Hello new and loyal readers of my AU!
This is book 2 of the Prophecy Begins; Sea and Smoke, the AU rewrite of Fire and Ice. The POVs will alternate between Fiyr and Graie!
If you're already thinking 'who the heck are those people', I'd suggest you go read Into the Fire first! It's a grand old time and it'll get you caught up on everything you need to know about the world and the characters.
Other than that, one enormous thank you goes to aer-of-ice, my beta-reader, always available for me to scream incoherently about minor changes to things far down the line and also edit down my propensity for bizarre dialogue tags! Let's get right into the allegiances and prologue of Sea and Smoke!
ALLEGIANCES
Kingdom of Thundria
Queen Bluelianna Star—Tall woman with long, gray-blue hair and blue eyes. (Bluestar)
Squire: Samn
Captain of the guard: Tigre Cawle—Enormous man with short-cropped brown hair, amber eyes, and broad shoulders.
Court Healer: Yllowei Fennen—old woman with frizzy gray hair and a flat face, formerly of the kingdom of Shodawa
Knights-
Whit Strommer—Tall, white-haired man with strange hazel eyes. (Whitestorm)
Darriek Styrp—Slick man with gray and black streaked hair and hazel eyes. (Darkstripe)
Squire: Duss
Liang Teyl—Thin, young man with long blonde hair with streaks of black and blue eyes. (Longtail)
Rynnin Wynnd—Short, wiry man with sandy brown hair and blue eyes. (Runningwind)
Willowamina Peilte—Graceful, ash-blonde haired woman with long limbs. (Willowpelt)
Mauzian Fyrra—Wiry, spry woman with short, light brown hair. (Mousefur)
Graie Sterrip—Short, chubby man with fluffy gray hair and yellowish-hazel eyes. (Graystripe)
Fiyr Harte—Tall, skinny ginger-haired man with bright green eyes. (Fireheart)
Ladies of the court: (Pregnant or raising children)
Frostialla Fuor—Tall, beautiful, long white-haired woman with bright blue eyes. (Frostfur)
(Children: Cindra, Brakken)
Brindellia Faise—Pretty, chubby woman with creamy brown-blonde hair and green eyes. (Brindleface)
(Children: Unnamed)
Goldanna Flourer—Gorgeous, golden-blonde haired woman with light blue eyes. (Goldenflower)
Speikell Tiall—Long, oddly specked long hair that she keeps in a long braid, stern hazel eyes.
Squires: (Training to be knights)
Duss—Short boy with dark brown hair and amber-brown eyes. (Dustpaw)
Samn—Lanky, strawberry blonde-haired boy with greenish-gray eyes. (Sandpaw)
Elders-
Heff Tyle—Tall, broad-shouldered man with dark brown hair and an arm missing. (Halftail)
Samal Eyre—Wizened old man with gray hair. (Smallear)
Wonn Eie—Short, wise woman with graying hair and an eye-patch. (One-eye)
Dapplianne Tayel—Once-beautiful tall woman with long, shiny dark brown hair with golden-blonde highlights. (Dappletail)
Kingdom of Wynnd
King Tahliorius Star—Tall man with long, black and white hair. (Tallstar)
Captain of the Guard: Daede Futt—Wiry, tall man with black hair and a twisted foot. (Deadfoot)
Court Healer: Barrik Feas—Short dark-haired man. (Barkface)
Knights-
Meude Kelaw—Broad-shouldered, dark-haired man. (Mudclaw)
Squire—Vebbe
Tuoren Ayer—Tall, thin man with streaked brown hair. (Tornear)
Squire—Roanin
Owen Newskar—Young man with sandy brown hair. (Onewhisker)
Squire—Whytt
Ladies of the court: (Pregnant or raising children)
Ashra Fote—Tall, muscular gray-haired woman. (Ashfoot)
Marrani Flor—Short woman with brown, white, and red hair. (Morningflower)
(Child: Georse)
Kingdom of Rivier
King Crukkedaro Star—Tall, broad-shouldered man with short brown hair. (Crookedstar)
Captain of the Guard: Leaparra Fore—Lean woman with curly golden hair and sharp amber-brown eyes. (Leopardfur)
Court Healer: Mede Frer—Short man with long brown hair. (Mudfur)
Knights-
Bellack Clah—Tall man with long black hair. (Blackclaw)
Squire—Heffeigh
Stowen Feur—Broad-shouldered man with close-cropped gray hair and scars. (Stonefur)
Squire—Sheyd
Lowd Baley—Dark brown-haired man. (Loudbelly)
Squire—Zilfer
Silaverre Strime—Lean, beautiful silver-haired woman. (Silverstream)
Wheit Calew—Short man with dark hair and a white streak. (Whiteclaw)
Kingdom of Shodawa
King Naitienne Star—Thin, black-haired man with asthma. (Nightstar)
Captain of the Guard: Cinnier Faer—Thin, elderly gray-haired man. (Cinderfur)
Court Healer: Raninn Naos—grizzled, slight man with patchy gray and white hair and cloudy brown eyes. (Runningnose)
Knights-
Stoumpei Toile—Short, gray-haired man without a hand (Stumpytail)
Squire—Wiyt
Bellue Faet—Skinny, gray-haired young man. (Bluefoot)
Squire—Oke
Laitlte Cleud—Tiny man with dark brown hair. (Littlecloud)
Ladies of the court: (Pregnant or raising children)
Dawhnnea Clouhd—Small, brown-gold-haired woman. (Dawncloud)
Daerkki Follar—Black-haired woman. (Darkflower)
Tahalli Popaya—Tall woman with light brown hair. (Tallpoppy)
Elders-
Aish Faor—Thin, haggard old man with graying hair. (Ashfur)
Rogues, Outlanders, and God-toys
Samedge—fat, friendly black and white haired god-toy (Smudge)
Barrleigh—tall, muscular boy with black and white streaked hair and blue eyes. (Barley)
Ravne—lanky boy with long black hair and one white stripe and big blue eyes. (Ravenpaw)
Braukkiniaum Star—Broad-shouldered, battle-scarred man with close-shave brown hair. (Brokenstar)
Clehw Fiace—Short, brown-haired man (Clawface)
Blayke Fouhte—Short, broad-shouldered man that always wears black boots and gloves to hide hideous burn scars from when he was a child. (Blackfoot)
Boldair—Tall, thin, dark gray-haired man (Boulder)
Princesca—Young woman with silky brown hair and big brown eyes (Princess)
Prologue.
They watch from the bushes as the giant humanoid silhouettes dance around a crackling bonfire.
The ragged group of survivors hold bags and children, a treasure retrieved during the hurried evacuation of their home gripped in a dirty hand, a flickering torch held aloft, illuminating dirt-streaked faces and tired, sunken eyes.
King Tahliorius Star of the kingdom of Wynnd feels exhaustion and misery weigh on his soul, looking out at his court. Their bravery and resilience astounds him every day, but whether it is enough remains to be seen.
Four days.
It has been four days since Shodawes knights poured in the doors of the Wynnd castle, tearing their world apart and slaughtering their knights, ladies, children, elderly, anyone that got in their way. The carnage had only stopped when King Tahliorius had evacuated the castle.
It had been their home for generations upon generations, but what else could he do? To stay was to die. To leave was the only hope that he had of preserving his kingdom.
He looks at their weary faces now, lit only by the pale moonlight and fire of the gods and sees the one thing that scares him most. Defeat. They've journeyed for days looking for somewhere they could live, across uncharted land and soulpaths, mansions, dragon dens, and more land, but no land like their kingdom's territory presented itself. Their old life seems like a distant, unreachable memory that was fading fast.
The kingdom might never be the same.
He feels guilt. Guilt for leaving the towns and villages that trusted the court to keep them safe from all outside threats, guilt for uprooting his court, his family, guilt for not being able to stop Shodawa from wreaking havoc on their lives.
What will the four kingdoms become? Three, then less, then none at all? Could it be that the blood-thirst of one wretched excuse for a man could rend their lives asunder?
"Keep walking!" he calls hoarsely. "Sir Futt, lead us around them!"
"What if they see us?" he hears a soft, trembling voice ask.
He fears the same; the gods are performing some sort of ritual and he does not know what they would do if they caught them intruding, but he says nothing. I will be strong for my family.
"Keep walking!" he repeats. "They will not see us. They cannot use the Trace, we know it. They will not see us or hear us or sense us, but we must continue on."
Daede gives him a sombre nod. He can the understanding in his captain's eyes. Even if the rumours are wrong, even if the gods find them, there is nothing to do but continue.
"Keep walking!"
And they do.
They're almost past the bonfire when an object comes sailing through the air, obviously thrown by one of the gods.
"Take cover!" the king yells.
His court dives in all directions, a mother curling protectively over her son, willing to die before she lets him be harmed, all putting as much space between themselves and the airborne object as they can.
The explosion seems to rock the world as it hits the ground.
King Tahliorius feels the stinging, bitter taste of god magic wash over him, but the effects are brief and soon he is able to push himself to his feet and hurry past the last stretch of the clearing.
"Lady Fote!"
He feels dread wash over him. Not Ashra. Not so soon after finding out she would be a mother… No.
But he sees the tall woman limping onwards, supported by Sir Ayer, and the court continues past the edge of the bushes. The court is alive and that is enough for the king.
We will survive. We must.
"I found a tunnel!" It's Sir Kelaw, a brave young knight that the king is thankful for. His undying fire will light the way, he knows. "We can shelter in it, for now at least. No trace of anything dangerous, but it's under a soulpath, so the gods' corruption…"
He trails off, clearly reading the desperation in the eyes of his king.
"But it will be enough," Meude Kelaw adds quickly. "We can stay for a little while at least."
Enough is more than King Tahliorius can hope for. Enough does not feel like nearly enough, but he has to content himself with it for the time being. The fate of his court is at stake.
…
Four years.
It has been four long, heavy, excruciating years since the great court of Wynnd was reduced to a helpless group of survivors that would take food and shelter wherever they could.
As the days, then weeks, then months that the 'little while' that the court was staying in the tunnels beneath the soulpaths dragged into years, King Tahliorius has to accept defeat. Ashra's children, Egell, Hiall, and Dowen have been born and demonstrated in these tunnels under the gaze of their mother and father.
That's more than can be said for Marrani's only surviving son. Georse is a smart, strong little boy, but his father is long gone. The loss weighs on Marrani Flor every day, the king knows that much.
The tunnels are their home now.
It could be worse, he tells himself. They could have been cursed to a nomadic existence, always on the run from whatever creature is terrorizing them that week, but still, he cannot find gratitude for these tunnels, only bleak acceptance. The glassy crunch of the souls of the gods overhead is a constant reminder of the fragility of their existence in these tunnels. The darkness, the musty smell, the way it stifles all life and how he can barely breathe as he continues deeper into the earth, following the infinite tunnels into the core of the land...
The memory of sneaking around underground is long faded, but the sting is fresh. Father… this is not what you would have wanted, I know.
He wraps these memories around himself like a thin blanket, reminding himself for what he still lives so he can face the empty eyes of his court one more time. Jake. Sayend. Pell. Finchi. I'm only glad you aren't here to see this. But that isn't entirely true. He knows it would be easier to fight through the days with them at his side.
Still. He will continue.
Perhaps Thundria is known for their courage, Shodawa for their cunning, Rivier for their grace, but none can triumph over the indomitable spirit of a Wynnder against all odds. The odds are breathtaking this time around.
But we will survive; we always survive, he tells himself, watching as Daede sends out each meagre group of knights, knowing that whatever they bring back, it won't be enough. There are no borders to patrol; they no longer have a kingdom, no throne, no crown. But they have their king and I will be there for them until the Starlaxi calls me.
He stands and walks over to Daede Futt, unable to bear the creeping mold of the walls that he leans against. The soulpaths didn't seem to have had an effect on the tunnels, but as the years had worn on, the creeping corruption that the gods were known for had slowly begun to creep into their one safe haven.
The patches of wall where the prismatic crystals had begun to form were covered by moth-eaten blankets that were no longer of any use to the court. Like that could stop them. Nothing stopped the gods, he knows well enough.
"How are the children?" he asks, hoping to keep things light and bring a little hope back.
"Georse is feverish," Sir Futt admits, sighing. "We've moved him to another tunnel, but Marrani won't leave him and I'm worried she'll get a fever too."
"Has Barrik been able to…" King Tahliorius trails off, knowing that they both know the answer to that question. "Are the patrols keeping an eye out for… any herb that might help?"
"The gods have killed most of what was living around here," Sir Futt replies heavily. "And I worry sometimes…"
"It's the only place we have. We can only pray," the king answers the proposal that he hadn't made.
"We're rotting, Tahl, the whole court is decaying," Daede tells him, pleading now.
"If Georse recovers or… the Starlaxi takes him, then we will go," the king compromises, but they both know this game very well. Put it off, put it out of sight and out of mind.
"And if that is too late?" Daede asks softly, but the king has no answer for him.
Sir Futt turns away, resigned, and waves off Owen, Tuoren, and their squires toward the exit of the tunnel.
Wynnd would survive. It had to. But they could not go on like this and King Tahliorius knew it. And yet… If King Braukkiniaum still terrorizes the land and I lead my court back to him, I will never forgive myself.
And so they would wait and pray that the tunnels would still be enough in five, ten, twenty years. As long as it takes. I will keep my family safe.
Was it the right thing? He didn't know. He prayed every night for guidance, but the journey to the silver peaks was impossible. King Braukkiniaum must have known that they would try to run. It hadn't been a fight, it had been the king's attempt to destroy the thing between him and ultimate control. He had set the stables aflame and there was no hope of rounding the horses back up.
They had walked, stumbled, crawled as far from the biting steel of the Shodawes 'knights' as they could and King Tahliorius knew that he could not retrace his steps alone. He could not leave his kingdom now.
And so he prayed.
When Ashra's children caught the fever two days later and the howls of their mother cut through the tunnels when it came time to bury Hiall, the king knew his prayers had gone unheard.
We cannot go on like this. But what else is there but to decay, alone and forgotten?
Thank you for reading the prologue! This fic will be updated once every 3 days, in an effort to give me more time to write the third book. Leave me a review, follow and favourite, all that jazz, and look out for chapter 1!
~Akila