Maytag's Playhouse => Artist's Den => Topic started by: RyanAsquith on March 17, 2011, 04:44:11 pm
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the first few (very rough) chapters of a novel im writing
SORRY! i finally found a copy. If anyone notices any references to video games please feel free to guess which ones. I was inspired oto write it after reading certain pages of the NSFW webcomic Oglaf.
Here it is:
A Friend of the Snow Queen
The town of Kaedwen , an agriculturally dominated settlement with a large standing population of approximately 10,000. Kaedwen shares its borders with the smaller town of Ugush , a place situated in the territory of the nomadic Khergit’s, and the cold lands belonging to the Snow Queen and Ice Palace.
Despite being close to the cold regions of the Queen, Kaedwen’s summers are long and winters short, perfect for the grain, rape-seed , rye, barley, which the Khergits are famed for brewing into beer, and wheat that the town is famed for exporting.
Unfortunately, winters of late had become longer, and spring starting later, leaving scant time for the crops to be sown and harvested. The grass exports of the town are harvested much too early, and too green , leaving little to trade after the needs of the townsfolk.
Soon many, unaccustomed to the long colds, died of frost or disease brought on by the long winters. The town of Kaedwen ceased to grow and soon many began to emigrate, looking for warmer pastures.
The population grew restless, and many began looking for someone to blame. Not much evidence was needed to begin blaming it on Kaedwen’s cold neighbour, the Snow Queen, or the shamanistic culture of the tribal Khergits, and tensions in the regions soon began to increase. Foreigners in city were mistrusted, and no punishment was given to those who attacked them. The number of traders, merchants and peddlers who travelled to Kaedwen, dwindled, and soon altogether stopped.
Conflicts soon broke out among Kaedwen and Khergit, and border skirmishes were frequent. Kaedwen raised a militia army and invaded Khergit lands and sacked Ugush.
Despite the killing of Khergits the harsh winters still reigned, and the town took drastic measures. They hired heroes, assasin’s and thiefs to infiltrate the Snow Queens’ Ice Palace and kill or threaten her to stop the winter. Many were lured by the large sum offered by the town, and died in the frozen winterland of the Snow Queen’s realm. Only one hero managed to find and enter the Ice Palace, but found the halls lonely, the rooms bare and the throne room empty. Upon his return he soon died of frost, but swore he heard the sobs of a young woman, echoing among the halls.
~1~
E
skel hurried. He knew that if he didn’t reach town by sunset, the animals of the night would catch him, and tear him to pieces.
‘I wish Mother would find a closer place to plant her herbs’ Eskel inwardly grimaced.
The harsh winters have limited where Eskel’s mother, the town herbalist, could plant the numerous herbs, shrubs and fruits needed for her trade. A small valley, shielded from the cold, was semi-warm and a small spring was fed by the ice-flow in the nearby mountains. It all, it was an ideal place for the garden, but it was a good two hours walk from town.
Not Surprisingly, Eskel was not at all affronted by the cold. To Eskel, the winter air and landscape embraced him, as if welcoming one of their own.
A light ahead interrupted Eskel’s reverie, and relief flooded into his mind as he realised they were the lights of the town.
Eskel shivered, this winter had been long and vicious, even by Kaedwen’s standards. Eskel knew if spring didn’t come soon there would be no time at all for sowing the fields with grain, the staple of Kaedwen’s diet. If there was no grain, which, although was in short supply, was the cheapest food source and feed the poorer of Kaedwen’s populace.
Occupied with thought, Eskel did not see a hole in the road, and tripped over, sprawling into the paved road. Eskel attempted to rise, but collapsed again as he put weight on his right leg. He knew it was twisted, or sprained at the worst.
Looking around he saw a small arctic pine, a species of tree which had been thriving due to the cold climate. Hobbling over he tore a large branch of and tested his it. Satisfied that it would hold his weight he used it to help himself walk along road towards his home.
Eskel judged by the distance of the lights that he was about a kilometre away from town. He also glanced at the alarmingly fading sun and knew he had very little time.
Hearing a noise, Eskel turned around and noticed several black shapes, most likely wolves, a distance down the road.
Upon seeing a hobbling figure up the main road, the guards posted at the gate rushed forward to help him stand up and walk towards the gate.
“Jesus, kid, what did you do to yourself?” asked a guard. Eskel frowned mentally. His small stature caused strangers to believe he was an adolescent. Now a man, by Kaedwen’s standards, Eskel had enjoyed his eighteenth birthday three months previous. Although small, Eskel had trained for the militia, only to be denied because of his height. Eskel’s other odd features included ice-blue eyes, and hair whiter than snow. His cheekbones were high, and he had a soft gaze. Although gentle in nature, when provoked Eskel had a mighty bursts of anger, shattering the calm aura that seemed to follow him. Due to his upbringing without a father, and his childhood as an outsider, Eskel had learned to concealed his emotions very well, some remarked his face was like a statue’s.
His features, personality and general appearance rendered him the nickname, Child of the Winter. Not suprising considering his skin was also the colour of snow.
As they reached the gate, Eskel was hit by a recollection. One of the guards that carried him, he recognised his voice.
‘Lambert, if my memory serves me correctly’ thought Eskel. Lambert was a fellow pupil in militia training, and was one of the few that didn’t harass him. In fact, the two had become distant acquaintances. After graduation, Lambert had been promoted immediately due to hs impressive sword skills and general likeability.
Eskel wondered why the guards had helped him, not many helped, talked to, or even went near the Child of the Winter. He then realised the hood of his cloak was still down, hiding his shoulder-length soft, white hair.
When Eskel was past the gate, he asked if he could stop against the wall. Having being propped up, he removed his hood.
Several guards gasped at his hair, one even went to make the sign against witchcraft with his fingers.
“Had I known it was him, I would have left him” his other helper muttured. Eskel didn’t feel angry at the comment, he was used to this treatment. Ignoring the comments, Eskel asked Lambert, one of the few that didn’t treat him any different, to help him home, or to the nearest healer.
Lambert’s reply was cut short as a scream ripped through the air.
~2~
“W
hat is it?!” Shouted Lambert at the watchmen on the gates stone tower.
“Wolves!!” cried the answer.
“To arms men!” commanded Lambert, as he helped Eskel to move to the wall.
“I can help” said Eskel, attempting stand without support of the wall, or the pine branch he still carried.
“No, stay here. You may know how to use a a sword, but your in no fit shape to fight” called Lambert, as he rushed outside, through the wooden postern door, commanding guards to follow.
“Screw that” Eskel muttured, as he brandished his branch, Eskel also pulled out a dagger from his boot, it was a gift for his eighteenth birthday from his mother. Using the staff, Eskel hobbled outside, but gasped as the carnage came into his vision.
Bodies were everywhere, blood coated the snow and bricks of the road, weapons and sometimes the hands that had held them, were strewn around like confetti.
“Uuugh...”moaned a guard, Eskel turned and saw Lambert, missing a hand, some fingers of the one that was still there, and an entire leg.
Eskel wondered morbidly, what had caused this much damage, as he rushed to help the Guard Captain, and in the frame of a minute that he had last seen the Captain, intact that is.
He also remembered, he had not heard anything besides the initial scream of the first guard.
“Leave!” coughed Lambert, blood dripping down his face from a cut in his blood matted hair. “Leave, lock the gate and ring the warning bell!”
“But what about you?”
“Quickly!, there’re back already!” said Lambert though rasping coughs. Gesturing out into the snow.
Following his gesture, Eskel turned and saw half a dozen white wolves, sitting on the snow, not 200m from where the carnage happened.
Large and covered in blood the wolves were a fearsome sight. There was a lupine intelligence about them, the way the stared, knowingly.
Ah, there you are Consort.
The voice seemed to come from within Eskel’s mind. Pain erupted and white flashed across Eskel’s vision, he collapsed and fainted, lying in the Snow. But before blacking out, he swore he heard the same voice, telling him that he would be with her soon.
~3~
E
skel awoke, and immediately regretted doing so. Pain flared in his head, and in his ankle.He attempted to rise but a feminine voice told him to lay back down. He recognised it as his mother’s.
“Uuugh...” Eskel moaned in pain.
“Oh stop complaining, your ankle is only twisted, it should be better in a few days” his mother answered to his groans.
Opening his eyes Eskel realised, the room was dark. The only source of light was the dying fireplace in the corner.
“I must have been asleep for awhile” thought Eskel, he judged it was either the same night, that he returned from th evalley, or the night after.
He also realised he couldn’t see his mother.
“Where are you?” asked Eskel
“Here” said his mother, as she walked into the light. Eskel gasped. A huge bruise covered the side of her face and most of her neck.
Being of small figure, and pale complexion, which Eskel inherited, she was a fragile figure. During her courtship with Eskel’s father, he had reffered to her as a ‘perfect porcelain doll’.
However, unlike Eskel, she featured the hard grey eyes and brown hair, typical of the Kaedwen people.
“What happened!” asked Eskel worriedly.
Katherine was a very frank and straightforward person, so by asking a direct question, he knew he would get the truth.
“It’s the people, they blame you, and therefore me as well for the wolf attack”
Memories flooded back into Eskel, the blood, the large white wolves, their knowing stare.
And the voice in his head.
“that’s ridiculous, they were just wolves” lied Eskel “how did they come up with conclusion?”
Katherine and Eskel had never been close. Eskel rarely referred to her as his mother. Katherine had also blamed him for his father’s suicide. He had believed, because of his ‘son’s’ appearance, he had been cuckolded by a fairy-tale Man of the Night, a pale white-haired man that the mothers of Kaedwen used to scare thier children.
But although they had never called one another family, Katherine knew her child.
“Don’t lie to me. A watchman on the gate saw some things, things that i, and the citizens of town, particularly Father Casser, are very interested in”
Eskel frowned at eth mention of the name. Father Casser, a fanatic, and self-proclaimed priest of the New Religion, was a large, gruff man, with small eyes and a large beard. Feared and obeyed by converts, he was responsible for a lot of unrest in the community. He claimed before crowds that not to convert would render your sould damned for eternity. Paying particular attention to ripping out people’s appendixes.
At his silence Katherine figured something was wrong.
“tell me what you saw, i may be able to reason with the Father”
Eskel frown deepened, reasoning was impossible with members of the New Religion, especially Casser.
“Fine. After the guards charged out to answer the scream, i walked out ,not minute later. I had not heard anything besides the aforementioned scream, and when i went out of the postern gate, the carnage, and i fully mean that word, was bloody, only Lambert was alive. He told me to leave, and pointed out over the ice. I looked and saw the wolves, twice the size of regular ones, they had blood coating their faces and fur.
They stared at me, as if... well it sound riduculous, but they stared at me as if they looked releived. As if they had been searching for me and found me?”
“how did you come to that conclusion?”
“Well... I heard a voice, in my mind. Followed by a burning pain that caused to me to black out?”
Eskel studied his mothers face. A look of disbelief crossed her face.
“The guard saw you pass out next to lambert, who i might mention, survived, but he saw no wolves. Hmmm... i will talk to Casser about this. Now, get back to sleep, you need to rest”
“Yes mother” replied Eskel.
“Oh Eskel?”
“Yes?”
“Did you get my herbs?”
“No, i dropped them when i injured myself”
“Oh, thats ok then” She replied, but Eskel knew otherwise. Her face was covered in dissapointment, and a hint, of what Eskel knew well, disgust.
Eskel, rolled over closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
~4~
-Dream scene
~5~
E
skel re-awoke to the sound of heated conversation. He pulled himself out of bed, careful not to put too much wight on his injured ankle. He slipped on some some trousers and a shirt, from his chest of belongings at the end of his bed, and walked into the hallway.
The sound of voices, which had know grew to an aruguement was coming from the kitchen. Eskel walked in and saw his Katherine and Father Casser were sitting at the kitchen table, arguing heatedly.
Noticeing him for teh first time, the pair became silent. Father Casser arose, and without a word, left.
“what was that about?”
“Father Casser has expressed some concern of your well-being” replied his mother.
“Unusual, for someone like him”
His mother’s vision narrrowed.
“The Father is a nice man. Many have been raising thier voices at his sermons, blaming you for the wolves.”
Eskel knew he had an ulterior motive for the checkup.
“He has also delivered the demands of his converts. If you dont leave town, for good, they will kill you.”
Un-surprisingly, Eskel was not phased by this ultimatum. He had expected to be blamed for this. Someone had to be, and the Khergits were, too no obvious extent, involved.
“Fine, i’ll go pack”
Katherine watched her son walk out of the room.
“Wait Eskel” called his mother. Eskel walked back into the kitcher.
“yes?”
“Don’t come back. Ever.”
Eskel studied his mother’s face. No emotion, no empathy, concern or care for her offspring registered on her perfect, pale face.
“I know.” Eskel said calmly. “there is nothing for me here”
Eskel walked out of the kitchen, straight-faced and calm. A singe tear shedding from his ice-blue eyes.
~6~
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so, does we gets to read any of this? :p
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Sorry, my computer crashed a while back and i have been looking for another copy, i finally found this old draft on a USB at my house. I wish i still had the more completed version, but still it would be nice to get some opinions. After i read through this i realised how terrible it was.