Athelstan
He awoke with a sudden sensation of a great commotion outside his rooms, his head was beating, and his eyes were heavy. The night before, on his return from his long hunting trip he had stopped in a tavern in the city, yielding perhaps a little too much to wine and distractions.
He turned to his side. The sun was already high in the sky, the light of the rays entering from the wide-open window, illuminating the whole room, while a sea breeze pulled away the white curtains that adorned the open windows. The sound of the harbour, the sailors’ noise, the crates of the merchant ships unloading the goods, and the cry of the seagulls flying high in the sky of Waterfall Bay. Athelstan took a deep breath and stood up, making as little noise as possible. He stretched as his bones crackled and turned to the bed, but his night companion did not seem to be disturbed by his movements.
The girl slept blissfully, covered only by the wh
AthelstanHe left his room and saw that the servants were agitated, there were people running from one side to the other in frenzy. Athelstan was forced to move to the side to avoid being run over by a servant who was holding a basket in her hands.He had come back less than a day from hunting and already wanted to take his horse again and leave. He felt oppressed inside those walls. Surely the creator of all that chaos was his father, King Kyros was known for his misunderstanding and insensitivity to anyone outside himself. Surely his father at that moment was rattling orders everywhere, and certainly, sooner or later, he would have summoned him, and Athelstan had no desire to listen to what he had to say. He wanted to get as far away as possible before he sent someone for him.The corridors were illuminated by the large windows on the side that faced out, the windows were open, and there was no curtain to adorn them, the king did not like the colors or decorations very much, not as
AthelstanHe got up and approached him too. He pushed people to the side to make room. He looked at the sea.The ships that had just passed the open gate of the bay were sinking, sinking, destroyed as if they had crashed into a rock of gigantic proportions.From that distance, he could see only the sails of the big fishing boats that slowly went down below the water level while the cries spread around the port. His mother caught up with him and stood beside him, looking out over the bay.“Go down to the city, they may need help,” she said with a little excitement.“He goes back to the castle and waits for my news.” he kissed his mother on the cheek, then nodded to one of the guards who came there. The guard approached his mother and escorted her into the palace.“Now everyone calms down and go back inside,” he told the people that it was crowded on the balcony by now.&ldqu
SumonNathan gave one last push and then walked away from her body, panting, his body sweating. He lay next to her and put his arm over his eyes, trying to catch his breath.Sumon took a deep breath as she turned her head away from her husband, looking at the wooden cabinet next to the bed. On the surface was a necklace with a cord of black cloth, to which was tied a small blue stone that seemed to light up when the dim light of the torch hung on the wall hit it.Nathan took it off before he got naked and went to bed with her. Since they were married and spent the nights together, Nathan always took it off, but he never kept it away from himself. He never separated from that object.Sumon wasn’t sure if that gesture was out of respect for Sumon or his old lover. Even though he never said it, Sumon knew that object belonged toher.Sumon saw it from how he carried it and protected it as if th
Sumon“Lady Castel invites you this afternoon for tea with other ladies,” a maid said, standing at the door of her chambers.Sumon rolled her eyes while Claire, her servant, tied her dress laces behind her back. The last thing she needed was to deal with the lady of the fortress. She had neither the time nor the desire.Claire finished with the laces and smoothed her blue skirt. Sumon turned to allow her to place the rigid band under her breasts, raising it slightly and making it look bigger than it was. Claire turned around and tied it behind her back. When she finished fixing it, Sumon sat down so Claire could fix her hair.“Thanks, Lady Castel, for the kind invitation, but unfortunately, I am forced to decline for today.”And forever, she thought.“There are urgent matters that require my presence,” she smiled.The maid nodded and bowed, then left the room. Sumo
TarynShe opened the window, and the morning frost hit her face, making her shiver pleasantly. The sun was already shining in the sky, peeping out from the snowy mountains. After almost a week, the storm had stopped, and the days had finally brightened, allowing people to leave the castle walls. Taryn breathed deeply, letting that cold air into her lungs, filling her and giving her chills all over her body. The landscape around the castle was completely snowy, she did not know how high the snow was after such a storm, but she could see part of the trunks of the trees buried by the white winter mantle. Even the bare branches were covered. From the window of her quarters, she saw the walls of the small town, outside of them, there was a small river that flowed all around, heading west towards the mountains and glaciers.Taryn observed the landscape calmly, that would be the last time she would see the snow. That
Taryn“Do you know the story of how I took my father’s place when I was only five?” Taryn shook her head. “Your uncle, the usurper, had surrounded our castle and taken one of my older sisters. He had given terms to my father, Lord of Sneaf, before me. Kneel down and proclaim me the only king of Elder and I will spare your daughter’s life, he had told him.” Taront shook his head and turned to look toward the open window. “My father was forced to obey him, my older sister was Sneaf’s heir. In our family, there has always been the custom that the firstborn, man or woman, would take command of our house. My sister, Tamara, was my father’s heir, and he wanted to save her at all costs.”He smiled sadly and looked back at her.“So one night, he took most of his strength and met with the usurper,
TarynShe went down the stairs that led to the garden outside, wearing black leather gloves. As she went down, she felt the cold touch her skin, and her breath condensed when it came out of her mouth. Some servants were lighting torches attached to the wall of the stairs, and when she passed did not pay the slightest attention. The sky was darkening, and it was time for Taryn to leave.She tied the laces of the red cloak as soon as she touched the last step. The doors leading to the outside were wide open to allow the cold to enter the castle.The people of the north had this custom. The night before a departure they left the doors wide open. The frost was a good omen for a departure, and it didn’t matter much if someone ended up frozen. The castle was pervaded by a light winter breeze that almost led to the walls freezing. Taryn did not understand those old customs, but she had allowed the lords
NathanFive years beforeThe carriage stopped, and Nathan could hear the noise of people outside screaming for happiness. His head was resting on the back of his seat, and he watched his father, sitting in front of him, his eyes closed as if he were sleeping. Lately, he had become increasingly tired, and that long journey would have proved him a lot. On his head, he wore a gold crown with red streaks and diamonds.The coachman told them they had reached their destination, and his father opened his eyes. Like Nathan's, large dark circles surrounded the blue eyes, reddened by fatigue. They shouldn’t have gone that far, it wasn’t worth it. His hair, now white and long, was combed and pulled back, which gave him clean air and a little more severe than it already was. He wore a tunic of heavy cloth with their family's royal coat of arms embroidered on i
Victoria opened her lips and Athelstan slipped his tongue into it, beginning to make her play with his as he placed his hands on the girl's hips and pushed her towards the bed. Meanwhile, Victoria ran her hands over his bare chest until she reached the laces of his pants which she began to untie frantically.Arriving near the bed, Athelstan pulled his mouth off hers and made her turn her back. He moved her hair to the side and lowered the tiny shoulder strap of her dress, as he bent down to kiss her bare collarbone, unfastening her bodice with his fingers.Victoria reached out and dipped her fingers into Athelstan's red hair as he continued to lick and suck the bare skin of her neck.When he finally finished with the last lace, the dress loosened and Athelstan slid it down from her body, slowly stroking with his palms the skin that was gradually freed from the light fabric. His mouth continued his fiery battle with the skin of her neck, kissing and sucking
AthelstanAthelstan's chambers were dark when he entered with a servant in his ribs. While Athelstan took off his belt with his sword and rested it on the wooden table, the boy moved silently from one side of the room to the other, quickly lighting candles placed throughout the large space.After finishing with the candles and lighting the room thanks to them, the servant took leave leaving him alone.Huffing, Athelstan took off his tunic from above his head, remaining with his chest uncovered, sat down in the chair and poured some wine into the cup, emptying it immediately afterwards with a single sip.He raised his head to the ceiling and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. In a few days he would come face to face with Nathan Fannil and would have to swallow all the resentment and hatred that would certainly fill him. Pretend nothing, perhaps pulling out one of his brightest smiles, trying to control the impulse th
"The Sunauras were majestic creatures and managed to defeat and seal the power of the Ucrie. They confined him, but made a small sacrifice. They also had to confine the power of all other men, they bound it to the lives of those who later became the Old Men. As long as at least one of them remained alive, that power would never be released. Left alone and defenseless, Werod had to deal only with the Sunaura. A face-to-face confrontation, but despite the great power they had, they could not defeat him. When they were almost completely annihilated, the Sunaura combined their powers and one of them collected them to defeat him definitively, creating their own Bringan. The elected used all the power in his body to seal Werod.""Seal?" asked Taryn, confused."Killing Werod was impossible, so the Chosen One simply sealed him along with all his demonic creatures," Elhias explained."But not the Ucrie.""The Ucrie were now powerless and no longer posed a
"When it happened, my father decided to take her to the priestesses and there we met a woman, one of the Ucrie," Elhias said, his gaze lost and his mind turned to those old memories."A Ucria?" she asked in surprise.Elhias nodded. "She was, before she became a priestess herself.""You really saw a Ucria," Taryn said in disarray."They're not three-headed monsters, Taryn. They are human beings like us," Elhias said with a laugh."Didn't you ever think it could be dangerous? Could she be a spy?""The Docria trusted her blindly, if the ancient priestess can trust a Ucria, I don't see why I shouldn't too," Elhias replied, shrugging his shoulders, as if it were the most normal thing in the world."Do you realize that you trust others too much?" said Taryn in an exasperated tone."What can I do, I like to see the good in people," he replied, winking."What did the Ucria tell you?" Taryn immediately changed the subject.
Taryn"Bring Werod back to life?" asked Taryn surprised. "Werod is just a legend. A story to scare children.""Behind every story there is a kernel of truth, Your Majesty. For example, children are told the stories of great warriors with extraordinary magical powers and we ourselves are led to think of magic as a frivolity, as a story created just to entertain us when we were children, but the other day you saw what happened. You saw what you did."Taryn remembered the incident a few days earlier. That strange force that even now she felt circulating in her body and was doing everything to keep her at bay. It threatened to take over, to escape from her like an indomitable tiger trying to escape from the cage in which she had been locked for years."It was just an illusion, a coincidence. I slammed into the table and the jug broke," she said, shaking her head."You slammed so hard that you made the jug explode
"Rotten? How is this possible? They died yesterday or am I wrong?" Sumon turned her head towards him, looking at his profile, while Nathan stared at an undefined point in front of him and drank. The apple that came down, while he swallowed the wine."It's the same thing I asked for when I got there. But then one of the farmers opened one of the beasts, showing me what really frightened him. As soon as he opened the meat, a dark, thick liquid poured out of it, releasing a disgusting smell. Half of my stash started vomiting just with the smell." He inhaled deeply as if his nostrils were still filled with that smell, as if he could feel it even in the room. "The exterior was normal, but the interior was disgusting. The flesh was beginning to take on a black color and the organs were completely rancid, as if it had been dead for weeks. Not even the crows approached to feast." He shrugged his shoulders as if he had been struck with a shiver of disgust."That's not a good om
SumonSumon took off her clothes and slipped into the tub filled with boiling water carefully prepared by the maids that evening.Night had fallen quickly on that cloudy day, the moon was not visible, covered with thick gray clouds, making it dark and dark.She took a deep breath and let the scent of the oils envelop her completely, relaxing her.Before leaving her alone, the servants had served her dinner and lit a few candles inside the room, making the environment gloomy, but welcoming.She had left the food on the table, not touching it in the slightest, her appetite had disappeared. Her stomach had been closed from the moment a messenger arrived from the borderlands with Locrand.The new queen closed her eyes and rested her head on the wooden edge of the tub, letting the hot steam and perfumes fill her nose, relaxing all the tense muscles of her body.Nathan had left immediately to go check the situation
"Do you think I don't know the movements of every legion in the army, Pix?" Doreon narrowed his eyes. "Whether you like it or not, your troops are part of Haefest's army and coincidentally I am its commander, so you and your men answer to me," Doreon continued in an authoritarian tone.He had not moved an inch, he had maintained a relaxed position all the time, intimidating the lord in front of him."At least they were right to trust you," Pix said. Doreon looked at him, for a moment, confused. "My father and other lords had high expectations of you, mostly due to your ancestry, of course." Doreon continued to stare at him without uttering a word. "Did you think that the king had chosen you, a little boy, moreover the son of a man convicted of treason, as commander of the army because you know how to do some trick with the sword? Every choice is supported by the council and the lords and we, or rather some, have made your name, alluding to the fact that a young and fre
DoreonThey had camped in a dense forest, the vegetation covering the smoke of the fire they had lit to warm themselves that night. They had successfully hunted a deer that had satiated them for that hard day's journey.In a few days they had managed to reach the border of Haefest. Doreon had pushed the horses almost to the limit to be able to get there as quickly as possible.He knew that Nathan wanted the message delivered as soon as possible and Doreon always obeyed the orders given to him, even if many times he did not like them.He threw the cleaned bone into the fire as he watched his men, chosen by him for the journey, giggling like idiot boys.Doreon had sat on the sidelines, away from his companions, so he couldn't hear what they were telling to each other about so much fun. Not that he wanted to or cared. He looked at them through the flames of the fire that was placed between them, like a wall placed between Dor