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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
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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.
Where Loyalties Lie The Story of Leila V
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
Where Loyalties Lie Ivan's Lament II
Kassio Orlov didn’t want to attend court that morning. According to his father, the current Prime Minister, there was an esteemed position waiting for Kassio because of his achievements. Orlov didn’t want anything to do with the current king or his dynasty. His family had long been silent critics of the king’s policies and military pursuits, but Orlov’s private studies had long produced him with the opinion that the current governing body was a ruinous system.But what could he do? Orlov had still yet to graduate from his studies! He sat silently at his father’s side, who was nervously tapping his fingers on the edge of his desk. The doors to the court room opened, announcing the arrival of the special guest.“His Highness the Seventh Prince, Prince Ivan!” Orlov craned his neck to get a good look at the youn
Where Loyalties Lie Ivan's Lament III
The first order of business was to prepare Ivan for his official crowning as a legitimate prince. Although he was called by the title, there was usually a special ceremony that took place at birth. Seeing as how Ivan grew up in the small village of Vria away from the palace, he never had the opportunity to be dubbed.Orlov spent the next week going into the palace and educating Ivan on the expectations of the ceremony. Orlov noticed the little boy preferred darker colors, so he asked one to be prepared for the ceremony. The entire royal family would be there, plus every noble in town for the season. It would be best if Orlov could begin curating Ivan’s character to make him a likeable figure to the public and the nobles.Finally, the day arrived, and Orlov personally escorted Ivan, whose long red cape trailed behind him as he walked, completel
Where Loyalties Lie Ivan's Lament IV
The moment they entered the temple, Ivan felt a searing pain shoot down his back, threading down the mark on his back. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground in front of the priests that greeted them.“What’s wrong with the boy?” An alarmed priest asked. They immediately crowded around him.“-Back…” he grunted out, reaching out to grab a hold of anything that could let him ease the pain. Orlov immediately pushed the priest back and ripped off Ivan’s cape and coat and other layers revealing his deeply scarred back.“It’s blood red,” one priest commented in shock.“Look at the shape of that!” another exclaimed. They all fought to get a good look at the boy’s back whi
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The northern territories took ten months to calm. Ivan and Orlov fought together in countless battles, but they’d have it no other way. Before, their relationship was muffled by the teacher-student label the king had placed on them. And although Ivan still saw Orlov as a teacher, he also saw him as a friend… like a brother. Or however a brother was supposed to be. Those boys in the palace could not qualify for the position.When they returned, the king honored Ivan and Orlov with a banquet, and promoted Orlov to a diplomat to the Allied Clans.“So you’re just going to leave for Vaatu territory like that?” Ivan huffed as they practiced sparring.“I don’t control where the king takes me. Besides, he’ll probably send you on another campaign soon. We can only
Where Loyalties Lie A Better Understanding
After Ivan completed his tale, they sat in silence. They had moved to the parlor, and a servant had served them tea. Ivan’s teacup was still full, while Ursa’s was half empty.“So?” he prompted.“What do you want me to say?” she said slowly, worried she might offend him in this kind of state.“Now you know the terrible truth. You must be disgusted,” he said with a bitter expression. Ursa shook her head, a small smile displayed on her lips.“We all have our pasts. We all made our mistakes. I am not without my own faults. In the end, those are what we take with us to the grave, but it doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything to do that can fix it. My people used to be peaceful, we
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