Greetings everyone
I hope the week has come to a nice relaxing end and you all have time to relax this weekend. I currently have one very happy client and another that is silent about his progress of this project. Other than that, I don't have much else to say, so please enjoy this next update as we get to know Sebastian a little better.
Sebastian had known that his sister was forced to bear a set of twins to the brute, but he had had no idea of the genders until his sister had told him. A son and a daughter, it was everything Maria had wanted as a little girl. He shook his head slightly. No, not Maria, she was known as Mary to the people of Dragonshold.
As their small procession made its way into the castle, Sebastian gave a small nod to one of his shadow spies who had followed him. He noticed the revenant looking in the same direction but said nothing. It was clear this creature was far more powerful than the stories stated.
“You can’t very well expect me to come here alone.” He grumbled.
“No, and I suspect that the creature will tell your people to camp well beyond the walls of the castle.” Said Mary.
That shocked him. He was sure she hadn’t seen the shadow spy.
“Mary, I…”
“I understand.”
As soon as they were within the castle walls, Sebastian noticed several Clarpratians. They looked so similar to those of Dragonshold, he had almost missed them. But the slightly darker hair and eyes stood out from the rest of the people gathered. He was sure they had come to see one of their own, hoping for news of those that had been left behind. He didn’t have news for them.
Once Mary had cleared the battlements, she turned and curled her finger at those that stood on top.
A niece and nephew.
“Was the brute a good man?” asked Sebastian.
“Will you please stop calling him that?” demanded Mary.
“No.”
Mary sighed and turned back to the castle before continuing her walk. “He was a good man.”
“A good father.”
“He did what he could.”
As soon as the twins joined them, Sebastian understood what Mary meant. The girl carried the Dragonshold blade, while the boy wore a similar one. The boy wasn’t the heir, and he carried a hint of magic.
“Well, now I understand.”
He didn’t address the children as they fell in step with their mother. There would be time for introductions once they were in the throne room. The small group continued to walk through the castle, with the servants gawking at the Lifedrinker, but saying nothing. The guards didn’t gawk, they looked ready for a fight, and those who were originally from Clarprati were all carrying the wickedly curved gauntlets. They knew.
As soon as the revenant closed the throne room doors behind them Mary reached out with both her hands and slapped the back of the twins’ heads. The clang of metal against bone was almost deafening, but the twins didn’t yelp.
“A listening spell, really? I couldn’t be more embarrassed!” hissed the queen.
“We promised no more secrets.” Snapped the girl.
“You would have been told about the meeting, but I needed to see my brother privately.”
The girl looked back at Sebastian with her mother’s eyes. She showed no fear of him, and the smell emanating from her reminded Sebastian of the flowers that grew outside his bedroom as a child. The boy reminded him more of the brute that had taken his sister, but there was a gentleness in his face that reminded Sebastian of his mother.
“The boy looks a lot like Mother.” Said Sebastian softly.
Mary looked at her son, and a soft smile played on her lips, “He does yes.”
“And what are they called?” he asked.
“Why don’t you ask them yourself? They may look barely 13 winters, but they are hardly children.” Mary continued toward her throne and sat down as the twins turned to face their uncle.
The Lifedrinker grinned a little as the girl placed a hand on the pommel of her blade. While not nervous, she wasn’t stupid. Sebastian closed his eyes and took a deep breath before saying, “Jasmin and…I think cinnamon.”
When he opened his eyes, the twins were looking at him in confusion. His grin broke into a smile when he simply said, “Your scents.”
The boy continued to look confused, but realisation dawned on the girl’s face. He knew then who had inherited the scent gift.
The girl blushed a little and muttered, “Dirt.”
“As it had been for a long time.” Said Sebastian sadly.
“I am Adrian.” Said the boy, trying to break the tension, “And this is Magna.”
“What? No ridiculous Dragonshold royal names?” laughed the Lifedrinker.
“I insisted on simple names.” Said Mary as she sat down.
The Lifedrinker half turned to the revenant and asked, “And you are?”
“You may call me Mortis.”
“A death knight then.”
“No, it is the name Magna gave me.”
“His is Lord Magnus, the man who started the line of Dragonshold.” Said Mary as she waved her children to their thrones and Mortis to his position.
Once all four were staring down at the Lifedrinker, Mary asked, “Who are you?”
Sebastian bowed deeply, this wasn’t his court, and he would have to play his role as well as any visiting dignitary.
“I am Lord Sebastian. The firstborn of Jedeth and Hakatha and current ruler of Clarprati.”
“I heard mother died. What of Father?”
“Dead.”
This seemed to surprise Mary at first, and without thinking, she stumbled forward and demanded, “How?”
Sebastian rose to his full height and said, “I killed them.”
Mortis saw a blaze of fury in Mary’s eyes, and he was worried if he needed to step in, but instead, the queen rose to her feet and screamed, “Why!”
Her fury fizzled out when Sebastian went to his knees, and a look of pain crossed his face. He clenched his hands and choked out, “I…lost control.”
Then Mary remembered. She had been sent to fight Johnathan because her brother had been injured fighting the beasts that surrounded their land. She hadn’t seen him since that day. The surgeons were sure he was going to die, and they feared he would turn. Her parents had refused to put him down. Mary would have done it herself, but her parents quickly had her removed from the castle. She had been forced to wed Johnathan and take the untouched with her. She had taken on the responsibility but never knew what had become of her brother. When she had received his message that their mother was dead and to never return, she had been sure he had survived. But she knew, she knew he had turned, but she had lied to herself all these years as Clarprati had kept to itself.
“Mother forced you to marry the brute and take our untouched. I was angry, in pain, and dying. I could feel the beast wanting to go after you. I was chained in place until there was no way to go after you. Mother tried to calm me, and I got free. Her blood was the first to pass my lips. Father tried to protect her, but he was weak and old, and it didn’t take much to tear him apart.”
Mary took this in strive before she whispered, “But how are you not bestial?”
“Because I pay the price for killing my own blood.”
Rhys is still missing and Sebastian has dropped a bombshell on his sister. Did he discover how to save Lifedrinkers from their fate? And does this have anythign to do with his dying. No idea! That's up to @zakludick to decide.
Here is an explanation of Chain Stories and here is the current Chainstory Library
Mortis Custos
Sanguifex
| by @zakludick | by @lex-zaiya | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 |
| Part 6 - You are Here | Part 7 – Coming Soon |
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