Dwell here, in the innermost sanctum of the palace, are the worshipers of gold and titles; where pragmatism joins hand-in-hand with fortune as rulers of this debauched society. There are no friends to be had here. Only allies— tools. Pieces to be used and discarded once no longer valuable.
G E N R E | New Adult. High Fantasy. Court Intrigue.
P O V | 3rd Person
S T A T U S | First Draft
T H E M E S & T R O P E S | Ambition. Power. Succession Crises. Arranged Marriages. Revenge. Hunger. Morality. Murder Mystery. Family. Loyalty. War. Duty vs Desire. Ambiguous Magic System.
S U M M A R Y |
A being without a 'soul,' deadborne princess Fenice vi Aetier has been kept in obscurity for most of her life and all but resigned to a fate of being forgotten. Then, her mother is found murdered in the woods near her castle. Fearing for her safety, her estranged father whisks her away to the glittering halls of the imperial court.
The court is as cruel as it is beautiful, and Fenice finds that she has a taste for it. She ignites a dangerous succession game between her and her half-brother Charles, the heir presumptive, where losing means death but winning means an empire at your fingertips.
But winning a crown is no easy task. Not when Fenice is considered an abomination at worst and an ill omen at best. Not when the circumstances of her mother's death unearths far more dangerous truths. Her father's war is far from over, and if she doesn't win, she'll lose far more than just her head.
C H A R A C T E R S |
Fenice vi Aetier -> the disparaged princess of the realm and daughter of the Emperor's beloved. She is the first "deadborne" to ever live past infancy, earning her the scorn and morbid curiosity of those around her. Though untested, her cunning and burgeoning ambition make her an unknown threat.
Charles vi Aetier -> the heir presumptive to the Aetierian throne. His stunning appearance and charming demeanor mark him a favorite despite his apathy towards court life. Only time will tell how he will act when the foundations of his future are shaken.
Sola Eidos -> Once a refugee from Ulona Mai who fled the country during its decades of civil wars. Little is known about his past, though he has sworn a life debt to Titania and her child. His wanderlust and friendly demeanor helped create a robust information network.
[ excerpt from wctd ; it's been too long since i gave y'all content so...uh...enjoy?]
“Why?” He barked. “Is it not obvious why?”
“I believe I do not know what you are talking about.”
“You are a harbinger of doom!” Caelcinius’ chair screeched as he stood, robes flaring around him. “An omen of destruction. Unnatural. An abomination!”
“Your excellency—”
“That you have continued to survive this long only spells the coming of a great disaster and I will not have my eternal soul damned by giving blessings to such a thing.”
“Your excellency I recommend that you watch. Your. Tone.”
Fenice’s nails dug crescents against her skin, fury roiling within her chest waiting to lash out. She bit the inside of her cheek to calm herself. It would not do to lose herself now.
Caelcinius was heaving. Blotchy face going slack as realization lit up his eyes. He steeled himself, hands coming to clasp each other behind his back. Chin raised so that he looked down at her with his beady eyes. “What I have spoken is not defamation. It is truth.”
“Perhaps.” Fenice’s voice was tight. “And I will not begrudge you your truth. Nor your attempts at saving your…eternal soul was it?” She laughed. “Well, nothing I can do about your eternal soul. It is Aphel’s to do as he pleases, and as far as you are concerned I have no soul. Though perhaps I may yet be able to change your mind.”
Caelcinius shook his head. “Forgive me if I say that there is little you can do to change it.”
Since the founding of the Aetierian Empire by Kaelstansa the Great, officially there has only ever been one family, one dynasty, the ruled over Aetier. Those bearing the surname vi Aetier (literally meaning "of Aetier") have since then become synonymous with the empire, and the empire synonymous with the imperial family. That does not mean however that there were not sub-dynasties within the empire. Families who, by their own good fortune and the ill fortune of others, found themselves seated on the Phoenix throne with the right to take the vi Aetier names for themselves.
ascendance of the drochonan dynasty ;
When Emperor Alexios V died of an illness and left no blood heirs to assume his throne, the short-lived and tragic Arkadian dynasy came to an end. Ascending the phoenix throne in its place are the vi Drochonas—first cousins once removed—whose reigns are as bloody as they are prosperous.
Below is a partial list of all known members of the Drochonan dynasty since Empress Saphynia's coronation.
/ SAPHYNIA I “THE IRON QUEEN’
The younger of the vi Drochona twins and the one who assumed the crown upon her coming of age at eighteen. Her reign saw the end of the Cal-Aei war and the expansion of the Aetierian Empire, brining victory to the empire after almost half a century of gruelling losses. Her sexuality gained her the criticism of her advisors and the nobility, as her adamant refusal to take a male consort sprung up questions of heirs. A problem easily remedied when she adopted her brother’s son.
/ KAREO “THE INDOLENT”
The elder of the vi Drochona twins and the duke of Rubello, the seat of the vi Drochonans. He famously refused to the crown in favor of his twin sister citing that the crown was ‘too much work’ and would drive him to an early grave. This did not stop him, however, from being one of Empress Saphynia’s most trusted advisors and he had even ruled as regent for long stretches of time in his sister’s absence.
/ KARLEON III
Kareo’s son and Saphynia’s appointed heir. His reigns saw relative prosperity, though it is during his time that Aetier declined its expansion eastward towards the Taulan Plains. Their efforts stymied by the rising power of the Iskaavar and the threat of the unification of the numerous Taulan tribes. He is most known for his numerous children and was killed by his fifth son, Dantalion I.
/ AREIONA
The first child of Karleon III and his first wife Empress Meidira of Aranthia. She was praised for her brilliance in numerous subjects such as history, science, theology, literature, and military tactics. She was named reilma-imperessa but perished from an undisclosed illness, though there are rumors that foul play was involved.
/ ARETOS
The second child of Karleon III with consort Silvia. The blood-sibling of Astaria vi Aetier. He was confirmed as the next reilma-imperessor a decade after Areiona’s death and was the first of Karleon’s children to die in the King’s Game.
/ ASTARIA
The third child of Karleon III with consort Silvia. The blood-sibling of Astaria vi Aetier. She was Dantalion’s main contender for the crown, with their feud lasting six years as she fought for her crown and revenge for her family. She died at the Siege of Konstantinye, marking the end of the King’s Game. Astaria only had one child, though it is rumored to have died during the Siege.
/ DANTALION I “THE GREAT”
The fifth child of Karleon III with consort Ruona. The blood-sibling of Andras vi Aetier. He was Astaria’s main contender for the crown. He was sent as a political hostage to the Iskavaar atthe age of 10 and would not see his homeland for more than seven years. He distinguished himself in the military with the reclamation of the Islands of Cer and his nigh prodigious control of arcana. He is known by many epithets, including “Areia-blessed” “favri deori” “the Lionheart” and most famously “the Kinslayer” for the assassination of his father and his many siblings.
/ ANDRAS
The seventh child of Karleon III with consort Ruona. The blood-sibling of Dantalion vi Aetier and the current Duke of Rubello. He is the only one of Dantalion’s siblings (sans those who married into other kingdoms) that survived the King’s Games. He helped Dantalion secure strategic victories during the King’s Games and often acted as his brother’s representative in gaining supporters.
/ FENICE
The first child of Dantalion I with his first wife, the once-empress Titania of Taul. What was supposed to be the herald of a new age and a source of stability for his reign turned into an ill omen. Adeadborne, she grew up far from the eyes of court in the dukedom of Isidore.
/ CHARLES
The second child of Dantalion I with his second wife the consort-premier Illysandre vi Soresi. Beloved amongst many, he is expected to take up his father’s mantle as the next emperor of Aetier. He is known as the gentlest of the vi Aetiers.
[wctd noncanonical scene - from 'i just wanna write soft things.docx]
THE NIGHT IS OLD WHEN NIKE SLIPS BETWEEN THE SHEETS, his weight slowly dipping the left side of the bed as he tries to slowly ease himself down without disturbing his sleeping wife. The gesture was out of courtesy than any need to be discreet. Nike learned, after their first week of marriage, that Fenice was ever the light sleeper.
She shifts to face him, red hair a stark contrast against her pale skin and white sheets. Her eyes open— but just a sliver, silver irises shining like crescent moons. Fenice squeezed her eyes shut as she stretched. Spine arched, spindly arms coming up to push against the wooden headboard with a quiet groan.
Nike pulled the fallen duvet towards Fenice. “Forgive me for waking you.”
Fenice hummed, burrowing deeper into the warmth of their bed. “As long as you haven’t buried a knife beneath your pillow.”
He chuckled, raising his pillow high to bare only pristine white sheets. “As if I would.”
“No,” she agreed. “You are too soft.”
He lays his head back down, hand gliding upward to cup her hands in his. “You are cold.” Nike pulls her hand to his side and she lets him, content to watch, as she always does.
“I am always cold.” She rests her forehead against his, strands of her loose hair tickling his nose. “Dead things usually are.”
“Your pulse beating against mine begs to differ.”
She laughs at that. Soft like clouds and as quiet as a stray breeze in the dessert.
Nike smiled as he pulled the covers over them both. There, curled up against each other, they simply breathed. The shadows of the night enveloping them like an embrace so tight, Nike, for a moment, thought he could forget about the world outside their chambers.
But only for a moment.
Fenice gazed at him, eyes half-lidded, framed by ugly shadows that would be painted away in the morning. She blinks slowly, eyes fluttering every so often in an attempt to keep awake. And she would, if she had to. Stay awake, that is. That is why it is Nike that closes his eyes and tucks his chin. Head immediately returning to the early days of his education where his ederosus attempted to make him memorize all the ways a prince must conduct himself.
He loved his ederosus, he really did. The man just had the rather unfortunate talent of putting young, energetic princes like Nike to sleep.
“You did not have to come back.”
His eyes snapped open. “What?”
“To me. To my bed. There is no reason for you to.”
“Must I need a reason”
Her silence was what answered him.
Nike sighed, turning to lay on his back, head pillowed by arm. “Must you fear the snakes that you avoid the trees?”
“I do not fear all snakes—only the ones in my garden.”
“Which one am I?”
“I don’t yet know,” she whispered. “And that’s what frightens me about you.”
Tropes/Themes: Duty vs Desire, Court Intrigue, Trust No One, Legacy
After the mysterious death of her mother, the deadborne princess Fenice vi Aetier is whisked away to the very same court that rejected her upon the moment of her birth. Armed with cunning wit and a burgeoning ambition, she stakes everything on stealing the throne from her estranged younger half-brother and claiming the future she believes is hers by right.
psd template by @/lghtyagami
psd coloring: (03. get it started) by @/harupsds and (psd. 41) by @/mirokosmoresources
Rules: find the given words in your wips, and if continuing the chain then pick some new words :)
My words are: awake, listen, sharp, hum, and catch
Awake
Fenice gazed at him, eyes half-lidded, framed by ugly shadows that would be painted away in the morning. She blinks slowly, eyes fluttering every so often in an attempt to keep awake. And she would, if she had to. Stay awake, that is. That is why it is Nike that closes his eyes, chin tucked and knees slightly drawn up. Head immediately returning to the early days of his education where his Ederosus attempted to make him memorize all the ways a prince must conduct himself.
He loved his Ederosus, he really did. The man just had the rather unfortunate talent of putting young, energetic princes like Nike to sleep.
-- When Comes the Dawn
Listen
Fenice’s lips curled into a rueful grin. “Gods hear but they do not listen.”
-- When Comes the Dawn
Sharp
You remember a dream: a woman; sharp and elegant, who wore steel and mail as easily as if it were the silk dresses of her youth. A man; calm and giddy, he tightened the leather straps of his vambrace with his teeth. Another woman, another man. Dressed in armor, dressed in gold, they wore their garbs like a second skin, eyes bright, eyes golden, alive.
-- The Stars do not Bind Us
Hum
You grasp the sword’s hilt and raise it— sheath and all, for some instinctual part of you knows not to unsheathe this blade— above your head. You slice the air with a single stroke. The blade is in perfect balance, a natural extension of yourself. (Of course it is. It is yours. Has always been yours.) It hums, content in your hand and you relish this feeling of rightness— of almost-completion that fills you.
This was a great month guys! Even if April lasted like basically one week. I got pretty far in WCTD, the farthest I've ever been since the restart, and while I'm still figuring things out along the way I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on where this story is heading.
Also, can we appreciate how Fenice's characterization went from Ice Queen to positively feral (and slightly cannibalistic)? Girlboss, what happened.
Excerpt 1:
FENICE HUNGERS in the way all dead things do:
silently and without abandon
A rumbling chasm in her gut; a charybdis that opens its gaping maw and swallows the world only to spit it back out because what she eats does not sate her appetite. Only emphasizes the hollowness. The absence. The Hunger.
Excerpt 2: [cw: violence and mild gore]
Aretos only stared at her with that damnable silver eye of his. In vivid clarity she imagined herself lunging at him. Gouge out that eye he is so terribly proud of. Pluck it from his skull and squashing it in her fist; grinding it beneath her heel, so that he can witness with his lone eye the very symbol of his so called claim be reduced to nothing more than ground viscera on the dirt floor.
Anyway, we are near reaching the first major plot point of the story which is Fenice's Ascension. Though I have written a couple scenes that take place way farther down the timeline where things are a lot more...messy.
New Goal - 30k, but I might raise it to 35k or 40k depending on how things go.
Switching from daily updates to weekly updates because it's a lot easier to keep up with honestly. Don't really have much of a favorite line(s) since all of my writing has been in sprints, but I've had a lot of plot revelations. This week's writing is still in a lot of the exposition/set up stage, though the characters (specifically Sola and Fenice) are gearing up towards their respective investigations. Setting up a murder and an embezzlement scheme is hard okay?
Excerpt -
Come on, Sola. Mind over matter…or this case mind over mind. Rationality over emotions. Look at these files as if it were any other job. Any other body.
He took a deep breath to calm himself--
Then poured himself some wine anyway because fuck all of that.
