The Peninsula

The Fiction and Poetry Archive of Liana Mir and scribblemyname

Lost

Feb
07

It was cold out. Winter had never been particularly friendly to the wayfarer in the wilds beyond reach of city or road, let alone to fugitives, fleeing their former masters. Snow had piled deep through every thicket and stretch of the wood, ice coated the river in all but the most rapid sections, and no path was visible in any direction.

In short, Ishalt was lost, which wasn’t a terrible thing in summer when there was food for forage and the only thing that mattered was suitable distance from one’s pursuers. In winter, it could mean life or death to find shelter.

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Chapter 1: Beloved of the Gods

Jun
03
This entry is part 1 of 6 in the series Four Lands, One Heart

The blood of priests and oracles ran thick in the royal family. Eleya had wakened from night sweats and visions when she was sixteen seasons old and been delivered to the convent furthest from the Royal City at the Heart of All Things. There she was devoted to the gods, and what has been devoted to the gods should not be taken back again.

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Chapter 2: City at the Heart of All Things

Jun
03
This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series Four Lands, One Heart

There was always the element of balancing political relationships and the intricately woven web of loyalties, rebellions, even small defiances, and having the right lineage in the first place when it came time to evaluate the four royal spouses a new monarch must take.

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Chapter 3: Patterns in the Winds

Jun
03
This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series Four Lands, One Heart

The Northern Prince was about what they’d expected, slight of build and almost delicate in appearance, with fair skin like morning clouds and blue eyes like chinks of sky, narrowed at them in wary distrust. That delicate look, those airy features had always been deceptive, and even the most coddled royalty of the first of the Four Lands had an uncanny ability to survive.

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Chapter 4: Consummation of the First Land

Jun
03
This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series Four Lands, One Heart

The Queen’s bedchamber was opened and aired through the day as the servants cleansed it from top to bottom. The Queen herself was not allowed within during the process. Eleya tried to occupy herself by moving upward through the castle’s once familiar halls towards a destination she could not remember.

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Chapter 5: The Second and Third Lands

Jun
03
This entry is part 5 of 6 in the series Four Lands, One Heart

Tanata rose early most mornings, except on the rare annual holidays he’d always been granted leave for. He’d been trained in the Guard since he was a young boy, newly arrived from the mountains. One didn’t laze around in bed or in the courtyard. Too young to fight, there were errands to run, messages to carry, armor and weapons to polish and care for. Too old to scramble about, there was training and light duty shifts until the day there was the strength to stand in the Guard.

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Chapter 6: Consummation of the Fourth Land

Jun
03
This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series Four Lands, One Heart

Sahasarel had wondered at the knowing words and looks Nirune used when watching the previous consummations, and he finally asked directly. “Did you sleep with others too before the marriage?”

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