Cosette rose early the next morning and dressed, utterly dreading each and every step which brought her closer to the day's events.
Which was worse, she wondered? The upcoming contest for the revel roles? Or being saddled with the Princess and her insipid lot? At least the latter offered a...
From the window of the carriage, Cosette stared at the manner which loomed ever closer. Her sister, Lady Lucinda Keath, resided within the Keath estate within Blackgate for most of the year. Her husband, Malcolm, tended to travel between it and the proper Keath holdings located outside of the...
Pleasantries about the long trip, unsuccessful enquiries into what is going on in the north, and a general description of certain tapestries or portraits donned on the walls they passed later and they were finally alone.
One specific portrait made Cosette pause, just for a moment. The woman...
Veora had come to terms with Cosette traveling south into the capitol by now and calmed down once she parsed what that meant.
The future queen of the north could keep her head, most likely. Almost definitely. So long as she was careful to ensure that Cosette could not get caught up in any...
If there was anything Cosette truly hated, it was suffering through tedious, stuffy and downright suffocating meals with nobility. Her own family was no exception to this rule.
If anything, they were the reason for it. Blast it all, of course her father had traveled to Selmire to welcome Lord...
Things had grown terribly tense at Mountainkeep, with Lord Grimaldβs impending departure looming. It was agreed that Cosette and her entourage, and Ser Day would be accompanying Giles southward. Cosette would be stopping at her estate. The rest would venture onward, toward the capital. And...
Nothing couldβve prepared Sylas for the arrival of the post a couple of weeks later.
Envoys from Upsala did indeed arrive, sent for by Lord Grimald as a means to quell his bannermen. He expected them to intimidate his daughter into confessing that she was acting out. Prove in some way that she...
Leaving the dining area mightβve been the best thing to escape the awkwardness, but it did leave Cosette with one small problem.
She hadnβt the foggiest idea where Veora had run off to, and Mountainkeep was absolutely massive. Even with Veoraβs extensive tour, she knew there were plenty of...
Veoraβs birthday party was every bit as dull as Cosette had feared it would be. Mountainkeep was filled to the brim with the stuffy, clout chasing aristocrats that made her skin crawl. She did her best to keep up appearances, not wanting to cause any sort of scene. Veora mightβve been...
When Cosette received word that she had been invited to the northernmost territory for a birthday feast, she was utterly appalled. She could think of few things more frivolous and wasteful than a banquet celebrating a single womanβs day of birth.
βOh come now Cocoβ, Sylvie admonished. βYouβll...
Decker echoed the thought on Aniceβs mind. Duplicating the circle and following after the culprit struck her as the only real option. If they were allowed to make contact with the supposed dragon and the calamity Bellamy foresaw was allowed to unfurl on the kingdomβ¦
She couldnβt allow such a...
Bellamy was no stranger to being in the spotlight. Sheβd been fussed and fawned over ever since her gifts had been revealed to the royal family, and her duty as the voice of the divine had been decided. Sheβd never truly hated that role, but this was one instance where she didnβt relish it.
She...
The captainβs machine was certain that this was indeed the design that had been in the floor. From her seat Bellamy looked to the king, uncertain on how he wanted to proceed. Ramus regarded Millarβs images silently for a moment before letting out a sigh.
βWhat a fine mess weβve found ourselves...
For a displaced stranger in a hostile land, this Viggo was very chatty. Millicent glanced back at him, smirking.
βThis land is only dangerous to untrained fools like you. As for what I was doingβ¦β, her gaze flickered to his container. βI was gathering ingredients to be used for medicinal...
Anice wanted to argue, aside from the light headiness she felt fine. There were bigger issues at hand than her personal health, such as the location of the person who had kidnapped her in the first place. Taking the canteen from Conway, she gratefully sipped the water within, stealing a glance...
Morlock didnβt blame Decker for his suspicions about Cassandra, for all intents and purposes she fit the small amount of evidence they had. But he trusted the mage, more importantly he trusted Bellamy, who could ascertain Cassandraβs truthfulness. It didnβt matter if Cassandra tried to lie...
Millicent frowned; it seemed this man wasnβt a common fool. That didnβt explain why he fell from the sky, seemingly through a hole in the very dimension she inhabited. Milli had questions, lots of them. But before she could attend to all of that, she needed to deal with this strangerβs...
Morlock straightened as the call was picked up.
βThe interrogation of Cassandra Alves has wrapped up. She isnβt our perpetrator; itβs been determined that she didnβt cast the spell during the kingβs speech. However, she reported that there was a strange person in the crowd, one that she sensed...
If Patches could breathe, then sheβd be holding her breath. Her tiny frame was stock still as the beast stalked toward Frey, the monster paid her no mind. That was a good thing, because Patches didnβt stand a chance against it. The bear charged at the naimar, crossing the short distance between...
Patches didnβt know why she was running; sheβd been told to stay with the cart. Sheβd been told not to use her powers, but she knew that Frey couldnβt take that bear on his own. She didnβt want Frey to be hurt, or worse, die. As she rounded the bend she watched as Frey threw himself out of the...