Ryanon frowned. "Not exactly light or happy reading."
"I know, but, Amberfall and I, we found something while you were out."
"I hope you're not teaching the queen bad tricks." Ryanon smiled. "So, what did you find?"
"There's this safe upstairs that Amberfall keeps a lot of papers in. Anyway, she somehow managed to find a series of tunnels that isn't in any of our records. She took me to the spot, but there was nothing there." Dak's expression resembled that of a child's who had just been caught with his in the biscuit jar. "She found something-something that will help us kill my father." He opened the book. "Soul Reaper, Longblade of Truth."
Ryanon frowned. She had heard of the sword, but it was supposed to be lost, if it even existed at all. "What's it say about it?" She looked up, pausing. "Wait, Amberfall actually found the sword?"
Dak nodded. "Yes, she did."
"And she thinks we can use it?"
Dak nodded again.
Ryanon fell back into her sheets. "Does she realize that killing your father will put Vicar on the throne?"
"Something tells me that is not what she has in mind."
Ryanon's heart missed a beat. Amberfall was going to put Dak on the throne. She looked at Dak. "Is that what you want?"
Dak ran his hand over his unshaven cheeks. "I'm not really sure if I have a choice. I'm afraid the stage has already been set."
"We're talking about civil war."
"I know, but I don't think the queens are going to let this go."
"You mean your mother is involved as well?"
He gave her a long look. "You of all people should know that women play a bigger factor in the game of thrones than men."
Chapter Thirty-Five: Setting the Stage
Ryanon stared out of the surrounding darkness. She really hadn't heard much news since their return from Trelia.
Trelia had been left weakened and it was going to take years for them to rebuild-if was still a big if they would ever return to their former glory. Of course, there was still the murder of King Rauffe Eveneye. The entire nation was in shock over the death of their king. After all, who would want to kill a sleeping man? The public funeral was supposed to be sometime next week.
The royal wedding would follow after the mourning had past. There was still no news on rather Vicar would be king of Trelia.
There was still the matter of Rawlin. It still didn't make any sense to Ryanon why he would interfere at all. What could have been so important to him that he would risk his life? She knew he was Trelian, but it still didn't add up. Why could he be loyal to a land that he's never been too? She knew he was going to kill her and there was that whole connection to Craskbrand. He surely didn't know she and Dak were responsible for his uncle's death...
Still, how did he put two and two together? How had he of all people been able to figure out who she was? There had to more to the story.
She shifted around on her perch. She never did get to finish her job of killing Duke Wymond Cragshield. She never did learn who hired her and Masse to kill him. She was pretty sure that it wasn't the duke's wife.
Down below, Masse was flirting the duke leading him in Ryanon's direction. The plan was for Masse to lower the duke into range. Then, Ryanon would step out and together the two of them would get the duke to have a drink with them. Only, the duke's drink would be laced with poison.
"Come this way, my lord, and you will have a night that you will never forget," Masse was saying right below Ryanon.
Duke Wymond Cragshield laughed. "I'm sure I will. You seem like the type of girl who knows how to treat a man right."
Ryanon leapt down from her perch, landing with ease in the alley; the shadows hiding her movements. Any second now and they would be ready to go. She listened as Masse's laughter reached her. She didn't know how the Duke didn't notice it was fake.
She listened to the sounds of the footsteps as she looked down at the drinks. Any second now and it would be go time.
"Here's my friend," Masse said as they rounded the corner.
Duke Cragshield looked Ryanon over with a certain in his eyes that sent chills down her spine. "Well, I can see that I really am the lucky one here. Two fine ladies with drinks; a man's life cannot get any better than this."
Ryanon only smiled as she offered the duke a drink. "I've been told that it's the highest quality."
The duke took the cup, taking a long drink without even sniffing it. "That is good stuff-" His eyes bulged out of his head as he fell to the ground. He only shook once before growing still; the cup rolled down the alley.
"Well, that was simple enough," Masse said. "I just hope the money comes through quickly."
Ryanon nodded.
Well, the Ioslullumary had been right about something. She had killed someone by poison.
Later that night, Ryanon found herself once again sitting on a roof with Dak. They really hadn't seen each other since their return from Trelia. There was a lot more to talk about than the Trelian and work, but neither one of them really wanted bring it up.
Ryanon let the wind beat against her face. "So, do you have any theories about how Rawlin put it all together?"
Dak leaned back against the chimney. "I have one. I think we missed one of the cameras. It's the only thing I can think of."
Ryanon only nodded. "And everything else?"
He smiled at her as he moved so close to her that she could make out all of his features. "That's an adventure for another time."
"And your mother is she okay with your father coming back?"
"Let's not talk about that yet."
"Dak-"
Her words are cut off as Dak pressed his lips against hers. Ryanon felt that wasn't fair, but he really was a good kisser.
Once upon a time, there had been a seventeen-year-old assassin who had never let anyone get closer to her. Then, with the turning of a page, her story changed forever.
There would be plenty of time to kill the King of Xandria, but for now there was only Dak Morninghelm and oddly enough that was all she needed for now.
~The End~
The World of Once
Once if my first full length high fantasy novel. I wanted to create a world that was sort of modern, but held on to the typical medieval/ancient world that fantasy plays host to. In order to get this, I turned to a number of books, articles, and documentaries. While Once is a retelling of Little Briar Rose and Sleeping Beauty, so much more went into creating the world of Once.
Below, I have shared with you that works that went into creating the world of Once. Some of them are fiction, but they still matter. :)
Books:
Arlon, Penelope. Ancient Egypt. (Scholastic, Inc., 2014)
Oliver, Neil. The Vikings: A New History. (Pegasus Books LLC, 2014)
Clark, James L. Portrait of the Soviet Union: Russia Under the Czars. (Raintree Publishers Limited Partnership, 1989)
Colbert, David. The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter: A Treasury of Myths, Legends, and Fascinating Facts. (The Berkley Publishing Group, 2001)
Cremin, Aedeen Dr. The World Encyclopedia of Archaeology. (Firefly Boos U.S. Inc., 2012)
Davis, H.W.C. Medieval Europe. (Amazon Books, 2012)
Evans, C.S. The Sleeping Beauty. (Amazon Books, 2012)
Fraser, Antonia. The Warrior Queens. (Alfred A Knope, Inc, 1988)
Gregory, Kristina. The Royal Diaries: Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine. (Scholastic, 2002)
Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. Little Briar Rose. (Amazon Books, 2007)
Higgins, Charlotte. Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain. (The Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc., 2013)
Higgins, Nadia and Andrew Jennings. Everything Vikings. (National Geographic Society, 2015)
Hughs, Bettany. Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2005)
Mass, Wendy. Building History Series: Stonehenge. (Lucent Books, Inc., 1998)
Ormrod, Mark. Themes in History: Life in the Middle Ages. (Wayla
nd Publishers Limited, 1991)
Templeman, Henry. Knights World: The Age of Chivalry. (Scholastic, Inc., 2016)
Articles:
Benedictow J., Ole. "The Black Death: The Greatest Catastrophe Ever." History Today. (Vol 55, issue 3)
Heckart, Kelley. "The Ancient Celts." http://www.kelleyheckart.com/theancientcelts.html
Historical UK. "The Longbow." http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Longbow/
Horgan, John. "Justinian's Plague." http://www.ancient.eu/article/782/
Hughs, Bettany. "Helen of Troy: The Whore and the Curse of Beauty." History Today (Vol. 55, issue 11).
Jarus, Owen. "Who Were the Druids?" LiveScience.
Minor R., Margaret. "The Fall of the Druidesses." University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Minor R., Margaret. "The Power of Women in Celtic Society: Female Druids." University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Minor R., Margaret. "Witches: The Legacy of the Druidesses." University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Pringle, Heather. "New Visions of the Vikings." National Geographic. (Vol 231, No. 3)
Documentary Sources:
Ancient Rome. Perf. Peter Coyote. Discovery Channel, 2006. Web.
Barbarians. Perf. Clancy Brown. History Channel, 2007. Web.
Brittan BC. Perf. Francis Pryor. Channel Four, 2003. Web.
History's Turning Points: The Black Death. Perf. Emmaa De'ath. The History Channel, 2006.
Knights. Perf. David Ritchie. SBS, 2015.
Maleficent. Perf. Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville. Walt Disney Studios, 2014.
Medieval Lives. Perf. Terry Jones. BBC, 2004. Web.
Mystery of the Romanovs. Perf. Gregg King, Penny Wilson, Vladimir Soloviev . The National Geographic Channel, 2007.
Scotland: The History of Scotland Before It Was Scotland. Perf. Alistair Moffat. BBC, 2006.
She Wolves: England's Earliest Queen. Perf. Helen Castor. BBC, 2012. Web.
Sleeping Beauty. Perf. Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, and Eleanor Audley. Walt Disney Pictures, 1959.
The Ancient World. Perf. Bettany Hughs. History Channel, 2010. Web.
The Dark Ages. Perf. RJ Allison and Christopher Cassel. The History Channel, 2007. Web.
The Fairy Faith: In Search of Fairies. Perf. John Walk. BBC, 2000.
The Roman Invasion of Britain. Perf. Bettany Hughs. History Channel, 2009. Web.
The Romanovs: Glory and Fall of the Czars. Perf. Steven Charles. The History Channel, 2013.
Warrior Queen. Perf. Alex Kingston, Steven Waddington, and Emily Blunt. Independent Television, 2003.
Wonder Women of the Ancient World. Perf. Charlotte Higgins and Bettany Hughs. Southbank Centre, 2015. Web.
Soundtrack
Amberian Dawn: River of Tuoni
Amorphis: Black Winter Day
Arcane Symphony: A New Day Begins
Battle Beast: King for a Day
Blackbriar: Until Eternity
BrunuhVille - Our Hero (feat. Sham)
Charon: Colder
Charon: Craving
Charon: Deep Water
Charon: Little Angel
Dark Sarah featuring JP Leppäluoto: Dance with the Dragon
Dark Sarah: Hunting the Dreamer
Delain featuring Alissa White-Gluz: Hands of Gold
Delain featuring Liv Kristine: See Me in Shadow
Delain: Suckerpunch
Delian: Sleepwalkers Dream
Diabulus in Musica: earthly illusions
Edenbridge: Alight A New Tomorrow
Eden's Curse: The Great Pretender
Epica: Ascension (Dream State Armageddon)
Evanescence: Lacrymosa
Ignea: Alga
Insomnium : While We Sleep
Kamelot: Veil of Elysium
Krypteria: Dream Yourself Far Away
Lacuna Coil: The House of Shame
Lana Del Rey: Once Upon A Dream
Leaves' Eyes: Edge of Steel
Leaves Eyes: King of Kings
Leaves' Eyes: Lyset
Liv Kristine featuring Michelle Darkness: Love Decay
Mayan: Faceless Spies
Metalwings: Crying of the Sun
Nemesea: Forever
Neopera: Destined Ways
Nightwish: Elan
Nightwish: Fantasmic
Nightwish: Sleeping Sun
Nightwish: The Heart Asks Pleasure First
Nostra Morte: Perséfone
Peter Gundry: The Lost Book of Fantasy
Phantasma: Enter Dreamscape
Phantasma: Let It Die
Phantasma: Miserable Me
Poisonblack: Rush
Powerwolf: Army of the Night
Sad Alice Said: Open Your Eyes
Sentenced: Killing Me, Killing You
Serenity: Spirit in the Flesh
Sirenia: Once My Light
Sirenia: The 12th Hour
Tarja featuring Alissa White-Gluz: Demons in You
Tarja: No Bitter End
Tezaura: Heavenhell
The Pretty Reckless: Take Me Down
The Prime Cronus: Epic Celtic Mix: Battle, Fantasy, Adventure
Visions of Atlantis: Winternight
Visions of Atlantis: Wintersnight
Within Temptation: Cover By Roses
Within Temptation: In Perfect Harmony
Within Temptation: Shot in the Dark
Within Temptation: The Last Dance
Xandria featuring Bjorn Strid: We Are Murderers (We Are)
Xandria: Call of Destiny
Xandria: Voyage of the Fallen
Acknowledgements
The road to Once began way back 2015. A forum on fictionpress called Labyrinth hosts bimonthly writing contests. I entered two short stories "Whoever Brings the Night" and "The Haunting." At the time, I did not know that those short stories would become the premise for Once. Without those amazing people at Labyrinth, I would have never wrote this story. I would also like to thank the lovely ladies at A Drop of Romeo. Without your prompts "The Holly and the Ivy" would have never been written. Though we have never met face to face, hats off to you guys!
I would like to also thank my family and friends for always having my back no matter what. Most of you didn't even know I was working on this, so surprise! This is what I have been doing when I locked up in my room.
To my best friends ever-Lindsay, Dana, Miley, Janet, Skylar, Jess, Jessica and Denice. Thanks for always being there no matter what. I would like to also send a shout out to Liz, Augie, Carmel, T.Rasa, and the other first readers of my short stories. I would also like to thank the Kris alliance on Game of War: Fire Age for always having something fun to say-even if it was complaining about things.
I would also to thank the Goodreads community for being so support and helpful on my journey and for pushing me to move on to the next level of storytelling.
Alyson Serena Stone hails from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. She began her writing career in 2010 on fanfiction.net and fictionpress.com. She has published over two hundred stories on those sites. When not writing, she came be found reading, watching bad movies, and listening to heavy metal music.
She would love to hear feedback from her readers, so don't hesitant to drop a review.
Social:
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Fictionpress
Fanfiction.net
Livejournal
The story continues in Storytime!
Coming Soon.
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