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All Chapters of The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

28 chapters

The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story/J. D. Buchmiller

It was late afternoon on Dêldia 23, 364 when Earl Rajashekar of Rivas arrived at port in Tariq, Alaric, a country that was at the time mostly inhabited by humans. The voyage from his home country of fire elementals, Arderé, was a long one, and he was relieved to obtain a decent night's sleep for once. Hours before noon the following day, the earl made haste in a coach to a lavish restaurant and scowled at the dirty Tariquans who had failed to disperse overnight. Fortunately, the restaurant wasn't located too far from his luxurious inn — he had made sure of that. The earl was one for convenience. He made eye-contact with no one when he entered the restaurant with his two footmen and was pleased to be led to his table right away. The last thing he needed that day was to be kept waiting.Earl Rajashekar knew immediately that this day would turn out well for him when he

Chapter Two: And the Deal Gets Worse

The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story/J. D. Buchmiller

Braelyn remained quiet as she was taken to the Port of Tariq, and she continued her vow of silence once they had arrived. She was greeted by Earl Rajashekar, but she still didn't say a word as they boarded the exquisite long boat with its geometric carvings and sea serpent figurehead. The earl's men shoved her below deck where numerous enslaved men rowed to the aggravatingly steady beat of a drum. Braelyn tried to be thankful that she was restrained against a post and not among the rowers, but that drum quickly got on her nerves.The whole three-week-long voyage felt like three months to Braelyn and she refuse to utter a word for all of it. But she had to admit that she wanted to scream for joy once they finally docked at a port in Arderé. It was a beautiful country of gold and adobe buildings, but she primarily found it intimidating considering she had never even left Tari

Chapter Three: The Escape Attempt

The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story/J. D. Buchmiller

It was a while before Braelyn was instructed to head to the market on another Auroday, during which time she always made sure she looked her absolute best on this specific day of the week. She dressed up on other weekdays as well so to avoid suspicions, but on Aurodays she made sure to pay special attention to her hair. Few Arderians had hair as brightly orange as hers and she felt it was her best asset to attracting the count — or any other noble for that matter. On both of the Aurodays she was sent to the market during the past two months, she failed to catch the count's attention. It seemed that her hair wasn't bright enough to make her stand out in a brightly-dressed crowd. So on the Auroday she was sent to the market in the month of Sueño, she tried something different. She dressed in gold jewels, and black and dark green silk to stand out against the multicolored Rivans, and while she packed some fruit into the carri

Chapter Four: The Butcher and the Meat

The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story/J. D. Buchmiller

Omid ran the entire slaughterhouse property which was owned by the Baron of Rivas. Ravan hid his apprehension well as he gazed at the wooden buildings, the stone well, the farm animals, and the large number of workers. He had always been successful at shoving his emotions deep within him since dealing with the earl's sons, and he sensed he'd be doing this often while working here. Once the coach rolled up to the property, Omid showed Ravan to the bunk house where he would be sleeping, which was a structure with no rooms shared among eighteen other boys who also worked there. After Ravan was settled, Omid gave him a tour of the location and its routine. "Don't fret, Boy," he said as he led Ravan outside. "Everyone only works here until they hit twenty years of age and then I let them go their own way. Of course, you're always more than welcome to stay and make

Chapter Five: All Debts Require Repayment

The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story/J. D. Buchmiller

Ravan rode straight to the neighboring town of Mael where Lord Pierce was count, and he spent his first week there on the street. He quickly obtained a number of odd jobs and before the second week managed to rent out a small flat for himself in the cozy Sandcliff Inn. It was the day after he moved in that he decided he would make his way to Chateau Westerlay to confront Count Pierce about the debt he owed his mother. Ravan spent quite a bit of money on new clothes so not to appear too ragged upon arriving at the estate. He supposed it was better to look like a commoner rather than a peasant, and the horse he stole from Omid went a long way in accomplishing that. He rode up the tall, sandy hill to the amber and adobe mansion which sat at the top. Upon seeing the two broadly-built guards at the double ebony doors, Ravan channeled just enough energy to hide his nerves and dismounted his horse to approach them. Read more

Chapter Six: Running and Failing to Hide

The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story/J. D. Buchmiller

Ravan reluctantly remained beneath the tarp until he recognized a change in the road. He peered out from the beneath the tarp and realized with sudden panic that this mysterious woman was taking him out of Mael. "No!" he demanded as he jumped off the wagon. "No, I'm not leaving Mael!" The woman stopped the wagon and dismounted the box to face Ravan who jabbed an angry finger at her. "Where are you taking me?" Ravan paused upon recognizing the reddish-brown curls flowing from the hood of the woman's black cloak. "Evietta..." "Oh," the woman replied with a smile. "You remember me at last." Ravan glanced

Chapter Seven: The Debt is Repaid

The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story/J. D. Buchmiller

Ravan struggled to comprehend the conclusion to the conversation he had just closed with the captain as he watched the centurions ride away. How in the world would he manage to scrounge up five hundred pieces by next month? And how would he explain this to Evietta? He wouldn't explain, he resolved. There was no reason at all for her to know the predicament in which he found himself. But now how would he explain this unexpected, heavily-armed visit to her?Evietta was no fool. She immediately knew who those men were, and it was clear by the look on Ravan's face when he entered the kitchen that the conversation had not gone well. However, she wanted details."What happened? What did they say?"Ravan rubbed his face and ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to design

Chapter Eight: The Birth of Ravan the Great

The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story/J. D. Buchmiller

Ravan traveled by foot to Mael, but truly he didn't mind the trek. It provided him time to plan, devise, contemplate while ignoring the colorful succulents surrounding him. Normally the scenery would help to relax him and bring him peace, but there was no peace to be had for Ravan anymore. He was sick of the struggle in his pursuit of happiness. He much preferred to be with his family since now, what more did he have left to live for? Literally there was nothing. Ravan felt he had reached a hopeless low from which there was no way to be uplifted, but before he would end himself and join his family, he resolved to be sure he'd bring along with him those who had brought him down into this hopeless void.At times, a piece of Ravan would consider that perhaps he may not actually desire revenge. Maybe it wasn't worth the risk, the time, or the malignant reputation it would bestow upon his name. It wouldn't bring back his family, so what was the point? It wouldn't make him happy an

Chapter Nine: The Threat of Ravan the Great

The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story/J. D. Buchmiller

Ravan kept in the shadows as much as he could and took his time to approach the near center of the base where the records building stood silent and sturdy. He found a side of the building where few centurions were around and he scaled the wall to reach a shutter at the top floor. Here he used a knife to jimmy the shutters open, then climbed inside the darkness of an office. He worked as quickly as he could before any centurions could come around and spot him.Ravan closed the shutters behind him and lit all the lamps and torches in the room at once. A simple, light brown desk sat at one end of the office while cubbies of scrolls lined two walls adjacent to it. Ravan hardly knew where to begin, so he figured he might as well begin in this office and search through each scroll he could find. Upon reading his fifth scroll, Ravan learned that these were the records of a number of trai

Chapter Ten: The Terror of Ravan the Great

The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story/J. D. Buchmiller

There were seventeen centurions manning Captain Fadi's unit the night of the execution of Ravan's family, and Ravan went down the list he had copied from the scroll. He spent several weeks studying their daily routines all the while narrowly avoiding the extensive manhunt the centurions had going against him. There were a couple times when some centurions had spotted him and a battle broke out in an alleyway or open road, but Ravan would see them coming and managed to get away each time. He always made sure that he wasn't being followed back to the belfry and that he was never seen entering.Six weeks after his security breach of the base, Ravan finally started to take down each soldier who had been in the unit on that fateful day. He never attacked them at home and he was never concerned that they would cower in their homes. They always had to come out into the public eye at some

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