Sir Carrius of the Hollow Vow dreamed of flames.
Though he never slept, his eyes when they closed forged images of melting steel and fae flames. And then he’d snap, turning his heel as he brought his sword against the fallen statues which inhabited his courtyard of echoes.
Through the endless hours of the day, he saw the ghosts of what once was.
Yet even if his hands could g...
2023-12-10 02:26:43 +0000 UTC View PostI was utterly aghast.
I was a princess, for goodness sake!
I did not duel knights! Certainly no more than I duelled adventurers in my orchard! It was an event which never occurred, and should anyone have seen anything to the contrary, then they were due a meeting with me in a darkened corner of the Royal Villa with a tearful violinist playing ominously in the backdrop!
<... 2023-12-07 23:27:52 +0000 UTC View PostAs a princess, few were more accustomed to knights than myself.
Despite their indulgence in ceaseless pageantry, they were the single greatest source of general disturbance within my kingdom. Hooligans upending tables in bars could only hope to compare to the sheer amount of calamity knights caused wherever they went, their bright banners and brighter smiles catching the shrieking joy of ...
2023-12-06 02:54:15 +0000 UTC View PostI held Starlight Grace aloft as my boots waded through puddles of water.
Not stepped. Waded.
Absolutely grim. I could feel the mucus with every step, like stepping on a road cobbled with fruit slimes. As I lifted my sword, its light shone into the dark recesses of a corridor boasting more liquid than the lake beside the Royal Villa.
The sound of a dripping ceiling thr...
2023-12-03 04:08:10 +0000 UTC View PostEucian of the Stars was born of humble beginnings.
As the son of an elven woodworker, it was never his life’s due to lead what remained of his people.
To be a king was a weight few could have expected him to carry, not least because it was a task all before him had sought to butcher. Now the elven tribes were scattered like the petals of a dandelion, their grandeur spread to the f...
2023-12-01 03:34:57 +0000 UTC View PostA talking door, complete with a suspicious smile.
All of a sudden, I found myself gasping as I held my hands to my mouth … all in order to stop the childish sound of delight from seeping into the open.
My … I could scarcely believe my luck!
Even as empires rose and fell, seasons shifted with the moods of dragons and carrots somehow became even more wonky with time, talking...
2023-11-29 03:08:13 +0000 UTC View PostI knew it was the elven ruins even before I saw the crumbling stonework.
A little wooden sign in defiance of the forest, its surface clear and legible even as everything around it was encased in a veil of forest moss.
NOTICE TO ALL VISITORS.
Elevated structures, loose stonework and hidden sinkholes are present throughout the vicinity of these ruins. For...
2023-11-26 03:26:33 +0000 UTC View PostI plucked a single blade of grass from the soil.
To others, it was little more than a weed in the background. To me, it was a lifelong resident of my kingdom. And as something which had grown and made its home here, it was privy to more rights than the highest of foreign dignitaries.
And these elves were not them.
I studied the grass, my keen eyes scanning for imperfections as...
2023-11-24 03:13:33 +0000 UTC View PostFor most, life was unfair.
For Count Radran of the Fading Candle, life was especially unfair.
As he peered upon his reflection in his gilded mirror, surrounded by the legacy of his family and his high status in his golden pavilion, he looked upon an elf in his prime.
Tall, slim and handsome, with striking blue eyes and a curtain of golden hair finer than any woven silk, Count ...
2023-11-22 03:16:28 +0000 UTC View PostOnce upon a time, the elves were welcome travellers amidst the continent.
Touring the land as guests and dignitaries, they offered their wisdom to the youngest races. Yet now, they toured the land as refugees, forced to make their homes amidst the bleakest corners of realms they once viewed as beneath them.
And in my kingdom, they made their home upon our easternmost border.
O...
2023-11-19 03:31:00 +0000 UTC View PostA small garden of pavilions greeted my sight.
They flowered amidst the cedar trees like golden chrysanthemums, awash with more embroidery than could be found on a sequin dress.
Not any of mine, obviously. Mine had enough threading that when pulled apart, it could be used as intricate traps to slow down the pursuit of my mathematics tutor as she prowled the Royal Villa, weapon (textb...
2023-11-17 03:32:43 +0000 UTC View PostHigh above me, snatches of golden light peeked through a canopy of waltzing leaves, teasing a dazzling, evening sky.
And then a tree root tried to murder me.
A gentle breeze swept through the underbrush, inviting the balm of dew upon my skin while fronds of swaying grass brushed at my legs.
And then a tree root tried to murder me.
The scent of pollen washed away by days ...
2023-11-15 02:10:07 +0000 UTC View PostAs the winner of every edition of the Royal Villa’s Horticultural Flower Show since the day I created it, it took a notable amount to impress me in the gardening world.
Over the years, I had as many challengers to my reign as I did suitors at my feet. Each summer, nobility from near and afar were invited to decorate their own corner of our courtyard, and in doing so were offered another...
2023-11-12 02:51:56 +0000 UTC View PostA deluge of white doves filled the afternoon sky.
I cast my gaze upwards, smiling in delight at the wings weaving a song of celebration as they brushed past the leaves of the verdant evergreens.
Indeed … even nature itself sought to welcome me to my destination!
Before me, the Loerstadt Gate rose high as a symbol of my family’s pride. Built by the blood and sweat of my anc...
2023-11-10 03:21:02 +0000 UTC View PostShoulders fought against each other just for the right to swipe at Ophelia first.
Her blade was ready to meet them.
With a flash of silver to better even the approaching storm of swords, Ophelia swept her sword out in a wide crescent. Billowing wind met the tide of leaping bodies, sending them hurtling back to a chorus of gasps.
And then came the flurry of knives.
Even b...
2023-11-08 01:41:34 +0000 UTC View PostThere was a reason Ophelia didn’t do family gatherings.
Someone always died.
And that someone was usually Ophelia.
Being asked passive aggressive questions about her relationship status, her income, her future ambitions and the value of her assets all at the same time made her soul feel like it was dying a thousand deaths.
But every so often, someone actually ...
2023-11-05 01:12:08 +0000 UTC View PostOphelia didn’t do half measures.
She did full measures. Because contrary to popular belief, she did everything seriously.
Whether that was burgling from the fae, setting off to murder dragons or carefully doing half a lazy stretch each fortnight, Ophelia the Snow Dancer took everything seriously. It’s just that it seemed like she didn’t. Because she was also amazing. And becau...
2023-11-03 00:40:18 +0000 UTC View PostOphelia the Snow Dancer's mini-arc (2). 1/4.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ophelia considered herself a law abiding citizen.
Sure, the last thing she paid for was the lockpick she used to burgle everything with. But all things were relative.
She didn’t murder everyone she met for the sake of it. Which given the people she knew made her more than a sword saint. It made her a sain...
2023-10-31 23:39:28 +0000 UTC View Post
Look! Look at her! Isn't she cute?!
Of course she is!
Well, now the whole world can nod their head and agree too, because Coppelia officially joins Juliette in the wide world of eBooks! Yay!
Thank you for allowing me to reach this far. I cannot express my gratitude for all the support you've given me. As my Patrons, you have allowed me to write more than I could possibly...
2023-10-29 14:27:16 +0000 UTC View PostApple snorted as he came to a stop.
The afternoon was fast drawing to a close, and despite never breaking into a gallop, the countryside paths crying beneath the neglect of the local nobility were demanding on even the heaviest coursers … of which Apple was still not one.
Indeed, the only resemblance he shared with the warhorses used by my knights was his ability to slurp at a pon...
2023-10-29 02:59:42 +0000 UTC View PostThe nymph presented a plate of white asparagus with mousseline sauce upon the Restaurant De Les Bolgrof’s newest piece of furnishing.
A hill giant’s tree, now requisitioned as a dining table.
Doing her utmost to ensure the dish’s stability, she slowly took a step back, before fidgeting like a misbehaving child as she awaited the judgement of her most valued customer.<...
2023-10-27 03:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostAs Starlight Grace left my side, its dazzling light fell upon a familiar pair of turquoise eyes.
After all, as familiar as those eyes were, it took more than the mimicking of mere appearances to send me astray, especially when it came to knowing the members of my own retinue.
As a princess, I peered past the surface, discerning aspects of their very worth which no magic could mirror...
2023-10-25 01:33:09 +0000 UTC View PostI knew little about nymphs. Which was as much as I wished to know.
Dancing where they wished and playing what games they must, all nymphs left little in the way of choice for those caught in their pranks and their puzzles.
Pests shielded by the façade of alluring figures, beautiful footwork and girlish smiles, they paid no taxes and recognised none of our laws, yet still considered...
2023-10-22 03:08:37 +0000 UTC View PostHill giants.
Few could claim the ability to wrestle dragons outside of raucous inns and bars.
They were one of them.
Born from the fantasies of drunkards as they imagined themselves twice the stature they were, these 12 foot amalgamations of near-sightedness and terror uprooted trees as easily as they swung them.
Natural warriors with famously few equals in the art of pu...
2023-10-18 14:17:03 +0000 UTC View PostAs a princess, I held a monopoly on all things beautiful.
Yet occasionally, even I witnessed something which drew my eye. Not very often. But those times it did, it ensured that even my loyal steed … absolutely didn’t pause or slow down.
Apple kept trotting at the same relentlessly lackadaisical pace he always did.
But if he was a normal horse, he would have checked his pa...
2023-10-16 23:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostMy mother’s maids were becoming increasingly fearless.
As the only members of the Royal Villa’s staff to be immune from my finger of firing, they obeyed my mother’s commands without fail.
Ordinarily, this was a good thing. Obedience and loyalty were the two most important features of any servant, followed closely by the flexibility of their backs. But this was problematic when...
2023-10-13 23:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostDespite being the brightest star in the sky, the shadows cast over my fair kingdom still remained.
As a result, I had little time to wait for the residents of this disappointing town to lean from their windows while casting garlands of flowers upon me. My eyes were already turned towards the next stop on my journey.
Yes … even if all it did was make me grimace.
My fist clenc...
2023-10-11 23:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostA wine bottle smashed against a nose.
Mirabelle counted the cost before the liquid spilled onto the floor. It would be expensive. Anything in a bottle would. The Reitzlake branch of the Adventurer’s Guild didn’t typically do glass. It did wooden steins. And the reason was the many shards now forming a health hazard on the floor.
“[Gust].”
With a sweep of her hand, Mira...
2023-10-09 23:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostHere in the guild hall of the Stermondt branch of the Adventurer’s Guild, I wept for the souls of those present.
Men and women whose dereliction of morals had blackened their souls so poorly that no light could ever reach them.
Instead, they repulsed everything around them like an alchemist’s miasma.
Nothing could penetrate the fumes of total impropriety. Neither the meand...
2023-10-06 23:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostMiriam watched the pair long after they themselves could no longer see her.
Yet even as their figures turned a corner and disappeared into the streets now lifted of fog, she continued to stare, mouth wide as she clutched the newly penned letter in her hands.
Miriam had seen a lot of things over the past 500 years.
Most of it pages.
Within a crypt.
In a corner.
<... 2023-10-04 23:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post