kingdcmcome

[kingdcmcome]

𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔡𝔲𝔠𝔦𝔫𝔤...

             ines harpman, order of the ember, seven-and-twenty, residing in acacia.

here is my second character, ines! app is below the cut, but i am still wriggling some details around. like this and i will slide into your inbox to plot! 

tl;dr: quietest character you will ever meet (because she’s always thinking about fighting you), outlaw and all-round scary fighting machine, looking to save some damsels in distress full-time.

i –– WHEN INES RECALLS her earliest years in Eden, she imagines herself as a dark stain against the bright greenery of that kingdom, a twisted branch of thorns hidden amongst the roses. Though she knows the story of how she came to live in Acacia so well it is practically mythology to her now, she prefers to imagine that the body of her home nation rejected her - that the roots and leaves and bark grew tangled beneath her and, with great difficulty, eventually spat her out.

ii –– SHE ARRIVES IN ACACIA having been selected (for her anger, for her strength, for her speed) as one of just a handful of trainees for an underground order of outstanding outlaws. They are not knights, they do not fight for this boy king, or for any king. They fight only for themselves, and for 'justice' (as loosely defined by a tract written many decades ago). You won't know them by name - no one alive ever has, and they work hard to keep it that way - but you might have heard whispers, folk tales about a circle of near-immortal Acacian fighters, hooded figures in easily recognisable scarlet. You might have seen a flash of blood-red on horseback if you have passed through the forests at the foot of the mountains at night.

iii –– THE ORDER OF THE EMBER is not known for its comfortable living quarters or for its welcoming atmosphere. The people of the Order live like religionless monks - there is no smiling, no laughter, no time for jokes. The elders are the most serious of all, and slope from cabin to cabin in impenetrable silence. Ines shares a room with one of her fellow trainees and there is not much in the way of decoration. She hangs her sword and her bow above her bed. She imagines a different version of events, a different way that her life might unfold.

iv –– SHE WOULD SET OFF one morning, just as the sun was rising in the palest of pinks, on horseback. She rides well, but has never been able to bond with one horse in particular, for the Order rotate their steeds and would never bother to name them. She knows each of the kingdoms well, for the circle spill over boundary lines with ease, they infiltrate courts, they lie in wait in taverns and at ports. There is nowhere they have not been. Once she leaves, she knows the world will be her oyster.

A. In order for Ines to cut her ties with the Order, she will need to find new employment. Her options are limited, she knows, for she doubts she would be embraced with open arms as a knight. She is not high-born, nor can she convincingly pretend to be. Besides, who might take on a girl with no past, with no contacts or history? The courts will not trust a runaway, not now, with the treaty hanging uneasily over all of the kingdoms.

But, If she could find a way to pledge herself in service to [a prince or princess] however, this might solve all of her problems at once. Yes, it feels like a fairy-story, a leap of chivalry, to imagine that she might kneel, lay her sword at the feet of royalty and vow to protect and to serve, but it is a hope that gets her from day to day.

B. There's an old tale that her elders like to tell about a man who left the Order to become an Acacian knight. He fled the forest, still in his red cloak, and headed to the castle, where the next day he presented himself to the king for the open tournament. The people were in awe of his talent and skill, and he was immediately accepted into the regiments of Acacia's impressive military. In the Order, this man is a cautionary tale, a renegade, but to Ines he has always seemed like some far off idol.

If she could meet a real [Acacian knight] she is sure her future path would become clear to her - but whether this character lives up to her expectations or not, remains to be seen.

[kingdcmcome]

six of crows, leigh bardugo

[kingdcmcome]

[kingdcmcome]

the woman and her sword.

[kingdcmcome]

Tati Gabrielle as Prudence Night in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina ( 2018 - )

[kingdcmcome]

Because the sunset, like survival, exists only on the verge of its own disappearing. To be gorgeous, you must first be seen, but to be seen allows you to be hunted.

Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (via larmoyante)