WIP – Galan, The Impostor

Hello Friends!

Here’s a bit of my work in progress which I think will be the beginning of a new fantasy/romance series. I have the name of the series all together, however the name of this story is tentatively called “Galan, The Impostor”. This tale features a tempestuous relationship between the young woman, Raeche (Ray-kuh), and the Emperor Lanus (Lah-noos). Here’s a little piece from the second chapter. I’d love to know what you think!

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On a day that knew no sun, on a day when only the blackest of dark clouds blanketed the sky and hung so low they were pierced by the mountains in the West so that from them fell raindrops fat and fast that assaulted the ground and raised a noise only overridden by the loud crack and roar of thunder and lightning, a storm brought the child.

Raeche knew pain the likes of which she had never experienced before. As her flesh rent while she tried to deliver her, the child, angry and frightened, lashed out with its first blast of magic. The strike of an untried empathy swamped them fear and anger. Even Raeche’s ever-increasing fear that the Emperor would come for her in the dead of night to strangle her, run her through, or have her dragged through the Royal City behind his mount while she screamed until she died, was forgotten.

Instead of trying to kill her, the Emperor stayed near, soothing them with his own Spirit of the Empath—strong for a male—as much as he dared through the labor. In preparation for the birth of their first, the royal couple had been warned that the interference of too much magic at birth could drive both mother and child mad or worse. Though Raeche knew herself to be an unfair woman, her heart and soul told her she would be forever grateful for his help and restraint.

However her heart and soul had always been traitors. And in this, they betrayed her once more.

After the labor was done, the nurses cleaned the girl-child, Taritana, performing her duty as Personal and Woman of the Spirit, blessed her, and—as Raeche listened carefully, waiting for The Rage that would overtake the Emperor—Valor, performing his duty as The Emperor’s Personal and Man of the Spirit also witnessed the Emperor’s acceptance of his heir. Only then, was the child returned to Raeche, laid in her arms against her breasts.

When the new heir to the Empire, finally calm, and on her way to slumber, blinked at her, Raeche noticed the pale almost icy green irises of her eyes, already open and perceiving. They looked just like the Clear Pool beneath the trees of the Forest to the East. With timid, trembling fingers, she brushed back the portion of the blanket covering the baby’s head. Skin fair like the moon, Rucha’s wisps of hair shined with the color of the sun at its highest.

Raeche gasped then. And Taritana, who was pretty but bitter and sometimes choked with jealousy watched, her eyes narrow and dark like the entrance of a sword’s sheath. She didn’t fail in her duty, though, rather proceeded with the ceremony as she proffered the child and Valor stood at her side. Raeche accepted Rucha in her own rite, proud she did not stumble and inspire further suspicion.

Raeche looked up at her husband the all-powerful, tall, fair, golden-haired, green-eyed devil.

She had known nothing of fear before this day.

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What do you think?

Grayson