A/N:
Hi dears! To the new readers, thank you so much for giving this story a shot! I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoy it!
Now, to my dears old readers, we are officially back! I'm so, so sorry for taking so long to get back to this story! And I'm really thankful for all the support and patience you guys had with me while I worked things out to make this story into the best version it can be. Truly, Thank you!Ireally believe this second draft is gonna be great! Thank you so much for sticking around for it!
Important! There will be some general info for the new readers and then some info for the old readers about the changes I made to the story.
So to the new readers:
1) IPORTANT! This book is part of the Tender Tragedy Saga, which has 4 series within it. You can learn more about this going to check out the guide about the saga, called "Is Our Story Still a Tragedy?" . BUT the important thing is that You don't have to read any other work to understand this one. Although, this book will have spoilers for the previous books in this Series and the previous series in the Saga.
2) I MADE SOME MAJOR CHANGES TO THE MIKAELSONS BACKSTORY! You will find more about those changes in the previous books of the saga and this series. If you want more information on this, check out these books:
-House of Sand
-Path of Tragedy
A) The MAIN the changes are:
-Freya was still raise by Dahlia, but she was a loving mother figure and Freya had contact with her parents and siblings. She was also turned into a vampire, but Dahlia helped her keep her magic. After Esther was killed, Freya fled with her siblings. She stayed with them until the 1100s, when they were separated. (This story is better explained in my book Hidden Rose's Fate, which focus on Freya)
-The Mikaelsons were turned into vampires for a different reason and they have a more complicated relationship with Mikael, since he was a better father before they became vampires. They believe Mikael went mad. (explained in the book Path of Tragedy)
-Kol is a Trans man. Meaning he was born female but identified as male from a young age. He used magic to change his body. His parents and siblings knew and supported him. He is also Rebekah's twin.
**B) I also changed the timeline of the story. **In the show, the Mikaelsons go to Italy around the year 1114. Rebekah has that whole think with Alexander, Finn gets daggered etc. I'm giving Finn another century of life. This story takes place in the 1200s, between the 1280s and 1290s.
C) I also plan to add a "Previously On" chapter to this book later on, which will have a summary of everything important that happened in the previous books of the series.
3) ALL THE MIKAELSONS WILL ALL HAVE SUBPLOTS IN I won't go into them in much detail (since all the Mikaelsons will get their own solo books in this series. Basically the Mikaelson's subplots are:
-Elijah/Fem!oc
-Klaus x Male!oc (platonic)
-Rebekah/ Fem! OC, Alissa (Fran's sister)
-Kol will be trying to get his magic back with his witch companions and uncover some family secrets.
-Meanwhile Finn will be falling in love with our main man Francesco.
4) Trigger Warning: violence, period homophobia, sexual themes, executions, gore, blood, religious persecution, suicidal thoughts, among other sensitive topics. As always, I will put warnings on the chapters with such topics and none of them will be glorified.
5) I WILL BE DEALING WITH THE PERSECUTION OF LGBTQI PEOPLE BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. I'm taking a lot inspiration from the Inquisition.I'll put some of my views about religion and the Church here. I'll refrain from bashing anyone's faith.
6) I'll bring many historical aspects to this book, but it won't always be historically accurate. Tho I'm doing loads of research to make it as accurate as I possibly can. I might do some historical revision. Tho only so all the historical events I want to happen during the story can actually happen during the story. It's mostly me changing some dates.
7) This work was inspired by The Originals and The Vampire Diaries, along with other works. Such as Reign, The Tudors, etc. I only own my OCs, the plot lines and the characterization of some of the characters.
Alright, now for the new infofor the old readers:
1) There will be some changes in the structure of the story. The two more important ones are:
A) There will be a few chapters from Fran and Finn's POVs that are written in the 1 Person, as diary entries or letters. I don't usually write in the First Person, but I feel like this sort of style can really work well with this story. No for all of it. Just a couple of chapters here and there. In particular the Prologues and Epilogues will be written like that for the most part.
B) There will also be more chapters following other characters. For the most part those chapters will focus my OCs, especially the antagonists. But there will also be a chapter for the other Mikaelson brothers (so Kol, Klaus and Elijah).
2) I won't focus much on Rebekah and Freya in this book. They will appear and be important, but I won't focus much on them. That is because both Rebekah and Freya will have individual books that will deal with the stuff that happens here. If you want more information about those books, feel free to ask questions here, or got to my profile and check out the book "Is Our Story Still A Tragedy?", which is a guide to this series.
3) I'll keep most of the original plot of my first draft of this story. I know some people were worried I'd change some stuff they liked a lot. but don't worry. My main goal with this rewrite is to flash out the characters more and take the story slow enough that we can have a lot of fluff with Finn and Fran, as well as angst.
4) Important! Most of the first draft chapters will make it to this new version, with some heavy editing, but still. They'll be here. Like I said, my main goal is to add more, since I felt this story was really rushed the first time I wrote it.
5) this will be a slow burn of sorts. I gotta say I don't really have patience for those lol. but it's the only pace that makes sense for a story for Finn and my OC, Fran. But don't worry, i plan to have a lot of time after Finn and Fran get together to explore their dynamics.
6) This will be Strangers to Friends to Lovers. This is because I want to flash out Finn and Fran as individuals first, before they get together. So it will take some time for them to meet and then get together, but when they do…well, it'll be way better and really sweet. You'll get to see them struggling on their own, then meeting and becoming friends, then slowly accepting their very strong feelings for each other, and confessing their feelings. But after all that, you'll also get to see a bit of their "happily ever after" and how they influence each other etc. So, you know, be patient with me ok?
7) I'll take my time writing this story. The last time I felt like I was rushing to finish and that made me hate it. This time I'll take it slower, but try to get more regular updates. Like one chapter every week, more or less. So, I know you guys have been very patient with me and I really I appreciate it, but I'm gonna need you guys to keep that up, ok?
8) Francesco del Monte, my main OC in this book, and Finn Mikaelson also appear in other books and series of this saga.
In the Winds of Fortune Series
-Heart's Wild Fantasy (Kol M.)
-Love's True Colors (Rebekah/Alissa, my fem!oc)
-Hybrid's Proteges (Male!oc and fem!oc get adopted by the Mikaelsons)
-Madman's Son (Klaus and Mikael)
-The Destroyer's Little Wolf Prince (Hunter {aka Henrik} & Mikael)
(Finn also appears in Hidden Rose's Fate)
In the Anguish of Fate Series (Finn also appears in House of Sand and Path of Tragedy.))
-The Millennia of Sorrows (Mikael, Esther, Ansel and Dahlia)
In the Harmony of Doom Series:
-Knights of Nil (Book 1) and all the other books in the Harmony of Doom series. Finn and Fran are main characters in this series and will also appear in all the books, having major plotlines in them which are directly connected to this book.
9) Comments are really appreciated. Seriously. COMMENT WHAT YOU THINK AND I MIGHT JUST BE ABLE TO WRITE FASTER. This is still low kay true. the comments and support do help me write more. That's it! Enjoy!
All Dreams Must End
Once upon a time, the Mikaelsons found refuge in a castle, in a forgotten kingdom full of dreadful curses and beautiful lies. There, all their dreams would come alive. They could find love—some true, and some built on spells and lies; but most of all, they could find some peace of mind. The lies were too perfect, even when the Mikaelsons could see past them. Why would they give up their happiness for some meaningless truth?
Once upon a nightmare, in a small kingdom drenched in blood, two monarchs lost their child. Blinded by their pain, they called upon a Goddess to give them back what had been stolen. The Goddess possessed the monarchs, stealing their bodies as payment for a deal she never intended to honor.
Once upon a tragedy, the Goddess built a trap for the children of the man who stole her most precious possession: the Mikaelsons. The Goddess, dressed as the queen, ordered her castle to be renewed. She buried spells and charms within the walls to ensure all who stayed in the castle would grow weak and meek, lost in dreams and their happiest fantasy. Then she waited. For more than a century, she sat and waited for the perfect opportunity to lure her preys. When the time came, she did not rush into revenge. No. In her hollow order, the Goddess took her time. She allowed the Mikaelsons to have everything their hearts ever dreamed before she carved their hearts out of their chests, taking back everything she gave them and stealing away all they held dear...
Once upon a dream, five Mikaelson siblings followed their hearts, walking into a trap, simply because it was hidden within the chance to fulfill all their dreams. They chose to be blind and remain so until their dreams turned to ash in their mouths. But who could blame them? After so many tragedies, who would not want to escape reality and live forever in a dream?
Even if some Mikaelsons found their doom within the Goddess' castle, does it not count that they found their hearts, their love and will to live within those very walls as well?
And if the Original vampires have an eternity ahead of them, is there not enough time for a different—happier!— Ending?
After all, the Goddess could not curse two hearts within the castle. They were so lost in their own dreams, their own love. She could not touch them, for she knew nothing of their love.