Should have Chapter 1 written and ready sometime tomorrow or thrusday.  When that is done, will update with the first few paragraphs.

Here is the rest of the prologue.

“Ricard, the horses need waterin.” Lises voice raised over the fields, Mischel in her arms. Her loose fitting clothing showed to the world that she was not eating her fill, the baby in her arms needing more then she. The ears of corn stood up in rows, waiting to be harvested. The autumn sun shown through the clouds, bathing the world in light.

Ricard slowly walked to the stables, his body glistening in the sun. Reaching into the the pocket of this trousers, he slowly pulled out a piece of cloth, and wiped the sweat from this forehead. Even though not more then two and twenty, he was already loosing the the long black hair that he had been known for growing up, the pattern of a horseshoe forming on his head. Knowing that he had more work to do, he slowly walked from the field, nodding at his wife and daughter.

Without a word, he made his way to behind the barn, where his well stood by itself. Buckets littered the grown around his feet, and the smell of manure hung in the air. But, wasn’t his life the way he wanted it to be? Or was there something more that he was missing? Questions that he thought would never be answered, as he loved his farm, and his wife and daughter even more. Using the muscles only a man of the land can form, he slowly brought up the well bucket, and sighed. It was going to be another hot autumn, he knew, and that meant that winter would be harsh. Sickness and death would descend on the farms once again, and the priests and healers would be unable to do anything about it.

As the water bucket rose to the top of the well, Ricard frowned. There was something not right about this day. Somehow, he knew that his life was about to change, but in what way? The air was normal, the sky a bit harsh, but nothing he hadn’t seen many times in the years he had been alive. As many farmers, he wasn’t sure what day of the week it was, or even the month, just that he had to get the planting done.

Watering the horses as his wife reminded him to do, he couldn’t but help to think. What was so bad about this life? He fed the locals, and made a small amount of coin in the process. He had friends, even if he only saw them every so often. But, most importantly, he and Lis finally had a daughter. Even if it wasn’t their own flesh and blood, Mischel was the best thing that could happen to them. And there was nothing anyone would be able to do to change that fact.

Finally noticing that the harshness of the day was at a end, he made his way into his home. Nothing much, one nice sized room for visiting, a small kitchen for cooking, and the room he and his family shared. The outhouse could be closer, but it was time to move it anyways. The only thing he really missed about living in the city was the books. A bit different then most that lived in this area, Ricard knew his numbers, and could read in three languages. That’s not to say that he could speak those languages, but he could read them. This gave him an advantage over most of the populace, as they had to bring letters and documents to him to read to them. Not that he charged most of them, but that did mean that he got to visit more often then not. One day, he would be able to afford to build his own library, and hire a tutor for the village children. Both of those ideas were out of his hands at this point, however. He and the blacksmith, Igor, wanted to build this village into what was lost years ago, the town of Hillsbrad.

“The corn should be coming off the husk soon.” Ricards deep voice always seemed to boom throughout the small house, but there was little that he could do about that. “The young horses are almost ready to be broken in. I’m thinking about hiring Gorens sons to do it again, as they seem to be able to break even the most evil of beasts.”

Lis nodded to her husband, happy to take a back seat to the day to day matters of the farm. A city girl by birth, she had taken to being a farmers wife easier then anyone thought she would. Then again, most thought that the farm would fail in a few years, not last as it has.

Ricard reached into the one expensive item they owned, an icebox, and pulled out a slab of bacon, and started a fire on the cooking stove. Pork, beef, chicken, turkey, most vegetables, and flour, all they needed was grown on the farm. The workers got paid in food for their families, but that was what they wanted.

“Husband, don’t eat much today, you promised to met Migel and Felix in the village tavern tonight.” Lis’ voice was as soft as the day they met, but there was something there. And Ricard could not place it. He glanced at his wife, and saw a piece of paper sitting on the table. Not uncommon in this home, this paper was a bit different. It held the crest of his family on it, something he had forsaken years ago.

“The armies are moving again, am I right?” The silence that came from Lis was all the answer he needed. Leaving the food still cooking, he grabbed is traveling coat, and stormed out of the house.

]]> http://thestarsnovel.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/rest-of-the-prologue/feed/ 0 Master Wolffeathers http://thestarsnovel.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/plot-synopsis/ http://thestarsnovel.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/plot-synopsis/#comments Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:16:29 +0000 Master Wolffeathers http://thestarsnovel.wordpress.com/?p=9 ]]>

Here is the plot synopsis for the novel. Not going to revel much information, but give an idea about what I’m writing about, and the main ideas behind it. This is not to say that the main plot will stay static, or that characters may change throughout the novel, but this is the basic outline. I will also not be posting the conclusion, or any MAJOR changes to what is going on here.

The main plot involves Ricard, a farmer who has issues with the current government. There’s not much he can do besides talking to his friends once a week or so. Unknown to him, two of his friends are members of the Rebel forces, one who is eventually killed in action.

This starts a series of events that lead to the imprisonment of Ricards’ friends and family, and the destruction of a nearby village. The the help of a renegade army Captain, he must form the rebels into a fighting force, and remove the threat to all the life in the Kingdom, but who is really pulling the strings? The King, or some other power……….

Click the Read More button to see what I have so far written.  It’s not much, but slight editing has been done at this point.  I will also be posting a “Who’s Who” page later, as I write more.  It’ll have very little at this point, as I only have the main characters, and a few supporting characters, in mind.  There will also be an outline page soon, that will give the outline of events up to the start of the novel, as the CHARACTERS have knowledge of.  The true outline will not be posted publicly, but I may release it at a different time.

The crowd was a little to rowdy this day. Even though, normally, the tavern was loud and raunchy, just something about today was different. It seemed that there was much more talk, and yelling, then was normal. But, what was to be expected, the kings forces had marched on the nearby town of Hillbrad, met resistance, and slaughtered every man, woman, and child there.

A general pallor had fallen over the village, if it could be called that, as the people waited for their turn to die. Every table was filled, ever hand with a cup of ale. Even those that would normally turn up their noses at something so strong drank their fill. As the women of the night went from table to table, giving the men, and no few women, their last pleasure on this world. Priests walked from hovel to hovel, farm to farm, granting their charges their last rites, and blessing them on their ways to the stars.

Strangely, the only man not to take this melancholy outlook was the blacksmith. People wondered if there was something he knew that they did not. Did the king need one more blacksmith, or perhaps he had already sold out to their oppressor? Still, why did they care? They were the walking dead, nothing would be able to change that, not now, not ever. Even as the questions were whispered, the smith smiled, and kept pounding at the metal that would become someones horseshoe. Those few that dared ask the strongest man in the village what was on his mind got shrug in answer.

In the distance, the people started to see smoke. Knowing that the rebels had attacked the scouting force of the army, they started to pray. Why had the stars not aided them as they promised? What would befall the children?

The first of the screams ended their thoughts, and they ran. The clang of the blacksmiths hammer keeping the time for their feet.

“Captain, the rebels have attacked the main force,” the warrior was obviously worried, as the Captain had a history of killing the messenger, “what are your orders?”

Captain Felixus looked over his maps, and smiled. The warrior knew what was coming, and slowly backed out of the tent, not wishing for the knife that the Captain hid on him at all times to find its way to his heart.

“Give the order to advance.” The Captains refined voice echoed throughout the tent. Looking at his map, he pointed at a small dot that not ten miles from his current postion, and chuckled. “These rebels have not learned their lesson, it seems. There is a small farming village near here, destroy it. Those that have strong backs are to be collared, women enslaved. Kill the children, but leave at least one alive that can make it to the rebels camp and tell the tale. However, make sure that all that child sees is the death around him. I wish him to spread the story of how those that ally with the rebels will be killed. Give his family the Dragon, make him watch, and make sure that he knows his part in this extreme history. He is to be the one that stops these rebels, so that we no longer have to fight them.”

The warrior nodded, and walked out of the tent. Hearing his orders given, the Captain glanced at his map, tears falling from his eyes.

This blog is about my writing a novel, tentaively titled “The Stars”.  A few chapters will be posted, as will notes, outlines, and the such.