My New Love Affair with Short Stories
Never thought I'd see the day.
One great thing about doing Kickstarters is that they can motivate you to do things you wouldn’t normally do otherwise. That happened to me as I tried to think of a stretch goal for my backers that they would like. When I sent a poll out, the unanimous response was a short story.
Well, nothing fits the project better than a short story about my characters, right? And in the course of many sequels, some things get left behind, like the courtship of Prince Barin and Lady Anna. And so not only did I offer a short story that tells of the beginning of their rocky romance, but I’ve actually written it too!
For now the only place anyone can get it is in this Kickstarter, and it’s free to anyone who pledges. I mentioned it in my other newsletter, but here I’m going to give you a little excerpt.
Chapter 1 Anna
Before the battle of Tellwater against the skura, before the troubles that haunted the Potamia Kingdom in the days of Skotádi’s menacing attacks, Barin, the Prince Royal, was his father’s protégé. Barin was a fine soldier overseeing the Tobian army, training young volunteers (including his sister Erika), scouting for makers of new and innovative weapons, and carrying out the duties that his father was too old to tend to. He had little time for a private life, and yet he was aware of his name being spoken among the courtiers. A handsome bachelor any noble woman would be thrilled to court.
One such young lady was Anna, the daughter of Lord Sylvester, a king’s advisor and nobleman from the township of Kolada. He was a crafty businessman, a breeder of horses which the king sought for his own herd. King Tobias and Lord Sylvester spent many an evening quibbling over trade deals. And while they did so, Anna spent her hours watching and admiring the prince.
It wasn’t that he ignored her. When they were in the same room together, he would acknowledge her presence, even kiss her hand. Her heart would flutter, and heat would rush to her forehead. She wanted so desperately to let him know how she felt when they were in the same room together. But how could she when her father chaperoned her, and her overbearing mother demanded control over her relationships.
It was for this reason that Anna took to penning her feelings. And though she had composed several letters, most were thrown into the fireplace and consumed by hungry flames. A hunger that mirrored her own desires to be with him, alone and intimately.
Until the day that her mother's sharp words proved too much for her to take.
“Your father and I have been thinking about your future, Anna.”
“How kind of you, mother. What did you two decide?”
“It’s time to find a suitor. Someone who will promise you a secure life, and whom your father and I get along with.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“We’ve designed our kingdom to be self-sufficient, and prosperous. We would like your future husband to fit in with that plan. We won’t be young forever you know, and we’ll need someone to carry on our legacy.”
Anna stared at her mother and said nothing. She was aware of her family’s ambitions, though she seldom commented on them. She would be scolded if she criticized, but in her eyes, their plans were counterproductive to the Tobian Kingdom, to King Tobias, and worse, to Prince Barin.
“What if I have someone else in mind, other than whom you choose.”
Her mother clicked her tongue and shook her head. A soft gray curl hung from her bun, her white lashes framing her bright blue eyes.
“Darling when will you learn? There’s more to the world than emotional ties. You don’t want to lose what your father and I have been working toward all these years.”
Anna glanced at her father, who sat smugly smoking his pipe. She couldn’t see his grin, hidden under a layer of white fuzz, but she knew it was there, and it was not a grin of happiness. Her parents controlled her. Every step she took, every dark place they made her venture into, every thought that came to her was under the scrutiny of her parents.
“Excuse me.” She left the room and hurried to her bed chambers, rummaged through her vanity, and when she found her ink well, she sat at the desk and wrote.
My most Honorable Prince,
I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to see you when my family last visited yours. It is my sincere hope that our calling might be more frequent, for I long that our acquaintance grows into a deeper friendship. Perhaps when my father comes to visit next, we might explore the countryside on horseback together.
I will wait for your reply.
Respectfully yours,
Lady Anna.