#the missing prince

[briabooknerd]

[permettez-moi]

So, I'm reading the missing prince, and I'm at the scene where Maddie keeps sticking her tongue out, while practicing juggling.

Didn't Will used to do that in the earlier books too?

And if so, it would be beyond adorable if Maddie accidentally picked that up from him

[araluen-arrows]

reading the missing prince

spoiler alert, naturally

-  “sir horace, duncan’s son-in-law” has a nice ring to it

- why does Lord Anthony have a network of spies in other countries?? what’s the diplomatic corps for then???

- the way Will wants to give Maddie a last name so she doesn’t have to feel the way he did when he was an apprentice,,, my heart,,, (is this actual character work from flanny?? i’m impressed.)

- "Maddie wasn't required for that meeting, so she went in search of her former lady's maid and companion, Ingrid." I SHIP IT

- Halt taught Will how to speak Gallic?? ahhh???

- Maddie’s terrible singing voice brings me joy

- Halt calls Will’s mandola a lute AGAIN

- he points out logical mistakes in the song that Will’s singing,,,, just like he used to do with Crowley,,, oh my god

- I don’t like Cassandra’s portrayal in the book so far?? she’s kind of been reduced to a role as Maddie’s mother while Duncan is king again and. I don’t like that

- I would read an entire book about Castle Araluen’s jester squad. that isn’t an overstatement. 

- one of them is a woman named Sanne who can juggle, do acrobatics, AND throw knives and i am GAY and concocting an entire backstory for her

- OH WE GET TO MEET HER NOW?? BLESS finally a book that passes the bechdel test

- plot of this book so far: Ranger’s Apprentice Trains As Clown (slowburn wlw jester romance??)

- ohohoho competent clown lady can CRAFT knives by herself?? rail me

- THEY STRAPPED WILL TO A SPINNY WHEEL AND THREW KNIVES AT HIM STOP IM SOBBING

- Halt’s Gallican name = Arretez and Will’s = Accord (for Treaty)?? love it here

- There’s more references to past books and missions in this one which I respect. I think Macindaw’s come up at least three times? did Flanny finally learn universe continuity??

- hey flagpole who in the french royalty hurt you why are every single one of them written as assholes

- Will seems less like Will and more like Halt in this series :( like their characterizations are converging or something?? it feels like I’m reading about an entirely different person and it makes me sad

- This entire “missing prince” thing is sketch tbh like,,, I bet Lassigny and King Philippe are secretly in cahoots, or Giles doesn’t exist or something and it was all a ploy to capture a Ranger

- Will having to leave his instrument behind to maintain their cover makes me Very Sad

- find a different metaphor flanny if i hear one more thing about “swarmed up the wall like a giant spider” i’ll throw something

- I’ve been told that this is a cliffhanger so i am Scared

- well. 

- HEY FLAPJACK IF YOU’RE GOING TO PUT IN A PLOT TWIST CAN YOU MAKE IT BELIEVABLE AND NOT HAVE IT COME OUT OF N O W H E R E THANKS

- okay well i guess i need to wait another year for a satisfying ending to this plot arc so rip uhh 7/10 writing was fine i wish lesbians existed in this universe

[araluenrangerdanger]

My copy of the Missing prince arrived 🤩 please do not disturb for the next 4 hours

[redrose-arrow]

So I finally got to read the Missing Prince

but before I get to the (spoiler-free) genius of the book, I want to give a huge shoutout to @rangergilan for they’re the reason I got to read the story even though my physical copy is still MIA. their kindness has left me speechless and i just want remind everyone in this fandom that we’re blessed to have them among us. ❤️

Now, about the book. there’s a lot of Will and a substantial amount of Halt. Will is exactly how i’ve grown to love him, except now he has an extra dimension to his character, mentoring Maddie. the banter and interaction is exquisite, it’s JF at his best, especially thanks to new duos that we haven’t seen together yet, or much. there are so many parallels with earlier books (Sorcerer in the North, Early Years) but also new mystique that we haven’t seen yet. it’s truly, truly, a good book that i am sad to have finished.

so.

if you want to talk theories hit me up

if you want to just scream because the book is a work of genius and the ending should be illegal, hit me up

I’ll need some more time to process this for a few more days, so help a girl out ;)

[katiecanblog]

I went to town after work today with a friend and was planning on stopping at the bookstore to buy the new Jennifer Nielsen book and the new John Flanagan book. By the time we were finished eating at Olive Garden, we found out that the bookstore closes at SEVEN PM. Which was the time we were leaving Olive Garden’s parking lot. That seems extremely early for a store to be closing on a Friday. So anyways, I’m very sad now because I’ve been waiting for these two books for a very long time and now it’s going to be even longer yet. Wasn’t planning on going back to town tomorrow but I might end up having to. Don’t know if I can wait any longer than that.

[elliemarchetti]

Speaking of the missing prince, that fanfic has given me an idea. What if Maven had been kidnapped by Montfort and was held hostage like the Piedmont prince and princess. (Let's say he's 12-15 years old at this point) How would Tiberias, Elara, and Cal react if that happened and what would they do? How would this change the plot? P.S. Do you think in the missing prince Julian had a party and danced on Elara's grave when she died?

Although Montfort wasn't a strong enough power to be able to afford a war with Norta when Maven was 12-15 I like the idea, especially because Elara would've done everything possible to get her son back alive but still cover her secret and Tiberias would've used the affront as an excuse to start another war. I think the only one who would've really seen something more in that gesture would've been Cal but no one would've listened to him until the Scarlet Guard, who would be behind the entire ordeal, had contacted him specifically. The whole plot of Mare falling into the arena wouldn't have been very different but things would certainly have changed enough for the king to match Mareena with Cal and the two of them would've collaborated together for a better future until Tiberias VI death, moment in which he would've found himself unable to abandon the crown because, if he had abdicated, the throne would've been Maven's and in his absence the regent would've been Elara. So Mare would definitely join the Scarlet Guard and everything would take place as if during WS they had been at peace, that is just a particularly long version of BT. And in The Missing Prince I'm pretty sure is Julian who killed Elara to avenge his sister and didn't really cared about what could happen to Maven without her whisper since he's the son of his worst enemy.

[newblood-freya]

The Missing Prince

Summary: Maven meets The Captain

First Chapter

Previous Chapter

Chapter 3: The Captain and the Syren pt.1

In the silence of the room I begin thinking about what I remember before waking up here. My father had decided to go along with his plan to send me off to the frontlines. He just waited until after Mother's funeral.

What a courteous father he is. Waiting a whole day before shipping me off.

The soldiers and I had already left Archeon. And then, just as we were about to board the airship… there was an ambush. They had us surrounded and because there was a prince to protect we quickly boarded the airship, but it had been sabotaged. So we were trapped like rats when they forced their way in.

After that it’s all blurry.

The last thing I can clearly remember is a sharp pain in my neck and then… nothing.

o0o

I’m roused from my thoughts with a knock at the door. I look over at my roommate in silent question. She just rolls her eyes and shouts for the knocker to come on in before turning to lie on her side facing the wall.

The door opens and in walks a young man, probably in his mid to late twenties, wearing a pair of jeans and a blue T-shirt. He smiles when he sees me. I can’t quite tell whether it’s genuine or not.

“Hey, I wasn't sure if you'd be awake yet. I’m Roland,” He extends a hand for me to shake. After a moment of deliberation I take it. “I’m meant to be giving you a tour of the grounds and explain a little about what all goes on here.”

Might as well be polite. Pissing off my captors will get me nowhere good. That in mind I paste on the most cordial smile I can manage and say, “Let's get going then.”

Motioning for him to lead the way and following when he does, not bothering to spare my new “roommate” a glance on the way out.

o0o

“And this is one of the music rooms. It’s usually where we do collective music therapy.” I give a slight nod of acknowledgement, pretending to be interested as Roland shows me to a room identical to three others.

We’ve been on this tour for half an hour at this point and I’ve yet to glean any useful information. So far he’s only told me things that star girl’s already mentioned and while the second source conformation is nice, it gets me nowhere.

As we depart from music room number four Roland seems to be working up the courage to ask me something. I wait, outwardly patient, inwardly less so, as he gets nearer and nearer to spitting it out.

Finally he blurts out, “Who are you?” I blink. Well that's certainly not what I was expecting.

Not even bothering to hide my offence at the question I ask. “Could you clarify what you mean by that?”

For his part Roland seems adequately embarrassed at the terse nature of his phrasing. Quickly back peddling as he responds. “Sorry, that came out wrong. I just- you don’t seem to be the kind of dangerous that would warrant being roomed with The Syren. So I was wondering what you did before you were brought here.”

“The what?”

“Your roommate?” Not noticing my blank stare, my guide continues. “You’ve never heard of The Syren?”

“Evidently not.” I respond in the dryest deadpan I can manage.

Ignoring my tone, Roland elaborates. “Maven. You're sharing a room with a very dangerous assassin.”

“As opposed to a warm, cuddly contract killer?”

Well I suppose that explains why she wasn't worried about the possibility of my hurting her. It would probably be better to table this until I can speak to the assassin in question.

With that in mind I put on my most pacifying smile and say. “I’m just a prince.”

o0o

As we neared the end of the tour, Roland led me to an unmarked door at the end of a long hallway. Everything about this scenario sets my nerves on edge. But I'll be damned if so much as twitch. Until they prove to be enemies I will remain the docile, clueless prince I've led Roland to believe I am.

When we reached the door it swung open before he could even knock.

We were greeted by a young woman, probably late 20’s early 30’s, with shoulder length light brown hair that had ice blue crawling up from the ends even in her fringe. The woman gave Roland a tight nod of dismissal. Before turning to me with a calculating look. I can tell that my mask isn't fooling her, so as soon as Roland turns the corner out of the long hallway, the mask is dropped.

Upon seeing this, the woman smiles and steps aside, gesturing to a chair behind her with her left hand. “Hello Maven, my name is Ekko. though, most people around here refer to me as The Captain. I thought you might have some questions and figured it would be better to hear the answers from the person in charge.”

“And that's you?” I ask as I recline in one of the very comfortable chairs in her office.

Slightly smirking now, The Capitan, takes a seat on the couch across from me. “And that's me. So questions, ask away.”

“There are many things I’d like to know. How did you know what mother did to me? Why did you have me brought here? When can I leave? When can I get my bracelets back? Where we are geographically? What kind of ‘treatment’ you plan on giving me? And why the hell, you decided to room me with a professional murderer?”

The capitan leans back in her seat with a contemplative look on her face and says nothing for a good five minutes. Until… “In order, I’d heard stories about the whisper queen of norta. About how she allegedly whispered the previous queen into madness for a shot at the throne. And I thought, ‘why would someone marry the suspected murderer of the love of their life? Very suspicious if you ask me.

“So I sent in spies, thinking that perhaps your father was whispered into an unwanted marriage. And while it was apparent that your father's mind was his own. But yours wasn’t. Your symptoms were obvious to anyone who what to look for. The plan was to wait until you had been sent to the front lines and quietly extract you there after faking your death.”

My eyes narrowed as I tilted my chin up and injected a bit of princely haughtiness into my tone. “And why didn’t you?”

Unfazed by my shift in demeanor, she goes on. “Your mother died. We wanted to get you out before the withdrawal set in and you hurt someone or hurt yourself. Before you devolved into insanity.”

“Insanity?”

“Yes. your mother has been in your mind for, I’m assuming, your whole life. The amount of psychological damage that’s done is immeasurable. If we had left you on your own you would have come apart at the seams. And it's more than likely that you either would have been killed, or locked away for the rest of your life in constant torment by delusions, hallucinations, and thoughts that don’t belong to you.”

A/N I LIIIIIIVVVVEEEE!!!!!!!! 💕Happy Valentines Day 💕 Hey, so I know it’s been a century. I just... lost all motivation to write this, so I didn’t. But motivation has returned. Updates probably won’t be consistent, but I’ll try. Thanks for reading.

Also, can you tell that this took six months to write?

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