Month: October 2019

Work-In-Progress Wednesdays #21

Ariel Paiement

This week’s WIP Wednesday excerpt is from In Darkness Lost. I’m still finishing up some last edits, which I was kind of hoping I wouldn’t be doing at this point, but hey… Plans don’t always work out quite according to our wishes. So, this week’s excerpt comes from some of the newer content that’s been added or rearranged.

~~~

RUNNING didn’t help. Dairdra collapsed onto her bed, gasping for breath. Her sides cramped, and she sucked in deep breaths. Closing her eyes, she ran her fingers along the velvety smoothness of her comforter and tried to focus on the gentle current of warm air wafting from the fireplace. The air blew the bed’s gauze curtains against her arms, and the touch pulled her back to the present. She opened her eyes and blinked, her head throbbing.

The warm light of the fire played over the ceiling and gave the room a pleasant, cozy atmosphere. But it didn’t bring any comfort to her. Her chest ached and she buried her face in the silk pillow. Even the release of crying was denied to her, and she lay there, motionless, in tense silence.

She didn’t understand. Why did it have to be her mother? She was too young to shoulder her mother’s load or to take her place. She still needed the one parent who took time for her. She sat up and fisted the comfort in her fingers with a shuddering breath. She suddenly had to move, couldn’t stand sitting on the bed like everything was as it usually was. She moved down onto the floor and sat down.

Still restless, she rocked back and forth on her heels. How was it that one thing had so much power to destroy? Just one minute was all it had taken, and now her life had become a disaster.

She tried to find some bright spot, some hope to cling to, but she couldn’t find anything. Her throat tightened, and the walls of her room suddenly seemed so much closer, the room darker than before. She huddled there on her floor, drew her knees up to her chest. But she couldn’t seem to shake that lost, empty feeling settling into the pit of her stomach. Could anyone fix this? Or would she feel lost and empty forever?

Tears welled up behind her closed lids, then broke free of her lashes and dripped down onto the blue silk of her dress. Stop. This is a time for action and duty, not for crying. She should get up and go speak to her father about what she needed to do with her mother out of commission. She lifted her head and dashed away the tears. Sucking in a deep breath, she rested her forehead against her knees.

Work offered a course of action and a way to escape the growing darkness. She could throw herself into her duties, numb herself to the pain with work. But what were her duties? Her mother spoke of only the organization aspects of the job and the finer points of interacting with the court. She had no idea what else was required because what was required changed based upon what the King demanded of his consort.

Once again, she was reminded of how alone she was. That only added to the yawning void centering in her chest. Since she’d reached adolescence, she’d been dreaming of the man she’d marry. She’d had her hopes too, though she’d only spoken of it once or twice with her mother.

Those hopes had been encouraged, but nothing had come of them because she wasn’t allowed to wed until her eighteenth, a rite of passage she’d reached just a few months back. Besides, the man of her dreams and her secret fantasies had been nothing but a best friend and attentive servant since she’d met him on the day he’d entered the palace as her mother’s protegee. And she’d never felt the disappointment more keenly than she did now when nothing seemed certain anymore.

She rubbed her aching temples. Well, of that was a bridge she’d have to cross when it came to it. For now, it was pointless to add any other worries to the already insurmountable pile. She pushed herself to her feet and dragged her aching body to the bathroom. She hadn’t expected to be this sore from the day’s activities.

Maybe it was her body’s response to the shock. She hadn’t really processed everything that had happened until now, and suddenly she felt tired. Too tired to bother with anything. But going to bed and sleeping away the hours until this was over wasn’t an option.

She splashed cold water from the wash basin over her face and dried it. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that it hadn’t done much to hide the red-rimmed eyes that were evidence of her pain. But at least she didn’t have tear stains streaking her face.

She turned away from the mirror and shuffled out of her room. Might as well get the things she needed to do accomplished. Maybe then she could collapse and give her body and heart a chance to accept what had happened today. She drifted down the empty colonnaded halls.

The halls were so pristine, and their white, splendid beauty made her heart ache. How could anything be so put-together while she was falling to pieces? It didn’t seem fair. The silver plants that gave Argent her name had always made her smile before, but now they didn’t inspire any emotion at all. They stood in their pots along the rows of columns, but their glittering beauty was distant now, not close and personal.

Everything was cold and distant, and Dairdra’s stomach dropped. She’d never felt loneliness so sharply. Would anything ever feel right again?

That question had no answer. The realization was almost enough to send her running back to her room again. At least there she could close the drapes and hide in darkness. At least her bedroom was a place she could let her control slip. Here, she couldn’t, and she had to bear the pain stoically. She had to be cold and distant just like the plants she used to love so much.

~~~

That’s it for this week! I hope you all enjoyed it. What have you all been working on? Feel free to share in the comments!

Saturday Setups: Government

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

Next up in our discussion on world building is government. Governmental systems impact daily life in so many ways it would be impossible to cover everything, but here I’ll go over some of the major considerations and how different choices will impact your story. Depending on your choice, the differences in how life goes for your characters in your novel and how life could’ve been for them will be great.

Types of Governmental Systems

Before we talk about how governmental systems impact daily life, let’s discuss what kinds of systems are available to you. There are quite a few options, and each has different features, though in some cases, certain structures may share some features.

Monarchy

This one is one of the most common systems for fantasy. With a monarchy, there is only one ruler, though sometimes that ruler may have a spouse who shares that power with them. Either way, the ultimate power is vested in one individual. This individual writes the law, and in many cases, this ruler is the law. Which it is depends on the motto of the person in power. Some monarchies may have some kind of parliament, but how much power they hold is up to the monarch.

Oligarchy

This one is less commonly known or seen in fantasy, but it still bears note. In an oligarchy, multiple people are in charge. This could be a parliamentary system with no monarch or a ruler who is mostly a figurehead. It could also simply be a group of men and women who have all of the power. Perhaps the high-ranking nobility are running the show or members of the military are in charge sharing the power amongst themselves.  Either way, an oligarchy centers the power on a couple of very powerful individuals who stay in power by running everything.

Democracy

A democracy is much different from the previous two systems. With this system, it is the people as a whole who decide. Majority rules, and the interests of society are determined by the popular opinion. This system rarely works well on any large scale because once a lot of people are introduced to the system, voting becomes next to impossible if everyone is to have a say on every decision. Nonetheless, it is a system of government that can be employed in smaller communities.

Constitutional Republic

This system, which is the one the States employ, combines the popular opinion with some sort of structure. It does so by having the people elect officials to represent them. The particulars, of course, on how to make the representation work, when to have elections, and how to ensure everyone has a voice through that representation all depends on the people building the system from the beginning. This system allows the idea of democracy to function on a large scale because the people still have the power, but they aren’t required to vote on everything pertaining to the governance of their society. This, of course, is a good thing when you consider how many decisions have to be made for an entire nation.

Dictatorship

This one is one of the better known structures since we’ve seen plenty of examples. In this governmental structure, one individual is in charge and keeps power by controlling the people through military and state power. While in some cases a dictator may be benevolent, this is usually not the case. Dictators are often overthrown in favor of a democracy or some other form of government as a result of their cruelty and selfishness.

Governmental Structure’s Impact on Society

While there are other governmental structures, I listed the major ones above for your reference. Now that we’ve gone through them, let’s look at how this will impact daily life for your societies under the rulership of these various systems and their authorities.

Monarchy

In a monarchy, life can vary greatly depending on the king or queen in charge. Some may do what is best for the country and love their people dearly while others may rule with selfishness and a heavy hand. How this plays out is also determined by who is on the advisory board or council and who is in their senate/parliament, if they have one. Depending on how much power is given to the parliament or senate in the monarchy, they may have the ability to check the monarch if they see poor decisions being made, but in most cases, the monarch will set the tone for everyone as he is the sole party responsible for the laws. As a writer, your job is to determine what sort of monarch your monarchy has at the point of your story as well as how much power they have. Once this has been decided, you can work from there to determine what life will be like for your people underneath this form of government.

Oligarchy

Again, how life works out for your character depends largely upon who is in charge. This system does offer a bit more in the way of checks and balances because multiple people have to agree with one another. The problem is that most oligarchies are going to be constructed of like-minded individuals, and they aren’t chosen by the people. This leaves the people in a situation where their lives can be made easier or harder based upon who is in power from year to year. Historically, both monarchies and oligarchies have led to a mix of prosperity and extreme poverty. 

Keep in mind that when one or a few people are in charge, this can lead to religious and class persecution depending on how strongly the ruler(s) holds to one opinion or another. (An example of this in history, for instance, would be the Pilgrims leaving England due to intense religious persecution and violation of conscience as England’s king demanded they go to a state church that didn’t fit with Scripture. This, of course, is only one of many examples in our history.) This may leave you with an interesting avenue for conflict as a result of dissonance between the government and a certain set of people who believe differently or are in a hated class of people.

Democracy

Unless your government is only legislating for a very small group of people, democracy is going to make life very difficult for at least some group of people. Essentially, democracy always leads to mob rule. Whoever has the loudest voice and the most backing gets their way, leaving the minorities left out and often facing extreme hardship as a result of what the majority decided without them. Be careful in using this system because, unless you want a society where mob rule is the order of the day, this system may leave your character in one of the groups who is on the fringe and facing extreme difficulties. This could, again, provide an interesting backdrop for a story, but it’s important for you to understand how hard this could make things for your characters.

Constitutional Republic

This system of government is, historically, more likely to raise the living conditions of everyone in the country. While not everyone will get what they want all of the time, it offers a real chance for the public to be involved in their government with a voice that can be heard. Because of this, on the whole, the citizens of countries with this kind of governmental system feel more empowered to get involved and may be more informed on what is going on within legislative bodies. It also results in, typically, a much higher standard of living and higher prosperity within a country. If you want a highly stable form of government that will give your character a background in an affluent part of your world, this is a very good governmental model to consider. (Monarchies can also, in some cases, sustain the kind of wealth needed for this background, but usually only the nobility and royalty had access to that kind of power or wealth.)

Dictatorship

This one almost guarantees that your society will have a low level of affluence, difficulties in even the most basic parts of life, and a poverty level that is astounding. While this isn’t always the case, the pattern in history has been that dictatorships are unstable, lead to rebellions, and result in a great deal of suffering for the people underneath the dictator. This is an important thing to keep in mind about this form of government. If you want a character who has lived in the worst of conditions or been the one to perpetrate those living conditions on others, this is a great form of government to fit those needs.

Conclusion

Obviously, this is just an overview of government and how it affects day-to-day life and living conditions. Do you have other ways that these systems of government can affect life? If so, feel free to share in the comments! Because government is such a big part of how we live our lives, it’s an essential part of planning your world. The more thought you can give to how your world’s governments will work and impact your story, the better this portion of your story will be.

That’s it for this week, everyone! Have a great weekend!

Flash Fiction Friday: Nimewe’s Recruitment

Ariel Paiement

This week’s flash fiction is about Nimewe, a character who will appear in the sequel to Pathway of the Moon. This is her graduation/recruitment day as one of the initiates into the Guard, an elite force that protects her planet’s holy sites and life source from the demons that live beneath the surface of the world.

~~~

She stared at the chromium stage where Middles would take the Oaths of the Guard. For a moment, she simply stared at the blinding sun glaring off the white metal. Was it really the day? Was she really going to walk across the stage with the other Middles to graduate from being between two worlds to being a full-fledged Guard with all of the privileges and weaponry that came with it?

Her gaze wandered out over the crowd as she waited in line, tried not to bounce in excitement. The look on her aunt’s face splashed over her in a cold wave, and her excitement snuffed out. She was really doing this, and no one in her family supported her. Well, not what remained of the family, anyway. Her parents would approve of her choice if they were still around to do so. They had fought valiantly against the Cursed when they first surged up to wreak havoc on all of the Sites of Light and those who kept them. And it had cost them their lives just as it might cost her life. 

She looked back at the stage and watched as Aura Mychaiel strode to the podium. Their Aura met her gaze for a moment with a knowing smile, and Nimewe shivered. The older woman’s gaze saw everything. Just like hers did. And she knew then that there was no other place for her. If she walked away, if she didn’t finish the last part of their initiation today, she would have nothing.

No one wanted someone like her, a half-breed between the Aurethel, Chaerel’s oldest people, and the Betweens, a small group of people who had fled Sedra, Mistress of Darkness, after she created them and visited untold horrors upon them. They claimed she wanted to build an army, that she was in fact doing so. No one knew quite what to make of them, but the common consensus had been that they, and eventually their descendants, were liars and entirely insane. That was, until the Cursed poured from the caverns and chased both Between and Aurethel to the skies where they now dwelt.

No one knew why the Cursed hadn’t come sooner, but nothing seemed to restrain them, so it was left to the Guard to protect the holy sites and the planet’s very life force from the daemons who sought to destroy it. That was why she was here. Why her parents had died. It was her heritage, after all. Her mother had been a descendant of one of the Betweens who had come to warn her father’s people. She had grown up despised simply because of her origin and her people, and that hatred had intensified tenfold when Nimewe was born. A freak, people had called her. And when her ability to perceive emotions and thoughts became stronger than that of most other Aurethel, she’d really become an outcast.

But the past was the past, she reminded herself. Enough thinking about it on a day when she was supposed to rejoice. Her enthusiasm returned. She would become a Guard today, and that was the one place where Between and Aurethel alike could coexist with no prejudice or hatred. There wasn’t room when they all faced death every day.

Really, that was what this graduation meant to her. Not a new position. Not prestige in society. No, it meant family. It meant acceptance from her peers and a real chance at friendship for the first time in her life. The loneliness was at an end, and her hard work would finally pay off. This really was it.

She strode across the stage behind the Middle in front of her, a broad smile slipping onto her face. Coming to a stop, she stood with feet spread and planted firmly on the chromium surface of the stage. From there, she stared out across the vast sea of heads to the glass walls that pulsated gently with the energy that kept their sky city aloft. Soon, she would leave this place to begin her new life back on the surface of the planet, fighting to protect a world she dearly loved for its beauty and vivacity.

Aura Mychaiel smiled at her and looped a rainbow-colored chord around her wrist with a soft laugh. “Head out of the clouds, girl. It’s your time. Do you accept the responsibility as one of the Guard of Chaerel and her Fountain of Spectrums to protect both the holy sites and the Fountain as well as the people of Chaerel?”

The words of the Oath sank deep, rooting into her soul, and her smile faded as the seriousness of the situation sank in with the Oath. She nodded, a lump in her throat. “I take responsibility for protecting Chaerel’s holy sites, Fountain, and her people. I swear to put my needs and desires, and even my life, down for this people and this planet we all call home so long as I live or so long as I am able to serve.”

“Welcome to the ranks of the Guard, Nim.” She squeezed her shoulder and pressed her forehead to Nimewe’s before moving down the line.

Nimewe’s smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Finally. It was done. She was one of the Guard.

~~~

That’s it for this week! I hope you all enjoyed. If you have something you’d like to see in future flash fictions, leave me a comment or shoot me an email! I’m always glad for the suggestions.

Work-In-Progress Wednesdays #20

Ariel Paiement

Hi everyone! I’m back from my missions trip to Romania, and this week, I’ve got a little glimpse at what I worked on during the flight over. This is an excerpt from Trader Prince of Aleshtain.

~~~

HE shouldn’t have been surprised that his father had gone behind his back on the matter of his possible bride. In fact, he should’ve anticipated this kind of stunt. Now, because he hadn’t expected it, hadn’t planned for it, he was sitting across from Princess Aledhia of Argos, looking like a Rith-cursed fool. Despite her attempts to converse, he’d barely spoken ten words to her since she’d shown up to present herself before him and his father in the throne room.

Anything had to be better than this. The princess was, admittedly, beautiful, but she was also blond, and he hated blonds. He much preferred dark haired girls with keen eyes and a quick wit. Like Rhubhian. But no, not her. She wasn’t an option, and he had to remember that. She wasn’t an option, why? Because of his father’s shadow-struck ideas of who was and was not acceptable. Maybe he should just forget what his father thought and marry the girl anyway.

Of course, there was just one problem with that. Even if he wanted to do that–and he had to admit that the idea was appealing–she probably wouldn’t have him regardless of the station it would give her. Too bad because he realized, as he stared at his food and listened to Aledhia’s high-pitched, soft voice, he desperately wanted her to want him. Life never played fair, did it?

“Your father said you were quite the administrator, my lord.”

He blinked and forced himself to focus on the girl in front of him, not on the one unwillingly awaiting his return to his quarters. His father had said what? “He exaggerates.” Mostly because he avoided administrating anything except his own investments, which had failed due to his father’s attempts to keep him under the royal thumb.

“You’re far more modest than I expected. Surely your father wouldn’t exaggerate so much?”

He would if it meant making a better match. And him, modest? Hardly. He was just a realist. He shoved a forkful of vegetables into his mouth to postpone the need to answer.

She tensed, but she held her open posture otherwise. She’d clearly been coached on how to appeal to men of the sort Aleshtain produced. Unfortunately, subservience wasn’t a good look on her. Or maybe it was just that she wasn’t the one he wanted submission from, and she wasn’t the one he wanted, period. He shifted with a frown.

She set her fork to the side and stared down at her lap. “Have I done something to displease you, my lord?”

“No.”

“But… I do not please you either?”

Rith take that cursed wobble in her voice. He could practically hear the tears in her dulcet tones. His fingers twitched against his thigh, and he glanced at the door. “No, it isn’t that… I just… I wasn’t expecting a visit, I’m afraid, and it’s put me off my usual charming self.”

She didn’t answer.

“It isn’t you.” Oldest response in the book, and the best way to say it really was her. “Really.”

“If it were, you wouldn’t tell me, would you?”

The first interesting thing she’d said all day. “Why do you think that?”

“You do not seem to expect your women to obey your every whim, and you do not seem the sort to make demands.”

How wrong she was. If he gave an order, it was to be obeyed, and giving orders was in his nature. He wasn’t unreasonable like the other men here, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to be in charge in his household. “I like a little bit of fire in my women, but you’re wrong about me. If you do something wrong, you’ll know.”

She didn’t meet his gaze. “Then why don’t I know what I’ve done to garner your cold reception? You say it isn’t me, but, with all due respect, sir, I think you lie.”

She had him there. Fine. He’d give her the truth if she wanted it so badly. “I have no interest in wedding you. My father wants this union, not me.”

Her brow furrowed “You think we are ill-suited?”

In every possible way. “Most assuredly.”

“You’re quick to judge, sir.”

“You think differently?”

“A marriage can work on respect, obedience, and some affection.”

He snorted and sipped at his wine. “That’s what you were told to say. I asked for your thoughts.”

“I have very few on the matter.” Her gaze flicked over him. “Except that I think I’d like the real you better.”

Perceptive. He smiled. “Sadly for you, you likely won’t ever see it.”

“Ever? Even if we wed?”

“I’d do my duty. But opening up and wanting you aren’t part of that duty.”

~~~

Thanks for reading, and I hope you guys enjoyed seeing what I’ve been working on in my spare time. What have you guys been writing lately? Feel free to share in the comments below!