So, me and queen-of-ice101, were ranting over on discord and we basically came up with a big backstory for Mordred Darkthrop and his family, which inspired this particular fanfic. I imagine that one of us will eventually post a rant about what we came up with on tumblr or something. Anyway, I've been wanting to write about Mordred for a while now, seeing as there is a lack of fanfics about him. I've only ever seen one, and that just won't do, so I created another! I hope you enjoy!
Hidden deep within the Wildwoods, and surrounded by an imposing mountain range almost all the way around, Harburg was the perfect place for those who wished to hide from the laws of kings and queens. It was a place where all were free to do as they pleased, and that was exactly what Mordred Darkthrop had hoped for in founding this new settlement. No longer would he have to worry about royal guards coming to arrest him for using his gift. There would be no one to look down on him simply because he was a part of one of the three oldest dark mage families.
The Darkthrop's had lived peacefully in the city of Peliad on the continent of Eldrion for many centuries, practising their dark arts without hindrance. Eventually, a foreign ruler, the Empress of Tyobi, decided that she wasn't content with merely ruling the desert region, and so she sent her army to conquer every bit of land on the continent. The Empress quickly began implementing strict laws, telling people what they could and could not do.
Many of the older families of Peliad were outraged by this, and wanted nothing to do with this foreign ruler. Mordred, being among those who were unhappy with the new laws, gathered all those who agreed to follow him, and sailed across the sea to the mainland, where they went in search of a new home. Eventually they found an abandoned village called Ravenwood, and seeing as there was no life to be found anywhere in the surrounding area, they decided to claim it for themselves.
Mordred smirked with satisfaction, pushing a stray strand of his long curly black hair out of his face, as he watched the carpenter's and stonemason's build what he liked to think of as his empire. If everything went according to his will, and he was sure that it would, Harburg would one day grow into a great and powerful city, rivaling all those other cities like Thais and Candar. Unfortunately, he knew that it would take a long time for that to happen. At current the village consisted of a few pathetic looking log shacks, and a couple of manor's that were still in the process of being built for the noblest families.
Then there was his home, which had been the first to be built. Instead of having a manor built for himself, he opted for something a bit more ... awe-inspiring. Darkthrop Keep was tall, towering over every other building, and intimidating, decorated with terrifying gargoyles to keep unwanted visitors away. Everyone in the village already knew that he was one of the most powerful dark mages in the world, but still he felt the need to showcase his power further.
The only thing left for him to do was continue the Darkthrop bloodline, and in order to do that, he would need to take a wife. Luckily, he already had an idea of who he wanted his bride to be. One of the noble families that had come with him to the mainland happened to have a young daughter named Lilly. She was everything that he could hope for in a wife; beautiful, charming, and came from a wealthy family which possessed the gift of magic.
To be honest, he had had his eyes set on her for a while. She always smiled when he was around, batting her long eyelashes at him. It had been that way for years now. At first, he hadn't even noticed the attention she gave him, too busy focusing on his ambitions, but one day he finally noticed her while she was dancing with a few of her friends in the garden of her family's old home in Peliad. He was mesmerized by the sight of her as she gracefully twirled and leapt about. Ever since that day, he had found that he no longer thought solely of power. It had to be love.
And so, Mordred found himself walking up the steps of the nearly finished Clockwork Mansion. He couldn't believe how nervous he actually felt … Never before in the thirty-one years that he had been alive had he felt so nervous before, and it was all because of one girl. A part of him found falling in love to be troublesome, mostly because it made him feel weak, and he hated feeling weak, but he supposed that showing a bit of weakness may be worth it if it meant he was able to marry Lilly.
Taking a deep breath, Mordred pulled on the knocker a couple of times, straightening out the wrinkles in his robe as he waited. Before long, one of the servants opened the door, and was about to say something when she realized who it was.
"Come in, m'lord," she said, quickly curtsying to him as she pulled the door open, getting out of the way.
Mordred paid absolutely no attention to the servant girl as he walked straight past her. Servants were almost absolutely useless in his opinion. They were only good for cleaning houses and doing the dirty jobs that their masters didn't want to do. How could they possibly be good for anything else? They were so weak and pathetic, unfortunate enough to have been born without magic.
"S-Shall I let my master know that you are here?" the servant girl asked timidly.
Just then, her master happened to enter the entrance hall, stepping out from his study. "There's no need, I am already aware," he said. "Return to your cleaning and let the two of us speak in private."
"As you wish, master," with another quick curtsy, she scampered out of the room and towards the kitchen.
Mordred waited until he was sure that the servant girl was out of hearing range before turning to his longtime family friend, Sir Adger Clockwork. He had never trusted servants, not because he believed they were plotting against him, for they were far too weak and useless for that, but rather he knew how much they enjoyed eavesdropping in on conversations. The next thing one knew, the servants were telling their servant friends in different households all their master's secret plots.
"What brings you to my manor, Mordred?" Adger asked. "If I had known that you were coming, I would have alerted the cook and invited you to stay for a grand feast."
"I have come with a proposition for you, which I believe shall benefit both of our households." Mordred stated.
"I see. Shall we discuss this proposition of yours over a bottle of vintage wine in the study?" Adger offered.
Mordred nodded his head. Without a word, he followed Adger into the study, shutting the door firmly behind him before taking a seat.
"Like most of the others who followed me here, I too hope to settle down and start a life of my own," Mordred began. "As you know, I am the only male of my family name, and therefore carry the responsibility of continuing the bloodline. In order to ensure the continuation of my family, I will need a wife, and it is my belief that your daughter, Lilly, would be most suitable."
Adger made no reply for the first while, as he appeared to be contemplating the offer. Mordred couldn't help but fidget in his seat. He mentally chastised himself once again for being so nervous, forcing his hands and feet to remain still as he waited for an answer.
"With all that has happened since we left Eldrion, I have failed to consider the future of my daughter. However, I doubt that I would be able to find a better husband for her than you, especially here in this foreign land," Adger replied. "I would be honored to give you my daughter as a wife."
Mordred smirked, obviously pleased by this answer. Getting to his feet, he reached out and handed him a pouch of gold, amounting to a hundred gold pennies in total. It was a bit higher than the average price when arranging a marriage, but he figured that Lilly was worth it. He had more than enough gold to be spending a bit extra on her.
"You were not kidding when you said it would be beneficial," Adger remarked. "You certainly spare no expense when it comes to getting what you want."
And so the marriage was arranged that day. The wedding would take place in three weeks time, in the nearby city of Thais, where they would stay the night before returning to Harburg. Mordred wanted to spend as little time in that city as possible, knowing that dark magic was outlawed there. He would have preferred it if they could be married in Harburg, but since they had neither priest nor a temple in the village, they had no other choice. Oh well … Mordred wasn't exactly worried. He had heard that there was a priest in Thais who would marry almost anyone, regardless of whether the couple were human, fairies, elves, or even vampires.