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Out On the Town
The weeks that passed after the revelation of Ursa’s five year plan and her visit to Lady Tatya were blissful. Either Lady Tatya learned her lesson, or she was plotting something for later, she stayed in line. Of course, she was also not invited to future tea parties hosted by the Empress.
To the public, Lady Tatya was bitter towards Empress Vasil because of her quick rise to power, and Empress Vasil felt distaste toward anyone who defended the poor noble lady who got executed for masterminding a scheme to get rid of the Empress.
Of course the kidnapping was never made public knowledge. Even the nobles were told a slightly different tale of what happened. Only those involved knew what really happened.
But all that was moved to the back of Ursa’s mind. No one picked a fight with her for weeks. Inste
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Where Loyalties Lie Who Is Ivan Vasil?
After Ursa returned to the palace successfully, she was quiet for the rest of the night. She laid in bed, unable to shut her eyes and let sleep take over her. What those men in the pub said kept replaying in her head over and over again, like a broken music stone.There was so much she still didn’t know about Ivan, and she was so easily blinded by his kind gestures and handsome face. She wanted to know more about him, especially if she was to live the rest of her life tied to him by the strings of Qader.Tossing back and forth, Ursa finally decided to get up and make her way to the library. It was the middle of the night, but that was nothing a small candle and a long shawl to cover herself with couldn’t fix. Cecily and Emery slept in the room opposite of the library, so she didn’t need to worry about waking her up. Avoiding the servants
Where Loyalties Lie Ursa Confronted
Despite Ursa’s late night escapade to the library, she still managed to wake up on time for court. Ursa’s routine went as usual, bathing, grooming, dressing and the like, although this time when she was done, the Prime Minister himself Lord Kassio Orlov waited outside her door.“Lord Orlov,” Ursa greeted politely as soon as she was ready.“Your Majesty. Today I thought I would escort you to court, seeing as your husband returns today.” The moment Ursa got the news that Orlov was waiting for her, she knew something was up. Why else would he be here? Orlov knew something.Ursa smiled, holding her arm out to loop in his. “That sounds pleasant. Besides, I have a few questions, Lord Orlov.”Orlov quirked an eye
Where Loyalties Lie The Story of Leila I
*TW: r*peA young girl, barely seventeen, was brought to her knees in front of the imposing king, sitting high and mighty on his throne. Her blonde, almost white locks of hair fell forward, covering her face.“Do you know why you have been brought here?” The scrawny attendant said with false authority. The girl shook her head, shivering from fear. How did she end up in this situation?Leila had come to Ichares with hope in her heart. There had been positions opening in the palace after some rumors had run rampant about the king’s behavior. However, Leila came from a poor family from the countryside, and her father was terribly sick and needed money for treatment. The moment Leila heard how much they would pay, she packed her bags and hopped on the first carriage out of her small v
Where Loyalties Lie The Story of Leila II
It had been raining non stop since the king found out about her pregnancy. Leila was in despair, stroking her flat stomach.“It would be good if I didn’t have to bring you into the world,” she whispered softly.“You shouldn’t speak like that!” admonished a booming voice from the doorway. Leila swiftly looked up to see her torturer. He wore a grand fur cape with gold chains and broaches. “This child is a gift, you should be thankful you are able to serve your king in such a way.” Leila didn’t respond, only looking through the window at the downpour outside. The king, angered by being ignored by this woman, gripped her chin with his hand. He put some pressure just so he could hurt her. “Listen to me when I talk to you!” he roared.Her vacant
Where Loyalties Lie The Story of Leila III
Leila couldn’t tell how long she had been walking, all she knew was that she had been walking for a long time. Her bare feet ached and were caked with mud, and her loose nightgown was torn at the edges. The sheet she had wrapped around her body was dragged through the dirt road, and smelled of animal feces and grass. Occasionally a carriage would pass by, and Leila would hide behind the nearest cover, be it a tree or a rock. The road was on the open, dead grass, and it was quite hard to hide all the time, so she covered her face with the disgusting sheet, despite its horrendous odor.It took the entire night for Leila to walk the twelve mile journey to the guard’s hometown. No doubt it would have been a shorter trip, if not for Leila’s fugitive status and the fact that she was heavily pregnant.When the sun rose over the horizon, L
Where Loyalties Lie The Story of Leila IV
Leila’s unexpected return was a surprise to her parents but also a celebration. But when they saw the pouch on her back with the small child with Vasil-like features, her mother could only speculate.Leila’s father was still bed-ridden and terribly ill. After all, he had been relying on Leila’s constant payments from her job as a maid in the palace being sent to the nearest town, where her mother would ride to pick it up. Mysteriously, those payments stopped around ten months ago… and the child was about a month old…No. Leila’s mother was just glad her precious only daughter had returned to their village. She had warned Leila of the outside world. How vicious cruel the reigning Vasils could be. Leila’s mother only hoped her daughter didn’t have to experience that cruelty first hand.
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Everyday Ivan would be brought to the Vrian Council, where he would learn basic magic skills. When one is so young and so powerless against his oppressors, it conquers the mind and soul, where one is left nothing else but a drive to learn the mysteries of the greater power. He would pour over books about magic for hours on end, exasperating his grandmother to no end. His grandmother didn’t particularly like him. Whenever his grandmother looked at his tan skin and dark hair, she was reminded of the suffering her daughter went through, and the beating that their reputation took. His mother alone was the only person in the entire world who accepted him for who he was.Ivan constantly felt the need to prove himself to his peers, the councilors and even his family. That he was enough, that he wasn’t a burden, but a gift. He even dug out his grandfather’s rusty old sword and would swing i
Where Loyalties Lie Ivan's Lament I
Ivan had never seen a city before. He had spent his entire life in the small village of Vria, locked away in the tall mountain range. The tall buildings and busy streets were a daunting vision to Ivan’s narrow world view.The man who claimed to be his father ordered his men to place Ivan on a horse and secure him. They took off soon after, leaving the village of Vria to burn from Ivan’s own power.He didn’t look back.But sometimes, in the middle of the night, the faces of those boys who couldn’t move fast enough to save themselves flashed in his mind like flashing lights, reminding Ivan of his sins. And on his back, Ivan could feel the constant reminder of his actions, in the form of a red mark that looked like tree branches originating on his spine and crawling up his back
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