@Irishsong I see! Wordpress is a bit of a learning curve when you don’t know how to use it, yeah.
Okay! Some thoughts then. Don’t mind the gibberish, I always end up rambling, haha. I love the complex web of politics, church and state you’ve set up and how the things that happened during Anwyn’s story still impact Gloria, both big and little. Reading about the mainland and the island and how big the difference was there was great! I’d love to find out more about Midshore and the island magic, but we’re probably going to find out all about that in later chapters.
The contrast between Seneca and Blake is interesting, too. Looking at them, they’re both using Gloria for their own ends, at least to some extent. But Seneca sees Gloria for who she is (now at least) despite the circumstances surrounding her and focuses on the person, while Blake seems to care more about what she represents and what “having” her can bring him, ignoring Gloria’s wants and needs. I wonder what a confrontation between those two would end up looking like.
Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
I started this whole story off with the idea of Anwyn and Liam, and it really wound out from there. Different music I listened to changed how the plot was going to progress, and characters submitted to the story changed the plot drastically too! The duchess, her son, and Briella were all submitted by @Damaro have become huge characters, and @VanPelt81 made the evil priest. I can't remember if the corrupt Church was my idea or theirs, but as you can see it's become a big part of the story!
I debated if I wanted Anwyn to have a happy ending at the end of the first generation. I had a loose idea of what I was going to do for the second generation, but I didn't know if I needed Liam to truly die or if he could survive and escape, and I'm happy that he's still around. I had a friend tell me that I wanted him to live, I should let Anywn be happy.
I almost named the second generation with a subtitle, but I didn't want to give away too much. I thought pretty heavily on "Sins of the Father", or "Empire of Dirt". 'Sins of the Father' really rang a bell with me because here's Gloria, who has no idea what her parents have gone through or that her mother's ex-husband thinks that she's the heir to the throne of a tyrant and she's in this huge mess that she's just oblivious to. And on the opposite hand you have Seneca who's her complete opposite knowing that he's the son of a king but unable to do anything about it. So the problems that their parents left to fall to their shoulders are both incredibly heavy.
'Empire of Dirt', which I've referenced while Gloria and Seneca are laying in the grass looking up at the stars, is actually a line from a song that I was listening to when Liam stays behind to slow the king's men and while the whole rendition of the song I was listening to was moving, that line really hit me. I thought of Seneca talking to Gloria about how, yes, he's the true heir to the throne, but he isn't much of a ruler, is he? Look at all the nothing he owns, his empire of dirt. The great disappointment his life has been so far.
Also, if anyone's a long time reader, you all know I'm a big fan of Star Wars, and with each movie that comes out pushed me further and further into loving my plot line. The dreamscape was SUPER inspired by the force-chats between Rey and Kylo Ren. The idea that two people can be enemies but find the humanity in each other and fight together for a greater cause just tickled me. I'll spare you the details so I don't give anything more away and I don't talk for paragraphs about Star Wars (which I can and do do).
Seneca was based off of Kylo Ren and I got Seneca's name from Seneca Crane from the Hunger Games. I don't remember much from the books, but I do remember that he was kinda a opportunistic and cruel guy who looked out for himself. Don't @ me if I'm wrong , but my dad was on a job and he said one of the guys he worked with was named Seneca and that just solidified the name in my head. Gloria's name came to me as I was singing in choir and had to sing 'gloria' over and over and over again. I thought it was symbolic of Anwyn's glory over the king that she had gotten away and he couldn't hurt her anymore. Gloria is Anwyn's glory. (I don't know if any of you guys have made that connection yet. Don't feel bad if you didn't I didn't point it out now.)
As for what's going to happen, it's getting to a boiling point to be sure! I've recruited an irl friend to proof-read and review my chapters from now on, who knows how long that will continue *crosses fingers*, so I'm not entirely sure when I'll be getting chapters out, but I'm gonna say that within the next two or three chapters some real movement is going to happen! Expect longer than normal chapters (probably. I haven't written it yet, but with these things I like to write them all together so the action isn't broken up.)
Oh, and you can certainly expect a link to my music playlist for this generation's storyline once I get closer to the conclusion, which is a ways off. Don't worry that this is ending, it's far from it! If this were two books, we're in the last half of the second book, but it's a thick book.
The contrast between Seneca and Blake is interesting, too. Looking at them, they’re both using Gloria for their own ends, at least to some extent. But Seneca sees Gloria for who she is (now at least) despite the circumstances surrounding her and focuses on the person, while Blake seems to care more about what she represents and what “having” her can bring him, ignoring Gloria’s wants and needs. I wonder what a confrontation between those two would end up looking like.
Oh, I like this. Based on how the narrator described Blake's feelings toward Gloria, he does view her more like a trophy
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Seneca grinned as he felt the warm, humid air of the dreamscape. It was rare that he didn’t remember to count the days until a full moon. He had to know if he had to cancel plans, or if his illness would interrupt an important lesson, but on the island with nothing to do but sit and wait he hadn’t worried about the effects of the dream. And now that Gloria can make me feel better, I don’t have to worry about that.
He didn’t hear any music yet, so either Gloria hadn’t fallen asleep yet or she hadn’t found the violin. It was always somewhere for her to find, she just had to look for it sometimes. He didn’t understand how she played it; it looked complicated.
Why had they been connected? No one else ever talked about seeing odd people repeatedly in their dreams. They were usually random, just pictures and scenarios that didn’t happen. Lucid dreams weren’t tied to the moon phases. They didn’t have anything to do with the moon, did they?
And this greenhouse? Why was it here? It never changed. The frame never became rusty even in the humid air. It never had broken glass, or fogged windows. There was no dust to speak of. It seemed timeless, both ancient and modern.
“Seems you beat me to sleep this time,” Gloria stated as she walked into the room. “It was fun feeling you fall asleep. You relax so much once you do. Why do you have so much tension before you fall asleep?” She raised an eyebrow.
Seneca remembered the position he had fallen asleep in and flushed. “I’m just a tense person, I guess. Can you blame me?”
“I listened to your breathing to help me fall asleep. It was relaxing.” She smiled and walked into one of the branching rooms, picking up her violin.
“Why didn’t you fall asleep first? Why’d it take you so long?”
Gloria remembered feeling her heart beating in her chest as she settled against Seneca and faintly feeling his against her back. Hers had been beating faster than was comfortable. She flushed and turned her face to look at the violin. “I was trying to get comfortable. You must not have noticed,” she lied.
They had been sleeping in this arrangement for the past three nights and it was still hard for her to settle with Seneca so close. The closer she got to him the more nervous she felt.
She put the violin to her shoulder and played a tender song with long, simple phrases. She hadn’t played this one in a long time, and she had to remember how the melody went, humming the notes to remember the correct progression.
“And often when the beetle's horn, Hath lulled the eve to sleep, I steal unto her shieling lorn, And thru the dooring peep.” Her voice was rusty and out of tune, but the simplicity of her quiet voice along with the delicate tune tickled Seneca. It was as uncomplicated as a sun setting over the trees of a wood, slow, steady, and soft.
“I can’t believe that my mother wouldn’t find the time to enjoy music,” Seneca marveld once she had finished. “It’s- it’s man made magic. To be able to pull emotions out of a box with strings and words... it’s a wonder.”
“One day you’ll have the time to enjoy it. When you’re king.” She set the violin down.
He was quiet, thinking. Gloria looked at him. “This is where you say how you’ll be a good king and will behead all those who stand against you,” she teased.
He felt a shudder of nervousness. “I’m- I’m not sure that’s what I want.” he said.
“What do you mean?” she asked, confused. “I know it’s your mother’s plan, but surely you want to be king. It’s ultimate power over a nation. I would have thought you would want that.”
“It’s my mother’s plan,” he motioned with his hands. “I’m a part of it, yes, and without me there would be no plan, but no one has ever stopped to ask me what I want. Not like I can back out of any of it. My mother arranged my marriage around the fact I would be king, I couldn’t leave Krista in the dirt just so I could have what I wanted. Not after what-” he waved his hands around in an ambiguous way, “we did. Yet, I don’t think I want to be king. But I can never say it to anyone.”
“You told me,” Gloria said.
He smirked. “You aren’t anyone. You’re practically a nobody.” he teased.
“I’m very important to some people!” she reciprocated with an equal grin. “Telling your rival for the throne that you don’t want the throne could be dangerous!”
“Eh, I know you want the throne less than I do.” He walked outside to find a bench to sit on.
Gloria followed him “If you don’t want to be king, what do you want?” she asked.
He breathed in deeply, relieved that the breath wasn’t cold as ice or full of woodsmoke. “I would rather have a simple life. Somewhere no one knew who I was, where I could make things, or I could own a bookshop. Maybe on the coast so I could live in a community. Have a little house with enough space for a kid or two. Nothing too big. A loving wife. Cotton sheets instead of silk or whatever the king has. Lose clothes over stuffy court ones.”
Gloria sat down with him. “So, what you’re living now is what you want, just with a wife and kids with you.”
He smiled at her, hiding some pain in his heart knowing that he couldn’t have what he wanted. Not without letting everyone down. “Yeah, I want what I have now.” What we have now.
There was a long pause while they both sat and looked out at the swirling landscape. “You know, you could have that on the Islands,” she remarked.
“Too warm,” he replied simply as if there weren’t a million other variables. Gloria snorted, trying to hide a laugh, but they both broke into laughter.
Once they had successfully suppressed their laughter, Seneca smacked his knees and stood up. “Care to show me how to play that box of yours?” he asked.
“You want to learn to play the violin? You’re sure? It’s not easy.”
“I’ve got the time, don’t I? I mean, how hard could it be?” Seneca extended his hand to her.
Gloria raised her eyebrow and took his hand, just as he disappeared, waking up.
~*~
Midshore set about to get her pack ready. She shouldn’t be gone long, just long enough to get Gloria and her family back. From the tyrant king. In a land she hadn’t been to in ages. And she had to break the tracking charm placed on Gloria. How hard could all that be?
“Love, Anwyn’s team has only been gone for around two months. They could be back soon,” Everstar said. “You can’t leave. What if we need you?”
“You can defend the Islands on your own, and if you need help you have Flagsworth to help you. I have to go. You felt the disruption, it’s powerful and dangerous. Gloria isn’t just being searched for. She’s being hunted. She needs my help.”
“Enough people have gone to help her. We can’t spare more people leaving the Islands! What will the council say when they’ve found you’ve left?”
“That can’t stop me from doing what’s right!” she shouted, surprising herself and Everstar. She took a deep breath. “I can’t let that stop me from protecting our family. Gloria is family, Everstar. Anwyn, Liam, even Romeo is like family to us. I know- I know- that something horrible is going to happen, love, and I need to stop it, or I’ll hate myself for the rest of my long life. I need to do this.”
Everstar looked at her with the beginnings of tears in her eyes. With a lump in her throat she said “I understand. And I would go with you if I could. But it’s not like we can just drop the kids off at Lily’s house and say ‘sorry, two more children to add to the five you’re already looking after.’”
They both gave tense giggles. Everstar looked at her wife’s pack, wiping her face. “How will you teleport that long way? It’s pretty far.”
“I’m going to try to teleport to Beatrice’s house. It was pretty easy to teleport to before since she teleported so regularly. I’m hoping I’ll be able to reach it.”
“Alright. When are you leaving?” Everstar asked.
“At the first light of dawn. Hopefully that would mean the East will be sunny and I won’t be arriving in darkness.”
“That’s a good idea.” Everstar sniffled. “Come here.” She held out her arms and pulled her wife into a strong embrace, holding her close. Too many families had been broken by this man hunt, and now she feared that hers would share the same fate. She could hope that everything would return to the way it was and no one would be hurt, but she had a hard time believing it. How could they all make it through this? The stakes were too high. She felt that she only had hope that her own family wouldn’t be shattered at the end of this.
After a sleepless night of family activities and cuddles, Midshore stood in front of the greenhouse, awaiting the sun. She held Everstar’s hand, praying for every moment she was still standing there with her to last longer, but no one can stop the sun.
“I love you, my love,” she said as she teleported away, becoming bubbles in the wind. She didn’t always teleport this way, but for long distances it was easiest.
“I love you, my love,” Everstar repeated back to the empty air, her chest feeling like it was going to cave in from grief.
~*~
It had been three days. Three days of walking up and down hills, across streams and fields, though places where snow had accumulated, and muddy banks. Blake was tired, and he didn’t feel like he was getting any closer to finding Gloria.
He had started to suspect the Seer of walking them in circles for fun a while back, but she refused his suspicions without him even saying them.
“We’re walking in the direction the charm is pointing,” she would say. “Do you think I would do this for fun?”
Sometimes he believed her, like when they were climbing over giant roots sticking out of the ground or when they were crossing a half frozen river, but other times when they were strolling along on even and flat terrain he wasn’t so sure.
And the idea of her proposal was beginning to weigh on him, too. What if she could find Gloria easier after the fact? He suspected that they would be walking for another week if he didn’t go along with her plan. The Seer had no reason to try and find Gloria faster; she could be stalling for time or trying to break his resolve. And it may be working, he admitted to himself before internally lecturing himself on it again for the third time that day. He wasn’t sure, but he thought the Seer smirked every time he thought of it, and he didn’t like it when she smiled. Whatever her intentions may be, they weren’t wholesome.
Evening came and Blake was happy to pitch his tent. It got heavier and heavier everyday, wearing into his shoulders and bumping his hips. Taking it off at the end of the day was one of his favorite moments.
“You should bathe,” the Seer said, eyeing him. “It smells like it’s been a while.”
“I don’t get much of a chance to bathe.” He waited for the Seer to enchant the tent once again, and followed her in, kicking off his boots. The Seer rolled her head along her shoulders, one of the few signs she had shown over the last few days of her getting tired. If she was as old as she said she was, she was incredibly spry for her age.
“You can use my tub, and if it suits you, I’ll wait outside while you do. I won’t even peek,” she said with a wink.
Blake was quiet for a moment, considering. It had been awhile since he hadn’t felt grit between his toes, or since his hair had been clean. Even before he had met the Seer four days ago it had been a while since he had been clean. “No tricks?” he asked her.
“No tricks.”
“Fine,” he huffed and crossed his arms as she smiled and summoned the tub to the center of the room.
She waited outside as promised, and Blake scrubbed as quickly as he could, but he didn’t have a clean change of clothes and he didn’t want to wear the dirty clothes he had…
A sparkle caught his eye as fresh clothes appeared next to the tub. Of course she had read his mind. She was never out of it.
The water, which should have been filthy after he scrubbed himself from head to toe, never got dirty. Alright, her voice reverberated in his mind. [/i]Maybe one trick[/i].
He dried off quickly and threw on his new clothes, obviously meant to be bed clothes. He didn’t want the Seer to think he was suggesting anything with prolonged skin exposure.
Her bed does look roomy, he thought, and he shook his head again, closing his eyes and biting his lip. He had to stop those thoughts.
“No, you don’t have to stop. It’s doing you no good trying to stop, in any case. I would know. I read minds. The more you think that you should stop, the more you think of it. It can be fun, but it can also be annoying after a while- the repetition. It’s much more fun to let those thoughts wander.”She smirked, making Blake tense up.
“You won’t tempt me, witch.” he said through gritted teeth.
She leaned in next to his ear. “Would you like to compare your imagination to the real thing?” she asked in a seductive tone.
He could try to deny everything, but she would see it was a lie. If she already knew where his mind had gone, he wouldn’t be able to refute where it hadn’t.
“No,” he said defiantly.
She arched an eyebrow. “Lying is a sin in your religion, is it not?” she asked.
“As is adultery. You won’t catch me in both,” he answered, glaring at her.
“Child, I know how tired you are. Bruised. Worn.” She spoke slowly and softly. “As easy as I make all this journeying look, it’s taking its toll on me too. As charming as your company is, and as riveting as the conversation is, the faster we find Gloria the better, no?”
Blake didn’t say anything in argument, so she continued. “I won’t even enjoy it, how about that? Just two people, working to solve a problem that can only be solved in one way. I know you’ve considered it three times- now four. Why don’t we just get it over with and move on?”
Blake eyed her, tensing his jaw. What was another sin if he could find Gloria and bring her to safety? Who knew what they were doing to her, or where she was? Who was she with? If they had harmed her… They would all pay with their lives.
The Seer drew back the sheets and sat on the bed. “I promise it will be quick and painless. Close your eyes and think of England, if you like.” she said.
“Think of what?” he asked, confused.
“Come, child, and let’s get this over with.”
Creator, help me say no to this, he thought.
She rolled her eyes, stood up from the bed and took his hand leading him to the bed with its rich coverings and silky pillows.
I don't know how to say no to this.
She placed him down and sat beside him. His heart was racing and his palms were sweaty.
He didn't say no.
Had to throw on some Hamilton references! 'Say No To This' is a song from the musical where Alexander Hamilton commits infidelity.
Big thanks to my irl friend for taking the time to suggest edits to the chapter!
Next chapter is a big one, And I hope it pays off! I often feel like I build to these big climaxes and I want them to be everything we all want them to be. As always, if you liked it, let me know it!
I wonder why those dreams make Seneca feel so bad after waking up. Is it because he doesn’t have magic, so to travel to some kind of magic dimension messes with his body? Or is it something else?
Hehee, the pictures of Gloria and Seneca sleeping together are adorable. Gah and that moment! They’re so smitten with each other. That’s it. Break out of there, stage your own deaths or the like, and go sail back to the islands to live happily ever after.
But it won’t be that easy of course. Poor Seneca, trapped in his mother’s plans. He’s very kind to not want to abandon Krista, even if it ends up making him miserable. I wonder if Krista would do the same thing if their roles were reversed. Something tells me that she probably wouldn’t.
Why does it feel like Midshore and Everstar are never going to see each other again?
I’m so intrigued by the Seer. There have got to be a thousand hidden motives behind what she’s doing for Blake. With her tattoos, I wonder if she was from the islands at once point… or maybe not. Hmm..
Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
Laughing at the first picture in chapter 57 where our witch had some magic box that she was scrolling through. Luckily the peasants weren't there to accuse her of being a witch...
Thanks for the comments, everyone! @_sims_Yimi Your comment in particular is great, I'm happy you're picking up on things I'm hinting at. I'm not going to give any answers, I don't want to spoil anything outside of the story, so I'll just have to work on answering your questions in it!
@VanPelt81 I'm curious, you say that you still don't trust Seneca. I'm happy you have an opinion on it, but hypothetically speaking, what would it take for you to trust him? His plot is pretty well set, so don't worry about influencing the plot too much, but I'm curious to know before we get too far away from this point and your opinion may change?
@icmnfrsh I'm always trying to keep things saucy! Keeps me entertained, as well as my lovely readers .
Chapter 59 This chapter has violence. If situations with death trigger you, you've been warned.
Midshore hit the ground hard, rolling from the momentum before coming to a stop. She pushed herself up and looked around.
This wasn’t Beatrice’s house. The floor plan of her modest home was still in rubble on the ground, but the walls and roof that made up the house were nowhere to be seen. Her house had been destroyed, and Beatrice probably with it.
“That’s a pity,” Midshore mumbled to herself. “I could have used directions.” The sun was hanging in the sky as she had hoped, covered in a faint veil of cloud.
What was she going to do now? She’d planned so far as to get here, but not where she was going to go or how she would find Gloria and whoever had placed the charm. Or should she try and find Anwyn, Liam, and Romeo? If they worked together they could be a more powerful team.
But she didn’t even know if the trio had found Gloria. She could hope that they had, but it wasn’t a certainty, which meant that her efforts would be best put to use trying to find Gloria and not Anwyn’s trio.
But which way was that? Travelling in the manner she had had let her appear and disappear, but not actually know which direction she came from. The islands were easier because she knew where everything was and the community wasn’t large enough to get lost. But here… she had only been to Beatrice’s house once or twice, and she didn’t know the way around.
She looked around, hoping to be able to discern which direction to go. “I guess I’ll go this way down the road. It’s bound to lead to something…” she grumbled, and started walking. “I think there’s a town this way, if I remember correctly. Which I probably don’t,” she laughed to herself.
~*~
“Seneca, the food’s hot!” Gloria shouted as she stirred the food. Seneca was rarely out of shouting range, preferring to lounge by the fireplace and read one of the numerous books. She hoped that Henry would bring more books when he returned. Seneca was going to run out of books to keep him occupied at this rate. She had other hobbies to focus on like taking care of the few plants that could survive the winter, fishing, meditating, practicing her magic, painting, knitting... The list went on. But Seneca only had his books, Don’t Wake The Llama, and the chess board he got angry at more often that he enjoyed.
“Seneca!” she shouted again, taking the pot off of the heat. She knew that he wasn’t by the fire today, but she didn’t know exactly where he was. Regardless, he wasn’t one to drag his feet when it was meal time.
This was uncharacteristic. She looked around, wondering if she could see him, but she didn’t see anything out of the windows. Where had he gone?
Rolling her eyes, she threw on her scarf and shuffled outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
“Seneca!” she called to him, finding him at the workbench where Henry liked to tinker. He had scrapes on his hands and wood shavings all over the place, but as her angle of him changed she could see the project clear enough.
“Gloria! What- you’re not supposed to see this yet!” he tried to step in front of her to block her view, but she had already seen.
“You’re- you’re making a violin?” she asked. The long neck and body of the instrument were clear, and he had found crude threads to string it with.
“It’s not finished. And I don’t know how to make a violin, but I couldn’t read anymore. I just couldn’t hold another book about which fish are seasonally in the area, or how to roof a cabin. I just can’t. I thought, if I set my mind to making something I could pass the time easier-”
Gloria pulled him into a surprise hug. “I think it’s a lovely idea.” she said.
“Hey, don’t get the wrong idea, it’s for a completely selfish reason. I’m going nuts without a project, and I never said you could play it,” he said with a smile on his face and a tease in his voice.
She shoved him a bit as she let him go. “Lunch is ready, come in before it gets cold. And I’m sure your fingers are freezing. It’s hard to work when your fingers are cold.”
“Yes, ma’am,” smirking, he followed her inside.
~*~
Blake and the seer had arrived in a modest city at nightfall with a sparse amount of people occupying the street.
“We’re close. We’re very close to being able to find her…” The seer turned this way and that like a compass trying to find North, then she set her head down the little road. “That way.”
At this point, Blake was tired of asking if she was sure. Instead, he arched an eyebrow and followed her, letting her lead. Since two nights ago, she had been more certain in her directions.
“It’s more like I see a figure to find now, not just a direction. They’re… they’re about twenty miles away." she had said that night. "We can hope that they don’t move until we make it there.”
She sauntered down the alley towards a tavern and let herself in, Blake following her.
“Hello, we’ll have two warm ciders,” she cooed at the barkeep.
“I’d rather have a beer,” Blake grumbled. If he was going to finally stay at a good tavern, he wanted a bit harder of a drink than some warm apple juice.
“You’ll need your wits later, trust me.” She took the two ciders and headed for a table. “Do you see the man in the corner? He’s by himself.”
“He isn’t Gloria,” Blake observed.
“No, but the charm is telling me that he’s the one who will lead us to her.” She sipped her beverage.
“Didn’t your charm point us to Gloria? Why are we concerned with this man? And if he knows where Gloria is I’ll get to work getting the information out of him.” He went to stand up.
“Fool, don’t cause a scene here!” she hissed. Blake sat back down, hardly refraining from staring at the man. “If we wait, he will lead us to her. Just enjoy your cider like a good boy and let me do what I’m good at. Don’t blow this.”
~*~
As darkness fell, Henry went back to the pier where he had docked the boat. He had been able to find sugar, and he was excited to see the look on Gloria’s face when she saw it. He had scored some books, dried foods, canned fruits, and a menagerie of different herbs and spices.
Tonight there was just enough mist on the horizon to conceal him, and the water was calm enough to get him there safely. Boarding the boat, he pushed off of the pier and set off on his journey.
~*~
Seneca heard the door open, alerting him. He had been sound asleep though, and Gloria was inhibiting him from moving quickly, her weight pinning him in place. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his foggy eyes and stay awake for long enough to process what was happening.
“What the hell is this?” came a man’s voice. Seneca looked at the figure, and reasoned that it was Henry.
“Is this what you got up to while I was gone? I wasn’t even gone that long!” he spoke far too loudly, and Gloria stirred, sitting up.
He approached. “Seneca, you’re a promised man! You’re betrothed to Lady Krista; have you forgotten? What if I was your mother and she walked in to see you like this?!”
Seneca’s tongue felt heavy and his mouth was dry. “It’s not what it looks like-” he tried to say. “We got cold…”
“You got cold? You look pretty comfortable with each other. How long has this been going on?” Henry didn’t lower his voice.
“About... maybe a week? Just short of one?” Gloria said, rubbing her arms. “It got too cold in our rooms at night so we were staying down here for warmth.”
“That makes sense, but holding each other doesn’t!” Henry ran a hand through his hair. “You have to stop this. If we’re found, like this... If we had company and they came at night like I just did and they found you like this-”
“But nothing happened,” Gloria said, rubbing sleep from her eyes. “And it’s much more comfortable than sleeping on the floor.”
Henry huffed. “I guess I’m happy to see that you’re both healthy. Last thing we need is the heir to be harmed or maimed.”
“Which heir?” Gloria and Seneca said at the same time, making them simultaneously snort.
Henry wasn’t amused and glowered at them while he put down the things he had been carrying from the boat.
“Can we help you with that?” Gloria asked, standing up on wobbly legs.
“No, there’s no need. Everything out on the boat can wait to be brought in in the morning. No use breaking your neck trying to get down to the dock to get it,” he muttered.
~~~
“How many people are in there with him?” Blake asked as they walked up the path to the house.
“I only sense three; it should be easy work for you and me, wouldn’t you say?” She eyed him.
“They could be heavily armed,” he considered, slowing his pace.
“It’s the middle of the night, they were probably asleep. The longer we let our new friend rouse them the harder it will be to have the element of surprise.”
~~~
Gloria seemed uncomfortable at Henry’s anger and she looked like she was torn between giving him a hug or leaving the room entirely to wait for the morning to make amends.
“Henry,” Seneca eased. “We’re happy you’re back.”
A small smile broke across Henry’s face. “I’m happy to see you two as well.”
Gloria sniffed. “Do you two smell smoke?” she asked.
“I can’t smell much of anything, I’ve been smelling the fireplace for too long.” Seneca said.
“It smells different from wood, it smells like….” Gloria tried to identify the smell.
“Are there any other fires lit in the house?” Henry asked.
“There shouldn’t be.” Seneca was becoming more unsettled. “But we should go look and see.” He started to make for the back door, and Gloria made her way to the steps to check the upper level. Henry dashed to the front door, looking out of it to see if anything was amiss or if he could see flames shooting from the chimney.
As he surveyed the house, he heard a rustle from behind him and saw the flash of a blade. Henry pulled out his own sword just in time, throwing him off and making him stagger, his wrist throbbing from the sudden stress.
“Where’s Gloria?!” A hooded figure asked.
“How did you get here?” Henry asked, quickly scanning to see if anyone else was nearby or if he was fighting more than one person.
He heard a scream from the upper level where he now saw the orange flickering light of an uncontrolled flame. The smoke was starting to build against the glass of the room and seeping out of the cracks in the window pane.
The figure took advantage of his distraction and lunged, but Henry deflected and went unscathed. “How did you find this place?!” he shouted again.
“All things are possible with magic, love,” a woman’s voice purred as she stepped out from behind the figure. She leaned into the figure’s ear, “We don’t need this one, you can kill him.”
“Sen!” Henry shouted for help. The figure seemed tired as he was, but his dedication felt insurmountable.
Seneca rounded the side of the house to see Henry and the figure in a duel, his heart catching in his throat. He pivoted to dash into the house to grab his own sword, but was thrown against the wall by an unseen force.
A woman sauntered up to him, eyeing him from head to toe. “I see you carry after your father,” she purred quietly, arching her eyebrow.
Unable to move from the place on the wall, he could only watch as his best friend fought the foe. The figure slashed again, but Henry was faster and went for his head, narrowly missing but catching the stranger’s hood. It fell back to reveal Lucian Blake, the duchess’s son.
“But, you should be dead,” Henry said confused. “You were captured by the Templars, taken north to stand trial. That was two months ago, you should be long dead. Gloria mourned you.”
“Then it will be all the better when she sees that I am still alive and well.” Blake said as he put Henry on the defensive. He slashed at his shin, finding his mark, and Henry fell to his knees.
“NO!” Seneca shouted and tried to break free of whatever held him in place. “NO! You monster! Don’t do it! Stop!”
Blake looked at him briefly, ice in his eyes. He didn’t do this because he enjoyed it; he did it because he had a mission to accomplish. He ran the sword through Henry’s chest as Seneca roared with anger.
Gloria burst out of the front door, coughing, her eyes stinging from the smoke, but they went wide as she saw the scene before her. “Blake, what are you- Henry!”
She rushed to him. “Henry, Henry, no, Henry…” her eyes welled full of tears and she felt like a strong hand was gripping her heart. She tried to pull him up into her lap so he didn’t suffer alone, to try and help him. She also felt deep, burning hatred.
“Blake, what have you done?!” she shrieked at him. Blake looked at her with surprise. Why was she angry? He was here to save her; she was supposed to be grateful.
“I will kill you!” Seneca shouted as he struggled. “I will avenge his death!”
“This is dramatic, but I don’t have the stomach for it tonight.” The seer waved her hand and Gloria slumped to the ground beside Henry, unconscious.
“What did you do to her?!” Seneca shouted.
The seer glanced in his direction. “Far less than he wants to do to you.”
Blake walked over to the struggling young man, sword in hand. “Have you harmed her?” he asked.
“I’ve done nothing compared to you!” he spat. “The damage you’ve done to her mind is far outside of anything I could have ever done! The lies, the deception! How is she going to trust you? The man who she fell in love with and who lied to her every step of the way? Great job there, Lucian Blake!”
“How do you know so much?” Blake asked coldly.
Seneca snorted. “First you kill my best friend, then you think I’ll tell you how I know things? Good luck with that.”
“We don’t have time for this. The mainland could have seen the glow of the fire by now. We need to leave. You’re coming with me.”
“If you let me loose, we’ll see who’s going where,” Seneca threatened.
Blake looked at him, rolled his eyes, and hit him over the head with the pommel of his sword, knocking him unconscious.
AHHHH! We've reached the crest of another wave! Was it what you expected? What do you think will happen from here?
I have to admit that little disclaimer piqued my interest
I'm guessing Lucian took the seer up on her offer
And at first I thought maybe Midshore might kick it for the drama, but it seemed like she had more of a role to fulfill. As soon as they spotted Henry in the tavern, I guessed it was him, since he was a minor character, and the main trio still seemed to important to die at that point in the story.
I actually thought it could've been the seer too, but she turned out to be way powerful
RIP Henry. It must've hurt you a lot to kill him off
I wonder if Midshore will make it in time, or Anwyn's party. Well, "in time" might be too much since Blake already got to Gloria
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
It has been weighing on my mind for a while as to whether I would kill a character. I hate it when Authors kill off characters for no reason. There were a few steps that led to me choosing to have Henry die:
1) When I was talking with a friend of mine about the plot, he said that a character should die. He said a character should die and I didn't want to, but he convinced me it was a good plot idea.
2) I listened to the song in Hamilton Wait For It which says life doesn't dicriminate, it takes...." and it resonated with me. Plot happens to the characters, not just around them. They're just as fragile as any other character (unless they're magical).
3) I was reminded of in Harry Potter when Voldemort tells Wormtounge to 'kill the spare', I paralleled that with the seer telling Blake to kill Henry. Only Harry didn't grow up with Cedric and carry resentment against him.
In conclusion, his death will have meaning, and he will be remembered.
It has been weighing on my mind for a while as to whether I would kill a character. I hate it when Authors kill off characters for no reason. There were a few steps that led to me choosing to have Henry die:
1) When I was talking with a friend of mine about the plot, he said that a character should die. He said a character should die and I didn't want to, but he convinced me it was a good plot idea.
2) I listened to the song in Hamilton Wait For It which says life doesn't dicriminate, it takes...." and it resonated with me. Plot happens to the characters, not just around them. They're just as fragile as any other character (unless they're magical).
3) I was reminded of in Harry Potter when Voldemort tells Wormtounge to 'kill the spare', I paralleled that with the seer telling Blake to kill Henry. Only Harry didn't grow up with Cedric and carry resentment against him.
In conclusion, his death will have meaning, and he will be remembered.
Oh yeah, the seer did encourage Blake. This does make me think she has a stake in all this, even if he did just come to her for her services first. The seer definitely has something to gain by allying herself with Blake for a common goal
Body is 4 characters too short.
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Yay! Siggy is done! It took so long, from finding which poses I wanted them to have, to finding out how to get the softwares to get the background taken out without weird blocks. Then I had to figure out how I wanted them to be formed on the banner. I actually wanted them to be facing inwards towards Blake, Gloria, and Seneca, but it just wasn't looking right, so I scooted them around to face outwards.
It was a challenge! I keep wanting them to look like a Lord of the Rings or Star Wars poster where everyone is expertly layered on top of each other, but I just don't have the height for it. Blake was supposed to be looking down at Gloria, and Seneca looking up, but If I did that it would look like I stacked their heads on top of each other and that looked goofy! There were a few times when I had them lined up on accident to be in color order and that made me happy for a little while .
I want you guys to know that if I hadn't had your reactions each time, I wouldn't have continued the story this long, and I wouldn't be so proud of it, so I'm really thankful you guys have been here to read it.
Here's a cool little detail: You can't really tell, but the color in the words is actually the background from the very first banner I made for the story, which you can see on the first post of the story (I have a library of all the banner's I've made for it if you want to look back).
I may do a bit of wiggling around to get the picture wider. Mischief Managed
Oooooh the new siggy looks really good! I love how the two groups are positioned as opposites of each other centering around Gloria.
Chapter 59
I can’t remember – do we know who Beatrice is? I wonder what happened to her, and why Midshore only seems mildly inconvenienced at the thought of her… friend? Acquaintance? Most likely being dead. Also, I just remembered that we never did learn the seer’s name, did we? Hmm. Hmm hmm hmmmmm.
Seneca and Gloria are adorable together. They really care about each other, and a violin! Nawwww. That warmed my stone cold heart.
Geez, Blake has rather a one-track mind, doesn’t he? Even though I don’t want him to get to Gloria I have to agree with miss Seer here – sit down and drink your cider, Blake. He was like that when Gloria and him first reached the mainland, too. Completely focused on getting to where they needed to go and being “the future king” again at the cost of completely alienating Gloria. Blake seems to have a nasty habit of losing focus on everything else with a goal before his eyes.
I had to laugh at Henry walking in on Gloria and Seneca. Oh, medieval times
Nooooo Henry He was such a sweet guy. And gah, now both Gloria and Seneca are Blake’s prisoners! If it was just him they might be able to team up against him, but with that Seer there they don’t stand a chance. Anwyn, Liam and Romeo won’t be enough, either, with how strong she is. Aaaaah Midshore hurry up up
Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to get the next chapter out by Tuesday as I haven't even written it yet 😅! The ideas are swimming around, but they haven't taken a full shape yet. This is usually the case, I find, after a climax in my writing.
I really want to write well too, because the characters are getting a bit more tricky and who's telling the truth and who's saying what becomes more important.
That and I'm trying to go through my irl stuff. I have too much stuff.
Blake looked at the gently breathing figure of Gloria laying in the bed, a frown on her face as if she were having bad dreams. “How long will she sleep?”
“Probably a day or two more,” the seer nonchalantly took off her shoes and plopped down on the couch.
“She’s already been sleeping for three days already!” he jerked his head towards her.
She shrugged. “It was a bit more powerful of a charm than I thought. I got caught up in the moment. Can you blame me? It was a rousing occasion.” She stretched her arms over her head. “That charm does more than make her sleep though, you should be thanking me.”
“What do you mean?” he asked. “Why should I be thanking you?”
She snorted “It’ll make you a hero.”
“This isn’t a fairytale, a kiss won’t wake her up. And after her reaction to the death of that man...” Blake looked skeptical.
“No, but the sparkle to that charm is that it causes forgetfulness.” She conjured a glass of wine. “She won’t remember what happened that night, or that she’s angry with you. You can make up any story you want to fill in her blanks. You should-” she smirked and took a sip from the glass. “thank me.”
“I can thank you when we get to the palace,” he said, walking away from the bed. “You never named your price.”
“I haven’t decided my price, but I’m getting a good idea of what it will be.” The corner of her mouth inched upwards, making Blake’s spine crawl. What was he going to have to give her in exchange for her assistance? He felt like he had made a deal with the devil.
He sighed and sat down on the other end of the couch. “You said I didn’t need the other man, but you didn’t say anything about the boy. Why is he important? Who is he?”
“That would be telling, child.”
Blake set his jaw and tried not to yell. He didn’t like not being in control of a situation. He wanted to know all the cards in the deck and who had each card so that he could plan ahead and come out on top. If he didn’t know what was coming or who to pressure, he was a player in someone else’s game instead of his own.
“Relax, child. You’re still in charge of… most people. It’s a rare person indeed who can read minds, and decades to hone the gift that most mortals don’t have the time for. Or patience.”
“What were they doing?” he wondered aloud. “What happened since she was thrown in the river? Was she captured? Did the two men harm her? Why was she so upset when I killed the other man? If they forced her to do something…. But then why would she be upset over his death?”
The seer raised an eyebrow, then took another sip. It was obvious she wasn’t going to help him and as much as he wanted to know what had happened for those two months, he knew he couldn’t get any answers right now. Focusing on what was happening presently may help his head to stop spinning. “You’re sure that the boy can’t get out?” he asked.
“I’m quite sure. When I bind the entrances of the tent and the cabin, anything that’s in the tent can’t exit through that portway. And since the tent only has one entrance, and he’s quite tied up, I doubt he’ll be able to get through the canvas.” She sipped from her wine again. “Like a cat in a bag.”
“Maybe we’ll get some answers from him when we reach the palace. I’m going to find out what happened, and they will pay for any harm that came to Gloria ten fold.”
~*~
Midshore shivered as she walked down the road. She hadn't stopped shivering for days now, and it felt like she was getting colder. At least she knew which direction she was going now, based off of the position of the sun, but she was dismayed to find out she had been walking south, not north.
It had been years since she had been to the mainland, a lifetime ago, really. It had been a different time, when she had been trained by the underground alliance of witches. Beatrice had been a part of that circle, and while Midshore hadn't been fond of the woman who bred frogs, she still came politely for tea a few times. That was before the inquisition by the Church.
She had forgotten how cold it could get here. The fashions of the Islands were far different than those of the mainland as well, and whenever she walked through a settlement she got weird looks as though she were a woman of loose morals. Then again, being married to a woman was probably considered loose morals, too.
Still, she looked different, and she was freezing. She needed new clothes. She had packed some money that she had kept tucked away in case she ever had to return to the mainland, even though it was forbidden once you had the rebirth ceremony. She was breaking so many laws right now, she couldn't even count them. But just because she was breaking some laws, didn't mean she was going to steal clothes. Hopefully the next town north would have a clothes shop.
~*~
Montoya's breath caught in his chest. He smiled, trying to not show his alarm, but even at his age, with all of the court drama he'd seen over the years, and all the bad news he'd received over those years, he was having a hard time acting natural and enthusiastic.
"That's wonderful news, my king!" he congratulated. "It's been forever since we had some good news, and the heir alive and well is the news of the year! How long until they arrive?"
"Lucian says they should be here in a week. They've hired a carriage and a prison wagon. He says that he's bringing back a prisoner as well, who was with my daughter on the island they were found on." he recited from the letter before him.
"I look forward to meeting her." Montoya looked down at his food, trying to remember his hunger he had had two minutes ago. This was exactly what he hadn't wanted to hear. Gloria was supposed to find her way home, not be brought back here.
He finished his dinner and excused himself, his stomach in knots. He felt like he had eaten too much, and that snakes were wriggling around beneath his lungs.
He waited until the house was quiet and the king was fast asleep for the night. He fell asleep earlier these days; his age was catching up with him and he rested more.
He wrapped up in a jacket and with shaking hands he tied his boots. A walk wouldn't be suspicious, and the guards tended to be lazy the further away from the king they got. Once upon a time he would have reprimanded them for slacking and slouching, but as he got older Montoya let more and more things slide. He didn't need to be hard all the time.
The air hurt his lungs as he breathed, and the snow crunched under his boots. He wanted to hold his head high as he walked, but he also didn't want to slip on any ice that had formed, so he shoved his hands in his pockets and trudged forward.
"Sir, it's a bit late for you to be out here, isn't it?" one of the new recruits asked. What was his name? Martin?
"Dinner isn't sitting well with me, lad. I thought maybe if I got a bit of a stroll in it would move through the pipes better." Montoya gave his stomach a pat and kept walking.
"Alright, sir. Watch your step out there." He was respectful at least, that was good in a guard.
Montoya waited until he was out of view and then broke into a jog to get to the cabin. He didn't worry about the footprints he was leaving, the inhabitants were his family after all, no one would wonder why there was a path leading there.
He pounded on the door, and he saw a lamp light, then Romeo's head peak out the window. Recognition sparked on his face, and he opened the door, ushering Montoya in.
"I'll stoke the fire," he said, setting more wood on the fire. Anwyn and Liam came out of the bedroom, wiping sleep from their eyes.
"It's late, Montoya. What do you need?" Liam asked, the words rolling around in his mouth like cotton.
"Your daughter is on her way to the palace. Lucian Blake has found her, and they're on their way back. The estimated arrival time is about a week, travelling by carriage. They have a prisoner with them, someone who was with your daughter when she was found." he sat down, agitation in every line of his body. "What's the plan?"
Anwyn looked like she was shook, Liam's jaw was set as he wracked his brain, and Romeo worried his fingers. "At least we know she's alright now," Anwyn said without any conviction.
"But she was never supposed to make it this far, to this point!" Liam shouted, and he kicked the wall. "How are we going to get her out of there? The king will never let her out of his sight,"
"Montoya, you're in charge of the guards, can't you weaken the guard and make it easier for us to slip her out?" Romeo asked.
"The king trumps anything I say, and I'm sure that he'll order guards to watch her at all times. Nothing I could say would change that, and they would wonder why I was trying to change what the king ordered. It would bring suspicion to me."
"We have a week until she arrives, we'll have to come up with something." Liam rubbed his face, feeling his cheekbones and beard under his fingers.
Sorry that this chapter took a bit longer to post, I wanted the ball to keep rolling after the climax but I figured I should start to build up again and that requires slowing down. I visualize it as a pyramid; I have to place the base first before I can build the rest of it, and with each climax I have to build a new platform.
If there were any typos, I didn't give my editor friend enough time to go over it, so it's wholly my fault. As always, your comments keep me going, so let me know if you thought anything at all!
Whoa. A sleeping charm that not only lasts 5 days, but wipes the victim’s memories, too. That’s some powerful magic right there. I wonder if her memories of that night are the only ones that the charm will erase. Oooooh hey, is this that contradictive part of the prophecy where the guy would break down her doors, but she’d welcome him in with open arms anyway?
He wanted to know all the cards in the deck and who had each card so that he could plan ahead and come out on top.
Blake, you would make a very annoying, not-fun opponent in most card games. Especially seeing how you seem to be a bit of a sore loser. 😂
Ooof, poor Midshore, wandering around in the snow and cold with so little clothing 😯 I’m getting shivers just looking at her. I hope she can find some better clothes before she turns into a popsickle. I also can't help but wonder if the Beatrice from Midshore's memories is the same witch that is helping Blake kidnap Gloria. She's so shrouded in mystery, that one.
Gah! She’s not your daughter, you rotten potato! Ah, he probably doesn’t even care if she really is, as long as he can pretend that she is and use her as a pawn. Montoya is quite the godsend for Anwyn, Liam and Romeo, being able to keep them informed like this. Otherwise they would have been completely in the dark. Hmm… They’re probably right that the guard will never let Gloria out of their sight. If they want to rescue her, they’d need to do it before she fell into the king’s hands. While they are still on the road. If it’s just Blake, or Blake and a few guards, then the three of them might have a chance 😮
Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
So, Beatice isn't as important as I'm making her sound . She's a throw away character I only created to mention for plot purposes. She isn't Mrs. Frogwater, she's just an unseen character.
So, Beatice isn't as important as I'm making her sound . She's a throw away character I only created to mention for plot purposes. She isn't Mrs. Frogwater, she's just an unseen character.
Aw, there goes my dramatic "It's you!" witch-on-witch confrontation I'm kidding. I'm not sure why I'm so intrigued by Midshore and the Seer especially but I am. I hope Midshore gets to everyone safely.
Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
So, Beatice isn't as important as I'm making her sound . She's a throw away character I only created to mention for plot purposes. She isn't Mrs. Frogwater, she's just an unseen character.
I'm still wondering if anything way back will resurface sometime soon, kind of like how Lady Malice's nephew became a huge part of the plot.
I do remember when Anwyn met that mermaid (?) girl in the basement years ago when I reread the chapters a while back while speculating on how Blake and Seneca were related to Anwyn's past. I wonder if she's important to the plot
I guess we won't see Mrs. Frogwater soon
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Comments
Okay! Some thoughts then.
The contrast between Seneca and Blake is interesting, too. Looking at them, they’re both using Gloria for their own ends, at least to some extent. But Seneca sees Gloria for who she is (now at least) despite the circumstances surrounding her and focuses on the person, while Blake seems to care more about what she represents and what “having” her can bring him, ignoring Gloria’s wants and needs. I wonder what a confrontation between those two would end up looking like.
I started this whole story off with the idea of Anwyn and Liam, and it really wound out from there. Different music I listened to changed how the plot was going to progress, and characters submitted to the story changed the plot drastically too! The duchess, her son, and Briella were all submitted by @Damaro have become huge characters, and @VanPelt81 made the evil priest. I can't remember if the corrupt Church was my idea or theirs, but as you can see it's become a big part of the story!
I debated if I wanted Anwyn to have a happy ending at the end of the first generation. I had a loose idea of what I was going to do for the second generation, but I didn't know if I needed Liam to truly die or if he could survive and escape, and I'm happy that he's still around. I had a friend tell me that I wanted him to live, I should let Anywn be happy.
I almost named the second generation with a subtitle, but I didn't want to give away too much. I thought pretty heavily on "Sins of the Father", or "Empire of Dirt". 'Sins of the Father' really rang a bell with me because here's Gloria, who has no idea what her parents have gone through or that her mother's ex-husband thinks that she's the heir to the throne of a tyrant and she's in this huge mess that she's just oblivious to. And on the opposite hand you have Seneca who's her complete opposite knowing that he's the son of a king but unable to do anything about it. So the problems that their parents left to fall to their shoulders are both incredibly heavy.
'Empire of Dirt', which I've referenced while Gloria and Seneca are laying in the grass looking up at the stars, is actually a line from a song that I was listening to when Liam stays behind to slow the king's men and while the whole rendition of the song I was listening to was moving, that line really hit me. I thought of Seneca talking to Gloria about how, yes, he's the true heir to the throne, but he isn't much of a ruler, is he? Look at all the nothing he owns, his empire of dirt. The great disappointment his life has been so far.
Also, if anyone's a long time reader, you all know I'm a big fan of Star Wars, and with each movie that comes out pushed me further and further into loving my plot line. The dreamscape was SUPER inspired by the force-chats between Rey and Kylo Ren. The idea that two people can be enemies but find the humanity in each other and fight together for a greater cause just tickled me. I'll spare you the details so I don't give anything more away and I don't talk for paragraphs about Star Wars (which I can and do do).
Seneca was based off of Kylo Ren and I got Seneca's name from Seneca Crane from the Hunger Games. I don't remember much from the books, but I do remember that he was kinda a opportunistic and cruel guy who looked out for himself. Don't @ me if I'm wrong
As for what's going to happen, it's getting to a boiling point to be sure! I've recruited an irl friend to proof-read and review my chapters from now on, who knows how long that will continue *crosses fingers*, so I'm not entirely sure when I'll be getting chapters out, but I'm gonna say that within the next two or three chapters some real movement is going to happen! Expect longer than normal chapters (probably. I haven't written it yet, but with these things I like to write them all together so the action isn't broken up.)
Oh, and you can certainly expect a link to my music playlist for this generation's storyline once I get closer to the conclusion, which is a ways off. Don't worry that this is ending, it's far from it! If this were two books, we're in the last half of the second book, but it's a thick book.
Thx for coming to my TED talk.
Oh, I like this. Based on how the narrator described Blake's feelings toward Gloria, he does view her more like a trophy
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Chapter 58
Seneca grinned as he felt the warm, humid air of the dreamscape. It was rare that he didn’t remember to count the days until a full moon. He had to know if he had to cancel plans, or if his illness would interrupt an important lesson, but on the island with nothing to do but sit and wait he hadn’t worried about the effects of the dream. And now that Gloria can make me feel better, I don’t have to worry about that.
He didn’t hear any music yet, so either Gloria hadn’t fallen asleep yet or she hadn’t found the violin. It was always somewhere for her to find, she just had to look for it sometimes. He didn’t understand how she played it; it looked complicated.
Why had they been connected? No one else ever talked about seeing odd people repeatedly in their dreams. They were usually random, just pictures and scenarios that didn’t happen. Lucid dreams weren’t tied to the moon phases. They didn’t have anything to do with the moon, did they?
And this greenhouse? Why was it here? It never changed. The frame never became rusty even in the humid air. It never had broken glass, or fogged windows. There was no dust to speak of. It seemed timeless, both ancient and modern.
“Seems you beat me to sleep this time,” Gloria stated as she walked into the room. “It was fun feeling you fall asleep. You relax so much once you do. Why do you have so much tension before you fall asleep?” She raised an eyebrow.
Seneca remembered the position he had fallen asleep in and flushed. “I’m just a tense person, I guess. Can you blame me?”
“I listened to your breathing to help me fall asleep. It was relaxing.” She smiled and walked into one of the branching rooms, picking up her violin.
“Why didn’t you fall asleep first? Why’d it take you so long?”
Gloria remembered feeling her heart beating in her chest as she settled against Seneca and faintly feeling his against her back. Hers had been beating faster than was comfortable. She flushed and turned her face to look at the violin. “I was trying to get comfortable. You must not have noticed,” she lied.
They had been sleeping in this arrangement for the past three nights and it was still hard for her to settle with Seneca so close. The closer she got to him the more nervous she felt.
She put the violin to her shoulder and played a tender song with long, simple phrases. She hadn’t played this one in a long time, and she had to remember how the melody went, humming the notes to remember the correct progression.
“And often when the beetle's horn, Hath lulled the eve to sleep, I steal unto her shieling lorn, And thru the dooring peep.” Her voice was rusty and out of tune, but the simplicity of her quiet voice along with the delicate tune tickled Seneca. It was as uncomplicated as a sun setting over the trees of a wood, slow, steady, and soft.
“I can’t believe that my mother wouldn’t find the time to enjoy music,” Seneca marveld once she had finished. “It’s- it’s man made magic. To be able to pull emotions out of a box with strings and words... it’s a wonder.”
“One day you’ll have the time to enjoy it. When you’re king.” She set the violin down.
He was quiet, thinking. Gloria looked at him. “This is where you say how you’ll be a good king and will behead all those who stand against you,” she teased.
He felt a shudder of nervousness. “I’m- I’m not sure that’s what I want.” he said.
“What do you mean?” she asked, confused. “I know it’s your mother’s plan, but surely you want to be king. It’s ultimate power over a nation. I would have thought you would want that.”
“It’s my mother’s plan,” he motioned with his hands. “I’m a part of it, yes, and without me there would be no plan, but no one has ever stopped to ask me what I want. Not like I can back out of any of it. My mother arranged my marriage around the fact I would be king, I couldn’t leave Krista in the dirt just so I could have what I wanted. Not after what-” he waved his hands around in an ambiguous way, “we did. Yet, I don’t think I want to be king. But I can never say it to anyone.”
“You told me,” Gloria said.
He smirked. “You aren’t anyone. You’re practically a nobody.” he teased.
“I’m very important to some people!” she reciprocated with an equal grin. “Telling your rival for the throne that you don’t want the throne could be dangerous!”
“Eh, I know you want the throne less than I do.” He walked outside to find a bench to sit on.
Gloria followed him “If you don’t want to be king, what do you want?” she asked.
He breathed in deeply, relieved that the breath wasn’t cold as ice or full of woodsmoke. “I would rather have a simple life. Somewhere no one knew who I was, where I could make things, or I could own a bookshop. Maybe on the coast so I could live in a community. Have a little house with enough space for a kid or two. Nothing too big. A loving wife. Cotton sheets instead of silk or whatever the king has. Lose clothes over stuffy court ones.”
Gloria sat down with him. “So, what you’re living now is what you want, just with a wife and kids with you.”
He smiled at her, hiding some pain in his heart knowing that he couldn’t have what he wanted. Not without letting everyone down. “Yeah, I want what I have now.” What we have now.
There was a long pause while they both sat and looked out at the swirling landscape. “You know, you could have that on the Islands,” she remarked.
“Too warm,” he replied simply as if there weren’t a million other variables. Gloria snorted, trying to hide a laugh, but they both broke into laughter.
Once they had successfully suppressed their laughter, Seneca smacked his knees and stood up. “Care to show me how to play that box of yours?” he asked.
“You want to learn to play the violin? You’re sure? It’s not easy.”
“I’ve got the time, don’t I? I mean, how hard could it be?” Seneca extended his hand to her.
Gloria raised her eyebrow and took his hand, just as he disappeared, waking up.
~*~
Midshore set about to get her pack ready. She shouldn’t be gone long, just long enough to get Gloria and her family back. From the tyrant king. In a land she hadn’t been to in ages. And she had to break the tracking charm placed on Gloria. How hard could all that be?
“Love, Anwyn’s team has only been gone for around two months. They could be back soon,” Everstar said. “You can’t leave. What if we need you?”
“You can defend the Islands on your own, and if you need help you have Flagsworth to help you. I have to go. You felt the disruption, it’s powerful and dangerous. Gloria isn’t just being searched for. She’s being hunted. She needs my help.”
“Enough people have gone to help her. We can’t spare more people leaving the Islands! What will the council say when they’ve found you’ve left?”
“That can’t stop me from doing what’s right!” she shouted, surprising herself and Everstar. She took a deep breath. “I can’t let that stop me from protecting our family. Gloria is family, Everstar. Anwyn, Liam, even Romeo is like family to us. I know- I know- that something horrible is going to happen, love, and I need to stop it, or I’ll hate myself for the rest of my long life. I need to do this.”
Everstar looked at her with the beginnings of tears in her eyes. With a lump in her throat she said “I understand. And I would go with you if I could. But it’s not like we can just drop the kids off at Lily’s house and say ‘sorry, two more children to add to the five you’re already looking after.’”
They both gave tense giggles. Everstar looked at her wife’s pack, wiping her face. “How will you teleport that long way? It’s pretty far.”
“I’m going to try to teleport to Beatrice’s house. It was pretty easy to teleport to before since she teleported so regularly. I’m hoping I’ll be able to reach it.”
“Alright. When are you leaving?” Everstar asked.
“At the first light of dawn. Hopefully that would mean the East will be sunny and I won’t be arriving in darkness.”
“That’s a good idea.” Everstar sniffled. “Come here.” She held out her arms and pulled her wife into a strong embrace, holding her close. Too many families had been broken by this man hunt, and now she feared that hers would share the same fate. She could hope that everything would return to the way it was and no one would be hurt, but she had a hard time believing it. How could they all make it through this? The stakes were too high. She felt that she only had hope that her own family wouldn’t be shattered at the end of this.
After a sleepless night of family activities and cuddles, Midshore stood in front of the greenhouse, awaiting the sun. She held Everstar’s hand, praying for every moment she was still standing there with her to last longer, but no one can stop the sun.
“I love you, my love,” she said as she teleported away, becoming bubbles in the wind. She didn’t always teleport this way, but for long distances it was easiest.
“I love you, my love,” Everstar repeated back to the empty air, her chest feeling like it was going to cave in from grief.
~*~
It had been three days. Three days of walking up and down hills, across streams and fields, though places where snow had accumulated, and muddy banks. Blake was tired, and he didn’t feel like he was getting any closer to finding Gloria.
He had started to suspect the Seer of walking them in circles for fun a while back, but she refused his suspicions without him even saying them.
“We’re walking in the direction the charm is pointing,” she would say. “Do you think I would do this for fun?”
Sometimes he believed her, like when they were climbing over giant roots sticking out of the ground or when they were crossing a half frozen river, but other times when they were strolling along on even and flat terrain he wasn’t so sure.
And the idea of her proposal was beginning to weigh on him, too. What if she could find Gloria easier after the fact? He suspected that they would be walking for another week if he didn’t go along with her plan. The Seer had no reason to try and find Gloria faster; she could be stalling for time or trying to break his resolve. And it may be working, he admitted to himself before internally lecturing himself on it again for the third time that day. He wasn’t sure, but he thought the Seer smirked every time he thought of it, and he didn’t like it when she smiled. Whatever her intentions may be, they weren’t wholesome.
Evening came and Blake was happy to pitch his tent. It got heavier and heavier everyday, wearing into his shoulders and bumping his hips. Taking it off at the end of the day was one of his favorite moments.
“You should bathe,” the Seer said, eyeing him. “It smells like it’s been a while.”
“I don’t get much of a chance to bathe.” He waited for the Seer to enchant the tent once again, and followed her in, kicking off his boots. The Seer rolled her head along her shoulders, one of the few signs she had shown over the last few days of her getting tired. If she was as old as she said she was, she was incredibly spry for her age.
“You can use my tub, and if it suits you, I’ll wait outside while you do. I won’t even peek,” she said with a wink.
Blake was quiet for a moment, considering. It had been awhile since he hadn’t felt grit between his toes, or since his hair had been clean. Even before he had met the Seer four days ago it had been a while since he had been clean. “No tricks?” he asked her.
“No tricks.”
“Fine,” he huffed and crossed his arms as she smiled and summoned the tub to the center of the room.
She waited outside as promised, and Blake scrubbed as quickly as he could, but he didn’t have a clean change of clothes and he didn’t want to wear the dirty clothes he had…
A sparkle caught his eye as fresh clothes appeared next to the tub. Of course she had read his mind. She was never out of it.
The water, which should have been filthy after he scrubbed himself from head to toe, never got dirty. Alright, her voice reverberated in his mind. [/i]Maybe one trick[/i].
He dried off quickly and threw on his new clothes, obviously meant to be bed clothes. He didn’t want the Seer to think he was suggesting anything with prolonged skin exposure.
Her bed does look roomy, he thought, and he shook his head again, closing his eyes and biting his lip. He had to stop those thoughts.
“No, you don’t have to stop. It’s doing you no good trying to stop, in any case. I would know. I read minds. The more you think that you should stop, the more you think of it. It can be fun, but it can also be annoying after a while- the repetition. It’s much more fun to let those thoughts wander.”She smirked, making Blake tense up.
“You won’t tempt me, witch.” he said through gritted teeth.
She leaned in next to his ear. “Would you like to compare your imagination to the real thing?” she asked in a seductive tone.
He could try to deny everything, but she would see it was a lie. If she already knew where his mind had gone, he wouldn’t be able to refute where it hadn’t.
“No,” he said defiantly.
She arched an eyebrow. “Lying is a sin in your religion, is it not?” she asked.
“As is adultery. You won’t catch me in both,” he answered, glaring at her.
“Child, I know how tired you are. Bruised. Worn.” She spoke slowly and softly. “As easy as I make all this journeying look, it’s taking its toll on me too. As charming as your company is, and as riveting as the conversation is, the faster we find Gloria the better, no?”
Blake didn’t say anything in argument, so she continued. “I won’t even enjoy it, how about that? Just two people, working to solve a problem that can only be solved in one way. I know you’ve considered it three times- now four. Why don’t we just get it over with and move on?”
Blake eyed her, tensing his jaw. What was another sin if he could find Gloria and bring her to safety? Who knew what they were doing to her, or where she was? Who was she with? If they had harmed her… They would all pay with their lives.
The Seer drew back the sheets and sat on the bed. “I promise it will be quick and painless. Close your eyes and think of England, if you like.” she said.
“Think of what?” he asked, confused.
“Come, child, and let’s get this over with.”
Creator, help me say no to this, he thought.
She rolled her eyes, stood up from the bed and took his hand leading him to the bed with its rich coverings and silky pillows.
I don't know how to say no to this.
She placed him down and sat beside him. His heart was racing and his palms were sweaty.
He didn't say no.
Had to throw on some Hamilton references! 'Say No To This' is a song from the musical where Alexander Hamilton commits infidelity.
Big thanks to my irl friend for taking the time to suggest edits to the chapter!
Next chapter is a big one, And I hope it pays off! I often feel like I build to these big climaxes and I want them to be everything we all want them to be. As always, if you liked it, let me know it!
Stay healthy, Stay inspired.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Hehee, the pictures of Gloria and Seneca sleeping together are adorable. Gah and that moment! They’re so smitten with each other. That’s it. Break out of there, stage your own deaths or the like, and go sail back to the islands to live happily ever after.
But it won’t be that easy of course. Poor Seneca, trapped in his mother’s plans. He’s very kind to not want to abandon Krista, even if it ends up making him miserable. I wonder if Krista would do the same thing if their roles were reversed. Something tells me that she probably wouldn’t.
Why does it feel like Midshore and Everstar are never going to see each other again?
I’m so intrigued by the Seer. There have got to be a thousand hidden motives behind what she’s doing for Blake. With her tattoos, I wonder if she was from the islands at once point… or maybe not. Hmm..
Definitely don't trust Seneca even after the latest chapter.
@VanPelt81 I'm curious, you say that you still don't trust Seneca. I'm happy you have an opinion on it, but hypothetically speaking, what would it take for you to trust him? His plot is pretty well set, so don't worry about influencing the plot too much, but I'm curious to know before we get too far away from this point and your opinion may change?
@icmnfrsh I'm always trying to keep things saucy! Keeps me entertained, as well as my lovely readers
Chapter 59
This chapter has violence. If situations with death trigger you, you've been warned.
Midshore hit the ground hard, rolling from the momentum before coming to a stop. She pushed herself up and looked around.
This wasn’t Beatrice’s house. The floor plan of her modest home was still in rubble on the ground, but the walls and roof that made up the house were nowhere to be seen. Her house had been destroyed, and Beatrice probably with it.
“That’s a pity,” Midshore mumbled to herself. “I could have used directions.” The sun was hanging in the sky as she had hoped, covered in a faint veil of cloud.
What was she going to do now? She’d planned so far as to get here, but not where she was going to go or how she would find Gloria and whoever had placed the charm. Or should she try and find Anwyn, Liam, and Romeo? If they worked together they could be a more powerful team.
But she didn’t even know if the trio had found Gloria. She could hope that they had, but it wasn’t a certainty, which meant that her efforts would be best put to use trying to find Gloria and not Anwyn’s trio.
But which way was that? Travelling in the manner she had had let her appear and disappear, but not actually know which direction she came from. The islands were easier because she knew where everything was and the community wasn’t large enough to get lost. But here… she had only been to Beatrice’s house once or twice, and she didn’t know the way around.
She looked around, hoping to be able to discern which direction to go. “I guess I’ll go this way down the road. It’s bound to lead to something…” she grumbled, and started walking. “I think there’s a town this way, if I remember correctly. Which I probably don’t,” she laughed to herself.
~*~
“Seneca, the food’s hot!” Gloria shouted as she stirred the food. Seneca was rarely out of shouting range, preferring to lounge by the fireplace and read one of the numerous books. She hoped that Henry would bring more books when he returned. Seneca was going to run out of books to keep him occupied at this rate. She had other hobbies to focus on like taking care of the few plants that could survive the winter, fishing, meditating, practicing her magic, painting, knitting... The list went on. But Seneca only had his books, Don’t Wake The Llama, and the chess board he got angry at more often that he enjoyed.
“Seneca!” she shouted again, taking the pot off of the heat. She knew that he wasn’t by the fire today, but she didn’t know exactly where he was. Regardless, he wasn’t one to drag his feet when it was meal time.
This was uncharacteristic. She looked around, wondering if she could see him, but she didn’t see anything out of the windows. Where had he gone?
Rolling her eyes, she threw on her scarf and shuffled outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
“Seneca!” she called to him, finding him at the workbench where Henry liked to tinker. He had scrapes on his hands and wood shavings all over the place, but as her angle of him changed she could see the project clear enough.
“Gloria! What- you’re not supposed to see this yet!” he tried to step in front of her to block her view, but she had already seen.
“You’re- you’re making a violin?” she asked. The long neck and body of the instrument were clear, and he had found crude threads to string it with.
“It’s not finished. And I don’t know how to make a violin, but I couldn’t read anymore. I just couldn’t hold another book about which fish are seasonally in the area, or how to roof a cabin. I just can’t. I thought, if I set my mind to making something I could pass the time easier-”
Gloria pulled him into a surprise hug. “I think it’s a lovely idea.” she said.
“Hey, don’t get the wrong idea, it’s for a completely selfish reason. I’m going nuts without a project, and I never said you could play it,” he said with a smile on his face and a tease in his voice.
She shoved him a bit as she let him go. “Lunch is ready, come in before it gets cold. And I’m sure your fingers are freezing. It’s hard to work when your fingers are cold.”
“Yes, ma’am,” smirking, he followed her inside.
~*~
Blake and the seer had arrived in a modest city at nightfall with a sparse amount of people occupying the street.
“We’re close. We’re very close to being able to find her…” The seer turned this way and that like a compass trying to find North, then she set her head down the little road. “That way.”
At this point, Blake was tired of asking if she was sure. Instead, he arched an eyebrow and followed her, letting her lead. Since two nights ago, she had been more certain in her directions.
“It’s more like I see a figure to find now, not just a direction. They’re… they’re about twenty miles away." she had said that night. "We can hope that they don’t move until we make it there.”
She sauntered down the alley towards a tavern and let herself in, Blake following her.
“Hello, we’ll have two warm ciders,” she cooed at the barkeep.
“I’d rather have a beer,” Blake grumbled. If he was going to finally stay at a good tavern, he wanted a bit harder of a drink than some warm apple juice.
“You’ll need your wits later, trust me.” She took the two ciders and headed for a table. “Do you see the man in the corner? He’s by himself.”
“He isn’t Gloria,” Blake observed.
“No, but the charm is telling me that he’s the one who will lead us to her.” She sipped her beverage.
“Didn’t your charm point us to Gloria? Why are we concerned with this man? And if he knows where Gloria is I’ll get to work getting the information out of him.” He went to stand up.
“Fool, don’t cause a scene here!” she hissed. Blake sat back down, hardly refraining from staring at the man. “If we wait, he will lead us to her. Just enjoy your cider like a good boy and let me do what I’m good at. Don’t blow this.”
~*~
As darkness fell, Henry went back to the pier where he had docked the boat. He had been able to find sugar, and he was excited to see the look on Gloria’s face when she saw it. He had scored some books, dried foods, canned fruits, and a menagerie of different herbs and spices.
Tonight there was just enough mist on the horizon to conceal him, and the water was calm enough to get him there safely. Boarding the boat, he pushed off of the pier and set off on his journey.
~*~
Seneca heard the door open, alerting him. He had been sound asleep though, and Gloria was inhibiting him from moving quickly, her weight pinning him in place. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his foggy eyes and stay awake for long enough to process what was happening.
“What the hell is this?” came a man’s voice. Seneca looked at the figure, and reasoned that it was Henry.
“Is this what you got up to while I was gone? I wasn’t even gone that long!” he spoke far too loudly, and Gloria stirred, sitting up.
He approached. “Seneca, you’re a promised man! You’re betrothed to Lady Krista; have you forgotten? What if I was your mother and she walked in to see you like this?!”
Seneca’s tongue felt heavy and his mouth was dry. “It’s not what it looks like-” he tried to say. “We got cold…”
“You got cold? You look pretty comfortable with each other. How long has this been going on?” Henry didn’t lower his voice.
“About... maybe a week? Just short of one?” Gloria said, rubbing her arms. “It got too cold in our rooms at night so we were staying down here for warmth.”
“That makes sense, but holding each other doesn’t!” Henry ran a hand through his hair. “You have to stop this. If we’re found, like this... If we had company and they came at night like I just did and they found you like this-”
“But nothing happened,” Gloria said, rubbing sleep from her eyes. “And it’s much more comfortable than sleeping on the floor.”
Henry huffed. “I guess I’m happy to see that you’re both healthy. Last thing we need is the heir to be harmed or maimed.”
“Which heir?” Gloria and Seneca said at the same time, making them simultaneously snort.
Henry wasn’t amused and glowered at them while he put down the things he had been carrying from the boat.
“Can we help you with that?” Gloria asked, standing up on wobbly legs.
“No, there’s no need. Everything out on the boat can wait to be brought in in the morning. No use breaking your neck trying to get down to the dock to get it,” he muttered.
~~~
“How many people are in there with him?” Blake asked as they walked up the path to the house.
“I only sense three; it should be easy work for you and me, wouldn’t you say?” She eyed him.
“They could be heavily armed,” he considered, slowing his pace.
“It’s the middle of the night, they were probably asleep. The longer we let our new friend rouse them the harder it will be to have the element of surprise.”
~~~
Gloria seemed uncomfortable at Henry’s anger and she looked like she was torn between giving him a hug or leaving the room entirely to wait for the morning to make amends.
“Henry,” Seneca eased. “We’re happy you’re back.”
A small smile broke across Henry’s face. “I’m happy to see you two as well.”
Gloria sniffed. “Do you two smell smoke?” she asked.
“I can’t smell much of anything, I’ve been smelling the fireplace for too long.” Seneca said.
“It smells different from wood, it smells like….” Gloria tried to identify the smell.
“Are there any other fires lit in the house?” Henry asked.
“There shouldn’t be.” Seneca was becoming more unsettled. “But we should go look and see.” He started to make for the back door, and Gloria made her way to the steps to check the upper level. Henry dashed to the front door, looking out of it to see if anything was amiss or if he could see flames shooting from the chimney.
As he surveyed the house, he heard a rustle from behind him and saw the flash of a blade. Henry pulled out his own sword just in time, throwing him off and making him stagger, his wrist throbbing from the sudden stress.
“Where’s Gloria?!” A hooded figure asked.
“How did you get here?” Henry asked, quickly scanning to see if anyone else was nearby or if he was fighting more than one person.
He heard a scream from the upper level where he now saw the orange flickering light of an uncontrolled flame. The smoke was starting to build against the glass of the room and seeping out of the cracks in the window pane.
The figure took advantage of his distraction and lunged, but Henry deflected and went unscathed. “How did you find this place?!” he shouted again.
“All things are possible with magic, love,” a woman’s voice purred as she stepped out from behind the figure. She leaned into the figure’s ear, “We don’t need this one, you can kill him.”
“Sen!” Henry shouted for help. The figure seemed tired as he was, but his dedication felt insurmountable.
Seneca rounded the side of the house to see Henry and the figure in a duel, his heart catching in his throat. He pivoted to dash into the house to grab his own sword, but was thrown against the wall by an unseen force.
A woman sauntered up to him, eyeing him from head to toe. “I see you carry after your father,” she purred quietly, arching her eyebrow.
Unable to move from the place on the wall, he could only watch as his best friend fought the foe. The figure slashed again, but Henry was faster and went for his head, narrowly missing but catching the stranger’s hood. It fell back to reveal Lucian Blake, the duchess’s son.
“But, you should be dead,” Henry said confused. “You were captured by the Templars, taken north to stand trial. That was two months ago, you should be long dead. Gloria mourned you.”
“Then it will be all the better when she sees that I am still alive and well.” Blake said as he put Henry on the defensive. He slashed at his shin, finding his mark, and Henry fell to his knees.
“NO!” Seneca shouted and tried to break free of whatever held him in place. “NO! You monster! Don’t do it! Stop!”
Blake looked at him briefly, ice in his eyes. He didn’t do this because he enjoyed it; he did it because he had a mission to accomplish. He ran the sword through Henry’s chest as Seneca roared with anger.
Gloria burst out of the front door, coughing, her eyes stinging from the smoke, but they went wide as she saw the scene before her. “Blake, what are you- Henry!”
She rushed to him. “Henry, Henry, no, Henry…” her eyes welled full of tears and she felt like a strong hand was gripping her heart. She tried to pull him up into her lap so he didn’t suffer alone, to try and help him. She also felt deep, burning hatred.
“Blake, what have you done?!” she shrieked at him. Blake looked at her with surprise. Why was she angry? He was here to save her; she was supposed to be grateful.
“I will kill you!” Seneca shouted as he struggled. “I will avenge his death!”
“This is dramatic, but I don’t have the stomach for it tonight.” The seer waved her hand and Gloria slumped to the ground beside Henry, unconscious.
“What did you do to her?!” Seneca shouted.
The seer glanced in his direction. “Far less than he wants to do to you.”
Blake walked over to the struggling young man, sword in hand. “Have you harmed her?” he asked.
“I’ve done nothing compared to you!” he spat. “The damage you’ve done to her mind is far outside of anything I could have ever done! The lies, the deception! How is she going to trust you? The man who she fell in love with and who lied to her every step of the way? Great job there, Lucian Blake!”
“How do you know so much?” Blake asked coldly.
Seneca snorted. “First you kill my best friend, then you think I’ll tell you how I know things? Good luck with that.”
“We don’t have time for this. The mainland could have seen the glow of the fire by now. We need to leave. You’re coming with me.”
“If you let me loose, we’ll see who’s going where,” Seneca threatened.
Blake looked at him, rolled his eyes, and hit him over the head with the pommel of his sword, knocking him unconscious.
AHHHH! We've reached the crest of another wave! Was it what you expected? What do you think will happen from here?
And at first I thought maybe Midshore might kick it for the drama, but it seemed like she had more of a role to fulfill. As soon as they spotted Henry in the tavern, I guessed it was him, since he was a minor character, and the main trio still seemed to important to die at that point in the story.
I actually thought it could've been the seer too, but she turned out to be way powerful
RIP Henry.
I wonder if Midshore will make it in time, or Anwyn's party. Well, "in time" might be too much since Blake already got to Gloria
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
1) When I was talking with a friend of mine about the plot, he said that a character should die. He said a character should die and I didn't want to, but he convinced me it was a good plot idea.
2) I listened to the song in Hamilton Wait For It which says life doesn't dicriminate, it takes...." and it resonated with me. Plot happens to the characters, not just around them. They're just as fragile as any other character (unless they're magical).
3) I was reminded of in Harry Potter when Voldemort tells Wormtounge to 'kill the spare', I paralleled that with the seer telling Blake to kill Henry. Only Harry didn't grow up with Cedric and carry resentment against him.
In conclusion, his death will have meaning, and he will be remembered.
Body is 4 characters too short.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
It was a challenge! I keep wanting them to look like a Lord of the Rings or Star Wars poster where everyone is expertly layered on top of each other, but I just don't have the height for it. Blake was supposed to be looking down at Gloria, and Seneca looking up, but If I did that it would look like I stacked their heads on top of each other and that looked goofy! There were a few times when I had them lined up on accident to be in color order and that made me happy for a little while
I want you guys to know that if I hadn't had your reactions each time, I wouldn't have continued the story this long, and I wouldn't be so proud of it, so I'm really thankful you guys have been here to read it.
Here's a cool little detail: You can't really tell, but the color in the words is actually the background from the very first banner I made for the story, which you can see on the first post of the story (I have a library of all the banner's I've made for it if you want to look back).
I may do a bit of wiggling around to get the picture wider. Mischief Managed
Chapter 59
Seneca and Gloria are adorable together. They really care about each other, and a violin! Nawwww. That warmed my stone cold heart.
Geez, Blake has rather a one-track mind, doesn’t he? Even though I don’t want him to get to Gloria I have to agree with miss Seer here – sit down and drink your cider, Blake. He was like that when Gloria and him first reached the mainland, too. Completely focused on getting to where they needed to go and being “the future king” again at the cost of completely alienating Gloria. Blake seems to have a nasty habit of losing focus on everything else with a goal before his eyes.
I had to laugh at Henry walking in on Gloria and Seneca. Oh, medieval times
Nooooo Henry
I really want to write well too, because the characters are getting a bit more tricky and who's telling the truth and who's saying what becomes more important.
That and I'm trying to go through my irl stuff. I have too much stuff.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Chapter 60
Blake looked at the gently breathing figure of Gloria laying in the bed, a frown on her face as if she were having bad dreams. “How long will she sleep?”
“Probably a day or two more,” the seer nonchalantly took off her shoes and plopped down on the couch.
“She’s already been sleeping for three days already!” he jerked his head towards her.
She shrugged. “It was a bit more powerful of a charm than I thought. I got caught up in the moment. Can you blame me? It was a rousing occasion.” She stretched her arms over her head. “That charm does more than make her sleep though, you should be thanking me.”
“What do you mean?” he asked. “Why should I be thanking you?”
She snorted “It’ll make you a hero.”
“This isn’t a fairytale, a kiss won’t wake her up. And after her reaction to the death of that man...” Blake looked skeptical.
“No, but the sparkle to that charm is that it causes forgetfulness.” She conjured a glass of wine. “She won’t remember what happened that night, or that she’s angry with you. You can make up any story you want to fill in her blanks. You should-” she smirked and took a sip from the glass. “thank me.”
“I can thank you when we get to the palace,” he said, walking away from the bed. “You never named your price.”
“I haven’t decided my price, but I’m getting a good idea of what it will be.” The corner of her mouth inched upwards, making Blake’s spine crawl. What was he going to have to give her in exchange for her assistance? He felt like he had made a deal with the devil.
He sighed and sat down on the other end of the couch. “You said I didn’t need the other man, but you didn’t say anything about the boy. Why is he important? Who is he?”
“That would be telling, child.”
Blake set his jaw and tried not to yell. He didn’t like not being in control of a situation. He wanted to know all the cards in the deck and who had each card so that he could plan ahead and come out on top. If he didn’t know what was coming or who to pressure, he was a player in someone else’s game instead of his own.
“Relax, child. You’re still in charge of… most people. It’s a rare person indeed who can read minds, and decades to hone the gift that most mortals don’t have the time for. Or patience.”
“What were they doing?” he wondered aloud. “What happened since she was thrown in the river? Was she captured? Did the two men harm her? Why was she so upset when I killed the other man? If they forced her to do something…. But then why would she be upset over his death?”
The seer raised an eyebrow, then took another sip. It was obvious she wasn’t going to help him and as much as he wanted to know what had happened for those two months, he knew he couldn’t get any answers right now. Focusing on what was happening presently may help his head to stop spinning. “You’re sure that the boy can’t get out?” he asked.
“I’m quite sure. When I bind the entrances of the tent and the cabin, anything that’s in the tent can’t exit through that portway. And since the tent only has one entrance, and he’s quite tied up, I doubt he’ll be able to get through the canvas.” She sipped from her wine again. “Like a cat in a bag.”
“Maybe we’ll get some answers from him when we reach the palace. I’m going to find out what happened, and they will pay for any harm that came to Gloria ten fold.”
~*~
Midshore shivered as she walked down the road. She hadn't stopped shivering for days now, and it felt like she was getting colder. At least she knew which direction she was going now, based off of the position of the sun, but she was dismayed to find out she had been walking south, not north.
It had been years since she had been to the mainland, a lifetime ago, really. It had been a different time, when she had been trained by the underground alliance of witches. Beatrice had been a part of that circle, and while Midshore hadn't been fond of the woman who bred frogs, she still came politely for tea a few times. That was before the inquisition by the Church.
She had forgotten how cold it could get here. The fashions of the Islands were far different than those of the mainland as well, and whenever she walked through a settlement she got weird looks as though she were a woman of loose morals. Then again, being married to a woman was probably considered loose morals, too.
Still, she looked different, and she was freezing. She needed new clothes. She had packed some money that she had kept tucked away in case she ever had to return to the mainland, even though it was forbidden once you had the rebirth ceremony. She was breaking so many laws right now, she couldn't even count them. But just because she was breaking some laws, didn't mean she was going to steal clothes. Hopefully the next town north would have a clothes shop.
~*~
Montoya's breath caught in his chest. He smiled, trying to not show his alarm, but even at his age, with all of the court drama he'd seen over the years, and all the bad news he'd received over those years, he was having a hard time acting natural and enthusiastic.
"That's wonderful news, my king!" he congratulated. "It's been forever since we had some good news, and the heir alive and well is the news of the year! How long until they arrive?"
"Lucian says they should be here in a week. They've hired a carriage and a prison wagon. He says that he's bringing back a prisoner as well, who was with my daughter on the island they were found on." he recited from the letter before him.
"I look forward to meeting her." Montoya looked down at his food, trying to remember his hunger he had had two minutes ago. This was exactly what he hadn't wanted to hear. Gloria was supposed to find her way home, not be brought back here.
He finished his dinner and excused himself, his stomach in knots. He felt like he had eaten too much, and that snakes were wriggling around beneath his lungs.
He waited until the house was quiet and the king was fast asleep for the night. He fell asleep earlier these days; his age was catching up with him and he rested more.
He wrapped up in a jacket and with shaking hands he tied his boots. A walk wouldn't be suspicious, and the guards tended to be lazy the further away from the king they got. Once upon a time he would have reprimanded them for slacking and slouching, but as he got older Montoya let more and more things slide. He didn't need to be hard all the time.
The air hurt his lungs as he breathed, and the snow crunched under his boots. He wanted to hold his head high as he walked, but he also didn't want to slip on any ice that had formed, so he shoved his hands in his pockets and trudged forward.
"Sir, it's a bit late for you to be out here, isn't it?" one of the new recruits asked. What was his name? Martin?
"Dinner isn't sitting well with me, lad. I thought maybe if I got a bit of a stroll in it would move through the pipes better." Montoya gave his stomach a pat and kept walking.
"Alright, sir. Watch your step out there." He was respectful at least, that was good in a guard.
Montoya waited until he was out of view and then broke into a jog to get to the cabin. He didn't worry about the footprints he was leaving, the inhabitants were his family after all, no one would wonder why there was a path leading there.
He pounded on the door, and he saw a lamp light, then Romeo's head peak out the window. Recognition sparked on his face, and he opened the door, ushering Montoya in.
"I'll stoke the fire," he said, setting more wood on the fire. Anwyn and Liam came out of the bedroom, wiping sleep from their eyes.
"It's late, Montoya. What do you need?" Liam asked, the words rolling around in his mouth like cotton.
"Your daughter is on her way to the palace. Lucian Blake has found her, and they're on their way back. The estimated arrival time is about a week, travelling by carriage. They have a prisoner with them, someone who was with your daughter when she was found." he sat down, agitation in every line of his body. "What's the plan?"
Anwyn looked like she was shook, Liam's jaw was set as he wracked his brain, and Romeo worried his fingers. "At least we know she's alright now," Anwyn said without any conviction.
"But she was never supposed to make it this far, to this point!" Liam shouted, and he kicked the wall. "How are we going to get her out of there? The king will never let her out of his sight,"
"Montoya, you're in charge of the guards, can't you weaken the guard and make it easier for us to slip her out?" Romeo asked.
"The king trumps anything I say, and I'm sure that he'll order guards to watch her at all times. Nothing I could say would change that, and they would wonder why I was trying to change what the king ordered. It would bring suspicion to me."
"We have a week until she arrives, we'll have to come up with something." Liam rubbed his face, feeling his cheekbones and beard under his fingers.
Sorry that this chapter took a bit longer to post, I wanted the ball to keep rolling after the climax but I figured I should start to build up again and that requires slowing down. I visualize it as a pyramid; I have to place the base first before I can build the rest of it, and with each climax I have to build a new platform.
If there were any typos, I didn't give my editor friend enough time to go over it, so it's wholly my fault. As always, your comments keep me going, so let me know if you thought anything at all!
TTFN!
Blake, you would make a very annoying, not-fun opponent in most card games. Especially seeing how you seem to be a bit of a sore loser. 😂
Ooof, poor Midshore, wandering around in the snow and cold with so little clothing 😯 I’m getting shivers just looking at her. I hope she can find some better clothes before she turns into a popsickle. I also can't help but wonder if the Beatrice from Midshore's memories is the same witch that is helping Blake kidnap Gloria. She's so shrouded in mystery, that one.
Gah! She’s not your daughter, you rotten potato! Ah, he probably doesn’t even care if she really is, as long as he can pretend that she is and use her as a pawn. Montoya is quite the godsend for Anwyn, Liam and Romeo, being able to keep them informed like this. Otherwise they would have been completely in the dark. Hmm… They’re probably right that the guard will never let Gloria out of their sight. If they want to rescue her, they’d need to do it before she fell into the king’s hands. While they are still on the road. If it’s just Blake, or Blake and a few guards, then the three of them might have a chance 😮
The witch who bred frogs? Mrs. Frogwater? :0 But is she a witch?
Looks like the trio are stressed out by this new development. I'm excited to know what'll happen next
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
So, Beatice isn't as important as I'm making her sound
Aw, there goes my dramatic "It's you!" witch-on-witch confrontation
I'm still wondering if anything way back will resurface sometime soon, kind of like how Lady Malice's nephew became a huge part of the plot.
I do remember when Anwyn met that mermaid (?) girl in the basement years ago when I reread the chapters a while back while speculating on how Blake and Seneca were related to Anwyn's past. I wonder if she's important to the plot
I guess we won't see Mrs. Frogwater soon
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Happy love day! (from a very single lady who is still fishing.)