Decisions from 2017's "Let's Build a Story Together" Panel

Another year, another interesting panel. It is always interesting to see what people feel are good and/or interesting story elements. No two are the same.

While we discussed what makes a good story, we also made some decisions on the story that this panel was working to create. They were as follows:

*It is a sci-fi story set on a cyber/steampunk style space station.

*It is going to be written in the 1st person perspective.

*The main thrust of the story is an alien invasion.

*The aliens want vengeance against humanity for a "bad first contact".

*That means that the aliens primary target is humans.

*The main character will be an androgynous android named "Toasty".

*Toasty will develop a better understanding of humanity, becoming more human in the process.

*There will be at least one giant monster "kaiju" fight.

*And here is the title. It is quite good, I think: "Juggernaut Star".


I will be writing a story based on these decisions. I will also post it here on this blog (as well as last year's LBaST panel story).

If you were a part of this panel, or last year's as well, feel free to write your own story based on the decisions listed. Here are the only provisos:

First, you have to use all the decisions made by the panel. Without modification.

Since we couldn't decide every aspect of the story, feel free to add to these elements. But they can't change any of the previous decisions from the panel.

Other than that, have a ball! When you are finished, I will even post your story here on this blog for everyone to see (only if you want, of course)!


This should be interesting...

Notes for the "Let's Build a Story Together" 2017 Panel

These were the elements for our story that were all decided upon:

First, it will be written in third person. I told you that EVERY element would be decided on.

It will be an action-filled sci-fi story with fantasy elements (and some dark humor, if I can do it right). The depiction will be of a roughly PG-13 level, so no graphic details of the damage caused by, shall we say, visceral violence or, um, hentai level lovin'.

The main character's name is Richard. He is an intern who is an introvert and, physically, about as average one could be. Through the events of the story, Richard will become more assertive and principled.

Physically, he has brown hair and eyes and an average build. In fact, the only distinctive feature Richard has is a birthmark on the back of his left hand.

Richard is on a quest to restore himself back to his original state. You see, he was the victim of an unfortunate side effect from a scientific experiment on magic that changed him from a male to a woman. This quest will, perhaps, lead to the discovery of why magic exists in their world.

He won't be alone in his quest to "restore his pee pee". Richard will have a team of five scientists with him. In fact, one of them will be in love with him. Unfortunately, we didn't have a chance to decide on her name.

The setting for this tale is a modern city with some ancient, magical ruins outside of the town. The city is a colony on a planet long removed from Earth.

I haven't finished it because I thought that I would have the group from this year decide how to finish. The more I thought about it, though, I considered it unfair to those who started the process. So I will finish it based on the decisions we made.

I will finish the story for this year's participants of the "Let's Build a Story Together" panel in a more timely manner.

Let's Build a Story Together!

Hello again!

I had the fun experience of running a panel at SNAFU Con about creating a story with the attendees. My previous post detailed the decision we all made about the contents of the story I have started writing.

I also gave the ones who participated in the panel a chance to email me any other ideas they might have had.  To that end, the fact that we didn't get a chance to discuss the antagonists was brought to my attention. (There are so many decisions to be made as a writer!)

I had a message detailing one participants thoughts on those very bad guys. As promised, I am taking the input to heart.  He didn't provide names for the group that will be giving Richard and company so much trouble, but he did provide a concept:

The idea for how they are introduced is that after Richard and his/her group leave on their quest to find a cure for the condition, mysterious attackers invade the research facility, apparently after whatever the magi-scientists had been working on, before the accident. Whatever it is they are looking for, seems to be tied in with hero/heroine's condition, but as the attackers cannot figure out where exactly Richard has gone.

There would be five antagonists total; four of which are based off of the suits of playing cards (I do not have names for them yet, because this is just an idea.).

SPADE: The apparent leader of the four. A dark knight-type warrior, who uses his sword to cast spells. He is strong, and enigmatic, but has a deep sense of personal honor, and is protective of the other three in his group.

CLUB: A muscle-bound martial artist warrior, who envelops his fists & feet with elemental magic, and always seeks out strong opponents. He seeks out strong opponents though, because he does not want to hurt weak people.

DIAMOND: A sneaky nerdish guy, who summons monsters, but is too weak to fight anything on his own. He is aware of his own weaknesses, and has self-esteem issues because of this.

HEART: The token female of the antagonists, and the one most encountered personally. She uses powerful spells that are based on her current mood (i.e. Anger = Fire, Sadness = Water, Fear = Lightning, etc.), making her dangerous, but somewhat unfocused. The FIFTH antagonist is a shadow-boss based off of the motif of the ?Wild Card?, and commands the other four antagonists from the shadows.

WILD CARD: He is in fact a spirit trapped inside a magic crystal, and formerly one of the magic users from the ancient magic-using civilization that now lays in ruins. In discovering the origin of magical energy at the time, he attempted to achieve immortality through it, but ended up destroying the entire civilization himself. Although he is ?alive? and unageing inside of his crystal prison, he has no physical body, and requires the special magic energies inside of the hero/heroine in order to gain a physical form once again.

The Wild Card convinced the other four antagonists that they are decedents of the lost ancient magic civilization, but in actuality they are merely his pawns, and they also possess magic that the Wild Card will need in order to regain his body.

***

Now, as anyone who was in the Lets Build a Story Together panel can attest, this story grew to become much bigger than anyone originally intended. I do not think it will reach novel length, but this is going to be a pretty epic tale.

So, what I will be posting here is the rough draft of the opening scene.  Since it is an action story, I decided to drop the reader right in the middle of everything.  There is still a lot to reveal (pretty much everything about Richard hasn't even been mentioned yet) but I hope you enjoy what you see so far.  More will be coming...

-------------------------

THE QUEST FOR THE RETURN OF THE PEE PEE

(Working Title, not final)

By Spencer Stoner

(based on input from the Lets Build a Story Together panel at SNAFU Con 2016)

The figure dressed head to toe in white stepped around the rubble. His pale pant legs peeked out from his long colorless coat with each step, only to disappear again as he maneuvered deeper into the room.

Stray sparks of electricity popped to life from the ends of newly exposed wiring that used to be encased in the now nonexistent wall. The building was trying to keep the power on but the damage inside was too severe. It was like trying to save a man by transfusing his life’s blood from one artery to another again and again only to find the adjacent vein severed every time.

The mask over the individual’s nose and mouth pressed tightly against his face as he inhaled, the smell of ozone strong in the destroyed lab. The fabric stretched, as much as it could, when he exhaled with a heavy sigh.

“Sam, do not tell me that Hearthstone killed everyone,” he idly kicked at the limp hand of the deceased scientist at his feet, “again.”

A woman stepped out from the adjacent room at the sound of her name. Each piece of clothing she wore was some shade of red, although the palest hue (belonging to the silk scarf around her neck) was flirting with pink. Unlike the loose, almost floating scarf, the rest of Sam's wardrobe bordered on skintight.

Except for her boots, they had large, clunky soles. They didn't even fit her red color scheme. They were black, although that could have been from the burning debris the man was being so careful to avoid. Thankfully, the potential fashion faux pas was alleviated by Sam's equally dark hair that just brushed over her shoulders.

If the man had been mortal, he would have likely described the woman as “beautiful”. Mathematically, Sam's facial features were infinitesimally close to the being perfectly symmetrical. But she wasn't standing around to let him inspect her closely, in fact the woman immediately turned in his direction as she entered the room.

While Sam was walking toward the man in white, the woman in red was not looking at him. Her attention was focused on the mere human wrapped under her arm.

“Not from lack of trying, Queensknee.” Sam responded. “But it seems he missed one this time.”

“My soul is absolutely aflutter with the joyous news.” Queensknee adjusted the brim of the pale fedora on his head to be almost as flat as the tone of his voice.

Sam tightened the grip of her thin arm around the almost as thin neck of her prisoner to force her prisoner to look in the man in white’s direction. The human was asymmetrical, although she could have been described as attractive in a nonlinear fashion, he supposed.

Her glasses, with one lens cracked in a pattern that resembled that of a crumbling planetoid, magnified her blue eyes. Queensknee figured that enlargement was the source of whatever attraction this woman was able to project.

Because, otherwise, she had nothing that any artisan would want to immortalize in marble or watercolor. He could only hope that her mind held her true appeal. That being the information that he wanted now, of course.

Queensknee bent slightly at the knee and waist to lower his masked face to the level of the woman in the headlock. “I trust that you realize that resisting us is a truly poor idea?”

“Y-yes.” She squeaked her answer.

The man smiled behind his mask, not that she could tell. Good. The woman had a basic survival instinct, at least. Now to see if she had good sense.

“Then you will tell us the location of the Kwisatz Haderach.”

Despite the obvious pain in the prisoner’s neck, she stared back at Queensknee blankly.

He let out a displeased sigh. “The glass box that glowed on one side?”

“Oh.” The woman frowned back. “Richard has it.”

“And who, pray tell,” Queensknee pressed a gloved finger under the prisoner’s chin, pulling her face towards his to ensure that he had her full attention. “is Richard?”

-------------------------

That is the opening gambit for our tale.  Everyone in the panel can tell that we have a LONG way to go!

You know what? Another participant said that she wanted to write her own version of this story based on the decisions we all made. I hope she sees this and decides to share with the rest of us!

You want to create your own? All the notes are in the previous post. I would love to see what you come up with!

And keep an eye out! You can find out what happens next in my version this coming Friday (October 21)!

A Taste of Things to Come

I have just returned from a great time at SNAFU Con. I ran a panel there called "Lets Build a Story Together".

Now, the plan was that the participants would decide every, and I do mean every, element of a story that I would write for them.  A first draft for, at least, the elements that we were able to get to will be here on Friday. (I gave the participants a chance to e-mail any last minute ideas they wanted to add.)

Here are the elements for our story that were all decided upon:

First, it will be written in third person. I told you that EVERY element would be decided on.

It will be an action-filled sci-fi story with fantasy elements (and some dark humor, if I can do it right). The depiction will be of a roughly PG-13 level, so no graphic details of the damage caused by, shall we say, visceral violence or, um, hentai level lovin'.

The main character's name is Richard. He is an intern who is an introvert and, physically, about as average one could be. Through the events of the story, Richard will become more assertive and principled.

Physically, he has brown hair and eyes and an average build. In fact, the only distinctive feature Richard has is a birthmark on the back of his left hand.

Richard is on a quest to restore himself back to his original state. You see, he was the victim of an unfortunate side effect from a scientific experiment on magic that changed him from a male to a woman. This quest will, perhaps, lead to the discovery of why magic exists in their world.

He won't be alone in his quest to "restore his pee pee". Richard will have a team of five scientists with him. In fact, one of them will be in love with him. Unfortunately, we didn't have a chance to decide on her name.

The setting for this tale is a modern city with some ancient, magical ruins outside of the town. The city is a colony on a planet long removed from Earth.

As I mentioned before, the participants had a chance to e-mail any additional elements they wanted. Those won't be listed here but I will note them on the post of the rough draft.

This is going to be interesting...

How Often Should One Post On Their Blog?

I've been making a point of being more active on the interwebs once I became a "professional" writer. I make sure to post a special "Wisdom of Ophelia" once a week on Twitter (and then Facebook and Tumblr) and share post that I like with my audience and audience in potentia.

While doing all this, I realized that I haven't actually posted anything here on my blog in a couple of months!

I didn't mean to ignore the blog.  I guess I just haven't had anything to say that wasn't around the size of a tweet or a picture that I have drawn.  I know that you can post pictures here but it doesn't seem, well, appropriate to just have pictures here.

I always thought of a blog as a place that you share ideas in a more detailed way.  Now, I'm before I get into this next portion of my tirade, let me preface it by saying that I'm not saying that other blogs do what I am about to describe en masse.  I'm not one for whining or reading a long rant about problems that aren't really problems but are because they make the writer annoyed and/or upset.  Nor am I one who thinks that I have all the answers in regards to the problems in and of this world.

With all that being said.  I wonder what a blog should talk about.  I think the most opinionated post I have here is my defense of the video game Metroid: Other M.  While I enjoy playing video games, I don't think most anyone would really care about my current game of the month.

Or maybe you do.  Perhaps you take the opinion of other gamers over that of critics who seem to be bought a paid for by those they are supposed to be reviewing in an unbiased manner.  But then, video games aren't something I devote 100% of my time to, either.  I mean, I do have to take time to eat and write my books, short stories and draw some pictures, right?

So this blog can go all over the place when it comes to subject matter.  That still begs the question of how often should one post before a blog becomes derelict?

Story Excerpt (Star Wars Edition)

Are you a Star Wars fan? So am I! 

I am such a big fan, in fact, that I write a serial for another Facebook page called The Star Wars Bash. (Feel free to check it out here:https://www.facebook.com/starwarsbash/)

In a belated celebration of George Lucas’ birthday, I wanted to share part of the first story that I’m proud of in that galaxy far, far away that he created. 

So here is an excerpt from the first episode of the first serial.

Anyway… Enjoy!

-
Excerpt from Ryotan is Only the Beginning, Episode One:

“Why do you keep such a neurotic droid around?” The woman asked out of genuine curiosity rather than any malevolence toward T-23. “He doesn’t seem to match your personality at all.”

The pilot laughed outright at that. “You know how many short circuits or malfunctions my ship has had since I got him? None. T-23 cares about the Icarus and doesn’t stop checking up on her.”

“Almost like he has a little crush?” Terra grinned.

“Oh, no.” Aryl leaned back in his seat again. “I think it’s outright infatuation.”

Neither spoke for a short while, each enjoying the silence together before Terra finally sighed. “I can’t wait to get back to Coruscant.”

The pilot arched an eyebrow over at the Jedi Knight. “T-23 is annoying you that much?”

“No.” The twi’lek straightened in her seat. “When I get back, I’m getting my first Padawan apprentice. He’s the same species as Master Yoda.”

“Understandable.” Aryl turned for a moment to press a few buttons. “I’m anxious to get back myself.”

“Why’s that?”

“Queen Amidala is getting sworn in as a Senator soon. What Noobian would want to miss that?” Aryl smiled.

Terra smiled back, relaxing into her chair. While the pilot had been living on Coruscant for years, at least according to his records, he still had a sense of pride in his place of birth, the planet Naboo.

Terra herself was born on Coruscant but, once she became a Padawan as a child, only returned rarely to the planet. Even then she spent most of her time in the Jedi Temple until it was time for her Master and herself to leave for their next assignment. She didn’t feel that same pride Aryl did, and wondered about that feeling of… connection.

The twi’lek watched the stars stream by in silence, stealing occasional looks over at Aryl, who busied himself with piloting the ship. Neither spoke, they didn’t feel the need.

Once, when she looked over at Aryl yet again, she caught him stealing a glance at her, just as she had been doing. She blushed, her cheeks turning a dark green, when the sheepish look on his face reminded the woman of what Aryl said to Gingi the engineer about twi’leks when she first hired their ship…

“Hey, Aryl! Can you hear me up there?” Gingi’s baritone voice popped over the comm.

With a flick of the switch, Aryl responded. “Yeah, I hear you Calamari-boy. What’s up?”

“Could one of you come back here and collect T-23?” Both Aryl and Terra had to stifle chuckles. “He’s messing with my engines again.”

Suddenly the ship lurched as if it had hit a wall! The human clamped his hands around the edge of the console to keep from being thrown into the cockpit’s viewing port. The Force kept the Jedi from reeling out of her seat, but only just. The momentum threw her head tails forward and back, giving her a slap on the cheek on their return.

“What happened back there, Gingi?” Aryl’s brow furrowed as looked over the instrument panel.

“I don’t know!” The Mon Calamari’s voice betrayed how uneasy he felt.

Terra glanced out at the stars as she rose from her seat… and they weren’t there. Outside the ship was only blackness, no points of light or any hint that they had even been there.

“I’m going back to see what I can do.” Terra hopped to her feet.
-

Want to find out what happens next? And, perhaps check out all three story arcs, you can find them here :
https://starwarsbash.wordpress.com/page/3/

#star wars#jedi#twi'lek#lightsaber#droid#scifi#action adventure

 

Postcards from Honua #3 (short excerpt from Ophelia and Lyan are Dead Meat)

Continuing my feature that shares bits and bobbins from my stories, I decided to showcase another part from my first novel (and currently only but the second is on its way!), Ophelia and Lyan are Dead Meat:

Skeletons weren't exactly known to have supernatural strength. Hopefully having nothing but sinew holding them together would make them more brittle and they could get through before the air power and behemoths could reach. Ophelia slashed for the neck of the nearest skeleton holding a torch and a longsword.

The undead creature's head flew from its shoulders and she started for the next. The first didn't fall, though, and chopped for the woman's neck much like she had to it.

Ophelia ducked under the strike. When she looked back up at the skeleton warrior, she saw the undead being place the flame from the torch in its hand at the base of its neck, as if it was going to light it like another torch.

It worked. The monster tossed the now extinguished length of wood to the ground and its skull was now replaced by what looked like a demon's head sculpted in fire! It reared back and shrieked its displeasure at Ophelia.

“Okay... panicking is looking like a better idea now.” She said before bringing Havarti down on the creature again.

---

Want to see what happens next? (Or what happened to lead up to that?) You can pick up Ophelia and Lyan are Dead Meat in paperback or ebook formats here:

http://bit.ly/1HYjNSH

‪#‎swordandsorcery‬ ‪#‎fantasy‬ ‪#‎mythicalcreatures‬ ‪#‎undead‬‪#‎strongfemalecharacters‬ ‪#‎writing‬ ‪#‎books‬ ‪#‎novels‬

Postcards from Honua #2: Girl Talk

I thought it would be fun to post another excerpt from one of my stories.  This one again stars Ophelia and Lyan Yo Bunpy (who are also the main characters of my novel Ophelia and Lyan are Dead Meat which is available here.) but is a completely different story.

If you came here via the link from my website, www.authorspencerstoner.com, you may have already read this short story, entitled Girl Talk (riiight?).  But for those of you who haven't (shame on you!  It's just a simple click on the previous sentence.  You can do it!), here's a little taste of the story that is exclusive to my site.  Please enjoy!

-

Lyan looked as if she'd been asked some kind of riddle. Her brown eyes locked onto Ophelia as if she was trying to find some clue.

Then the Bunny Barbarian sighed and, sure that the answer she was about to give was wrong, she said, “You are an attractive woman.”

Ophelia nodded. “Thanks, the guys whose eyes make it to my face seem to think so, too. What about the ones who don't look at my face?”

“Don't look at your face?” Lyan muttered then came to a realization. “They keep looking at your chest. There is rarely much covering it.”

The barbarian pointed just where she mentioned. She looked proud of herself that she had figured out the answer to which the mercenary was trying to guide her.

Ophelia pointed right back at Lyan's chest. “Your top is covering even less and those are even bigger than mine.”

The Bunny Barbarian's face slowly turned insulted. Not at Ophelia, at least not directly, but at the memory of all the men who failed to make eye contact with her. She had taken it as a compliment previously, assuming they were simply in awe of a warrior of her reputation (word of the battle prowess of her tribe had spread wide, thanks in no small measure to her efforts over the years). Now, realizing that they only saw her as a piece of meat...

-

Not long but what postcard is?  You can find the rest on my new website and find other fun freebies there, too!

Why are you still here?  The post's over.

Go (check out some other posts while your here. :) )...

An Interview to Celebrate the Launch of my New Site!

Hi there! My name is Spencer Stoner. I'm the author of Ophelia and Lyan are Dead Meat. In celebration of the launch of my website, www.authorspencerstoner.com, I thought I would try something a little different. You know how, in interviews, the one asking the questions asks the writer things like “where do you find your inspiration?” or “do you have a system for picking names for characters?” (I do. Two, in fact, but that is another article).

Instead of that, I am going to interview the main characters of Dead Meat. That's right! We are going to get answers straight from the mouths of the actual participants of the story! Let's begin, shall we?

To set the stage, I'm in a simple room with the two ladies. The walls are mortared stone, there are several plants in each corner to make it a little more, well, cheery, I guess. Outside the window, the sky is gray but it doesn't look like its about to rain or anything.

As for Ophelia, she's sitting (or more like slouching) in her seat, resting her chin in her hand as she waits for me to speak. Lyan is sitting with nigh-impeccable posture, although she looks less eager to be there than her compatriot.

Spencer: “First, I really appreciate you taking the time to speak to me today, Ophelia and Lyan.”

Ophelia: “Of course. I just wish that you had provided some beer or something.”

Spencer: “Yeah, sorry about that but I don't drink. It didn't even occur to me to bring anything like that.”

Ophelia:  Sighs.

Lyan: “Do not be disgruntled, Ophelia. We will not linger here too long. We do have more important matters that require our attention.”

S: “Why are you in such a rush? I thought you had, you know, taken care of the problem already.”

O: “You really think that we only have one major problem at a time? That's a pretty simplistic way of thinking. What kind of writer are you?”

S: “Err... I guess you're right. Sorry again.”

Lyan: “So many apologies are a sign of weakness.”

S: “Sor- I'll try to remember that. Are we ready to start the interview proper?”

O: “Sure.”

L: “Very well.”

S: “The first question is for both of you. It's a pretty simple one. Who are you?”

O: “My name is Ophelia.”

L: “I am Lyan Yo Bunpy of the Yo Bunpy Tribe of Bunny Barbarians fairing from the Land of the Long Toothed Rabbit.”

(Note: Lyan's name is pronounced Lee-an, not like lion, as the spelling would imply. I know, it's weird but proper names seem to not have to follow the standard rules of pronunciation and spelling in the English language. Of course, we can always blame the one who translated it from the Honuan languages but that would be... rude.)

S: “No, that's not what I mean. I already know your names. What I want to know is who you are.”

O: “I thought you said this was a simple question.”

S: “It isn't?”

O: “Would you find it easy to answer a question like that?”

L: “Perhaps you do not realize that simple is not synonymous with easy.”

S: Sighs. “You're right. I'm so- sure you can give us a little, I don't know, a little overview of how you see yourself?”

O: “Yeah, sure. I'm a mercenary, a sword-for-hire. A pretty good one, too.”

S: “And you like fighting for the highest bidder rather than something you believe in?”

O: “I didn't say that. I don't just fight for the highest bidder. That's more of a prostitution frame of mind and I know you're not calling me a prostitute, are you?”

S: “No, no. Of course not.”

L: “Ophelia is a noble warrior who often fights alongside myself and my people. When it is just she and I, it is often not for money.”

S: “So what about you, Lyan? You've told us your lineage but not about you.”

L: “What more do you want to know?”

S: “More about you, not your people.”

L: “Very well.” Long pause. “I am one of very few female warriors among my tribe.”

O: “More like the only female warrior in your tribe.”

L: “You forget that my mother is a warrior.”

O: “She had to leave the tribe to do that.”

L: “But she is returned now.”

O: “I wouldn't call overnight visits with Corthek every fortnight returned, Lyan.”

L: “...Right.”

S: “Um... Corthek is your father, right?”

L: “Yes. But I thought that you wanted to know about me.”

S: “True. I just wanted to clarify for people reading this later. Let's move on and see if we can get back to answering a few questions. Ophelia, you're a mercenary who fights for who you want rather than who has the most money. But what is your ultimate goal in life?”

O: “Boy, you do ask all the easy questions, don't you?”

S: “To be honest, I'm using a guide to questions I should ask from another article I read.”

O: “Oookaaay... I can't say that I have an ultimate goal. I mostly just want to have a soft bed, a healthy dose of booze and maybe a warm body to go in the bed with at night.”

S: “Pretty simple if... morally ambivalent goals, I guess.”

O: “What do you mean by that?”

S: “I guess I'm kind of old fashioned. I'm kind of a type that's more into having a committed relationship. I'm not big on having a different partner every night.”

L: “Do you not feel that is rather judgmental?”

S: “I'm not saying it's bad. I'm just saying that it's not my philosophy when it comes to relationships.”

O: “It's not mine, either.”

Both Lyan and I look at Ophelia with surprised looks on our faces.

O: “I didn't say that I wanted a relationship with whatever warm body was in the bed with me. I'm not saying that I'm not open to having a relationship. I just haven't had one outside of the one I have with Lyan and a handful of other people.”

S: “You mean that you and Lyan have...”

O: “I didn't say that. I said that I have a relationship with her. Get your mind out of the gutter!”

L: “By that standard, I have not had a relationship in some while, myself.”

S: “Listen, I didn't mean to make this conversation devolve into a discussion of your sex lives. I'm just trying to give the readers a feel for who you both are as people.”

O: “Well, sex is part of being a person but I get your point.”

L: “As do I. As for my goals, my people believe that I am destined to destroy the Great Evil. Unfortunately, we have yet to uncover where it is hiding.”

O: “Scouting around for information is one of the contracts I take with regularity.”

S: “You take money from your friend's family to wander around and get information about something as ambiguous as a Great Evil?”

O: “A girl's gotta eat.”

L: “And we are willing to aid her as she had aided us in the past.”

S: “Point taken. Maybe now would be a good time to change the subject. If people were to read your life stories or, for instance, the story of the events of your recent encounter with the Lytyl Tribe and Perrett, what would you want them to know?”

L: “That was a fine battle. It had powerful ramifications throughout the countryside. It even created a new political force that will undoubtedly change the face of the continent in years to come. A warrior can usually only dream that their struggles could lead to such events occurring in their lifetime.”

O: “I don't mean to disagree with Lyan here but she does like to gloss over the things we lost thanks to that (I apologize to those who prefer to have every word written out but, Ophelia's description of Perrett was a little more, um, colorful than I was comfortable printing here.) ...and I hope it falls off.”

S: “So it's fair to say that you have strong feelings about what happened.”

O: “You could say that. While we're on the topic, I feel that the Lytyl can (Sorry again. I'll just give you this brief synopsis of her... passionate opinion of the svartalfar*: Ophelia feels that those she dealt with within the Lytyl Tribe were duplicitous, underhanded and generally dishonest in their dealings with her and Lyan.) ...after they spank the horse.”

(Note: *The svartalfar are elves that, long ago, moved into tunnels and caverns deep underground. As the centuries passed, their skin has absorbed a lot of the carbon in the fertile soil around them to make their skin colors range from gray to obsidian black.)

S: “Thank you, Ophelia for that... honest assessment of your feelings. I think I've held you two ladies up long enough. Be safe in your future adventures and I hope that we can do this again sometime.”

O: “You want to get yourself alone with two attractive women again? And I'm the morally ambiguous one?”

S: “I didn't mean it in the warm bodies in a bed way!”

O: “Of course not. But I do expect to have one in my bed tonight and I have a feeling that you are the one that can make that happen.”

S: “I'll... see what I can do. No guarantees, mind you.”

L: “Does that mean that you may provide me with a better sharpening stone?”

S: “That would be... easier.”

I hope you enjoyed reading my conversation with Ophelia and Lyan. I have to admit that it so didn't go the way I thought it would. Anyway, my novel, Ophelia and Lyan are Dead Meat is available in paperback and e-book formats here: bit.ly/1HYjNSH

Fun Facts About Honua:

The world on which Ophelia and Lyan live, called Honua, isn't earth in the ancient past or extreme future. It is an entirely separate world.

Case in point, Honua doesn't have a "leap year". The closest equivalent that they do have is called the "Longest Day". Every four or five years, there is one day where, just as the sun starts to set, another starts to rise. So the entire world has a full day and a half of sun before darkness actually falls again.

It's difficult to predict just when it will happen precisely, but it does consistently occur in that four to five year window. Both those factors make it a popular but elusive astrological phenomena to try and tie to rituals or energy manipulation required for the most powerful spells.

This is, of course, only one of many of the differences of Honua and this world.  While it does have a lot of elements that fans of fantasy will recognize but there are so many more that are completely new.  I'll be mentioning or showcasing various elements here and, of course, in my novels and other works.  Please keep an eye out!

Postcards from Honua #1

I thought it might be fun to create a segment to put up little quotes and excerpts from some of my stories that I think are funny or otherwise notable.  I'm calling this feature "Postcards from Honua" (as I'm sure this post's title hinted you toward) and here comes the first!  The following is a short excerpt from my novel, Ophelia and Lyan are Dead Meat:

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“This is him?” Lyan asked, not acknowledging Ophelia’s greeting.

“This is the coward who attacked you without raising any declaration of battle?”

Ophelia nodded, a clicking noise coming from the corner of her mouth. “That’s him in all his glory.” She chuckled.

As Lyan’s eyes scanned down the man, her face went from stern to a mask of confusion. “Why is he naked?”

Caleb looked down at himself for the first time. Loop after loop of rope was wrapped around his rib cage and arms. Oddly, his chest was completely exposed, the bottom half of the glyph tattooed onto the middle of his torso, that looked like a life sized crimson hand reaching out from his abdomen, peeked out from under the rope.

He could feel his wrists tied together behind the back of the chair he was sitting on and his shins, from ankle to calf, tied tightly to the legs of the wooden chair. He expected to be out of his armor but this?

“We didn’t want him to escape did we?” Ophelia smirked up at the taller woman. “Besides, he’s hot. Why not get a look at the goods?”

She laughed even as the barbarian woman looked somewhere between confused and disturbed. 

-

My novel, Ophelia and Lyan are Dead Meat is available here:  bit.ly/1HYjNSH

Six Word Stories

Ernest Hemingway is credited with writing a six word short story that could bring people to tears.  It went something like this:

"For sale:  Baby shoes.  Never worn."

I, of course, don't claim to be a Hemingway myself but I thought I would try my hand at a few tonight.  My reasons are two-fold:  First, I just read "Twenty Six Word Sentences That Are Absolutely Heart Breaking" and, second, I feel that my brevity in speaking hasn't been matched by my havering in writing.  So, maybe this will be good practice?  I hope you enjoy, please tell me which ones you liked and/or hated!


We drank.  I laughed and laug--!

When is sunrise?  After your funeral.

Weapons save lives.  Mine's a joke.

She offered a proposition.  I refused.

Ophelia was confused. "What's a parent?" (I couldn't resist doing at least one with one of my characters overtly involved.)

"Look out!"
"What?" I started asking.

"I've looked better." You lie badly.


Well, that was harder and actually more fun than I thought it would be.  I will have to give this another try sometime.  Ray Bradbury said that if you write one short story every week, it would be impossible to have fifty-two bad ones in a row.  I wonder what the ratios are for this format?

Peridot and the Revenant

Since watching the movie Inception, has anyone else taken to referring to ideas and events with various layers as "fill-in-the-blank-ception"?  This is, of course, in reference to the concept in the movie of having a dream within a dream within a dream.

I experienced something along those lines while writing this short story.  I actually had to write it so that another character in a different story could talk about it in detail but then it is also based on a historical event in the world the story (or stories?) takes place in but is a sanitized, disney-esque version of the real story that is merely a background for the first story I was working on in the first place.

Makes perfect sense, right?

Now that we have that not at all cleared up, I went about writing this story in the style of a fairy tale.  I read several different versions of a selection of the "classics" like Beauty and the Beast to try and get an accurate voice for it.  I think it turned out quite well but it really is more to you, the fair reader, to decide if I succeeded.

So here is my crack at a new fairy tale in the old style...

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PERIDOT AND THE REVENANT

By Spencer Stoner

Long ago in a land filled with rolling hills and verdant grasses that filled the very air with the fragrance of exuberance lived a large family of noble means. They were a household of fifteen in all. The citizenry felt the Queen Mother and King Father watched over them as close and lovingly as as the royals watched and cared for their own children.

They were wise rulers, having married the three eldest daughters as well as four eldest sons to neighboring clans. Thus they saw that peace surrounded them always and all sought only to improve the lives and destinies of all in the land.

Even so, all but the second daughter brought their husbands and wives back to their fine castle to live with the rest of their family. Otherwise, missing the feeling of love and compassion that radiated from the Queen and King would have surely dimmed their humours.

One fateful night a carriage came to the castle, out of which a man of a foreboding nature emerged. He demanded an audience with the entirety of the noble family even though the hour was greatly late. In spite this, and being of gracious natures themselves, the Queen and King agreed to meet with this most unusual of guests.

The man was well traveled, wearing clothing of a nature not to be found anywhere in the the vastness of the noble family's lands. Despite his newness to the region, he had come before the ruling family with a most disquieting demand! He insisted that the Queen Mother and King Father relinquish their eldest virgin daughter to him or he would ravage the very fields and displace the entirety of the people who lived in the lands that the nobles so loved.

Seeing as the three oldest daughters had been long since wedded, the burden fell to their fourth daughter, the young Maiden Peridot. As she had only barely reached an age that was acceptable to marry and did not care for matters of politics, Maiden Peridot had busied herself with reading any book that came within her reach and learning the skills of painting and riding horses.

None of these things increased her advantage but they had given the young noblewoman an intelligence that differed from those of her siblings. Among those things that the books she so loved had taught her was the very identity of the type of creature that stood before her family in the guise of a man. As his very countenance matched the descriptions she so clearly remembered, Maiden Peridot revealed to the Queen Mother and King Father that the stranger was truly a creature called a revenant!

Maiden Peridot understood that the revenant was a man of unnatural strength that could fulfill his threat if she did not comply with his commands. So for the good of her family and the people for which they all cared so deeply young Maiden Peridot accompanied the revenant from the castle that had been her home the entirety of her life and into his carriage.

The stallions that pulled the carriage were mighty indeed and carried Maiden Peridot and the revenant a great distance in only a short time. They were still on her family's lands but had traveled into the moors that not many mortal men traversed into due to the unstable earth that could swallow them whole if they stepped wrong.

But the carriage continued on without fear until they finally reached a cave that entered a broad round hillside. Once they stopped, the revenant stepped out and offered his hand to aid Maiden Peridot in dismounting from the carriage herself.

His hand ended in long, sharp claws. Such a sight caused the young noble to gasp but she quickly recovered herself. She accepted the surprising gentlemanly gesture from the revenant and stepped onto the soggy earth.

“I know it does not appear hospitable.” The revenant said. “But I do hope to make you happy here.”

His words confused Maiden Peridot. The gentle nature he was showing her did not match the descriptions of the monsters his kind were said to be in the books she held so dear.

Maiden Peridot had no skill in spelunking and she felt uneasy as she neared the opening of the cave. What awaited her when she peered inside again surprised the young noblewoman. It appeared as if the halls of a luxurious castle not unlike those of her own home had been build inside the hill!

The revenant guided her deeper into the cave that seemed more a hallway. They passed doors lined either wall, hinting at rooms that led further into the hill until the revenant stopped before a particular door.

“This is your room.” He said. “You are free to explore the cave all you wish but I do have two rules upon which I am most insistent. First, you must stay within the cave. If you try to leave, I cannot be held responsible for what will happen next. Also, while you can explore the cave all you wish, you will be required to adjourn into your room and stay there upon dusk on the night of the full moon until dawn of the next morning. Is that understood?”

The boundaries set by the rules were most simple to Maiden Peridot. However she was of a precocious mind and did not understand the reasoning. Particularly, why must she seclude herself once every fortnight?

When she asked the question of the revenant, he simply opened the door to what was to be Maiden Peridot's room and ushered her inside. It was as luxurious as the rest of the cave, more so even than her room back in the castle.

There was even a large selection of shelves weighed down with numerous leather bound tomes. As well as an easel with a blank canvas and a small table with paints and a pallet resting atop. It was as if he had known it would be her coming to live within the confines of this cave.

Running her hands along the spines of the numerous books, she did not see a familiar title among them. That caused her equal parts excitement equaled only by dread. While the revenant wanted her to be comfortable, he also wanted her to not have anything familiar.

As it had already been late when she was taken to the cave, fatigue quickly found young Maiden Peridot and she adjourned to the bed that had been so meticulously prepared for her. She was astonished when she awoke to find that she had slept fitfully. Never once did she have a dream that she was to be eaten by the revenant in one of the many ways described in the selections of books she had read on the subject.

The young noblewoman found a new dress made of finer silks than she had ever seen before resting on the foot of the bed. Maiden Peridot considered staying in the simple riding clothes she had entered the cave wearing. She found a tub full of steaming water waiting in the corner and decided to weigh her options as she bathed.

She wondered what should be expected of her in a situation such as this. She had been forcibly taken from her home only to arrive in a place even more luxurious. To her the revenant had been nothing but a gentleman but he had also threatened to attack the people her family so vehemently watched over.

Maiden Peridot's mind swirled trying to make sense of the contradictions until the water started to turn cold. She rose from the tub to find her riding clothes missing. The only option besides walking around in naught but her skin was the dress that waited at the foot of her bed.

Dressed in the finest silks she had ever felt Maiden Peridot decided to take the revenant up on his permission to explore. As she entered the hall, the young noblewoman could see late morning light spilling into the cave but there was no sign of the revenant.

She walked from room to room never finding a locked door. Whatever room she expected to see when she turned the knob, a more opulent version awaited her whether it be a sitting room, sewing room or even a study filled with even more unfamiliar books.

Throughout the day she never saw the revenant. She had found a kitchen and made herself a simple repast around midday but she did not see her captor until after sundown.

That was when she found him sitting at a long table with a fine meal resting upon it. There was only one plate set across from him as a silent invitation for her to sit.

As she entered, the revenant rose to his feet and gave her a courteous bow in greeting. “Will you give me leave to see you sup?” He asked.

“As I am to be here at your pleasure, I do not see how I can refuse.” She replied.

Her answer seemed to pain the man. “You are the mistress here, milady. As you so wish within these walls it will be. Even if it is for me to begone.”

She stood silently pondering his words for a long time. Finally, she sat down before the bare plate.

“Though the circumstances are unusual you have done me no disservice so I see no reason to send you from me.” Maiden Peridot said.

That pleased the revenant. As she ate they had a most pleasant conversation. They seemed to share similar passions. Maiden Peridot was clever enough to ask very specific questions that one who had only a precursory study would not be able to answer to alleviate any concern of his knowledge being only to comfort her and not truly enthrall him as well.

By the time Maiden Peridot decided it was time to retire for the evening, she was surprised to see how much time had passed. She bid the revenant a fond farewell and returned to her room.

Inside, she found the loveliest nightgown draped over her freshly made bed. In the hours they had been conversing, there was no way the revenant had time to have tidied her room and delivered new clothing. The noblewoman resolved to learn how it was done but not until after she had rested.

Weeks passed and each day went much like the ones before. Maiden Peridot came into the habit of painting for several hours after waking up in the mornings, then exploring deeper into the cave, finding new rooms well into the afternoon.

She never lost track of where the dining room was, always finding the revenant waiting inside. “Will you give me leave to see you sup?” He always asked.

Maiden Peridot would not contrive a false reason to refuse him and since he personally treated her with nothing but kindness she always granted his request. They spoke well into the night, more than once finding the sun starting to arise from the horizon beyond the cave's entrance when she finally took off to bed. It continued this way until the night of the full moon.

The revenant entered the reading room where Maiden Peridot had discovered a new volume about painting techniques and was studying its pages. He begged her forgiveness for his intrusion and presented her with a covered silver platter.

Finding a meager meal compared to the fare she had been served up to this point the young noblewoman did not hide her confusion at such an unexpected change. He asked her to return to her room with the platter and stay until morning came.

Remembering his rules Maiden Peridot did not argue and withdrew for the evening. When she returned to her room, she found it as she had left it that morning. The bed was unmade the same nightgown she wore the night before rested upon the rumpled covers.

This did not worry the young noblewoman as much as make her wonder how the fullness of the moon related to such a sudden change. Maiden Peridot pondered on this the rest of the day until she finally readied herself for sleep in the nightgown from the previous night.

It was then that fearful feral noises came from outside her room. She had promised the revenant that she would stay inside her room the entirety of the night. But being of a wondering nature Maiden Peridot proclaimed herself unable to go on without knowledge of what could be the source of such terrible noises.

Maiden Peridot opened the doorway just enough to peek out into the cave beyond. She took in the sight of the revenant tearing into the flesh of a long haired animal in a manner that could only be described as ravenous.

She covered her mouth to stifle her gasp of shock at the sight but the revenant still somehow heard her. He turned his face toward the door of the young noblewoman's room and Maiden Peridot received her second shock. The face that looked back at her no longer contained any humanity as blood dripped from its long fangs and down the chin of the creature.

Unleashing a howl that seemed unable to come from any form of mortal animal, the revenant streaked for Maiden Peridot. The young woman hurriedly closed her door and found it to be without a lock. Until this moment she had not thought to need one.

Maiden Peridot could still hear the revenant pace back and forth in front of her room, releasing occasional growls and other beastly sounds. But the beast did not enter.

Though he somehow appeared more of a monster than a man he surely retained the physical ability to open doors or at the very least break one down with his unnatural strength. While she was worried for her life, Maiden Peridot wondered why the revenant would not enter.

Eventually the young noblewoman found her fatigue victorious over her worry and she slept. Awakening the next morning she found a hot bath drawn for her as usual but beside it was a letter on a small table.

“I regret any discomfort you had to endure over the evening.” The note read. “I do hope you will forgive the lapse in your mediation and will still join me in the dining room this evening as has been a practice I have found most pleasant this past fortnight.”

Despite herself Maiden Peridot found herself flattered at the words the revenant had written. It also ignited a curiosity about the nature of this revenant that made him so unlike the words from the experts in such things that she had read.

This was a mystery she intended to solve starting that very day. As she traversed deeper into the cave than she ever had the previous fortnight she desired to find the place the revenant took sanctuary in these daylight hours.

The walls of the cave started to more resemble their namesake rather than the well built castle-like facade she had lived within. Still, there were doors and she entered the first in this more natural area.

Inside was a study much like the one Maiden Peridot used to learn her new art techniques. There were fewer books inside and none of them had any titles on the spines to hint at their subjects.

She pulled one of the volumes from the shelf and opened the cover. She found it to be a journal belonging to the revenant!

The young noblewoman felt it was improper to look further into the book and replaced it on the shelf. Then she realized that more time had passed than she realized and if she did not make haste she would be late for dinner with the revenant. She had found herself enjoying these repasts and did not want to miss out.

“Will you give me leave to see you sup?” The revenant asked as he did at the beginning of each dinner.

Again she did not refuse him. As they had every evening previous the noble and the creature conversed about a great many subjects but Maiden Peridot felt as if the air in the dining room was more leaden than it had been in evenings past. She soon learned why.

“Did you leave your room last evening?” The revenant finally asked.

Though she had opened the door Maiden Peridot was able to answer honestly that she did not. This answer did seem to satisfy the man and the subject again turned more pleasant.

The young noblewoman did feel a certain guilt though it was not entirely about her answer to the question from the revenant. She decided to confess that she stumbled upon his study and the collection of journals that rested inside.

“Did you read any of them?” The revenant asked.

“That would have been an invasion of trust I could not justify.” She answered.

“All that is here is yours.” The revenant said. “You cannot invade that which is yours.”

“Then shall I read your journals?” She wondered.

“If it is your wish.” He nodded.

Maiden Peridot could not bring herself to return to that study for several days afterward. Finally, though, her desire to know more of the revenant overtook her and led her back deep into the cave.

Pulling free what appeared to be the oldest of the volumes, Maiden Peridot read the words written in the hands of a man from before he had become a revenant. The tale told was of a noble that fell into the all too common trap of pride in his station.

After reading this story from cover to cover Maiden Peridot adjourned to the dining room. She did not tell the revenant what she had done and their conversation was as pleasant as it had ever been.

Maiden Peridot found herself returning to the study every day. She learned of the curse that came upon the man and made him into a revenant. She was reviled as the joy the revenant took in writing of the details of his early attacks on the mortals around him.

But it was the later volumes that truly astounded the young woman. As much pleasure as the creature took in his attacks he was even more so disgusted when he wrote in his journals the following day.

He wondered why God would allow such a cruel fate to befall a noble of his stature. He begged any deity that would listen to take this burden from him and saw no relief.

Peridot found the revenant to be a walking contradiction. As much as his wickedness brought him joy it brought misery down upon him tenfold. Still, whatever demon that resided in him would not allow him to stop his evil.

Until the previous fortnight. He entered the land of Peridot's family and demanded a sacrifice. He had intended to commit great evil on her but found himself unable to do so.

The revenant spoke of their conversations over dinners which only Peridot ate with as great of affection as Peridot herself felt. He wondered why the blood of animals was able to sate him now when he could not even stomach it before entering these lands.

The night of the next full moon, Peridot read the last of the revenant's journals. On the last page the creature had written a message specifically to the young woman.

“I have found your company to be the greatest gift that could be given to a monster like me.” He wrote. “But I cannot allow myself to hoard a treasure such as you any longer. Tomorrow, please take whatever you would like as a reminder of your time here and return to your home. My carriage will take you in the morning and, afterword, be yours. Please do not return as I wish you only joy from this day on.”

Peridot wanted to run to the revenant but she found the clocks striking the time of dusk. She had to rush to her room to keep her word to the man and shut herself in for the night.

Growling and gnashing of teeth again echoed through her door but she bared it no mind. If she was to leave tomorrow, she determined to give the revenant a gift that would only be able to repay perhaps a fraction of the kindness he had shown her.

She resolved not to leave the cave until she had spoken to the revenant one last time. She declared this desire in a note that she left beside her bathtub, hoping that he would somehow be able to read it when whatever drew her bath came to do so in the morn as it had every day.

When she awoke the next morning, she found a note beside her bath responding to her message just as she had hoped. What it said, though, drew tears from the young woman.

“I cannot.” Was all that was written.

Peridot took her gift to the revenant and started deeper into the cave than she had ever braved. Doors disappeared to become dank offshoots of the murky cave that coated mud all over the young woman's feet.

Peridot traveled so far into the cave that she was no longer sure she could find her way back. That was when she heard the sounds of metal scraping against metal. She followed the odd noises until she found the revenant awkwardly fastening a cuff around his arm.

Every other one of his arm and legs had been restrained in a similar manner. The cuffs were each attached to chains that were in turn attached to the wall. When he saw Peridot he froze in horror.

“I cannot leave until I have given you a simple token to remember me.” The young woman cried.

She pulled the cloth that had been covering a painting of the revenant. Peridot held it up so that he could see every detail.

“This is how I see you.” She confessed.

There was more humanity in the painting of the revenant than he had seen even in himself in the longest of times. There was no hint of the monster that lurked within.

Tears welled from the man's face in a way that he thought he had been no longer able since he had been cursed. He wept tears of joy.

He confessed to the young woman that he had intended to entomb himself deep in the earth and starve himself out of his cursed existence so that he would never harm anyone again. Until he had met Peridot the revenant thought that undoing his curse was impossible but now he wanted to find a way so that he could return to the land of daylight with her.

The next fortnight Peridot painted every morning. She painted landscapes of the sun drenched marshes just outside the cave to remind the revenant of the beauty of the land to which he wished to return. In the evenings they poured over every tome both could find in search of a way to cure his unnatural condition.

As the night of the next full moon neared, though, the revenant found sadness overtaking him. Peridot tried to reassure him that they would find a way to help him but he only shook his head.

“It is not for me that I weep.” He said. “I look at your beautiful paintings of the world of light but each is surrounded by the darkness of this cave. I darkness to which I have exiled you.”

Peridot tried to comfort him but, again, he shook his head. He guided her to the entrance of the cave where the carriage awaited, loaded down with as many trunks as it could carry.

“I have not lost hope.” He said. “But my heart aches at the pain I have caused not only you but your family by what I have done. Please, go back to your home and show them that you are safe. I will restrain myself with my chains. If you return, I will become a man again. If you decide to stay away, I will afflict this land no more.”

The revenant did indeed understand her heart. As much as she enjoyed his company and wanted to help him her heart did ache when her thoughts turned to her family.

“I will do as you ask. But I will return to you before the next full moon and we will leave this cave as man and woman.” She promised.

Peridot returned to the luxurious castle that had been her home just as the revenant wished. As she entered the courtyard she was surprised to find many men sharpening blades and hammering armor in preparation for war.

When she was reunited with the Queen Mother and the King Father they were overjoyed to see their daughter delivered from danger. When they asked how she escaped, Peridot told them of how the revenant released her.

“Then you can guide us back to his lair so that we may destroy this threat to our lands!” They declared.

Peridot tried to protest. She tried to explain to them how the revenant had changed but they would not hear. Instead they had Peridot's eldest brother as the commander of the armies loose one of the stallions from the revenant's carriage and release it onto the road so that they could follow it back to the cave where the revenant waited.

The Queen Mother and King Father restrained Peridot in her room so that she could not interfere. Then they decided to accompany the army so that they could see the revenant die for his transgressions against their family.

In the time they had been apart, the noble family had forgotten about the cleverness of their daughter Peridot. She was able to escape from her room and find the fastest of the revenant's stallions held in the stables.

Peridot did not waste the time it would take to saddle the stallion. She instead rode the horse back to the cave faster than the army could as they had to follow a stallion not running as fast as it was able.

The young woman rushed into the cave and told the revenant of her family's plot. Though he was now freed from his chains he did not seek to flee or fight.

“Thanks to you I am now a man.” He said. “We will meet the Queen Mother and the King Father at the cave's opening. If they accept me as I am now they will share in the joy you have given me. If they still seek my life, I will give it to them in penance for my misdeeds as a monster.”

Though the idea that the man who was a revenant no longer dying saddened Peridot, she was heartened by his sense of honor. She resolved to stand with him, hopeful it would be forever by his side in life or in treasuring the memory of the fine man he had again become in death.

They waited at the mouth of the cave as the army drew near. The Queen Mother and the King Father screamed with rage, not seeing the man the revenant had become but the monster he had been.

So great was their rage that they charged past their own armies to strike the killing blow themselves. They did not know of the dangers the loose soil of the moors held and were swallowed up by the bogs until only their crowns remained above the water.

The former revenant and Peridot tried to come to the aid of the young woman's parents but failed. Despite this, the eldest son saw the pure intention of the one who had taken his sister when he was a monster. Now he saw the man and decided to spare him, allowing the monster to be forgotten.

The nobles and all the people in the land mourned the passing of the Queen Mother and the King Father but later rejoiced when the Lady Peridot was wed to a fine man of the regal Desiderata Clan to the north.

The sorceress that had taken his lands and cursed him into a monster died the moment he returned to being a man and he was able to reclaim his birthright. His and Peridot's lands joined together and a new era of peace and joy fell across the continent.

THE END