor little daughter with her little bright blue eyes. Brought into a world that hated her for a single act she had done without thought or malice. She hoped her daughter would grow to outshine this. She hoped she would be strong. She hoped she would be smart. But most of all she hoped that the girl would always would find love.
Ah, I am very glad you posted it! As I told you before, this is a seriously great part you have written there. Naturally, I loved the backstory it offered for the Anturion siblings. This might explain a couple of things about the upbringing they received to become these, well, particular people they are at the time of the main story. I loved how this part basically introduced Nain and the delightfully screwed up little sister. Both will be a joy to work with when the time has come in the future (likely late Book 2). Thank you very much for writing it, I greatly loved it
I'm very glad you did
. I hope the others do to when they have a chance to read it.
Really interesting! It took me the longest time to realize where this was all taking place. At first I thought this was somewhere beyond the wall, like Thennland or something, with the practice of not naming children and all. But I am pretty sure to say that this is somewhere is Essos. Didn't expect the Anturions to be royalty.
Glad you enjoyed it. The practice is actually naming children only three years after their birth and announcing it to everyone in a big ceremony. Yep I will confirm it is in a kingdom in Essos.
I'm back. And this time I can't even make all that much of a cheery entrance. I'm sorry for that.
So, I am back, but the voting is not closed. This is due to me being back a day earlier than planned. I thought I'd get more writing done today, it was my plan and well, I got a lot of writing done in the past three days. With a lot of time on my hands, I have written the equivalent of five and a half FoT parts but most of it were projects for other stories, which I am going to share with the authors in question as soon as possible. I have written most of the next part yesterday, but have not yet managed to finish it, so I will leave the voting open until tomorrow, maybe some haven't had the time to vote and there's really no need to close it yet when I don't have the part ready and won't be able to finish it today.
The thing is, there are good news and very bad news. I have been very open with you so far and wish to remain so, so that you know what's going on and why I am in a particularly bad mood today. The good news first, my grandfather has gotten through the surgery and is currently recovering. It was a tumor, but there is no sign of cancer, meaning he is expected to make a full recovery in time an this is something that came as a great relief yesterday, before things turned sour this morning when something new came up from a completely unexpected side. I was supposed to stay at his house until tomorrow, but then there's the bad news. I only got them today, though it happened on Wednesday already. My mother got into a very bad car accident on her way home. She survived and is in a stable condition in one of the best hospitals in western Germany. And... I am honestly not even sure how much you want to hear, but her injuries are very bad. She is already in a bad condition due to being physically handicapped from a severe scoliosis and she damaged her spine in this accident, though to what extent cannot be said right now. Or well, it can be said, but this would probably go a bit too deep into the whole thing and I myself don't know everything due to only having learned about it today. She's not paralyzed, so there is a tiny silver lining. The doctor said that she had a lot of luck, considering the situation. At this point, it seems that she won't have any permanent injuries, but this is still in a very early state, the surgeons haven't yet done anything with her and I don't know what is going to happen. She's in an artificial coma, done because the combination of broken ribs and scoliosis makes it hard for her to breathe, so I haven't yet talked to her and won't be able to do so until Tuesday. As much as I try to remain positive, I cannot really say anything until I got the chance to talk to her.
This is the situation as it is right now. I am in a mood that is to be expected and I don't think I will do any further writing today. But given how much this story, this forum and every single one of you mean to me, I have the deepest wish not to take even the tiniest break from it all. After all, if I can't even write, then I wouldn't even have anything to think about aside from what happened and how easily things could have been much, much worse. I sure as hell need this. However, I think it is only fair for you to know why I might not be all that happy at the time. I have no doubt that being on here and also spending some time with friends in real life tomorrow will give me something else to think about and it is quite possible that I will feel better when being on here for a bit and when I got the chance to speak to a couple of other friends. Expect me to close the voting tomorrow, as most of the part is already written. Anything further, I have to wait and see. All I want to assure you of is, I won't take a break, safe for the next few hours before heading to bed. Naturally, I will also keep you updated if I receive any new information, which is probably on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Dear Lord what a mix of news. So on the one hand your grandfather is fine, but on the other your mother is heavily injured. Just after good news come more bad news
. I hope your mother makes a full recovery and i'll pray for it like I did with your grandfather. Hopefully its just some minor injuries and she should be fine. In the meantime I think its good that you're taking this break. In fact taking tomorrow off would be good too under the circumstances. Don't worry about us, by the looks of it only me and Bounden are here. Most of the others seem to have taken a break this weekend. So don't worry the majority can still enjoy my little side story for a couple of days.