October 22, 1345.Cassidy's Fort,The Queen's Mound,Imras.Prince Hayden of ImrasAs he strolled into the room, Alyn and his Lady Mother in tow, he looked over the Lords of the round table. Lords Hogan, Alastair, Michael, Boyden, Heimsworth and Gagdan.These were the elected of the noble families in Imras to speak in their best interest. Usually they were all on the same page but in this matter of war, they dallied."I am the King...""You are still yet to be crowned." Lord Hogan interrupted but with a look from Hayden he bowed his head."I am the King and you are my advisors. I choose to either listen to your advise or not." He commanded. He could feel his mother and Alyn's eyes on him but he didn't dare look lest his facade slip. "I'm going to assist my friend in this war but I'm not leaving you defenseless. You can sit here in your castles where it's warm and quiver in your boots or you could die fighting as true Imraian men. Whatever you choose I do not care."The Lords in questi
October 23, 1345.Cassidy's Fort,The Queen's Mound,Imras.Princess Alyn Midika TuttonAlyn looked around at the fully armed foot soldiers marching through the mountains to the Western pass. They had set off before dawn with her and her entourage; a retinue of maids assigned to take care of her every need and female soldiers, at the very middle of the battalion. Trust Hayden to trust his men with his life and not with hers.Their's was a safe position because they would be far from battle if they were to encounter any resistance and at the same it was the most dreadful. They were pelted constantly with mud and horse dung and were on the receiving end of their smells. The roads leading to the mountain pass hadn't been charted by a force this large in a long time so the roads had washed away and a carriage would have been unnecessary load. At least they had given her a comfortable riding habit and a well trained gelding that navigated the rocky roads with ease. Not too long after, sh
23rd October, 1345.Stormhold Castle,The Walled City of Rothwell,Capital of Myknos.Queen Khasi Malik of Shiv'ra and MyknosAs Khasi was helped into the heavily jeweled gown she had had made for her coronation, she couldn't fight the smile that stretched across her face. It was an ornate work of gold netting that hugged her curves and left little to imagination, golden beads and diamonds dangling from where they had been sewn loosely into the material, reflecting the bright light of the seemingly sunny day and rattling with each step she took. She was sure the Mynosian nobles would have their noses turned up in disgust of her scandalous outfit, but like the cowards they were, they would do nothing more. They hadn't even been bold enough to fight for their dead King and still hadn't spoken a word about the Prince she was about to execute.Her smile widened with supreme self-satisfaction that could only be fully sealed with the beheading of Nicolas that afternoon in the courtyard.S
October 23, 1345.Cassidy's Fort,The Queen's Mound,Imras.Princess Alyn Midika Tutton"And if I don't?" She heard Hayden ask. "Well. You've already seen how accurate my archers are." Sparing her a crooked smile, he added, "And I get to keep your woman."'What?!' Alyn wondered. She was no bargaining chip but then again was she really in any position to argue. The savages had them surrounded and one wrong move from anyone would mean instant death.Her head turned to Hayden just as he looked at her, a grim look coating his usually playful face. A look she knew brought more foreboding than the rumble of thunder and lightning signifying an oncoming storm.He turned away from her to face the leader of the savages that still watched her with those piercing blue eyes that betrayed nothing akin to human emotion."For years our people have lived in harmony. A system that involved neither of us having to cross blades. Why then do you choose to attack those riding under the Kings Banner, Vae
October 23, 1345.Cassidy's Fort,The Queen's Mound,Imras.King Hayden of ImrasAs Hayden crossed from the rocky mountainous terrain of the Western Mountain range into the smooth grassy floors of North Walsham, he couldn't help the breath of relief that escaped his chest.Their ride from Imras was anything but smooth and he was only glad he had been able to get Alyn out of harms way.The battle to the death had taken a toll on him and even now as they continued their ride to intercept Khasi's army from Shiv'ra, the anticipation of the battle to come didn't help ease his weariness.He couldn't wait for the whole ordeal to be over so life could go back to how it had previously been albeit with slight barriers to his freedom now that he was king.He looked back at the horde he rode with, a nod from him giving the command that they were to break soon; a small riding party to guide Alyn to Stormhold and a greater part of the now combined barbarian and Imraian army with him.They must have
October 23, 1345.Stormhold Castle,The walled city of Rothwell, Capital of Myknos.Prince Nicolas Alexander TuttonNumbness, that's all he felt as he was dragged into the courtyard with chains binding his hands and feet. The executioner stood proud with his axe stained a dark red with the dried blood of hundreds of men before him.They had murdered his father and mother and although he would like to tell himself his father's murder hadn't affected him, his stupid heart said otherwise. At least Alyn had escaped somehow, he didn't think he woukd have been able to live with her death. As they dragged him up the steps to the platform where the chopping block had been stationed, he turned to see Khasi sitting on the throne like she was already queen, smiling down at him with a victorious smirk. She spared him a few moments before deciding she had seen enough of him and with a flick of her hand, the guards dragged him forward.Blood danced in his vision and his head spun as they pushed h
October 23, 1345.Stormhold Castle,The walled city of Rothwell, Capital of Myknos.Lady Odeya Katarina BlackAs Odeya crossed the gates of Stormhold, she couldn't fight the wave of emotion that overwhelmed her.Her plan was to simply draw her father out for a one on one battle, one she was are to lose, to give Hayden's army time to catch up to them but as she waited staring at the drawbridge linking the castle to the rest of Myknos, a shudder passed through her.What if she never returned to Nicolas?When she had made her plans, she had been confident in wanting to give her life up for a kingdom she had no part in but now that she had seen his face, the sole person she was fighting for, weakness overcame her.She battled with her thoughts on just turning the whole thing to an all out war but when she saw the black clothed soldiers of her father's army, she knew that the untrained army around her needed her to face her fears.The men rode to a halt at the other end of the bridge obse
Warning!Mature content up ahead!Violence, strong language and sexual abuse.October 23, 1345.The outskirts of Rothwell,Myknos.Lady Dionea BlackLady Dionea had always thought herself unfortunate for being born to a poor merchant in the Far Islands. If she hadn't been then perhaps the bastard that had taken her from her home would have treated her with more respect than she had been accorded during the duration of their marriage.The only highlight of her life had been the daughter their relationship had sired, a daughter he now wanted to kill for standing up to him.As she sat in her tent hidden in the woods of Rothwell, all she could do was twiddle her thumbs and pray that by some supreme miracle her husband would fail and her daughter would succeed.She remembered the look of disbelief that had crossed her daughter's face when she had told her that she had not been held captive and hated that she had lied to her but what was she to do when she was but a cowardly woman fearing h
November 15, 1345.Stormhold Castle,The walled city of Rothwell, Capital of Myknos.Prince Nicolas Alexander TuttonNicolas frowned down at the grinning woman in front of him wishing the baseless trial would be over with quickly so he could see her punished for her crimes."Come now, Nicolas, surely you won't give your old friend such a harsh sentence?" Khasi sang interrupting the scribe who'd been reading out her charges. He ignored her and signalled to the man to continue reading, his eyes leaving hers to the crowd where he spied a still pale Odeya glaring at Khasi.He remembered holding her as she'd cried her heart out hearing of her mother's death. Another innocent victim of the pointless war."How do you plead?" The scribe asked her.Her smile was catty as she looked around the room."How do you plead?" The scribe asked again letting loose his irritation."Not guilty." She answered earning murmurs from the assembled crowd."Silence!" The man cried. Nicolas stared down at the
October 30, 1345.Stormhold Castle,The walled city of Rothwell, Capital of Myknos.Lady Odeya Katarina BlackOdeya groaned as pain flooded her as soon as she regained consciousness. She had been moving in and out of delightful dreams that were more memories pulled from the far reaches of her soul.Her favourite had been the one where she had her head in her mother's lap, her nimble fingers weaving her hair into loose braids as she sang a song of her people. Just another thing her father had stopped when he felt her mother was babying her.Her eyelids felt heavy but she pushed past the ache of disuse and tried opening her eyes, a small slit at first then wider when she noticed the dim lighting in the familiar room.She recognized the navy linen canopy of her bedroom as her vision cleared.A male groan tore her gaze from the ceiling and she sat up suddenly, biting a wince as the wound in her side stung.She placed a hand on her side as she righted herself, her eyes narrowing on the ma
October 23, 1345.Stormhold Castle,The walled city of Rothwell, Capital of Myknos.Princess Alyn Midika TuttonWar was bloody stressful business especially when you spent the time cowering behind the castle walls with a group of snivelling women and babies.Alyn supposed she should be more thankful seeing that she didn't have to be the one bleeding to death on the battlefield but one couldn't help but feel a spark of envy when someone of your sex was at the forefront of the battle.She had always known Odeya was different from the moment she had seen her stand up to her brother and in some selfish way to assert that she was something, she had taken her under her wing as her Hand.Seeing how Odeya had amassed an army to save a kingdom she didn't have any obligation to had stung her in ways when she should have felt grateful.Shouts and harried footsteps outside the doors of the Great Hall they had camped caused the other women to slink back in fear and her to sit up.What was going o
Warning!Mature content up ahead!Violence, strong language and sexual abuse.October 23, 1345.The outskirts of Rothwell,Myknos.Lady Dionea BlackLady Dionea had always thought herself unfortunate for being born to a poor merchant in the Far Islands. If she hadn't been then perhaps the bastard that had taken her from her home would have treated her with more respect than she had been accorded during the duration of their marriage.The only highlight of her life had been the daughter their relationship had sired, a daughter he now wanted to kill for standing up to him.As she sat in her tent hidden in the woods of Rothwell, all she could do was twiddle her thumbs and pray that by some supreme miracle her husband would fail and her daughter would succeed.She remembered the look of disbelief that had crossed her daughter's face when she had told her that she had not been held captive and hated that she had lied to her but what was she to do when she was but a cowardly woman fearing h
October 23, 1345.Stormhold Castle,The walled city of Rothwell, Capital of Myknos.Lady Odeya Katarina BlackAs Odeya crossed the gates of Stormhold, she couldn't fight the wave of emotion that overwhelmed her.Her plan was to simply draw her father out for a one on one battle, one she was are to lose, to give Hayden's army time to catch up to them but as she waited staring at the drawbridge linking the castle to the rest of Myknos, a shudder passed through her.What if she never returned to Nicolas?When she had made her plans, she had been confident in wanting to give her life up for a kingdom she had no part in but now that she had seen his face, the sole person she was fighting for, weakness overcame her.She battled with her thoughts on just turning the whole thing to an all out war but when she saw the black clothed soldiers of her father's army, she knew that the untrained army around her needed her to face her fears.The men rode to a halt at the other end of the bridge obse
October 23, 1345.Stormhold Castle,The walled city of Rothwell, Capital of Myknos.Prince Nicolas Alexander TuttonNumbness, that's all he felt as he was dragged into the courtyard with chains binding his hands and feet. The executioner stood proud with his axe stained a dark red with the dried blood of hundreds of men before him.They had murdered his father and mother and although he would like to tell himself his father's murder hadn't affected him, his stupid heart said otherwise. At least Alyn had escaped somehow, he didn't think he woukd have been able to live with her death. As they dragged him up the steps to the platform where the chopping block had been stationed, he turned to see Khasi sitting on the throne like she was already queen, smiling down at him with a victorious smirk. She spared him a few moments before deciding she had seen enough of him and with a flick of her hand, the guards dragged him forward.Blood danced in his vision and his head spun as they pushed h
October 23, 1345.Cassidy's Fort,The Queen's Mound,Imras.King Hayden of ImrasAs Hayden crossed from the rocky mountainous terrain of the Western Mountain range into the smooth grassy floors of North Walsham, he couldn't help the breath of relief that escaped his chest.Their ride from Imras was anything but smooth and he was only glad he had been able to get Alyn out of harms way.The battle to the death had taken a toll on him and even now as they continued their ride to intercept Khasi's army from Shiv'ra, the anticipation of the battle to come didn't help ease his weariness.He couldn't wait for the whole ordeal to be over so life could go back to how it had previously been albeit with slight barriers to his freedom now that he was king.He looked back at the horde he rode with, a nod from him giving the command that they were to break soon; a small riding party to guide Alyn to Stormhold and a greater part of the now combined barbarian and Imraian army with him.They must have
October 23, 1345.Cassidy's Fort,The Queen's Mound,Imras.Princess Alyn Midika Tutton"And if I don't?" She heard Hayden ask. "Well. You've already seen how accurate my archers are." Sparing her a crooked smile, he added, "And I get to keep your woman."'What?!' Alyn wondered. She was no bargaining chip but then again was she really in any position to argue. The savages had them surrounded and one wrong move from anyone would mean instant death.Her head turned to Hayden just as he looked at her, a grim look coating his usually playful face. A look she knew brought more foreboding than the rumble of thunder and lightning signifying an oncoming storm.He turned away from her to face the leader of the savages that still watched her with those piercing blue eyes that betrayed nothing akin to human emotion."For years our people have lived in harmony. A system that involved neither of us having to cross blades. Why then do you choose to attack those riding under the Kings Banner, Vae
23rd October, 1345.Stormhold Castle,The Walled City of Rothwell,Capital of Myknos.Queen Khasi Malik of Shiv'ra and MyknosAs Khasi was helped into the heavily jeweled gown she had had made for her coronation, she couldn't fight the smile that stretched across her face. It was an ornate work of gold netting that hugged her curves and left little to imagination, golden beads and diamonds dangling from where they had been sewn loosely into the material, reflecting the bright light of the seemingly sunny day and rattling with each step she took. She was sure the Mynosian nobles would have their noses turned up in disgust of her scandalous outfit, but like the cowards they were, they would do nothing more. They hadn't even been bold enough to fight for their dead King and still hadn't spoken a word about the Prince she was about to execute.Her smile widened with supreme self-satisfaction that could only be fully sealed with the beheading of Nicolas that afternoon in the courtyard.S