Review of Events

I’ve come to realize that some may want to start reading this but do not wish to read months of past entries. I will therefore try and provide reviews roughly once a month to help people keep up with the story. First you should know this story is told via two different Journals, so far (hint hint).

Thus far a few major things have happened. Ardythe, the king of a small nation called the Island, recently laid his only son to rest, having died of a terrible sickness, leaving him without an heir. This small nation was subservient to a neighboring nation, Odrar, up until about three generations ago. Over the past century the Island has become impoverished though bad weather and the constant demand of defending itself from Odrar’s greedy fingers.

Therefore Ardythe finds himself alone and on the verge of losing his nation. In a desperate attempt to gain allies and wealth, he “adopts,” by force and manipulation, seven young people whom he hopes to marry off to distant royalty.

Ardythe and his steward Marcys (the first journaler) spend a number of weeks traveling all over the Island nation seeking out suitable people—beautiful, talented, nobility—with one exception. Here is a little about each “adoptee.”

Kaplan is the eldest and one to inherit the crown. He is the younger brother of a land owning lord and very skilled. He is aggressive and relentless—good qualities for a king to be. He takes his new position serious and is the only "adoptee" to know what the king wants and needs from his new "children." “Each trade partner, each lord, each serf we encountered on our travels said the same thing: they wished Kaplan had been the one to inherit. The serfs praised his generosity and stewardship; the lords all wanted their daughters to be wedded and bedded by him despite his lack of land; and the traders enumerated the transactions where he had showed great wit and economy.”

The next oldest is Rownet. She’s a rather sad character. Ardythe came and snatched her up from her family home just days before she was to be wed. She is a little old for marriage. Ardythe took her in the hopes that she would provide an elegance to the group that the younger women lack. Rownet is doing her best to reconcile herself to this bizarre twist to her life.

Aedan, the third oldest, is a fighter. He does not take things lying down. In fact, when Ardythe came to retrieve him from his family he tried to fight the king’s soldiers. Thankfully his mother saved him and convinced him to go peacefully, illuminating the many different adventures he could have.

Leofrick is a little different from the others. He’s not exactly attractive. In fact he’s kind of quirky looking. Ardythe didn’t want to take him but Marcys convinced the king that if his entire family was beautiful the foreigners would question the vailidity of this make believe family. Leofrick overheard this conversation and is hurt and confused. Until this incident he had been excited at the chance to spread his wings, so to speak.

The next “adopted” child is Jocosa. Unlike the other women she is not… um… well pure. She had an entanglement with Alek, Marcys’ nephew and the ships First Mate. Ardythe feels convinced she won’t try it again and that they can hide her past indiscretions—she’s very pretty.

The youngest “son” is Sadon. He is extremely attractive but also oblivious to it. This trait earns him a spot in the new family despite the fact he was raised by impoverished gentry and therefore uneducated compared to his “siblings”—at least in the areas the gentry think a young person should be educated in.

The last, and far from least, “adopted” child is Forlaith (the second journaler). She has been told that if she doesn’t cooperate Ardythe will have her family killed in front of her. As the youngest of all her new “siblings” she has an innocent view of the world and is often confused by the things going on around her.

Now the whole “family” is together in Bathum, the capital city of the Island and preparing for their journey across the great ocean, though Ardythe has not explained their plans. He has simply allowed them to slowly put the pieces together.

Any questions can be posted in the comments and I will answer them.

Thank you for reading.

Charissa