The night that Joonas stepped into was cool and damp- nothing
irregular there. The clouds still covered the sky like a
think blanket of wet wool. The world felt empty to him, and
an achy feeling wore about his heart. It wasn't all about
leaving; Joonas loved his work, and he knew that he would
come home. He may have chosen to pass what should have been
his inheritance along, but it didn't change the fact that
Goranfjord was his home. He would miss his family deeply. But
that feeling, that sense that all wasn't well...
It was his mother's family that made him pay attention to it. His mother's family had magic, unlike most Farlanders. Raakel didn't have it, not like she said her brother Bernt did, but she was prone to, well, not visions, but her intuition was perfect. Raakel taught her sons never to doubt themselves. Joonas, particularly in his fanciful moments when he was very small, liked to think that his magic was with the earth, shaping it to his will. Later, when all his fanciful moments had passed, he decided sculpture wasn't about his will, but rather the earth's. But he still felt somehow, that maybe his mother's magic, her omniscience, had passed to him in some limited way. That feeling that there was something amiss, it was-
"Joonas?" Anneke called about. Joonas turned from the tall fence he was leaning on. His sister's bright smile seemed to hold some kind of otherworldly sinister nature, illuminated by the light from the open doorway. "Look at you, shirking dish duty! It's your last night of it, surely for posterity's sake you wouldn't want to miss it!"
Joonas's sense of foreboding was only increased by her presence. It was strange. Anneke's bubbly nature usually strengthened him, alleviated his own innate reticence. He forced a smile. "Just memorizing the night."
"Painting pictures, Joonas?" she asked, joining him at his spot by the fence.
"Yes." He looked back out at the dark hills.
"Lovely night to memorize." Joonas didn't have to look at her to know her nose was wrinkled in sarcasm.
"Mmm." Joonas felt her arms wrap around his ribs. He could feel her cold hands through his shirt.
"You'll be too busy to miss us, Joonas." Anneke smiled up at him, but Joonas heard the sadness in her voice.
"Me too busy? What about you? You're the one who has to learn all those ridiculous court manners and geneologies and Gods know what else."
"And never have any fun at that. You know, I thought I was supposed to be in charge there, but all they every do is yell at me. 'Lady Anneke, no running.' 'Lady Anneke, be quiet.' 'Lady Anneke, stop breathing.'" Anneke threw her hands into the air. "Honestly, it's stupid. I'm truly dreading my formal introduction. These nobles are bound to be terribly boring."
"Well, I'm bound to be seeing you often, at least. You don't know how many commissions Master Eilert gets from them. He's always in demand."
"So you'll always be in demand."
"I suppose." They fell silent. If Joonas were honest, and he always was, it was Anneke he would miss the most. From the day she arrived at Goranfjord, she was his favorite sibling. Joonas had taking it upon himself to protect her from Kustaa's teasing, from Ean's experiments, and Paavo's lectures. Joonas had introduced her to the sheep when she was frightened- of course, she was barely two. It was Joonas who discovered that she could sing, and Joonas who made her sing all the time. When Joonas was scared of leaving for Eilert's the first time, it was Anneke who cried for days before and days afterward, and Anneke was the only one that Joonas would allow to see his own tears and fright at the prospect of leaving Goranfjord.
"What's wrong, Joonas?" And it was Anneke who always knew when something was wrong.
He sighed. "I just have this feeling I don't like."
"Like Mutti's feelings?"
"I don't know. I just feel...I don't know. Dark, I guess."
"More than just sad?"
Joonas nodded. "It isn't about leaving. It's something else. Something is happening, Annie. Something awful."
Anneke shivered, wrapping her gray shawl tigher around her slender shoulders. "Worse than the time the old bell-weather when mad and tried to kill us?"
"It was just tired of your singing."
"Ean put him up to it." They both laughed.
Joonas's laughter faded. He sighed again and shook his blond curls. "I don't know, Annie. Just promise me you'll be careful."
"I always am, Joonas. You know that."
"I know you, Annie."
"I'm not a trouble maker, Joonas!"
"I know, Annie. I'm just...turning into Astrid."
"Heaven help us all!" Anneke declared, grinning. "You promise too, Joonas. Promise you'll be careful."
"Extra careful. I'm in the same city as Kustaa."
"Oh Gods. I'll never see my brothers again."
"You're worried about seeing your brothers? Hah! If Kustaa has anything to do with it, you'll never be able to show your face in Konnigsstadt, let alone the palace!"
"I'm counting on that, at least. Save me some tedium."
Joonas made light of his anxiety for the rest of the night. He knew Anneke would be careful; he wasn't worried about his brothers as they could care for themselves. He and Anneke stayed out a bit longer, talking, and then came in to help clean what was left of their feast. But as he lay down in his bed for the last time, his mind was filled with dark tidings, and he fell asleep, seeing Anneke alone.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------
Well, that certainly was a cheery chapter, and it did very little to advance my plot! Don't worry, Chapter Three gives us Castle Shehrevar and a little more character and plot development, and then in Chapter Four we learn a bit more about Anneke's family history and she makes a special friend (saucy wench)
I'd like to know if someone's reading this; it would truly warn the cockles of my heart to get a review. Doesn't have to be much, just a little "Hey! I'm reading this!" with a bit of "This rocks!" or "This blows!" I don't mind plot input either, although you've got very little idea of where I'm going with this at this point. Let's review some facts:
1. Anneke's parents are dead/missing and she was raised by her loving aunt and uncle. 2. Anneke's parents had magic...I told you her dad did, well, her mom, Miranda, did too. 3. Miranda is from Tortall...yes she's an OC, yes, she's really dead. 4. Anneke's got magic too. How much? We'll see. 5. Anneke's nobility. I haven't come right out and told you, but here goes; she's a duchess. Shehrevar is a duchy. It's a neat little seaside city and it fits quite interestingly into the geopolitcal landscape of the Farlands. Bernt, Anneke's father and Duke of Shehrevar, was quite popular with the King and Queen, but that's rare. Farlanders don't trust magic, they don't trust magicians, and they don't trust people from Shehrevar. Shehrevar is the magical stronghold of the Farlands, which is rather like New Zealand, if New Zealand were half the size of Indonesia. 6. The Farlands are west of the Copper Isles.
Alright, that's about all I'm prepared to give you at the moment. In the coming chapter I'll try to include more physical descriptions of the characters and of Gorenfjord. Gorenfjord is a barony, fyi. They're minor nobility.
I didn't add a whole lot to this chapter, I'm fairly well satisfied with it. I wanted to add a little more character description, and almost gave Joonas a bear just so aI could say something, but I decided against it. It just felt out of place. Chapter three is crazy with it though. The whole chapters getting out of hand. It's the whole reason I ended up accidently deleting this story in the first place. I had it all finished and posted and then realized that there was a whole section for chapter three planned out that I had left unfinished, and that that section was the entire reason for chapter three existing in the first place (other than the fact you need a chapter three before chapter 4, but whatever).
Please R&R! I'll love you forever!
It was his mother's family that made him pay attention to it. His mother's family had magic, unlike most Farlanders. Raakel didn't have it, not like she said her brother Bernt did, but she was prone to, well, not visions, but her intuition was perfect. Raakel taught her sons never to doubt themselves. Joonas, particularly in his fanciful moments when he was very small, liked to think that his magic was with the earth, shaping it to his will. Later, when all his fanciful moments had passed, he decided sculpture wasn't about his will, but rather the earth's. But he still felt somehow, that maybe his mother's magic, her omniscience, had passed to him in some limited way. That feeling that there was something amiss, it was-
"Joonas?" Anneke called about. Joonas turned from the tall fence he was leaning on. His sister's bright smile seemed to hold some kind of otherworldly sinister nature, illuminated by the light from the open doorway. "Look at you, shirking dish duty! It's your last night of it, surely for posterity's sake you wouldn't want to miss it!"
Joonas's sense of foreboding was only increased by her presence. It was strange. Anneke's bubbly nature usually strengthened him, alleviated his own innate reticence. He forced a smile. "Just memorizing the night."
"Painting pictures, Joonas?" she asked, joining him at his spot by the fence.
"Yes." He looked back out at the dark hills.
"Lovely night to memorize." Joonas didn't have to look at her to know her nose was wrinkled in sarcasm.
"Mmm." Joonas felt her arms wrap around his ribs. He could feel her cold hands through his shirt.
"You'll be too busy to miss us, Joonas." Anneke smiled up at him, but Joonas heard the sadness in her voice.
"Me too busy? What about you? You're the one who has to learn all those ridiculous court manners and geneologies and Gods know what else."
"And never have any fun at that. You know, I thought I was supposed to be in charge there, but all they every do is yell at me. 'Lady Anneke, no running.' 'Lady Anneke, be quiet.' 'Lady Anneke, stop breathing.'" Anneke threw her hands into the air. "Honestly, it's stupid. I'm truly dreading my formal introduction. These nobles are bound to be terribly boring."
"Well, I'm bound to be seeing you often, at least. You don't know how many commissions Master Eilert gets from them. He's always in demand."
"So you'll always be in demand."
"I suppose." They fell silent. If Joonas were honest, and he always was, it was Anneke he would miss the most. From the day she arrived at Goranfjord, she was his favorite sibling. Joonas had taking it upon himself to protect her from Kustaa's teasing, from Ean's experiments, and Paavo's lectures. Joonas had introduced her to the sheep when she was frightened- of course, she was barely two. It was Joonas who discovered that she could sing, and Joonas who made her sing all the time. When Joonas was scared of leaving for Eilert's the first time, it was Anneke who cried for days before and days afterward, and Anneke was the only one that Joonas would allow to see his own tears and fright at the prospect of leaving Goranfjord.
"What's wrong, Joonas?" And it was Anneke who always knew when something was wrong.
He sighed. "I just have this feeling I don't like."
"Like Mutti's feelings?"
"I don't know. I just feel...I don't know. Dark, I guess."
"More than just sad?"
Joonas nodded. "It isn't about leaving. It's something else. Something is happening, Annie. Something awful."
Anneke shivered, wrapping her gray shawl tigher around her slender shoulders. "Worse than the time the old bell-weather when mad and tried to kill us?"
"It was just tired of your singing."
"Ean put him up to it." They both laughed.
Joonas's laughter faded. He sighed again and shook his blond curls. "I don't know, Annie. Just promise me you'll be careful."
"I always am, Joonas. You know that."
"I know you, Annie."
"I'm not a trouble maker, Joonas!"
"I know, Annie. I'm just...turning into Astrid."
"Heaven help us all!" Anneke declared, grinning. "You promise too, Joonas. Promise you'll be careful."
"Extra careful. I'm in the same city as Kustaa."
"Oh Gods. I'll never see my brothers again."
"You're worried about seeing your brothers? Hah! If Kustaa has anything to do with it, you'll never be able to show your face in Konnigsstadt, let alone the palace!"
"I'm counting on that, at least. Save me some tedium."
Joonas made light of his anxiety for the rest of the night. He knew Anneke would be careful; he wasn't worried about his brothers as they could care for themselves. He and Anneke stayed out a bit longer, talking, and then came in to help clean what was left of their feast. But as he lay down in his bed for the last time, his mind was filled with dark tidings, and he fell asleep, seeing Anneke alone.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------
Well, that certainly was a cheery chapter, and it did very little to advance my plot! Don't worry, Chapter Three gives us Castle Shehrevar and a little more character and plot development, and then in Chapter Four we learn a bit more about Anneke's family history and she makes a special friend (saucy wench)
I'd like to know if someone's reading this; it would truly warn the cockles of my heart to get a review. Doesn't have to be much, just a little "Hey! I'm reading this!" with a bit of "This rocks!" or "This blows!" I don't mind plot input either, although you've got very little idea of where I'm going with this at this point. Let's review some facts:
1. Anneke's parents are dead/missing and she was raised by her loving aunt and uncle. 2. Anneke's parents had magic...I told you her dad did, well, her mom, Miranda, did too. 3. Miranda is from Tortall...yes she's an OC, yes, she's really dead. 4. Anneke's got magic too. How much? We'll see. 5. Anneke's nobility. I haven't come right out and told you, but here goes; she's a duchess. Shehrevar is a duchy. It's a neat little seaside city and it fits quite interestingly into the geopolitcal landscape of the Farlands. Bernt, Anneke's father and Duke of Shehrevar, was quite popular with the King and Queen, but that's rare. Farlanders don't trust magic, they don't trust magicians, and they don't trust people from Shehrevar. Shehrevar is the magical stronghold of the Farlands, which is rather like New Zealand, if New Zealand were half the size of Indonesia. 6. The Farlands are west of the Copper Isles.
Alright, that's about all I'm prepared to give you at the moment. In the coming chapter I'll try to include more physical descriptions of the characters and of Gorenfjord. Gorenfjord is a barony, fyi. They're minor nobility.
I didn't add a whole lot to this chapter, I'm fairly well satisfied with it. I wanted to add a little more character description, and almost gave Joonas a bear just so aI could say something, but I decided against it. It just felt out of place. Chapter three is crazy with it though. The whole chapters getting out of hand. It's the whole reason I ended up accidently deleting this story in the first place. I had it all finished and posted and then realized that there was a whole section for chapter three planned out that I had left unfinished, and that that section was the entire reason for chapter three existing in the first place (other than the fact you need a chapter three before chapter 4, but whatever).
Please R&R! I'll love you forever!